Next week, I expect to start promoting the E2TG 7th Anniversary Residency at The 5 Spot coming in June. For now, just go ahead and block off every Thursday in June from 6 to 8:30pm. We have a great line up every week. I'm still ironing out some final details... but it's time to get talking about this. I still can't believe it has been almost seven years (it will be seven years in mid-May) since I began this incredible journey. Thanks to everyone who has joined me at some point along the way.
Well, let's see... today is 4/20, it's Record Store Day eve, it is #NationalSchoolWalkoutDay - on the 19th anniversary of the Columbine massacre which did not teach us the lessons it should have.
It is also #FeaturedFriday here at E2TG - the "New Music" playlist topped 600 songs earlier this week - it's just below that number now, but I already have some new music to add to it. I may have to go in and cut some tracks from albums that have been around awhile and been featured pretty heavily. Or not... We shall see.
Fun night last night checking out The Coal Men and The Truehearts at The 5 Spot. Both are top-notch bands who have deservedly achieved a great reputation in this music city. This was evidenced by the stellar musicians and songwriters in attendance.
It is Thursday and time to dive headlong into the "New Music" playlist for this "Trending Tuesday". All of these tracks are (more or less) recent additions to my collection, and artists/albums that I waited to feature here at E2TG.
Well, it's been a little while. Thanks for bearing with me during my brief time away. I will be back to regular posting on Thursday, but I thought I would take a few minutes on this Saturday to listen to some songs from my "New Music Playlist". I shuffled up the playlist while I did some errands, and I ended up with 17 tracks. I will be rather brief, but if you hear or read about something you like - be sure to dig deeper and shoot me a line if you have any questions.
Well, we've reached the end of another work week and another week of shuffles. I haven't had a normal five day work week in almost a month, and I am going to be taking some time off at the end of January, first part of February - more on that later....
I've been thinking about E2TG quite a bit. It has been a part of my life for going on seven years. In the beginning, I stated a philosophy and even though much has changed in those seven years, I still try to stick as close to that philosophy. I recognized early one that I could never "compete" with some of major music sites in terms of covering all the "hot" or "hip" or whatever music. So, I set my sights on featuring music you may not be reading about in those brand x blogs. What that has meant has changed somewhat but not entirely. In recent months, I have had the opportunity to feature some artists that would have never thought possible before.
What thrills me more than anything is the diversity of music that I am able to feature and write about. For me, that is more than a philosophy or modus operandi, it is an imperative. Since I first got interested in music, I have had an almost insatiable appetite for more and different music - always aware of the sometimes obscure thread that runs through it all.
With that being said (whatever it was I said), I have a wonderful and diverse set of songs that came up randomly in my shuffle of my new music playlist. Yesterday - there were only six songs in the shuffle - today, we have twelve.
Well, it is January 9, and I am finally digging into some of the brand new music that has come my way. This is the first Trending Tuesday Shuffle of the year. This shuffle comes from my brand new "New Music" playlist. I've added well over 200 songs from recently received albums, and I added in some "holdovers" from my last New Music playlist. This new playlist started the year at just over 400 songs.
For those new to E2TG, I want to explain. The primary outlet of E2TG is the morning shuffle - which is exactly what it sounds like - if it sounds like this: every morning that I work, I hit the random shuffle (either on a specific playlist or on all the songs on my music player), and I write about the songs that come up.
I very, very rarely will do a full-album review, however, through the shuffle I usually cover most of the albums that I select to feature. Almost all of the music on my New Music playlist had either been submitted or at least recommended to me.
I hope that clears things up. So... on this dreary, foggy, misty morning, I left my home and I hit shuffle on my brand new "New Music" playlist, and these are the songs/tracks that came up....
Last night, I got a good and much needed dose of rock and roll- checking out Snakehips and Smoky White Devils at The 5 Spot.
Tonight is the long awaited CD release show for Rayvon Pettis' Dying Light album. I am pretty sure I wrote about this album last year, and I got to hear a preview several months back. I am so excited for people to hear this album.
So, I have one Earie to give out before we get to the shuffle. Over the course of this year, I have found myself reading about what my friends are up to and saying, "Man, they are killing it!" And yes this happens a lot with musical performers but as often it has been people in other fields (closely or loosely or completely connected to music) (music is kind of a big part of my life). So, I have several winners of the "Killing It"* award. This is not an exhaustive list, but all of these folks are infinitely deserving.
