I was bayside in Corpus Christi on Saturday, and there was a storm looming on the horizon. Low hanging clouds sat just atop the swaying palm trees, the smell of beach and humidity was heavy in the air. Beach towns hold a special fascination for me. I guess I am just wired that way, having been a surfer as a teenager at Gilgo Beach in New York. The nubby plants, the houses with their pastel colors; things just feel different when there is water near. It doesn't much matter where, whether here or out of the country, or north or south, the beach prevails with its particular light. It is its own province.

Since it was a gray and foreboding kind of day, it spoke of winter walks on the sand on the New England shore. That’s where Cindy Bullens is from, Maine, actually. I am certain she has spent hours combing the beach for inspiration and the soothing effect it has on one’s soul. Cindy is part of the group The Refugees, along with Wendy Waldman and Deborah Holland, and they have just released the album Three. We previously filmed them way back in 2009, at Folk Alliance, aboard the Music Fog bus.

As we are doing our Kickstarter fundraising to get the Foggers to Austin in March, for the Spring Marathon at Threadgill’s, we take you back to Nashville for a tune that Cindy recorded for us during a different marathon, the Americana Fest in 2010. “Good At Being Gone,” came out on her album of the same year, Howling Trains and Barking Dogs.

- Jessie Scott

PS: Music Fog is only at about 30% of our Kickstarter goal, with just 9 days left to raise the money for our excursion, production and streaming costs. If you're not familiar with Kickstarter projects, the funds are only collected if the entire goal has been met. Fall short and the entire project is dead in the water; it's all-or-nothing funding. So, please help if you can, share with everyone you know that loves roots music!

Tonight I am involved in a benefit to raise money for the Wounded Warriors. I see so many military folks in my travels these days, and always hope that a good life awaits them when they are done with their service to our country. Tonight, The Pear Ratz, a band I used to play on X Country back in my XM days, are doing a benefit to raise money for them. I am going to be facilitating a video stream, as it is being filmed for DVD release by Jeff Horny and his crew, and the audio is being captured by Adam Odor. Check it out tonight on the Pear Ratz site.

Here is a video that Jeff did for them in 2010, “Ozona,” which I especially love for the desert vistas.

-Jessie Scott

It seems to me you either deal from fear, or you deal from love. There are so many people damaged by life who cannot forgive, cannot overcome their circumstances, cannot move on. There but for fortune. I don’t know if it is karma, or just bad luck, to be born into a life that creates anger. But I sure do wish there was enough in this world: enough love, enough food, enough roofs overhead, enough water and enough to go around. But that is not the way it is, and whether one is deprived of necessities, or spiritual ones, the result can be the same. Hate to run into people that life has turned mean. I don’t think anyone is born that way. If you need it, there is help out there. Anger management, domestic abuse; there are hotlines, and safe houses. There are people that care. You are not alone, we are all in this together. We are a neighborhood, a community, a union, one planet under the same sun.

Today’s video comes from Blackie & The Rodeo Kings, who put out an amazing album last year called Kings & Queens. They recruited some mighty fine cameos appearances from a wish list that included Emmylou Harris, Rosanne Cash, Pam Tillis, Lucinda Williams. Then they recruited other queens, one for each cut on the album, including Exene Cervenka, Holy Cole, Amy Helm, Janiva Magness, Mary Margaret O’Hara, Sam Phillips, Serena Ryder,  Cassandra Wilson, Patti Scialfa, and Sara Watkins, who was on the studio version of the song we bring you today. We have had the pleasure of filming her, back a ways at Americana Fest 2009. We caught up with Blackie & The Rodeo Kings at Americana Fest 2011, as we took over Marathon Recorders for our Music Fog Marathon in October. (Wanna help with our next Marathon? Here’s how.)

We bring you the Music Fog version of “Another Free Woman,” (sans Sara) and here are the tour dates so you can see BARK in person, ‘cause they rock!

-Jessie Scott

My New Year’s resolutions are still in place. I have given up gluten and sugar (beware the white powder…) and laughingly came up with a colorful description: red meat, yellow liquor and black coffee. It hasn’t been hard to keep to this regime for me, and rest assured the yellow liquor is a sometime "thing," not an everyday occurrence. Red wine works too. The other part of my resolution is to dance every day. That is a fairly easy thing to accomplish, even if it’s with my iPod blaring with external speakers in the privacy of my living room. Fun.

