Wow - 2020 is really speeding toward it's end. I think there is a growing realization that things are not going to return to "normal" on January 1, 2021. I think, psychologically, many of have been thinking in terms of 2020 being a really messed up year... but we are in messed up times and they year changing will not mark the end. But, maybe, we are seeing the light at the end... maybe...
This year has been one of change for E2TG and it has been weird in general. At this point, I am not sure what I am going to do in terms of Artist(s) and/or Band(s) of the Year. I guess I am still considering it all. And, at the same time, I am constantly reevaluating how I do things. While I can change any time I want, a new year always seems like a good time to make changes... but we shall see...
On we go!
Our recap of this week's Playlist continues with songs 16-20:
16. "Showing Up Late" by John Calvin Abney
Tulsa based singer-songwriter John Calvin Abney's new album is due out this Friday. It is called Familiar Ground, and this is the last pre-release single. Tulsa is a great city for songwriters and there is a pretty direct pipeline between there and Nashville - which means back in the before time, I used to see great Tulsa songwriters like John Calvin Abney on a semi-regular basis.
17. "If Love Should Call" by The Plastic Pals
Our old friends from Sweden are back with more new music. This is a track from their new EP - It Could Be So Easy, Free and Fine. This band has such a great sound.
18. "Crazy Train" by The Barefoot Movement
In the fun covers department, Nashville-based band The Barefoot Movement take on the Ozzy Osbourne classic in a rousing rootsy cover.
19. "I Love the Way You See the World" by Petter Carlsen
From the far north of Norway - above the Arctic Circle - we have a track from the new album by singer-songwriter Petter Carlsen. This is either the second or third time, we have featured his music. He writes wonderful songs and has a great voice.
20. "Cool, Like David Suzuki" by The Silverbeets
We have previously featured the two pre-release singles from Halcyon Days - the new album by Australian band The Silverbeets. The album is out now, and this week, we are featuring this song about the Canadian academic, science broadcaster, and environmental activist. A really fun song from this band who are becoming favorites of mine.
The recaps rolls on tomorrow when we pick back up at song #21.
So, I realized that I have reported on how I am doing, but I don't think I have asked how you are doing? I know a lot of people are struggling on several different levels. But, what about you?
How are you coping? Are you coping? What do you need?
All sorts of confusing information and differing opinions, but today, I just want to know, how are you?
Featured Friday Playlist
Tuesday Morning Shuffle
Short on time today, but we have a nifty little shuffle.
"Graham Smith is The Strongest Man Alive" by Kleenex Girl Wonder (from Ponyoak 20th Anniversary Edition)
From the 20th Anniversary of their classic album. Graham Smith is the sole constant member of this indie rock band that formed in the suburbs of Chicago.
"Wahoo" by John Paul Daniel (from All is Well)
A track from the 2016 album by the singer-songwriter and folk artist from Kingston Springs, Tennessee.
"paperboy" by Pat Power (from Original Nature EP)
Our old pal, Pat Power (Valued Customer) with a track from a 2017 EP. This track is not on YouTube (that I could find), so I found another Pat Power track.
"North GA Blues" by Nathan Bell (from Er Gwaetha Ped a Phopeth)
A live recording from a tour in Wales by the singer-songwriter from Middle Tennessee.
"I Don't Love You Back" by Stuffy Shmitt (from Industrial Love)
And we close with a track from the 2012 album by the inimitable Stuffy - the shuffle really loves his music and so do I .
