Whew.  We are out.  We are fried, but happy, after four epic days of music at Threadgill's WHQ in South Austin. We'd like to thank our sponsor, Neustar, for making the Marathon possible, and special thanks to the entire Threadgill's family for making us feel so at home.

We love being part of the Austin music scene. With 44 acts in the last four days, we can't tell you how appreciative we are of the artists who shared their abundant talent with us. We are honored to be able to archive it all. And for those who were on line to watch our first ever stream live, we welcome you wherever you are around the world. Most of the performances will be left on Ustream as full sets for a week, and then we will begin our usual process of posting more polished versions of individual songs.

Speaking of that, the Fog Fellows, Chris, Beans, and Aaron are on their way back to DC. So for the next few days, we will be bringing you tunes from other events, in a effort to allow them to regain their equilibrium. Denise, Sheila and I just have to drive cross town, open the mail that has been piling up for the last week, and we will be back to normal in Austin, this most amazing music Mecca. 

Today is is Chip Taylor’s birthday. He was born in 1944 as James Wesley Voight. He grew up in Yonkers, New York, in the shadow of New York City. He is a renaissance man, and it could be said he is a late bloomer, but he was an early bloomer, too. Here is a very early incarnation, back when he went by the name Wes Voight. When I think of the impact a song like “Wild Thing” has had on the generations since the 60s, it is a pretty remarkable achievement in itself, but he has written more songs that are embedded in our brains. And I love that Chip champions other artists like John Platania, Kendel Carson, and Carrie Rodriguez, as he remains incredibly busy flying from Europe and back to the States, and touring all over the place. So Happy Birthday to you Chip, aka “James Wesley.” Here is a song we recorded back in September at the Americana Music Festival in Nashville.

- Jessie Scott