E2TG 2/22/2021 - Music City Monday - Indestructible Mix (Summer Remix)

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Featured Friday Playlist (Songs 11-16):

11. "This Life Must Be Long" by Roof Beams

First up today, we have the title track of the new album by D.C. Alt-folk/Americana band Roof Beams - named for a Salinger novella.  It is their first album since 2016.

12. "Terrible Dad" by Slow Coyote

Next up, we have a track from the new album, Family Man, by the New Hampshire based project of singer-songwriter Lucas Perry.  The sound combines grunge, folk, rock, and blues in a most interesting way. 

13. "Come on Over" by Domenic Cicala

Next up, we have the title track off the new album by this Washington D.C. songwriter. The album is a covers/duets album. This track is a cover of a 1975 Barry and Robin Gibb song performed with Rachel Harrington. Other singers on the album include Jaimee Harris and BettySoo.  The songwriters covered include Townes Van Zandt, Fred Eaglesmith, Donnie Frits, and Dave Alvin and Rosie Flores. 

14. "You Can't Fall in Love For the Sake of It" by Boxteles

Next, the latest single from this UK indie band.  Great sound. 

15. "Hands Off" by Rylan Brooks

Next, we have our second featured song from the forthcoming If Wishes Were Horses (March 12) by this Outlaw Country duo.  The album, you may recall, was recorded in Nashville with an impressive lineup of musicians. 

16. "Whiskey" by DL Rossi 

 We close this segment of music with the first single from the forthcoming album, Lonesome Kind (April 23) - the third album from Michigan based singer-songwriter DL Rossi.  This was a great introduction for me to this impressive songwriter. More to come. 

 

    Featured Friday Playlist

Wild Wednesday Morning Shuffle - All the Way to Peter's Gate Mix

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I hesitate to report again about how awesome $2 Tuesdays are at The 5 Spot.  Derek Hoke and DJ Tim Hibbs throw a massive weekly party.  It cost you just $2 to get in and you can get Yazoo pints for just $2 all night.  I hesitate because it was packed out last night, and maybe enough people know about it... but hell.  For that $2, every single time I have gone, I have seen and heard some pretty amazing music.  Hell, $2 would be cheap just to hear Derek Hoke and his amazing band play a couple of songs.  Dead Horses from Wisconsin were awesome, Quinn from here in Nashville (and featuring E2TG Artist of the Year Jon Latham on guitar and BGVs) have an awesome sound.  Probably the only complaint I have (and I guess my age is showing) is that I left before the last band played and it was already midnight.  But, the young folks love it - ah, I remember... I remember...


Wednesday? What the hell is it?  Some call it hump day and celebrate having reached the mid-way through the work week, what does that say about us?  1. We are wishing our lives away and/or 2. We hate our week day existence so much and/or 3. We are optimists (I mean we would say we've toiled away for days and still have days of toil ahead).  Who knows? Wednesday are wild!  Wild used in the same way as "Jokers Wild".  Wednesday can be anything.  Or maybe wild used in the sense of wild!

Welcome to the first ever Wild Wednesday Shuffle.  Make sure your seatbelts are locked and loaded... or whatever...

Briefly,  I loaded this playlist with some of the more experimental songs I have on my phone.  Then, I counter-programmed with some older music, some outliers from past shuffles, some of the most unlikely songs in my phone, and then sprinkled in some stuff just 'cause.

Here goes nothing!

Thursday Morning Music Shuffle - Like a Cash Machine Mix

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Whew... it's been quite a week. Thanks for hanging with me as my schedule has been off...  We seem to be back on schedule. 

Enjoyed some fine Nashville music last night at The Family Wash.  Nellie Clay, Megan Palmer, and Russell Thompson - all backed by an amazing band made up of Adam "Ditch" Kurtz on pedal steel and guitar, Aaron Shafer-Haiss, and Jonathan Beam.

Today's E2TG "Earie" Award is called the "Hall of Fame" Award.  It recognizes long-time E2TG favorite artists who made significant achievements in 2015.

1.  The End Men - I was first introduced to The End Men around January 2012.  They immediately caught my attention and have been a favorite band of mine ever since.  2015 saw the release of their latest album, Terms and Conditions which found the band's sound enhanced by the addition of a sax player.  They still melt faces.  In addition, they had a successful European tour and partnered with the the comic book East of the West for a song/comic collaboration of epic proportions.




2. Valued Customer - Valued Customer have been on my radar since at least October 2012 (maybe earlier).  They are one of the most creative and unique bands I have ever encountered. Combining wildly inventive experimentation, classically trained musicianship, and some pretty deep Eastern spirituality.  The diversity of their musical knowledge and tastes puts me to shame. Although, their next album hugecup is not due until next year, the band treated us with byugecup which are b-sides from the new album - which blew me away.




To the shuffle:

Tuesday Morning Music Shuffle - White Light Had It Mix

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Exciting day yesterday as the #E2TG Facebook Page barreled over 400 Likes on our way to 500!  Welcome all the new "likers".  To get in on the party, click the clink above and give us a "Like".

