Music City Monday Morning Shuffle - Hard Feelings 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)

If you have read The Drift, please consider writing a review on Amazon. If you haven't read it, you can get your own copy through Amazon or if you are in Nashville, you can get them from me.

I am continuing to work on my Spotify playlists for E2TG.  So far, I have completed seven - January - July2018.  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
E2TG April 2018 
E2TG May 2018
E2TG June 2018
E2TG July 2018
E2TG August 2018 (coming soon!)
E2TG September 2018  (coming soon!)

SAVE THE DATE!!!!!  Thursday, November 15, 2018 - We have a pretty cool event in the works.  More to come! I can tell you this isn't really an E2TG event.  It is connected to my novel, The Drift, and we have some super cool guests lined up.  Announcement soon!


Every single day.... every single day for the last almost two years... there is some atrocity, some outrage.... Remember when candidate Trump mocked a reporter with disabilities and it didn't negatively affect his campaign?  Remember when Trump called Mexican immigrants "criminals, drug dealers, and rapists" and his crowds cheered?  Remember when president-elect Trump appointed White Nationalists to high level positions in his administration?  Those of us who called these atrocities out for what they were - were labeled as having "Trump Derangement Syndrome".  Make no mistake, what is happening today is not a coincidence or an accident. The neo-Nazis and White Supremacists and White Nationalists and anti-Semites are being emboldened and encouraged by the White House - and nothing is being done about it. I know that there are reasonable, good people in the Republican Party - at least I have always believed that - but failure of the Republican led Congress to provide checks and balances to the madness that is occurring (EVERY SINGLE DAY) is causing me to doubt this. And I'm not talking about the Flake and Collins and other so-called moderates - who make statements that seem reasonable but then fail to back those statements with any meaningful action.

The fact is, we are a nation without a moral leader. The fact is 60-70 percent of the country does not have a leader and all. And the 29-39 percent who think they have a leader - are lied to daily and are either too willfully ignorant or too blind to see it.  Even if a Blue Wave happens on November 6, our nation is in deep trouble.  If it doesn't happen, I don't know what will happen next, but it will not be good.

My heart goes out to the victims in Kentucky and in Pittsburgh. To those who live in feat because of the color of their skin or because of their religion (or religious or ethnic heritage), or because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. We are in dangerous and unprecedented times. Choose acts of love today. Resist, persist, vote, get others who care about all people to vote...

In the midst of all this, I am in the middle of a move - set for Wednesday and I am listening to music as I pack and prepare. Music is a balm for me. Let's do this Music City Monday shuffle.

Wild Wednesday Morning Shuffle - Super Awkward Mix

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Had a good night out seeing live music last night.  Starting at The Local to see a Ben de la Cour plus a wonderful set from the legendary Jon Dee Graham. I picked up a copy of Graham's CD Knoxville Skyline which features E2TG favorites Tim and Susan Bauer Lee.

After that, I headed to $2 Tuesday at The 5 Spot. I usual, I stayed up too late and had a very good time. Also as usual, I saw some great bands.  First up was Nashville band Volk - that I saw for the first time and really enjoyed.  Next was E2TG favorite Andrew Adkins with a superb band. As always it was a treat.  Next was Derek Hoke playing as a trio with Mark Robertson of the Legendary Shakeshakers and great Nashville drummer Steve Latanation (formerly of the band Agent Orange). One of my favorite local songwriters, Chris Moyse, closed the night with a band that featured Sean Quinn and Erin Nelson of Nelson, Zimmerman, and Quinn.

So, I guess it's Happy Valentine's Day or Singles Awareness Day, if you prefer, or Happy Wednesday, if you prefer that.  It is Wednesday, and every Wednesday, things get a little wilder than usual here at E2TG. We call it Wild Wednesday, and it is the day we shuffle up all the songs currently saved to my phone and see what comes up.

Only six songs in today's shuffle... the last track is over 9 minutes long. Let's shuffle!

