Saturday Morningish Music Shuffle - Spring Cleaning Mix

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A rare Saturday shuffle to make up for not posting yesterday... life happens - you know....

It's been a very interesting week in many ways.  Musically, since we last connected, Thursday night, I went to week 3 of 5 of Campfire Propaganda.  It was a blast with the usual suspects - who are some pretty awesome songwriters: Brian Wright, Tim Easton, Megan Palmer, Darrin Bradbury, and Nellie Clay plus this week joined by Matt Haeck.  Then, I headed to The Family Wash to see Bark (Tim and Susan of Tim Lee 3) play an awesome set and then back up Jim Mize along with Laurie Stirratt.

Last night, it was the Jon Latham CD Release Show at Belcourt Taps.  Darrin Bradbury opened.  A really fun time.  Jon was joined by Haley Dreis, Josh Morris, Shawn Conerton, and Sean Quinn. And he even asked me to emcee the show.  There was tons going on musically around Nashville last night, and I though I don't like that I missed some of the things that I missed, I know I was at the right place.

Speaking of Jon Latham.  In case you missed it, I wrote some words about Real Bad News - his brand new album.  You can check it out HERE.


Just some tunes I listened to while I did some spring cleaning this morning. And, the answer is yes, I do know that it is mid-October.  What can I say, it has been a crazy, busy summer...

I am not going to comment on the songs - many I found the actual song for the Video Playlist.  If something interests you, and you need help finding out more - shoot me a line and I will tell you all I know.  Meanwhile, sit back and enjoy and maybe if you need to do some spring cleaning you can listen while you clean - like I did.

Wednesday Morning Music Shuffle - Dozens and Dozens Mix

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Trying to use the new technology to satisfy the philosophy and integrate the dichotomy that resonates in the... that's it... 

Anyway, so I'm experimenting with some new ways to bring you the Morning Shuffle.  Today, for example, the Amazon links are up top in the handy widget thing.  I got this handy, dandy bluetooth speaker, so I started the shuffle on my way in to work and continued it for my walk up the steps of the capitol.   So, tons of great music.  Let's get to it.... more on the shuffle after the jump....

JUMP!

Friday Morning Music Shuffle - Wind Blown Mix

By the way, it's not windy here today - just a random bit of words floating through my brain.

It looks like our friends, Those Mockingbirds ended the contest in 1st place!  As I  understand it, the final decision is now in the hands of the movie's producers. I still don't understand completely what happens now, but when I know you will know.


Let's go... it's Friday before a long holiday weekend here in the States, and I am expecting readership to drop significantly today because everyone is getting a jump start on their holiday plans. In any event, I've been focusing exclusively on the May 2012 playlist this week, but to wrap up the week, I thought I would go to one of our randomly selected playlists.

NUMBER ONE

We begin with a track off legendary British band, The Psychedelic Furs' self-titled debut album. Susan's Strange is classic Furs music, but did you know this song was not on the original UK release of  the album?

 

NUMBER TWO

Next up with a cover song.  Long-lived California band, Social Distortion have recently done some arena dates opening for The Avett Brothers, which at first glance seemed like an odd combination, but Mike Ness and company have a long-held affinity for classic county music.  They covered June Carter Cash's Ring of Fire on their self-titled Epic records debut, and here we have a song off their second Epic release, Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell, this one is a cover of a song which topped the Country charts in 1955 for Ms. Kitty Wells. Making Believe was written by Jimmy Work.

 

NUMBER THREE

Finally, we have a track from one of our 2011 Band's of the Week.  The Hunting Accident are an Indie Rock band  based in Los Angeles.  The band is made up of former members of the bands Piebald and Arlo.  The song Aubergine is available now via Soundcloud using the widget below, and will be included on  Trees and Parks, a 10" which will be released in July.

Here is an Amazon link to an earlier EP by the band

 

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Country Music Hall Of Fame Series: Kitty Wells For everything you do, there's a song that hits the spot. MOG brings them all to you: a world of music on demand, unlimited mobile downloads and ways to discover music free from the limitations of Pandora. The music you love, with you everywhere you go.

