Music Fog

BettySoo "Whisper My Name"

This is one of those rare moments when the recording gear and the artist are absolutely in sync with each other. BettySoo was in a zone during this recording. There was little back and forth chatter about anything. Just the sound of her guitar as she tuned it accurately...and she was not going to be rushed in the turning process.

Aaron made his decisions as to what mics to use. Chris did his usual lighting thing that lighting guys do. And Betty just went about her business, trusting the crew in the room with whatever decisions were being made. But when she started to play everything locked in. Her voice flowed through the mic like water. Her guitar was played so accurately that it gave the Music Fog cameras a chance to show how absolutely beautiful human fingers look when they meld with guitar strings.

Giving Fog fans a close up view of artists performing has always been a Music Fog goal. Being able to view something that you would never see sitting in front of a stage is what we do. And this is one of the finest examples of that so far.

Thank You BettySoo! This one was pretty damn moving.

-Beans

Eric Brace & Peter Cooper "Sheboygan"

The crew was a little punch drunk and there may have been some Jack Daniel's green label floating around the bus...all day. Eric was riffing on his guitar and stealing lines from me for songs. I didn't mind; in fact he asked if he could use them. I mentioned that he could have anything he wanted, except my then current favorite fictional song title, "200 Miles to Tupelo." We sipped some more Jack, and laughed. Yes, we were sittin' on the bus drunk again. It almost felt like we were parked in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. Cheers!

-Aaron

Sarah Borges "Me And Your Ghost"

Two of our favorite babes (now HOW can I say that when the Americana Fest yielded such a high percentage on the distaff side…and WHERE did the word DISTAFF come from anyway?
 
As a noun, a distaff (also called a rock[1]) is a tool used in spinning. It is designed to hold the unspun fibers, keeping them untangled and thus easing the spinning process. It is most commonly used to hold flax, and sometimes wool, but can be used for any type of fiber. Fiber is wrapped around the distaff, and tied in place with a piece of ribbon or string. The word comes from dis in Low German, meaning a bunch of flax, connected with staff. As an adjective the term distaff is used to describe the female side of a  family." from the WIKI!
 
And Beans, FYI-that's the word of the day. But I digress. Eilen Jewell and her band and Sarah Borges and the Broken Singles are cruising down the east coast this week! Kick Ass! http://www.sarahborges.com/calendar.html
 

Now Eilen's "Sea Of Tears" so far is in the lead for the most watched Music Fog video with an astounding 27,400 views (James McMurtry is next in the Music Fog YouTube sweepstakes with nearly 25,000 for our video of Choctaw Bingo) But I digress again…we just recently taped Sarah Borges and the Broken Singles in Nashville, and we are sure that she will run up some big numbers as the months slide by. She and the boys are road doggin' it, old school-like…hey, it is what ya gotta do these days to get to the audience. Not to mention, then you have to deliver live…and they are magnetic in concert. Here's proof in a low key stripped down setting…imagine what they are like full tilt!

-Jessie

Scott Miller "Claire Marie"

When the Music Fog crew went to Arlington, VA for the Scott Miller taping it was a warm sunny night. The streets were alive with the usual brown sandal wearing crowd. There was this guy Frank who owned a pizza place and insisted on us eating everything he had set out for sampling. This was a weird night in Arlington.

We walked two blocks to a drug store to pick up batteries, and met a 20 something woman who wanted this pair of bedazzled flip flops that were selling for $5.99. She didn't have the money, so we offered-up the green to make her day and watch her gush. The gushing never came. But the flip flops looked really good on her feet. She told us all about the Scott Miller concert that was happening down the street. We already knew, but never let on.

When the show started, Scott was his usual entertaining self. A story, then a song...another story and another song. But we noticed a common thread to most of what he had to say. Amtrak. Yep, Scott got himself a sponsor and it was Amtrak. He was traveling around the country by train and performing on the train as well as stops he had booked in advance. 

Damn! How did he pull that one off? We just hope that Scott doesn't become the old guy on the block with the giant train set in the basement when he grows up. We know all of those kind of guys just ain't right.

-Beans

Radney Foster "Angel Flight"

Radney Foster's video for his song "Angel Flight" is nothing short of patriotic and spiritual. Dedicated to the seven men of The Red River 44 who lost their lives in Iraq, and the men who brought them home.

