John Fullbright "Me Wanting You"

I had a friend in town on Wednesday, someone who has been to Texas many times, but had never been here in Austin before. It was a blast to show him around town and to eat our way through. We started with Juan In A Million for breakfast, County Line Bar-b-q for late lunch with a tantalizing view of the beginning of Hill Country, and then Maudie’s for a Tex-Mex dinner. Then there are the food carts for after the show. He was impressed by the sophistication of Austin, by how much bigger the city was than he expected, by the food and the music and the amount of clubs. And if he were to stay longer than just a day, he would find amazing depth in the musicians that populate the universe here. Whether they live here, or orbit, there are so many TALENTED artists. It is a pleasure to live in a bubbling cauldron of creativity.

Today we bring you a tune from one of those artists who orbits Austin. John Fullbright has lots of friends here, and we welcome him back to town whenever he comes. He is one of the Red Dirt boys, hailing from Okemah, Oklahoma. I am still wondering when he will release another record, and open the door to the rest of the world that is unaware of him right now. The day will come, mark my words. We had a visitation from him during the Cherokee Creek Music Festival last month near Llano, Texas. He summoned Radoslav Lorkovic up the hill to the ranch house to join him on accordion. “Me Wanting You.” Beautiful.

- Jessie Scott

The Trishas "Chicken & Dumplings"

Today we take a gander at the long tradition of food as a metaphor for sex in blues music, as I found a wonderful history of The Blues here. This music is rife with euphemisms and secret code. I am reminded of the songs that gave instructions for the underground railroad which guided the escape to freedom, like this one from Mark Erelli “The Drinking Gourd.”

The melding of Black folk music with White was a wholly American construct. Back then, there were things that couldn’t be said in polite company. Boy does that ever seem quaint now that there is no governor on how overt music can be. Once upon a time, you had to read between the lines.

To wit, cruising through Alabama a couple of weeks ago, I heard an amazing song that I just had to share with you, “Sorry, I Didn’t Know It Was Your Mama,” from Lenny Williams. That is just way too much information!

That said, today’s song here on the Fog, “Chicken and Dumplings,” is relatively innocent. We filmed The Trishas, with the powerful blues belting of Liz Foster, at Threadgill’s WHQ this past March during the Music Fog Marathon. Not too long ago, when a chill was in the air, I fondly remember a dinner with this ultimate comfort food, as Chicken and Dumplings is a weekly special there. The Trishas will be playing Threadgill’s WHQ this Friday night, and then continue a run of Texas dates before heading to The Rockies. All I can say is, “Is it time for lunch yet?”

- Jessie Scott

Jess Klein "Wilson Street Serenade"

It is a shimmering Saturday morning in June. The calendar is edging toward the longest day of the year, and I am relishing the extra hours of daylight. It seems like there is time for everything this time of year, and although we are regularly hitting 100 degrees in Texas, it doesn’t feel bad being outside in short sprints. I have a bit of news, too...I will be on the radio tomorrow afternoon, and you can listen! If you are local, 92.1 FM KNBT in New Braunfels, Texas, the preeminent Americana Radio Station is letting me deejay. I can’t tell you how much I have missed being on the radio! I have been doing it all of my adult life, with the exception of these last couple of years. If you are not close to New Braunfels, log on to listen on the web Sunday starting at 1 pm Central Daylight time.

Today we have a beautiful bauble of a song from Jess Klein that we recorded in May at the Cherokee Creek Music Festival outside of Llano, Texas. We were in drought conditions already but this heat hadn’t settled in yet. People came to our ranch studio bearing gifts of song. This one made me cry, it’s about all the things we yearn for in life; better days, lost loves, what slipped through our fingers. I think that is part of why I love this music so much. There is such commonality. And there is beauty, in this case, that of the ethereal Jess Klein, her amethyst voice. She is just back from touring Europe, and is working on the tunes to be recorded this fall for the new release. Here is a preview, “Wilson Street Serenade” will be on her forthcoming album.. It’s OK to cry in the sunlight.

-Jessie Scott