MOG - stalkingthemuse's Posts

8 Off 8th: Brian Ritchey

stalkingthemuse — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 11:30:12 GMT

Just 7 Days until out next 8 off 8th (see previous post)! Brian will be playing there, and I think he's going to bring a lot to the line-up. The challenge will be where to put him in the line-up for a seamless sound. I wouldn't describe his music as indie pop like I could for most of the others, but he's going to add a lot I think...which is why I asked him. I think if I sandwich him between Thornton and Audrey Spillman or Denitia Odigie it should work nicely.

BTW, the 8 off 8th tonight is going to be good as well. It's hosted by Jason Moon Wilkins and the line-up includes: Monkey Bowl, Love and Theft, Blue Eyed Blacks, Steve Moakler, Altered Statesman, Justin Earle Trio, Eureka Gold

8 Off 8th: Thornton

stalkingthemuse — Sun, 22 Apr 2007 12:36:45 GMT

We're 8 days away from our next 8 off 8th, so I figured I'd post a song a day by each artist playing. First up, Thornton. He briefly moved to Chicago, but came back, which is a great thing for Nashville. I love this song.

Oh, and I'll also post the show poster I talked about in the last post.

The Little Red Room

stalkingthemuse — Sun, 08 Apr 2007 20:51:33 GMT

We recently bought our first house. We love this part of town - East Nashville, our house, and most everything about it. The only creepy thing, is that behind our detached garage is a creepy little red room. I assume it was used as a potting room, but then again, the red is extremely creepy. Why tell you this on MOG you ask? Good question, and I have a good answer.

One of my favorite things to do, and one of the things I'm very fortunate to be able to do, is host 8 Off 8th (8 bands and/or singer/songwriters playing 3 song sets) at The Mercy Lounge once every other month or so. I love it, because I get to put together a bill of musicians that I think will sound great playing on the same night on the same stage, help bring a little exposure to some really deserving artists, and I get to take pictures for and make the show e-flyers. I love all of it, and there's not many places better to do something like that than Nashville.

Our next 8 Off 8th will be April 30th. We don't have the full line-up confirmation yet, but the bill will include Kyle Andrews playing a solo set, Thornton, Denitia Odigie, Brooke Waggoner, Matthew Perryman Jones, and hopefully the few others I'm trying to wrangle onto that bill (Heypenny do you hear me? Holly you out there? Yo, Brian...what up?). I'm trying to go for an indie pop type of night with a few well placed and sophisticated outliers.

Anyway, back to the little red room! I took a few pictures in it for the show poster. I think I decided on which one I'm going to use. What do you think? I'll post a few of the previous STM hosted 8 Off 8th show posters too, if anyone's interested.

"Louisiana" by The Coal Men

stalkingthemuse — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 00:52:28 GMT

I just finished watching a follow-up special about the Gulf Coast's efforts to rebuild a year and a half after Hurricane Katrina. There have been a lot of post Hurricane Katrina songs put out the last few years. I couldn't help but hear the one that I'm most drawn to and moved by in my head as I watched the special. It's called "Louisiana" and it's by The Coal Men. The Coal Men is one of the absolute best bands around Nashville. Dave Coalman's songwriting is solid, and their live instrumentation is among the tightest around. This song is the anchor on their 2006 album, "Beauty Is A Moment".

If not for my wife, I'd be in love with Bettye LaVette

stalkingthemuse — Sat, 24 Mar 2007 01:54:59 GMT

"Joy" is my favorite of the covers from her "I've Got My Own Hell To Raise" album (named after the line in the Fionna Apple song, "Sleep To Dream" which she also covers on the album). I've been listening to her albums a lot lately...I can't stop. Her voice is driven by emotion, which I always love and gravitate towards. I like this version of "Joy" better than Lucinda Williams', although hers is great as well.

Dawn Kinnard

stalkingthemuse — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 01:51:00 GMT

Dawn is playing tomorrow night at The Basement. One of my best music memories so far is seeing her playing a loft party in an old warehouse building in the middle of nothing but train tracks and power lines filled with drunk and drugged strangers. She played with no power, no background except for the rumble and whistle of the trains, and sounded incredible. It was a beautiful night.

This is one of my favorite songs of hers...it's a demo. The pic is off of Dawn's MySpace page. She was recently on a successful UK tour with Ron Sexsmith.

I'm going to back to "Working For The Man"

stalkingthemuse — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 16:59:33 GMT

So, today I'm going back to work - a half day to ease my way back in. I can't really complain though, because it's what I love doing (behavior analysis), it's for a good company, and I get to help people who have suffered severe head injuries and their families. Plus, there's the paycheck.

This song doesn't apply too well because at this job I'm kind of "the Man" that people will be working for, but it's still a sweet song...and I still have to go back to work.

