E2TG 11/23/2021 - The Return - Roofdancer Mix (James Dean Remix)

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I am back.  I got in late tonight so there was no Ear to the Ground radio show this morning.  

Here is the details of last Thursday's Greetings from Nashville - ARCHIVE HERE 

6:01am Greetings from Nashville by Jason and The Scorchers on Still Standing (EMI/EMI Records (USA))

6:01am In the Room by Paul Zografi on In the Room (Zografi Music)

6:04am Hip Replacement by Andy Peake on Mood Swings (Biglittle Records)

6:09am No Truth Pt. 1: Loping by Carrus & Kurtz on The Genius of… Vol 1: There Are No Words (Halfway Rock Music)

6:14am Invisible Scars (feat. Irakli Gabriel and Anana Kaye) by The Tasty Brothers on Single (The Tasty Brothers)

6:18am Let It Be by Mt Vice on Let It Be – Single (Mt Vice)

6:21am Dream by Mac Gayden on Come Along (Arena Recordings)

6:25am Before Love and War by Jason Ringenberg on Rhinestoned (Courageous Chicken Entertainment)

6:32am The Death of James Dean by Mighty Joe Nolan on The Death of James Dean – Single (Mighty Joe Nolan)

6:34am Childish Things by Will Payne Harrison on The Stratford Sessions – EP (Will Payne Harrison)

6:38am Down the Stretch They Come by Tim Carroll on Slippery Slope (594509 Records DK)

6:41am Raymond and the Wires by Robyn Hitchcock on Robyn Hitchcock (Yep Roc Records)

6:46am It’s a Sin by Will Kimbrough on I Like It Down Here (Daphne Records)

6:50am Lovely Lady by Father Sunn on Emblem EP (Father Sunn)

6:53am I Want You Around by Sour Ops on X (Feralette Media)

6:57am Searchlight (Live) by Jack Silverman on Live at the 5 Spot (Centripetal Force)

I am planning a special Thanksgiving edition of Greetings from Nashville on Thursday morning. Not all the songs are specifically about Thanksgiving but they fit in my mind - you'll see...

Thursday morning at 6am only on WXNA 101.5FM or wxnafm.org

Today's shuffle below....

 

    Featured Friday Playlist

E2TG 11/20/2020 - Featured Friday -

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Whew! It is Friday!  We have a brand new Featured Friday Playlist  - which you can check out below. 

Our weekly recap kicks off today after the jump with the first 8 songs....  We will recap the rest of the playlist in this space beginning on Monday. 

 

    Featured Friday Playlist

E2TG 10/20/2020 - 500 Years - Marimba Mix (Stickers Remix)

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 I heard this recently: "When you meet a true friend, you will be bound together though space and time for 500 years."  I don't know if it is true or not, but it does reflect a little about how I feel about friendships. I think about people who were an important part of my life in a particular place and time.  Life moves on, and I have lost touch with those people - either physically lost touch or emotionally I no longer feel connected in the present. But, regardless, the connections that originally formed cannot be broken. 

What I mean is (for example), sixteen year old me will forever be linked to the people who were my true friends at age sixteen - even if 54 year old me doesn't know or can't related those same people today. 

This reminds me of my thoughts about moments in time. I think back even just five or six years ago, and where I was and what I was doing and who I was with - and for sure much has changed in that time. I think by that point in my life, I was aware that moments in time are fleeting. I still have a tendency to want to recreate past moments rather than forge new ones, but I guess that is human nature.  

I am rambling now - but the take away for me - is to enjoy the people that fate or circumstance have brought into my life. Make the most of the moments. Try to preserve the good things and hold onto the good friendships but recognize that change is inevitable and it is actually a good thing. If life never changed, it would be boring. 

Today our Featured Friday Recap continues with songs 16-20...

16. "What a Wonderful World" by Black Needle Noise (with John Fryer & Tom Berger)

We start off this segment of music with a stunning cover of the Bob Thiele and George David Weiss classic first and most famously recorded by Louis Armstrong. Black Needle Noise is the project of legendary producer John Fryer (we have featured this project numerous times. Fryer - whose production credits read like a complete listing of early electronic and industrial music - Depeche Mode, The Cocteau Twins, Nine Inch Nails, and Stabbing Westward to name just a few. Fryer is also a member of This Mortal Coil (one of two constant members of that band).  This is from the covers album This Mortal Cover. Here is teams with Tom Berger. The results are extraordinary.

17. "Song for a Cowboy - Live Acoustic" by Maxximo

Next up, we have a track from New York pop singer-songwriter Maxximo from his Live at Home EP - recorded under quarantine. We have featured Maxximo before. He is a gay Mexican immigrant, and I just dig the spirit and energy of his music.  

18. "Haluum Pois" by Bad Sauna

Also making a return trip to the Playlist is Helsinki based rock band Bad Sauna with their latest single with translates to "I Wanna Get Out".  This is another great song from the band - who have announced that their debut album will be out in December. It is called Olen rikas sillä minulla on teidät (“I’m Rich Because I’ve Got You”)

19. "California" by Malin Pettersen

The last time we caught up with Norwegian singer-songwriter Malin Pettersen, she was singing about Nashville - on "Wildhorse Dream". The album was, in fact, recorded in Nashville. Now, the album Wildhorse is out, and we are featuring a song about California.  The song and its title belies the strong Laurel Canyon influences on Pettersen's music, and she wears those influences well. I am enjoying this album very much. 

