Ear to the Gound has moved! We are grateful for this space and all of our followers, but the time has come. We don't want to lose anyone so, in case you missed our earlier posts - here is a link to our new site. Come see us.
http://ear2theground-music.blogspot.com/
J.
Please view this entry at our new site
More yucky late fall, early winter weather. Today is the 70th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. So remember the Alamo or remember the Maine or remember to rent your car from Alamo when you are travelling in Maine or don't. Seriously, though, my great uncle???? was killed at Pearl Harbor, he was the band director aboard the Arizona???? - don't fact check me, please. A spin through the vagrancies of my playlist....
Baby, I will Leave You in the Morning by Marissa Nadler is off of her eponymously named 2011 album. Dreamy modern folk-pop. 
San Pedro by Mogwai comes from the Scottish hardcore band's 2011 album Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will. It is one of only two songs in my playlist which reference San Pedro and are not Mike Watt related. 
Waiting for the UFOs by Graham Parker and the Rumour from their classic 1979 album Squeezing Out the Sparks. Proto-Power-Pop-Pleasures.... ========================================================================
Ear to Ground has found some new digs on the World Wide Web.
We don't want to lose anyone during the move, so for a while we will maintain both places.
Please update your Bookmarks - nay your Home Page accordingly.
And be sure to Subscribe/Join the New and Improved Site.
http://ear2theground-music.blogspot.com/
We're still tweaking things, but everything seems to be in order. As always, drop us a line if you run into any difficulties. And as always, THANK YOU for supporting Ear to the Ground...
Since I started this blog back in May, I've offered up a Band of the Week post. Basically, there have been one maybe two bands that have come to my attention weekly who really stood out. If two, it hasn't been a big deal to feature one band one week and another the next. Due to the recent (gratifying) attention we've gotten, the number of worthwhile bands/artists has increased. As is my want, I've been obsessing over how to feature more music without either diluting the impact of the Band of the Week designation or seeming to imply that a featured band is less than worthy to be Band of the Week.
I finally decided to introduce a new feature called Ear to the Ground recommends. In this space, which will be run on an as needed basis, I will introduce some great bands and artists to Ear to the Ground readers. I will still run a weekly Band of the Week feature and any or all of the recommended bands could be named Band of the Week either in the same week they were recommended or afterwards.
Okay - after way too much exposition, I proudly present the first of many Ear to the Ground Recommends:
In Cages is a new band featuring veteren New York musician James Mercer. In Cages plays alternative rock, and features the stock rock and roll line-up for guitar, bass, drums and cello. Great sound. They have three songs out which you can listen to here:
Carly Maicher is a Canadian singer/songwriter who hails from Manitoba, but can currently be found hiding in New Brunswick. She has a brand new album out which features a beautifully, unique voice and some great songs. It's called Hiding - take a listen: 
Jesse Payne is plays real music and hails from Birmingham, Alabama. Here you can check out his latest release called Buffalo:
Last up for this post - Dan Banks is a singer/songwriter. In his music I hear strong songwriting and a smooth sound. He's recently relocated to Nashville via SW Florida. And, he's got a sampler you can pick up via Noisetrade:
So that's it for now, check out these artists and stay tuned for more to come.
Remember, if you keep both feet firmly planted on the ground, you will find it next to impossible to put your pants on.
A rain began to fall as I made my way through the streets of town. Monday morning cold front approaching but still warm. I grabbed my umbrella relunctantly - did I mention I hate umbrellas, but I hate being soaked at work even worse.
Up the hill (and to the landing)...
And so it begins... The legendary New York band, The Ramones doing their cover of a song written by Jack Nitzsche and Sonny Bono - Needle and Pins which originally appeared on their Road to Ruin album. R.I.P. Joey, Dee Dee, & Johnny.
I can't stand people who bitch and whine.... so X don't bitch and whine they Make the Music Go Bang on this track from one of the finest albums in the history of rock and roll - More Fun in the New World.
Is it important, you're yelling so loud - Minneapolis post-punk trio - Husker Du power through one of their signature songs - Makes No Sense at All.
If I could make the world as pure and strange as what I see
I'd put you in the mirror I put in front of me
I'd put in front of me
The Levi's Pioneers sessions match contemporary artists with songs that shaped their music. American/British duo, The Kills take on the classic Pale Blue Eyes which originally appeared on the self-titled album by The Velvet Underground.
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The Dead Exs play Blues, Garage, Alternative Rock & Roll. The Dead Exs are:
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Members |
David Pattillo |
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Hometown |
NYC |
They made this video for "More Stuff" at Asbury Lanes in NJ...some Big Lebowski refs, some bowling, the Jesus dance... some good old American fun.....check it out...see what you think. If you like what you hear, you can grab a free download of "More Stuff" down below.
