Reckless Kelly "I Never Liked St. Valentine"

It is cold! I am under the blankets with my boots on, swaddled in sweatshirts. Winter - it is an acquired taste. We were just in the Rocky Mountains a couple of weeks ago, but you EXPECT it to be cold there. It is chilly in Texas as I write this. I am having to drip the faucets tonight to keep the pipes from freezing. It is just wrong. As I am from the Northeast, I have no right to complain. But I do wonder if it is an old wives' tale that our blood thins out upon moving south?

I should ask Idahoans Cody and Willy Braun of Reckless Kelly for the definitive answer to that question. Not that they are old wives, but because Idaho is massively cold, and they never seem to complain about the weather in Austin. Last time I saw them, they were preparing to be 'roasted' (now that's an interesting way to stay warm) during MusicFest at Steamboat. We hear it was brutal, tongue firmly planted in cheek but with love, sort of, you know how those thing are. Earlier that evening, we wrested Cody and Willy away from serving a lasagna dinner to a roomful of guests to record a few songs for our cameras.

During MusicFest I was reminded of a really cool event that Reckless Kelly is headlining in early June, Fest Out West in Lajitas, TX with Cody Canada & The Departed, Wade Bowen & Randy Rogers, Micky & The Motorcars, Butch Hancock, The Trishas, John Evans, and Hayes Carll. What a great lineup! Get in on it early, because it will sell out! The other event I wanted to shine a light on is Reckless Kelly's 3rd Annual Celebrity Softball Jam, which happens on May 1st at Dell Diamond in Round Rock, TX. I went last year and it was a blast of a day, from the game, which left multiple people sore from playing, to the wonderful array of artists that played afterwards.

Back at Steamboat now, we were honored to once again have Cody and Willy stop by for a 2011 MusicFest appearance in the Music Fog studio at the Steamboat Grand. Since Valentine's Day is just a couple of weks away, we'll lead things off with an unreleased tune they recorded with us, written by Willy Braun and Todd Snider, "I Never Liked St. Valentine."

- Jessie Scott

Hayes Carll "Another Like You"

And...scene. MusicFest at Steamboat Springs is done for another year, and what an amazing time it was. We kiss the mountains and big blue Rocky Mountain sky goodbye, as we try to catch our altitude compromised breath, and center our alcohol infused brains. Good times. It is interesting to me that this music scene, Texas, Red Dirt, and Americana, has expanded so much that it can no longer be contained at one event. What I mean is there are SO many performers now that you can't stage them all in one place. Could take weeks, if you did that actually! It is just exploding.

There were some artists on the MusicFest roster last year that didn't make it this time. Like Hayes Carll, for instance. But never fear, we caught up with him in September during Americana Fest in Nashville, and voila! We have new music for you. Hayes' new CD KMAG YOYO (& other American stories) hits the street on February 15th. There are several ways to pre-order, see each of the bundles and other exclusives at the official Hayes Carll store. If you are lucky enough to have a local radio station that plays Americana you might be hearing music from his new CD any minute. We have an incredible duet for you today at Music Fog, and you'll find the studio version on the new album next month. Here's Hayes and bassist Bonnie Whitmore trading lines on this modern day love song which features one character that watches Fox News, and the other who enjoys MSNBC...as Hayes puts it!

- Jessie Scott

Cody Canada & The Departed "Water Your Own Yard"

The Music Fog crew started the day with the crunch of snow underfoot, as we made our way to the City Market for provisions for the duration. Ya gotta have supplies! We are behind closed doors, well that actually is a singular door, anyway, at the Steamboat Grand Hotel. We are loving life here at MusicFest in Steamboat. Beans and Aaron once again got in touch with their feminine sides on the set decoration, and artists came by all day long. We had visits from Brandon Jenkins, Midnight River Choir, Gary P. Nunn, Dirty River Boys, Matt King, and Band of Heathens. Yes, you will be seeing these folks all upcoming in the not too distant future on Music Fog. Couple of other highlights today; we caught a bit of Uncle Lucius in the Grand Ballroom, and I got to emcee Reckless Kelly in the MusicFest tent. It was packed solid, and that feeling that is such a part of this event was in full force there. A whole lot of people here loving the music, and celebrating being here.

We started the day with Cody Canada and Seth James, representing the newly formed band The Departed. We all have been waiting to hear what they are up to, and it was bluesy and badass just like you would expect. Fine songwriting with soulful singing and playing. The Departed just had its debut show on December 29th at Gruene Hall, and also will be playing in the new ACL Live Facility coming up on February 11th in Austin. We have a taste for you right here, first video up from our MusicFest 2011 coverage, "Water Your Own Yard," a cautionary tale, indeed, from the pen of Tom Skinner.

- Jessie Scott