20 "Old Guitar" by Matt Eckstine 

We close out this segment of music with Savannah, Georgia based singer-songwriter Matt Eckstine with a track from his new album Lil' Blue.  The underlying theme of Eckstine's work is described as hold fast and roll with the tide - which seems good advice for these times. This is a terrific song, and I look forward to featuring more from this album. 

Tomorrow - we have the next five songs... 

 

    Featured Friday Playlist

E2TG 5/15/2020 - Featured Friday - In The Upside-Down - Roller Disco Lion Mix (Dangerous Remix)

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Hey, it is Friday, we have another all-new Featured Friday Playlist which you can stream below and follow on Spotify.  I have some words about this weeks list below.

In the show Stranger Things, there is the concept of the Upside Down. If you haven't seen the show (I highly recommend it), but basically think of the Upside Down as an alternate world where things are just wrong and off.  (If you've seen the show, sorry for the grossly inadequate explanation). Lately, I feel as if we are all living in some sort of "Upside Down". Obviously, we are facing unprecedented challenges as a world, and we have seen people rise to the occasion in many ways to help their fellow man.

However, as I see it, the darker side of all this is the continued politicalization of everything. I guess this should not surprise me at a time when eating fried chicken or ordering pizza has become a political statement. But, it does surprise me.  Here we have a virus that really doesn't care if you are a Democrat, Republican, Socialist, Libertarian, Communist, Whig, No Nothing, or an Anarchist. In a normal world, we would find a way to at least somewhat unite to face this threat, but here, again, my naivete is showing.

Here is my bottom line. I have friends who have lost parents and spouses to this virus. I have friends who right now have parents in the hospital. And, yes, I have a lot of friends who have been significantly impacted financially by the shutdown. I have been hesitant to say too much, because I am among the very lucky in that I have continued to work uninterrupted  (albeit from home since mid-March).  I want everyone to get back to work. I want to go see live music again and hang out with all my friends. But, I want to do so safely and responsibly so that people do not suffer and die needlessly. So, when I see people running around without masks and ignoring social distancing guidelines, I will say something. Not too "peer pressure" (although if that is what it takes I will do that), but because I know, these people are putting people at risk and they are putting the eventual recovery at risk. 

I think about the protesters - carrying assult-style weapons - who are terrorizing citizens and government leaders. I think about how these same people criticized football players for kneeling. I think about how these people do not protest when an unarmed black man is shot by the police or by so-called vigilantes. How these same people think government should tell a woman what she can or cannot do with her own body. How these same people, care little about the rights of the LGBTQ+ in the face of government sanctioned discrimination.

People in public without masks are extending this crisis and putting innocent people at risk. We have a huge hole in the soul of our government. I think about past leaders of both parties who would have and who are leading better than the current occupant of the White House. I think about the lack of compassion and concern which filters down from the highest levels of power to the dregs of our society. And, it saddens and worries me. But, I also think about the men and women who are ignoring and rejecting this soullessness to find creative ways to help others and each other.

I believe we will get out of the Upside Down world, but I also believe we will be changed by the experience, and I believe to a great extent it is up to us to decide how we are going to be changed.

    Featured Friday Playlist

E2TG 3/26/2020 - Quarantine Music Day (who's counting) - High on Love Mix (Waiting for God Remix)

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In case you missed it, we premiered the new song from Nicole Boggs &#33 the Reel this morning.  Check it out HERE!

One thing I have been struggling with recently is keeping up with all of the livestreams being done by musicians.  Don't get me wrong, it is a great and necessary thing in this strange and difficult times, but even as just a fan, I have trouble keeping up with all the scheduled and impromptu streams. I have had a few requests to mention some streams, but I struggle there, too.

I don't have any solutions for this except keep up with your favorite bands and if they post a livestream share it as best as you are able. Check out some of the on-line festivals to potentially discover new music and share that, too.

Honestly, I don't think E2TG is flexible enough nor do I have time enough to be a good source for sharing these events, but as  fan, I will definitely share whenever I am able.

Something else that has been on my mind, as I have been shuffling from my phone memory, sometimes songs come up by bands that no longer exist and maybe bands that broke up over difficult internal issues. In some cases, every reference to the band has been scrubbed from the internet. Also, some bands disavow or at least remove older music from their sites possibly because it no longer represents who they are.

In any case, I don't delete songs from my phone memory and so they may come up in the shuffle. While I support anyone's decision to distance themselves from certain parts of their pasts - I personally think every part of my story has contributed to who I am today. Even the parts I am not at all proud of.. anyway, that has been on my mind...

Meanwhile, I am just going to keep on keeping on.

