Brian Wright "Mrs. Rosenthal"

On Wednesday I arrived in Nashville midday, and proceeded to make the rounds. And EVERYWHERE I went, I ran into friends. For a time as I was driving, I started getting melancholy for the days when I lived in this town. Seeing ghosts on the corners, in the neighborhoods, on the streets. But then, walking into the haunts, there were actually humans that I knew, and it was wonderful being welcomed back. My evening ended at the Station Inn in Nashville, which usually plays home to stringed instruments. This Wednesday, it was the rousing gospel of The McCrary Sisters.  And lots of folks in the house: Brigitte DeMeyer, Marshall Chapman, Lisa Grey, Eric Brace.

And all day, I have been wondering what I would write about Brian Wright, as we had planned to put up another video from his SXSW set from March at Threadgill’s. Low and behold, Brian Wright was at the gig too. I asked him to tell me a bit about the song “Mrs. Rosenthal.” He said, ”I wrote the song about a woman who showed me how things worked in life.” I said, “Kinda like Mrs. Robinson?” and he said, “The names were changed to protect the guilty, but Rosenthal Road was where I grew up.” And that is all we need to know. Brian’s album, House On Fire, came out earlier this year, and has landed on several ‘best of the year’ lists. Kudos to Brian. Here is the Music Fog recording of “Mrs. Rosenthal.”

- Jessie Scott

Chris Scruggs "Where The Wind Might Blow"

These are strange times, as we all grow apart, and live within our cliques, form like-minded culture groups and withdraw into our circles. It is with particular interest that I look at today’s hippies, bikers, rockabilly kids, Deadheads and the like. They all echo a lineage, and there forbearers were colorful, as are they. Enter Hipsters. The clothes, the haircuts, the progressive policies. The art and culture and contemplation of our crazy world. You might think they are slaves to fashion, but they hear an earlier calling.

In the growing world of hipsterism, we are accumulating quite a pantheon. Chris Scruggs was a hipster before the term was coined, I do believe. When I first met him he was a young’un in Nashville, and we were introduced by an unsung hero friend of mine, Greg Garing. The next time I saw Chris was at the XM Studios in DC, when he visited with BR549, and ripped it up. Then there was a performance for the Music Fog cameras during SXSW in 2010, where he solidified the vision and rocked the house. Let’s revisit that evening’s version of “Where The Wind Might Blow,” the original of which you can find on the Anthem album.

-Jessie Scott

Lincoln Durham "How Does A Crow Fly"

Percussion is a wonderful thing. It evokes all kinds of feelings, with all kinds of sound that make you take note like a groundhog smelling the air for a clue. I want that in my life, the hand claps the drum rolls, the cymbal crashes, hell even the gongs ringing in the air. I had a dream about percussion, maybe I should buy some shakers and a tambourine. There are astounding one man bands; foot stomping, wailing, carrying on in the best possible tradition. Making a ruckus, hooting and hollering and bringing joy.

Lincoln Durham is pursuing the fine tradition of the one man band. It is not a bad thing, especially today when you can loop segments of sound and play them back, providing your own counterpoint. But even if you don’t, you are providing a service and a link to a grand tradition celebrated in the past for its virtuosity. This is what Lincoln Durham aspires to. His new album is coming out soon. He is immersed in his craft. And you know the blues can touch us, providing catharsis. Lincoln came to play solo for the Music Fog cameras in March during our SXSW shoot. This is “How Does A Crow Fly,” deep and rich and percussive.

-Jessie Scott