It is with a heavy heart that I let you know of the passing of long-time E2TG favorite and friend Dave Hogan on January 14th after a short illness. We featured both his solo work and his work with Grimm Generation. In fact, he was the first Connecticut musician that I met in person - thanks to Jason P. Krug - when Hogan played a songwriting festival in Nashville several years back. In addition to being a musician he was also a DJ on WPKN in Bridgeport, CT. E2TG Artist of the Year Jason P. Krug wrote a remembrance of David Hogan which you can read here.
Chicago’s Sunshine Boys (featuring Freda Love Smith of Blake Babies, Dag Juhlin of Poi Dog Pondering and Jacqueline Schimmel of Big Hello) released the politically-charged single “Infinity Girl” on Friday, Jan 10. The band will then embark on a short tour with Freda’s former Blake Babies band mate Juliana Hatfield and there is a show confirmed for The Basement East on Sat, Jan 18.
Please check out, enjoy, and follow the newly updated Featured Friday Playlist.
After some extended time away, we are back with an honest to goodness Morning Shuffle. Louisville, Kentucky based My Morning Jacket are up first with Librarian from their 5th Studio Album - Evil Urges.
The late, great June Carter Cash wife of the late, great Johnny Cash wrote the song Ring of Fire which was made famous by her husband. Since then, numerous covers of the song have been recorded including Social Distortion, Wall of Voodoo, Eric Burdon and the Animals and others. Today, we have June's own version:
Lou Reed released his third solo record Berlin in 1973. Caroline Says Iis from the first side of the record.
And finally, Rage Against The Machine from their 1999 album, The Battle of Los Angeles with Guerilla Radio. And we are out!
Time Marches on and now it is April - though it feels like June here. It's almost time for our March Band of the Month poll so stayed tuned and be sure to vote.
Two longer songs made up today's shuffle so I threw in a bonus track.
Both of the songs have come up before, and yeah, they will come up again.
Bob Dylan was about 34 years old when his classic album Blood on the Tracks was released (1975). I can't remember how old I was when I first heard Tangled Up In Blue but the song got into my impressionable mind and, er, well, made an impression. I loved the feeling of the song and the story that wasn't exactly clear and linear, but which was so evocative. The lyrics were (in a twisted way) the inspiration for the title of my (unpublished novel) Scent of Revelation. In the novel, one of the characters takes the line, "There was music in the cafes at night and revolution in the air" to mean that they was a literal scent of revolution which could be detected by those who are open to it. This character, Kevin, who incidentally is the character portrayed in my profile picture, believes a revolution is at hand, and that he can detect an underlying "scent" of revolution in the air. Another character, Jerry, muses that maybe it's a scent of revelation...
(Blood on the Tracks @ Amazon - click the album cover)
The thing that means the most to me about Mike Watt (Minutemen, fIREHOSE, Stooges etc.) is the respect he has and has had for history. In songs, like History Lesson Part I & II, Disciples of the Three-Way and today's song, Drove Up from Pedro from his star-studded 1995 album Ball Hog or Tugboat?. The significance of music and inspiration and defining moments have always been important to me. Going to a certain show, hearing an album or a song for the first time... and the way something which might be insignificant or of little importance to someone else, can change the entire trajectory of one's life (either internally, externally or both).
what the germs did at that gig
made him do what he finally did.
he fit the thunderbroom to the thundertune,
stuffed the thing in the hole.
drove up from Pedro, from Pedro he drove.
Even though I never saw the Germs play live, I recall seeing Penelope Spheeris' documentary, The Decline of Western Civilization and being transported from my 80s small town to the LA punk scene circa the late 70s. And it also makes me recall rushing home from a show (Rollins Band and Corrosion of Conformity) and having to write a short story (not so much about the show itself, but about the feelings in brought up).
(Ball-Hog or Tugboat? @ Amazon)
Finally our bonus song: It's Guerrilla Radio by Rage Against the Machine. Just because, although my revolutions have mostly been internal, I do have a bit of the revolutionary in me.
