Joy Kills Sorrow "Jake"

Man, oh man, I can’t believe Thanksgiving is upon us. This year has flown, you know? And so the season changes, bringing new eras to us, to savor for the stasis. But sometimes, a seed you planted before surfaces in the new day. Particularly appropriate as we just got approached by YouTube to commend us on the views that Music Fog still continues to do, even though we haven’t been out to film in a very long time. Having curated these artists, I am happy that they have had traction, and that some of them are enjoying more light in the spotlight, like Lake Street Dive, whose video “You Go Down Smooth” just entered our Top 25, joining another song of theirs, "Got Me Fooled."

We pulled one out of the mist for you today from Joy Kills Sorrow, back before the bass player, Bridget Kearney, left to forge a new path with Lake Street Dive. She has been replace by Zoe Guigueno on bass, who played on the 2013 Joy Kills Sorrow EP Wide Awake. Also, I had the honor of doing a show with Jacob Jolliff in my previous gig, yes, seasons come and go, don’t they. Jacob is out on the road in an eclectic and erudite duo configuration with Wes Corbett, delivering evenings of transcendent music.

But I am getting ahead of myself. Today we bring you Joy Kills Sorrow with the song “Jake,” from the Music Fog Marathon at Threadgill’s in 2012, during SXSW music week. Here's Emma Beaton on vocals, Bridget Kearney on bass, Jacob Jolliff on mandolin, Wesley Corbett on banjo, and Matthew Arcara on guitar.

- Jessie Scott

Cody Canada "51 Pieces"

I had hip replacement surgery a few months ago, and getting to this point has been a process for sure. Let me paint a picture. When I left Austin to move back to New York, in October 2012, I had been living the typical American lifestyle of automobiles, all the time...like you do in Texas. Within a month of my time here in NYC, it became difficult to go very far by foot, and staircases were tough, making it hard to wend one's way through the extensive New York subway system. After a year and a half of exhausting all other options, I am on the mend at last, and can't wait to resume what has been my natural ebb and flow for decades, that of going to see music. Through this year, I have wondered if I would ever be able to make the scene at yearly festivals, let alone just being able to attend events at clubs, arenas and theaters again.

One of those events I've been missing is MusicFest at Steamboat Springs, held in January, where the Texas Red Dirt music family vacations together for a blissful week. I am happy to have attended for a decade of memories, starting with my time at XM, and continuing into the Music Fog years. Artists that come are guys like Cody Canada. We got to hang with him through the Cross Canadian Ragweed years, into The Departed taking shape and solidifying. There was always Cody, burning bright no matter what the configuration. When we caught up with him most recently, it was at Threadgill's during SXSW in 2012. The most recent album delivery for Cody Canada was this past winter, his solo acoustic Some Old, Some New, Maybe a Cover or Two. Coming full circle, and going forward, Cody claims his birthright in the revisiting of Ragweed songs. One of my favorite songs, originally found on the album Happiness and All The Other Things, and also on the new album, is "51 Pieces." Here is the Music Fog recording, including the back story for the song being written. Well, actually here's the LONG back story, with a short bonus performance of the song! (You can also see an early Music Fog recording of the song here, performed by CCR on our tour bus.)

- Jessie Scott

Lake Street Dive "Hello? Goodbye!"

I come down to the river everyday, and it has filled my senses with its beauty as the seasons have changed through the year. It is, after all, my first full year back in the Northeast in a long time. I have taken pictures of greenery, icy waters, shrouded snow and rain, and of glorious autumn colors. Lately, I have been buried in my phone and have not spent as much time looking up. Kinda down with how grey it has been. It occurred to me today that spring will be here soon, though you sure can't tell from the climatic conditions in New York.

This week spring will jump start for me, though, as I head to Austin for SXSW. Maybe when I get back, spring will have sprung in the city as well. Actually, Austin has had its share of Polar Vortex this year, too! Unfortunately, as so many have asked, Music Fog will not be in attendance in Austin, and this event marks the two year point since we have gone out to capture music. We still have unviewed videos to share with you, though.

Today we bring you such video from Lake Street Dive, from Americana Fest 2011. We were very lucky to have filmed as many sessions as we did, and it is spectacular to see the growth of these folks over the last few years. Lake Street Dive just appeared on Letterman a couple of weeks ago, when they played the title track to their brand new album, Bad Self Portraits. Ahead of that, LSD appeared on The Colbert Report to perform "You Go Down Smooth" (original, unreleased Music Fog version posted below) and they even had the new album streamed on Colbert's site before it went on sale. Lake Street Dive is playing larger venues on the heels of this release, and a quick look at their touring schedule shows many shows sold out. They're sure to be a favorite at Bonnaroo this year, too!

Today's video is a song from their self-titled 2011 album. Here is the Music Fog version of "Hello? Goodbye!" recorded at Marathon Recorders in Nashville, during the autumn of 2011.

- Jessie Scott