    Featured Friday Playlist

E2TG First Impressions 2020 - Part 1

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Brock Zeman - Hey Tom (a collection of Tom House Songs) (LP) - Released 11/20/2019

A collection of songs written by E2TG Favorite Tom House and performed by E2TG favorite Brock Zeman. Zeman has produced Tom House, so this is not far-fetched, but I am digging what Zeman is doing with Tom's songs. In one of  those weird E2TG coincidences, I noticed that Raphael Weinroth-Browne plays cello on the record. You may recall Weinroth-Browne from The Visit. We originally connected with in indirectly through Valued Customer, and I can honestly say I never expected such a direct line between Tom House and Ugggy and Pat Power, but then again, they are all wonderfully creative and weird. Frequent Zeman collaborator Blair Hogan is here. My first impression is that Zeman does Tom House's wonderful songs justice and gives them his own unique spin. 

 Palm Ghosts - "Wide Awake and Waiting" (single) - Released 1/10/2020 

Nashville band led by Joseph Lekkas and featuring E2TG Favorite Benjamin Douglas. Sounds unlike almost anything else happening in Nashville. This track really sounds like a 80s goth/new wave song that you just can't place, but you know you love. My first impression is that I cannot wait for the February 7th EP of the same name. 

Strange Majik - "Lo-Fi Hi" (single) - released 1/10/2020

Long-time E2TG favorite Strange Majik - aka David Pattillo (who we first met as part of the powerhouse The Dead-Exs), is back with a vengeance. This new single rocks hard and has a deep groove with some killer horns. This is from his forth-coming 20/20 album due in March. I've had a chance to preview the album, and the opening track rocks hard - while later tracks just go deeper into the groove. It is a sonicly diverse album with an underlying feel. At time it reminds me of World Party at their best, at other times, it harkens back to the initial Dead-Exs tracks I first heard - almost eight years ago. My first impression: it is great when early E2TG favorites keep doing great things. 

Ubiquity Machine - Where We Want to Be (LP) - release date ??

It doesn't get much more "early E2TG" than Ubiquity Machine. The D.C. area band features Howard Rabach and Dan Marsh. Rabach was most likely the first person I didn't know who read E2TG (and I am talking about in the earliest and most embarassingly awkward days. I remember my initial first impression of Ubiquity Machine was that it sounded like a weird and wonderful mix of all the music I had ever loved growing up. I finally got to meet Howard Rabach in 2014 when he came to Nashville with The Grey A (he plays bass in that band).  This is a compilation of sorts -a limited-edition vinyl release of many of Ubiquity Machine's great songs. It includes "A Beautiful Girl" which appeared on the first and so-far only E2TG compilation. My first impression is that I am glad to own this fine collection of music, and I know the effort that went into it, and I grateful for the first of many fine friendships I have forged by this silly music blog I write. 

 Them Airs - Union Suit XL (LP) - Released 1/17/2020

The latest release from New Haven's Them Airs. The band features Cade Williams who we first met via his experimental project Smokey the Firebear and Evan Nork (of the Foresters and all those other side-projects). Hayden Nork sometimes joins in. Digging the progression of this band since their last release. They seem to be really finding their voice as a band. The album is delightfully noisy at time. In other places, I hear the angular sound of early Talking Heads. My first impression is that it is fun following young and talented musicians and they explore possibilities and discover themselves through music. In my initial listen, I hear how some of the most experimental and challenging Smokey the Firebear pieces inform this new music, and I also hear other influences. 

 Merrill Beach - "Geen"/"Marimba" (single) - Released 1/19/2020

Speaking of Hayden Nork. Merrill Beach is current solo project. He is and has been in a ton of bands. Batkhi Dahn is his band that features his brother Evan and their Foresters bandmate Luke Slomba (of Sonic Reducers). Digging on the moodiness of "Green" with some backwards vocals, a strumming guitar, and dream-like quality. "Marimba" starts with a groovy beat that sounds like it could be the intro to a really cool hip-hop song (I wonder if his brother Liam's work has inspired him), but the beat just continues. It is hypnotic. Their is some ambient noise. I can't tell if the beat varies or if it is my mind playing tricks on me. About two minutes in, and the sound does begin to vary. I do hear the title instrument. My first impression is that Hayden is doing some wild experimentation - musically - I won't speculate otherwise, And, having watched him from his days as a Green Day obsessed pre-teen to this has been a pleasure. I can't wait to see where he goes from here.  

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Featured Friday Morning Shuffle - Brat Weekend Mix (Jukebox Heart Remix)

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  *Note: The video playlist at the bottom of the post attempts to closely approximate the shuffle I listened to on my way to work this morning. When a video for a song was not available, I substituted another song by the same artist. When I could not find any videos by an artist, I included a related video or did not include a video for that track. This blog may reference unreleased tracks, however, no unreleased music is ever included.

This is my last day to remind you to make a donation to the WXNA Pledge Drive, but the drive runs through Sunday.

Time is marching on, and I am getting ready for a soft launch of E2TG version 3.0 soon.  I am going to make some decisions over the weekend about the timing of the changes.  December is historically the month we review the year that is winding down - which we do in the context of our annual awards - The Earies (tagline: They sound odd, but they really aren't)


Let's jump into this shuffle!