I am sometimes asked (not really, I just wanted to tell you) why "Wild Wednesday"? Well, to my way of thinking, we've made it this far through the week and that is worth celebrating. So, on Wednesday, we open up and shuffle music from all the songs saved to my phone. The songs on my phone include current and previous featured music, songs from legacy E2TG favorites, other music from my personal collection, and random music files that came my way but didn't meet the criteria to be featured music. The shuffle always ends up being a lot of fun and usually a little wild. The "wild" in wild Wednesday, however, is a reference to a "wildcard" in that this shuffle be anything.
Words No Music A Reading coming Thursday, November 15, 2018 6:30pm Radio Cafe Nashville. No Cover, tips accepted and books will be for sale. We have an incredible line-up featuring David Olney, Rod Picott, Luke Powers, Rebecca Weiner Tompkins, and yours truly. All but me are incredible musicians and songwriters, but for this show - they will let their words speak for them without music. I will be reading from The Drift plus some selections from a forthcoming book.FACEBOOK EVENT HERE!
All of this happened a long time ago when the world was a very different place. Of course, none of us knew that at the time. (From The Drift - A Novel by Joe Wolfe-Mazeres) Available at Amazon.com (Kindle edition also available) If you have read The Drift, please consider writing a review on Amazon. If you haven't read it, you can get your own copy through Amazon or if you are in Nashville, you can get them from me.
I am continuing to work on my Spotify playlists for E2TG. So far, I have completed seven - January - July2018. These are meant to be a cross-section of music I featured during those months - not necessarily music released in those months. If you are interested, you can check out the playlists (links below) and follow my personal profile to find out when new playlists are created.
Well - the election is over. The results were mixed. There were bitter disappointments, but I am choosing to focus on the positives that came out of yesterday. Moreover, I am committed to doing my part to make this a kinder nation.
Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Martin Luther King, Jr.
It is mid-week, and that means it is time for another installment of "Wild Wednesday" at E2TG. A shuffle that comes from all of the songs saved to my phone's memory. You never know what will come up. We have a pretty interesting mix that covers several different genres. Let's go!
Okay - today I am mostly going to let my shuffle speak for itself... but I was thinking last night about something I wrote yesterday and something I've heard repeated,,, for many of us, as we observe what is happening in the world - in Washington. As we are horrified and angry and yes at times amused (Bowling Green Massacre), we are left to the great mystery - why are there still people supporting this administration. Or more importantly, why/how are there people who actually think it is going well. The conclusion I came to is two-fold. First of all, they are seeing the world through a filter that makes things look very different than what I am seeing. Am I also looking at the world through a filter? Sure, I imagine we are to a certain extent. But, in most cases, that filter has limits. In most cases, it is possible to find some common ground of agreement - but in recent times - and this did not start by any means with the election of the current President - that ability to find any common ground has seemed elusive. So, whereas I may view a speech or a talk show appearance or a tweet - as dangerous or delusional or dishonest, someone viewing through a different filter - may see it as brave or refreshing or brutally honest.
The second thing is the proliferation of extremist propaganda outlets disguised as news sources. There is a meme going around that attempts to provide guidance in this area, and although some may argue with the placement of certain outlets on that chart, the basic premise is pretty hard to dismiss. Add to that the logarithms employed by sites like Facebook but make it less likely that you will see posts that go against your worldview. To my friends on the left (and this is to me as well), maybe - just maybe - I should read some of those far right sites - just to understand what kinds of information is being fed to those friends of ours who still support this President. Not to forgive or excuse or justify - just to try to gain some understanding...
Then, we need to find away to fight back against extremist of all kinds and shapes and the powers that shape and control those extremists...
Moving on... Had a blast at the first ever WXNA night at Kay Bob's Grill and Ale last night. They are doing this every third Wednesday. From 5-11pm a percentage of sales goes to WXNA!
ICYMI - My review of the new album from Sean Quinn and the Tremblers was posted this morning. You can read it HERE.
Now for Theme Thursday,.... usual disclaimers apply - just songs that loosely fit a predetermined theme (unexplained). Some times - the connection is just a title that makes me think of something that fits the theme. Also, I do not mean to ascribe any motives political or otherwise to any of the artists/songs
Congratulations to Don Gallardo for his CD Release show last nigh at The Family Wash. Great music all night from Lani Ford, Matt Haeck, Caleb Caudle, and Don Gallardo and his awesome band and guests. His CD, Hickory, is out today in the U.S. (it has been out elsewhere for a while). It has been great to hear Don Gallardo several times over the last month or so.
