E2TG 12/20/2021 - Music City Monday - Knew Too Much Mix (Lorelei Remix)

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This may be the last post before Christmas - if not tomorrow certainly will.   So, happy holidays.

Tune in tomorrow morning for a Very Merry Ear to the Ground radio Holiday Spectacular.  All new Christmas, Holiday, Seasonal releases from Nashville and Beyond.   6am only on WXNA-LP Nashville 101.5FM or wxnafm.org. 

 

    Featured Friday Playlist

E2TG 5/3/2021 - Music City Monday and More - Perck Mix (Time Coast Remix)

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A new week.  This month finds  your intrepid music blogger finishing up his tenth year of featuring great music without limits.  

This week, I begin to tentatively venture out into this strange new landscape - with some events planned. 

Next up - Part 2 of our Feat. Friday Playlist Recap and below the jump - our weekly Music City Monday shuffle... 

Featured Friday Playlist recap Part 2 (songs 13-22):

13. "Say Something" by Emma-Jean Thackery

Up first today is the new single from London based bandleader, multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, and producer Emma-Jean Thackery from her forthcoming album Yellow (due in July). Fantastic music. 

14. "Treading Water" by Charm of Finches

Next up, we have the new single from this Australian electric chamber indie folk sister duo.  The lovely track tackles complex emotions. 

15. "The Faded Ones" by Ben DeHan

Next up, we have the recent single from this Maryland based artist. Check it out!

16. "Welcome to the Big Top" by The Rose Petals

We previously featured an earlier single - but American Grenadine is out now from this West Coast duo of Elijah Ocean and Peter Donovan.  Great tunes. 

17. "Wasteland" by Tim Kile

Austin based singer-songwriter just released his debut solo album These Things Are Being Gathered for The Fire. Kile was a founding member of Arcade Fire and of the band Wild Light.  Really dig this new music. 

18. "And the Lights Went out All over Town" by Modesty Blaise

We continue coverage of the The Modesty Blaise - the first album in 20 years from this UK band. This is the latest single from that album, and it is a fresh slice of classic 90s British indie pop.  A great song. 

19. "Everything She Touches Is Gold to Me" by Said the Whale

Next up, we have the release from songs written during 2020s break from 14 years of constant touring by this band who are based out of Vancouver B.C.  A wonderful love song. 

20. "Stranger Among Friends" by Distant Voices 

We have the latest single from an album we have been covering for a while - London based Distant Voices released their debut album Long Road to Home back in March. It is great to be able to feature more from this excellent album. 

21. "What Did the Music Sound Like" by Lea Thomas

Lea Thomas is Japanese American singer-songwriter who was born is Hawaii and is now based out of Brooklyn. This is her latest single, and I love it. 

22. "Burst Through the Borders" by Caulbearers

And we close out this segment of music with the latest from Manchester based Caulbearers - who formed in 2007.  This is a worthy addition to the rich musical heritage of the UK city. 

 

    Featured Friday Playlist

E2TG 10/12/2020 - Music City Monday - Feels Like Home Mix (Developing Sickness Remix)

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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...
 

    Featured Friday Playlist

E2TG 3/23/2020 - Music City Monday - Strange Design Mix (Come Our Time Remix)

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Running late... but want to get this posted. Everything is askew. I sincerely hope everyone is well. It is sad to see that the response to this pandemic which for a brief time seemed to have united us has turned into a political matter. We are for sure experiencing something that most (if not all of us) have never experienced before. To some, understandably perhaps, some actions seem extreme. As I have heard said, if were to take extreme actions and the result was that it seemed like overkill - that would have been the point of the extremely action.

This should not be political. The virus doesn't care if you are a Democrat or Republican or Libertarian or Socialist or Anarchist.

There are also legitimate concerns about how some may use the situation to seize greater control over individual liberty.

I think back to almost two weeks ago when The 5 Spot decided to close. They were not ordered to do that - that order would have come days later, but the decision was made based upon the best information and for the good of the community.

And there is the difficulty and the balance and the dilemma. For some people, it takes a government order to do the right thing. And, then there is the cries of government overreach. And then there is legitimate government overreach - like suspending Habeas Corpus - which seems to have little to do with controlling the spread of the virus.. maybe.  It is all too much sometimes.

Ah - let's just play some good Nashville music!

By the way, David Olney would have been celebrating a birthday if he were still with us (and oh, how I wish he was still with us), but instead, we are remembering him and his incredible legacy.

    Featured Friday Playlist

E2TG 3/16/2020 - Music City Monday in the Time of COVID-19 - Thing of Beauty Mix (Randy Rhodes' Flying V Remix)

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Music im the time of COVID-19....

As we settle into this new normal, it seems as if nearly every aspect of our daily lives is disrupted. The virus and the efforts to contain it are having major effects on many peoples livelihoods and lives.  E2TG is a music blog, so my focus, but I want to make it clear that I am not dismissing what many, many people outside of music are going through.

