Marathon Recorders

The Gourds "I Want It So Bad"

This time of year is such a tangle of emotions. We zig zag from the sweet and tender moments with loved ones. Whiplash to the crass hyper-commercialization that this holiday season has become. Then we start thinking back about the past year; then start dreaming about what we would like to see happen for the next. Work toward your dreams, overcome the odds. I wish us all a better time with cash flow and employment. I wish true love finds you. And as I am coming off a low carb Christmas, and feeling very disciplined all of a sudden, since I said no to the exceptional homemade goodies that were offered, here is hoping I might just find the energy to stick with it in the new year. Of course every other commercial on TV is for weight loss, gym memberships and over the counter snake oil diet supplements, all of which serves to remind us that many of us are in the same boat.

Whatever path you take toward a healthier 2012 is OK in my book. Stop smoking, start exercising, watch what you eat, make regular yearly doctor’s appointments. Be relentless in your pursuit, ‘cause as they say, “use it or lose it.” And know this, that you CAN do it, just set your mind to it, and be relentless in the pursuit. And don’t forget to dance! Here is a song that is impossible to be still while it is playing. “I Want It So Bad,” from The Gourds. You will find it on their latest album Old Mad Joy. Yes indeed, may you find old mad joy in 2012. Here is the Music Fog version of the song, filmed at Nashville's Marathon Recorders during this year's Americana Fest.

- Jessie Scott

I Want It So Bad - Old Mad Joy

Gretchen Peters "On A Bus To St. Cloud"

It is travel day, though I daresay, for some this whole week has been the great escape. Of course there is the attendant hustle and bustle if you are doing the entertaining. Hope your preparations are nearly completed, and that you will have a warm and wonderful time. For those of us who have lost loved ones, whether through death or by parting, let us take a moment to remember sweet times together.

           

This song makes me cry. Gretchen Peters visited us during our Music Fog Marathon in Nashville in October with Barry Walsh. She is about to release a new album, Hello Cruel World in January, which is being hailed as her bravest ever. We will be bringing you some tunes in future posts that Music Fog recorded from the upcoming album, but in the meantime, the snow is coming down (well, it is in this song) and the holiday is upon us. We are traveling, “On A Bus To St. Cloud.”

-Jessie Scott

 

On a Bus to St. Cloud - Trio

Ian McLagan "An Innocent Man"

The nominees were announced on September 26th for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, and they will be announcing who gets in today. This year, there is a list of fifteen, and for my money, they (almost) all are worthy: Beastie Boys, The Cure, Donovan, Eric B. & Rakim, Guns 'N Roses, Heart, Joan Jett and The Blackhearts, Freddie King, Laura Nyro, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rufus with Chaka Khan, The Spinners, Donna Summer, War, and The Small Faces/The Faces.

Formed in London in 1965, the Small Faces ascended as contemporaries of the Beatles, the Who and the Rolling Stones. In the 70s, they re-emerged with a shortened name and a refreshing driving energy. They were initially bassist Ronnie Lane, organist Ian McLagan, drummer Kenney Jones and singer Steve Marriott. When Steve left the band in 1969, singer Rod Stewart and guitarist Ron Wood, both from the Jeff Beck Group, joined The Faces. If you are not familiar with their catalog, pick your platform – iTunes, Pandora, Slacker, Spotify, whatever, and dig in to some mighty fine stuff. The Faces broke up in 1975 when Rod went solo and Ronnie Wood joined the Stones. Ronnie Lane passed in 1997. Along the way Ian McLagan wound up in Austin, Texas and has continued to record with The Bump Band. He has written a marvelous book called All The Rage which chronicles this amazing era.

We jumped at the chance to film Ian McLagan during Americana Fest in Nashville this past October, while we camped out at Marathon Recorders. He brought Jon Notarthomas with him, and they proceeded to play one from the 2008 album Never Say Never. “An Innocent Man” is poignant, beautiful, sparse in this recording, making it even more haunting. And we wish Ian “bon chance” on the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame entry!

- Jessie Scott

An Innocent Man - Never Say Never