Paul Burch "Meridian"

Getting ready for SXSW© in Austin, Texas and I can’t wait. Spring starts to get sprung after this annual rite of passage. The weather is already warming up in ATX, and though the rest of the Music Fog team won’t be there this year, I have been involved in putting the line up together for Sun Radio’s live broadcasts from Sonesta and El Mercado. They are open to the public, no badges or wristbands are needed, but since we are listener supported radio, a donation at the door is suggested. And if you are not in Austin, you can listen live on the app for iPhone and Android, and online at sunradio.com. To view many of the artists joining us click here for the full schedule.

Being in the thick of the music is what I love best. Back at the end of January, I scheduled fifteen artists to come play for the Music Fog cameras at 3rd & Lindsley Backstage. I had run into Paul Burch at Christmas, and was so excited to hear about his new project, an ‘imagined autobiography’ of Jimmie Rodgers, "The Singing Brakeman." Released last week, the album Meridian Rising follows the arc of Jimmie’s life, from his birth in Meridian, Mississippi to his death at the Hotel Taft in New York City, in 1933, at the age of 35. His music foretold the merging of traditions which was to become Rock and Roll. Paul enlisted GRAMMY© Award winner Fats Kaplin for this Music Fog session, doing “Meridian” for our cameras. Catch Paul in Austin if you are down SXSW© way!

- Jessie Scott

Bonnie Bishop "Too Late"

Oh, so much to tell. People continue falling down the Music Fog rabbit hole, expanding the audience as we approach 38 million views and 47,000 subscribers on YouTube. So we said, us Foggers, we said ‘Let’s get together. We don’t need to have it be an event, festival or conference, we can just do it ourselves.” I enlisted the support of Ron Brice at 3rd & Lindsley, the venerable Nashville club that has some of the best sound in Music City. The Music Fog crew drove eleven hours to get here from DC, and we set up shop in the very cool Backstage. We booked 15 sessions, and filmed for three days. We can’t wait to bring you everything. We made new friends and filmed several folks who we have had the honor of working with before.

One of them, and our first video from the new crop, is Bonnie Bishop. We are so excited for the path Bonnie is walking. She has a brand new album, Ain’t Who I Was, coming out on Thirty Tigers Records on May 27th. It was produced by none other than Dave Cobb. His recent credits include the red hot Americana trio of Sturgill Simpson, Jason Isbell, and Chris Stapleton. A couple of nights ago, I was flipping through the late nights on TV, and saw the blue eyed soul of Hall & Oates, followed by the big, Gospel infused sounds of Mavis Staples. As I was thinking about what to write, I thought this music juxtaposed is quite perfect to set the mood. If you get the opportunity to go to SXSW, make sure you see Bonnie, if not, listen to my radio station, Sun Radio, to hear live sets from legends, friends, and breakout artists the week of March 15th. We’ve been waiting for this moment for Bonnie Bishop. SXSW will be the launch of it. Here is a taste of what’s ahead, with the Music Fog recording of “Too Late.” Fasten your seatbelt, it is going to be a wild ride!

- Jessie Scott