E2TG 8/19/2021 - Thursday - Nine Lives Mix (re-up Remix)

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Featured Friday Playlist recap (part 5 - the finale) (songs 33-38)

33. "Woman (Lover, Lover)" by Brother Earl and the Cousins

First up today, we have a track from the debut EP by this L.A band.

34. "How It's Supposed to Be" by Mike & the Nerve

Next up, we have a single from a new punk band from Gainesville, Florida. 

35. "Everyday Love" by Singing River

Next, we have a single from the new project featuring Mikey James - the former drummer of Longwave. 

36. "You're the Summer" by Ritual Cloak & Autumn Juvenile 

Next up, we have the stunning first taste of a collaboration between an electronic post-rock duo from Cardiff (yes Wales again) and a comedian, writer, and spoken word perform.  This is a fantastic track. 

37. "Oh Ballerina" by Traitrs

Next up, a fantastic new single from this Toronto based post punk/darkwave duo - the first taste of a forthcoming album.

38. "Hey Edna" by Old Tom & the Lookouts

And we close with a first taste of the forthcoming second album by this Boston-based indie-folk band. The song and the album deal with the important issues around mental health. 

    Featured Friday Playlist

E2TG 6/10/2020 - State of Things - Astral Plane Mix (Charlie's Lips Remix)

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The fight to address systemic racism in our society and the issues of police brutality that disproportionately affect members of the African American community continues and will continue for some time. This is a problem that has festered for much, much too long, and one week of protests and direct action will not change it overnight. I will keep speaking up on these issues and continue the push to remove our disaster of a president from office.

But, I need to step back just for a few minutes to talk about the state of E2TG and myself personally.  This week has been difficult for me, but at the same time I feel tremendous guilt saying that. By all practicable accounts, I have been extremely fortunate in that the COVID-19 shut downs have not impacted me financially. And, I live a life of privilege in our society. So, on days when isolation gets to me, and I miss hanging out with my friends and seeing live music; my mind tells me it is trivial compared to what others face. But, telling myself that does not really help me. So, I will say to you (and to myself), it is okay to feel what you feel about these times. It is okay to acknowledge sadness and loneliness.

As for E2TG, I think maybe some people think that because E2TG has continued for over nine years, that maybe I never thought about hanging it up or that I don't ever question what it is I do. Neither of those are true. I am human and sometimes, I question if what I do means anything or if many people care. Page views, social media likes and shares are wonderful and affirming, but if I ever choose to use those exclusively as justification for continuing E2TG, I would have quit a long time ago.

I know there are people who enjoy what I do, and I also know that there is a lot of information and posts and live streams etc. out there. I know that there are people whose work I adore and support that I don't have time to view every day. I also know that there are websites that hold more cache that E2TG and that rightly get more attention from artists that a mention on E2TG. Does it bother me - again, I am human so yes - but I do understand it.

There are days when pageviews dip down low, and yes, I do wonder on those days, if it is worth it to continue. But, then I am encouraged because someone tells me how much E2TG means to them. So, I got back to this - if E2TG is fun (and it is), I will continue until I hear an outcry for me to stop. When it becomes a burden, I will reexamine, reconfigure, and if necessary take a hiatus.

Meanwhile, I am proud of what I do and thrilled about the variety of music that I have the chance to feature here.

And, now, we have our penultimate recap of this week's Featured Friday Playlist (Songs #17-21). Tomorrow, we wrap up the recap just in time for Friday's brand new recap.

17. "Be Thou By My Side" by Holy Hive

First up today, we have a cover of a rather obscure 1972 song by Honeybus - a UK band that existed from 1967-1973. Holy Hive is a trio featuring Homer Steinweiss (The Dap Kings) and Paul Spring along with Joseph "Tone" Harrison. This is a lovely song. 

18. "White Knuckle Ride" by Delta Maid

Delta Maid is a singer-songwriter from Liverpool who returns after a nine year hiatus. This short but moving opening track his from her new album Katie.

19. "Cut 'n' Curl" by Lacey Williams

Next up, we have the brand new singer from Utah native Lacey Williams.  Williams spent several years in Nashville before returning to her home state. This catchy song is about the center for gossip in many small towns, the local beauty salon. 

20. "The Wanderer and the Outcast" by Sea of Fog

Next, we have a really beautiful song from a band founded by singer-songwriter Thomas Bowers.  They are based in the south. This is from their new album Michael Collins Observes the First Moonwalk from the Columbia Module. 

