The Farewell Drifters "Little Boy"

I evidently have entered another era where babies are popping up everywhere. Several musicians I know are new parents, and I am awash in the cuteness of the pictures on their phones of their little ones. Being a mom myself, I can tell you it is one of life’s greatest adventures. It is so strange, because growing up, I never wanted to have children. It was always positioned to me as a drudgery, a huge responsibility. I recoiled from that, but then one day, someone got me to thinking about the rest of it; the joy, the love, the communication, the teaching. I am glad I became a parent. Watching a child grow is simply amazing, and nurturing them is a wholly fulfilling pursuit.

But kids do grow, and you can only be there for them until they push away. There are things you can tell them that they won’t internalize, and there are things you hope go well. You pray that some episodes are not too painful for them when they go south. Life, there really are no Hallmark Cards for some of it, and no blueprints for most of it. But to be truly alive, you have to make your way. Have you heard about the book, Dear Me: A Letter To My Sixteen Year Old Self? One of the celebrities comments about not being stopped by fear. Go for it, no matter what.

Photo Credit: Rachel Moore

Today’s tune is from The Farewell Drifter’s album Echo Boom. Here is our recording of “Little Boy,” filmed at the Music Fog Fall Marathon, from Marathon Recorders in Nashville, during October's Americana Fest. If you like it, catch up with them on tour.

- Jessie Scott

Sunday Valley "Life Ain't Fair"

Awright, awright; Nashville is a blast, as always. I spent the day behind closed doors on Thursday, but then the night came and I found myself being treated to a rousing performance from the legend Sleepy LaBeef at Douglas Corner. The it was a quick dinner, and a set from The Masterson’s, who are newly signed to New West Records, and have an album coming out in April. They accompanied Eleanor Whitmore Masterson’s sister Bonnie when we filmed them at SXSW last year during the Music Fog Spring Marathon at Threadgill’s. It truly blows my mind how much great new music there is, you just have to dig for it a bit.

We filmed something like 32 artists during Americana Fest in October in Nashville, among them Sunday Valley who were dubbed “Best New Outlaw Band by the Nashville Scene (Best of Nashville 2011.) We concur. It was a blast to have them ‘in the house’ at Marathon Recorders during our Fall Music Fog Marathon. There are a string of Southern dates coming up Here is an as yet unreleased tune from SV called “Life Ain’t Fair.”

-Jessie Scott

Lake Street Dive "Clear A Space"

It feels a bit weird to be in Steamboat without the Foggers, but here I am. Great to be back in The Boat! And MusicFest at Steamboat is the same as it ever was, a warm gathering of fellow travelers in the snow, in the high altitude, set amidst the beauty of the mountains. I think the friendships made through the years here are what makes this so special, whether artists or fellow attendees. This is my tenth year, and I have been involved in a different kind of tech experience each time. So this year the MusicFest folks decided to stream the shows from the tent, sort of like what I used to do when I was programming X Country, XM 12, only with pictures! Today, there are four sets coming your way, all start time ares Mountain Time, of course:

3:45 to 4:55 Ragweed former members Cody, Jeremy and Rand.

5:20 to 6:40 Casey Donahew Band.

7:10 to 8:30 Roger Creager.

9:00 to 10:30 Reckless Kelly.

And that is just day one of four!

The band Lake Street Dive is heading out west in February.  We were tickled to have made their acquaintance during Americana Fest in Nashville in October. They are from Boston, and that begs the question what is in the water in Back Bay? Such a lovely lilt to so many artists out of their; from Eilen Jewell to Miss Tess, to the prodigious talents of Mike Olson, Rachael Price, Bridget Kearney and Michael Calabrese. Today we bring you an as yet unreleased tune form the Music Fog Fall Marathon at Marathon Recorders, “Clear A Space.”

- Jessie Scott