E2TG 6/23/2021 - Midweek Situation - Emerald Green Spring Mix (Hope in America Remix)

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Hitting my mid-week stride... this Friday, the new Featured Friday Playlist will cover two weeks of new releases plus other recent submissions we may just be getting to... We are currently wrapping up the current playlist which we originally posted on June 11.  

Featured Friday Playlist recap (Part 7) (songs 25-27):

25. "Lullaby" by Rafa 

First up, we have a new single from this Australian singer-songwriter - born of Dutch and Colombian parents - inspired by the birth of his first child. Rafa is joined by Syd Taylor of Stereo Jane. 

26. "Ain't so Kind" by Supermutt

Next up, we have the lead track from the new album by this rock and roll band from New Jersey. Great stuff. 

27. "Creepy Crawlie" by Muscle Vest

And we close this short segment with the lead track from the new album by this noise rock band from London.  A cool way to close us out. 

We wrap up the Featured Friday Playlist recap (which has spanned two weeks) tomorrow - with the final two songs. 

 
 

    Featured Friday Playlist

E2TG 12/30/2020 - The End of 2020 - Waltzing Around Mix (Cookeville Remix)

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Conspicuously absent thus far has been our usual end of year Earie awards and Golden Earie awards.  I thought long and hard about this. 2020 has not been a normal year by any stretch of the imagination. Here at E2TG we have been able to feature more music than ever before including an amazing number of new-to-us artists and bands.  In addition, it has been a busy year for music from some of our long-time favorites. 

We started the Featured Friday Playlist at the beginning of this year, and I am very pleased by the reception so far. We are consistently adding followers. I am also proud of the diversity of mostly independent music we have featured this year. 

Look, some people have definitely kicked ass this year. A unplanned break from touring has given a lot of people the opportunity to explore their heretofore unexplored creativity. Special shout out to Nashville friends like Carrus and Kurtz, Tayls, Year of October, Ghost Town Remedy and so many more who made frequent appearances in our Playlists. 

It should be acknowledged that some people have struggled in 2020 financially, creatively, mentally, and in many other ways. 

So - in that spirit - I am giving this years sole Earie Award to everyone. This is a music blog - so I will limit "everyone" in this context to everyone who has some connection to music. Artists, venue owners, bookers, managers, show-goers, door people, bartenders, promoters, publicists, my fellow music writers, photographers, sound people, touring musicians, studio musicians, and anyone I left out. This one is for you and it comes with a big wish for brighter days ahead.  I can't wait to see you all in front of the stage, at the bar, on the back patio, in line (or on line if you will), discovering great new music, seeing old friends and favorites, sweating, hugging, drinking, and laughing. 

Before we get into our final Featured Friday recap of 2020, I would like to acknowledge the unfathomable losses of this past year. It would take more time and more emotional energy than I have to name everyone and some I may not know - but you do.  For us here at E2TG, 2020 began with the sudden passing our of friend and hero David Olney. I remain humbled and grateful for the opportunities I had to work with him and hear him make his magic on stage. I will never forget his appearance at the E2TG Anniversary Residency a couple of years back. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience -and yet I hoped there would be more. 

We move cautiously into this new year knowing the pandemic is not behind us yet and knowing that some will not be joining us. But we move forward with hope, and we move forward carrying a piece of everyone and everything we said goodbye to in 2020.

Well - here we are. We started recapping this playlist back in December 18 and 61 songs and over four hours of music later, we have reached the end of our final Featured Friday Playlist for 2020. Here are the songs that will take us out - songs number 55-61:

55. "A Song to Special to Sing" by Blink

This is a previously unreleased track from the 1996-1999 era of the Irish band Blink. This our second song to featured.  A full-length release of archival recordings in scheduled for the Spring.

56. "It's Alright (10 Times Better)" by Absolute Phase

Next up, we have the lead track from The Little Black Book - the new album from this Chicago based rock band that formed in 2019. Cool sound.

57. "How Can I" by Paola Proctor

Next up, we have the new single from a Nashville based pop artist. This emotionally powerful break-up song was recorded here in Nashville.

58. "Everything Has Changed" by Souly Us

Next up, we have the new single from Australian country music duo Souly Us. The song was recorded in their home studio while on lock down. 

59. "No More Bets" by Shaking Chains

Next, we have a track from a new AA single from this Manchester art-pop band. A great sound. 

60. "Dreams of a Middle-Aged Man" by Mauri Dark

We always like to save some of the most interesting music to close out our playlists.  The penultimate track from this Playlist comes in the form of a nearly 8 minute title track to the new album by Finnish singer-songwriter Mauri Dark. The song has an epic quality and a deep emotional resonance. I love this song. 

