2018 E2TG Earie Awards - # 3 - Recap March 2018

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For your holiday shopping: The Drift - A Novel by Joe Wolfe-Mazeres Available at Amazon.com (Kindle edition also available)


Last night was the first ever WXNA Holiday Party - it was a swell affair and affirmed how lucky I am to be a part of this amazing group of people.

After that, I headed to The Basement for The Big Dumb CD Release Party.  It is hard for me to relate how much I love this amazingly talented group of musicians. In addition, not one, not two, but three past E2TG Artists of the Year were special guests for the show.  Rayvon Pettis, Darrin Bradbury, and Jon Latham.  I would put good money that this will not be the last you've heard about The Big Dumb this "Earie" season.

It's the end of the first full-week of December, and it is Day 3 of the 2018 Earie Awards.  The Earies are kind of like the Grammys - except they are nothing like the Grammys.

Today for our shuffle, we journal back to a more innocent time - March  2018......

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Wild Wednesday Morning Shuffle - Gojira Mix

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I feel like I'm limping into the long weekend... and today's dreary weather in Nashville is not helping, but nevertheless I persist... persist in bringing you music of all shapes and sizes.

It's Wednesday!  That is the day, traditionally set aside to get wild. Okay, it's a recent tradition I guess... but...

Most days, our shuffle comes from a specific playlist (3 days a week it is our "New Music" playlist). On Wednesday, though, we shuffle up all the songs which are located on my phone's memory card. New songs, songs from albums we featured in the past, songs from the E2TG archives, random songs which came to me from a variety of sources - including my personal collection of CDs, and stray tracks lacking complete metadata which came from unknown moments in time.

We call it "Wild Wednesday" not because the songs are necessarily "wild" (just sometimes) but because it is a wildcard... you never know what the next song will be...

Trending Tuesday Morning Shuffle - Self Confidence Mix

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Well, after talking about all of the consecutive nights I went out to hear live music, it all kind of caught up with me... I started feeling a little not great, so I decided to stay in last night and just rest. But, it did give me time to reflect on the incredible place in time and life and the world where I find myself.  The incredible talented people I interact with on a regular basis - some well-known, some not, but all talented. As a long-time fan of music, I am beyond grateful for the opportunities I have been afforded.

Well, it is Tuesday and time to dig back into the New Music playlist and see what is "Trending" on E2TG....

Rare Saturday Shuffle - Heart of a Saturday Afternoon Mix

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Well, it's been a little while. Thanks for bearing with me during my brief time away. I will be back to regular posting on Thursday, but I thought I would take a few minutes on this Saturday to listen to some songs from my "New Music Playlist".  I shuffled up the playlist while I did some errands, and I ended up with 17 tracks. I will be rather brief, but if you hear or read about something you like - be sure to dig deeper and shoot me a line if you have any questions.

Mondo Monday Morning Shuffle - Leaned in Close Mix

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I guess this is what they call the home stretch.... As we head into the final week of the Earie Awards for 2017 (as well as the final week of shuffles for 2017), I find myself reflecting on the year that is winding down.  On many, many levels, it was a difficult year, but I remain bolstered by the incredibly wonderful people I have come to know and the incredible variety of amazing music that has come to my attention just because I started writing this blog.

The highs of this year were high and the lows were low, and I prepare to enter 2018 with much uncertainty as to what it will bring. I have been pondering some tweaks to E2TG for the coming year - something I have done periodically over the six and half years of this site. I'm not sure what those will be. Certainly there are things that don't work like they used to  (like my inability to embed my video playlists). I guess, I'll just say - stay tuned.

Let's jump right into the shuffle and the Earies for Monday December 18, 2017....

Music City Monday Morning Shuffle - History and Hell Mix

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My take:  For a nation that is built upon the idea of freedom, the most patriotic thing one can do is to exercise that freedom in whatever way one deems necessary.  I saw video of people shouting obscenities during the National Anthem at men who choose to respectfully and silently protest by kneeling during the National Anthem.  I have to ask, who was being disrespectful?   And these people who are shouting obscenities are being inflamed and encouraged by the President of the United States.  These are difficult and discouraging times, but I do feel some hope that the resistance is growing and the investigations are deepening...

Well, it's the last full week of September.  It is officially Autumn -and yet the temperature is going to be near 90 the first part of this week...

