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Okay... a lot on my mind... the situation in Houston and surrounding areas is still weighing heavy on my mind. And I need to focus my mind more on the ways people are pulling together rather than the people who are tearing us apart.
Meanwhile, the storm itself is heading in our direction - tornado warnings are popping up to the west of Nashville, and heavy, heavy rain is expected over the next day or so. Nothing like what Houston got, but a lot of rain nonetheless.
I did make it to The 5 Spot last night and caught Lottie, the always awesome Levi Parham, and Flying Buffaloes. You may recall we premiered their single "Hey ;-) is for Horses" a little while back. This was my first chance to see them live, and they were great. Props to AGD for putting on a great show and getting a young crowd to an early show at The 5 Spot (I probably bumped the average age up by a good decade or so :-) )
It is Thursday, and as is our want, we offer up "Topical Thursday" and the topic of choice is E2TG - the first six years. A retrospective look at some of the bands/artists we have written about over the life of this blog...
Shuffle up now!
Thursday, August 31, 2017
Wednesday, August 30, 2017
Wild Wednesday Morning Shuffle - Bye Bye Baby Bye Bye Mix
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Continuing to have Texas on my mind. If you want to help and are in Middle Tennessee - here is a local resource to consider. https://www.cfmt.org/story/hurricane-harvey/
The so-called "Nashville Statement" does not represent the city I love.
I am disgusted daily by the behavior, actions, and words of the current occupant of the White House.
I am back after being sick yesterday. I did take the down time to watch the 2016 documentary, Gimme Danger, about The Stooges (directed by one of my faves, Jim Jarmusch). It brought me back to the feeling I had when I first encountered the music of The Stooges. I think Fun House was the first album I heard, and it was one of those watershed musical moments for me. It was interesting to see the kind of haphazard way the band came together and how the chemistry of all the pieces seemed to elevate the others.
It's Wednesday, and I'm just going to jump right into the "Wild Wednesday Shuffle" now...
Be sure to "Like" Ear to the Ground on Facebook!
Continuing to have Texas on my mind. If you want to help and are in Middle Tennessee - here is a local resource to consider. https://www.cfmt.org/story/hurricane-harvey/
The so-called "Nashville Statement" does not represent the city I love.
I am disgusted daily by the behavior, actions, and words of the current occupant of the White House.
I am back after being sick yesterday. I did take the down time to watch the 2016 documentary, Gimme Danger, about The Stooges (directed by one of my faves, Jim Jarmusch). It brought me back to the feeling I had when I first encountered the music of The Stooges. I think Fun House was the first album I heard, and it was one of those watershed musical moments for me. It was interesting to see the kind of haphazard way the band came together and how the chemistry of all the pieces seemed to elevate the others.
It's Wednesday, and I'm just going to jump right into the "Wild Wednesday Shuffle" now...
Monday, August 28, 2017
Music City Monday Morning Shuffle - Both Greasy Mix
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Sending all good thoughts to Texas. Do what you can to help.
Every so often, I look at where I am and think about where I may be going and how to get where I want to be...
That statement can apply to many aspects of my life, but for the purposes of this blog, I am specifically thinking about E2TG. First of all I have to say that this blog has already far exceeded whatever expectations I may have had when I began it. The most important measures are the incredible people I have met and gotten to know.
There is a sense, at least I feel it, that things have to always strive to be bigger and more. Whether it's Facebook "Likes" or page views or more festival attendees or move to bigger venues or whatever... and there is nothing inherently wrong with that, but there is also a reality that I see - that bigger is not necessarily always better (it isn't necessarily worse either) - sometimes bigger is different and the better or worse is relative to your particular point of view...
There was a thought in all this, but I think it got lost some in the web of my mind. E2TG has definitely grown over time - although just by pure numbers it isn't a completely steady growth (up then down then up)... it has definitely changed but not radically. I know that not everyone who used to read this regularly still does but I also know that new readers show up almost every week. I sometimes get big ideas and then can't find the time (or something else) to carry through. I think about changing to get more readers but I quickly lose interest because usually the ideas I get run counter to everything I want E2TG to be. I might go further if I stuck to one genre or style of music and covered it more thoroughly or if I posted lists or went negative*. But none of those of things I really want to do.