Reminder: I will be back on the radio with Sue Havlish. Double Shot with Joe and Sue is on WXNA-LP Nashville. It is 101.5 on your radio dial in the broadcast range and streaming worldwide at wxnafm.org and via the TuneIn App. The show starts at 11am Central Time and our theme this week is "Cocktails for Two".
We move into a Featured Friday shuffle to close out your week... by the way, I am going to be out of pocket next week... taking some much needed time off. Be sure to stop by here every day to see if I posted anything (and to keep my pageviews up... ;-) )
We have reached Friday... which means another featured Friday shuffle coming up...
Still dealing with a change of seasons cold, but I did get out early last night for the final night of the Paul Burch residency at The 5 Spot. As he did the first week, Kevin Gordon played guitar with Burch and his WPA Ball Club whose new album Meridian Rising is out today. It was a really incredible show with special guest Emma Swift. Beginning next week, Fats Kaplin and Kristi Rose will hold down the Thursday early residency slot for the month of March (with the exception of St. Patrick's Day). That promises to be outstanding. I think The 5 Spots' early residency shows are one of the best things Nashville has going on, and looking ahead to the announced and rumored shows coming up, I think you will agree.
Once again, there is a ton of great music going on tonight. My plans include stopping by the Tim Carroll Happy Hour and then moving over to Bobby's Idle Hour to see the Dark Horses of East Nashville (Amelia White, Julie Christensen, and Sergio Webb) and then to see how time and my cold are doing after that.
I am thinking about some tweaks to the E2TG format. This is not E2TG v. 3.0 (that will come soon enough hopefully), but consider this E2TG v. 2.2 (or at least v. 2.1.1). I will work on that this weekend.
I have seen the dystopian future of Buck Owens tribute bands, and it's name is Buck N Stuff!
Okay, let me start from the beginning... So, I ended up spending almost the same amount of time at The 5 Spot last night as I did at work yesterday. No wonder I am tired today...
Paul Burch and the WPA Ballroom began their February residency with special guest Kevin Gordon who played lead guitar all night. The band was hot, the songs were great, and the vibe of cool. The only thing missed were the people. Come on Nashville! You got three more week of this residency. You gotta get there!
The late show, kicked off with Darrin Bradbury doing a pretty rare solo set and pulling out some chestnuts like "Zoey" (aka the ka-ka-cool song), "Conversation with Superman", and "Yardsale". Jon Latham was up next accompanied by Sean Quinn. Latham picked up on shoeless singer-songwriter mantle from Darrin Bradbury (who now wears shoes usually) and he did not hold back - making the pain of "Hand Me Down Heart" palpable. A highlight was his extended riffs on "Take It Easy" and "Boys of Summer" into his rendition of his summer anthem "Major Key".
Next up, were two singer-songwriters that I was not familiar with: Elli Perry who is in town working on a record, delivered a loose and awesome set with Robbie Crowell of Deer Tick playing drums and producer Adam Landry on bass. For the last song, Crowell and Landry switched instruments. That last song was a soulful, slow motion dirge that was wildly unexpected and disorientingly awesome.
Chris Watts is a Louisiana born singer-songwriter - whose back story includes being shot in the leg while serving with the National Guard at the Superdome during Hurricane Katrina. Watts played with a stand-up bass player and a drummer - injecting pep and good humor into his songs. He has a new CD coming soon, and he will be playing a CD release show in March at The City Winery.
The night ended (well past midnight) with the aforementioned Buck N Stuff. This power trio lead by Adam Kurtz and featuring Cameron Carrus and Lemuel Hayes play nothing but Buck Owens songs, and they play them like you have never heard Buck Owens before. This was their second ever live show (following a $2 Tuesday gig that I missed last week), and I am so glad I did not miss this one. The styles flew wildly from Reggae to Hard Rock/Punk to Cosmic Country - lots of echo-y vocals and looped guitar parts and Adam Kurtz bouncing all over and off the stage like the madman genius he is - all the while, Carrus and Hayes held the whole glorious mess together. Hands down among the most fun sets I have seen a while.
Tonight, I will take in some of Tim Carroll Rock and Roll Happy Hour and then head over to The Country for The Tangled Hearts and Saint Luke's Drifters.
Oh, and we still have a featured Friday shuffle to get to....
Friday, another fun night at Tim Carroll Rock and Roll Happy Hour. Just about the best hang, I know with some kick ass rock and roll music to boot.
Saturday, David Olney killed it at Bobby's Idle Hour, and Patrick Kinsley and a Fistful of Dollars, Cataline Crime, and Zach Schmidt put on a hell of a show at The 5 Spot.