We are all faced with difficult decisions. I mentioned last week that my favorite regular hang out made the decision on Thursday to close for at least a month.  This was not an easy decision, and it would have been understandable if they had chosen not to do so.  On Sunday, the Metro Nashville Health Department and Mayor - declared a health emergency and asked music venues to close and restaurants to reduces capacity.  A group of downtown honky-tonks decided to file suit to remain open.

Now, I have friends who make a living playing music on Broadway, however, I do find it interesting that one small venue made the decision to shut down voluntarily - while other (larger) venues are fighting in court to stay open.  To me, it is further evidence that the tourist parts of Nashville are not really a part of our community. Maybe that is harsh, and I do acknowledge that many Nashvillians work and perform at these venues.

I don't know - I think trying to reduce the number of deaths, trying to protect vulnerable parts of our community is important and I applaud those who are doing their part, and to the best of my ability I want to support those folks.  I will share again the GoFundMe for The 5 Spot. 

Many artists are starting to do virtual shows on-line with venmo, paypal etc for tip jars. Check those out.  If you hear your favorite artist doing a show - consider a tip - even if you aren't able to tune in.  As I mentioned before, buy merc, buy physical copies of music (even if you plan to keep listening on a streaming service).  Find a way to support these independent artists and venues at least to the extent you would if the venues were open.  And for goodness sake, stay in if you are able, practice all of the guidelines if you do have to go out.

Music is my primary community, and I hope my community sticks together and supports each other through this time.  Meanwhile, E2TG will keep doing what we do. Enjoy.

    Featured Friday Playlist

Music City Monday Morning Shuffle - Strong Jawed, Strong Willed Mix

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And just like that, the weekend is over... time for another Music City Monday! 

Let's not waste any precious time, and get right to it!

Music City Monday Morning Shuffle - Rolls off the Tongue Mix

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Just another manic Monday....

I am short on time - so let's get right to our Music City Monday shuffle!

Throwback Thursday Morning Shuffle - Salvation and Sin Mix

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Happy Thursday... sending good thoughts to everyone in the path of Hurricane Matthew. And especially thinking about those who have lost life and property in the Caribbean.

Congratulations to WXNA-LP Nashville for finishing second to Lightning 100 in the Nashville Scene Readers Poll for Best Radio Station.  A remarkable achievement for a low power station that has only been on the air for 4 month.  Super proud to play a small part in the station, but props go out to our super hard working and dedicated Board and our fearless leader Heather Lose. This achievement is a testament to the impact the station has already had on the community.

Well, the Buck N Stuff show was the epic throw down that I expected. My favorite moment was the Buck Owens cover that they performed. #BuckNStuff are the absolute best. They announced last night that they will be playing The 5 Spot for New Years Eve.  Make your plans now.  2017 is sure to be the Year of Buck N Stuff.

It is Thursday when we throw things back, and I think we have a really awesome shuffle today... shall we?

Thursday Morning Music Shuffle - The Holiday's Complete Mix

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I got to see and hear some of my favorite East Nashville songwriters last night and I was home before 9:00.  Brian Wright opened up Joe Fletcher's final residency at The 5 Spot, and he had Aaron Lee Tasjan play with some, and then Darrin Bradbury and Brian did Darrin's song, "Blue Highway" which is one of my favorites.  And, Joe Fletcher played his amazing songs and had Brian Wright and Aaron Lee and Margo Price join him, and at the end they all did "I'm Waiting for My Man" - the Velvet Underground song, and it was a pretty awesome moment... plus I got to see and hang out with some of my favorite people.

I'm staying in tonight and gearing up for a very busy end of August into a crazy busy September. 

Today in the shuffle, we have some really cool songs from a variety of genres - including a couple that I didn't even know existed....

Monday Morning Music Shuffle - Ain't It Just Like Rain Mix

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Got to meet Alex Giorgetti of the long time #E2TG favorite The Gypsy West.  He was in town with his girlfriend Laura.  I always like meeting the people I write about in real life.  Word has it there could be some new music from The Gypsy West later this year.  Cannot wait!

Saturday, I got to hang out and hear some music from Patrick Kinsley who is getting set to release the first single from his forthcoming album.  I am super stoked for the new album and the first single "Back in Illinois" name drops Ear to the Ground - which I am going to just assume is intentional tribute... Don't try to correct me on this!

Last night was another fine Eastside Invasion at Bobby's Idle Hour.  All of the performances were fantastic.  Taylor Alexander, James Tomberlin, Vanessa Darian and Steven Cooper (Van Darien), Joe Nolan, and Luella and Some Fella (Tim Carroll) filling in for Darrin Bradbury. and more...

Now, it is Monday - a grey, drizzly morning - not feeling 100% - pushing through because it is what I do...  Music motivates in it's own way... shuffle up!