21. "Innocence" by KissDoomFate

KissDoomFate (or KDF) is a duo from Angers, France. The music here is really interesting to me. Frentic percussion, at once seductive and powerful vocals. It is disarming and unique music. A very cool addition to this week's playlist. I dig it.

    Featured Friday Playlist

Trending Thursday Morning Shuffle - You Afraid Mix

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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.

E2TG January 2018
E2TG February 2018
E2TG March 2018
E2TG April 2018 
E2TG May 2018
E2TG June 2018
E2TG July 2018
E2TG August 2018 (coming soon!)
E2TG September 2018  (coming soon!)
E2TG October 2018  (coming soon!)
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Man, I sure am glad that with the election over we can have a period of calm regarding politics... oh wait - never mind. 

Meanwhile, another day, another mass shooting. Another round of "thoughts and prayers" but no concrete action to change anything.  I'll be honest, while I am tired of "thoughts and prayers" in the absence of any concrete action - I am also not fond of those who take that as an opportunity to attack the concept of prayer or faith in general.  When it comes to people praying for an outcome and the failing to take action - in any situation, it is like the person who is stranded in the middle of the ocean and prays for rescue - and when a ship and helicopter comes to save him, he turns them away saying God is going to save him. Then, he drowns and he asks God why he wasn't saved - God says, "I sent you a helicopter and a ship."  If you believe in prayer, but you ignore the solutions - right in front of you - that may be divinely inspired, then you might as well not pray.


Let's jump into the shuffle - it's Thursday - so we go back to our "New Music" playlist.  Kind of a short shuffle - because the last "track" was actually a whole 20+ minute EP - as one mixtape-like track.

Featured Friday Morning Shuffle - High Powered Powder Mix

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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.

E2TG January 2018
E2TG February 2018
E2TG March 2018
E2TG April 2018 
E2TG May 2018
E2TG June 2018
E2TG July 2018
E2TG August 2018 (coming soon!)
E2TG September 2018  (coming soon!)


Well it's Friday, and the first work week of October is winding down.  Here in Nashville, we are still having summer-like temperatures even as the days get shorter.

Anyway, it is Friday, and we have a typically eclectic shuffle from our "New Music" playlist.

Trending Thursday Morning Shuffle - Floating the River Mix

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Guess what!  Today will be the last day I bug you about the E2TG 7th Anniversary Residency. That is because tonight is the finale!

I saw "bug you", and sometimes promoting events like this can feel like overkill. But with social media algorithms being what they are - it is almost a necessity to repeatedly post in every imaginable way. I know that personally, I will sometimes see a post about a show the day after the show occurs, and there have been times that I thought I was over-posting about an event - only to mention the event in person to someone who I know is on social media and who reacts to my generic posts regularly, only to have them say, "I didn't know you were having that event". 

So... TONIGHT! Get yourselves down to The 5 Spot. Our really big shew will begin promptly at six and end promptly at 8:30.  Shane Tutmarc, Joanna Barbera, Eli Cook, and Bee Taylor will be your entertainment for the night. I will provide light MC tasks. Hopefully, I will read a short section from my novel, The Drift, and I will have a few copies for sale.

As always there are a myriad of live music choices in Nashville, but we do hope you will make E2TG, The 5 Spot, and our great line-up a part of your evening.  Fun fact: Most late shows don't start until at least 9:00pm (even if they say 8:00pm), so come to our show, and we will have you on your way long before the downbeat of the next show.  (Or just stay at The 5 Spot for their always stellar late show.)

Now, let us jump right into the Trending Thursday shuffle.  As always, these are the songs/tracks that I listened to on my way to work this morning:

Trending Tuesday Morning Shuffle - Lucky 7 Mix

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On May 15, 2011 - because I didn't have anything better to do - I started a music blog which I called Ear to the Ground. I'm not exactly sure why I did it.  In the years prior, I had begun to share music (including my morning playlist) on Facebook and Twitter, and some people encouraged me to do something more with these posts. I started the blog on a site called Posterous - which later got bought out by Twitter and eventually got killed. So that first post is gone into the ether.  It wasn't all that substantive anyway. Fast forward 7 years, and much in my life has changed. I didn't have much of a plan when I started E2TG (which I would eventually decide to call Ear to the Ground for short), but I can assure you I never dreamed I would still be doing this in the far off year of 2018 nor that I would have met the amazing people I have met and had the incredible opportunities I have been given.

Next month will be the official celebration of 7 years (every Thursday in June) at The 5 Spot, but I didn't want to let this day pass without acknowledging the anniversary.

