E2TG 11/9/2021 - Tuesday is Today - Power from Below Mix (Mad Smiles Remix)

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The archive for today's Ear to the Ground radio show is not yet available, but here is the playlist:

6:02am Sonny Boy by Owsley on Owsley (Giant)

6:02am Thank God They Closed the Honky Tonks (feat. Timbo) by Mick Mullin on Mullin’ It Over (Mick Mullin)

6:05am Room To Breathe by Zach Russell on In Between – EP (Oso Amarillo Records)

6:10am Out of the Ether by Golden and Rust on Golden and Rust (Golden and Rust)

6:15am Blue, Blue, Blue by Noel McKay on Blue Blue Blue (Noel McKay)

6:19am Smoke and Mirrors by Stash on Stash (Walk the Walk) (Ted Russell Kamp / PoMo Records)

6:23am Walk to the River (feat. Hannah Halford) by Jeffrey Halford and The Healers on Walk to the River (feat. Hannah Halford) – Single (Floating Records)

6:30am ROMP Theme by Tramp on ROMP Theme – Single (Tramp Camp)

6:31am Klara Stjärnor by Georg Nielsen on Klara Stjärnor – Single (Georg Nielsen)

6:32am Wash by Calexico on Luz de Vida II: A Compilation to Benefit Homicide Survivors (Fort Lowell Records)

6:35am False Positive by The Acharis on Blue Sky / Grey Heaven (Zum)

6:39am Walk in the Park by Inca Babies on Walk in the Park – Single (Black Lagoon Records)

6:45am Memory Box by Rodney Cromwell on Memory Box – Single (Happy Robots Records)

6:48am Never Less Than Lonely by Lusitanian Ghosts on Never Less Than Lonely – EP (European Phonographic)

6:51am Hammered in an Airport by Spray on AnalogueTrash: Label Sampler, Vol. 5 (AnalogueTrash Records)

6:56am Nagu by Sam Redmore on Nagu – Single (Jalapeno Records)

Reminder - please check out this week's Featured Friday Playlist... 

Today's shuffle is below the jump. 

 

    Featured Friday Playlist

E2TG 9/02/2021 - Here We Are, Entertain Us - Pueblo Dust Mix (Out of the Blue Remix)

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I need some music.  Let's go... 

A new Featured Friday Playlist is coming at you tonight. 

Featured Friday Playlist recap (Part 5 - A Journey's End) (songs 25-28)

25. "Aloha" by CoCo Zandi

First up, we have a track from the just released As Simple as a Dream album by CoCo Zandi of Wild Child.

26. "Visions" by Jack Wakeman & The Dreamstriders

Next up, we have the debut single from this UK singer-songwriter and his band.

27. "Something in the Way" by Ari Vais & The Campbell Apartment

Next up, we have a compilation that marks the culmination of over 35 years of making music by this singer-songwriter who was born is Moscow who later settled in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

28. "Other Eden" by Ada Moreau

And, we close out the segment and the playlist with this recent single from the half Polish, half Dutch artist who is currently based in Stockholm, Sweden. 

         

    Featured Friday Playlist

E2TG 8/4/2021 - Ready Set - Polestar Mix (Kong Remix)

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Half-way through the week... on we go... 

Featured Friday Playlist recap (part 4) (songs 18-21):

18. "You Still Mean Too Much To Me" by Pink Turns Blue

First up, we have the latest single from this German post punk band - named after a Husker Du song. 

19. "Dirty Cheap Hotel" by Abe Grossman

Next up, we have the recent single from this L.A. based singer-songwriter. 

20. "My Mercedes" by Jango Flash

Next, the new single from this New Castle based band. 

21. "If the Day Comes" by Andre Paraguassu

And finally, we have the new single from this Portland based singer-songwriter - of the band Book of Colors. 

 

    Featured Friday Playlist

E2TG 5/4/2021 - A Decade or So - Blinkered Mix (Sunny Afternoon Remix)

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Some days, I think about why I have been able to continue E2TG for nearly a decade - when so many excellent blogs have ended or faded after a much short time. Besides my joke answers (stubbornness, not having an escape plan), the real answer, I think is doing it almost every day - even when I don't want to.  There have been days, of course, when I wasn't able to write, but I never didn't write just because I didn't feel like it.  I guess it is like other things (some good habits I need to work on)  - you just put one foot in front of the other (write one blog post after another) and ten years have passed. 

Featured Friday Playlist Part 3 (Songs 23-30):

23. "SPARKLEBLOOD" by kissdoomfate

The sensual French duo, kissdoomfate return with a new single and a crowdfunding effort to produce videos for their EP #2.  A great way to kick off this segment of music.

