Wild Wednesday Morning Shuffle - She Wants Something Mix

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All of this happened a long time ago when the world was a very different place. Of course, none of us knew that at the time.
(From The Drift - A Novel by Joe Wolfe-Mazeres) Available at Amazon.com (Kindle edition also available)

I am continuing to work on my Spotify playlists for E2TG.  So far, I have completed three - January - March 2018.  These are meant to be a cross-section of music I featured during those months - not necessarily music released in those months.   If you are interested, you can check out the playlists (links below)  and follow my personal profile to find out when new playlists are created.

E2TG January 2018
E2TG February 2018
E2TG March 2018


I am not someone who complains (publicly) (too much) when things are not going well in my life, and I am also not someone who likes to talk about it when things seem to be going well. Maybe that is because those two extremes often seem to come within minutes of each other. It's usually not very extreme - there are things that help with this - but anyway.... what was my point? Oh- this week has been interesting.  Parts have been challenging... but I have really enjoying catching up with some people I haven't had the chance to in a while, and I have enjoyed meeting new people.  And hearing some great music.  Tomorrow night is going to be one of those nights when I wish I could be in at least three places at the same time.

Oh and I go to the dentist this afternoon.  The last time I went there, I was there seven and half hours.  Hopefully, I will not be there until midnight tonight....

It is mid-week - a time when we get "wild" at E2TG and shuffle up all of the music saved to my phone. Let's do it!

Featured Friday Morning Music Shuffle - Sharpest Marble Mix

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First off - ICYMI because I posted so late yesterday.  Here is the link to yesterday's shuffle and "Earie" Awards...

Today's "Earie" Award category is either called, "The Hall of Fame Part II" Award or the "E2TG Survivor Series" Award or something.  Over the 4 1/2 year history of E2TG, I have been fortunate to get to know and write about a ton of really awesome and talented artists.  As most people reading this know, making music and trying to be heard in 2015 is a challenging proposition. It is easy to get burned out or for more lucrative opportunities to take precedence.  This award is meant to recognize long time favorites of this blog who are still out there doing their thing and making vital and interesting music.

1.  Killing Kuddles - from Atlanta - Elwood "Killing" Kuddles first caught my attention a few years ago with his blending of punk and folk or folk and punk - which I hereby dub.. "Polk" (because "Funk" means something else).  In 2015, Kuddles released the Sinking Ship EP which pushed his signature sound forward.  I love his slightly twisted humor and the way his music makes me happy.  Very happily, I made a Black Friday purchase that included a Killing Kuddles t-shirt, stickers, patches, and buttons. 

2.  The Danbury Lie - originating from Connecticut, I think he's kind of a citizen of the world now.  The Danbury Lie holds the distinction of being the third most tagged band in E2TG history.  Like so many Connecticut artists, he is extremely prolific.  In 2015 alone, he released Scattered Moments of Connection, Choose Your Delusion, Shallow Cuts (kind of a Greatest Hits collection), and the DVD (with accompanying soundtrack) called Whispers to Oblivion.  And he is already at work on a new project schedule for early next year.  His music is unique and amazing. It is an interesting mix of experimental metal, out there folk, and something harder to define.  Whispers to Oblivion is a chronicle of his cross-country drive over the summer.  It is an amazing video which manages to give the viewer insight into The Danbury Lie's world.  I would recommend it even if I didn't make a voice-only cameo appearance.

3. Pony Boy - When I first came into contact with the music of Marchelle Bradanini - aka Pony Boy - she was in Los Angeles, and I was very impressed by both her songs and her incredible voice. Since then, she has partially relocated to East Nashville (she lives 1/2 time here and in L.A.), and she has begun to received some well deserved attention. Pony Boy released Blue Gold this year, and I have seen it mentioned on some best of lists already.  And now, she has an "Earie".

Our last featured Friday shuffle of 2015 is on deck....