Week 1:  Clark Paterson, The Big Dumb, Rayvon Pettis
Week 2: The End Men, Ted Drozdowski's Psychedelic Circus, plus guest opener TBA
Week 3:  Brian Milligram, Microwave Mountain, The Coal Men
Week 4: Joanna Barbera, Bee Taylor, Eli Cook


Tonight, I am going to see Kris Kristofferson at The Basement East!

The genesis of E2TG was me posting my morning playlist. When I started the blog, I didn't think that was enough for a music blog.... and it may not be, but here I am... and here is my morning shuffle seven years down the road....

Wild Wednesday Morning Shuffle - That's Tru Life Mix

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Somehow this topsy-turvy weather of late seems to be right in sync with the topsy-turvy state of this nation, and both of them are making me sick....

But, I press on...

It is Wednesday - mid-week, and this is the day, we at E2TG set aside to get "wild". Wild is in quotation marks because.. well, we basically do what we do every day just drawing on songs from a larger pool - namely every song saved to my phone's memory.  The results are predictably unpredictable.

Let's just jump right to it!

Trending Tuesday Morning Shuffle - Exotic Calls Mix

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A little over a year ago, I first began posting an occasional "political" commentary on E2TG. As I stated then, it was not something I wanted to do and that I did not really consider most of what I wrote as "political" (although it can be a fine line sometimes). As I intimated then, and still feel strongly today, there should be room at the table for people who hold a wide variety of political and social positions. At it's ideal and best, the United States (and our leaders) should be a shining example of lively debate and measured compromise.  Where we find ourselves now is embroiled and entrenched in hyper-partisanship and obstruction. Our elections are compromised in so many ways. The effects of Citizen's United (an Orwellian named law) are devastating to democracy and harmful to the republic. Voter suppression, gerrymandering, and unchecked foreign influences are the nails in the coffin.

I am cautiously hopeful about the mid-term elections, and I still cannot imagine that the current president will last his full term - but even if everything goes the way I want it to, we will still have miles to go...

I try not to let it get me down.  I do what I can, but the results are mostly not within my control. Life can still be a beautiful thing. Friendships and family and the beauty of the world. The mysteries of science and time and space surround us.

For me, music remains a source of strength. Songs that comfort, songs that excite, songs that motivate action, songs that inspire....

E2TG has provided me with an incredible opportunity to hear a ton of music that I might otherwise never hear, and to meet talented people who are pushing against long odds and seeming disinterest at times - to do what they feel compelled to do....

So, I push on - as I approach seven years of E2TG - offering my small contribution by putting music out there hopefully in an interesting way.

Let's shuffle the "New Music" playlist on this Trending Tuesday.

Trending Thursday Morning Shuffle - Salvation with Horns Mix

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Guess what, I'm running short on time again. It's been a rough week at the old day job.

It was great seeing Patrick Kinsley and a Fistful of Dollars last night at Dee's.  Also great seeing Lynn Taylor and the Barflies  and also Daniel Walker. Just a  fun night of music. I realized that over the course of the evening I got to see and talk to at least seven people who have performed at an E2TG Anniversary Show over the last two years.  The 7th Anniversary shows are coming in June, and the E2TG elves are hard at work getting ready to make the announcements.

Tonight is the Buck N Stuff CD Release show at the American Legion in Inglewood. This will be one for the book!

On to the Trending Thursday Shuffle.... strap yourself in because this one promises to be a wild ride.

Trending Thursday Morning Shuffle - Square Boy Mix

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In my job, I am expected to know what I am talking about, and to ask questions to find out what I do not know. If I routinely made up answers, I would likely lose my job.  I assume this is true of other people I know who have jobs. So, my honest question is, why should the "leader of the free world" be held to a lower standard?

That's all I have for now... I could say a bunch more, but let's get  to the music....
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I headed to Dee's last night and caught great sets from Adrian + Meredith and Adrew Adkins and his great band.  They are two of my favorites.  Dee's is such a cozy and friendly spot to hang.

It is Thursday - finally - and we jump back into a couple of days of shuffles from the "New Music" playlist to round out the week.  We have a few first listens today - including some new and forthcoming releases that I am super excited about...

Let's shuffle!

Trending Tuesday Morning Shuffle - Angry Old Men Mix

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Moving deeper into the week...

It is Tuesday, and on Tuesday, as you may know, we take a look at what is trending on E2TG. We do this, as we do almost everything we do via a random shuffle. Our "New Music" playlist on my phone features all of the music we currently are wanting to feature. That list stands at 478 songs with more lined up as soon as I find time to add them...

