E2TG 1/14/2020 - Happy Birthday to Me and to You - True North Mix (Legs Remix)

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Annual video post!

A good reminder last night of the wealth of talent we have in this city.  Madison Guild Monday is a weekly showcase of songwriters at red hot Madison bar, Dee's Country Cocktail Lounge. Last night's edition featured Javi Jones (of The Big Dumb), Steve Knudson, Val Levine, Paisley Field, Luella (in a rare solo set), and Maynard and the Musties. 2017 E2TG Artist of the Year, Rayvon Pettis was in the house as was Rocky Bottom (and probably others).  Nice way to spend a Monday night.

Tonight, I will be celebrating my birthday at The 5 Spot beginning with the early set by India Ramey with guest Wild Ponies, Tim Easton, and more.  Followed by $2 Tuesday hosted by and featuring Derek Hoke with Anana Kaye and much more. I hope to see some Nashville folks out and about. 

On with the shuffle!

    Featured Friday Playlist

E2TG 1/13/2020 - Music City Monday and More - Side of The Road Mix (Side of the Road Remix)

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I hope everyone had a good weekend. We are back, and today mark's the return of Music City Monday.  To refresh your memory. This is a massive, every expanding playlist of new and not-so-new songs by artists with a connection to Nashville (and occasionally artist who I thought had a connection to Nashville but didn't - oops!).  The Shuffle is below.

Some notes about this new incarnation of E2TG: 

1. Show listings: I have attempted, in the past, to compile a gig guide/concert calendar, whatever, and found it was too daunting a task.  Typically, I highlight upcoming events that are on my mind. If you want an event featured, please e-mail me at e2tgmusic@gmail.com and I will do what I can. Provide as much information as you can (Who, what, when, where, how much, what time etc.) and a graphic if you have one.

2. Featured Friday: A Spotify Playlist that refreshes every week - updates usually on Friday. Please follow. Basically, a compilation of new and recently released music that has caught my attention.

3. Release listing: This is a non-comprehensive list of recent, current, and upcoming releases (singles, EPs, and LPs).  If your release is not listed (even I have know you very well) e-mail me at e2tgmusic@gmail.com with the name and release date. If you have a preferred link - send me that. 
I compiled the list from recent e-mails and then have been adding releases as they occur to me. I plan to add links (if available) soon. Eventually, I will start rotating off the older "recent" releases, but right now, I am catching up from the end of the year. I also will likely started adding some sort of commentary/mini-review (but not really)/information about some of the releases.


Events of Note: 

Tonight, Madison Guild Monday at Dee's Country Cocktail Lounge will be hosted by Maynard and the Musties and featuring Javi Jones (of The Big Dumb), Steve Knudson, Val Levine, Paisley Fields, Luella, and more.

Tomorrow night is my birthday, and I will celebrating at The 5 Spot.  The early show is week two of the India Ramey Residency with Tim Easton, Wild Ponies, and a Special Surprise Guest.  $2 Tuesday follows with Anana Kaye, Derek Hoke and ? (but it is always a wonderful lineup). Come hang with me if you are in town.

Album cover of Bob Lewis' End of an Error

    Featured Friday Playlist

E2TG 1/10/2020 - Band of the Year - Featured Friday - Mr. Pepper Mix (Happy Remix)

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WELCOME TO E2TG V3.0

I guess call this the soft launch - trial run - pilot program for E2TG v3.0.  Today, we are introducing two new features.  First is the Featured Friday Playlist from Spotify.  It is a playlist of recent and current music that has our attention. The list will "refresh" every Friday (give or take), so place Follow the playlist or check in here. The embed will be posted every day in case you miss it.

Next, we have our listing of Recent, Current and Upcoming Releases (singles, EPs, and LPs).  This will be our primary means of spotlighting new releases. Expect some commentary to be added periodically.  Please note: this is a work-in-progress.  I went through e-mail submissions to compile this list then added some others that I learned about from other sources.  This listing will be posted daily and updated regularly.  So, if you don't see your release listed, please let me know and I will add. it.

