Kristin Andreassen "The Boat Song (Gondolier)"

The deep freeze continues, and if you are chilled to the bone too, I am sure that you’ll join me in this sentiment- I can’t wait for the spring to come! Wish we could do a dance to make it happen faster! What with March just around the corner, it can’t be much longer now, right?

It has felt like a siege. I am looking forward to heading to Texas for SXSW. There is something about being in Austin in March for a tantalizing taste of spring. I am dreaming of music and friends and magic moments - that’s especially so this year. Hey, you know Folk Alliance just wrapped in Kansas City. It was easy to channel the good feeling deal that conference has from all the postings this weekend on FaceBook, Instagram and Twitter. Music Fog would have loved to be on site to capture the festivities. Nonetheless, it was fun to see photos and video snippets of so many friend’s showcases. Who knows, we can sure dream about being there next year.

One of the many artists who made the trip to Kansas City for FA is Kristin Andreassen, who put out her second solo album, Gondolier, a week ago. You might know her from her stints in the early 2000s in the fun folk bands Uncle Earl and Sometymes Why. And of course there was her award winning tune in the 2007 John Lennon Songwriting Contest for “Crayola Doesn't Make A Color For Your Eyes.” Watch for that song down the road on the pages of Music Fog, too.

Today we bring you the title track to the lyrical, imaginative, and delightful Gondolier album. The Foggers got to film it in January at Midtown Live in NYC, when we welcomed Kristin to the Music Fog mini-marathon.

- Jessie Scott

Lost Bayou Ramblers "Les Filles A Nonc Elaire"

Happy Mardi Gras! I wish I could be in New Orleans where, party aside, it is a day of religious celebration with friends and family coming together to share food and make memories. It is ironic that the day is now more known for its excesses. In typical 'next best thing to being there' fashion, on Sunday my club Midtown Live presented CJ Chenier & His Red Hot Louisiana band. With Creole food and Zydeco dancing, a fine time was had by all. We braved the cold, with the temperature dropping Sunday night in NY to 1 frigid degree, so these were hardy souls to come out! Midtown Live is the site of another Let's Zydeco concert on February 27th, when Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys come to town.

A few weeks back during our Music Fog Mini Marathon, we had the pleasure of filming The Lost Bayou Ramblers. They bring the strings and the soul, and the feel of a sultry day amid still water with Spanish Moss hanging in the trees. The band was formed in 1999, a family affair, by brothers Andre and Louis Michot. They learned roots Cajun music performing with their uncles and father as part of Les Frères Michot which was founded in the 80's. They were voted as Best Cajun Band in 2012, 2013, and 2014 by Offbeat Magazine's "The Best of the Beat" awards.

On this Mardi Gras Day, as we dream of warmth and sunshine, the Lost Bayou Ramblers provide the perfect accompaniment. This was our loudest session of the day, so it's best you play it loud, too, and dance!

- Jessie Scott

Dale Watson "Give Me More Kisses"

Awards season is solidly upon us. The GRAMMYs© were Sunday and the good news is it seems the roots music categories are expanding every year! Music Fog congratulates all the nominees, and tips our collective Fog hat (ahem) to the winners, among them triple awardee Rosanne Cash, Old Crow Medicine Show, Jo-El Sonnier, Johnny Winter, Chris Thile & Edgar Meyer, Jack White, The Earls of Leicester, and Mike Farris, who is coming to NYC, playing Midtown Live this Friday evening. (Click for tickets.)

A few weeks ago, Music Fog set up on a Sunday at Midtown Live to film seven artists, including Dale Watson. He has spent a musical life pursuing pure Honky Tonk, Rockabilly and Bakersfield spirit; what country music was known for in decades past. These sounds are sure not being heard right now on mainstream country radio, which is obsessed with what I call "Party Country." Hoist your 6 pack, there’s a girl in the front seat of your pick-up truck in her cut offs, as you head down to the lake to party. Oh, what a stereotype that has become. Country used to be about so much more.

Dale Watson not only honors the traditions in song but in his actions, founding the Ameripolitan Music Awards in 2014. The second annual event is happening on February 17th in Austin, TX at The Paramount Theater, and a limited number of tickets are still available. Awards are being handed out for Honky Tonk, Rockabilly, Western Swing, and Outlaw. It will be a gala evening celebrating real deal stuff. If you are in the Austin area, we highly recommend getting over to see it in person. We grabbed a tune to get you in the mood from Dale Watson & His Lone Stars, which originally was released on the album El Rancho Azul in 2013. Here is the Music Fog recording of “Give Me More Kisses.”

- Jessie Scott