The Dead Exs play it nasty and brilliant. I can only imagine that they kill it live, so if your in the NY/NJ area look them up... Hell, at this rate, I may need to have an Ear to the Ground benefit concert in New Jersey.
h/t to Popa2unes for sending this my way!
Just some old random songs for a Friday. Hope everyone has a great weekend, and be sure to vote and vote again in our Reader's Poll for Band of the Year. Make your choice and hit submit. Voting continues through December. Click -->HERE<--- to vote.
SONG 1: Under the Bridge by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The year this song came out and then broke big, I was literally living under a bridge - albeit in a warehouse apartment in downtown Nashville. I would often walk the streets of the city in pre-renewal downtown weekend, pre-marriage lonliness and this song would be running through my head.
SONG 2: Ode to my Family by the Cranberries from their 1994 album No Need to Argue.
SONG 3: A Girl, Her Sister and a Train by The Balancing Act. The Balancing Act were originally on IRS Records. This song comes from their debut EP called New Campfire Songs and was produced by Peter Case. The EP was later released on one CD along with their debut LP Three Squares and a Roof.
SONG 4: I am a Rock by Simon & Garfunkel.
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First off, I have to say that the votes are pouring in for the Band of the Year. Overnight or early this morning we had a lead change - so keep voting. You can vote here
It's Thursday which means we take a randomish shuffle through our growing list of cover versions of songs. We have a good list so let's get started:
The Players:
Coverers:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Coverees:
1.
2.
3.
4.
The Covers:
1. In 2010 Jason Mraz recorded a cover of Norman Greenbaum's 1960s classic Spirit in the Sky as part of the Levi's Pioneer Sessions.
2. Alternative Super Cover Group Me First and the Gimme Gimmes did what they do to Hall & Oates first #1 song (1977s Rich Girl)
3. Bruce Springsteen got all rootsy and stuff and covered the Blind Alfred Reed folk song originally recorded in 1929. How Can a Poor Man Stand Such Times and Live was on 2006s We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions - American Land Edition. Springsteens version includes verses about Hurrican Katrina and owes more to the 1970 Ry Cooder version than Reed's original.
4. Dusty Springfield covered Carole King's Tapestry song - made famouser by James Taylor - You Got a Friend is on her classic 1971 Dusty in Memphis which was actually recorded before Taylor's version.
Some are going to say this post is off topic. I am going to strongly disagree. This post is about the comic strip artist Ron Ruelle. Full disclosure requires me to tell you that I have known Ron since we were in 3rd grade together. However, any potential conflict of interest is assuaged by the fact that I think he is an arrogant S.O.B. (just kidding*)
So, why is a post about a comic strip artist, whose characters have included various animals and angst ridden guys, not off topic for a music blog? Well there a number of reasons... for one, the aforementioned artist is one of the significant influences on my musical life. In high school, he wrote record reviews for our school's award winning (no kidding) newspaper. It was through his reviews that I was first introduced to X and other cool bands.
During college, we stayed in touch and traded notes on the latest discoveries in the world of music. In those days (oh so many years ago) one had to work hard to find out about obscure bands. (i.e. no internet facebooky stuff).
After college, Ron and I eventually both ended up in Nashville and we could frequently be found in front of the stage at cool shows...
As for his comics... You can find information about and BUY the books he's published here:
So yeah and rock and roll - he named a cockroach character in his college strip after the lead singer of the Germs. His syndicated strip At the Zu (umlauts intended) featured a slacker lion with a Kurt Cobain hair-do.
Ron's college strip - Stoner's Aquarium was ground-breaking and pretty darn funny. While in college, he began doing a recurring strip for the Knoxville News Sentinel's college insert called Stoopid Zu (there should be umlauts here as well, but I'm too lazy to figure out how to add them.). Stoner's Aquarium is available on his site.
During 1991 and 1992, when Ron and I were not perusing the aisle's of local record stores. He was cranking out some incredible ideas. In 1995 he began writing a daily strip called At the Zu (he hated the name just like Charles Schultz hated the name Peanuts). That strip ran from 1995-1998. He then continued on his own site as Darwin & Company. You can grab the collected At the Zu and Darwin & Company strips at his site or here:
A later strip - Food, Shelter, Cable written under the name Rex Silo (so now you know) was more adult-oriented. The main character of that strip has kind of a Burris Weems/Holden Caulfield quality - I think.
Most recently, Ron has been participating in the annual Denver 24 Hour Comics Challenge. You can purchase years 2 through 4 of 24 Hour Comics here:
This fall Ron published a compilation of his contributions to the comics challenge which you can get here:
So, do yourself a favor - check him out. It's only rock and roll, but I like it.
*not really**
**really***
***not****
****so*****
*****so not... wait what was I saying?....