The Shuffle has always and will always be a centerpiece of the E2TG experience. I am no longer using it has the primary means of featuring new releases. Tuesday-Friday will be akin to the old "Wild Wednesday" shuffle. New music received will be added to my phone and I will shuffle from all of the saved music.  Monday will continue to be shuffled from the Music City Monday Spotify Playlist. 

Whew!  Don't try to remember. Just enjoy.


INTRODUCING THE 2019 E2TG BAND OF THE YEAR!

As we prepare to rush headlong into the new frontier of 2020 and E2TG V3.0, we have one last piece of unfinished business from 2019.  Yesterday, we name Darrin Bradbury as our Artist of the Year. For a time, I had someone else in mind for that award, however, fortunately, that individual gave his band a name, and so made them eligible (according to my non-existent rules) for the Band of the Year honors. It is appropriate.

From the first time, I saw Ryan Sobb, I was blown away by his songwriting.  Smart, funny, deep, and unlike anything I had heard.  Eventually, he started playing with a band and putting some amazing songs into a high energy, power popish package. Over the course of 2019, the band has gotten better and better.  They are a tight unit, but still manage to feel slightly out of control and loose (in the best way possible).  They are a true power trio in the long and storied history of that combination.  Chase Ballenger and Preston Cochran make a wonderful rhythm section that give further grounding to Sobb's songs that didn't seem to need grounding.

When singer-songwriters form a band, sometimes, the intimacy of the songs can get lost, but that never seems to happen with this band. Credit goes to Ryan Sobb whose delivery keeps the song at the forefront, and to Ballenger and Cochran who find their groove within the context of the song.

Ryan Sobb released a single, and a split "live" album with one-time E2TG Artist of the Year Rayvon Pettis.  Word is that he has an EP coming in 2020.

And so, it is with great pleasure and high hopes, that I officially name, Ryan Sobb and The Dead Mall as E2TG's 2019 Band of the Year!

    Featured Friday Playlist

E2TG 1/9/2020: 2019 Artist of the Year and more - Good Times Mix (Revolution Remix)

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Beach Notes 1-8-2020

The first ever Decline of Southern Civilization was a success.  Musical performances by Slump Test (Ben Douglas, Twon, and Ryan Dishen), Jibber Jabber, and Stuck Lucky, plus the comedy stylings of Shakes.  Plus, Slump Test opened with a theme song for the show featuring guests Joe Lekkas and some of the Nashville Horns (include Diego on trombone).  Lots of good punk rock music. Met two people, a young bass player new to town from Monterey, California - it was his birthday and a DJ from Australia who plays punk, post-punk, and garage on a station very similar to WXNA (she was with Nashville and Australia musician and DJ Anne McCue). I believe it is going to be a monthly thing, and I can't wait until the next one.

Slump Test (photo by Me)

2019 E2TG Artist of the Year (Golden Earie Award - Part 1)

My decision to make some changes to E2TG for 2020 and my thoughts and thinking about that led me to change how I approached the end of 2019.  From deciding not to hand out or at least name tons of Earie Award winners to my approach to the Artist and/or Band of the Year. Honestly, I think this decision will vary every year based upon circumstances.

In the history of E2TG (8 and a half years or so), we have never awarded Band/Artist of the Year to the same person*.  (*Ugggy won Band of the Year with Valued Customer and then Artist of Year solo (but he had to release new music every month for a year to accomplish that).  Well, that is about change. When I looked over 2019 (where there were a ton of great releases and a bunch of new music from people I adore), at first I was unsure of what I was going to do, but I kept coming back to one person.  If you read E2TG, this will likely not be a surprise. On January 14, 2019, he officially announced that he had signed with ANTI Records.  His year was one of changes and challenges. In midst of all that he released an album which I named as my favorite album of the year on WXNA's website. He completed his first ever tour of England and Norway (in spite of an intense dislike of flying). He toured with some big names in the Americana world, and he had a triumphant showcase at Americana Music Festival.  Of course, I am talking about Darrin Bradbury who released Talking Dogs and Atom Bombs in 2019.

