Chip Taylor "James Wesley Days"

Whew.  We are out.  We are fried, but happy, after four epic days of music at Threadgill's WHQ in South Austin. We'd like to thank our sponsor, Neustar, for making the Marathon possible, and special thanks to the entire Threadgill's family for making us feel so at home.

We love being part of the Austin music scene. With 44 acts in the last four days, we can't tell you how appreciative we are of the artists who shared their abundant talent with us. We are honored to be able to archive it all. And for those who were on line to watch our first ever stream live, we welcome you wherever you are around the world. Most of the performances will be left on Ustream as full sets for a week, and then we will begin our usual process of posting more polished versions of individual songs.

Speaking of that, the Fog Fellows, Chris, Beans, and Aaron are on their way back to DC. So for the next few days, we will be bringing you tunes from other events, in a effort to allow them to regain their equilibrium. Denise, Sheila and I just have to drive cross town, open the mail that has been piling up for the last week, and we will be back to normal in Austin, this most amazing music Mecca. 

Today is is Chip Taylor’s birthday. He was born in 1944 as James Wesley Voight. He grew up in Yonkers, New York, in the shadow of New York City. He is a renaissance man, and it could be said he is a late bloomer, but he was an early bloomer, too. Here is a very early incarnation, back when he went by the name Wes Voight. When I think of the impact a song like “Wild Thing” has had on the generations since the 60s, it is a pretty remarkable achievement in itself, but he has written more songs that are embedded in our brains. And I love that Chip champions other artists like John Platania, Kendel Carson, and Carrie Rodriguez, as he remains incredibly busy flying from Europe and back to the States, and touring all over the place. So Happy Birthday to you Chip, aka “James Wesley.” Here is a song we recorded back in September at the Americana Music Festival in Nashville.

- Jessie Scott

Frontier Ruckus "Silverfishes"

Monday. The Music Fog crew is making its way to Austin, Texas for the spectacular Music Fog Marathon, presented by Neustar. We're set to start at Threadgill’s WHQ in South Austin on Wednesday. Woo-hoo, we are so stoked to be bringing you a 44 artist line up over four days. We promise some of them will be brand new to you. After all, that is part of the joy of what we get to do, discovery and exploration. In this day of tightened radio playlists and an astounding amount of bands that all are vying for attention, how do you find the new stuff that you might like. Music Fog bravely enters the scene to help be a lodestar to guide the way through this confusing landscape. Not that we can do it all, I am beginning to think that no one can keep up with it all. We all have to have our filters, to wend our way through the veritable musical jungle.

Photo Credit: Maren HoopferOne of our favorite ‘discoveries' came through the wisdom and ears of our buddy Andy Rubin of Cyclops Books in Baltimore. One night he invited us Foggers up to record Frontier Ruckus, who were newly signed to the Avett Brothers original label, Ramseur Records. What can we say, we fell in love with the just out of college band. Visiting their website seconds the motion. They call their front page EARSHOT! I love that! They have such a facility for wordsmithing, that one can feel their music even without actually hearing it from the linguistic brush they construct with. We got to hook up with them again, this time at the Americana Fest in Nashville this past September. We are so happy that they were invited to play the festival, and that other people from around the country attending the event could marvel at them. As they are on tour, so can you if they are near your town. Here is “Silverfishes,” from the CD Deadmalls And Nightfalls.

- Jessie Scott

Marshall Chapman "Call the Lamas!"

She’s lean and tall and multi-talented. It begs again a closer look at the people we bring you here at Music Fog, for many of them are accomplished in more than one artistic pursuit. Take Marshall Chapman, for instance. She has a way with words. It doesn’t matter whether they are ensconced in song, or in books and newsletters. I subscribe to The Tall Girl Skinny to keep up with her travels. She reported a bit of trouble recently---heart flutters, and is now wearing a heart monitor. We wish her a speedy return to full health; and of course wealth, and wisdom. (Well, the wisdom comes easy.) It has been busy for Marshall lately, with visits to Sirius XM, and then she had a close encounter with another of our heroes, Billy Joe Shaver. Read all about it here.

I am so glad we got to sit down with Marshall in the Music Fog suite at the Americana Fest in Nashville this past September. She is classy, effortless, bewitching. This song captures a portrait of a perfect moment, a polaroid snapshot of a face in the supermarket. I have seen this kid too, haven’t you? It’s Marshall Chapman with a solo acoustic version of “Call The Lamas!” from her Mellowicious! album back in 2006.

- Jessie Scott