Stonehoney "Tear It Down"

The show was fun Tuesday night at Rodeo Bar in New York City. [Editor's note: Jessie is on the road with Walt Wilkins & the Mystiqueros this week.] Thanks to Jack Grace for making it happen! Met a lot of nice folks and sang along to every song. Ah, a good day all in all. Everyday I get to hang with friends who are also marvelous musicians, it is fine indeed. And I love going to amazing cities and seeing family and friends, too. Chinatown is always on the list when I am in NYC, and so my brother Mitch and I hit 17 Mott Street, Wo Hop, for a bowl of their legendary wonton soup, and some clams with black bean sauce. There is nothing like a fermented legume!

At the end of the day, it is about sharing the love. Food, music, companionship. Blowing off steam, being in the moment. Whether you get to do those all the time, occasionally, or just for special occasions, it enriches your life. Not only do we believe in the artists' music that you see here at Music Fog, we like hanging out with them too. That is significant. Let me explain. When I started doing radio it was rock, and there was a line drawn in the sand between artists and DJ's...as if they wouldn't give us the time of day. When I started doing country radio, I noticed a change immediately! We, and even the fans, were much more considered to be part of the family. I liked that. Americana follows in those footsteps. Fun folks, and less 'tudes makes for a wonderful community. And so we come to Stonehoney. We just can't get enough. Nice guys, real guys, talented guys. We have been following them around the country, so here's one from the Thompson's loft during WoodyFest in Okemah, Oklahoma last month. Stonehoney's new CD is named after Cedar Creek Recording, where it was produced, but "Tear It Down" is a MF bonus that you won't find on the album, The Cedar Creek Sessions. And yes, their tour continues with North East dates that will wind them into the south in September. See the tour section of their website for all the dates!

- Jessie Scott

Terri Hendrix & Lloyd Maines "Hand Me Down Blues"

I am on a blues jag again. It was one of the earliest influences for me, starting when I discovered Muddy Waters through listening to the early Rolling Stones. Since the 60's there have been times of total immersion in it. And the blues, they are coming around for me again. From hanging at Antone's in Austin, to my iPod, which is chock full. The traveling through the Delta, and then Chicago, you get to feel how the land influenced the music, and how it sprang from the troubles of the day. It still speaks to me. Love troubles, people troubles, money troubles, work troubles. And it feels better, just singing along. You get the same kind of release as chanting Buddhist mantras. Accomplishes peace. Gives you insight.

Photo Credit: Mary BrutonEnter Terri Hendrix. She is the consummate songwriter, with lots to say, and the gift with which to deliver it. Her new CD is called Cry Till You Laugh. If that ain't the philosophy of why people sing the blues, I don't know what is. This new CD is just out a month and there is an accompanying book of the same title. It was meant to be a jazz album, but it kind of had a mind of its own. Terri is a classically trained vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, playing guitar, mandolin and harmonica and she's a very imaginative songwriter. She sings with abandon, whether scat, folk, blues, or Gothic Americana. She calls the new album's influences "a yin and yang of life."

We were so glad to catch up with Terri at WoodyFest, and she brought the wonderful Lloyd Maines with her. Together they make magic. "Hand Me Down Blues" is one of those 'lessons about life' songs. Every day we wake, we can be happy or we can wallow in the past. Choose wisely, you only go around once.

- Jessie Scott

Joel Rafael "Ramblin' Reckless Hobo"

Southern California-based singer-songwriter Joel Rafael is considered one of the foremost interpreters of the music of Woody Guthrie. Joel's acclaimed compilations of Guthrie's songs were reissued almost a year ago, bundled as one package, The Songs Of Woody Guthrie, Vol 1 & 2. He does original stuff too, with his 2008 self penned CD, Thirteen Stories High, which included the protest song "This Is My Country." It featured David Crosby and Graham Nash on background vocals. Another version made it into the Barry Levinson documentary film, Poliwood, an in-depth look at the Democratic and Republican national conventions, filmed during the 2008 U.S. Presidential election year, as David Crosby and Graham Nash performed it at the Democratic event in Denver.

Joel Rafael has been baptized in the holy spirit of folk, so it was no wonder that we encountered him at this summer's Woody Guthrie Folk Festival in Okemah, Oklahoma, as he has appeared there every year since its inception in 1998. The song "Ramblin' Reckless Hobo" is a cautionary tale, the hobo being a time honored symbol of the great depression, and of folk music itself. Walk the wrong path, and no good will come of it. The lyrics were written by Woody Guthrie, and were entrusted to Joel by Woody's daughter Nora Guthrie, who directs the Woody Guthrie Archives, overseeing the use of her father's legacy of written and illustrated works. Joel Rafael put music to the lyrics. He is presently working on a traveling troubadour documentary. We can't wait to see it, as his has been a very special path to walk.

Here is Joel in the Thompson's Loft, with the WoodyFest all star band that came to visit us after the last day's Pancake Breakfast (I bought a T-Shirt!) at WoodyFest last month.

- Jessie Scott