A week ago I was in the delta. The flatness stretches for miles, incomprehensibly large. You know I have talked about the book The Mojo Triangle before, but part of the premise for the music coming out of this region, it posits, was because of the unpredictability of the land, the weather, and the trials they faced. That cruelty, whether man’s inhumanity to man, or weather akin to what Isaac brought this week. The music was spurred on by the unpredictability of life. While touring up Highway 61, of course we had music with us, the trusty iPod delivering surprisingly fitting choices: Tim Buckley “Hallucinations,” Robbie Robertson “Somewhere Down The Crazy River,” A3 “Woke Up This Morning, just to name a few.”
A couple of weeks ago, I got an email from Che Johnston, owner of the High Country Rest and Saloon in Chama, NM, (the land of enchantment) suggesting we take a listen to Grace Askew from Memphis, TN. Her family has been there for six generations, but Grace has lots of cross currents running through her music, absorbing vibe from stints in New York and New Orleans. The song "Jupe" is a track off her self-titled Grace Askew & The Black Market Goods album, which was released in May 2011. This video was filmed by LaDonna Marie, shot in, where else...Mississippi.
-Jessie Scott