You can dance to this song for sure. “Burgundy Red” is a throwback to the rock and roll of Buddy Holly and Chuck Berry. Tim Easton delivers the locomotion. He is a man on the move, no really! Tim Easton and his family just made the trek east, to the burgeoning music community of East Nashville, all the way from Joshua Tree in California. He will now be in striking distance for a visit to Folk Alliance in Memphis coming up in a few weeks,  before he heads to Europe for a quick tour. We had the pleasure of filming him, along with Alex Livingstone, Aaron Lee Tasjan, and Mark Stepro during our Spring Music Fog Marathon at Threadgill’s last March. BTW, you can help make this year’s Music Fog Marathon a reality by your contribution here. The song “Burgundy Red” came out on Tim’s CD Porcupine. Here is the Music Fog version with The Freelan Barons.

-Jessie Scott

I was in Nashville before Christmas and got to see The McCrary Sisters do an amazing gospel set at the world famous Station Inn. There were a host of people there in the crowd that evening, among them was the indomitable Marshall Chapman. She is a force of nature; multitalented, walking the path with grace, never wavering. She has a couple of books to her credit, and she keeps on exploring the creative process. She is, in fact, getting ready to record a new album as we speak. Adding to that, she landed her first film role as Gwyneth Paltrow’s road manager in the movie Country Strong. She also brought her musical Good Ol’ Girls to off-Broadway.  If you are unfamiliar with her twelve albums, you can catch up for sure, as some of them are now being rereleased.

At Americana Fest in 2010, we had her come to the Music Fog studio, and she touched our hearts with this tribute to the late Tim Krekel. Tim was a member of Jimmy Buffett’s Coral Reefer Band, as well as being an ace musician, crack writer, an energetic performer, and sweetheart of a guy. Of course, Marshall’s It’s About Time, recorded in a women’s prison, was the first album released on Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville label. Tim died in June of 2009, leaving a huge hole in many people’s hearts, including Marshall’s (and mine, too.) You will find the song on her Big Lonesome album - you will find the Music Fog version right here.

-Jessie Scott

Contribution Link

We really want to do another Music Fog Marathon at Threadgill’s WHQ this March in Austin. And we really need your help to do it this time around. We need to cover both travel expenses along with production and streaming costs. If you have enjoyed our videos, we ask that you contribute what you can here. We have several levels of participation, and every bit helps. If we are going to make our way down to Texas, time is of the essence. So is going viral. If you dig what we do, help us out, both with dollars and by spreading the word to other Americana or Music Fog fans. If we make the nut, expect us to be streaming from the back room at Threadgill’s, so even if you are not in Austin, you will be able to share in the fun. Here is our Kickstarter video. (mobile users click here to watch the video)

-Jessie Scott

Saturday, Miss Abbey Road of Luckenbach threw a simply marvelous blues festival. The Fifth Annual Luckenbach Blues Fest was an all-day affair, but I got there as the sun was going down; set to the strains of Johnny Nicholas, WC Clark, Guy Forsyth, Band Of Heathens, Seth Walker and Ruthie Foster. Great line up and a fun hang. Plus, it gave me the opportunity to canvas backstage for auction items for tonight’s Bastrop Wildfire Benefit at Hill Country Barbecue Market in Washington, DC. If you are in DC, come by for the show! Dallas Wayne, The Deep Dark Woods, Sons of Bill, Chris Berardo and the DesBerardos, and Ruthie and the Wranglers will all be on hand. As will Senator John Cornyn, and Congressman Michael McCaul. Gonna be a fun night for a great cause, as we raise money for those that lost their homes in the Bastrop Wildfires in September. Dinero...gimme some! Well not me, actually, The United Way will collect and administer, along with the Bastrop City Council. Hill Country is at 410 Seventh Street, NW Washington, DC 20004. See you at 7 pm. And yeah, thanks to all for the cool collection of stuff from Todd Snider, Cory Morrow, Guy Forsyth, Bloodshot Records, Band Of Heathens, Gary P. Nunn, Luckenbach, and photographer Robbyn Dodd.

Today’s tune IS “Dinero,” from Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers. Nobody has enough, it seems. Of course if you do, you can make plans now to head to Sandy Beach, next to Chango's Bar near the Sea of Cortez for fireworks, sombreros, Mexican Moonshine and more than four hours of rock-n-roll! Roger and company know how to throw a party, so put Circus Mexicus XXI on your calendar for June 9 in Rocky Point, Mexico. Music Fog caught up with RCPM last year during MusicFest at Steamboat Springs in January. Here is the result, our recording of a song you will find on the most recent Unida Cantina album. Here are Roger Clyne, Jim Dalton, Nick Scropos, and PH Naffah  with “Dinero.”