Let's get  to today's shuffle....

Tuesday Morning Music Shuffle - Lock the Door and Unplug the Phone Mix

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Be sure to check out my review of Drew Kohl's new EP, Sweetheart.

When I hit shuffle this morning, there were 985 songs in my active playlist. Based upon statistical averages, the number of combinations for the first 10 songs to come up in a random shuffle of those songs, is... well, I don't know, but it's probably a pretty big number.  And yet, on any given shuffle, only one combination actually did come up, and here it is...

Wednesday Morning Music Shuffle - A Czech at the Blue Line Mix

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I saw a remarkable show at City Winery - Nashville last night.  It was a CD Release show for Darrell Scott's new album which features the songs of the late Ben Bullington.  You can read my review on No Depression here.

On to the shuffle....

Thursday Morning Music Shuffle - Lost Cause Mix

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A great week of live music continued last night: the count: Darrin Bradbury with Aaron Lee Tasjan and Cameron Carrus backing him up, Carl Anderson, and Holy Sheboygan (an awesome band from Wisconsin) all at Foobar.  Then, Tim Carroll and Luella Wood  and a solo Darrin Bradbury set at Fran's Eastside.

Wednesday Morning Music Shuffle - Later Than You Think Mix

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You know the Nashville Conundrum I mentioned a couple of weeks ago?  Well the is a addendum to that conundrum (or something like that).. that is... there are amazing things happening every single night of the week, and (especially if you work a day job), there are nights that you just have to stay in to recharge, refresh, and do some of your own work...  Last night was one of those nights, and yes, I missed some amazing things happening around town, but I am glad that I stayed in, and I got something accomplished...

Case in point, I added a couple of things to my Soundcloud... bits and pieces from my novel-in-progress which you can check out... (there may be some NSFW language/themes, depending where or if you work...)





On to the shuffle:

Thursday Morning Music Shuffle - A Rusted Fork in the Road Mix

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A modest proposal to deal with the problem of people talking during music performances: Just let John Moreland play.  I saw John Moreland play twice last night. The first was at Music City Roots where he wowed an audience mostly unfamiliar with his music.  Later, he played a full headlining set at The 5 Spot in East Nashville in front of a packed house.  The minute John Moreland began to play, the crowd (a bar crowd after 11:00pm) fell silent almost immediately.  A friend of mine asked what it was about his music that had that effect.  In the moment, the only words that came to me were the emotional vulnerability of his songs.  I don't know if that is the answer.  But, it got me thinking about vulnerability, and how our society sees it as a weakness, but how in the hands of someone like John Moreland - it can be such a powerful thing.

Tuesday Morning Music Shuffle - Sunburn at Night Mix

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It is Tuesday.  A bit tired today after a night of great music. The Nashville Conundrum was in full effect, but one thing I didn't say yesterday, is that I've learned that it is okay to feel bad for the shows you missed - especially when it means missing the show of a friend, but in the end, when you've made your choice, you should expend more energy appreciating the show you did see than you do regretting the show(s) you missed.  Life is kind of like that, too, I think.

Tuesday Morning Music Shuffle - No, All! Mix

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Back in the shuffle business after an absolutely incredible weekend at the 2nd Annual Safety Harbor SongFest.  Expect more detailed and official reports once I have fully recovered, but for now, let me just say I had a blast at this well-organized, artistically uplifting event and enjoyed some gorgeous weather.  Despite my peeling nose and flight delay coming home, I can strongly recommend fans and musicians alike check out this still relatively new festival.

Thursday Morning Music Shuffle - Save a Few for Left, Too Mix

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When you are having a stressful day, sometimes a Townes Van Zandt song is all you need to turn things around.  Other days, you need two Townes songs...  well today, for me, it is definitely a 3 TVZ kind of day... Fortunately, the shuffle obliged....

For the same reason I needed three Townes Van Zandt songs, I cannot add any commentary.  I apologize for that, but enjoy the music and if you are interested in any of the artists, look them up and support what they do...

BTW, Day 4 of Couch by Couchwest included some Nashville heavy weights like David Olney, Tommy Womack, Amy Speace, Wild Ponies, and #E2TG favorite Mark Robinson channeling the Possum on his lawn mower....

Monday Morning Music Shuffle - Bad Boys and Transference Mix

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Well... Couch by Couchwest 2015 kicked off yesterday...  So far, I have seen videos from Science! who has been featured recently on E2TG, plus my friend Drew Kohl of Young America (who coincidently are releasing a 3 song EP today), The Foresters, Miss Shevaughn and Yuma Wray, and I have a bunch I need to catch up on eventually.  Keep on couchin'!  And if you haven't submitted a video, there is still time!

Monday Morning Music Shuffle - Mother Knows Best Mix

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I had the great opportunity to hear some tracks from two of my most anticipated albums of the year, and man oh man are they going to be good... keep your ear to the ground or stay tuned to Ear to the Ground for new albums from Jon Latham and Darrin Bradbury in the future.

