MusicFest

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

Little Boy - Echo Boom

Cody Canada & The Departed "Better Get Right"

You know I love being on the road. Usually, I have a day between trips, but I didn’t this time as I left Colorado and flew out directly to Nashville. I am proud to continue to sit on the board of The Americana Music Association, and we have our yearly planning meetings in early January. So here I sit, after a sumptuous dinner at Randy Rayburn’s Sunset Grill. I am staying at a hotel I have never been to before; The Maxwell House…yes, THAT Maxwell House. The brand was named after the hotel in 1892. This is a music themed hotel, and there are glorious Hatch Prints and other memorabilia everywhere you look. The South is such an interweaving of cultures. Of course, I am not in the original building, which burned down on Christmas Day in 1961.

I am, quite frankly, basking in the afterglow of MusicFest at Steamboat Springs. There was quality time with so many people, fun, philosophical, and interesting conversations. It was so good to see The Ragweed reunion (man those songs are burned into my brain), and then a smoking set from The Departed in the ballroom of The Steamboat Grand. I got some hang time with Cody and Seth - that was especially cool. They are taking the Mid-Western route back home, and are playing tonight in North Platte NE. It seems fitting to bring you a gospel infused tune today that Music Fog filmed during last year’s MusicFest. “Better Get Right.” Hell yeah.

-Jessie Scott

John Fullbright "Fat Man"

Saturday night in Steamboat was epic. So much love in the big tent that it was palpable, especially during the MusicFest Jam. Stoney LaRue started it out and was joined by Cody Canada, Randy Rogers, Wade Bowen, Uncle Lucius, Band Of Heathens, Jason Eady, Midnight River Choir, Jonathan Tyler and a slew of others. I hope you were able to tune in to the webcast on The MusicFest.com page.

Today's shows:

5:20 to 6:40 for Turnpike Troubadours

7:10 to 8:30 it’s Cory Morrow

9:00 to 10:30 the Randy Rogers Band will tear it up, all Mountain Time of course.

I wouldn’t trade this for the world, the opportunity to be part of this community. We get to have extraordinary times with remarkable people; whether I am soloing, like this time (not totally…Sheila Francis, Dave Newman, and photographer Christopher Durst are with me) or whether I am out with my Music Fog compadres at the other events we cover. I am eternally grateful. We bring you a song today from Music Fog’s sessions back in May at Cherokee Creek Music Festival. John Fullbright (you know, he has to take the ride to Steamboat one of these years!) And next year, may the Music Fog Production Crew - Aaron, Beans, Denise and Chris make it back out here too! I am thrilled to report there is a new album coming out with John Fullbright’s name on it. Huzzah! 

Here is a short about it with a snippet of info and a bit of song.

-Jessie Scott