*The topic of negative reviews has come up more than once recently. I need to say that I am not against critics writing negative reviews. A well written slam can be great reading, and if I happen to disagree it can force me to think more about why I disagree. The thing is - negative reviews can also be just another tool for increasing viewership. Which is fine, but it's just not what I want to do. I can barely cover all the really good music out there, and I choose not to spend time on music I don't really care about. Again just my choice. Furthermore, E2TG has always been mostly about under-the-radar artists, and when I look at what these artists are up against, I would rather look for the positive. I do think constructive criticism is important to keep an artist growing and I hope those voices continue to get heard.
Bottom line, I am just me. I do this for the love of the music and to keep my fingers moving across the keyboard. I keep my Ear to the Ground, and I am constantly amazed and thrilled by what I hear.
It's Monday and we delve into the Music City Monday shuffle (songs with some sort of connection ot the city where I live):
Be sure to "Like" Ear to the Ground on Facebook!
Sending all good thoughts to Texas. Do what you can to help.
Every so often, I look at where I am and think about where I may be going and how to get where I want to be...
That statement can apply to many aspects of my life, but for the purposes of this blog, I am specifically thinking about E2TG. First of all I have to say that this blog has already far exceeded whatever expectations I may have had when I began it. The most important measures are the incredible people I have met and gotten to know.
There is a sense, at least I feel it, that things have to always strive to be bigger and more. Whether it's Facebook "Likes" or page views or more festival attendees or move to bigger venues or whatever... and there is nothing inherently wrong with that, but there is also a reality that I see - that bigger is not necessarily always better (it isn't necessarily worse either) - sometimes bigger is different and the better or worse is relative to your particular point of view...
There was a thought in all this, but I think it got lost some in the web of my mind. E2TG has definitely grown over time - although just by pure numbers it isn't a completely steady growth (up then down then up)... it has definitely changed but not radically. I know that not everyone who used to read this regularly still does but I also know that new readers show up almost every week. I sometimes get big ideas and then can't find the time (or something else) to carry through. I think about changing to get more readers but I quickly lose interest because usually the ideas I get run counter to everything I want E2TG to be. I might go further if I stuck to one genre or style of music and covered it more thoroughly or if I posted lists or went negative*. But none of those of things I really want to do.
*The topic of negative reviews has come up more than once recently. I need to say that I am not against critics writing negative reviews. A well written slam can be great reading, and if I happen to disagree it can force me to think more about why I disagree. The thing is - negative reviews can also be just another tool for increasing viewership. Which is fine, but it's just not what I want to do. I can barely cover all the really good music out there, and I choose not to spend time on music I don't really care about. Again just my choice. Furthermore, E2TG has always been mostly about under-the-radar artists, and when I look at what these artists are up against, I would rather look for the positive. I do think constructive criticism is important to keep an artist growing and I hope those voices continue to get heard.
Bottom line, I am just me. I do this for the love of the music and to keep my fingers moving across the keyboard. I keep my Ear to the Ground, and I am constantly amazed and thrilled by what I hear.
It's Monday and we delve into the Music City Monday shuffle (songs with some sort of connection ot the city where I live):
Friday, August 25, 2017
Featured Friday Morning Shuffle - Name and Game Mix
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To be perfectly honest, I have been a crappy mood most of this week - maybe it is post-eclipse let down or mercury retrograde or something else. Fortunately, I have lived with my brain for long enough to know that this feeling will pass, and to take anything my brain tries to tell me with at least one grain of salt.
The world is a mess. Time, motivation, and inspiration rarely seem to be in alignment (meaning, I will be inspired and/or motivated to do something when I am busy with some obligation and then when I have some free time - the inspiration and motivation cannot be found). Right now, I'm just battling through and putting one foot in front of the other.
Anyway, it is Friday. On Friday, we play songs from the "New Music" playlist... I added over 150 songs to that playlist last night (about a third from one album!). The playlist is up near 500 songs and it may be time for a couple of weeks of just "New Music" shuffles to make some headway. Today, only one of those 150+ additions made it into the shuffle - along with some fairly recent additions and some that have been hanging around for a bit. All in all, a really cool shuffle... enjoy!
Be sure to "Like" Ear to the Ground on Facebook!
