Mipso "Marianne"

AmericanaFest is just around the corner now, from Tuesday, September 15th to Sunday, September 20th in Nashville, TN. It brings folks together to be immersed in the music, whether they are in ‘the biz,’ or they are passionate music lovers attending all the evening showcases. I am a proud Americana Music Association board member, so watching how this event has grown every year is near and dear to my heart. It is going to be a super busy week, including the crown jewel, the 14th Americana Honors & Awards, taking place at the Ryman Auditorium on Wednesday, September 16th. Folk Alley and NPR are once again teaming up to bring the show to you online, wherever you are. I am very excited that Ann Powers and I will be returning to the broadcast booth at the Ryman. Every year it is especially touching to be in the house to witness the Lifetime Achievement Awards. This year, honors will be bestowed to Don Henley, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Gillian Welch & David Rawlings, Ricky Skaggs, and Los Lobos. It promises to be a spectacular night.

Beyond that, the AmericanaFest lineup for the week includes more than 170 official showcases across more than a dozen Music City venues. Every year, during the crazy club crawl evenings, new artists get discovered and embraced. It is in a way ‘one stop shopping’ for the smorgasbord of flavors of Americana. Last year, Mipso was there to showcase, and today their new album is just about upon us. The North Carolina maverick string band draws from their local legacy, and advances it through to today on their forthcoming album Old Time Reverie. Music Fog filmed Mipso this past January in NYC, and we are happy to bring you “Marianne” from that session. The song is already up on iTunes, with the rest of the album set for an October 2nd release. Here are Jacob Sharp, Wood Robinson, Joseph Terrell, and Libby Rodenbough, aka Mipso, with the Music Fog recording of “Marianne.”

- Jessie Scott

The Damn Quails "So So Long"

The Lone Star Café in New York City was the epicenter of the roots music world for those of us living in NYC, starting in 1976. It drew together musicians, journalists, television folks, and professional athletes to eat some Texas Chili and hear authentic and joyous music. Folk, Blues, Rockabilly, Country; it spanned the genres, and it was a great hang. Mort Cooperman guided the Lone Star, bringing together a glittering array of artists on the stage, a cast of characters on the staff, and a who’s who of attendees in the house. Back then, I was dee-jaying the evening show at New York’s Country station WHN, and we did many a live broadcast from there. FOREVER, I have been wanting to salute this legendary venue. And at last, we are! Lone Star-er Cleve Hattersley from Greezy Wheels and I teamed up to present The Lone Star Reunion at BB King’s in NYC on August 13th, with appearances from Greezy Wheels, Kinky Friedman, Commander Cody, Robert Gordon, Chinga Chavin, Carolyn Wonderland, Larry Campbell & Teresa Williams, Tony Garnier, Corky Laing, the list goes on and on. And you never know who else might stop by!

As we are gathering the members of the tribe, we need some help to find Scotty Palmer. Cleve provides a bit of background:

“Scott ‘Zonker’ Palmer was as much a part of the original Lone Star Cafe as the iguana on the roof or the real Texas chili that oozed out of the kitchen. Scotty’s actual job title was probably ‘bar back’ or ‘porter,’ but we never called him either. We just hollered for Scott, whenever more beer needed to be brought up three flights of stairs from the basement to the second floor bar, or the sewer backed up in that same basement. Scotty, a connoisseur of fine herb (and always willing to share), is/was also a fine poet. In fact, his entire life is a poem. An ode, in effect, to a lifestyle. We last caught up with Scotty at the Wetlands in the early (or was it mid?) nineties, where he had the same gig. There isn’t a person on the bill of the reunion party or an ex-employee or patron who hasn’t asked if Zonker will be at the party. We certainly hope so. Come out, come out wherever you are, Scotty Palmer!”

“So So Long,” indeed! Today’s video comes from The Damn Quails. It won’t be long before we get a new CD from the Quails, as they are readying Out Of The Birdcage for release in early September. That in itself has been a long hard road, and we are so happy they fought the good fight to stay the course, get legal title to their name and make it through it all to record another album. Love this band, suffice it to say, they so would have been part of the Lone Star scene if they had been around back then. Look for them on tour in support of the new album.

Music Fog dug into our session with them during SXSW© 2012 to bring you “So So Long.” Looking forward to it all!

- Jessie Scott

Midnight River Choir "Jim Beam"

Happy Birthday America...Happy 4th Weekend! Hopefully you're enjoying some Q and bourbon and beer and maybe even some music. I gotta say, for us ex-XM folks, it was a little weird NOT being at Willie’s Picnic, which was broadcast on XM12 X Country for many happy years. It still airs on SiriusXM, so here's a shout out to the folks at Outlaw Country and Willie’s Roadhouse for keeping the dream alive. Many of the artists that played Willie’s 4th of July Picnic at the Austin 360 Amphitheater are staying in town for another very cool event on Monday, to benefit the victims of the Central Texas Memorial Day flooding.

I want to make sure that is on your radar, OUTLAW: Celebrating the Music of Waylon Jennings at ACL Live at The Moody Theater this Monday. There are just a few tickets left for this once in a lifetime show with Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Kacey Musgraves, Ryan Bingham, Sturgill Simpson, Jamey Johnson, Lee Ann Womack, Chris Stapleton, Shooter Jennings, Jessi Colter, and Billy Joe Shaver. And they just added Alison Krauss and Robert Earl Keen to the line-up too!.

If you are a ticket holder, you can purchase admission to the OUTLAW AFTER-PARTY FOR TEXAS FLOOD RELIEF. 100% of your ticket purchase to the Outlaw After-Party will go to the United Way for Greater Austin and be earmarked for Memorial Day Central Texas flood victims.

Unfortunately, this time some of our friends, The Midnight River Choir, were impacted by the rising water. All their vehicles were damaged along with most everything they owned. Give if you can. I know you will join me in wishing to have order again and peace of mind for all the folks impacted by the devastation from the flood waters.

The MRC carry on. They were just out west on tour and are back in Texas now. That is one way to take one’s mind off it. And of course there is always bourbon. “Jim Beam,” can be found on 2008’s Freedom Wine CD. We caught up with The Midnight River Choir during SXSW© in 2012 during our Music Fog Marathon at Threadgill's.

- Jessie Scott