1. Hayden Coleman (and not just because I accidentally tagged him in yesterday's post) - I have featured Hayden's own music several times in the past. He is a hip-hop producer and a rapper - who has been immersed in that world for much of his life. In 2017, Coleman has been busy as a producer, co-writer, and guest performer. Most notably (perhaps) on Morgan Bosman's cool track "Runaway". Check out the video where Hayden can be seen running...
2. Lindsy Davis - I met Lindsy - as I did so many people - through Darrin Bradbury. You may recall she drew the cover image for Bradbury's The Story of Bob" album. You member the devilishly handsome man on the cover. That, though, is just the tip of her talents. She is an extraordinary visual artist, this year she ventured into tattoo artistry. For me, she is inspiring in the way she has carved out a niche for herself in this town and continues to chip away and grow that niche.
3. Stacie Huckeba - To be honest, Stacie used to kind of scare me, but that was probably more about me than her. I know that Stacie has had a difficult year, but through that, she has managed to continue to kick ass as a photographer, writer, advocate, and just generally all around awesome person. She is up for East Nashvillian of the Year - which I think she richly deserves, but I don't get to vote on that one (as far as I know), but I get all the votes on the Earies.
4. Chad Cochran - I had been aware of Chad's photography - mostly his art photography of incredible landscapes - for a couple of years. I think I followed him on Instagram before I ever met him. He still produces some of the most visually stunning landscape photographs I have ever seen, but in 2017 (and before) he has been killing it with his photos of musical performers - both on and off stage.
All of these folks motivate me to do more, and I am happy to know them.
*I know some people hate the phrase "killing it" (and to be honest, my use is somewhat ironic but I mean it with the utmost respect and admiration)
Okay - on we go to the shuffle and perhaps a few more Earies...
On my mind... life seems to be about finding some sense of balance that works for you as an individual. At least this is true for me. Whether it is about staying in vs. going out or about finding the beauty and joy in life vs. recognizing, exposing, and fighting against injustices. I don't think everyone's balance is the same. And to be honest, it's a little bit daunting to think I know what is best for everyone else.
Anyway, I went out last night - after working all day and then recording a Double Shot show (which will air November 4 with special guests Andy and Lee from Eight O'Five Jive). Headed to the High Watt where Allen Thompson opened for Austin Lucas and Brian Singer. I have to say (again) that I could listen to Allen Thompson sing just about every night. Brian Singer and Austin Lucas are wrapping up their The Crooner and The Clown tour. Brian Singer is a comedian. I love the idea of a comedian and a singer-songwriter touring together. I don't see comedians very often - mainly because I end up going to see music. Singer was really funny. Austin Lucas was amazing as he is every time I see him. He sings with such emotional honesty and his stage presence is disarmingly genuine and funny. Jon Latham joined him on a few songs which was cool. I was with Jon the first time I saw Austin Lucas.
It is Tuesday and time to see what is "Trending" on E2TG - as we work our way through the new music playlist - currently just under 400 songs but I have tons of e-mails and messages to go through. It's probably close to time to clear off some songs that have lingering in the playlist for a fair amount of time (especially those from albums that have been featured extensively). Those songs will stay on my phone memory for possible "Wild Wednesday" shuffle feature....
Several years ago, someone pointed out that I would often make a very subtle sarcastic comment or joke, and then ruin the effect by saying "Just kidding". This guy even started calling me "Just kidding Joe". I think he was right. My desire was to make sure I was understood. Like, if people thought I was being serious they might think I was an idiot or mean or whatever. But, it's not my job to explain myself to everyone and it is not my business what they think about me.
I have tried since then to catch myself when I want to add a "just kidding" - although full disclosure: emojis have kind of given me a cheat on this ;-) And I'm working on that now, too. Twice in the last two days I have posted something on social media that was facetious without a "tell" that I was kidding. The first case, if anyone took me as serious, they would think I was kind of stupid and maybe a little self-important. The second case, could potentially lead to a political reaction of some sort...
I don't know. 51 1/2 years in and I'm still working on this life thing, and I'm kind of okay with that for today....
