Kasey Anderson "Don't Look Back"

Kasey Anderson released his fourth CD, Nowhere Nights, back in February and I am so happy he sent it my way. Anderson defines it as “equal parts charge, benediction, apology and indictment,” which was inspired by a burning need to make drastic changes in his life. “For almost a decade I lived in an insulated little community,” Anderson says. “I woke up one morning and knew it was time. I was numb all over. I had to get out.” Relocating to his hometown of Portland, Oregon, Anderson began crafting the songs that would comprise the new album. Assisted by his touring band—guitarist Dan Lowinger, bassist Bo Stewart, drummer Julian MacDonough and keyboardist Lewi Longmire, as well as producer Eric “Roscoe” Ambel on keys and guitar—Anderson wrote songs that, he says, “take an honest look at where I had been, where I was, and where I was going.”

One of the places he was to go was to Austin for SXSW. We communicated back and forth via email to make this Music Fog session happen. Many times, when I book someone, I have already seen them perform. And when I haven't, it is with fingers crossed that they will be "as advertised," able to pull it off in front of our cameras. Kasey delivered an earthy, 'Gram' vibed performance on March 18th, and dedicated this song to the memory of Alex Chilton who died the day before. "Don't Look Back."

-Jessie Scott

P.S. The first time I heard The Box Tops song "The Letter," was on a jukebox in Manheim, Germany in 1969. We played it over and over again until we ran out of coins. Alex Chilton left an indelible mark on our culture through his music. The SXSW aggregation was collectively saddened by his untimely passing. So many of us were looking forward to the SXSW performance of Big Star, which became a tribute concert to Alex instead.

Rosie Flores "This Cat's In the Doghouse"

The first time I saw Rosie play was, as my dearly departed Aunt Blanche Starr used to say, scatey-eight years ago. I think the year might have been 1998, or '97, though that is less poetic sounding. It was at the Gavin Magazine "In The Pines" Americana Convention in Lake Tahoe. I met Mike McClure and The Great Divide there, and listened to the Bad Livers and Kieran Kane, and got to know Duane Jarvis, and Doug Sahm a bit at that event. A memorable occasion all the way around, even though most of it was a blur, as days of music, panel discussions, luncheons, dinners and drinking are. But there were some stand out moments that are burned into my brain. There was a jam session on the last night, during which Rosie Flores played a scorching guitar. Though I had heard her music before that, The Rockabilly Filly amazed me with her ripping riffs and sweet, yet spirited vocals. I have long pondered what put a guitar in her hands in the first place. I know how hard it is to swim upstream, and I'm a huge admirer of how gutsy girls like Rosie busted through the male traditions and stereotypes of their youth to invent themselves.

This is not the news you ever want to hear for a physical person, musician or otherwise. Rosie Flores broke her arm, though in typical Rosie fashion, she has proclaimed it not a "broken arm," but a "healing arm." We are hoping she will not have to have surgery on it, but in the meantime, she was getting ready to go out on tour with Jon Langford. What's worse is the fact that, like many other musicians (and Americans for that matter), Rosie doesn't have any health insurance. She was relying on this upcoming tour to pay the bills for awhile, and now she's just laid up, and struggling. So, if you can help Rosie with a few bucks, please click here.

Miss Rosie is a tour de force. Her latest CD, Girl of The Century was produced by the aforementioned Jon Langford. From it, here is "This Cat's In The Doghouse."

-Jessie Scott

Chatham County Line "Crop Comes In"

They came dressed to the nines...or was it dressed AT nine...and we are talking AM here. Alright, it wasn't nine, but eleven, and they were raring to go, even though it was still before noon. Quite frankly, it was an auspicious start to our last day of filming at Threadgill's for SXSW. Chatham County Line believes in Sunday Best when they are on stage, and they believe in the power of "gathering around the mic," which allows them to function as a living breathing organism when they perform.

Dave Wilson (guitar, lead vocals), Chandler Hold (banjo), John Teer (mandolin, fiddle) and Greg Readling (bass) have had a categorization problem in the past: Too progressive for bluegrass traditionalists, too rowdy for folk sticklers and yet still thought of by others as too traditional. What's a band to do? Well why not just keep going? Which they are doing, as their 5th album Wildwood drops on July 13th. Honestly, what about this is hard to get? Beautifully crafted lyrics and tunes, solid command of the instruments, and you could take them home to Mother. Here is "Crop Comes In" from the forthcoming CD. See for yourself!

-Jessie Scott