VIDEO PLAYLIST
NEW AND RECENT RELEASES
This Week
5/20 - Town Meeting - Make Things Better (LP)
5/22 - Victor Wainwright and the Train - Memphis Loud (LP)
5/22 - Lazaris Pit - Conifers (LP)
5/22 - Beauty in Chaos (feat. Steven Seibold) - "Almost Pure" (single)
5/22 - Ethan Gold - "Not Me. Us" (single)
5/22 - Nichole Wagner - Dance Songs for the Apocalypse (EP)
5/22 - Adam "Ditch" Kurtz - Storms of Steel (LP)
Last Week
5/10 - Brett Ryan Stewart - "Let Her Know" (single)
5/11 - Sofia Talvik - "Broken (Steel Guitars in Heaven)" (single)
5/11 - Jonny Polonsky - "Sign in the Window" (single)
5/11 - Scott Howard - The Language of Clouds (LP)
5/12 - Kory Quinn & Co. - The Blueroom (LP)
5/15 - Special Consensus - Chicago Barn Dance (LP)
5/15 - Zach Aaron - Fill Dirt Wanted (LP)
5/15 - Secret Emchy Society - The Chaser (LP) 5/15 The Room in the Wood - We're the Martians, Now (LP) 5/15 - Wicked Messenger - "Golden Eyes" (single) 5/15 - Lazerine - "There's Nothing in It" (single) 5/15 - Klashing Black - Thoughts on the Matter (EP)
5/15 - Aimee Steven - "Darling" (single)
5/15 - Wolfhounds - "Can't See the Light" (single)
*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.
The E2TG 8th Anniversary is underway - Next Show October 2!
Thanks to everyone who came out last night, and thanks to Ben Arthur and Conrad y Skordalia for a great show! If you missed it, you have four more chances to catch the E2TG Residency. Next up: Ryan Sobb (full band) and the Album Release Show for Don Gallardo and How Far West with special guest. Don't miss this one!
Now, let's get on with the shuffle! It's a good one!
*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.
Be sure to "Like" Ear to the Ground on Facebook!
*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.
And just like that it is Thursday! Man this week is flying by!
We are less than three weeks from the start of the E2TG 8th Anniversary Residency:
Last night, I hung out at Dee's in Madison. Saw Chuck Mead - as part of his Honky Tonk tour of Nashville in support of his new album. His special guest was Carlene Carter. Interesting to me, Chuck did a version of "Houston" - as song written by Lee Hazelwood and popularized by Dean Martin. Wednesday night, I saw Rickie Lee Jones do the same song (it is on her latest album). Interesting because one might not expect crossover between a Rickie Lee Jones show and a Chuck Mead show. After that, I hung around for Lady Couch - who were fantastic as always. Saw lots of friends and had a good quality hang with Ryan Sobb - all in all not a bad night.
Now, we have one last shuffle for the week! Let's get to it!
Onward and upward. It is Wednesday, and that is the day things tend to get "wild" at E2TG. I call it Wild Wednesday - just because the shuffle comes from all of songs saved to my phone. That means you might hear recent music that we have been featuring, past featured music, songs from my personal collection, random music files I got through various sources, plus some songs from the earliest days of E2TG, and sometimes songs that I have no clue how they came to be in my possession. Let's jump right in!
I'm back, finally. Since Friday, I have listened to and started posts, but due to some extracurricular activities on my part, I haven't been able to finish the posts. So, I'm just going to press on and post them one at a time as I finish them. We will start with our 6th "Earie" post and our recap of June 2018. In June, E2TG celebrating seven years with a Residency at The 5 Spot in East Nashville.
I took an unexpected day off yesterday to fight off a winter cold - hopefully sucessfully... And busy end of week and weekend ahead.
Guess what! It is time for the 2018 Earie Awards. Looking back, I believe this is year 4 of the semi-prestigious awards. For those new to the E2TG fold, The Earies (tagline: The Earies: they sound kind of odd, but they really aren't) began as a way to recap the great music featured on E2TG over the last year. I don't do Top Ten (or more or less) lists. I'm not opposed to the concept, but I know I would obsess forever about what to include and what to leave off. So, I opted for giving out a bunch of awards.
The award names are arbitrary and sometimes silly, but the sentiment behind them is sincere. E2TG could not exist without the amazing music that comes my way every day. The music I feature ends up being a fraction of that submitted, and those that become "E2TG favorites" are a fragment of that fragment.
This year, I am trying something new- out of necessity. As I have been receiving and featuring more and more music, it became harder for me to keep up with it all. One way, I dealt with that in 2018 is to create Spotify Playlists for each month highlighting some of the music featured that month. See the bottom of this post for links to the Spotify Playlists.
To kick things off, today's special "Earier" shuffle comes from the January 2018 E2TG playlist. Enjoy!