Reminder: Keep your Thursday evenings in June free. We are cooking up a special series of shows to celebrate the 7th Anniversary of E2TG.  Announcements coming soon.


Tune in tomorrow, as we have a song premiere lined up...

Let's shuffle!

Featured Friday Morning Shuffle - Hard Head Mix

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Whew! It's Friday.

Last night, I was at The 5 Spot for the early show, and I caught Will Payne Harrison and Tommy Womack.  I had previously seen Will at Dee's one Monday night for just a few songs, so it was good to see an even longer set.   Tommy Womack was...well he was Tommy Womack. Backed by a great band including John Jackson on guitar. He played some of his best known songs, "Betty was Black, Willie was White" "90 Miles An Hour Down a Dead-End Street" some new songs, a Daddy song, and even a song from Government Cheese. He ended the set with his version of "Penny Lane".

As always, Nashville has a ton of great live music - every single night. Get out and find something that interests you.

Mark Robinson is playing tomorrow night at The 5 Spot.  He is hands down one of my favorite entertainers in Nashville. His live shows are just no-frills great music.

Time hit the shuffle on my "New Music" playlist for what we like to call Featured Friday on E2TG.

Let's shuffle:

Trending Tuesday Morning Shuffle - Self Confidence Mix

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Well, after talking about all of the consecutive nights I went out to hear live music, it all kind of caught up with me... I started feeling a little not great, so I decided to stay in last night and just rest. But, it did give me time to reflect on the incredible place in time and life and the world where I find myself.  The incredible talented people I interact with on a regular basis - some well-known, some not, but all talented. As a long-time fan of music, I am beyond grateful for the opportunities I have been afforded.

Well, it is Tuesday and time to dig back into the New Music playlist and see what is "Trending" on E2TG....

Trending Tuesday Morning Shuffle - Foggy Breathing Mix

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Visited the East Room in East Nashville last night.  Saw Cory Taylor Cox for the first time.  Really liked his music. His song "Memphis Kids" (I think that was the title) was great!

Next up was E2TG fave Joanna Barbera. It has been a little while since I saw Joanna perform, and as as always been the case, I loved her music. In addition to her wonderful original songs (included one that was featured in an episode of the show Criminal Minds, she also did a cover of Tom Petty's "Breakdown" that was absolutely stunning and beautiful.

Next up was one of the greatest living songwriters (according to me and NPR), David Dondero. It is always a joy to see him, but perhaps even more so this time. This was the kind of angry folk music that we need more of.  He did an updated version of his song "Pity Party" which was written after Columbine. I didn't realize how much I needed to hear music and message delivered in this way*

One of E2TG's all time favorite artists, Darrin Bradbury closed the night with a set that included some of his newest songs and a couple of old favorites. Some time around four years ago, when I first heard Darrin's music, I wrote that he was one of the best pure songwriters around. Meaning, that once you strip away off the extras that make music awesome, you are left with just the song, and Darrin's songs are among the best. That initial assessment as only grown over time. I am excited to hear his upcoming album with all new songs.

*********************************************************************************
*What I realized listening to David Dondero last night is that I have been suppressing a lot of anger of late. I guess it's in my nature to try to offer a measured response to things, but when kids are being murdered in schools and our leaders do nothing (and/or make the situation worse) and when kids finally have enough and speak out and they are attacked and ridiculed and when we have leaders who openly support and elevate racist and xenophobic conspiracy theories and when a presidential candidate who mocked a man with disabilities becomes a president who strips away rights and protections for people with disabilities, then maybe the time for measured responses is past and maybe it is time for anger and for outrage.

Here's the deal, when this cancer which has attacked our nation us eradicated, then we can have a measured discussion about economic policies etc.  When this disease is defeated, we can deal with the issues within the opposition party. But, wiping out this infection HAS to be our top priority.
*********************************************************************************

Onward... it is Tuesday and let's check out what music is trending on E2TG

Featured Friday Morning Shuffle - Tougher than Tough Mix

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FRIDAY!  First off, I have some big news!  Last year, E2TG hosted a month-long residency at The 5 Spot in East Nashville to celebrate our sixth anniversary. Well, we are doing it again this year for seven!  Mark your calendars for Thursday evenings in JUNE!  If you attended any of last year's shows, you know you will not want to miss this!  Details are still being worked out, but we have some awesome music in store for you.

Stay tuned for more details.

Now, it is Friday and every Friday, we focus in on the music we are currently featuring on E2TG. (Okay to be honest, the playlist is the same for Trending Tuesday and Thursday and for Featured Friday, but humor me).  We have an incredibly wide selection of songs in that playlist (almost 500 tracks), and it is always interesting to see what comes up.

