Kristin Andreassen "Crayola Doesn't Make a Color for Your Eyes"

A couple of weeks ago, I headed out to Stagecoach Music Festival in Indio, California, which might just be the largest country music gathering in the States. Since its inception in 2007, it has welcomed an eclectic line up of bands: this year including great elder statesmen The Oak Ridge Boys, Merle Haggard, ZZ Top, and Eric Burdon. There was a seriously cool lineup of Americana artists there this year too. I was honored to be hosting the Stagecoach Radio broadcast on TuneIn (super cool fun!). You know every time I get to go somewhere, I always get to hear some new music. Summer season is festival season, and it is the time to get to a music event near you, to make some new friends and make some memories.

The Americana Music Association has just announced the first round of artists playing AmericanaFest in Nashville this September, including Los Lobos, Patty Griffin, Whitey Morgan and the 78s, honeyhoney, John Moreland, Andrew Combs, Nikki Lane, Pokey LaFarge, James McMurtry, Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn, Nora Jane Struthers, and Jackie Greene. The nominees for this year’s Americana Honors & Awards are going to be announced this Thursday, May 14th, from 1pm to 2pm CT, and you can watch it on Music City Roots. Music Fog is proud to have attended past AmericanaFests, and we have our fingers crossed that the team will be able to go this year.

Today’s video comes from Kristin Andreassen, who is playing AmericanaFest this year, too. We got to film her back in January at Midtown Live in New York upon the release of her second album, Gondolier. She spent time with bands Uncle Earl and Sometymes Why, before going solo. Her debut CD Kiss Me Hello included the John Lennon Songwriting Contest winner "Crayola Doesn't Make a Color for Your Eyes." Here is the Music Fog recording of that song, featuring Kristin accompanied by Alec Spiegelman on bass clarinet and backing vocals.

- Jessie Scott

K Phillips & The Concho Pearls "Kat's Song (What I Can't Have)"

The crossroads are tricky. There is always the path not travelled, the opportunity not taken. The eternal question hangs in your head, “What if?” Here is an admission; I wished I had worked with K Phillips. I first met K a few years back while I was living in Austin. He was about to deliver the album American Girls, and I had heard about him, and that album, long before I laid eyes on him. The first time I saw K perform was at Sam’s Burger Joint in San Antonio. One performance was all it took to know that K was indeed working on something uniquely his own.

It turns out I wasn't the only one paying attention, so was Kyla Fairchild at No Depression, who gave K a kick ass review. And so was Adam Duritz of Counting Crows. Which goes to show that you never know how or where your music will resonate, you just have to get it out there. A few months back, in October, the Counting Crows posted this delicious version of "Kat's Song" from The Outlaw Roadshow: Counting Crows live at Bowery Electric, NYC. K takes a guest verse, towards the end, on this song that he wrote.

Photo Credit: SteveShootsToday we bring you the Music Fog filming of the same song, from Threadgill’s in Austin, back in 2012 during our SXSW© music marathon. Here is "Kat's Song (What I Can't Have)."

K is working on a new album, and is heading up north with his band, the Concho Pearls, to play Midtown Live in NYC on April 22nd. I just can't wait!

- Jessie Scott

Ange Boxall "A Heart That Loves Like Mine"

Music Fog hit a new milestone this week, 30 million views on our YouTube channel. Yowsa, you guys! Thanks for watching, thanks for sharing, and thanks to all the artists, managers, and music biz operatives that stepped up along the way to make it happen. The amazing thing about the Music Fog movement is it has been totally viral. This is virtually friends telling friends, and so on.

What an exciting time it was a week and a half ago, as I got to broadcast live from SXSW© on Sunradio.com. If you used to listen to XCountry, on XM Satellite Radio, and have been looking for something to fill that audio void since it went dark in 2009, I have been building the Sun Radio music library since 2010. Stream it live anywhere in the world, listen on the broadcast frequencies in and around Austin, and of course you can download the app for your smart phone for free from your App Store. All the sets we broadcast will be archived on Sunradio.com and let me tell you there were too many magic moments to even begin to pick just a couple of favorites. Everyone BROUGHT it! Thanks to Maudie's Triangle and El Mercado on S. 1st in ATX for making us so welcome. This weeklong immersion actually just might be my favorite way to experience music, sequential days packed with brilliant sets from incredible artists. All told, there were nearly 50 artists broadcast last week, talk about a music fog!

We did a Music Fog Marathon in Nashville in 2011, which was jam packed with musical goodness. Ange Boxall was on the lineup that year, all the way from Tasmania. She is back there now, playing gigs and a blues festival a couple of weekends ago, and generally having a blast. It is so great to be able to take a gander on FaceBook to catch up. Ange just posted a photo recently with another Music Fog alum, Steve Poltz. From the Music Fog Marathon 2011 in Nashville, during AmericanaFest, here is "A Heart That Loves Like Mine."

- Jessie Scott