E2TG 8/31/2021 - Tuesday When the Rains Came - Seven To Mix (Own Ghost Town Remix)

Tweet #E2TG

Be sure to "Like" Ear to the Ground on Facebook!

The rains from the remnants of Hurricane Ida are upon us today. Mostly just heavy rain. I hope this doesn't cause problems for the areas hit hard by flooding recently. Also, it appears that the levees in New Orleans did their job but there is still a lot damage and displaced people and suffering. We are in the midst of such heavy times. 

Music doesn't come close to solving all the world's problems, but it does make life more bearable. Let's listen to some music.  

Featured Friday Playlist Recap (Part 3 - The Saga Continues) (songs 17-20):

17. "Time Stands Still" by Mikaela Finne

The "Outlaw Queen of Finland" returns to the E2TG playlist with the title track from her just released new album. Finne, who is now based in Stockholm, Sweden, has made an album that impresses this Nashville-based music blogger. 

18. "Too Many Bibles" by The Wind Ups

The Northern California punk band The Winds-Ups are back with another track from their debut EP.  Lo-fi sonic goodness. 

19. "Take Me Back There" by Jai Agnish

New Jersey based indie pop musician Jai Agnish returns to the playlist with his next single. 

20. "Everybody's Laughing" by Ben Stalets

And, we close this segment with the title track from the new album by Toledo native Ben Stalets.  And great song from a wonderful album. Check it out.  

 

    Featured Friday Playlist

E2TG 4/7/2021 - Seconds - Highway Mix (For Your Life Remix)

Tweet #E2TG

Be sure to "Like" Ear to the Ground on Facebook!

Today's good news:

1. I got my second dose of the Pfizer vaccine this morning - four hours out, I feel okay.

2. E2TG Favorite (two-time Artist of the Year)  Darrin Bradbury just released a new single! It is so good.

Moving on, we have more of this week's Featured Friday Playlist (songs 37-46):

37. "Stuck in the Blue" by Numb Tongues

First up today is a recent single from this funky punk band from Toronto. Nice. 

38. "Love Poem" by Andrew Lessman

Next up, we have a lovely instrumental from L.A. based drummer Andrew Lessman. 

39. "O, A Weird Flower" by Nikolas Schreck

Next up, we have the title track from the recent album by this German composer. The album was released on the Spring Equinox. This is great stuff. 

40. "Please Tell Me" by Kathryn and the Overbytes

Next up, we have the debut single from this band from Australia. I dig it. 

41. "House on the Hill" by Seafoam Green

Next up, we have the recent single from this Irish duo from their forthcoming album Martins Garden which was produced by Tyler Greenwell of Tedeschi Trucks Band. 

42. "Tomorrow is Today" by Henry Chadwick

Next up, we have a really lovely new single from Santa Cruz native Henry Chadwick who grew up around recording studios and who puts that background to great use. 

43. "Downtown" by Paul Cafcae

Next up, we have a recent single from this Canadian singer-songwriter whose sound combines rockabilly, blues, and indie rock.  I like this song a lot. 

44. "Love Potion No. 10" by The Silver Devils

The new single from this San Diego band upgrades The Clovers' "Love Potion No. 9". This one connected with me right away. 

45. "New Mexico Way" by John Vento

Next up, we have the wonderful new single from this Pittsburgh based singer-songwriter. Great stuff. 

46. "God or Machine?" by Indifferentmonkey
 

And we close out this segment with a stunning new single from this UK band. It is from their forthcoming album Inner Lockdown. Check it out. 
 

    Featured Friday Playlist

E2TG 6/30/2020 - Wear a Mask - Moonlight Mix (Concrete Dog Remix)

Tweet #E2TG

Be sure to "Like" Ear to the Ground on Facebook!

Time is a bit short, so I will just say... Wear a damned mask!



Our recap of this week's Featured Friday Playlist continues with songs 11-15

11. "Heartbreak" by WeWantMore

First up today, some R&B flavored dance pop music from Orlando. WeWantMore formed in 2014. This track was produced by Andrew Lane who has some high-profile pop credits to his name.

12. "Summertime (Doin' Time)" by Alpha Pegasi

Next up, we have the first of two covers in this segment of our playlist recap. Alpha Pegasi are based in Colorado, and this is their updated take on the George Gershwin penned "Summertime" from Porgy and Bess.  