To be perfectly honest, I have been a crappy mood most of this week - maybe it is post-eclipse let down or mercury retrograde or something else. Fortunately, I have lived with my brain for long enough to know that this feeling will pass, and to take anything my brain tries to tell me with at least one grain of salt.
The world is a mess. Time, motivation, and inspiration rarely seem to be in alignment (meaning, I will be inspired and/or motivated to do something when I am busy with some obligation and then when I have some free time - the inspiration and motivation cannot be found). Right now, I'm just battling through and putting one foot in front of the other.
Anyway, it is Friday. On Friday, we play songs from the "New Music" playlist... I added over 150 songs to that playlist last night (about a third from one album!). The playlist is up near 500 songs and it may be time for a couple of weeks of just "New Music" shuffles to make some headway. Today, only one of those 150+ additions made it into the shuffle - along with some fairly recent additions and some that have been hanging around for a bit. All in all, a really cool shuffle... enjoy!
Thursday, August 24, 2017
Topical Thursday Morning Shuffle - Nalgas Mix
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Here goes... it's Thursday - this week has kind of flown by... I have quite a bit to say, but eh... I'll stick to music today....
It's Thursday, and I continue my exploration of my specially created E2TG playlist... artists/bands spanning the 6+ year history of my little spot on the web... enjoy!
Be sure to "Like" Ear to the Ground on Facebook!
Here goes... it's Thursday - this week has kind of flown by... I have quite a bit to say, but eh... I'll stick to music today....
It's Thursday, and I continue my exploration of my specially created E2TG playlist... artists/bands spanning the 6+ year history of my little spot on the web... enjoy!
Wednesday, August 23, 2017
Wild Wednesday Morning Shuffle - A Little Patch of Sunlight Mix
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United States Constitution, 25th Amendment:
Section 4. Whenever the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive departments or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall immediately assume the powers and duties of the office as Acting President.
Thereafter, when the President transmits to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives his written declaration that no inability exists, he shall resume the powers and duties of his office unless the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive department or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit within four days to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office. Thereupon Congress shall decide the issue, assembling within forty-eight hours for that purpose if not in session. If the Congress, within twenty-one days after receipt of the latter written declaration, or, if Congress is not in session, within twenty-one days after Congress is required to assemble, determines by two-thirds vote of both Houses that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall continue to discharge the same as Acting President; otherwise, the President shall resume the powers and duties of his office.
*******************************************************************************
Okay - so Wednesday... we shuffle up all the songs on my phone, and things tend to get "Wild". For some reason, I always look forward to Wednesdays. I think it is the unpredictable nature of these shuffles: new music alongside older songs, friends alongside long-time favorites, songs I didn't even know were on my phone, and revisiting albums that had been featured some time back.
Let's go ahead and jump to it!
Be sure to "Like" Ear to the Ground on Facebook!
United States Constitution, 25th Amendment:
Section 4. Whenever the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive departments or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall immediately assume the powers and duties of the office as Acting President.
Thereafter, when the President transmits to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives his written declaration that no inability exists, he shall resume the powers and duties of his office unless the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive department or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit within four days to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office. Thereupon Congress shall decide the issue, assembling within forty-eight hours for that purpose if not in session. If the Congress, within twenty-one days after receipt of the latter written declaration, or, if Congress is not in session, within twenty-one days after Congress is required to assemble, determines by two-thirds vote of both Houses that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall continue to discharge the same as Acting President; otherwise, the President shall resume the powers and duties of his office.
*******************************************************************************
Okay - so Wednesday... we shuffle up all the songs on my phone, and things tend to get "Wild". For some reason, I always look forward to Wednesdays. I think it is the unpredictable nature of these shuffles: new music alongside older songs, friends alongside long-time favorites, songs I didn't even know were on my phone, and revisiting albums that had been featured some time back.
Let's go ahead and jump to it!
Tuesday, August 22, 2017
Trending Tuesday Morning Shuffle - Trick of the Light Mix
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Be sure to "Like" Ear to the Ground on Facebook!
Well - the Great American Eclipse is over... From my vantage point, we had quite a bit of cloud cover. It broke enough to see several points of the waning sun, but we missed seeing the totality. I feel fortunate, though, that I had read something about being attuned to everything going on... so for the two minutes of totality, I noticed the decrease in temperature, I was amazed by the "sunset" effect, and the sounds of cicadas.