Friday Morning Music Shuffle - Crazy Flipper Fingers Mix

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First off, I witnessed a great night of music at The 5 Spot last night. Jon Latham, Allen Thompson, Zach Schmidt, Tim Easton, and Darrin Bradbury - powerhouse stuff there!  As a bonus, I get to stick around and see long-time Ear to the Ground favorites Year of October as part of the late show line-up.  I am really proud of how they have grown musically in the past few years since I first heard them.

Also, my review of the Wednesday Night Bobby Memphis Benefit show is currently (at press time) on the front page of No Depression, and although, I can admit that I always happy when something I wrote gets featured like that, what I really hope is that it leads some people to helping out a man who I do not know and did not know of, but who is obviously respected and loved by a large number of people.  You can read the review here.

Thursday Morning Music Shuffle - Rich After Than Before Mix

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One of those moment where music connects me to a moments in my life: I went to The 5 Spot last night to see songwriting legend Don Schlitz, who has written so many great songs including several Mary Chapin Carpenter songs and Forever and Ever, Amen.  He was pretty phenomenal and funny, but when he sang The Gambler which was the first of his songs to be recorded, I literally felt the hair stand up on the back of my neck.  I was twelve years old when The Gambler was released, and you heard it everywhere.  When I was in seventh grade, a girl asked me out (a first for me), and when I called her we talked about a lot of things and I asked her what music she liked and we talked about Kenny Rogers and this song. Later, when I turned 21 and went to buy beer and get carded, that same girl was working in the convenience store where I went and she didn't even card me.  A few years ago, I heard that girl (woman) had been killed in a car accident.  Anyway, all those thoughts went through my head as I sang along to the words I still knew so well. Oh and I got to "fist bump" Don Schlitz last night.  Pretty cool...

To the shuffle:

Monday Morning Music Shuffle - Hangin' Downtown Mix

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After a long, productive weekend, I am back at the work week - shuffle thing....

ICYMI: my latest two live reviews are up on No Depression.   You can read the first part of my recap of the Safety Harbor Song Fest. (Part II coming soon)  And my Review of Friday nights Humming House hometown record release celebration.

On to the shuffle:

Friday Morning Music Shuffle - Barefoot on the Dancefloor Mix

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Traversed snow and ice and cold to witness the birth of a new East Nashville musical happening at the Mad Donna's Loft... a super-serious, super-cool songwriting thing (the name is still being bandied about), but who needs a name when you have Joe Fletcher, Brian Wright, and Darrin Bradbury playing their awesome songs to a small but dedicated audience of super-serious music fans (including some other great musicians).  Here's to many more of these happenings and much better weather for them.  Hats off to the awesome Terry Rickards for making this thing happen...

Since I traversed the snow last night, I kind of had to do it this morning... guilty conscience if I said I couldn't make it to work... but I had an awesome sound track for this slippery and frigid journey...

Thursday Morning Music Shuffle - Kilos, Ounces, and Pounds Mix

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I'm back!  And rushed again... let's get this done....

Friday Morning Music Shuffle - Heck of F-f-friend Mix

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After Tennessee's Icepocalypse kept me in for most the week, I ventured out into the cold last evening to check out a new consignment store called Hang the Moon in East Nashville and to hear some of my favorite people play music. I just caught the tail end of the set by Tim Carroll and Luella Wood but what I heard was (as usual) awesome.  The Western Shore were next delivering an awesome set of their unique style of Americana music, and the night wrapped up with the super-duo of Lindsay Ellyn and Taylor Alexander doing a set of some of Lindsay's great songs augmented by some classic country songs.  These two voices are amazing together.

Meanwhile, more snow and ice are on tap followed by heavy rain tomorrow... joy!  What the hey, we have music to present!

Thursday Morning Music Shuffle - Another Magic Mart Mix

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Kiely Schlesinger, Lindsay Ellyn, and Jon Latham at Two Old Hippies 1/21/2015

Had a great time watching three of my favorite songwriters trade songs yesterday evening in The Gulch.

Reminder, TONIGHT: Darrin Bradbury and the Fran's Eastside Super High Band will be starting off a great night of music at The 5 Spot in East Nashville.  Be there! 9:00p.m. $5.00.

Shuffle....