13. "Still near" by Remington Super 60

Next up, we have a cool track from Norwegian band Remington Super 60 . The band led by Christopher Schou formed in 1998 and have several releases over the years. This is a single from a forthcoming EP due in the fall. 

14. "Purple Rain - Take 7, Acoustic" by Michael McArthur

Next up, a haunting cover of the Prince classic from Florida based singer-songwriter Michael McArthur who is releasing two EPs soon (One this Friday and the other in August)

15. "Cowards" by David Starling

We close this segment of our Playlist recap with another Florida singer-songwriter. David Starling formerly of the band Slow Low Crow. This powerful and timely track is the lead single from his upcoming album which was recorded in 2019.

Tomorrow - Songs 16-20....

    Featured Friday Playlist

E2TG 1/31/2020 - New Release Spotlight - All of Nothing at All Mix (Last Dance Remix)

Tweet #E2TG

Be sure to "Like" Ear to the Ground on Facebook!




RELEASE DAY 1/31/2020

A ton of new releases today - on the last day of the first month of 2020.  You can check out the full list (and all recent and forthcoming releases) at the bottom of this post.

Some highlights:

Eric Brace and Last Train Home - Daytime Highs and Overnight Lows (LP)

We most recently featured Eric Brace and his excellent Riverland album with Peter Cooper and Thomm Jutz.  He has teamed back up with his old band to release their first album in a dozen years. A fine songwriter and a great sounding record. 

John Dennis - Mortal Flames (LP)

We have been featuring and anticipating this release for a couple of months now. I have been a fan for John Dennis for a couple years now, and I believe this is his finest album to date, and one that I am sure will be riding high on my favorites list for months to come. 

Emma Hill - How Could I Have Been So Wrong (EP)

A newcomer to E2TG - Emma Hill is a singer-songwriter from Alaska. This one comes to us via Broken Jukebox Media and Adam Dawson - so my expectations were high, and what I have heard so far has not disappointed. Hope to get a first impression post up soon for this. 

Ryan Sobb and the Dead Mall - Concrete Feelings (LP)

The first full-release from the 2019 E2TG Band of the Year. You can check out my "First Impression".  

 Kristen Englenz - "Rebound" (single)

We are about a month away from the release of Ingenue. I have been eagerly awaiting the album release for a while now. Fortunately, February is a short month. Kristen Englenz is an E2TG favorite and this is another album that I will be talking about for months to come. 

All of these releases and more can found on the brand new edition of the E2TG Featured Friday Playlist on Spotify.

    Featured Friday Playlist

E2TG 2019 Recap - Part 1 - The Auteur Mix (Zachary Remix)

Tweet #E2TG

Be sure to "Like" Ear to the Ground on Facebook!


And we are back.  Hope everyone stateside had a great Thanksgiving, and that everyone else had a good end of last week and great weekend.  We have reached December.  And here at E2TG, it is time to start our review of 2019. As I reported last week, I have created a Spotify playlist - highlighting the music and artists we featured in 2019.  Even limiting the playlist to one song per artist (or album in some cases), we still ended up with over 10 hours of music. So, what with all the holidays and other days off, it is definitely time to start our review.  Over the month, I will start adding some new features to represent our change over to E2TG V3.0 in 2020. That will include highlighting some upcoming and recent music that didn't make its way to us in time to make the 2019 listings

Here is the Playlist - if you want to peruse.  I will be removing songs once we list them here in a shuffle. So, the songs below will not be on the playlist any more.


By the way, since I have been featuring these songs all year, I will not be writing about each song, you can search the site for more information, but I will be highlighting certain artists and albums throughout the month.

Just a quick word about what to expect from E2TG V3.0 which I have been teasing for a few weeks.  Well, it is still a work in progress, but what I have in mind is a more collaborative site - featuring content from others.  More feature oriented - with spotlights on whatever comes up and is interesting. The shuffle will always and forever be an important part of the E2TG experience, but it will no longer be the primary outlet for featuring new music.  Rather, it will go back to the roots be more like the Wild Wednesday shuffles (a mix of old and new music).   Expect, recurring features on upcoming releases, a E2TG Featured Spoitify playlist which will refresh weekly (or so), some writing about the Nashville community, and who knows.

If you are reading this and would like to be part of this journey by submitting content, please reach out.  e2tgmusic@gmail.com is a great way to reach me.

Here is our first recap shuffle for 2019. Enjoy!