Tonight, one of the finest songwriters of our time is making his debut on Colbert. America, prepare to be blown away by John Moreland - as I have every time I have seen him perform.
I cannot believe it is February already... To start off the week and the month, we have a random shuffle that makes no sense whatsoever, but which was a whole ton of fun to hear during my commute.
As Nashville digs out from Snowpocalypse '16 (with temperatures expected to rise to above 50 degrees today), it seems a good time to remind you that tonight is the FINAL NIGHT of the Darrin Bradbury Residency at The Basement East. Roads should be much improved by the time tonight rolls around. If you have made it out to the one or more of the first three weeks, I do not need to tell you.... if you haven't, this is the last chance to experience the magic! Guests tonight are Erin Rae, Rorey Carroll, and Steve Poltz! Doors at 6:00p.m. Music starts at 6:30p.m. Go to the Pub if you need Grub before or after. Do it!
Here we are! The final regularly scheduled shuffle of 2015. (I'm not ruling out a shuffle tomorrow but no promises). But first, we have one final bit of business to wrap up the debut edition of the "Earie" Awards. Remember: The "Earies" it sounds strange, but it's not really. The final award is the Golden "Earie" Award (aka the E2TG Artist of the Year).
Since we have a bunch of new readers, I thought I would indulge in a brief history of the award.
I began writing the blog in May 2011. That year, I named a "Band of the Week" every week. As the end of the year approached, I thought it would be fun to have a Readers Poll to select a "Band of the Year". So, I created an on-line poll that included all of the Bands of the Week. Being new to on-line polls, the poll was wide open meaning you could vote as many times as you wanted. The polling was spirited and fun with several artists really getting into it. At the end of the poll, The Mobbs (a UK band) flooded the ballot box and were named Band of the Year. Howard Rabach's band Ubiquity Machine finished second and Don Ryan from New Jersey finished third.
Because the poll was so much fun (and brought a lot of page views to the blog), for 2012 I decided to have a Band of the Month poll - which I did. At the end of 2012, all of the Bands of the Month plus some "Wildcards" competed for Band of Year. The now defunct but totally awesome Skeletons in the Piano from upstate New York were the second Band of the Year.
By 2013, I had kind of grown tired of the polls. It seemed like some artists were more into it than others plus I kind of decided it was a distraction from what was really important - being the music. When 2013 year end came up, to me there was one obvious choice for Band of the Year. The End Men, of Brooklyn, remain to this day the most tagged artist on #E2TG. Beyond that they are really wonderful people. They had a big 2013 and (as I expected) they had an even bigger 2014.
In 2014, once again the choice was obvious. Darrin Bradbury emerged from a Wal-Mart parking lot and began to conquer Nashville. He dominated Ear to the Ground - at one point I think there was at least one DB song in the shuffle everyday for almost a month. In 2014, I probably saw Darrin play life on average 2 or 3 times a week. Also, as expected, in the year that followed (2015), he continued to excel and made me very proud to have him as my Artist of the Year (I had to rename it because he wasn't a band).
Which brings us to the 2015:
The choice this year became pretty clear to me early in the year. my anticipation of Jon Latham's debut album was so high. But, anticipation does not equal awards. Real Bad News managed to exceed my very high expectations. My review can be read HERE. And the album alone is almost enough to make Jon a lock for Artist of the Year. But, there were several great albums released in the past 12 months. But wait, there is more! Jon is one of the kindest people I know. Some people may say that has nothing to do with music, but I would disagree. Grant it, there is long list of really amazing artists who happened to be assholes, however, in the case of Jon Latham, his kindness comes through in just about every song. Beyond that, Jon's knowledge and interest in a wide variety of music is almost encyclopedic. Again, at least in the case of Jon Latham, that depth of knowledge is, I think, crucial to his craft as a songwriter.
As 2015 rolled along, people began to take notice of Jon Latham. The Sin City vs. Guitar Town Eastside Throwdown was a turning point. Jon Latham backed Aaron Lee Tasjan in one of the most electrifying sets I have seen all year. Playing acoustic guitar and singing bgv, people took notice. Since then, Jon has opened shows for Aaron Lee and for the legendary Malcolm Holcombe. Real Bad News has garnered international acclaim and made some best of 2015.
You have one more chance to see the 2015 Artist of the Year in 2015. Jon will once again be joining the incredible Aaron Lee Tasjan in an opening slot for Christ Knight at the Exit/In on New Year's Eve. On Monday, you can catch 2014 Artist of the Year Darrin Bradbury as he kicks of his residency at The Basement East. 2015 Artist of the Year Jon Latham is on the bill for that night. I, for one, am excited!
