Exclusive Tracks

Lilly Hiatt "Some Kind of Drug"

A note from Tennessee. We were trying to pick up from the storm and aid tornado victims here, when the Coronavirus shut everything down. The last show I got to emcee was Tuesday night, March 10th, at City Winery for All Hands On Deck Tornado Relief. Then a week later, on March 17th, WMOT, my radio station, was supposed to do a member’s only Wired In Concert at City Winery with Lilly Hiatt, Paul Burch and Sadler Vaden. Part of the proceeds were earmarked for tornado relief, but the night was cancelled for safety’s sake.

I trust you and your loved ones, friends and family, are in isolation. I hope you are, while we await the first wave of this new disease to make its way through the world. It has wreaked havoc for all of us that encourage audience attendance. All the artists, venues, and the folks behind the scenes have basically lost their livelihoods. We are all in it together, and somehow, we will get through. That said, I know that life will look different.

Lilly Hiatt has a new album called Walking Proof, coming out on March 27th. It’s been three years since her last, Trinity Lane, and it is long awaited in my book. Lilly combines coltish energy with lyrical vulnerability, as she was able to deal with a tangle of emotions after the year-long Trinity tour. She synthesized those thoughts into the songs. What with the virus having put a halt to life as we know it, please support our artists in any way that you can. BUY their music and merch, check out live streaming events and please tip, and be ready to jump for joy when we can do live music events again. Lilly came to play for the Music Fog cameras in a private session last year. Here is our recording of “Some Kind Of Drug," from the new album.

- Jessie Scott

Heidi Newfield "Wrong Side Of The Bottle"

Music heals.  No really it does -- there is a new study just posted from the British Academy of Sound Therapy . Music takes 13 minutes to “release sadness’ and 9 minutes to “make you happy.’ Thank goodness for something so simple, one that we can control ourselves. I feel blessed that I get to play music on the radio, and that others can hear it and here's hoping it will make them feel good, too. Check out WMOT.org to hear the genre that we shine a light on at Music Fog.

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Today’s video is from Heidi Newfield. I first met her in the band Trick Pony when they were getting signed to their major label deal. Heidi is a pistol. You gotta love a woman who blows harp, has a whiskey-soaked voice, and who swaggers on stage.

She has been working on new music, and her album. The Barfly Sessions, is forthcoming. From it, today’s Music Fog entry is “Wrong Side of the Bottle” filmed in a private session in Nashville.

-- Jessie Scott

 

Brennen Leigh "Little Blue-Eyed Dog"

Here’s to the New Year. We Music Foggers are hoping you have had a warm and wonderful holiday season. With a new decade upon us it begs for a look ahead, as well as a look back. I think one of the most significant things that occurred in music in this last year, was the Ken Burns Country Music documentary. It is about to re-air, all eight parts of it, in all its glory, so check your local PBS listings. The music has changed names through the years, from Hillbilly Music, to Country & Western, to Americana; we MFers are keenly aware of the earthiness and attention to real life that is woven into the people’s music. Just as O Brother seeded a new generation in embracing the music, we hope once again that this watershed moment will spark new interest.

Old timey never went away, and it sits as the basis of so much of the music that we love. Today’s video brings it twofold. It’s Brennen Leigh with Noel McKay on guitar and backing vocals and Melissa Carper on upright bass. ”Little Blue-Eyed Dog” not only takes one back, but reminds us that the small comforts are what make life complete. Whether a dog or a cat, it is unconditional love. May you have that comfort and joy as we head into the next decade.

- Jessie Scott