The nominees were announced on September 26th for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, and they will be announcing who gets in today. This year, there is a list of fifteen, and for my money, they (almost) all are worthy: Beastie Boys, The Cure, Donovan, Eric B. & Rakim, Guns 'N Roses, Heart, Joan Jett and The Blackhearts, Freddie King, Laura Nyro, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rufus with Chaka Khan, The Spinners, Donna Summer, War, and The Small Faces/The Faces.

Formed in London in 1965, the Small Faces ascended as contemporaries of the Beatles, the Who and the Rolling Stones. In the 70s, they re-emerged with a shortened name and a refreshing driving energy. They were initially bassist Ronnie Lane, organist Ian McLagan, drummer Kenney Jones and singer Steve Marriott. When Steve left the band in 1969, singer Rod Stewart and guitarist Ron Wood, both from the Jeff Beck Group, joined The Faces. If you are not familiar with their catalog, pick your platform – iTunes, Pandora, Slacker, Spotify, whatever, and dig in to some mighty fine stuff. The Faces broke up in 1975 when Rod went solo and Ronnie Wood joined the Stones. Ronnie Lane passed in 1997. Along the way Ian McLagan wound up in Austin, Texas and has continued to record with The Bump Band. He has written a marvelous book called All The Rage which chronicles this amazing era.

We jumped at the chance to film Ian McLagan during Americana Fest in Nashville this past October, while we camped out at Marathon Recorders. He brought Jon Notarthomas with him, and they proceeded to play one from the 2008 album Never Say Never. “An Innocent Man” is poignant, beautiful, sparse in this recording, making it even more haunting. And we wish Ian “bon chance” on the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame entry!

- Jessie Scott