Topical Thursday Morning Shuffle - Hambones and Spider Queens Mix

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About 2/3 of the way through American Aquarium's set at The Basement East last night, I had a thought. I was thinking about all the people (many of them people about my age or older or younger) who say things like "Music these days sucks." or something and then they will usually compare some classic band from an earlier era to some disposable pop star of the moment (as if there have not always been disposable pop stars).  My thought, my message to those people, is turn off top 40 radio and go out and see live music. I know I am very spoiled by living in Nashville, but I also know that there is great music (crossing all genres and styles) being made every night and every day all around world.   Cordovas opened for American Aquarium, and as I have come to expect from that band, they totally destroyed.  Seriously, Cordovas are a band I will never get tired of seeing live.

American Aquarium leader B.J. Barham has gone through some major changes in the last two and half years (which is about the time I first really got into the band).  Among those changes was the departure of his entire band.  He has a newly formed band, and they were incredible last night.  Most of the band comes from Texas (Barham is a North Carolina native) and also includes Nashville's own Adam Kurtz (Buck n Stuff) on pedal steel.  I may be bias, being a big Buck n Stuff fan, but I think Kurtz was one of the stars of the night.  As of Barham, he seemed energized and he seemed to be enjoying himself - bouncing around the stage and engaging with the band and the audience.  He speaks hard truths with love, and explores his own life with honesty. 

This show came after taking in the early show at The 5 Spot - which local Sarah Clanton and a band that included the bass player from The Barefoot Movement.  Clanton plays the cello and I had just recently been turned on to her by my DJ partner Sue.   After Clanton's set, Heather Mae from D.C. took the stage. She injected some much needed positive energy into my soul. I am a fan, now. Turns out she knows my friends in FuzzQueen - proving just how small the music world is, Tom Goss closed that early show, and I dug his music, too. 

I hate that I missed Benchmarks at The 5 Spot - as it turned out, I probably could have seen most of their set....  also last night E2TG 2015 Artist of the Year Jon Latham made his debut on Music City Roots with his killer band.  I am looking forward to catching the video of this.

Anyway, from my point of view, the state of music is just fine - the business/money side of it may be a different story, but that is a topic for another time.

Today, we jump back into our exploration of E2TG history.  E2TG began in May 2011.  A vast majority of my posts are the monring shuffles like this one.  The basic premise is, "Hey, I heard some cool music this morning on my way to work, let me tell you about."  So, let me....

Friday Morning Music Shuffle - Tic Toc Tac Toe Tap Tip Top Mix

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 It's Friday and it's also the last day of May!  

Let's put this month to rest with some awesome tunes...

Pre-Shuffle:

"Moorie" by Great Divide
"Bridge by the River" by Nikki Sue and the Bad News
"Wish I Could Stand or Have" and "Chardonnay" by Game Theory
"Bloodhound" by Jeanette Lynne
"Tear You Up" and "Come In" by Decades
"Drenched" by Wanting
"Tickin' Bomb" by Shovels and Rope




 Shuffle - after le jump... la jump????  The Jump!

Friday Morning Music Shuffle - Illustrious Illusions Mix

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'Tis a rainy Friday in Nashville, Tennessee.  Fortunately, the rain let up for my daily walk up the hill to higher ground. Even more fortunate, I got to listen to some killer tunes, and as always, I want to share them with you.


Pre-shuffle:

"Please" by The Vespers (awesome Nashville band who will be playing May 25th at the Eastside Hootenanny.  Those Darlins will also be on the bill that day because this is Nashville and that's just how we roll)

"Hello It's Me" by Todd Rundgren (The classic song from 1972)

" Singing Sunrise" by JENNY (who have a new album, Love and Politics out now)

"Hail Hail" by Shovels and Rope (the awesome South Carolina band from a Noisetrade tour sampler for their summer jaunt with the equally awesome Dawes - who we will hear from later in the mix)

"Rewind" by Kopecky Family Band (more good stuff from the Nashville band who were recently featured in the NY Times)


SHUFFLE - after the JUMP

Wednesday Morning Music Shuffle - rearviewmirrormix

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Wow! May is sure flying by, and I still have some wrap-up to do for April - ah well, when I can, when I can...   I have a nifty selection of songs today, so let's get to it.

Pre-Shuffle Shuffle:

1. "If You Would Love Me, Too" by Prattle On, Rick (A Nashville artist who I "discovered" via Twitter. Really digging this guy and wondering why it's taken me so long to catch up with him.  The video in our Playlist is for another song of his - as are several of the songs today).

2. "I Am" by Sealight (Our friends from across the pond are back with a new song - a follow up to their Dead Letters EP which I reviewed some time back in my very first Ear to the Ground record review!  I Am can be found on a Sampler put out by the band's French Label, Commission 45.

 

 

3."Stealing Romance" by Milk Carton Kids

4."Without You" by Natalie Maines

5.  "Failing Love (acoustic)" by Seth Philpott


The Milk Carton Kids and Seth Philpott tracks were grabbed from Noisetrade.  There is always fresh new music up for grabs at Noisetrade.com, and as always tip if you can, spread the word and support the artists however you are able.

The Natalie Maines' track is the lead track from her long-anticipated and brand new album Mother.

SHUFFLE is up - after the JUMP

Monday Morning Music Shuffle - Swoony Day Mix

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I'm back after an extended and mostly rainy weekend.  Dreary, drizzly morning drive and walk, made more than tolerable by the superlative collection of fine tunes and tracks. By the way, my Current Month Playlist that I shuffle up for the Morning Shuffle had dropped to about 150 late last week, but over the weekend it has skyrocketed up above 200 again. We'll begin chipping away, as we present some Pre-Shuffle and Shuffle Shuffle tunes for this, the 6th day of May.

Pre-Shuffle:

Jeanette Lynne's 11 second "Intro" to her fabulous album You've Got Me serves has the intro into today's Pre-shuffle.

Kyle Andrews  "Connecting the Dots" 

Set in Stone doing "The Way I Felt" (a Twitter discovery from this weekend)

Game Theory "Toby Ornette"

Those Darlins "Glass to You"  

Holy Grail "Ride the Void" - Why not.. some infectious Metal via Amazon's Free Music from Rising Artists

Game Theory "Rolling with the Moody Girls"

The next song served as a transition into the Shuffle - and we included it after the JUMP