Trending Tuesday Morning Shuffle - The Slouch Mix (Little Rabbit Remix)

Tweet #E2TG

Be sure to "Like" Ear to the Ground on Facebook!

  *Note: The video playlist at the bottom of the post attempts to closely approximate the shuffle I listened to on my way to work this morning. When a video for a song was not available, I substituted another song by the same artist. When I could not find any videos by an artist, I included a related video or did not include a video for that track. This blog may reference unreleased tracks, however, no unreleased music is ever included.


Honestly, just trying to make it through this short work week... I might make it - still up in the air...

Let's get to some fine, fine Trending Tuesday music -

Trending Thursday Morning Shuffle - C'est La Vie Mix (Fortune Cookie Remix)

Tweet #E2TG

Be sure to "Like" Ear to the Ground on Facebook!


  *Note: The video playlist at the bottom of the post attempts to closely approximate the shuffle I listened to on my way to work this morning. When a video for a song was not available, I substituted another song by the same artist. When I could not find any videos by an artist, I included a related video or did not include a video for that track. This blog may reference unreleased tracks, however, no unreleased music is ever included.


A bit short on time, but I will take a couple of minutes to remind you that the WXNA Fall Pledge Drive is running through this Sunday, November 24.  You can donate to support this vital community resource by visiting wxnafm.org or by calling (615) 933-9962 during broadcast hours.

Now, it is shuffle time!

Trending Thursday Morning Shuffle - Kings and Hobos Mix

Tweet #E2TG

Be sure to "Like" Ear to the Ground on Facebook!


  *Note: The video playlist at the bottom of the post attempts to closely approximate the shuffle I listened to on my way to work this morning. When a video for a song was not available, I substituted another song by the same artist. When I could not find any videos by an artist, I included a related video or did not include a video for that track. This blog may reference unreleased tracks, however, no unreleased music is ever included.


The E2TG 8th Anniversary is underway - Next Show 10/16/2019!

September 25 - Week 1: Ben Arthur + Conrad y Skordalia (SUCCESS!)

October 2 - Week 2: Ryan Sobb + Don Gallardo (Album Release Show)  
(SUCCESS!)
October 9 - Week 3: The Truehearts + Jason Erie (SUCCESS!)

October 16 - Week 4:  Josh Gray  + Meghan Hayes

October 23 - Week 5: Microwave Mountain + The Big Dumb


My heart is completely full after last night's show.  Thanks so much to everyone who came out, and to Jason Erie, The Truehearts, and their incredible bands.  We have two more Residency shows. Next up is a show featuring the artists behind two of my favorite albums of 2019.  Josh Gray and Meghan Hayes.  It will be Josh Gray's The 5 Spot debut (long overdue in my opinion).

By the way, I completely sold out on the physical copies of The Drift! Thank you to everyone who bought one.  It's not looking like I will get new ones in time for the show on the 16th, however, I hope to have more for the finale on October 23. In the meantime, you can get order the book via Amazon, and they also have a Kindle version available if that is your preference. 

Let's get right to the Thursday Shuffle!

Featured Friday Morning Shuffle - Two Headed Dog Mix

Tweet #E2TG

Be sure to "Like" Ear to the Ground on Facebook!

  *Note: The video playlist at the bottom of the post attempts to closely approximate the shuffle I listened to on my way to work this morning. When a video for a song was not available, I substituted another song by the same artist. When I could not find any videos by an artist, I included a related video or did not include a video for that track. This blog may reference unreleased tracks, however, no unreleased music is ever included.


AMA Day 3 is in the books.  After working all day, I had some evening shows I really wanted to catch, but I was really tired so I headed home for dinner and a change of close before heading to Mercy Lounge to catch Jeremy Ivey, Christopher Paul Stelling, and Darrin Bradbury at the ANTI- Records showcase. I caught parts of other sets and then made it close to see Aaron Lee Tasjan close out the evening at the Cannery Ballroom. Great sets all around. 

Fun Fact: Christopher Paul Stelling was a Featured Artist on E2TG back in November of 2012! 

You all know the long connection we have to Darrin Bradbury. 

I have become a huge Jeremy Ivey fan Darrin first introduced me to his songs. His debut album on ANTI- came out today.  Darrin's album will be out next Friday. Stelling has an album coming out produced by Ben Harper - with some singles already released.

As for ALT, he gave me a much needed shot of positive energy.

