Jimmy LaFave "The Open Road"

It is my birthday today. As a personal philosophy, I have tried to embrace the notion to LIVE every day. To unwrap each as if it were a Christmas present. To savor the moment, although that sometimes is hard, and to remember to get back on that path as quickly as you realize you have left it. Yes, there are 'those' days, but the way winds through hills and valleys, and otherwise there would be a monotony to it all, which is unacceptable, at least for me. It is part of the reason I love doing events, as they exist in real time. You are feeling and living every moment. There is no "going through the motions" of driving the same route, and seeing the same things every day. It is all brand new.

Jimmy LaFave was the catalyst for Music Fog taking the trip to Cherokee Creek Music Festival. He is a world renowned interpreter of the music of Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan. He is a hell of a writer himself. "Ya gotta get young before you get old" comes from the song "The Open Road," which we bring you here, and should be taken to heart by all of us. Jimmy is playing his newfangled 8 string barritone guitar. He is joined by Music Fog MVP Radoslav Lorkovic, who we think has made the most appearances in front of the Music Fog cameras. There are some sneaky shots of Rad in the mirror behind Jimmy. Look out for them, and enjoy the ride.

- Jessie Scott

Stonehoney "There Is Light"

We had a great time filming Stonehoney at our Threadgill's showcase during SXSW this past March. So, we were looking forward to crossing paths again at the Cherokee Creek Music Festival. But they were scheduled to play the after party into the wee hours on Sunday morning, at a remote location, so we decided to slide them into the bus Saturday night first for a Music Fog session. I think Paul Thorn was on stage while we were recording inside---it's surprising that you can't hear the stage music booming through!

Stonehoney's new album The Cedar Creek Sessions will be released on July 6th. It's named after the studio in Austin where they recorded the album...live. That's the best way to capture the harmony magic of this group. Just fly some mics, roll everywhere, and let the sweet sonics flow! In this video, we've tried to stick with that theory and share with you exactly what it would sound like if you were sitting on the bus right next to the guys. "There Is Light" is featured on the forthcoming CD and is a full on participant of the big Stonehoney sound.

-Aaron

Kevin Welch "Killing Myself"

We were immersed in the moment at Cherokee Creek Music Festival. It was Saturday afternoon. A 50% chance of rain had been predicted off and on for the weekend and during Delbert McClinton's set the night before, it had poured. It rained some that morning, too, but then the skies cleared and a beautiful day was born. We recorded one song on the bus with Kevin Welch, having asked him to do some older songs from his catalog this time, as we had already recorded some new tunes from the forthcoming CD back in February at Folk Alliance in Memphis. We were planning to mix it up, some old, some new, and we had hoped we were about to record a fairly long session. Well, that was our plan! But it was not to be. Or it was not to be as long as we'd hoped!

Kevin's son Dustin burst onto the bus in mid-session, right after Kevin laid down the first song. He shared reports of the possibility of tornadic activity, severe thunderstorms, hail. Yikes. We are on a ranch in the Hill Country of Texas. Not a lot of cover...what to do? We were told it was approaching in 40 minutes. Kevin thought for a second, and then announced that he had decided to play another song and then get some more of that "wonderful brisket" instead of running for cover! As it turned out, we were not in the path of the storm after all, and continued to enjoy a sultry Texas afternoon in Cherokee.

Kevin's new CD, A Patch of Blue Sky, will be out June 15th on Music Road Records, though you can purchase it digitally, right now, on the album's page at Kevin's website. It's his first solo record since 2001's Millionaire, and the album features 10 new songs, all written or co-written by Kevin. We will bring you Music Fog versions of some new songs in the not too distant future, but here is one from the album Millionaire, "Killing Myself" written by Handsome Harry Stinson (as Marty Stuart refers to him) and Kevin Welch, quite the heartthrob himself!

- Jessie Scott