Let's jump headlong into some featured music for a lovely Friday in Nashville...
Okay, I'm back after an extra long weekend. I finally got my phone situation somewhat resolved. Today's shuffle came from the phone. I'm still learning the ins and outs of the new music player - and there are some things I don't like... somehow, in the rush to make everything bigger and better and shinier, I think simple apps sometimes get screwed up. I just want a music player and to be able to create playlists. But, I'll get used to it and probably won't remember what it was I didn't like or what it was the old player had.
Anyway, I had to recreate the "New Music" playlist. I think I pared it down a little (dropped some much older tracks which had been hanging around). I may have accidentally added some things that didn't belong. (it sounded like something I added recently). ...
Enough - let's get to music. It's the only thing that makes sense anymore...
Well, I managed to keep my phone alive for one last day before the new phone arrives.
It's kind of big deal for E2TG when I change phones. The blog is based upon the songs and playlists I shuffle on my phone during my morning commute. Every time, I change phones I wonder how the new music player will work. And I worry that the new "upgrade" of whatever will decide that everyone streams so why have a way to play your own music. Or what if it doesn't support playlists or what if I somehow lose all of the music... Yeah, I worry a lot.
Anyway, this could be the last shuffle on the old phone. And the last from the current "New Music" playlist which stands at 465 songs after today's songs are taken off..
Anyway, it's been a hell of a bad week and music and work have kept me busy.
In the shameless self-promotion category, I have been furiously working all week on the final details of publishing my novel, The Drift. I've been trying to write the text for the back cover of the book. For some reason, I really struggle with writing about myself and my work in this way. Type, backspace, type, backspace, undo, cut, type, paste, backspace, undo, new file, type, reread, get up and walk around, backspace, type, type, save, reread, get up again....
I'm running short on time... It's Tuesday where we take a look at what's "trending" on E2TG. By the way, my "New Music" playlist just topped 500 tracks. Which means I have a ton of new and newish music yet to be featured here.... it's a great problem to have - especially since I only add music I dig.
Harvey hit Middle Tennessee last night and today. Obviously nothing like Texas, but tornado warnings and flooding all around.
Meanwhile, it's a big day for a couple of E2TG favorites. 2015 E2TG Artist of the Year, Jon Latham, releases his long awaited follow-up to Real Bad News. Lifers is out on Cafe Rooster Records and available at a bunch of the usual places to find music.
Also, Ugggy (1/2 of 2016 Band of the Year, Valued Customer) releases his seventh mixtape in seven months today. It's called The H{ear}T Beet Tape. Expand you mind and your horizons.
"smoke to it. . . . rap to it. . . . nap to it . . . peace to all the gods . . ."
Meanwhile, it's Friday and we have a pretty wild mix of songs from our "New Music" playlist to feature today....
To be perfectly honest, I have been a crappy mood most of this week - maybe it is post-eclipse let down or mercury retrograde or something else. Fortunately, I have lived with my brain for long enough to know that this feeling will pass, and to take anything my brain tries to tell me with at least one grain of salt.
The world is a mess. Time, motivation, and inspiration rarely seem to be in alignment (meaning, I will be inspired and/or motivated to do something when I am busy with some obligation and then when I have some free time - the inspiration and motivation cannot be found). Right now, I'm just battling through and putting one foot in front of the other.
Anyway, it is Friday. On Friday, we play songs from the "New Music" playlist... I added over 150 songs to that playlist last night (about a third from one album!). The playlist is up near 500 songs and it may be time for a couple of weeks of just "New Music" shuffles to make some headway. Today, only one of those 150+ additions made it into the shuffle - along with some fairly recent additions and some that have been hanging around for a bit. All in all, a really cool shuffle... enjoy!
Well - the Great American Eclipse is over... From my vantage point, we had quite a bit of cloud cover. It broke enough to see several points of the waning sun, but we missed seeing the totality. I feel fortunate, though, that I had read something about being attuned to everything going on... so for the two minutes of totality, I noticed the decrease in temperature, I was amazed by the "sunset" effect, and the sounds of cicadas.