Kind of appropriately, I went to the Basement East last night for a tribute to Darkness on the Edge of Town and other Springsteen songs. I have mixed feelings, overall, about tribute shows in general. I think sometimes that there are too many of them, and that I, personally, would rather see original artists doing their own songs. But, I do recognize the economics for venues like The Basement East, and the unfortunate reality that more people attend these type of shows than original music shows. I do also understand from talking to my friends who do these shows that there is a tremendous lift from finding common musical ground with other artists and in collaborating with musicians that you may not otherwise get to work with.
All that being said, the tribute shows I have seen at The Basement East have all been top-notch and loads of fun, and last night's show was one of the best. For starters, the band sounded amazing. Of all the shows like this I have seen, there were probably more singers I was not familiar with vs. those I knew. But, I really didn't care so much because everyone nailed their songs and the songs were the stars. Shout out to Andrew Leahey, Scott McMahan, Lilly Hiatt, Becky Warren, Mary Bragg, and Jon Latham (who stole the show - as he often does).
I could of bits of unsolicited advise from me... make sure you clearly introduce each performer. I know I am a bit of an anomaly, but when I see someone at these shows, and I enjoy their performance, I want to know more about what their own music is like. At the recent John Prine tribute, Jerry Pentecost not only introduced each artist but also plugged their latest album.
That reminds of another bit of unsolicited advice for artists in general: if you have a new (or fairly recent) release or project - and you have a Facebook Page - that project should be front and center on your page. Cover photo, pinned post etc. I don't know how often I will be writing about a song in my shuffle - and think - what's the name of the album or when is it going to be/was it released - only to go to the artist/band page and have to scroll down several posts to find the information. As I said, I am an anomaly - most casual listeners will not work that hard.
All righty then - enough with advice... it's all offered with love and admiration for the incredible talent that I am fortunate to experience daily. - It is Tuesday and time for our Trending Tuesday shuffle - new and newish music...
Be sure to "Like" Ear to the Ground on Facebook!
Well - the Great American Eclipse is over... From my vantage point, we had quite a bit of cloud cover. It broke enough to see several points of the waning sun, but we missed seeing the totality. I feel fortunate, though, that I had read something about being attuned to everything going on... so for the two minutes of totality, I noticed the decrease in temperature, I was amazed by the "sunset" effect, and the sounds of cicadas.
Kind of appropriately, I went to the Basement East last night for a tribute to Darkness on the Edge of Town and other Springsteen songs. I have mixed feelings, overall, about tribute shows in general. I think sometimes that there are too many of them, and that I, personally, would rather see original artists doing their own songs. But, I do recognize the economics for venues like The Basement East, and the unfortunate reality that more people attend these type of shows than original music shows. I do also understand from talking to my friends who do these shows that there is a tremendous lift from finding common musical ground with other artists and in collaborating with musicians that you may not otherwise get to work with.
All that being said, the tribute shows I have seen at The Basement East have all been top-notch and loads of fun, and last night's show was one of the best. For starters, the band sounded amazing. Of all the shows like this I have seen, there were probably more singers I was not familiar with vs. those I knew. But, I really didn't care so much because everyone nailed their songs and the songs were the stars. Shout out to Andrew Leahey, Scott McMahan, Lilly Hiatt, Becky Warren, Mary Bragg, and Jon Latham (who stole the show - as he often does).
I could of bits of unsolicited advise from me... make sure you clearly introduce each performer. I know I am a bit of an anomaly, but when I see someone at these shows, and I enjoy their performance, I want to know more about what their own music is like. At the recent John Prine tribute, Jerry Pentecost not only introduced each artist but also plugged their latest album.
That reminds of another bit of unsolicited advice for artists in general: if you have a new (or fairly recent) release or project - and you have a Facebook Page - that project should be front and center on your page. Cover photo, pinned post etc. I don't know how often I will be writing about a song in my shuffle - and think - what's the name of the album or when is it going to be/was it released - only to go to the artist/band page and have to scroll down several posts to find the information. As I said, I am an anomaly - most casual listeners will not work that hard.
All righty then - enough with advice... it's all offered with love and admiration for the incredible talent that I am fortunate to experience daily. - It is Tuesday and time for our Trending Tuesday shuffle - new and newish music...
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