-Jessie Scott

Today I unearthed an old Philco table top radio from the 40s, a set of carved stone ‘see no evil,’ ‘hear no evil’ and ‘speak no evil’ monkeys, and some drum sticks from a Steely Dan concert in the mid-90s. So while I wax nostalgic about my immersion in the land of possessions, let’s do an animation today that revisits the Popeye era, well sort of, anyway. It is a new video from WILCO, and features the whole gang; WILCO as cartoon characters, and Wimpy, Bluto, Swee’ Pea, and Olive Oyl, who somehow winds up holding hands with Jeff Tweedy, much to Popeye’s chagrin. The song is one of the tracks from the album Whole Love, here is “Dawned On Me.” Oh yeah, check out the WILCO Spinach Can at the end. I want that!

- Jessie Scott

Wow. The year is off to a very fast start. January is almost gone, and I have two quick trips coming. First up is the Bastrop Wildfire Benefit on Monday night at Hill Country Barbecue Market in Washington, DC with Sons of Bill. The Deep Dark Woods, Dallas Wayne, Chris Berardo and The DesBerardos and Ruthie & The Wranglers. Then coming up the next weekend, I head to Corpus Christi, Texas for a Wounded Warrior benefit, as The Pear Ratz will be performing. You will be able to watch that on their website. Later in February, I am contemplating trips to New Orleans, and then maybe Memphis for Folk Alliance.  It is certainly hard to return to these events that were once attended by Music Fog’s whole crew, but I carry on.

One of my primary reasons for going is to this year’s Keynote Speaker, Bob Lefsetz. He is a brilliant observer and acerbic critic of today’s music landscape, and it will be a fired up speech, for sure.  So for today, we take you back on the Music Fog bus from Folk Alliance 2010 for a song from Dan Navarro, Freebo, and David Glaser in salute to Eric Lowen, Keep The Light Alive, Celebrating The Music of Lowen & Navarro. On the album, the song “Weight Of The World” is performed by Jackson Browne, for the Music Fog version, we  were honored to have Dan, Freebo, and David. Eric, as you probably know, retired in 2009 because his ALS made performing and travelling too much for him, but I am happy to report his kids just celebrated their 18th birthday, and he was there to share it. With love to carry on, here is the Music Fog recording of “Weight Of The World.”

- Jessie Scott

I am reading a really cool book called The Mojo Triangle, which talks about the geography between Nashville, Memphis and New Orleans, the area that spawned the great American genres of Country, Blues, Bluegrass, Rock and Roll, and Jazz. It was the confluence of five national traditions: African American, Native American, British, Spanish and French. It was a potent mix to throw into the pot, and is one that keeps giving, as it drinks from the deepest possible well. And it is one that continues to manifest it’s gumbo in the music of today.

The Black Lillies are proponents of the echoes of the past brought forth with today’s freewheeling energy. They keep the spirit fresh in the tale of “Catherine,” done in the story song tradition of the British Isles. Cruz Contreras, Tom Pryor, Jamie Cook, Trisha Gene Brady and Robert Richards continue rolling down the highway on the heels of their most recent release, 100 Miles Of Wreckage. Tomorrow night finds them in Whitesburg, KY.  If they come to your town, promise me you will go to see them for a rousing evening’s rave up.

- Jessie Scott

I had the great pleasure of seeing Dave Alvin play again at Sam’s Burger Joint in San Antonio just before Christmas, and was once again struck by his humility, his soulfulness and his sheer talent. And by the way, that extends past his music, and includes the breaks in between the songs - erudite or heartfelt stories that he delivers with pinpoint accuracy, painting pictures with his words that take you there. You cheer him, learn music history from him, and sometimes mourn with him. Today’s song is one of those. After Dave’s best friend and band mate Chris Gaffney died in 2008, Dave put a project together in 2009 in which he was backed by the Guilty Women, instead of his Guilty Men.