Here Came The Psychedelic Furs: B-Sides & Lost Grooves Here Came The Psychedelic Furs: B-Sides & Lost Grooves

Piebald: Nobody's Robots - A Farewell to Piebald - This documentary caters to fans of the emocore ensemble Piebold (Travis Shettel, Andrew Bonner, Lucian Garro, Jon Sullivan, Aaron Stuart and Alex Garcia Rivera) by chronicling the group's colorful history, from their inauspicious beginnings in the Northern Massachusetts community of Andover circa 1994, through their final concert in the late 2000s. The mix includes interviews, glimpses of the musicians in high school, performance footage shot over the years, and much more. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

Gibson Arlo Guthrie LG2 3/4 Acoustic Guitar with Case Gibson Arlo Guthrie LG2 3/4 Acoustic Guitar; A Guthrie Family Gibson The luthiers at Gibson Acoustic were approached in 2002 by Arlo Guthrie and asked to embark on a very arduous task, reconstructing an acoustic given to him by his legendary father, Woody Guthrie. This acoustic was no ordinary guitar, it was an old Gibson LG2 3/4 sized acoustic that was literally in pieces. Gibson undertook the delicate task of restoring this instrument passed on to him from his father and after completing the restoration and presenting the rebuilt guitar to Arlo, Gibson decided to reissue the Arlo Guthrie LG2 3/4 as part of its Signature Series line of acoustics. It is a painstaking reproduction of a classic Gibson guitar, yet remaining true to Arlo’s original in every way including an aged-like vintage replica finish. Gibson Arlo Guthrie LG2 Features AA-grade Sitka spruce Top Honduran mahogany back and sides Hand-scalloped, radiused top Bracing Rosewood fingerboard with rolled edges and dot inlays Nickel Gotoh White Button Tuners Tapered Dovetail Neck Joint Handcrafted Rosette Nitrocellulose Finish Gibson Logo Includes Case Nickel Gotoh White Button Tuners Gibson’s Arlo Guthrie LG2 3/4 features Gotoh’s SD91 white button tuners. With a gear ratio of 15:1, the Gotoh’s deliver precision tuning in a durable housing that provides maximum protection for the gear and string post. All moving parts are cut for exact meshing, eliminating the possibility of slippage, and a special lubricant inside the gear box provides smooth and accurate tuning stability. Pickguard The tortoise pickguard on the Arlo Guthrie LG2 3/4 is a small teardrop shape designed especially for the 3/4-size acoustic guitar. As with all Gibson’s pickguards, the coloring, inlay, binding, and engraving are all done by hand. Rosette A rosette is the beautiful, hand-crafted circle around the soundhole, and can be one of the most ornamental elements of any acoustic guitar. It is also one of the most subtle and complicated woodworking decorations on any acoustic guitar. The rosette on the Arlo Guthrie LG2 3/4 is a single-ring rosette consisting of three-ply binding, adding a stylish, understated elegance to the Arlo Guthrie LG2 3/4. Rosewood Fingerboard with Rolled Edges and Dot Inlays, the fingerboard of Gibson’s Arlo Guthrie LG2 3/4 is constructed from the highest grade rosewood on earth, which is personally inspected and qualified by Gibson’s team of skilled experts before it enters the Gibson factories. The resilience of this durable wood makes the fingerboard extremely balanced and stable, and gives each chord and note unparalleled clarity and bite. The LG2’s dot inlays are made of genuine mother of pearl, and are inserted into the fingerboard using a process that eliminates gaps and doesn’t require the use of fillers. The fingerboard also sports a rolled edge, instead of the usual right angle where the fingerboard surface meets the neck. Gibson Acoustic’s rolled edges are slightly

Thursday Morning Music Shuffle - Big Music Mix

Hesitation Blues is an American standard which has been recorded and adapted by dozens of artists since the original lyrics were published nearly a century ago.  Today's version is by Doc Watson and his son the late Merle Watson and was released on their 1984 album Down South  (which you can purchase by clicking on the picture above - Amazon).  I ripped the song from one of the Rykodisc Steal This Disc compilations.

 

Mike Scott is a musical genius.   Be My Enemy comes from The Waterboys 1985 album This is the Sea, and in retrospect serves as a bit of a bridge between the bands Big Music sound and the traditional celtic feel of their later work (Beginning with the follow-up album 1988s Fisherman's Blues). It's a rousing number which makes it a great fit for a sleepy walk to work. Get This is the Sea via Amazon by clicking the album cover above.


 
Red Bank Boogie is a Count Basie song about his hometown Red Bank, New Jersey. Count Basie led his Orchestra for nearly 50 years and worked with many, many legendary singers and musicians. I've been a fan of 50s era jazz since the late 80s when I first got into Charlie Parker through a Louis Malle film. Check out The Count Basie Story on Amazon via the album cover above.

 

Pretty in Pink before it was a 1986 John Hughes film starring Molly Ringwald and that guy from 2 and 1/2 Men (not Charlie Sheen or Ashton Kutcher) was a stand out track on the Furs 1981 sophomore effort Talk Talk Talk.  No sophomore slump evident here. I really didn't like the recorded version of the song for the movie soundtrack, but the original is still a classic.  Talk Talk Talk via Amazon can be yours for a click and a credit card purchase.