24. "You Got It" by Scott Standley

Scott Standley is an Austin Texas native who has been living between Austin, Chicago, and Seattle for the last decade will be releasing his debut album Victoria and we have a single from that album.  The album is named for the town in Texas where he first heard grandparents playing music and where he first played along. 

25. "I Won't Do Anything" by Rory D'Lasnow

Next up, we have a great new single from this New Jersey singer-songwriter. Cool tune. He is currently working on his 3rd EP. 

26. "The Day Called X" by Broken Links

Next up, we have a track from Conflict:State the new album from the 3-piece UK alt-rock band. Great stuff. 

27. "8teen" by Kind Villain

Next up, we have a cover of Khalid's 2017 "8teen" from Kind Villain - which was founded by the artist Ev V Frederick. 

28. "Cognitive Dissonance" by Swim the Current

New Jersey band Swim the Current bring the heaviness to their recent single.  A wonderful change of pace for the playlist. 

29. "Light Up the Sky" by The Legal Matters

Next up, we have the lead track from Chapter Three by this rocking pop band from Michigan.  Really dig this. 

30. "Hipsterboy" by The Chickenbackers

And we close with some awesome Merseybeat sounds from Madrid.  Yeh Right, Yeah! was released in 2019, but until now was only available on vinyl - check this out and try not the dig it. 

 

    Featured Friday Playlist

E2TG 4/21/2021 - Two Weeks Out and Mid-Week Blahs - Al Gore Rhythms Mix (Much to Do Remix)

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I am now two weeks out from my 2nd vaccine injection which means I am now considered immune.  I will still wear a mask when I am in public and still maintain social distancing as best I can - because it is what the scientist recommend and because I care about my fellow humans.

Featured Friday Playlist recap Part 4 (songs 36-44):

36. "Number 4" by Nouhi's Nomad

We start off this segment of music with the single from the debut self-titled album by this Iranian-American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist based in NYC whose music incorporates rock, classical, and Persian influences.

37. "Fuel on the Fire" by Ali in the Jungle

Next up, we have the new single from this UK band who combine multiple influences and some bold and innovative instrumentation to create something truly unique and original.

38. "The Edge of the World" by Du Glas

We have another UK band - this one from West Cornwall with the title track from their forthcoming album (due May 1). The song is inspired by the breathtaking landscape around their hometown and the music is suitably majestic and the vocals are otherworldly. 

39. "Lock Down - Radio Edit" by Foxy Mammals

Next up, we have a track by this band that formed in 2018 and features members from the UK, France, and Spain. It is a powerhouse rock song about the lock down - elevated by the sonic energy of the music and vocals. 

40. "Chorus of Lists" by Jim McCulloch

Next, we have the second single from the forthcoming solo debut from Scottish singer-songwriter Jim McCulloch (BMX Bandits, Soup Dragons). I like this song quite a bit. Check it out.

41. "My Whiskey Life" by West of Texas

California's West of Texas (led by Jerry Zinn) brings some real deal honky tonk country music with his new album Heartache, Hangovers & Honky Tonks. The album is a decade in the making - beginning as a three song EP in 2010 before health issues sidelined Zinn for some time. The quarantine provided the time for Zinn to complete the album which was co-produced and engineered by Rich McCulley and features a great line-up of California country musicians. 

42. "Hot Diggity" by Kirk Nelson & Jambalaya West

Some New Orleans-inspired sounds from California - the new album is called Lagniappe. Kirk Nelson and the band brings some impressive credentials to the table to create music that makes me want to drink Hurricanes and stroll through the Quarter.

43. "Better Off" by Post Profit

Next up, we have the second single from this alternative rock band from Longview, Texas. The band is readying their debut album When You Think It's Right, It's Always Wrong. A great modern rock song. 

44. "Headlock" by Troy Bentley

And we close this segment of music with the title track from the new album from UK artist Pete Bentley who records as Troy Bentley (Troy being his mother's maiden name). The album features contributions from Bentley's siblings Tony and Kathy. Multi-layered music that sounds fantastic. 

    Featured Friday Playlist

E2TG 4/6/2021 - In Passing - Can't Dance Mix (Lude Dub Remix)

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"Life is passing me by", "Thanks, but I'll pass", "I passed the test", "I can pass as intelligent", "I don't need a ticket, I have a pass"... English is an interesting language - how one word can have multiple meanings which have to be discerned by their context. 

Just a random thought but it got me thinking about communication and how words and expressions can develop and change over time and by generation or geographic or cultural groups.  How every generation of young people comes up with new expressions - almost a new language that confounds and sometimes annoys the previous generation.  And some new expressions stick and reach the mainstream and other words and phrases and usages fade into obscurity.  

It is also an international phenomenon. In the English speaking world - UK vs. US for example - there are different words for somethings and also - the same but different generational things occur.  It really is amazing that we can communicate. 