Dave Alvin with Lisa Pankratz & Amy Farris.Today’s song is an homage by Dave Alvin to yet another band mate, Amy Farris, who was an amazing singer and fiddler, who was one of the Guilty Women.  She sadly, passed in 2009.  The song is called “Black Rose of Texas.”  I cried when Dave played it in San Antonio a month ago, both for his preamble to it and for the song itself. You can find it on Dave’s latest album Eleven Eleven.   And a note on that, there is an expanded version of the album coming in April, with nearly three hours of music and two previously unreleased bonus tracks, “Signal Hill” and “Never Trust A Woman.” Also there will be a live performance DVD, and a repackaging of the original full-length album. Today, the Music Fog version of “Black Rose Of Texas,” recorded during our Spring Marathon at Threadgill’s in Austin last year.

 - Jessie Scott

P.S. Dave is getting some love from the FX series Justified, as his song “Every Night About This Time” was featured last Tuesday on the season premiere. 

Bob Dylan’s music is the perfect choice for a tribute, with his literate portrayal of social mores, issues, and the body politic in song through the years. The list of artists participating is mind-blowing, among them: Adele, Joan Baez, Jackson Browne, Elvis Costello, Dave Matthews Band, Mark Knopfler, Lenny Kravitz, Kris Kristofferson, Tom Morello, Seal & Jeff Beck, Patti Smith, Sting, Pete Townshend, and Lucinda Williams.

All told, there are 80 artists spanning the genres who have contributed to this worthy album for a worthy cause. Bob Dylan himself does “Chimes Of Freedom” on the new album, and I couldn’t find a video for it. So here is a bit of a left curveball, as this version is not on the album, but here is one we found from Bruce Springsteen with Sting, Tracy Chapman, Peter Gabriel, and Youssou N´Dour back in 2007. 

- Jessie Scott

Happy Chinese New Year! Today we usher in the Year of the Black Water Dragon, actually the only legendary animal among the signs in Chinese Astrology.   At Chinese New Year celebrations people wear red clothes, write poems on red paper, and give children "lucky money" in red envelopes. Red symbolizes fire, which according to legend can drive away bad luck. Just in case you needed a reason to celebrate today, there you have it.

I predict this is going to be a big year for Jimmy LaFave. It would have been the 100th birthday of Woody Guthrie, and as Jimmy is a premier interpreter of Woody, I know he will be especially busy. Coming up later this week on January 28th is Walking Woody’s Road, with Jimmy teaming up with Eliza Gilkyson, Slaid Cleaves, and Terri Hendrix. Look for this show to tour through the year. We dig into a Jimmy LaFave self-penned tune today from the Music Fog Spring Marathon during SXSW 2011 at Threadgill’s. Jimmy is accompanied by Jeff Plankenhorn, Glenn Schuetz, Chip Dolan, and Bobby Kallus in this song of love, “River Road.”

- Jessie Scott

Photo Credit: Cheyenne EllisToday, there are lots of alternative paths to finding your audience. Each artist is tasked with finding his own way. There are no rules. You do it however you can. And yes, it can lead to a satisfying decades-long career. I am heartened by the artists that ply the festival stages to become known. There are TV shows that feature new music in their soundtracks, from which the artists can ascend to carve out a place for themselves in the pantheon. The White Buffalo is one, having exposure on the TV show Sons of Anarchy. His EP The Lost & Found came out in December, and come February there will be a full length album out called Once Upon A Time In The West.

Here is a tasty morsel.

- Jessie Scott

I evidently have entered another era where babies are popping up everywhere. Several musicians I know are new parents, and I am awash in the cuteness of the pictures on their phones of their little ones. Being a mom myself, I can tell you it is one of life’s greatest adventures. It is so strange, because growing up, I never wanted to have children. It was always positioned to me as a drudgery, a huge responsibility. I recoiled from that, but then one day, someone got me to thinking about the rest of it; the joy, the love, the communication, the teaching. I am glad I became a parent. Watching a child grow is simply amazing, and nurturing them is a wholly fulfilling pursuit.

But kids do grow, and you can only be there for them until they push away. There are things you can tell them that they won’t internalize, and there are things you hope go well. You pray that some episodes are not too painful for them when they go south. Life, there really are no Hallmark Cards for some of it, and no blueprints for most of it. But to be truly alive, you have to make your way. Have you heard about the book, Dear Me: A Letter To My Sixteen Year Old Self? One of the celebrities comments about not being stopped by fear. Go for it, no matter what.

Photo Credit: Rachel Moore

Today’s tune is from The Farewell Drifter’s album Echo Boom. Here is our recording of “Little Boy,” filmed at the Music Fog Fall Marathon, from Marathon Recorders in Nashville, during October's Americana Fest. If you like it, catch up with them on tour.

- Jessie Scott