Ray Wylie Hubbard "Red Badge Of Courage

I miss Ray Wylie Hubbard now that I am not in Texas anymore. The opportunities to grab some face time are fewer and further between. Ray always has a way of cutting through the white noise of life, to targeting what is important. And then that is conveyed quietly, gently. Or loudly with some pretty intense growling going on. It’s all good. I saw on Facebook that he will be coming up to NYC to do the Letterman show on January 9th . That will be a treat for all of us. A few years ago after the Texas Independence Day concert at Terminal 5, Ray, Rick Richards, Lucas Hubbard and I went down to Chinatown to my favorite restaurant, Wo Hop at 17 Mott Street. Ya gotta go downstairs to get the good stuff. Ray, consider this an open invitation to head down there again if you have time.

The album The Grifter’s Hymnal was released earlier this year, and we asked Ray to come on by during the Spring Music Fog Marathon at Threadgill’s in March. I love how packed out the room gets when Ray comes to play. You have the chance to see him on Sunday if you can get to the Somervell County 1st Annual Fall Festival at the Texas Amphitheatre in Glen Rose, Texas. Ray and band hit the stage at 9:30pm. Here is the Music Fog recording of one of the songs from the latest album, “Red Badge Of Courage.”

-Jessie Scott

Tara Nevins "Train 45"

Tonight there is a gala concert at the Izod Center in East Rutherford , NJ, a star studded tribute to the late Levon Helm. So many will gather in salute of his music, to raise money for the Love For Levon Benefit to Save The Barn to keep his legendary Rambles in Woodstock going. How is this for a lineup: Gregg Allman, Jakob Dylan, John Hiatt, Mavis Staples, Marc Cohn, Dierks Bentley, Eric Church, Warren Haynes, Robert Randolph, Joe Walsh, My Morning Jacket, and of course The Levon Helm Band with Larry Campbell. Honestly, the list goes on and on, and if you are anywhere near the New York metro area, this is the place to be. Of course you can donate (buy a T-shirt) to this worthy cause even if you are not around.

Tara Nevins of Donna The Buffalo fame has today’s entry. Word is DTB is working on a new album, though I am not sure when it will see light  of day. You might know that Larry Campbell produced Tara’s solo effort of last year, Wood & Stone. It was when the Music Fog crew caught up with her, at our Fall Music Fog Marathon at Marathon Recorders in Nashville during AmericanaFest. Here is “Train 45,” with Rose Sinclair and Chris Henry.

-Jessie Scott

Michael Fracasso "Saint Monday"

Before there were ‘weekends’ it was a common practice for working class folks in the Industrial Revolution to take off on Monday. Saturday was often half a day and it was pay day at that, so with money in one’s pocket, the time of leisure got extended, often due to overindulgence at the tavern. Michael Fracasso captures the melancholy, extending the moment into this century as he ascribes that behavior to hookers and musicians in the song “Saint Monday.” It is the title track from his latest album, which came out last year. Michael came to see Music Fog during the Cherokee Music Festival outside of Llano, Texas in 2011. His voice is a thing of beauty, jewel-toned, gentle, haunting. That he draws the parallel to musicians is a sad commentary on how hard it is for our artists to make a living these days. There are some Texas tour dates coming up for you to see him.

-Jessie Scott