Wild Wednesday Morning Shuffle - You're a Vegetable Mix

Tweet #E2TG

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


Seven years ago, May 2010, much of Nashville was under water. Heavy rains, some ill advised dam activity, and who knows what else had combined to create one of the worse floods in this cities history. The damage spread from the east side of town to the west and even affected downtown.

I had to work on the Monday following the end of rain, and at lunch time I took a walk - listening to music and took pictures. Cars and streets underwater. The tops of light poles barely sticking out of the water. I posted a note on Facebook about that walk and included the listing of songs I heard while I walked.

Nashville emerged from the flood stronger than ever, and many, many people have arrived here since that flood happened. Walking downtown, you'd never know it happened, but it did.

About one year later, I started writing Ear to the Ground. The two events are not really related, although both speak to my desire to share the music I hear and to relate that music to... whatever - the world, my life, my day...

Without any direct intent, this space has been a chronicle of my journey through this life - accompanied by the soundtrack.  It's a simple concept, and every time I try to complicate it - as I inevitably do, I end up mucking things up... but so far, I have always pressed on.

Tonight, I wanted to express my gratitude for the people and the music who have kept E2TG going. It's going to be a month-long party, and you are invited. It all begins tonight around 6:00pm at The 5 Spot in East Nashville with featured music from Mark Robinson Band.  Come on out!

I loaded a bunch of music into my phone last night - including about 450 songs for the new Topical Thursday Playlist which will premiere tomorrow. Today, the shuffle comes from all 2,000+ songs in my phone memory. It's what I like to call "Wild Wednesday"...

Monday Morning Music Shuffle - Life on Mars Mix

Shhhh.... sit back and don't worry.... I'm gonna tell you all a story, it goes a little something like this....  

 Now she walks through her sunken dream
To the seat with the clearest view
And she's hooked to the silver screen
But the film is a saddening bore
'Cause she's lived it ten times or more
She could spit in the eyes of fools
As they ask her to focus on

We live in a universe of wonders and mysteries, but we so often stay locked in our tiny chambers of supposed security.  Through open the door, take that tentative step into the semi-darkness.  There is a world of wonder and a life to be lead. Fear is rarely useful. Bad stuff happens, but it's just part of the deal, part of the thrill and the appeal.  I am a noble coward with big ideas, and yet... and yet, when I step outside my place of ease and rest, and I open myself up... it is only when I experience joy and pain and disappointment and triumph and humiliation that I am truly.  This is your day, what are you going to do....

This morning, the shuffle comes from a playlist, I like to call Revolving Random.  It's actually more arbitrary than random, but whatever.  I created a playlist of 100 songs chosen just because - no theme, new songs, old songs, band's I've featured, novelties, classics... every time, I post a shuffle from this playlist, I replace the songs played with some new ones to keep the playlist at 100.  Here is today's shuffle:

First up, we have Tori Amos from her 1994 album Under the Pink which was recorded in Taos, New Mexico. Our song today is Pretty Good Year. 

"And Greg he writes letters and burns his CDs."

  

  

Next up we have a song from Mike Watt's solo debut, Ball Hog or Tugboat? The album was a star-studded affair.  Today's track, called Piss-Bottle Man features Evan Dando (Lemonheads) on vocals. 

There are some things
A guy gets from his pop.
Some of them things get spaced,
Others never forgot.
I got such a tradition.
I keep in my truck cab.

 

   

Next up, we have a cover of a Blood on the Tracks era Bob Dylan song. This version of  Simple Twist of Fate is taken off the soundtrack to the 2007 motion picture, I'm Not There and features Jeff Tweedy of Wilco and Uncle Tupelo fame (in case you didn't know who Jeff Tweedy was).

He woke up and she was gone, he didn't see nothin' but the dawn
Got outta bed and put his clothes back on, pushed back the blind
Found a note she's left behind but he could not concentrate on anything
Except the simple twist of fate

  

And finally, we have The Medicine Show from the classic Dream Syndicate album called simply Medicine Show. Dream Syndicate - featuring Steve Wynn (Danny and Dusty/Baseball Project) - were a very influential California-based Paisley Underground band. 

But I know that it's hard to be a decent man
When you stop finding reasons for everything
But tonight I'll find some answers
Down at the medicine show

 

 

======================================================================