Mike Stinson "Late for My Funeral"

There is a magic to the craft of songwriting, how the words come, how the music gets married to it. And there is the mystery to how the rest of it all works; getting it heard, getting it published, making the most out of it. Dave Goodwin is throwing the first annual Big Sky Songwriters Festival in Big Sky, Montana August 15th through the 19th. He is assembling some premier folks for workshops, panels and performances, including Kostas, Bruce Burch, James House, Suzi Ragsdale, Walt Wilkins, Kevin Welch, Dustin Welch, John Bohlinger, and Jon Pousette-Dart. Industry leaders will be on hand as well for sessions on publishing, and other music biz topics. There is an early bird rate in place and there are surprisingly affordable accommodations.

Speaking of amazing songwriters, it is about damn time that we got to record Mike Stinson. He is a Virginian by birth, after 18 years in LA, he relocated to Houston, Texas around three years ago. It was a move that was to spur his creativity, evident as he is recording his fourth album in Austin with legendary roots producer R.S. Field. Throughout, he has been writing simple, and simply beautiful, songs. You might know Dwight Yoakam’s version of Mike’s tune “Late Great Golden State.” The new album is coming soon, in the meantime, allow us to tide you over with one of the songs that will be on it. We filmed Mike during the Spring Music Fog Marathon at Threadgill’s WHQ in Austin this past March. Here is a solo rendition of “Late For My Funeral.”

- Jessie Scott

Bryan Dunn "Sweetheart Of The Music Hall"

Saturday, ahhhh! It feels so fine this time of year, I am loving these long days, they are made for playing in the extra hours of light. When the night comes, there is that delicious warm air to envelop you. And the sense of adventure and freedom that comes with not having to wear an overcoat. Especially on the streets of New York, it is glorious the less you have on - or have to carry.

Bryan Dunn has credentials that include Austin, TX and NYC. There seems to be a lot of that going on these days. His new album, Sweetheart Of The Music Hall came out in early April. The album title is as much of a nod to the Byrds' Sweetheart of the Rodeo as it is acknowledgement to the musician's collective at New York's Rockwood Music Hall.  "For a long time, it seemed like Austin had a community of musicians but New York had a scene," says Bryan. But, when Rockwood opened and the late nights started, that changed. Suddenly you were playing for, and with, people because it was fun, not because you had an agenda. There were nationally known acts mingling with locals, but it didn't matter. People went there to listen, not to be seen."

We have an exclusive video premiere for you today, the title track, "Sweetheart Of The Music Hall," is loosely (and totally fictionally) based on musician Misty Boyce, who plays piano on the song. Bryan comments, "We had this beautiful album cover and thought it would be cool to give it a backstory. We'd discussed this whole elaborate detective/femme fatale noir style thing but the budget was a little small so we thought 'oh, let's just kill everybody in the band." More murder and mayhem? Delightful...Cheers!

-Jessie Scott

The Hobart Brothers & Lil' Sis Hobart "Ballad of Sis (Didn't I Love You)"

Hell yeah, I love it when women rock. It seems to me most people don’t know that side of Susan Cowsill. The early stuff with The Cowsills takes precedence, in all its pop glory. Susan rocked hard with the amazing Continental Drifters. I was among the lucky that got to see them bring it on one night at the Austin Music Hall in Austin, TX during SXSW years ago. It was like watching Fleetwood Mac, only hip. We loved the beautiful, poignant Susan Cowsill stuff that we got to film almost two years ago at Americana Fest. But now comes a new incarnation.

Susan is well met in the latest chapter of her very varied career. The Hobart Brothers & Lil’ Sis Hobart bring her together with Jon Dee Graham and Freedy Johnston. Glory day, this is fun stuff. OMG, I Googled, and came up with a different Hobart Brothers with the slogan ‘Performance Welding Products. That is about perfect.

The three powerhouse singer-songwriters got together in an Austin backyard back in 2010. They started to reminisce and write songs about their early days working in restaurants, and thus, they named themselves Hobart after the commercial dishwasher found in restaurant kitchens. They wrote ten songs with a span of subjects for what was to become this album. Here is one of the tunes, “Ballad of Sis (Didn't I Love You)," from the album, At Least We Have Each Other, done up Music Fog style, from the Spring Marathon at Threadgill’s during SXSW. Let’s rock out for a Friday!

-Jessie Scott