Nashville Poppers Sing Willie

stalkingthemuse — Sun, 18 Mar 2007 15:09:43 GMT

We used to co-host a weekly internet show on XRadio Nashville where we would have STM contributing artists come into the studio to play some live songs and talk about their lives, careers, etc. Our second show, which was last April, featured Leigh Nash and Perrin Lamb. It was a really fun show to do. Leigh is very funny, personable, and easy to talk with. Same with Perrin. Anyway, I was looking through my music library and rediscovered a lost duet by the two from that show. They covered "Always On My Mind". Keep in mind, they didn't practice at all - It was a spur of the moment thing. The woman talking at the end is our friend Dana Goodwin. She used to host the show daily, but is now at WRLT.

Justin Earle

stalkingthemuse — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 14:24:56 GMT

One of my favorite songwriters (and not just in Nashville) is Justin Earle. His live shows are great. He had been doing a series here in town at The Basement called For The Sake Of The Song (named for the Townes Van Zandt song - btw, Justin's dad, Steve, gave him Townes as a middle name), where he would play in the round with 2 other singer/songwriters. These were cool shows, but he usually blew the other people he was on stage with off the stage. And these were usually well known people (e.g. Neilson Hubbard, Matthew Ryan, Garrison Starr) His stories through song are often highly emotive, and his emotional delivery makes them all the more salient.

He recently wrote a story for Stalking The Muse about a night he spent in Chicago's Rogers Park:

"I had just turned eighteen and having grown bored with my home town I decided to follow my dream of becoming the next Mance Lipscombe to the fair city of Chicago. Now here, I made two nearly fatal mistakes: one being that I am a southern boy and was not at all prepared for the Midwestern lake side January that awaited me; and two, that I had become a bit of a knuckle head and was bound for a town where the dope was stronger, the streets were meaner, and no one had any patience for a loud mouth like me.

"There were several things that happened on this detour that would change my life for ever; such as my heart being broken for the first time, the start of what would become a long and dark struggle with heroin and cocaine, and me spending my first night in Rogers Park. I remember it very clearly because it was like nothing I had ever seen. It was right after sundown and the shadows of the huge old homes that had long since broken in to multi-family dwellings littered Touhy Avenue mingled with the street lights in an almost sexual fashion. It was cold, but the streets seemed to be crawling with life. I watched money change hands from pimps and pushers to johns and junkies and the girls climbing out of one car to jockey for the next and every time I thought I'd seen it all, some new fascination would emerge from the shadows. I sat there for what seemed like a lifetime, high enough to hunt ducks with a rake and letting my cigarettes succumb to the ashtray while the lake threw a snow so fine that it looked like all the stars had exploded and were showering down on god's misfortunes. It was breath taking.

"I remember feeling that night like I would never leave. Not just Chicago or the park, but that very spot were I sat practically lifeless for all those hours. In my window watching my new world turn like a dirty snow globe I guess I felt like I had finally stumbled home. In a way I had, but due to my theories of better living through chemistry, I didn't last too long and now it all just seems like a dream.

"So in closing I'll say that there are two things I know for sure: one that heroin is the purest evil on earth; and two I won't die in Rogers Park."

*He recently released his first EP, Yuma. I can't stop listening to it. I'll upload the title track. You can also go to the Stalking The Muse myspace page to listen to one of two unreleased demos, "Rogers Park", plus a few others from Yuma.

I'm starting back to work next week...

stalkingthemuse — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 18:44:37 GMT

...so I'm going to use this week to relax, enjoy Nashville, and watch the first round of the NCAA tournament. It's beautiful here today, which means it's a Shuggie Otis kinda day. I'm going to the driving range.

Art Brut - Nag Nag Nag Nag

stalkingthemuse — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 17:02:08 GMT

I just downloaded this new Art Brut single. I like this band a lot, because they don't seem to take themselves real seriously, but can still hold onto a basic joy in music. They're a really good band, and I'm looking forward to another full album. This single is less raw than those on their debut album, but the attitude is still there I think.

Actually...

stalkingthemuse — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 04:27:25 GMT

...in regards to my last post, I love this one too...

Los Super Seven

stalkingthemuse — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 04:11:59 GMT

I seem to always forget how great Los Super Seven are. They're a super group with a rotating group of musicians which includes/included Flaco Jimenez, Freddy Fender, Ruben Ramos, David Hidalgo, Cesar Rosas, Rick Trevino, Joe Ely. That roster was the one that primarily recorded their debut, Los Super Seven, which is my favorite of their three albums (the other 2 are Canto and Heard It On The X, both are also very good). I'm uploading my favorite song from that album.

My Top 5

stalkingthemuse — Sun, 11 Mar 2007 00:14:52 GMT

So, all my music finally got sent to MOG, and it's interesting to see my top music by quantity. I have a lot of Sufjan Stevens, thanks mostly to eMusic, but I don't really listen to him a lot. I do listen to a lot of Willie Nelson. I think the first concert I was ever at was a Willie Nelson concert. Alejandro Escovedo is my all time favorite, and I'm sure always will be. If anyone ever has a chance to see him live, they should. Tori Amos and DMB are throwbacks to my college days I think, especially my first 2 years. I do like Tori Amos, but haven't listened in a while. I'm going to upload my favorite cover of all time...Alejandro Escovedo doing Ian Hunter's "I Wish I Was Your Mother."