61. "Stranger" by KissDoomFate 

And we close this long playlist out with the return of French electro-pop band KissDoomFate - and the lead track from their 3 song b-side collection called Dead of Winter Beats.  A deliciously chilly song to bring us into the heart of winter and to get us ready for a brand new year of music. 

See you on the otherside....
 

    Featured Friday Playlist

E2TG 5/14/2020 - 9 Years - With Tongues Mix (Moving Faster Remix)

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So, since I realized that this week (tomorrow actually) marks the ninth anniversary of E2TG, I have been thinking quite a bit about the blog, how it started, how things have changed, where I am now, and where I see things going.

Without a doubt, E2TG has changed my life. So many important people in my life today are only there because I started writing E2TG in May 2011. Some of them may not even know that E2TG is the reason we know each other - but it is.

I have been getting some memories on Facebook and Instagram about my visit to the Cash Cabin on May 13, 2015.  That would never have happened if it was not for E2TG. I likely would not be a DJ on WXNA if not for E2TG.

It all started because I had been making daily posts on Facebook with my morning shuffle - usually three or four songs that I listened to on my walk from the parking lot to my office. I had been doing that for at least a year, and I started adding some commentary. Someone, suggested a do something more than just social media posts and that something became E2TG. A big change was that I suddenly had a reason and motivation to start seeking out new music.  At first, obviously, no one knew who I was and so no one was sending me music - that took time - so I went out and found bands that were following me on Twitter.

Pretty early on, I began thinking of any band or artist that I featured as part of the E2TG "family". Sometimes they didn't know they were part of this family and sometimes they might not have cared, but I did.

At that point in my life, I didn't go out to shows much and I was out of touch with a lot of local music, and then I made some friends from the New York and New Jersey area and suddenly a large percentage of the music I wrote about was from those two Northeastern States. It was kind of funny, but kind of cool - then came Connecticut. Of course eventually, I got in touch with Nashville's incredible community, but the Northeastern influence is still alive and well.

Honestly, I didn't have a master plan when I created E2TG, and I still tend to just go where the muse and the shuffle function take me. I always wish for more time and sometimes I really want to give more attention to an artist or album than I do, and sometimes, I miss opportunities. But, it is just what it is, and for every missed opportunity there have been so many blessings to come my way.  I use the word blessing because that is what it feels like. I don't necessarily assign any specific theological meaning to the term nor I know what it all means.

About the E2TG avatar.

This was a drawing I did for a novel I was (and still am writing).  I did a few drawings (I originally envisioned a multi-media book), but this one - it is supposed to be a self-portrait of a character named Kevin who is an artist - is the only one that stuck.  At some point, I used this as my profile pic on-line and when I needed an image for E2TG I just grabbed this one because it was handy.  So, yeah. I don't fancy myself any sort of visual artist, but I always kind of dug this drawling. 

As for the future... it is unwritten. Now more than ever, there is a lot of uncertainty. I know some of the people I have grown to know and love are hurting financially and missing playing shows, and I and missing going to shows and seeing friends. So, I will just keep going until I stop. For today, I am not stopping. 

    Featured Friday Playlist

E2TG 4/08/2020 - Rest Easy Mr. Prine - Happy Enchilada Mix (Old Rodeo Remix)

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It seems like almost my entire Facebook timeline is about John Prine, which would indicate that I follow my kinds of people.

John Prine's death at the hands of COVID-19 hit hard in my community and for me personally. First of all my thoughts go out to his family and close friends. For the rest of us, this was a hard loss in season of hard losses.

One thing I have learned about grief over the past nearly four months is that grief comes in waves and that subsequent losses aren't measured by a comparison of how close you were to the person who you lose. Rather, each loss is a ripple that compounds with the previous losses and sometimes the emotions of one loss (which may seem out of proportion to your relationship) are actually reflections and amplifications of other losses.

I don't know if that made sense, but I know what I am trying to say, but what I am trying to convey is that we all need to prepare for more losses over the next few weeks and to be prepared losses which hit harder than you might otherwise expect.

Stay safe everyone. We are getting through this and we will get through this.

The other certainty is that we will all be changed by this experience. It seems like a lot of out of our control. But, we can effect change on our new world. Will that new world reflect love and compassion and a priority on things that bring joy and newly honed commitment to priorities which match our values and greater self-sufficiency combined with a renewed understanding of our interdependence on each other. 