Tonight, I will be representing WXNA and emceeing at the Mercy Lounge all night. A great line-up that includes three towering figures from my formative musical years: Mitch Easter, Don Dixon, and Chris Stamey.

On with the shuffle now!

Featured Friday Morning Shuffle - Standing In For Joe Mix

Tweet #E2TG

Be sure to "Like" Ear to the Ground on Facebook!

  *Note: The video playlist at the bottom of the post attempts to closely approximate the shuffle I listened to on my way to work this morning. When a video for a song was not available, I substituted another song by the same artist. When I could not find any videos by an artist, I included a related video or did not include a video for that track. This blog may reference unreleased tracks, however, no unreleased music is ever included.


Still counting down to the E2TG Residency

September 25 - Week 1: Ben Arthur + Conrad y Skordalia

October 2 - Week 2: Ryan Sobb + Don Gallardo

October 9 - Week 3: The Truehearts + Jason Erie

October 16 - Week 4:  Josh Gray  + Meghan Hayes

October 23 - Week 5: Microwave Mountain + The Big Dumb



But first, Americana Fest is approaching like a runaway train. The Festival keeps getting bigger and bigger. Now there are official showcases starting on Tuesday.  Lots of free parties, impromptu shows, unofficial events,

For readers not in the Americana world, Americana is kind of a catchall term for a variety of differing musical styles and genres all tightly or loosely connected to American roots music. Think country, folk, blues, soul, bluegrass, and rootsy sounding rock and roll.  From what I understand, the event started as more of a business conference with a few night time showcases, but the showcases now dominate the week  (it also used to be more of a long weekend event, but it is practically a week long event now). For sure, there is still a conference for folks still interested in that.

Anyway, enough about that - let's get to this Friday shuffle!

2018 E2TG Earie Awards - # 2 - Recap February 2018

Tweet #E2TG

Be sure to "Like" Ear to the Ground on Facebook!

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


Day 2 of the 2018 E2TG "Earie" Awards/Recap of 2018.  Today, our shuffle is focused on the February 2018 Playlist. As today's shuffle highlights - diversity was the rule at E2TG in 2018.  Let's go!

Trending Tuesday Morning Shuffle - U Can Do Anything Mix

Tweet #E2TG

Be sure to "Like" Ear to the Ground on Facebook!


Welcome to early spring in Nashville. Yesterday, we had warm temperatures and the threat of severe weather. Tonight, sub-freezing temperatures and a threat of light snow.

Anyway, the news of the day is depressing, the weather is a bit dreary, so how 'bout we just dive in to some music... Music helps.  It always helps....

Trending Thursday Morning Shuffle - The Nothing Party Mix

Tweet #E2TG


Be sure to "Like" Ear to the Ground on Facebook!


My two cents... actual value may vary... End Citizen's United (doublespeak if I've ever heard doublespeak - and I have).   Vote against any candidate who accepts money from the NRA or the gun lobby. Pass and enforce common-sense gun control.  Increase funding for our children. More teachers, more counselors.  Begin to have conversations about the role of guns in our society. The change in culture will take time and it will not be easy.

If you want to offer "thoughts and prayers" for the victims and their families, that is fine, but add some thoughts and prayers for effective and meaningful change in law and attitudes.

These are just ideas. What we are (and are not) doing is clearly not working. Shouting at each other on social media every time there is a mass shooting is clearly not working.   Protecting the lives of our children should not be partisan or divisive issue. How we go about doing that may be, but surely there is common ground.

I don't know... I'm once again heartbroken and numb and angry and frustrated. I've read that 80% of Americans - across party lines - support some kind of reform of gun laws. But our lawmakers ignore the 80% in favor of large donors who represent the gun lobby. That's why I think electoral reform - beginning with an end to Citizen's United is the place to start. Corporations are not people. People are people.  People are fallible, flawed entities, but in the end, I think most people want to keep our children safe. Corporations, by definition, only want to increase the profits of the corporation. That is their purpose.

Okay I'm done....
******************************************************************************

It's Thursday - Let's see what's "Trending" at E2TG. As I left for work, I hit shuffle on the "New Music" playlist of my phone's music player. Here is what happened next...

Rare Saturday Shuffle - Heart of a Saturday Afternoon Mix

Tweet #E2TG  and Follow us on Twitter 

Be sure to "Like" Ear to the Ground on Facebook! 


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.