Ray Wylie Hubbard "Count My Blessings"

More Christmas present ideas, can you stand it? I am all about letting our fingers do the walking. A few years ago, when I was still living in DC, I flew down to Austin for a visit, and Ray Wylie Hubbard himself was dispatched to pick me up at the airport. He asked if I was in a hurry, and when I said that I wasn't, we made tracks to an unforgettable location. I actually must report that in my haze (fog, really) I have forgotten where it is, but not WHAT it is, as it made an indelible mark on me. It is the home of Despair, Inc, the people who put out the Demotivators calendar and collectibles, and having grown up on Mad Magazine, I relate. The choices for the 2011 version of the calendar are priceless. And Despair offers you the opportunity to customize your own calendar, including whatever specific demotivators you want to include, and you can even choose to start at a different month than January, if you like. I have to report that I save these, because even when the year is over, the messages delivered, and the ability for them to be wall hangings, remain a constant.

It doesn't surprise me that Ray would bring me to a place like that. He is a down home philosopher-artist, who casts a laser-beam light of reality on what he surveys. We are talking about truths here. I love that he has come into his own at this time in his life. And, yay, he is writing his memoir! Ray has spent the last couple of months in collaboration with All Music Guide writer, Thom Jurek for the upcoming book. Since I love the stories Ray tells on and off the stage, and his canny assessment of the morals contained within, I can't wait for the physical manifestation. And the feature film that Ray co-wrote with award winning director Tiller Russell, The Last Rites of Ransom Pride, has finally been released. And ya know, he wrote all of the songs for the movie, as well. Play it online, or add it to your DVD queue at Netflix. Also, on tap for early next year is a different kind of collaboration with Kevin Welch, as he and Ray Wylie will hold three weekend songwriter's workshops in, where else, Wimberley, TX. And speaking of songwriting, the performing rights organization SESAC, which recognizes the major impact and growing relevance of the Americana format, handed out awards to several top artists and songwriters in the genre last Monday night, including Bob Dylan, Jim Lauderdale, Allison Moorer, The Avett Brothers and Ray Wylie Hubbard. Ray and Hayes Carll were honored for their work on Ray's most recent album A. Enlightenment B. Endarkenment (Hint: There Is No C).

So let's all raise our voices in a rousing round of Happy Birthday to you, Ray Wylie Hubbard! The celebration takes place tonight at the One World Theatre in Austin, then continues this weekend in Dallas and Houston. And beyond! We revisit the stage at Threadgill's during SXSW 2010, for an appropriate sentiment with "Count My Blessings." This is a new song from Ray, which he says might make it onto the next album!

- Jessie Scott

Joe Ely "Hard Livin"

Living in Austin has given me an even deeper appreciation for the Texas artists that I have loved from afar through the years. Take for instance, Joe Ely, who has served to define the Americana genre through his musical explorations. He's had inspired choices in tour mates, that have included Bruce Springsteen, Los Super Seven, The Clash, The Clancy Brothers, and the songwriter's dates with John Hiatt, Lyle Lovett, and Guy Clark. Joe Ely has spread his wings, and grown his catalog, keeping his eyes fixed on the skyline, while mining music of the heart. I am so glad that he and Butch Hancock and Jimmie Dale Gilmore, aka, The Flatlanders got to become the entity they are; they were just a little ahead of their time when they put their first album out in 1972. After reuniting on the Horse Whisperer Soundtrack, they put their second out in 2002, followed by two more CDs in 2004 and 2009. There are new Flatlanders tour dates this month.

Joe Ely, Jessie Scott - New York City, 1978Joe has been doing some appearances with his legendary 1987 band; Davis McLarty, David Grissom, Jimmy Petit, and Bobby Keys. They are a "not to miss!" And in his spare time (!?!), he writes books and journals, and will have two art openings featuring his photography, paintings, and drawings - one in Lubbock and one in Dallas, this January. In advance of Joe's new CD, Satisfied at Last, which also comes out first of the year, he has posted two new songs to iTunes, "Mockingbird Hill" and "You Can Bet I'm Gone." When Joe Ely first started his recording career, I was on the radio in New York. And when he played a date in 1978 at The Bitter End (which was briefly called The Other End) I was there to enjoy the show, and then afterwards for the obligatory photo op which we fondly call a "grin and grip."

A note about Joe's wife, Sharon Ely, who is a force of nature herself. With a never ending smile, and a heart as wide open as the Texas sky, she has been cooking her Holy Posole for friends for years. Holy Posole (manna from heaven) is about to hit the shelves of several stores! A visit to her website finds that her Holy Posole is sold out, but you can get put on the "notify" list. It would make a great Christmas present!

Joe Ely visited us during SXSW 2010 for a short yet magical set at Threadgill's South. "Hard Livin'" is today's Music Fog video offering. And Joe, you make it look so easy!

- Jessie Scott

James McMurtry "Melinda"

We have been remiss in our duties. The Americana Music Association put together a free compilation album for download on Amazon and we haven't told you about it...yet! It's got tracks from John Hiatt, Elizabeth Cook, and Steve Earle, among the 12 songs by artists who we also think should be heard. It's called the Americana Music Awards Sampler. It contains tracks from some of the folks that were nominated for this year's Americana Honors & Awards, held last month, of which Marty Fitzpatrick and I anchored the webcast for Folk Alley. It was a magical night at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. The very last of the 12 tracks for FREE download is from James McMurtry, a song from his most recent studio CD, Just Us Kids, "Bayou Tortous." A sweet couple...kinda sorta a love song. In other James McMurtry news, one of my very favorite magazines, Garden & Gun, has an insightful article about James that captures him faithfully; as he turkey hunts on his grandfather's land with the author, Rick Bass. It also connects to a recommended playlist James put together on iTunes. A very cool list indeed.

Over the years, James has refined his sound, becoming an impressive, and expressive, guitar player. And he has walked down some mighty dark and lonely roads in his music. He's peered into the nooks and crannies of forgotten America, with faithful portraiture to how those lives are being lived. He has made it all come alive with the articulation of his characters in their sometimes impossible situations. That said, I am always surprised by James' romantic side. Through the years and the albums, I get the sense that he is driven to get the words down and put them to music, scanning their cadence for the perfect fit. Whatever they are, and wherever they take him...and us. He seems to live inside his own head restlessly, always pondering. And so the pureness of this love song is all the more sweet for its lack of dark corners, though who knows, there could been some lurking in there anyway. The album it's from is Where'd You Hide the Body from back in 1995. We bring you this version from our Threadgill's session during SXSW 2010.

- Jessie Scott