Basically, those who get it, will understand right away why Jon Latham is my Artist of the Year. If you don't get it, check out the video playlist below and you probably will. Some of Jon's best moments (plus if you look closely in one video you will see the jean shorts clad leg of 2014 winner Darrin Bradbury). A couple of bonus clips that I came across: one is a clip I had heard about but not seen, Jon doing a song that does not often make it to his playlist these days. The touching and tender, "Put It in Your Butt" plus so that we didn't end on that note, a rare clip of the Latham Family Band doing a Dawes cover.
Congratulations Jon! Terry Rickards take note: 2013 Band of the Year, The End Men played the 2014 Post-Americana all-day marathon show at The Basement, 2014 Artist of the Year, Darrin Bradbury, played the 2015 Post-Americana all-day marathon show at The Basement East. I'm just sayin' American Fest will be here before we know it.
Now the last shuffle of the year.... a short commute and walk, and some longish songs means only 5 songs in the shuffle
Today's "Earie" Award category is either called, "The Hall of Fame Part II" Award or the "E2TG Survivor Series" Award or something. Over the 4 1/2 year history of E2TG, I have been fortunate to get to know and write about a ton of really awesome and talented artists. As most people reading this know, making music and trying to be heard in 2015 is a challenging proposition. It is easy to get burned out or for more lucrative opportunities to take precedence. This award is meant to recognize long time favorites of this blog who are still out there doing their thing and making vital and interesting music.
1. Killing Kuddles - from Atlanta - Elwood "Killing" Kuddles first caught my attention a few years ago with his blending of punk and folk or folk and punk - which I hereby dub.. "Polk" (because "Funk" means something else). In 2015, Kuddles released the Sinking Ship EP which pushed his signature sound forward. I love his slightly twisted humor and the way his music makes me happy. Very happily, I made a Black Friday purchase that included a Killing Kuddles t-shirt, stickers, patches, and buttons.
2. The Danbury Lie - originating from Connecticut, I think he's kind of a citizen of the world now. The Danbury Lie holds the distinction of being the third most tagged band in E2TG history. Like so many Connecticut artists, he is extremely prolific. In 2015 alone, he released Scattered Moments of Connection, Choose Your Delusion, Shallow Cuts (kind of a Greatest Hits collection), and the DVD (with accompanying soundtrack) called Whispers to Oblivion. And he is already at work on a new project schedule for early next year. His music is unique and amazing. It is an interesting mix of experimental metal, out there folk, and something harder to define. Whispers to Oblivion is a chronicle of his cross-country drive over the summer. It is an amazing video which manages to give the viewer insight into The Danbury Lie's world. I would recommend it even if I didn't make a voice-only cameo appearance.
3. Pony Boy - When I first came into contact with the music of Marchelle Bradanini - aka Pony Boy - she was in Los Angeles, and I was very impressed by both her songs and her incredible voice. Since then, she has partially relocated to East Nashville (she lives 1/2 time here and in L.A.), and she has begun to received some well deserved attention. Pony Boy released Blue Gold this year, and I have seen it mentioned on some best of lists already. And now, she has an "Earie".
Our last featured Friday shuffle of 2015 is on deck....
Welcome back... No shuffle yesterday because I was off work for Veteran's Day. Lot's to recap...
Tuesday night, I attended the weekly $2 Tuesday show at The 5 Spot. As it always is, it was a great time at a great price. Included: a second opportunity to see Brock Zeman and Blair Hogan - who killed it. Bob Lewis with great band that included my old friend Joe Bidewell plus Lemuel Hayes and Issac Anthony. Plus Derek Hoke's always awesome set, and the late night spot was rocked hard by new Nashvillian K. Phillips whose band included by friend Steven Cooper.
Since, I was off I got to hang out in the studio and observe the making of Darrin Bradbury's next album. A lot of people are going to be surprised by his turn toward gangsta rap, but I never question an artistic genius.
Last night, a great night of songwriters at Mad Donna's featuring the always awesome Kiely Schlesinger who was backed by Drew Kohl - who did a killer version of Springsteen's "Atlantic City", Violet Delancey who was backed by a great band that included Andrew Leahey on guitar, and Lindsay Ellyn who was awesome as always backed by Raun Schultz and Buddy Woodward and for the first time by fiddle player - Holly Parks.
In the midst of all that, I wrote a review of the (still fairly new) Sara Syms album, Way Back Home. The title track (coincidently) showed up in the shuffle today, so I will post the links when I get to that song...
