E2TG 5/13/2021 - Figuring it Out Along the Way - Plum Mix (I Woke Up Remix)

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In the 10 year existence of E2TG, change has been the operative word. The blog and how I do it have undergone many changes - usually driven by some change in my circumstance or schedule etc. Now, with going out to hear music becoming a thing again, I am realizing that I made changes over the last 13-14 months that are going to be difficult to maintain in the emerging new reality. 

I don't know yet what changes will be needed, and it may not happen overnight and the changes may be incremental. It also may take a series of missteps to arrive something that works. Bear with me and thanks as always for reading. 

Featured Friday Playlist recap Part 5 (songs 46-55):

46. "Paris" by Teresa Guidry

Nashville based singer-songwriter who was on Season 10 of The Voice with her first single of 2021.

47. "Hobo Stomp" by Razorhouse

Next up, we have the single from this alternative rock band from Chicago. A really cool song. 

48. "Through the Flames" by Empiires

Next up, we have some hard rock music from Texas. 

49. "Indigo Screams" by Pennies by the Pound

Next up, we have a Finnish band that combines psych rock with 80s college rock to great great sound. This is the lead track from their new album due out a week from tomorrow. 

50. "The Girl in the Barren Room" by Bad Dreams Fancy Dress

Next up, we have the new single from the forthcoming Bi Iconic album from this UK band that originally formed in the late 80s. Spurred on my a Facebook group set up by fans, this new incarnation of the band is doing some cool things. 

51. "Get Me Through It - Live" by The Purrs

Next up, we have a track from the new live album, We Thought There'd Be More People Here, by this dark psych pop band from the Pacific NW. 

52. "The Return" by To Twelve

Next up, we have lovely song about travelling from this duo from the Netherlands who spend time busking through Europe.  Really great stuff. 

53. "Occupied" by Dolly Ave

Next up, we have a track from the debut album, Sleep by this emerging Vietnamese-American singer-songwriter who grew up in Kansas City, Missouri before leaving for art school in Chicago. Really excited to have this song in our playlist. 

54. "Monster Tv" by Death Pop Radio

Next up, we have another debut album this from Chicago based hard pop/grunge band. 

55. "Silent Trees" by Pentral 

And we close with a track from What Lies Ahead of Us from Brazilian prog rock/metal band Pentral who worked producer Tim Palmer on this new album. A great way to close out this segment of music, and the playlist for this week. 

    Featured Friday Playlist

E2TG 6/2/2020 - Enough is Enough! - The Week in Review Mix (Boot and Rally Remix)

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This is Tuesday's post.  I made the decision to join in the Music Industry Blackout and not post yesterday. It was not an easy decision, and to be honest, I am not sure if it was the right one, but there you go. And here we are, I think there are a lot of people who are trying to do the right thing. And, discerning what that is in a fluid and complicated time can be a challenge.

I ache for a time when I can just write about music for week's on end with no major crisis to divert me. E2TG was never intended to be a political or social commentary blog - although it never occurred to be to outright refuse to write about things like that, but more and more, I am being pulled that way.

I have a strong belief that there is value in many different viewpoints. I rarely walk in lockstep with any person or party or philosophy.  I mean, hell, whenever I feel like E2TG is leaning too much toward a particular genre - my reaction is to seek out music that is as far removed from that genre as possible. It is just my nature.

The events of the last last 24 hours, the last week, the last three months, the last three years, hell - the last many years - have finally driven me to point that I cannot stay silent. Let us make no mistake, the President of the United States has perverted and contaminated the office and pushed the U.S toward dictatorship and totalitarianism, and the system designed to prevent this from happening have failed due to the negligence and complicity of the people responsible to make sure it works.

I continue to be flabbergasted that people I have always seen as reasonable continue to vehemently support such a twisted and evil man. I have opposed the policies of many leaders and even seen them as bad or dangerous, but they all pale in comparison to the cancer at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

I don't like feeling this way.  As I said before, I believe a diversity of ideas and thought and philosophies should be a strength to our nation.  But not this. This isn't a difference in thought on economic or even social policies. It is a blatant attempt to dismantle the things that make this nation what it is. It is someone who does the wrong thing at every turn. Violates the principles of decency and humanity.

Like many, whose political leanings are similar to mine, I was devastated by the results of the 2016 election.  Over the next week, I tried to tell myself that maybe things would not be as bad as I suspected they would be. That the magnitude of the office would chasten him, and then he started appointing white nationalist to high level posts.

I want to end this on a note of hope. This week, I have seen concrete examples of people who heretofore have been silent about the things that are happening, start to speak out - tentatively but boldly. I see a glimpse of hope that some people are beginning to see this charlatan for what he is. Not his most loyal supporters... no I fear they are lost for now at least, but people who are apolitical or moderate, but who value decency and humanity. Anyway, that is what I am holding onto on this Tuesday night.

The pause is over, but let that not be the end of our quest for justice and for learning. Now, let's hit play and get back to what E2TG does...
 
And so, we continue our review of our Featured Friday Playlist with songs number 13-18.

13. "Good Times" by The Kondoors

The latest single from London based husband and wife Gavin Conder and Jessica Greenfield (Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds). The song fits the title. It is a nice escape from difficult times.  

14. "How My Dreams They Go" by Gina Sicilia; Luther Dickinson

Next, we have another track from Gina Sicilia's new album Love Me Madly. This one features Luther Dickinson (North Mississippi All-Stars), and it is just a flat out great song. Wonderful instrumentation backs Sicilia's always powerhouse vocals. 

15. "Mexican Standoff" by FLEKS

Taking a hard turn - we continue this review with the latest single from Austrian punk/alternative/metal band FLEKS. The band was just recently signed to the German label Dachshund Records. The music is loud and aggressive, and I dig it. 

16. "Pick on the Boys" by Cone of Magic

Next we have a track from California all-female country indie-pop band Cone of Magic - from their album Maiden's Rock. It is lighthearted and dead serious at the same time, and it is catchy as hell. 

17. "Waiting with a Gun" by Electric High

Next up, we have a track from the Norwegian hard rock and Electric High. This is BIG ROCK music. A great burst of guitar, bass, drums, dual vocals, and a guest saxophonist. I love the instrumental breakdown in the middle. 

18. "I" by Merv Pinny

We close with a new single from New Zealand based rocker Merv Pinny. "I" is a catchy tune about reconnecting after lock down. Although, we are not quite there here in the States, it captures what I am looking forward to. 

Tomorrow songs 19-22!

    Featured Friday Playlist