And sometimes, someone's speaking or writing can be so filled with idioms and grammatical variations (errors) that the meaning can become obscured - and in order to interpret it becomes a lesson in linguistics. Sometimes, I wish I had a Star Trek Universal Translator for people who are theoretically speaking the same language as me. 

I am not sure why I am thinking about all this...  tangential to all this talk of language and expressions are the general communication issues we all face. I think about e-mails I get for new releases and how sometimes the information I think would be the most important is either omitted or buried in the text (like release date, album title, etc.)

Anyway - onward...   

On we go with the Featured Friday Recap... today songs 27-36:

 

27. "Military Man" by The Rose Petals

Track from the forthcoming debut album (American Grenadine - April 23) by this folk rock duo from Portland, Maine.  We previously featured two separate singles by the band members Peter Donovan and Elijah Ocean. 

28. "Stranger Among Friends" by  Distant Voices

Next up, we have a track from the debut album by UK artist Valdis Stekelis who records as Distant Voices. Long Road to Home is out now. We previously featured an earlier single from teh album. 

29. "Friends" by Vinok

Next up, we have a cool recent single from the Ukrainian/American band who are based in Kiev. Great stuff. 

30. "Things You Said" by Griff Clawson

Next up, we have the latest single from Southern California singer-songwriter Griff Clawson.  We have featured earlier tracks by him, and this latest is really good. 

31. "Mr. Danger" by The L.A. Maybe

Next up, we have some stunning hard rock from this band from the Carolinas. Wonderful grooves here - brought to my mind AC/DC - but not derivative at all. 

32. "Tequila Kisses" by Jon Randall

Singer-songwriter Jon Randall has had a successful career as a songwriter, musician, and producer. He won a Grammy award as part of Emmylou Harris' Nash Ramblers.  His new EP Neon Texas  pays tribute to his Texas roots. 

33. "Post" by Casey Wickstrom; Taylor Rae

Next up, we have a new recording of a song first recorded 10 years ago. Casey Wickstrom is a California based artist and Taylor Rae is a California native now based in Austin. This new recording was backed by a Kickstarter Campaign, and it is a really beautiful and catchy song. Check it out. 

34. "Go Greta" by Sunstroke Rain

Next up, we have a wonderful new single from Swedish visionary artist Sunstroke Rain (the name is an anagram from Karin Turesson - who has worked with numerous Swedish artists including Robyn).  

35. "You Can't Love Me Like I Loved You" by Layla Frankel

Next, we have a single from Nashville-based singer-songwriter Layla Frankel.  It is from her forthcoming Postcards from the Moon which will be out May 1.  She is backed by some top Nashville session musicians on this track. I like it a lot. 

36. "Pushing Me Away" by Mike Donehey

Mike Donehey is best known as the lead vocalist and guitarist for the Dove award-winning Tenth Avenue North.  He is also the brother of Kanene Donehey Pipkin of The Lone Bellow. His new solo effort features a cosmic country feel. His new three-track release A Father & Two Sons is based upon the parable of the Prodigal Son - which each track representing a different character from the parable.  A great way to close out this segment of music.

 

    Featured Friday Playlist

E2TG 2/16/2021 - Ice and Snow and Life - Long Time Gone Mix (Liverwurst Remix)

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I have always tended to like snow and icy weather. When I was a kid, it meant we were out of school and I loved playing in the snow. I guess, overall, I still do like snow- at least in theory and at least when I can stay warm inside and watch it... but I really don't like the cold or the inconvenience of it all - places closed, roads dangerous, people dangerous.  But, lately, here in Nashville, we don't get much snow, so it is kind of exciting - at least at first. 

This particular winter weather event is, I guess, a little more annoying that usual. This is supposed to be my week to "get on with life" and the snow and ice makes it feel like I am being hampered from getting on with life... 

Featured Friday Playlist (Songs 12-15)

12. "Better Days" by Jennifer Tefft

The new single from this singer-songwriter based in New England. Tefft is a cancer survivor who underwent an unexpected divorce and was just emerging into a new life of teaching music and touring around New England when the pandemic hit. This beautiful song is her response and it offers hope to many of us who have faced our own versions of her story. 

13. "Waiting on You Tonight" by Beth Lee

The debut solo album from this Austin, Texas based singer-songwriter who has released albums previously with Beth Lee & the Breakups.  This album was recorded in the East Bay area of California. Wonderful stuff. 

14. "Stars" by Brian Falduto

Next up, we have a recent single from NYC based queer country singer-songwriter Brian Falduto. A great introduction to this artist. 

15. "WFTWTE" by Arrlo

 We close out this segment of music with a recent single from this Riverside, CA indie band which is fronted by transgender male singer-songwriter Sunni Suede. An awesome song and a great way to close out this part of the playlist. 

 

    Featured Friday Playlist

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