Shannon McNally "Where Are You Tonight?"

Here is hoping you are safe and healthy in this weirdest of times. Staying busy helps, as so many of us are working from home. Of course, my mission has been keeping my radio station WMOT on the air, both for the comfort of the music, and to keep the audience updated about COVID-19. Music provides a link to normalcy which is most welcome right now. I love how creative people are being on the socials, and it is amazing how many live streaming shows are happening every day.

So much of an artist’s income comes from touring, which is just not possible at the moment. Over the course of the last couple of decades, Shannon McNally has become quite the gig MVP. When we filmed her last year, she was about to go on the road with Steve Earle & The Dukes. She’s done stints with Rodney Crowell, who produced her Black Irish album, and most recently contributed to Just Like Moby Dick from the iconic Terry Allen & The Panhandle Mystery Band. Oh yeah and she has new music coming sometime this year, too! Speaking of which, especially now, artists need your support. Buy a CD or some merch, or leave a tip for their live streaming sessions. It is shocking to have the entire live audience construct crumble before our eyes. Please help if you are able. Today’s Music Fog tune is brand new premiere from Shannon McNally's forthcoming album. “Where Are You Tonight?” was filmed during a private recording session in Nashville.

- Jessie Scott

Lilly Hiatt "Some Kind of Drug"

A note from Tennessee. We were trying to pick up from the storm and aid tornado victims here, when the Coronavirus shut everything down. The last show I got to emcee was Tuesday night, March 10th, at City Winery for All Hands On Deck Tornado Relief. Then a week later, on March 17th, WMOT, my radio station, was supposed to do a member’s only Wired In Concert at City Winery with Lilly Hiatt, Paul Burch and Sadler Vaden. Part of the proceeds were earmarked for tornado relief, but the night was cancelled for safety’s sake.

I trust you and your loved ones, friends and family, are in isolation. I hope you are, while we await the first wave of this new disease to make its way through the world. It has wreaked havoc for all of us that encourage audience attendance. All the artists, venues, and the folks behind the scenes have basically lost their livelihoods. We are all in it together, and somehow, we will get through. That said, I know that life will look different.

Lilly Hiatt has a new album called Walking Proof, coming out on March 27th. It’s been three years since her last, Trinity Lane, and it is long awaited in my book. Lilly combines coltish energy with lyrical vulnerability, as she was able to deal with a tangle of emotions after the year-long Trinity tour. She synthesized those thoughts into the songs. What with the virus having put a halt to life as we know it, please support our artists in any way that you can. BUY their music and merch, check out live streaming events and please tip, and be ready to jump for joy when we can do live music events again. Lilly came to play for the Music Fog cameras in a private session last year. Here is our recording of “Some Kind Of Drug," from the new album.

- Jessie Scott

Liz Brasher "Blood of the Lamb"

I don’t even know where to start this week’s posting. The tornadoes that leveled beloved neighborhoods in Nashville have spawned an army of love to clean up and aid in every way they can. Tennessee is indeed the Volunteer State. We have much to do, and it will take months. Obviously it will never be the same for those that lost loved ones, and our hearts go out to everyone that has been impacted. And then they cancelled SXSW due to fears about Covid19. What an incredible loss for another city we love, Austin, TX. And today we heard that Tin Pan South has been postponed in Nashville, what with both Corona Virus worries and tornado clean up.

Some music to take our minds off of things, perhaps? Today’s video is one of my favorite tunes from Memphis’ Liz Brasher. Coming from a deeply religious family, she channels that into her rock and roll. I think keeping the faith is particularly appropriate right now. “Blood of the Lamb” can be found on Liz’ 2019 Painted Image album. Here is the haunting Music Fog solo version, filmed during a private recording session in Nashville last year.

- Jessie Scott

Photo Credit: Joseph Brasher