Come on out to see Brian Milligram, Darrin Bradbury, and The Coal Men. As an added bonus, I will be reading a short section from my novel, The Drift. It is an early show (6-8:30) a low ($5.00) cover, and the food truck will be open if you want to eat a bite. As always in Nashville, there is a ton of stuff going on. I hope you will make the E2TG Anniversary show - a part of your pre-weekend Summer Solstice plans. It's the longest day of the year, so don't say you don't have time. \
Remember, next week,we wrap up the month-long residency with Joanna Barbera, Bee Taylor, and Eli Cook!
Okay - let's get right into today's shuffle. It is Thursday. We always shuffle up our "New Music" playlist on Thursday, and today is no exception.
What you may or may not know is that some time in the past, E2TG would post cover songs on Thursdays. This was before, I started getting so much new music that I needed to add more to focus on the new music coming my way. The reason I mention this today is... well just check out the first four songs of the shuffle....
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.
Moving along. In case you missed by Facebook post, the #E2TG Facebook Page (see link above), just reached 1,200 "Likes". I'm grateful for everyone who reads E2TG. You are reading this and are not yet following us, I would like to personally invite you to hit that "Like" button.
Anyway, it's Tuesday and time to shuffle up the "New Music" playlist. I have a ton of new music I still need to add to my phone memory, but I also have a ton of music already in the "New Music" playlist.
I AM BACK! Thanks everyone for your patience. I should be back to a normal posting schedule now.
I am a bit behind on adding new music to my playlist and answering e-mails, but we'll get there.
In the meantime, after today's post, there are still 428 tracks in my New Music playlist including some awesome songs that haven't popped up yet in a shuffle- so stay tuned!
Last night, at Dee's Country Cocktail Lounge - the amazing Kevn Kinney (Drivin' n Cryin') played a awesome set of music backed by the equally amazing Laur Joamets (aka Little Joe - previously from Sturgill Simpson's band and currently of Drivin' n Cryin'). As an added bonus/surprise, due to Mr. Kinney being delayed by car troubles, Jon Latham played a set that included two covers - "Thirteen" by Big Star and "My Hometown" by Springsteen. Plus of course, some of his great songs from Real Bad News and his current album Lifers. Dee's co-owner, Daniel Walker led a wonderful house band who rounded out the night.
Now, let's jump right into this Trending Thursday Shuffle!
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.
Once again, Jon Latham proves that rock n roll is alive and well. His powerhouse set at the CD release show for Lifers included special guests Lilly Hiatt, Darrin Bradbury, and Josh Morris. A Fugazi cover embedded in "Kimberly Met Billy", and a cover of "Greetings from Nashville" (a Jason and the Scorchers gem written by the late Tim Krekel. The latter was special to me as a link from my Nashville music fan past to present (and because it rocked). Latham's band: Andrew Leahey and Sean Quinn (guitars), Cory Nichols (bass), and Raun Schultz (drums) have developed into one of the tightest and best bands in town - which in this town is saying a mouthful.
Josh Morris (who has co-produced both of Latham's albums) opened with a set from his band The Greenfields followed by Sean Quinn and the Tremblers. Both those bands play very different versions of what I think of as power pop. Catchy tunes with depth and substance.
Those who braved the frigid temps were treated to a wonderful night of music.
Okay - time to dive into the recently expanded New Music playlist with our Trending Thursday Shuffle. There were a couple of longer songs so just six tracks in the shuffle today.
As we move forward into the 2017 Earie Awards, a few words to those who are new here or otherwise unclear:
1. While my categories are sometimes tongue-in-cheek, my admiration for the music and artists is genuine and true.
2. I don't do lists (Top Ten or otherwise).
3. Any rules or criteria are coincidental and subject to change at my whim.
4. I live in constant dread that I will leave someone out unintentionally, and I probably will. It's okay though - as far as I know no one has gotten a gig or recording contract based upon having won an "Earie".
5. It's really all in fun and just another opportunity for me to express appreciation for the awesome music and people who have come into my life thanks for E2TG.
Finally (not specifically Earier related), spread love as often as you can in any way that you can. The world can use all the love we can muster.
