Amy LaVere "Red Banks"

I would like to coin a term today, in the manner of the adjectives Jeffersonian or Keynesian.  My new word would be Waitsian, and would refer to a particular kind of music; gruff and sparse, growling and noir. Songs like this favorite of mine,  “Heartattack and Vine.”   Yes, Tom Waits has spawned something of a cottage industry in this next generation of musicians, who sat metaphorically at his knee ingesting his art and his aura.   We know that so many people have covered his songs, in kind making them prettier.  The Eagles doing “Ol’ 55,” or “Jersey Girl” from Bruce Springsteen, or Rod Stewart with “Downtown Train.”  

I don’t think it is a stretch to go from there to Amy LaVere.  I am reminded of the expression ‘Still Water Runs Deep.’ She is self-possessed, with such style and such ease with matter-of-fact darkness.  She has recorded three solo projects since 2005.  And she has emerged in film roles as well, including the Johnny Cash biopic Walk the Line and Craig Brewer’s Hustle and Flow. Her first lead role is scheduled for this year, The Romance of Loneliness, which will be filmed in Memphis next month.

 “Acting is very much like singing,” she says. “It’s losing yourself in a story. My favorite escape.”  Amy’s fourth CD, Stranger Me, will be out in July, and she will hit the road to tour.  Just to whet your appetite a tad, here's "Red Banks," an exclusive track we captured at Threadgill’s during our Marathon in March.  - Jessie Scott

Ron Sexsmith "Late Bloomer"

I love to read my friends’ album lists on FaceBook. The ones where you're supposed to list your favorites without doing any research or thinking about them past the initial moment.  One of the things I like best about it, is the fond embrace of ALBUMS, now that albums have become such an arcane concept.

I am equally impressed by my friends who put a whole side on when they are cleaning, or cooking.  They  prefer to hear the music as it was recorded, rather than just shuffle their iPod.  Yes, I know today is April 20th, and that 420 celebrations can amplify nearly any audio into an religious experience.  Go there is you want to, but I want to extol the virtues of having that album list handy.

There are lots of lists, and we can spend forever debating their merits. People love to duke it out over the one from Rolling Stone.  But at the end of the day, having an album for every mood is really wonderful; something to party to, something for romance, something to listen to when you are alone and introspective.

Now I am not sure if you are hip to Ron Sexsmith, but I highly recommend him for your list.  His melodies are gentle, his words are evocative, and his voice is carried on the breeze.  He is a songwriter’s songwriter, and his early fans include Paul McCartney and Elvis Costello.  He has recorded twelve albums since 1991, according to the Wiki. His most recent is last month's, Long Player Late Bloomer.  And so, we bring you the quasi-title track, “Late Bloomer,” recorded live during our Music Fog Marathon at Threadgill’s WQH in Austin, TX.

-- Jessie Scott

Stone River Boys "Lovers Prison"

We were cruising in the Hill Country this past weekend, out to Luckenbach under the live oaks for a Paul Thorn concert. We drove back under a canopy of stars with the moon roof open, even seeing the Milky Way, with no ambient light from the city to compete with it. There were lots of towers, mostly for cell phones with lights flashing atop. I was reminded of growing up, how I quickened looking at the radio towers, blinking magically, beacons of mass communication. I loved radio. I loved sitting behind the mic in the evening hours, with the ability to play music and touch lives, talk to callers. To just be so centered in what you are doing that all else falls away. I remember many times having some persnickety cold or headache when I walked in, that would magically vanish when I got into the work flow.

There was an engineer I worked with for years, who came in for the overnight shift when I was working at WHN in New York. Every time he worked the same hours as me, he would slide the control room door open just a sliver, and smile seductively with his eyes half closed. He would announce that he was "The Buzzard." He would go on to tell me, "Now you understand that The Buzzard don't kill nothing...but if he should find something on the ground, he would make sure to pick the bones clean." Tantalizing! The same performance every night, like a mantra! And then he would close the door and hang out in the shop the rest of the night.

I think he would have loved the Stone River Boys. A bit of theater, a bit of rock and roll, and some stone country from Bakersfield in the mix. We recorded this tune a month ago during the Music Fog Marathon at Threadgill's. "Lovers Prison" comes from their Love On The Dial CD. Oh, I might just have to go see them tonight or next Wednesday at the Continental Club in Austin. And then lookout Europe, here they come!

- Jessie Scott