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Waterboys [UK Bonus Tracks] (Import) When the Waterboys' self-titled album was released originally in July 1983, it was an auspicious debut for an ambitious group, its 43 and a half minutes and eight tracks bursting with a powerful, compressed sound and leader Mike Scott's reedy tenor singin

Doc & Merle Watson In Concert Vestapol Productions presents this concert performance by bluegrass legends Doc and Merle Watson, recorded in 1980, just five years before Merle's untimely death. Doc and Merle Watson In Concert includes renditions of "Way Downtown," "Sweet Georgia Brown," "I Miss the Mississippi and You," and many others. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi

The Piano Style of Count Basie "(Some of Basie's Best for Advanced Piano). By Count Basie. By Count Basie. For solo piano and solo voice (on some songs). Artist/Personality; Piano - Personality Book; Piano Supplemental. Big Band and Swing. Advanced. Collection. Standard notation, chord names and lyrics (on some songs) (does not include words to the songs). 72 pages. Published by Alfred Music Publishing"

Pretty in Pink Track Listing: 1. If You Leave, 2. Left of Center, 3. Get to Know Ya, 4. Do Wot You Do, 5. Pretty in Pink, 6. Shellshock, 7. Round, Round, 8. Wouldn't It Be Good, 9. Bring on the Dancing Horses, 10. Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want

Thursday Morning Music Shuffle - Angels Fall Like Rain Mix

There are ghosts and spirits that haunt the dark corners of our lives and minds

A well-worn melody re-purposed and sold and still....

Transportation - like a city bus that's has no fixed route, but takes you to random spots from your life

Even those out-of-the-way places where you've forgotten you've ever been...

Time is a bastard of the young, time marches on, time really flies....

But and so, I always write about time when my mind is stalling for a better idea...

 Time is a lie... 

Good morning - walk up the hill was in a pissing rain... Last night, I heard a Pogues' song in a commercial for a mini-van and recently (and again) I've heard the Violent Femmes' ode to teen-aged hormones being used to hawk (computers, tacos what's next bed linens and laundry and stain removers?)

Honestly coincidentally, after musing on those things, this delicious mix of classic songs from my youth and young adulthood came up on my morning shuffle:

(Murmur @ Amazon)

Gothic and Southern and covered in kudzu, Radio Free Europe, was an anthem for all us disaffected Southern boys and girls coming of age in the 80s.

(Flood @ Amazon)

Come on we've all met this person and been in this situation.  I remember a Waffle House in the wee morning hours, and you aren't looking for an argument, but.... Your Racist Friend by There Must Be Giants They Might Be Giants.

(Mirror Moves @ Amazon)

Richard Butler (along with Bryan Ferry) was our Sinatra. So smooth and yet, he was all our own as he and the P-Furs (as we called them because it was before spell check and we really didn't want to look stupid and misspell Psychedelic now did we?) were sophisticated and yet not at all content or safe. If my youth was a movie John Hughes and Louis Malle would co-direct and there would be a Psychedelic Furs song on the soundtrack.  The Ghost in You would be a good choice. 

(Ghost in the Machine @ Amazon)

I've had a couple of old Police songs make their way to my ears recently, and I was reminded again of what a great band they were. As the 80s progressed, they got to be more and more popular and then Sting went on to doing that awful song with Bryan Adams and Rod Stewart. But and still, the Police, in their day, made intelligent music that stands the test of time. Spirits in the Material World speaks to a spirituality which was way beyond my ability to comprehend when I first heard this song, but it was cool music with a good beat.

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Radio Free Europe We believe it is important to preserve what makes music special, and make it easy to craft listening experiences. At MOG, browse millions songs and play them instantly. Or just turn on radio where you can stop and replay songs. You can also create playlists for any occasion, and even download songs to your mobile. We are dedicated to employing the cleanest but most powerful technology so you can enjoy music as much as ever.

They Might Be Giants : Here Come the 123's [CD/DVD] They Might Be Giants : Here Come the 123's [CD/DVD]

The Psychedelic Furs: Live from the House of Blues [DTS] The Psychedelic Furs were one of the many alternative semi-avant British groups who began the 1980s with a devoted cult following and ended it with a huge popular following as well as a number of hit songs (see: The Cure). Pushed over the top by the release of the John Hughes film PRETTY IN PINK, which borrowed its title from an older Furs song in the soundtrack, the band scored their biggest hit the following year with Heartbreak Beat. This performance from House of Blues was part of the Furs' reunion tour in 2001 in support of their greatest hits compilation.

Spirits in the Material World: A Reggae Tribute to the Police In a way, a reggae-themed Police tribute seems like kind of a strange idea -- many of these songs were either reggae numbers to begin with, or were so close to being reggae that straight-up reggae arrangements run the risk of just sounding like cover vers