Building a Dream - E2TG Song Premiere: "40 Miles" by Zachariah Red

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The classic Nashville story - I mean the real one not the fantasy - is this: talented musician moves to Nashville to pursue his or her dream - only to be chewed up by the big machine, disillusioned, and sent packing.  That is the "old Nashville" and maybe it is all too often the "new Nashville", but there are new stories being written and word is getting out.

Many of these new stories are being played out on the east side of the Cumberland River.  The East Nashville mystique is far from a new thing, and to hear some tell it, it may be in its dying days.  But the new stories are still being written and new songs are being sung, and people are listening.

Zachariah Red is one of those new Nashville stories.  Zach came to East Nashville a little of a year ago with not a little talent and some pretty solid music credentials from his hometown of Racine, Wisconsin.

East Nashville is not a place that is short on talent.  Take a walk to the corner bar, and you more than likely will see someone who played on a record you love. Go to a coffee shop - pretty much any coffee shop - and chances are pretty good that 90% of the people in the place are musicians and that includes the baristas.

The old Nashville story was about competition, but it seems like this new Nashville story is more about cooperation and collaboration, and in the midst of those two things it is more importantly about creative people pushing each other to be better.

Zachariah Red is a carpenter by trade - from a long line of carpenters. Building things is in his blood. Music is in his heart. So how does a carpenter from Racine, Wisconsin go about building a dream in music in East Nashville, TN?

Now, this writer does not know much about building things, but what I do know is that to build something of quality you begin with quality parts and you build brick by brick, board by board. I also know that it takes well crafted skills and it usually takes more than one person.

Zachariah Red is releasing a brand new single today called, "40 Miles".  Having followed Zach for a bit over a year, when I first heard this song, the word that came to my mind is growth. I have been impressed by Zach's songs and voice since I first heard him, but listening to "40 Miles" it became clear that he has been hard at work and he has been building something remarkable adding parts and working with skilled people.

Ah yeah, that East Nashville story... over the last year or so, I have met some incredibly talented people who have been doing some amazing things. But, I have seen something else, I have seen these talented people get even better at what they do. I've seen it happen for everyone from veteran musicians with long, distinguished careers to young people just beginning their musical journeys. And, I have seen it happen for Zachariah Red.  "40 Miles" is pure Mid West, Blue Collar American Music. It drips with the blood sweat and tears of its characters and of its creator. This is not manufactured Country/Rock music - it is as real as it gets and it has been built brick by brick, and to that point, it is a brick in and of itself, and I for one cannot wait to see what Zachariah Red will build next.

Thursday Morning Music Shuffle - Time Heals, Time Forgets Mix

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Time rolls on, and suddenly it is Thursday - that means tonight is Week 2 of the Campfire Propaganda residency at The 5 Spot, followed by Coverfest at The Basement East.

Shuffle time!

Wednesday Morning Music Shuffle - Dark Empty Places Mix

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Back after a day off... Feeling a bit overwhelmed by a lot of things... let's listen to music!

Monday Morning Music Shuffle - Set the Dial to Black and White Mix

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Still reeling from Saturday night's Raging Fire reunion at Exit/In.  So many memories stirred, the band sounded so good, and the songs were still as awesome as always.  My (perhaps) unique perspective.  I was a huge fan of the Nashville music scene in the mid to late 1980s, but just a fan and mostly at a distance.  I only made it to Nashville on the rare occasion I could round up people to go with me. I was lucky enough to see some of the great bands of  that era, but I didn't know anybody.

That being said, the music was important to me, and WRVU and The Metro and later Fireplace Whiskey Journal were my lifelines.  So, it was a pretty cool experience to be at this show and to actually know some of the people involved.  And speaking of WRVU, when Adam Dread fist bumped me during the Raging Fire set... my eighteen/nineteen year old self suddenly felt very cool.

And to be redundant, Raging Fire absolutely killed it. Melora Zaner is still one of the best and sexiest rock vocalist around, Mark Medley kept the whole thing in perfect time, bassists John Reed, Les Shields (and the other one I didn't know) were awesome.  The very large shoes of the late Michael Godsey were filled by not one but two of the scenes very best - Joe Blanton (The Enemy, Royal Court of China, The Bluefields) and Jeff Cease (Rumble Circus, Black Crowes). They were perfect for the role, having known Michael and having been present...

We jump into a Monday Morning shuffle....

Featured Friday Morning Music Shuffle - Palindromatic Mix

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Pardon my English, but screw 1,000 posts.  1001 is where it is at... plus it is a palindrome.

So, last night was the first of five weeks of  Campfire Propaganda's residency at The 5 Spot in East Nashville. It was a wonderful celebration of songs and songwriters.  Tim Easton, who is always wonderful, the awesome Megan Palmer, guests from Oklahoma - John Calvin Abney and Levi Parham), Nellie Clay, and Darrin Bradbury.  For the rest of the Thursday's in October 6p.m. to 8p.m. The 5 Spot is the place to be...