Let's shuffle!

Trending Thursday Morning Shuffle - Before and After Temple Mix

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Fun night last night checking out The Coal Men and The Truehearts at The 5 Spot.  Both are top-notch bands who have deservedly achieved a great reputation in this music city. This was evidenced by the stellar musicians and songwriters in attendance.

It is Thursday and time to dive headlong into the "New Music" playlist for this "Trending Tuesday".  All of these tracks are (more or less) recent additions to my collection, and artists/albums that I waited to feature here at E2TG.

Let's shuffle!

Featured Friday Morning Shuffle - Mother Earth Mix

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I feel like the week is just starting and now it is over. :-)

I still have a ton of submissions to dig through, but I already have a large "New Music Playlist". So, let's knock some songs off that list.

Just some housecleaning/reminders:  Most days, the shuffle comes from MP3s of songs I have saved on my phone. It's what I listen to on my way to work.  (Monday - I used a special Music City-centric Spotify playlist.

Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday are dedicated to featuring songs from my "New Music" playlist. These are almost always music that was sent to me through various channels (directly from artists, through publicists, etc).

I do not often do album reviews (I would love to, but time ends up being an issue).  By featuring music like I do through shuffles - it gives me a chance to write about albums in-depth over time. It's kind of my thing.

I do, on occasion, do video and song premiers - when opportunities and time allows.

I'm not super picky about submission methods. I accept CDs and/or downloadable links/files. MP3 (320) would be my preference for electronic submissions.  The problem I have with WAVs is that either have to convert them to MP3 or I don't have complete meta data, and I end up with files I can't identify.

I am located in Nashville, Tennessee - and in recent years, there is a definite Nashville leaning but I welcome submissions from anywhere, and I try to be as diverse as possible - so I have no limits on genres or styles. Over the years, I have covered about every genre I know of and a few I didn't even know about. And I love hearing new things.

Here you will find a fair amount of "Americanaish" music - roots-influenced, blues, folk, country. But, you will also hear punk, metal, experimental, hip-hop, shoegaze, shitgaze, power pop, rock (of various flavors), electronic music, instrumental music (of various flavors), and more.

I believe in connections - both obvious and obscure.  I tend to focus on more under-the-radar type artists. Lately, I have had the good fortune to get some new music from higher-profile artists (at least in my limited realm).

Oh, and I create a YouTube playlist to match each day's shuffle.  The purpose is not specifically to showcase music videos, but it provides a simple for readers to stream the music they are reading about.  I used to be able to embed the Video Playlist directly into my post, but You Tube "improved" that feature away, so now I provide a link.

When I cannot find a video for the specific song featured, I try to substitute a relevant video by the same artist.  When possible, if a video for the song is not found, but I can find a link to stream the song being featured, I will include that in my post (like I did today) 

That's enough... let's shuffle!

Rare Saturday Shuffle - Heart of a Saturday Afternoon Mix

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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.

Trending Tuesday Morning Shuffle - Ignite Albania Mix

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Okay... so I had a long commute to a training class, and I am pressed for time... so I am going to have to be very brief with my descriptions (especially on artist I've written about before and recently).  It will be the same tomorrow....


Here goes...  Sorry to be so brief... more on all of these artist/albums later.

Featured Friday Morning Shuffle - Feedback Downerzzz Mix

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Well, we've reached the end of another work week and another week of shuffles.  I haven't had a normal five day work week in almost a month, and I am going to be taking some time off at the end of January, first part of February - more on that later....

I've been thinking about E2TG quite a bit. It has been a part of my life for going on seven years. In the beginning, I stated a philosophy and even though much has changed in those seven years, I still try to stick as close to that philosophy.  I recognized early one that I could never "compete" with some of major music sites in terms of covering all the "hot" or "hip" or whatever music. So, I set my sights on featuring music you may not be reading about in those brand x blogs. What that has meant has changed somewhat but not entirely. In recent months, I have had the opportunity to feature some artists that would have never thought possible before.

What thrills me more than anything is the diversity of music that I am able to feature and write about. For me, that is more than a philosophy or modus operandi, it is an imperative. Since I first got interested in music, I have had an almost insatiable appetite for more and different music - always aware of the sometimes obscure thread that runs through it all.

With that being said (whatever it was I said), I have a wonderful and diverse set of songs that came up randomly in my shuffle of my new music playlist. Yesterday - there were only six songs in the shuffle - today, we have twelve.