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