Thursday Morning Music Shuffle - Why? 1K Mix

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I'm not sure what it is about round numbers... zero is a round number.  We all seem to like lots of zeros.  Why zero? Why not nine? or eight?  Ah well, who am I to blow against the wind?

So this is post number 1000* for Ear to the Ground.  Quite a milestone, I suppose, and I am really thankful for everyone who has read, shared, commented over the years. I am been introduced to a lot of great music and met a bunch of really awesome people as a result of this blog. I certainly did not expect that happen when I began.  I mean I hoped someone, somewhere would read theses rambling posts, but it has been a great ride so far.

*1000 posts on Blogger.  The first six or seven months of Ear to the Ground were on Posterous. A few entries were cross-posted but some were not.

Ear to the Ground is for one thing, a way for me to share my experiences with the music of my life.  From the beginning, I knew that I could not cover all of the music being made - that I would  not compete with the Brand-X music blogs with their top ten lists and clickbait headlines... In my daily shuffle, I strive to keep a good mix of old and new music from a variety of genres and movements. 

I cannot really say for sure why music has become such an important part of my life. I just remember the joy of discovery I experienced when music like Velvet Underground or The Jam or The Clash or Bob Dylan or Bruce Springsteen first came into my consciousness.   Music is filled with connections and if you follow those connections you often are lead down rabbit holes and find yourself in places you never could have expected. I think life can be like that, too. I hope I never lose that spirit of discovery - again. I lost it once, and I was lucky enough to have it revived.

Been in a nostalgic mood... last night I took the Music City Roots bus from The 5 Spot in East Nashville to The Factory in Franklin for a special Music City Roots show. It was a benefit from Tommy Womack who was seriously injured in an automobile accident earlier this year. The show was filled with iconic figures from the Nashville Rock music world that I first experienced (from the perimeter) back in the mid to late 1980s.  Dan Baird opened his set with "Keep Your Hands to Yourself" which became a massive hit single for Baird's old band, The Georgia Satellites. Beginning in February 1985 and ending sometime in early 1993, I kept a journal which basically would have probably been a blog or at least a Livejournal in a later time.  Just random thoughts, and I quoted song lyrics quite often.  From the moment I first heard, "Keep Your Hands to Yourself" - it made it's way into my brain and I quoted it often in my journal. It was almost surreal watching the song move from this (sort of) local college radio song to the top part of the nationwide singles charts.  Dan's set included material from his brand new record as well as a way too cover of Springsteen's "Johnny 99" from Nebraska - which by the way was the first album I ever bought on CD.

Webb Wilder - so many great shows over the years, and his set was filled with songs from his brand new album.  Will Kimbrough - I remember a sput-of -the-moment drive to Nashville with my friend Boyd to see Will's old band Will and the Bushmen. I remember Bill Lloyd joining them on stage that night.  Lloyd was there, too last night. 

Jason and the Scorchers tore up the stage and 30 something years later - Jason Ringenberg and Warner Hodges still defy gravity and still careen around the stage like an out of control whirling dervish. I first saw the Scorchers live almost exactly 30 years (give or take a few weeks) ago, and "Broken Whiskey Glass" still gets me every time.

So - let's get on with our shuffle for post number 1000.  It isn't a shuffle of a specially prepared playlist.. like almost all of my posts - the music player shuffle  picked the tunes and placed them in a certain order... and here we go.


"The Return of Jimi Hendrix" by The Waterboys

I love music that references other artists and their music.  I love songs that are about dreams. I love The Waterboys and I love Jimi Hendrix.  This song is from The Waterboys 1993 album Dream Harder and the version I heard was from the 2005 live album Karma to Burn.

"The Old and the Young" by Midlake

Midlake are a folk band from Denton Texas.  This song is from their fourth and most recent studio album Antiphon.

"All Along the Watchtower" by The Jimi Hendrix Experience

Speaking of Hendrix... the recording I heard was from the Atlanta Pop Festival in 1970.  Bob Dylan has indicated that when he plays this song (which Dylan wrote) he performs it as a cover of the Hendrix version.

"Enjoy the Rise" by Saint Cole

We have a sneak peak of from forthcoming album Within the Skin from this electronic dance/indie pop band from the UK.  Great sounding, accessible electronic music.

"Waterfalls" by Crow and the Canyon

Crow and the Canyon are an acoustic folk band from Portland, Oregon.  I love this song.

"Hoka Hey" by Dan Martin

We close out this milestone post with the opening and title track off the current album by Oklahoma musician Dan Martin. Maybe my favorite song on the album, and I dig all the songs from Hoka Hey - the album.

VIDEO PLAYLIST

            

Wednesday Morning Music Shuffle - Sparkle Gone Mix

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Tonight on a very special episode of Music City Roots... Really looking forward to tonight's benefit show for Tommy Womack.  A rare Nashville area appearance of Jason and the Scorchers, Webb Wilder and the Beatnecks, Will Kimbrough, Dan Baird and more guests... If you can't be there, you can watch the livestream.

After that it is Aaron Lee  Tasjan, Nellie Clay, John Calvin Abney, and Levi Parham at The 5 Spot- where conveniently, the Roots bus will drop me off.