Heading to another week. The election is looming. I am feeling overwhelmed by a lot of things today, but I am not giving up. I am disheartened by the injustice in this world, but I am carrying on with my belief that justice will prevail. I am overwhelmed by the callousness and disregard for basic human rights, but I am still fighting for love and for a world where all people are equal - even in their differences.
I stand with the marginalized and those silenced by the system and the many.
I am tired... but I am here.
Below the jump, we have this week's Music City Monday random shuffle. Before that...
...we pick back up with our recap of this week's Featured Friday Playlist with songs 9-12...
9. "Home Remedy" by Will Kimbrough
We start this segment with the new single from Will Kimbrough - from his forthcoming album Spring Break. The song was co-written with Adrienne Young and is about the healing power of love. Young released her version of the song in 2004. Kimbrough's Spring Break LP will be out October 23.
10. "When This Blows Over" by John Calvin Abney
Tulsa Oklahoma guitarist and singer-songwriter John Calvin Abney is back with another single - John Moreland played bass and drums and Whit Wright played pedal steel. He calls it his song of storms. His new album Familiar Ground is due out in November.
11. "Conflict" by Zao
Zao is a metalcore band that formed in 1993 in West Virginia later moving to Pennsylvania. They recently released a compilation of early recordings called Preface: Early Recordings 1995-1996. This is a track from that album, and it sounds fantastic.
12. "Pay It No Mind - Live" by Lee Taylor
And, we close out this segment of music with the new single from New York City based singer-songwriter Lee Taylor with her tribute to the iconic LGBTQ+ activist Marsha P. Johnson. The song captures the fiery spirit of the trailblazing activist.
Tomorrow - we have the next four songs in the Playlist...
Just a friendly reminder that holidays don't all hold the same meaning to everyone. I think it is appropriate to celebrate such days as you see fit, but I recommend thought and consideration before pushing your feelings about it onto others.
Father's Day is a good day for fond memories of father's both living and dead - or to be celebrated. For some people. Other people did not have present or caring fathers, others still are dealing with a recent loss and since every one grieves in different ways and on different schedules - Father's Day can be hard. Others are feeling separation.
This was the first Father's Day without my father in the world...
The fact is, in recent years, holidays in general have been hard. So, I find my way of dealing with them - sometimes I am more successful at it than others. But, there can be tremendous pressure to answer repeated inquiries about how my holiday was or what I did or even pointed questions if certain societal expectations were met. This pressure often starts days or week's prior to the holiday and can continue for days after.
So, all I ask, is be aware of this when talking to other people about holidays.
We have a lot of songs to cover this week so, today, we will feature songs number 8-13 from the Featured Friday Playlist:
8. "Somewhere Far Away" by Nate Lee
Nate Lee is an award winning bluegrasss mandolin player and teacher. He is a member of The Becky Buller Band and members of that band join him on his new album Wings of an Jetliner. This is music that pushes the genre of bluegrass interesting new directions while remaining rooted in the traditions.
9. "Call My Name" by Eli Gauden
Eli Gauden is a Norwegian singer-songwriter discovered Americana music while studying in the U.S. Back in Norway, she has continued to hone her craft. This is the title track to her new EP which was recorded in Bergen.
10. "The After Glow" by The Asteroid No.4
The Asteroid No.4 are a psychedelic rock band based in San Francisco. They formed in Philadelphia in the latter half of the 1990s. This is the first single ahead of the band's tenth studio album, Northern Songs, and was written, recorded, and mixed by the band.
11. "Cryin' Eyes" by Steven Bruce
Next up, we have the debut single for the forthcoming (August 7) debut album by this country rocker from Fredericksburg, Virginia. The band is made up of all Virginia musicians.
12. "I am Sundress (She of Infinite Flowers)" by Liar, Flower
Next up, we have the latest single from Liar, Flower - a duo featuring KatieJane Garside and Chris Whittingham (who previously recorded as Ruby Throat). The pair have been living on a boat raising their young daughter for the last few years. The album reflects their life of isolation. KatieJane Garside began her career as a alt-girl and Riot Grrl with the bands Daisy Chainsaw and QueenAdreena.
