The Shootouts "Cleaning House"

This is the weekend of 895 Fest for WMOT Roots Radio, celebrating 50 years on the air with 18 artists, craft beer and gourmet food trucks. It’s taking place in Murfreesboro, Tennessee at Hop Springs Beer Park. Tickets, including single day passes, are available at the door. The music starts at 5pm CT this evening (Friday) and goes to 11pm. Tomorrow’s door is at 9am, and the music goes from 11am to 11pm. You can listen and/or watch from anywhere in the world at WMOT.org. I love what we get to do on the radio, bringing this musical bounty to you, including Rodney Crowell, Delbert McClinton, Mike Farris, Lee Roy Parnell, Molly Tuttle, The War and Treaty, The McCrary Sisters, Sarah Potenza, and Steve Poltz. And that’s just half!

Speaking of radio, today’s video comes from The Shootouts, with Ryan Humbert at the helm. When he is not fronting the band, he is in front of the mic at The Summit, WAPS in Akron, Ohio. It makes for a double dip of music immersion. The Shootouts, (Ryan McDermott, Emily Bates, Brian Poston, and Dylan Gomez) have a brand new Honky-Tonk meets Bakersfield album, Quick Draw, and today’s video is one of its songs. “Cleaning House” is always a noble concept, but hey, the weekend is here, so let’s party!

- Jessie Scott

Todd Snider "Like a Force of Nature"

And just like that I am back in DC. Washington holds a special place in my heart. I was so honored to come to live here at the start of the century to work at XM Satellite Radio. Of course you know that all us Foggers were employed there until the merger. Long before that, I spent time marching on the Mall, Anti War, Pro Civil Rights and the like, and I was always taken by the beauty of this city and by its gravitas. Accompanying all of that, of course, was the folk music of the day. It was a call to action, a builder of common ground. A movement.

Todd Snider is a folk singer. Folk singers deliver the goods with a very sparse accompaniment, in this case, just an acoustic guitar and harp. They cast a canny eye on life, so much so that recognition sparks within the creation. Todd performs “Like A Force of Nature” one of the tracks on his new Cash Cabin Sessions, Vol. 3, that were recorded in the Cash Cabin. Yes, that would be Johnny Cash. Vol 1 & 2 have yet to see light of day, but no matter. Todd goes back to the simplicity of the song, to the eternal energy of folk. With a bit of musical flourish at the end, that I'll leave as a surprise for you. Tada! Here is “Like A Force of Nature” filmed during a private Music Fog session in Nashville.

- Jessie Scott

Shannon McNally "Now That I Know"

Today’s message is to remember to be purposeful. I am attending the Non-COMMvention, which is put on every year by WXPN in Philadelphia. It is a joy to be in a roomful of people who are all motivated to bring great music to their audiences in towns and cities far and wide around America. All of our radio stations have different formats, but all have the same goals, to build community in our market around the music. Let me just say there is electricity in the air.

Shannon McNally has today’s video. She is a devotee of what Gram Parsons called Cosmic American Music. Shannon’s most recent album, Black Irish, was produced by Rodney Crowell, and when we filmed her, she was about to go on the road with Steve Earle. We are celebrating a milestone with Shannon McNally here, with today’s video. “Now That I Know” was originally recorded 20 years ago, and was later released on the Jukebox Sparrows album. To mark its 20th year, Shannon has released a new acoustic version of the tune. Here is the Music Fog recording, filmed in Nashville this past February.

- Jessie Scott