Kind of appropriately, I went to the Basement East last night for a tribute to Darkness on the Edge of Town and other Springsteen songs. I have mixed feelings, overall, about tribute shows in general. I think sometimes that there are too many of them, and that I, personally, would rather see original artists doing their own songs. But, I do recognize the economics for venues like The Basement East, and the unfortunate reality that more people attend these type of shows than original music shows. I do also understand from talking to my friends who do these shows that there is a tremendous lift from finding common musical ground with other artists and in collaborating with musicians that you may not otherwise get to work with.
All that being said, the tribute shows I have seen at The Basement East have all been top-notch and loads of fun, and last night's show was one of the best. For starters, the band sounded amazing. Of all the shows like this I have seen, there were probably more singers I was not familiar with vs. those I knew. But, I really didn't care so much because everyone nailed their songs and the songs were the stars. Shout out to Andrew Leahey, Scott McMahan, Lilly Hiatt, Becky Warren, Mary Bragg, and Jon Latham (who stole the show - as he often does).
I could of bits of unsolicited advise from me... make sure you clearly introduce each performer. I know I am a bit of an anomaly, but when I see someone at these shows, and I enjoy their performance, I want to know more about what their own music is like. At the recent John Prine tribute, Jerry Pentecost not only introduced each artist but also plugged their latest album.
That reminds of another bit of unsolicited advice for artists in general: if you have a new (or fairly recent) release or project - and you have a Facebook Page - that project should be front and center on your page. Cover photo, pinned post etc. I don't know how often I will be writing about a song in my shuffle - and think - what's the name of the album or when is it going to be/was it released - only to go to the artist/band page and have to scroll down several posts to find the information. As I said, I am an anomaly - most casual listeners will not work that hard.
All righty then - enough with advice... it's all offered with love and admiration for the incredible talent that I am fortunate to experience daily. - It is Tuesday and time for our Trending Tuesday shuffle - new and newish music...
We've made it to the mid-week, and believe it or not, we are right at the mid-month mark for July. Lots of stuff on the horizon.
By the way, the #E2TG Facebook page is about to reach another milestone in terms of number of followers (300)! If you haven't done so, and feel so inclined, give us a "Like" (the link is above as it is everyday). Something special awaits our 300th "Like".
We have arrived at Monday. It's a dreary day here in Nashville, but we have the antidote. We've loaded up with a bunch of music which we have been saving up since we started our Year End Review last month. The songs added are a good combination of new music, new to us music, the return of some old friends, a first meeting with what we hope are some new friends, plus the usual collection of the classic, the weird, the obscure, and the unexpected.
Today's mix is a good cross-section of this new music - plus a couple of hold outs from the previous month's playlist.
In case you missed it over the weekend, we crowned Skeletons in the Piano as our Band of the Month for June 2012 after a tooth and nail fight with Killing Kuddles. I tell you the Band of the Year poll is gonna be a good one! Stay tuned for that.
In the meantime, we also unveiled our Featured Artists for July . We will have more on these great artists as the month progresses, but for now, check out the Featured Artist page to find out who the bands are and more about them.
As if that were not enough, we have a heck of a good shuffle to start the month off. Once again, we reached into our archives and come up with a cool mix of songs.
John Prine released his self-titled debut album in 1971. It's an incredible selection of songs, which I highly recommend if you haven't heard it or haven't heard it in awhile. Prine has continued to make great music and write great songs. One of his all time best, and one of my all time favorites is the lovely, Angel from Montgomery. The song has been covered numerous times both live and on record by artists as diverse as Bonnie Raitt, Carly Simon, John Denver and Dave Matthews Band.
Here's Prine and Emmylou Harris doing Angel from Montgomery live from Red Rocks.
Next up, we have the title-track from another debut album. Guitar Town the album was released in 1986, and established Steve Earle as part of the new breed of outsider country artists shaking up the establishment. Since this debut, Steve Earle has come through a battle with drug and alcohol addiction and made some records which have far transcended his country roots. Guitar Town for me remains a powerful record, and one I return to again and again.
Next, we have another title track. This one from power-pop master Matthew Sweet's third album - the break-through Girlfriend.
And finally, we have a song that appeared on the debut EP and in a different version on the debut album by Welsh rockers, The Alarm. The Stand is influenced by the Stephen King novel of the same name. I was a huge Stephen King fan as a teenager, and The Stand was probably my favorite novel of his at that time. So, hearing this song for the first time on MTV made a huge impact on me.