It is all too much to take in all at once. So take it all one at a time and breath and focus on your breath and be gentle with yourself. Productivity within this crisis is admirable perhaps but it is not a competition and it is not mandatory.  Stay connected even as you are keeping a safe distance and self-isolating.

As John Prine didn't sing, "It's a Happy Enchilada and you think your gonna drown..."

    Featured Friday Playlist

E2TG 2019 Recap - Part 15 - Days Inn Mix (Snowbound Remix)

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If I was in town Saturday, I would be checking out this show.  Evan P. Donahue is a long-time Nashville musician - whose many credits include being a founding member of the legendary Diarrhea Planet. If you read E2TG regularly, you already know how I feel about Ryan Sobb and his kick ass band. I don't know Nightingail, but given that they are on this bill, I am going to assume they are awesome.  Check it out!

Well, it is the last post of our 2019 Recap.  So much great music this year.

I have been asked about the Earie Awards.  Last year, I awarded Earies to almost all the artists I featured in my recap. I came up with clever awards for each.  I decided not to do that this year for the sake of time. But, please know that all of the artists features in this 15 recap posts are winners in my eyes.

I will be out Monday and Tuesday, but I will return Wednesday with some special Earies to give out. I close out 2019 feeling fortunate for the music that I have been exposed to, the people I have met, and the experiences I have had. I look forward to 2020 despite the turbulent and quite honestly disheartening times. Music has and will always be my sanctuary and my comfort from situations outside of my control. I have big plans for E2TG in 2020 and some of those plans involve stepping out of my comfort zone.

Here is the final recap post - more great music represented here.

Wild Wednesday Morning Shuffle - In My Eyes Mix

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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 even included.


It is Wednesday and time to get WILD at E2TG!

Let's go!

Trending Tuesday Morning Shuffle - Used High Heels Mix

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Nashville is changing rapidly.  It has been for several years now.  Cool old places are closing down and being replaced which much less cool places or being abandoned altogether.  It can be disheartening sometimes.

My roots here are deep, and I am not leaving anytime soon. So, what am I to do?

Fortunately, I am still reminded on a regular basis that Nashville is a great city for original, independent live music.  Take last night, I headed to Dee's in Madison - caught the tail-end of some fine world-class bluegrass (which happens every Monday), and then caught some awesome songwriters for this weeks edition of the Madison Guild Monday.

Hosted by Ryan Sobb, the night featured E2TG Artist of the Year (2017), Rayvon Pettis, the always amazing Jeremy Ivey, Bob Lewis and Megan Palmer - trading songs and backing each other, the wonderful Tommy Womack and Lisa Oliver Gray, Rayvon's talented sister Grace Pettis (filling in for the ailing Anna Joy Harris), and then Ryan Sobb.  Sobb's songs are witty and heartfelt - he is one of my favorite writers these days.  Then, Ryan did a  stunning cover of Tommy Womack's epic, classic "Alpha Male and the Canine Mystery Blood" - which knocked my socks off.

This was what Monday nights can look like in the Nashville area - if you know where to look.

On to the Trending Tuesday shuffle!

Featured Friday Morning Shuffle - Summer Wine Mix

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Whew!  It's the end of another week.  I am still struggling with not feeling great, and I ready for the up and down temperatures to give us a break for at least a few days.

Next week, I am going to jump headlong into promoting the Magnolia Roads American Roots Hoedown IV - which will be happening April 26 and 27 at The 5 Spot.  There are all sorts of sponsors, a silent auction, and other cool stuff. The shows are a benefit for the Ben Eyestone Fund at Musician's Health Alliance. The music is jam packed with great bands - including many E2TG Favorites. I am super stoked to a part of this year's "Hoedown".  Make your plans now!

Now, let's get right to the Featured Friday shuffle!

Wild Wednesday Morning Shuffle - Miles and Miles of Ohio Mix

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A fun night at The 5 Spot for the opening night of Brian Wright and Friends April Residency.  A killer band, great songs, and guest Shannon McNally.

Plus, I stuck around for most of $2 Tuesday with great hangs and more great music.

I'm dragging a bit today!

#E2TG Favorite among Favorites Darrin Bradbury just released a new single - his first release since signing to ANTI- Records.  It's for his song, "Newark" which is one of my favorite of his newest batch of songs.



Now, it's time for our regularly schedule "Wild Wednesday" shuffle. I love Wednesdays because it is a bit like digging through old boxes - you never know what you will find.