13. "Afande" by Skinshape, Idd Aziz
And finally for today, we add a little World music to this week's playlist. Skinshape is William Dorsey and Idd Aziz is a Kenyan singer. The music on this track - from Skinshape's Umoja album - features a hybrid Nigerian/Ghanaian afrobeat groove.
Happy Monday! In case you missed it Friday - our new Featured Friday Playlist is up on Spotify (embed below). A ton of great music from old and new favorites.
I am just getting caught up from week before last, and expect a ton of new music on this week's Playlist. Be sure to follow the Playlist on Spotify and Follow E2TG on Facebook or Instagram for the latest. Hint: I sometimes link to the new playlist on Instagram Stories shortly after midnight.
It is time for another Music City Monday - featuring music from Nashville of various genres and eras. Some newer and newish music in this week's shuffle.
I have been sitting here staring at my computer trying to think about what I wanted to say about David Olney...
In case you have missed the news, David Olney passed away on Saturday - on stage at the 30A festival. By all accounts, it was a graceful and peaceful exit befitting the man himself.
It has hard to imagine how my life worked out that I had the true blessing that my orbit crossed with such a legend. I owe that almost entirely to Mary Sack - his long-time manager and my friend. I send my love and thoughts to Mary and of course to David's family and many friends and fans.
David Olney came to Nashville in the early 1970s - as part of the wave of songwriters influenced and inspired by the burgeoning "Outlaw" movement. Whatever you think of "Outlaw"country in the modern sense of the term, the original outlaws were all about carving their own path outside of the control of the Music Row establishment. The Exit/In was a center and West Nashville was their stomping grounds. Among this group, Olney quickly gained respect and admiration for his songwriting prowess.
In the 1980s, Olney was best known as a a rocker and leader of The X-Rays. That group signed to Rounder Records and made a notable appearance on Austin City Limits (which is available on YouTube). After the X-Rays ended, Olney began a storied solo career that would last the rest of his life. I know the term is overused, but David Olney really was the total package. Obviously a great songwriter, he was also a consummate entertainer, a poet, an actor, and so much more
Although, I was aware of David Olney for some time, I first began seeing him on a regular basis about five years ago. His live shows were always spectacles. He surrounded himself with great musicians: Daniel Seymout, Justin Amaral, Sergio Webb, and Ward Stout. But, at the heart of his performances was the man himself. At one larger than life and down to earth.
There are many who are better qualified to write his biography, but I wanted my readers who didn't know him to have some sense of who he was.
Some of the highlights of my interactions with David Olney:
In 2017, he agreed to appear as part of the first ever E2TG Residency. Thanks to Mary Sack, this show marked his reunion with the great guitarist Sergio Webb - after about a year and half of not performing together. I had the pleasure to introduce him. I have no idea what I said, but from the pictures I used big hand gestures.
A year later, David took part in a reading event that I help to put together. He read some of his sonnets which were incredible and a haiku or two. He and Rod Picott both expressed that they were initially uncomfortable standing on stage without a guitar in hand, but I think they both enjoyed, Leading up to that show, David said that I had one of the "great names in Rock n Roll", which is something I will never forget.
A humorous moment was the time that David went to Bobby's Idle Hour for a show that was scheduled at The Family Wash. He made it on time and played a hell of show - as always. Both those venues are gone and now so is David.
I remember running into David a few years back at the Southern Festival of Books - this was right after he survived a frightening fall down the stairs at his home. He was in a neck brace, and all he could talk about was how bad he felt that he had to drop out of a show that was scheduled for that night.
As is often the case when things like this happen, I thought I would have many more opportunities to interact with David Olney in this world. I take solace in knowing that his legacy will live on in the artists whose work he inspired and the people whose lives he touched.
Last night, I went out to the John Dennis CD Release Show, and John - who didn't know David personally - did a great job acknowledging his passing. Anana Kaye and Irakli Gabriel opened the show by playing some songs they had been writing with David Olney. It was a beautiful moment. John Dennis' own set - playing his album in its entirety - likewise brought up heavy feelings.
I do have to acknowledge that losing David Olney about a month after losing my father has had an effect on me. My father's passing was far less sudden and so in some ways, it has been harder to access my feelings. Somehow, the sudden loss of someone I didn't know well but whose spirit and art touched my life, has allowed me access a lot of feelings about my father's passing. Yet another gift from this great man who is gone too soon, but who is also very much still with us.