Trending Tuesday Morning Shuffle - Plain to See Mix

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EVENT ALERT!  May 18 E2TG 5 Year Extravaganza! The 5 Spot - East Nashville! 9pm!

Yesterday was one of those days that you just want to throw on the scrapheap of existence and forget about... I was feeling under the weather a bit - which didn't help - and then every possible thing seemed to go wrong.  But, it's a new day. I  drove and walked to work under the threat of storms.  Thunder and lightning...  I had a pretty sweet mix of songs to accompany me on the trek... sit back and let me tell you about it and then you can listen to a close approximation of that mix of songs (video-style wise).

Featured Friday Morning Music Shuffle - Every Dollar in the US Mint Mix

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Heritage Blues Orchestra with Special Guest Keb Mo

 

 

Took in a great show last night at the historic Franklin Theatre in Downtown Franklin, TN.  The show marked the first ever Nashville area appearance of the Heritage Blues Orchestra from New York City. Their music incorporated traditional Blues tunes with some jazz-inspired arrangements to create a very diverse and fun night of music.  The guitar work of Junior Mack was outstanding, the vocals were out of this world.  Special Guest Keb Mo was incredible.

 

 

To close out the week, we have pretty cool Featured Friday shuffle that is a good mix that includes songs sent to me by some of the most consistently awesome publicists from whom I get music along with some awesome songs from of the immensely talented friends I've made on this journey of music and life.

Feature Friday Music Shuffle - Swim to Japan Mix

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Here we are at the end of the work week! 

I had such a massively fun time last night at The Basement East.  Two shows, six full band sets, seeing and hanging out with some of my favorite people.  Music-wise: Nancy Terzian and the Leg Men, Stone Cupid featuring Julie Christensen rocked the early show.  Lauren Farrah, Raelyn Nelson Band, Darrin Bradbury leading Hot Garbage (which included Margo Price on Drums and Andrew Leahey on Guitar), and Brian Wright closed the night with four very different but all incredible sets.

Onward, we have our second installment of the newly repurposed Featured Friday... enjoy!

Stories for a Thousand Miles - Patrick Kinsley and A Fistful of Dollars

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Patrick Kinsley’s songs are filled with tough stories of flawed human beings experiencing various kinds and degrees of heartbreak, making bad decisions, and somehow managing some semblance of survival.  These are raw and often painful stories.  Through Kinsley’s deft writing, the stories and characters come into sharp focus, and his unique, raspy singing voice adds a gritty depth to the tales.

Joined by his band, A Fistful of Dollars, Patrick Kinsley’s debut full album, For a Thousand Miles  was produced by Jesse Thompson at Blue Duck Studio in Nashville, Tennessee where Kinsley has made his home after spending two year toiling in the New Orleans club scene.

“Hard Times” kicks off the album with a Classic Country driving song and “For What That’s Worth” closes it out with a folk-inspired tune that leaves the listener still on the endless highway, bruised and battered,but better off than when they began the journey. And the album is a journey.

Along the road, there are some guitar licks that would make Chuck Berry proud (“A Little Further North”) and the songs… and the stories… and the characters. The strength of the album lies in Kinsley’s rich literary songwriting voice and in something perhaps a little harder to define.  Musically, the album offers a restrained diversity. The harder rocking songs are (often barely) contained while the slower songs are infused with a raw energy that keeps the album moving.

It is this continuity that makes the album work as a whole - like one long drive filled with many different experiences but all leading to the same - albeit uncertain destination. It seems appropriate that the album leaves the listener still on that open highway, because one hopes this is just one leg of a much longer journal for Patrick Kinsley.

“Back in Illinois”, the first single, was released back in June with a humorous video which casts Kinsley as a self-help guru. (Watch)

The second single, “Little Tin House” may be the saddest song on the album. (Listen)

The full album is set for release July 14 through the usual portals, and a Nashville album release party will be held Wednesday July 15 at The Basement (the original one). (Go!)