Regular readers know of his importance to this blog. He was our Artist of the Year in 2014 - the year he began to be established in Nashville (he arrived in November of 2013). He champions other songwriters (I can scarcely count the number of people I have met directly or indirectly because of Darrin).  On a personal note, I made a friend when I met Darrin. But it is this most recent year, and the future which earned him this year's Artist of the Year title.  Since, I have been naming Artist/Band of the Year, the award has always represented a recognition of the accomplishments for the year just ending and the promise of the year just starting.  Based upon the post Talking Dogs... songs that I have heard, I am excited to see what comes next for Darrin Bradbury.

                                          Talking Dogs and Atom Bombs Album Cover                    Darrin Bradbury (Facebook Profile Picture)


Here is today's shuffle from all the songs on my phone....

E2TG 1-8-2020: New Face ingénue Decline - Red Dress Mix (Call Me If You Want To Remix)

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I am back!  We have some information to pass along, and a shuffle of new and older music. And more!

Last night, I made it back into town in time to head over to The Basement (OG) where Mike Grimes himself was running New Faces night.  It was a great night with performances by E2TG favorites Josh Gray and Jason Erie and the first ever live performance by Dirt Reynolds - which is the new band led by Chris Watts which features Jason Paradise on guitar, Ryan Dishen on drums, and our old friend Drew Kohl on bass.

Tonight is the premiere edition of a new series at The 5 Spot - featuring punk rock music and other similar types of music.  Slump Test will be heading up a great line-up - including Jibber-Jabber and Stuck Lucky.  Shakes will be emceeing the event and is sure to have some words to say about the last Slump Test show that I saw which found Ben Douglas shedding his shirt.

We finally have the cover art, album name, and the release date to report for Kristen Englenz' new album.  ingénue will be out 2/28/2020.  I can't wait!

Before we go any farther, I wanted to give a shout out and a special Earie Award to the bands who played this year's E2TG Residency.  The residency was late this year (September and October), and it almost didn't happen, but it did, and I am grateful for everyone who came out and supported live music in Nashville.

Thanks and an Earie to Ben Arthur, Conrad y Skordalia, Don Gallardo and How Far West, Ryan Sobb and the Dead Mall, The Truehearts, Jason Erie, Josh Gray, Meghan Hayes, The Big Dumb, and Microwave Mountain.  And course I can't forget The 5 Spot - thanks and an Earie to you, too.

I am still getting organized for 2020. I will have more Earie awards to give out tomorrow and Friday. 

Look forward to a "Featured" spotify playlist, a listing of new and forthcoming albums, upcoming show alerts and more. Coming soon to an E2TG near you.  Today's shuffle is taken from all the songs saved to my phone.   

E2TG 2019 Recap - Part 15 - Days Inn Mix (Snowbound Remix)

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If I was in town Saturday, I would be checking out this show.  Evan P. Donahue is a long-time Nashville musician - whose many credits include being a founding member of the legendary Diarrhea Planet. If you read E2TG regularly, you already know how I feel about Ryan Sobb and his kick ass band. I don't know Nightingail, but given that they are on this bill, I am going to assume they are awesome.  Check it out!

Well, it is the last post of our 2019 Recap.  So much great music this year.

I have been asked about the Earie Awards.  Last year, I awarded Earies to almost all the artists I featured in my recap. I came up with clever awards for each.  I decided not to do that this year for the sake of time. But, please know that all of the artists features in this 15 recap posts are winners in my eyes.

I will be out Monday and Tuesday, but I will return Wednesday with some special Earies to give out. I close out 2019 feeling fortunate for the music that I have been exposed to, the people I have met, and the experiences I have had. I look forward to 2020 despite the turbulent and quite honestly disheartening times. Music has and will always be my sanctuary and my comfort from situations outside of my control. I have big plans for E2TG in 2020 and some of those plans involve stepping out of my comfort zone.

Here is the final recap post - more great music represented here.

E2TG 2019 Recap - Part 14 - Angst Reflex Mix (Blown Remix)

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Well, 2020 is here, but we got a little behind on the 2019 recap, so we are carrying on for the next couple of days.  We should wrap up the recap tomorrow and then, next week, we have some Earies to give out,  but after that I am ready to jump headlong into the new year!