And, it is Monday - which means Music City Monday on E2TG.  It's no secret that Nashville is experiencing an incredible period of growth.  And there are pains associated with that growth.  There is the fear of losing somethings that make Nashville distinctly Nashville. There are traffic woes and parking woes and cost of living woes.

I never know how the shuffle will play out any given day - that's part of the fun of using the random shuffle feature... but I purposefully front-load my playlist with a mix of old and new music from people who have been in Nashville longer than I have to those who are recent additions to our fair city.

My hope is that the newcomers will pay attention to the voices of the long-timers.  The history of Nashville and its music matters. The best local artists, in my opinion, recognize this and then thoughtfully and purposefully add their voices to that history.

My hope is that the long-time Nashville artists and residents, will open their ears to the voices and songs of the newcomers. Some amazingly talented people are moving here everyday - trying to find their place.  They bring with them their own history and stories that will help shape the Nashville of tomorrow.

The fact is, the old Nashville is not coming back. But, as to exactly what new Nashville is going to be is still being written. I hope both the newcomers and long-timers will contribute and help make that new Nashville the best it can be.

Music City Monday Morning Shuffle - Bend with the Breeze Mix

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Well, it is officially Americana Fest week in Nashville. Looking forward to seeing some out of town friends this week, and of course, seeing and hearing some amazing music. I'm going to try to avoid stressing out too much over all the great shows I will miss because it is logistically impossible to make them all.

I am excited to announce my first ever guest writer.  Look for some AMA reviews and commentary from Collins de la Cour.  I'm really excited to take this next step with E2TG.

Tonight, I have some pre/non-AMA shows.  Meanwhile, we are expecting a couple of days of wind and rain from Irma. So far I have gotten good reports from friends and family in Florida.


Meanwhile, it is Monday. On Monday we focus in on Nashville, the Music City... new stuff, old stuff - it's just all more or less connected to Nashville.  Let's Shuffle!

Wild Wednesday Morning Shuffle - Spike Driver Mix

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I'm back after an unintentionally extra long, long weekend.  So much going on in the world. And, right now, I don't feel able to even begin to comment effectively.  Life is interesting. Life can be hard. Life can be unexpected. Life is a constant lesson being learned. Sometimes grace (for want of a better word) comes from unexpected places and people. It is easy to focus on all of the negatives - whether it is the state of the world or the state of our own lives, whether it is forces beyond our control or our own human fallibility.

It is Wednesday and as per our regular schedule, I have shuffled up all of the songs currently residing on my phone memory card. The results are "wild" which is why I call Wednesday shuffle's "Wild Wednesday".  Things start off in a decidedly experimental vein before moving into standard (if awesome) song structures.

Let's shuffle!

Music City Monday Morning Shuffle - Both Greasy Mix

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Sending all good thoughts to Texas. Do what you can to help.

Every so often, I look at where I am and think about where I may be going and how to get where I want to be...

That statement can apply to many aspects of my life, but for the purposes of this blog, I am specifically thinking about E2TG.   First of all I have to say that this blog has already far exceeded whatever expectations I may have had when I began it.  The most important measures are the incredible people I have met and gotten to know.

There is a sense, at least I feel it, that things have to always strive to be bigger and more. Whether it's Facebook "Likes" or page views or more festival attendees or move to bigger venues or whatever... and there is nothing inherently wrong with that, but there is also a reality that I see - that bigger is not necessarily always better (it isn't necessarily worse either) - sometimes bigger is different and the better or worse is relative to your particular point of view...

There was a thought in all this, but I think it got lost some in the web of my mind. E2TG has definitely grown over time - although just by pure numbers it isn't a completely steady growth (up then down then up)... it has definitely changed but not radically. I know that not everyone who used to read this regularly still does but I also know that new readers show up almost every week. I sometimes get big ideas and then can't find the time (or something else) to carry through.  I think about changing to get more readers but I quickly lose interest because usually the ideas I get run counter to everything I want E2TG to be. I might go further if I stuck to one genre or style of music and covered it more thoroughly or if I posted lists or went negative*.  But none of those of things I really want to do.

*The topic of negative reviews has come up more than once recently.  I need to say that I am not against critics writing negative reviews. A well written slam can be great reading, and if I happen to disagree it can force me to think more about why I disagree. The thing is - negative reviews can also be just another tool for increasing viewership. Which is fine, but it's just not what I want to do. I can barely cover all the really good music out there, and I choose not to spend time on music I don't really care about. Again just my choice. Furthermore, E2TG has always been mostly about under-the-radar artists, and when I look at what these artists are up against, I would rather look for the positive.  I do think constructive criticism is important to keep an artist growing and I hope those voices continue to get heard.

