The Trishas "Moses"

ACK! I have the creeping-crud-sore-throat-sinus-infection that so often accompanies the rock and roll lifestyle. The kissing and handshaking of a festival, and then the dastardly plane ride home. In this case, taking an extra three hours because San Francisco was fogged in, and we were unable to take off. So the trip home became a 12 hour affair. So I had to visit the walk-in clinic today for some antibiotics. It hurts to talk, and well, that's just bad. Well maybe my silence is not bad for some people. Just ask Beans, and he'll say it's hard to get a word in edgewise with me. So my laptop becomes even more essential. I also met a singer at the clinic today who said she'd had this throat thing going on for a month. Perish the thought! I am living on ice pops and Hall's® Mentho-Lyptus, and typing away. Life is grand.

It is a good week when you can see The Trishas twice. Not that we expected that, but when we brought you the Raul Malo video for "Sinners & Saints" on Tuesday, there they were, in all their glory. The new CD They Call Us The Trishas is out, though they call it a mini-album, not an EP. We look forward to more from them soon, as this is a time for writing, growing, and becoming everything their promise holds. The road trip continues for them tonight in Conroe, Texas for the Cajun Catfish Festival. Mmmmnn, that sounds DELICIOUS. And fun! They have lots of other Texas dates coming up, and will be back to play the MusicFest at Steamboat Springs in Colorado this coming January. It is an incredible lineup there again this year. Meantime, click here for the rest of The Trishas' schedule. We bring you a SXSW 2010 performance of the song "Moses."

- Jessie Scott

The Nadas "Bitter Love"

Alright, I admit it, I tied one on a few weeks ago. I had put my phone in my back pocket, a place it rarely occupies. So I realized later that I was pocket dialing, and truth be told, I might could have even been drunk pocket dialing! And who did I dial? Jason Walsmith of The Nadas, that's who. I have no idea if he heard any of my rambling conversations as I was totally unaware that my phone had spontaneously taken it upon itself to communicate with others. I wonder if he was able to discern just who was on stage singing through the muffle of denim jeans. And if Jason heard any of that, in person or later in an endless voice mail, he was way too much of a gentleman to call me and report back. I have no idea how long we were connected. Maybe he was drunk too, and the timing couldn't have been better for that kind of activity. Maybe we had a higher communication that neither one of us actually participated in. I am set to ponder.

Photo Credit: Mandy MillerJason is wrapping up his residency at Saints Pub and Patio in West Des Moines tonight. Jason and Mike Butterworth will then be embarking on a house concert tour for the rest of the year, and much of it is by rail. Hence the name "Rock the Rails Living Room Tour," where some of these dates are semi open to the public, and some are for friends of the hosts only. The fun starts in Omaha this Friday and continues through Denver, then west to San Francisco, Portland, Seattle (Everett) and Spokane. All of those shows, except Denver, are open to fans on the Nadas mailing list. If you are interested in more information on any of these cities, email the Nadas. Or, email if you are interested in hosting a living room concert. Check out the dates here. One thing is for sure, the Nadas weave magic wherever they go. They came to visit us at Threadgill's for SXSW 2010, and we bring you a video of "Bitter Love" from that session now. Check out the original video, too, which we recorded during Folk Alliance 2009, about a year before the album Almanac came out!

- Jessie Scott

Uncle Lucius "Keep the Wolves Away"

Labor Day Weekend found me down at the beach. It is a four hour drive southeast from Austin to Corpus Christi. In Texas, four hours is nothing, just around the corner. The land changes along the way as it flattens out toward the Gulf Of Mexico and the barrier reef islands of Padre. Just before you get to paradise, you pass through an industrial area. There is an exit for Corn Product Road. Hmmm, wonder what they make there? On the other side is Carbon Plant Road, accompanied by exactly the kind of oil smell hanging in the air that you would expect. It stands as a stoic reminder to how our society functions, what with energy and agri-business. And then you get to the beach and can put the odor and the memory of it behind you. Seems like a good time to mention that there is another way to live, and that Farm Aid 25: Growing Hope for America is coming up on Saturday, October 2nd, at Miller Park in Milwaukee, WI. If you're not in the Milwaukee area, you can catch it live in HD on DirecTV's The 101 Network beginning at 6pm ET/5pm CT. They'll also be running the concert on the Farm Aid website, if you don't have access to DirecTV. The lineup is stellar, as usual, with Jeff Tweedy, Randy Rogers Band, and Norah Jones joining Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, Neil Young and Dave Matthews, just to name a few. See the complete lineup here. I'm happy to see Randy on the Farm Aid lineup. It is always interesting to me to see how bands reach the next level, and watching what is happening with Randy is awesome! I feel there is so much music that should be seen by a bigger audience. That there are so many worthy musicians that could totally blow up if only the opportunities line up celestially. Life. A giant game of Chutes and Ladders!

So two things, we give Randy and company a big thumbs up for weaving through this crazy environment to get to where they have gotten. And a big thumbs up to the artists we get to bring you on the Music Fog website, long may they wave too. Uncle Lucius is one of them. No, they are not playing at Farm Aid this year, but maybe someday! The news is that Uncle Lucius, along with Randy Rogers Band, are playing The MusicFest in Steamboat Springs in January 2011! This will be their debut at MusicFest, and is a welcome and praised invitation. Before that comes around, though, they are going to spend nine days holed up in a cabin in the Tennessee mountains next week, and then they hit the road starting on October 15th. They are a hard boogie-ing, soul meets rock unit that delivers organic joy. We bring you another of their tunes from our Threadgill's SXSW shoot. It's a song that highlights a similar landscape to the above-mentioned one that I drove through Labor Day Weekend. "Keep the Wolves Away," is an unreleased track that your favorite Uncle wanted to share with you on the Fog!

- Jessie Scott