In other news, CXCW is rapidly approaching.  Get those videos made and submitted...

Now to the shuffle... as I have written on more than one occasion, I love short songs, but long songs make writing the blog easier...  we have a bevy of longer songs and thus we have only six in the shuffle today...

Monday Morning Music Shuffle - Out of Kindness Mix

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It's Monday and here in Nashville, temps and humidity are creeping back up to August levels.

 

We have a pretty interesting mix of music today. Any time a week begins with a Townes Van Zandt song, it a great sign.

 

 

Let's jump right into it....

 

Thursday Morning Music Shuffle - 18 Years Too Late Mix

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The subtitle of this post references a comment made by my friend Rex Silo regarding the fact that the reconstituted Black Flag is headlining a music festival in our hometown.  By the way, Ear to the Ground favorites Black Jake and the Carnies as well as newly discovered FOTEM (friends of  The End Men) John the Conqueror are also playing that festival.  More details on all that later.

I decided today to add all the songs from my morning listening that I could into the Amazon Widget.  Therefore, you will find music from George Gershwin, The Black Keys, + Shane MacGowan covering Townes Van Zandt.  In addition, the pre-walk portion of the morning music featured some early period Hayden Coleman with a chunky, cool beat called "Vans (Down by the River)" which you can check out here:

The official Shuffle is after the jump and after the widget:

Tuesday Morning Music Shuffle - One More Warning Sound Mix

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Hey ho! Time is short so we will make it sweet....  whatever.


Song #1 I Kept Watch Like Doves (Murder Ballad) from West Cross Timbers by the amazing Amanda Shires.

 

Song 2 is Lungs by Steve Earle from his Townes Van Zandt tribute album, Townes.  Van Zandt's version appeared his 1969 self-titled 3rd Album.

 

Song 3  is Sympathy from one of our Featured Artists, Salt Lake City Punk/Metalcore/whatever band S3X.

Song 4 is We're Comin' Out by Bright Little Field from Treatment Bound: A Ukulele Tribute to The Replacements. Bright Little Field is Jonathan Bright and Tom Littlefield. Littlefield led the legendary 80s Nashville band, The Questionaires.  We're Coming Out was on The Replacements best album, Let it Be.

Song 5 and our final song for the day is Messin' Round by another of our featured artists for the month Pigeon Park and can be found on their 2010 album, The Sun.

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Fat Tuesday Morning Music Shuffle - Thorazine Mix

Welcome to the working week.  After a productive President's Day of studying Presidential trivia and decorating the President's Day shrub and taking part in at least six different President's Day parades, we are back at it for another, albeit short, week.

We first caught up with Taco Land back last year when they were our Band of the Week and went on to a fifth place finish in the Band of the Year competition. We've recently been able to add some more great music from the San Antonio based band's Heart of Texas album and today we feature Lost and Found. Taco Land, which is now the duo of Joseph Russell and Jerry Lafere, write and play smart and smooth indie rock.

 

Our second and fourth songs from today's shuffle comes from the 2006 album Four Thieves Gone - The Robbinsville Sessions by The Avett Brothers.  First up with have a cheerful little number The Lowering (A Sad Day in Greenvilletown).

Townes Van Zandt was a national treasure.  To say he was under appreciated in his lifetime is a gross understatement.  He suffered from a variety of mental health issues and substance abuse problems, and eventually, these problems slowed his once prolific musical output.  Today's song is the painfully fractured gem Sanitarium Blues which was released posthumously on the A Far Cry from Dead album.

 

We close it out with another song from The Avett Brothers' Four Thieves Gone album, this is one Matrimony. The Avett Brothers will be appearing at this years Bonnaroo festival.

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Monday Morning Music Shuffle - Big Deal Mix

And so, we begin another week. my last full week of work until the second week in January.  Sweeeet...

First up is Band of the Year nominee, Ben Semmens aka BenSem with a track called Apathy from his Western Lights album.
(click on album cover to purchase and download Western Lights at Amazon.com)


Next up is one of my favorite songs from last year. Soft Skin by Mountain Man from their Made the Harbor album. 


(Click on album cover to purchase and download Made the Harbor at Amazon.com)


Next we have another Band of the Year nominee. It's Joseph Russell aka Taco Land with a track from his brand new album Heart of Texas - the song is C'est La Vie which I'm pretty sure means awesome Texas music... or at least it should be... que sera sera...


(click on album cover to purchase and download Heart of Texas at Amazon.com)





Staying in Texas, we our final song of the day, is the classic Pancho & Lefty by the late, great Townes Van Zandt.

(click on album cover to purchase and download A Far Cry From Dead  at Amazon.com)




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Steve Earle/Townes Van Zandt/G : Together at the Bluebird Cafe Steve Earle/Townes Van Zandt/G : Together at the Bluebird Cafe