Darrell Scott "The Day Before Thanksgiving"

Thanksgiving.  The year is in the wind down as of today, though it doesn’t seem possible that 2011 is almost over. Today is a day of introspection and overeating, for counting blessings and consuming calories.  This year, I want to take a moment to give thanks while I question what comes next, personally and for this society and the world. There is so much discord, so much strife. So many hungry, homeless, war torn, out of work, out of money and out of luck. So while I am thankful for what I have, I can’t take for granted the rest. I don’t want to get used to the discord as the new normal. No one says it better than Darrell Scott, Poet Laureate of Americana.  Our condolences go out to Darrell and his family, for the loss of his father, Wayne Scott, a musician and guiding light. Among other projects, Darrell produced Wayne's 2005 album, This Weary Way, and you can read more about it on his site.

Darrell Scott's seventh studio album, Long Ride Home, will be released this coming January.  The new CD pays tribute to the country music of his youth, and many of its songs were written a long time ago; two are from when he was just 16. He is renowned for more than just his prodigious songwriting chops, to wit, for being a member of Robert Plant’s Band of Joy, which solidifies his stature as one of the finest all-around musicians in the world. Not to mention the three Grammy nominations and an Americana Music Association Honor. Today’s offering is the Music Fog recording of “The Day Before Thanksgiving,” originally found on the album A Crooked Road.  For a limited time, you can download a copy of the song on Darrell's site.   And of course, you can see the Music Fog version right here.

- Jessie Scott

The Believers "Let It Be What It Is"

It is travel day today for so many people, to grandmother's house we go, ha ha! From an agrarian society traveling by sled back in the day; to the high tech, high speed world we live in now. It is hard to fathom the intensity of the change, and our ability to turn up anywhere in the world with the snap of the fingers. Not to say that it is all easy; some friends are traveling 28 hours to an island in Thailand. Yikes, and there is weather crossing the country, which can make for delays, and we always hate to hear the stories of people trapped for hours on the tarmac. Hope that won’t be me today, as I head to New Orleans for turkey and the fixins with a Cajun twist.

Craig Aspen and Cyd Frazzini, AKA The Believers returned to our cameras last month at Americana Fest in Nashville.  It had been two years since we’d seen them, the first time being when Tara Nevins brought them along with her to the Music Fog bus. It was a fairly late night session, and as I recall, we were all a tad loopy. This time, I am sorry to have missed them, as I had run off across town to anchor the Folk Alley/NPR Music broadcast of the Americana Honors & Awards Show. By the way, I hope you caught ACL Presents: Americana Music Festival on PBS this last weekend! If you didn't, you'll be happy to know it's now available for viewing online.

Craig had been a vagabond songwriter, but didn't start a full time music career until became clean and sober at 35. Cynthia came out of the Seattle rock scene and was a personal chef for the likes of Bill Gates and Paul Allen. Their first song performed together was the Gram Parsons classic, "Hickory Wind," which spurred the pair on to record their first album, Row in 2002. Crashyertown came out next, which was when I got turned onto them. They performed a bunch of as yet unreleased tunes for us this time. Here is one of them “Let It Be What It Is.” Amen.

- Jessie Scott

Patrick Sweany "Pecan Trees"

My brother Mitch has a connection for Turkish pistachio nuts, and he gave me a bag of them when I was in New York last week.  We grew up on those red ones, Zenobia, I think, was the brand name.  Their telltale dye turned everything red; your fingers, your tongue, your lips.  The stain stayed with you the next day at school, too. Somewhere along the way, California pistachios became the rage.  They are in every store these days, but I can’t eat them anymore.  Compared to the Turkish nuts, they have no taste, though they are cosmetically beautiful. As a substitute over these last few years, I have taken a shine to pecans. Sweet one, salty ones, on yogurt, ice cream, cereal, salad, they bring an earthy addition. Pecan Pie for Thanksgiving? Now we're talking.

Patrick Sweany brings today's musical entry, and it is a song that takes you back to the rural.  Leave it to songs to transport you, even to a place you have never been.  The slide, the pacing, the voice, Patrick delivers the languid stillness of a summer day in a small town in the south.  This was filmed last month in Nashville at Marathon Recorders during Americana Fest.  His latest record, That Old Southern Drag, came out in February of this year. It was recorded to two inch tape, old school analog style, in Nashville, TN, which is Patrick's new home. He plays dates next week, and then heads back to Ohio, his native home for a few dates after that. Here is the Music Fog version of “Pecan Trees,” featuring Pat’s signature Deep Blues sound. You can find the original on his latest record.

--Jessie Scott