Jack Grace Band "Umbrella"

Our Music Fog visit today is with a compadre of mine. I mean, I am blessed to consider a pretty extensive group of musicians as friends, but there has always been a special bond between me and Jack Grace. When we met, we realized we were both from Westchester County, New York, and we each started listing other Westchester folks we knew who are active in the industry. For a suburban NYC county to have become something of a petri dish of media and Americana activity is a just bit mind-bending.

It was Jack who booked the NYC’s legendary Rodeo Bar which closed earlier this year, and it was Jack who recommended me for my new job where I work alongside of him, as talent buyers for the roots rock and roll club, Midtown Live. This new initiative is being done under the parent company Webster Hall Presents, the legendary New York venue Webster Hall, which has been in operation as a social meeting place since 1886.

Midtown Live is housed at an interesting site too, the Recording & Rehearsal Arts Building, at 251 West 30th Street. This location has played home to musician friendly spaces for decades. There are still guitar shops on the block too, and in this ever changing New York landscape, that’s saying something. We have announced some way cool shows: Danny B. Harvey with Jyrki 69 Eyes, Annie Marie Lewis and The Bowery Boys on January 2, and on January 10, an official APAP showcase produced by Export NOLA, with Cedric Burnside Project, Luke Winslow-King, and an opening set from New York’s own African American string band, The Ebony Hillbillies.

Back to the video tape…Music Fog filmed the Jack Grace Band during the 2011 Music Fog Marathon in Austin at Threadgill’s WHQ.

- Jessie Scott

John Fullbright "Unlocked Doors"

Americana is cranking along in these changing times of the music business. As a founding board member of the Americana Music Association, we made the decision to shine a light on this music fifteen years ago. Wow, I can’t believe it has been fifteen years! That effort has now has morphed into multiple categories in the GRAMMY® American Roots field. The 2015 nominees were announced last week, on Friday, and we congratulate all the artists on the list. I take great pride in the fact that I get to play their music on the radio, whether it was at XM's X Country, or today on Sun Radio. And, of course, we at Music Fog are happy to have filmed a few of these fine folks, too.

Special shout outs go to Gregg Allman and Taj Mahal, Rosanne Cash, Keb’ Mo’, Nickel Creek (Sara Watkins), Jesse Winchester, Del McCoury Band, Steve Martin, Edie Brickell & The Steep Canyon Rangers, John Hiatt, Sturgill Simpson, Dave & Phil Alvin, Ruthie Foster, Eliza Gilkyson, Old Crow Medicine Show, and Mike Farris.

Photo Credit: Vicki FarmerOver the weekend we reposted Mike Farris doing Mary Gauthier’s tune “Mercy Now,” with an on stage assist from John Fullbright, who was a GRAMMY® nominee in 2013 for his album From the Ground Up. Today we go deep into the archives to bring you a track from the first evening we encountered John. Jimmy LaFave brought him along for his session, and let John open up the set with this song, featuring Radoslav Lorkovic on accordion. That's right, this week's new video is the first thing we ever recorded with John Fullbright! We filmed "Unlocked Doors" on the Music Fog bus in 2010, during Folk Alliance in Memphis, with an intro from Jimmy LaFave.

- Jessie Scott

Elephant Revival "Drop"

As we dig through the Music Fog still unseen archives, we came upon another gem from the acoustic Celtic gypsy jazz outfit Elephant Revival. Luscious, elegant and ever articulate, their music speaks across the chasms of pond and dale. Their name comes from the mournful tale of a pair of elephants who were separated after sixteen years and died apart on the same day. The band shared the story with Nick and Helen Forster, producers and hosts of the tastemaker syndicated radio show eTown (btw, its newest affiliate is my Austin, TX station, Sunradio.com.)

E-Town is an environmentally responsible show, while shining a light on worthy music. Of course, a commitment to sustainability and environmental responsibility is important to Elephant Revival, too, as they do work with non-profits like Conscious Alliance and Trees, Water and People, to name a few. Elephant Revival has stayed consistently busy since we filmed them at The Music Fog Marathon 2011 in Nashville during AmericanaFest. Earlier this month, they did a two night stand at The Boulder Theater, called The Birds of a Feather Autumnal Ball. Nobody uses the word "autumnal" much anymore, but doesn't it flow effortlessly from the folks of Elephant Revival? Let us return to Autumn 2011 for some beautiful footage - the song "Drop," which can be found on their album Break In The Clouds.

- Jessie Scott