Travis Linville "Hard Knocks"

Man, oh man, it's been hard knocks all week! From last Friday on, it has just been one thing after another, between the Gulf Coast oil spill, the tragic Nashville floods, and countless people suffering in one way or another. Sorry to have been so serious all this week, do know that I have wanted to change it up, but have not been able to. But the weekend is almost upon us! That is some good news! And here is your head's up that Mother's Day is this Sunday, so you are forewarned about procuring a present while there is still time.

Now to the matter at hand. I was first introduced to Travis Linville through his work with The Burtschi Brothers. He is a producer of note, an inspired sideman, a magnetic frontman, and he is Red Dirt through and through. I am continually astounded as to the depth and breadth of the Oklahoma scene. They must have some extra minerals in the water there to grow so many talented musicians! Travis is presently on the road with an amazing cast of characters: Hayes Carll, The Travelin' McCoury's with Dierks Bentley who has just recorded a definitive and highly recommended (by me) new album of roots music called Up On The Ridge. Check Travis' website for Northeast tour dates.

The song we bring you here from Travis Linville is "Hard Knocks," filmed in Memphis, at Folk Alliance, on the celebrated Music Fog bus. You will find it on the twenty song CD (yikes!) See You Around from 2007. And here's hoping that things start to moderate, all the way around!

- Jessie Scott

Kristi Rose & Fats Kaplin "Come Back Tomorrow"

Nashville residents Kristi Rose and Fats Kaplin are an interesting couple to behold. He is a world class instrumentalist. She is a vocalist of dramatic southern gothic sensibility. Together they have created a musical genre they call Pulp Country. Theirs is a cinematic world that has been described as an “eclectic walk on the wild side.” They have released two critically acclaimed albums, This Is Pulp Country! and Kristi Rose, Live In Holland, and have played thematically satisfying shows as duos and beyond on stages as diverse as Lincoln Center, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, major festivals and venues in Europe, honkytonks, and legendary rock clubs. Onstage they summon the ghosts of our lives, the sorrows and regrets, as well as allow for joy and release. Their shows are certifiable events, and I encourage you to see them together. Not to mention that if you haven't seen Fats play, you are in for a total treat. He is much in demand with a host of artists, as well as with Kane Welch Kaplin...stellar stuff indeed! And there are solo Fats projects to pick up on, The Fatman Cometh and Fats Kaplin’s World of Wonder.

When they came to play for us in Memphis during Folk Alliance, I did not share what their trip was with the other Foggers in advance. Sometimes it's better not to explain, so as to watch the faces as it unfolds. And so it was. Theater came before our cameras. No Dorothy, you are not in Kansas anymore! "Come Back Tomorrow" is available as a free download on their website, or you can buy other tracks at CD Baby.

- Jessie Scott

P.S. And the rains came to Nashville in what is being called the 100 Year Flood. Mayor Karl Dean declared a State Of Emergency on Saturday. We pray that all our Nashville family and friends are safe, and that life returns to normal as soon as possible. Sadly, 22 people have lost their lives in Tennessee and adjoining states through this shocking weather. The Tennessean has reported that portions of The Opryland Hotel are under 10 to 19 ft of water. There are many other buildings, obviously, downtown and afar that are in the same situation as well. The Red Cross has opened at least 28 shelters across Tennessee, Kentucky, and Mississippi. Your help is needed. Give to the Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund if you can. Click on the Red Cross logo on our page, or here.

Keith Sykes "It Don't Matter"

I love the lilt of the Memphis accent. It is sheer elegance, recalling stately homes and courtly manners, but times have changed. Memphis, like so many of the other river towns on the Mississippi, is blighted as it loses business and population. And revitalization is slow to return. Visiting Memphis in February, this was driven home to me once again, and if wishing would make it so, I dream that these fine cities recover and go on to a new era of glory. Though I don't know what the catalyst could be to turn the tides. And that wish extends to the Gulf Coast, as the current oil slick threatens the waterways from Louisiana to Pensacola. We do hope the spill gets capped in short order. Life in these parts is hard enough without these tribulations adding to the challenges. Don't think I am simply yearning for an earlier time, nostalgic for the good old days that weren't really good. It is not that, but a time when our economy was healthier so it better supported our citizens. Not that it was perfect, I realize, but it seems more folks could make a living then, that's what I am longing for, for us all.

For me, the accent recalls those days. Keith Sykes voice drips with the charm of white linen, straw boaters and sultry weather. He wears many hats, of course beside the boater...not sure if he really wears that! Singer, songwriter, guitarist, producer, record executive. He has traveled and found himself in studios and on stages around the world. What a life! Read all about it by clicking here. When he joined us on the bus during Folk Alliance, he asked what song we wanted to hear thinking he would do "Volcano," which he co-wrote with Jimmy Buffett. I asked instead for "It Don't Matter," which he co-wrote with Jerry Jeff Walker. We send this to the people south of I-10, who are about to have their coastline disrupted. Better times will come, just not sure when. We are praying for you.

-Jessie Scott