Stonehoney "I Don't Wanna Go Home"

They are tearing it up out west. When last I talked to Shawn Davis of Stonehoney, he was telling me of the vista, up in the high Sierra Nevada Mountains, with limited phone service but maximum beauty. You still have time to catch a few west coast dates before the guys swing back through WoodyFest in Okemah, OK and then on to Texas. They alight for just a bit before they take back off for a Nashville, Kentucky and then east coast leg. Busy, busy, busy!

But it is about damn time for Stonehoney to strike, because today is release day for the Stonehoney CD The Cedar Creek Sessions. In April, they recorded 40 tunes in the studio the old-school way; with no overdubs, auto-tuning, or any other recording manipulation. It is an album of just the pure wholesome goodness of a band that can really bring it with each other. They are comfortable in their skin. They live for their music in an 'all for one' kind of way.

We filmed the Stonehoney guys doing the song "I Don't Wanna Go Home" in two places, each with different configurations. They stripped it down to a three piece on our bus at the Cherokee Creek Music Festival. They performed it full band on stage at Threadgill's for our artist showcase during SXSW. Either way, this is a song that stands up next to classics like The Eagles "Take It Easy," Sammy Johns' tune "Chevy Van," and "You Better Think Twice" from Poco. Tight, tuneful, sweet. We couldn't make up our minds which version to post, so here are both of them! Nick Randolph takes the mic for "I Don't Wanna Go Home," which he co-wrote with someone else you should get to know, unsung hero Bob Woodruff.

- Jessie Scott

Sam Baker "Pony"

Sam Baker called me early in the morning yesterday from Charlotte, NC. There was occasional dinging in the background, as if he were riding on an elevator. He is on the road with John Fullbright and Natalia Zuckerman through July 2. They are sharing the stage together, playing on each other's songs. He speaks of a generosity of spirit, and of the give and take of this, quoting Kevin Welch's song "…that makes me a millionaire." These folks do music for those of us that need that kind of energy. It transcends the voice and music to become a more intimate connection. It speaks to your soul.

I asked Sam how he crafted the recording process. He told me he likes to do it all at one time, in the studio. "My voice has different textures. I generally like to get a sonically consistent sound. I do that in a short period of time. Kind of a dream-like fog, which can color how we all hear that body of work. It adds a certain narrative, a sonic sequential. I am able to work with some beautiful players, but it takes some time to relax into each other's lives. The entity that comes can be both on the conscious and subconscious levels. I think you get a little broader bandwidth in the subconscious." Throughout our conversation, he mentioned other artists he is impressed with, calling them "the new players." Artists like Carrie Elkin, Danny Schmidt, Band Of Heathens, Grace Pettis, and Dustin Welch. "So many wonderful young writers and players. They are great people to tour with. Special guest Kevin Welch got up with us in Norfolk, and we just seem to roll together."

We hope you get to catch this limited run, and we trust that there will be more trio dates scheduled in the future. Sam Baker is on his way to teach at a three day retreat leading up to the Winnipeg Folk Festival. Then he heads to WoodyFest in Okemah, OK and then onto the Telluride Americana Weekend. Music Fog will be at both of the latter festivals. See you there? C'mon!!!!

-- Jessie Scott

David Jacobs-Strain "Neon Star"

Whoo-hoo! We are bound for WoodyFest, the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival from July 14th through the 18th.

The Music Fog crew hits the road to Okemah, OK for immersion in the 13th Annual Tribute event dedicated to Woody in his hometown. From what we hear, it is a low key affair, free to the public, with lots of bonding happening around the music and that wonderful small town ethos which makes everyone feel welcome.

The line-up is awesome, what with Arlo Guthrie leading the charge, along with Jimmy Lafave (and Rad), Stonehoney, John Fullbright, Sam Baker, and David Jacobs-Strain, among lots of others.

When the festival was founded in 1998, the Woody Guthrie Coalition commissioned a local Creek Indian to sculpt a bronze statue of Guthrie and his guitar with the well-known inscription: "This machine kills fascists." It now proudly stands on Broadway, the main drag in Okemah. The Music Fog crew is always looking at the stickers and slogans on the gig bags, caps and road cases of the musicians that come to our environs to be videoed. Duly noted when we taped David Jacobs-Strain at the Cherokee Creek Music Festival in May. If I might say, Woody would have approved.

David grew up in a progressive community, Eugene, OR, where the twin thrusts of cultural change and environmental consciousness were seemingly part of his birthright. He sees a direct correlation between his upbringing and the democracy inherent in folk music. He comments, “I’m really into hand-made culture—and real people making real music. The voice. One guitar. Even at its simplest, folk music, like the blues, has always been a vehicle for expressing your own situation, whether as an individual or a community. There’s such power in that.” Again, Woody would approve.

David's third CD is Terraplane Angel, produced by the legendary Ray Kennedy. It lives in a potent booyah of blues, roots rock, fingerstyle guitar work and slide, which is nothing short of mesmerizing to watch. He has been touring again with Boz Scaggs, wow-ponder that! What a simpatico night's entertainment! Here is David, with Bob Beach on harp, and Chris Ayer with back up vox on the tune "Neon Star," from his latest album.

- Jessie Scott