Trending Tuesday Morning Shuffle - Smokestack Clear Light Mix

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I'm back.  I took an unexpected sick day off work yesterday.  This extreme weather is getting the best of me, but we are in the midst of a couple of days of sunshine, and I feel much better. So onward.

Let's dive right into our Trending Tuesday shuffle.

Trending Thursday Morning Shuffle - She's the Bomb Mix

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We actually got some sunshine this morning.  It didn't really last long, but it was glorious. A couple of rainy days on the horizon.

Here we go!  It's Thursday.  Let's see what is trending on E2TG!

Trending Tuesday Morning Shuffle - Not Dead Mix

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Rolling on, we come to another Trending Tuesday Shuffle - from our new music playlist.

We have another good, eclectic shuffle.... so, let's get to it!

Trending Thursday Morning Shuffle - TGIW Mix

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After getting behind on Tuesday, I am finally all caught up, so we can have a regularly scheduled, non-rushed shuffle. 

We have a cool shuffle today that includes some first listens that I am really excited about bringing to you.

Let's go!

Trending Thursday Morning Shuffle - Sue was a Charmer Mix

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Sometimes I have random thoughts about society and life and I think, gee, I wish I had a place to share these thoughts besides as  Facebook Status Updates. Then, I remember, hey! I have a blog that I post to every day.  That being said, please feel free to skip my self-indulgent rambling ahead.

*START SELF-INDULGENT RAMBLING*

Lately, there is something I have been pondering. Namely, why so many people seem to devote so much energy to music, movies, books, art, celebrities that they don't like. (For this purpose, I am excluding criticism of current government leaders - however, there is possible still some relevance). I have seen instances were an article appears about a particular band or artist or whatever, and rather heated debate ensues between those who like said artist and those who despise said artist. What is interesting to me is not the debate or posts themselves but the amount of thought and attention that goes into the comments of those who don't like... nee hate... the said artist. Like they offer detailed explanations that demonstrate a deep familiarity with the said artists work. And it seems clear that they devote a significant amount of time, energy, and head-space to the despised artist's work. And, they seem invested in trying to convince fans of said artist that they are "wrong." 

Don't get me wrong, I encourage anyone to listen to music before  dismissing an artist or album whole cloth, but I just can't understand. There are certainly bands and artists that I really do not like. I gave a listen and decided it just wasn't my thing. I don't feel compelled to "straighten out" people who actually like them. I have neither the time, energy, or inclination to dissect and analyze all the reasons I don't like their music. I get if a professional journalist is tasked with this, but as an amateur and more importantly, as a music fan, I don't understand it. There is more good music being produced than I can possibly take in (and arguably I spend more time than the average person listening to new music). If I spend time on the bands I hate, I would have even less time for the bands I love.

And yes, I do recognize the irony of using time and blog-space to even write about this. 

*END SELF-INDULGENT RAMBLING*


Speaking of new music!  I loaded even more new music into my phone last night - including a couple I am really excited to feature coming up soon.

Today is Thursday and it is time to dive back into the "2019 Trending Playlist" of the newest of the new arrivals at E2TG,

Trending Thursday Morning Shuffle - True or Not Mix

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I know some people may get tired of me saying this... and I freely admit, Nashville is the only music town I know really well... and I know there are extraordinary music makers all over the world...however, I continue to be blown away by the depth and breadth of the musicians and music here in the Music City.

Last night, I arrived at The 5 Spot at 6pm and left a little after midnight.  During that time, I saw five different bands.  Jim Hoke - who I think is the most inventive and creative minds around - highlighted songs from his new album backed by an incredible collection of musicians, singers, and guests. Interspersed throughout the good sized crowd, was a veritable who's who of Nashville songwriting and musician greats.  Jim Hoke is the mastermind behind the visionary group Aqua Velvet and he is also a multi-instrumentalist who backs many other talented folks.

The late show - featured four bands. Lakehouse Boys went on first, I was very impressed by their pop-oriented sound and on-stage humor. The band features one of the regular sound men from The 5 Spot as wells as a member of the band Boy Named Banjo.  Born Animals was next. Despite some technical problems that shortened their set time, I really liked their high energy punkish sound.   Timothy George aka The Singing Butcher was next - backed by an amazing band. George is one of my favorite songwriters in town, and it has been a little while since I have seen him with a full band.  E2TG Band of the Year, The Big Dumb, closed the night with a typically manic/amazing set of songs. I have already said a lot about them this week, so suffice it to say, I was not in the least bit disappointed by last nights show.

Now, it is time to dig back into our newish "Trending Playlist" - some of the more recent additions to the E2TG playlist. Let's do it!