Bottom line, I am just me. I do this for the love of the music and to keep my fingers moving across the keyboard. I keep my Ear to the Ground, and I am constantly amazed and thrilled by what I hear.

It's Monday and we delve into the Music City Monday shuffle (songs with some sort of connection ot the city where I live):

Music City Monday Morning Shuffle - For Heather Mix

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Well, it sure is good to be back....

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Like many people, my uneasy mind is centered on the events that occurred in Charlottesville, Virginia over the weekend.  I am sickened and saddened by so much. The senseless violence, the hate, the tepid response of the President... so much.  Denouncing Nazis and White Supremacists should be something that most Americans can agree upon and unite around, but it appears that is not the case. So many on the Right echo the response of the President and deflect with false equivalency or blame Obama (apparently for daring to be black and President for eight years).  Are there hate groups that are not Nazi's and White Supremacists? Sure. But that is not the topic today. As I have been saying on a regular basis since January, the current administration has placed people who hold the same views as those who lead the protests in Virginia into positions of power within the government.  Those people support this current President and believe they have his tacit approval for their actions. They seem to be correct. While I am happy that some Republican leaders are opening critical of the President's initial response (for the record, I am aware that he made some sort of speech today, but I have not had a chance to hear or read his words), but until and unless they use their positions to deal with this existential threat to our country and way of life, they are complicit in what is happening.

I do not have many solutions today. Except, I know I must speak out against fascism in any way I can, that I must work to free myself from the power of hate and fear, and that I must try my best to be a force for good in the world.

As I often write, there are many complex issues facing this country and this world. For many of this issues there is room and indeed benefit from health debate and compromise... fighting and speaking out against fascism and white supremacy is not one of this issues. A lot of good people in Germany in the 1930s remained silent. They did not actively support Hitler and the Nazis, but in their unwillingness to speak up and fight against that evil, they were complicit. I will not be complicit with the dark forces at work in our nation today.

I offer music as the only thing I know to help right now... This is for Heather Heyer.  If we allow the Nazi's to win, here name will be just the first of many victims. We cannot and must not let that happen...
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I am glad to be back, and I really needed the break on many different levels.  In clearing my head, I have a vision for E2TG going forward that I will work very hard to make real. I have given much thought and I think it is important that E2TG be what is supposed to be.  My goal is simply to do my part to help connect music with music lovers. I do so primarily through the use of my morning shuffles. I will occasionally do other types of posts, but that is not primarily what I do. I need to keep my focus and keep finding new ways to do what I do better. More on this soon.

I was fortunate to get to spend one wonderful day in Athens, Georgia at Athens Popfest. I sure wish I could have stayed longer, but what a day!  I got to see E2TG faves, The Foresters tear things up in their festival set. The band and some friends (including members of Discount Ravioli - who I have also written about - and Atticus Floyd who I have also written about) got to join The Apples in stereo on stage at the Georgia Theater.  The video showed it for the wonderful moment it was.

I also got to see another band we have featured here - The Veldt for North Carolina. Live - the completely blew me away - maybe one of my favorite live performances of the year.

Well, it is Monday and I am now short on time - so let's get to the Music City Monday shuffle....

Trending Tuesday Morning Shuffle - Sour Worms Mix

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As a microcosm of what life is... the last few days have been filled with moments of pure joy while simultaneous grieving for friends and friends of friends who are suffering through unspeakable loss and pain and suffering.  My hearts go out those who are facing some devastating and difficult times. My heart also goes out to those who are experiencing joy and moments of triumph. Life is and will always be filled with both.

I have been trying to ride my current good mood to getting some stuff done that I have put off for too long during some periods of less than good news.  This often puts me at odds with myself - in that when I am in a good mood, I tend to want to get out and see people.  Overall, this is a most excellent "problem" to have and much better than the days when I don't want to do anything at all.

Americana Fest just announced their full line-up.  As it tends to be, the week is kind of like typical Nashville on steroids. Every year, though, the steroids seem to be just a little bit stronger.  The list is a wonderful sampling of friends and heroes, and heroes who have become friends.... It's all less than two months away.

It is Tuesday, and on Tuesday we shuffle out of our "New Music" playlist... and we call it Trending Tuesday - because... well just because...