Joy Kills Sorrow "Reservations"

It is a wonderful thing indeed, this communication that we humans do. Sometimes there are unspoken signals that you can pick up on, maybe not totally clear in your mind, but come away with that feeling that there is an underlying message that was indeed received. Without saying anything. Love that! Ah but sometimes it goes awry, sometimes the signals aren’t received or they are, and they are unwelcome. And just sometimes, there is just something that doesn’t feel right…reservations.

That’s today’s song “Reservations,” from the virtuoso Boston outfit Joy Kills Sorrow, who came to play for us during SXSW this past March. Music Fog was able to do a successful Kickstarter campaign to raise money to attend and webcast live from Threadgill’s WHQ for that event. Unfortunately, so far, this new Kickstarter campaign just isn’t working to raise the necessary funds to get us to Nashville for Americana Fest in September. We are sorry to come back to you, Dear Audience, for your support, by yourself, or for your company. The days are waning to contribute, and if we don’t make goal by our deadline, August 24, we won’t be attending to capture more amazing videos. Your pledge can be as little as $5. What is that, a McMeal? If you love our videos, we would sure appreciate your pledge.

So here you go, from Joy Kills Sorrow with the Music Fog version of “Reservations.” Emma Beaton – vocals, Bridget Kearney – bass,  Jacob Jolliff – mandolin, Wesley Corbett – banjo, and Matthew Arcara – guitar. The song is originally found on their This Unknown Science album. The band is doing a California run this week, so catch them if you can.

-Jessie Scott

Lydia Loveless "Back On The Bottle"

We used to be called the weaker sex, but coming off the Olympics, I am heartened by how much has changed for females as the decades have rolled on. Tough stuff to compete in, too the motocross, heptathlon, track and field, beach volleyball, basketball, etc. Even having women as commentators is a revelation. Little known fact. I auditioned for ABC to do local sports in New York in autumn of 1979. People at the time were incredulous. I was asked if I even knew what a Hat Trick was in hockey. I did. And having played field hockey, as well as all the other sports in high school, my athletic education was pretty well rounded. In any case, I am hoping that these Olympics have inspired yet another generation to get out from behind the sedentary computer and live it all in Technicolor reality. Get fit America!

Yes, women call be bad asses, no matter what the endeavor. Lydia Loveless is a prime example. Her debut album, Indestructible Machine was released to resounding accolades last year. We had the band come by our showcase during SXSW at Threadgill’s for the Spring Music Fog Marathon. Just a quick note, our Kickstarter campaign only has eleven more days for us to raise the funds that will allow us to travel to Nashville for the Americana Music Association Festival, where we would like to stage our Fall Music Fog Marathon. If we don’t make the goal, we don’t get any of the money, and we won’t be able to attend. If you could post, tweet, Google +, Pinterest, or email your Americana loving friends, we sure would appreciate both the pledges as well as spreading the word. Lydia Loveless and her band are going to be in Nashville for the event, here is the rest of the lineup. Wristbands are available for purchase. Lydia channels Patsy Cline on this song, “Back On The Bottle,” except, I don’t think Patsy swore. So, yes, this is your “language alert.” Don’t watch with the kids around, or while at the office unless you wear your ear buds.

-Jessie Scott

Eric Brace & Peter Cooper "Peace Like A River"

It is a lazy Sunday in the summertime. It occurred to me that maybe, you would just like to hide from the sun, and do a bit of movie watching. Are you hip to SnagFilms? This is a way cool resource - they have over 3,000 films that you can stream for FREE on Snagfilms.com. And then again, you can watch them anytime, and anywhere in the world that you might be, on your iPad, Kindle Fire, Blackberry tablets, Android smartphone, Roku Box, and other devices. Talk about being wired in! As a special incentive to intrigue you even further, the Paul Simon documentary Under African Skies, is available just for two weeks in this month as we are coming up on the 26th anniversary of the Paul Simon Graceland album on August 12th.

So today we put forth a Paul Simon tune to honor the occasion, though it is not a tune from that remarkable album. Come to think of it, Paul Simon has had a pretty damn remarkable career, so today we have his song, “Peace Like A River,” as done by Eric Brace & Peter Cooper. The song is on the Paul Simon self-titled album, which came out back in 1972. Eric Brace and Last Train Home just got done playing the Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion Festival, which is a fun affair every year. There are dates coming for Eric Brace and Peter Cooper too! They make such a compelling duo on stage. We filmed them doing this song during Americana Fest 2011 in Nashville. BTW, if you love Music Fog’s videos, help us get to Nashville to produce more videos with another Music Fog Marathon, by pledging to our Kickstarter Campaign.

-Jessie Scott