  "I fly that plane called the Angel Flight - Come on brother, you're with me tonight.
Between heaven and earth, you're never alone - on the Angel Flight, come on brother, I'm taking you home."
  "The cockpit's quiet and the stars are bright - Feels kinda like church in here tonight.
It don't matter where we touch down - On the Angel Flight it's a sacred ground."

The lyrics speak for themselves. As they should. No reason to say anything else. We salute all of the men and women who are far away from home in these difficult times.

Be safe.

-Music Fog

The Band of Heathens "Let Your Heart Not Be Troubled"

The Band Of Heathens boys know how to work it! There is always something extracurricular going on, whether it is a download, a contest...and that is of course aside from touring and gigging, they just keep moving. And that's a real good thing as they spread the gospel message of the BOH soul stew of roots music.

Tomorrow is an especially big day as Austin City Limits debuts the set they shot with Band Of Heathens this summer. And this week's episode is coupled with a brand new set from Elvis Costello and The Sugarcanes. I got to attend both of these performances (ain't bragging, just LUCKY!) and I can't wait to see them, because they were nothing short of stellar. As they say, check your local PBS listings for Austin City Limits tomorrow, November 7th!

And back to the bus we go for the Band Of Heathens from Nashville in September.

-Jessie

Cracker with Patterson Hood "Friends"

Music Fog is happy to present Cracker's brand new video, which comes from their latest album Sunrise In The Land Of Milk And Honey and features Patterson Hood from the Drive-By Truckers.

By the way, Cracker will be undertaking a very special tour of Iraq next week for U.S. soldiers, and for safety reasons the promoter is unable to give specific dates/cities. Interestingly enough, the band won't even get their itineraries until arriving in Kuwait and Iraq. As co-founder David Lowery explains, "After writing a red meat politically incorrect song in the slangy dialect of US serviceman in Iraq, it's no surprise that we were asked to walk the walk in addition to talking the talk". 

So be it.  Yalla Yalla. Here is "Friends."

-Jessie

Amelia White "Motorcycle Dream"

I'd like to invite you to check out my video of "Motorcycle Dream" directed by Brian Gaskill...and then this posting for the CD release party, which is TODAY!, "Come mix it up! maybe you'll meet the grrl or guy of your dreams listening to some white grrl sing her folk rock indie with some soul and heart and a top shelf band of Italian jew stew...not sure what Don Kerce is....come throw down with me,,, bring your ears, hearts OH AND WALLET..."

-Amelia White

Corb Lund "Talkin' Veterinarian Blues"

It was 2002 when the CD Five Dollar Bill came out, and I was totally knocked out by this Canadian guy - Corb Lund - so much so, that I made it a point to cruise to see him on 6th during SXSW in 2003. After the show, I invited him to come to DC to do a session for us, which he obliged.

He was quirky and glib, and that has certainly become one of his hallmarks, but there is another side to him too, an ability to write authentically, dramatically; and he does both with perfect delivery. This decade has brought much growth for Corb Lund (or Core Blonde as the audience sometimes mispronounces!), and on the release of his latest album Losin Lately Gambler he combines the quick wit with the visual on "Talkin' Veterinarian Blues."

Here 'tis!

-Jessie

Sheila - Old Film In The Background

Hello from out west! Nashville seems like ages ago! I am missing the crew lots but I miss experiencing music first hand (sorry guys! Close second, I promise).

You can have the best sound system that money can buy but it would not be anything like the experience of the tunes floating through the air straight to your soul. It’s something special that I have a hard time describing because nothing seems real enough to do live music justice. I was thinking about my younger years when I went to concerts. I was not aware enough to realize the real goodness of music, but hey that’s why things can change. I honestly did not like going to concerts until I hit about 16 and my taste in music drastically changed.

Most everything that rolls into town are big name shows. I call it a show because it wasn’t real to me. Rehearsed as if it were a play. Sure, it can be fun but something is missing. Where is the natural flow of the music and the honest emotion of the artists if everything is on a timeline? Life isn’t perfect and clean. It’s messy and mostly unorganized. That is what I can appreciate and love about the Americana genre. It doesn’t have the “staged” quality that cuts the heart out of the music. You bet your ass if Ragweed wants to jam, they sure as hell are going to! No timeline there.

A favorite story of mine is when some friends saw Ragweed in Sun Valley and kept screaming for ‘Alabama’. Cody finally said, “Alright, we’re going to play ‘Alabama’ so these girls quit screaming”. While it’s the “annoying” example, it shows how real things are. Being at a place like The Music Fest and seeing so many artists jumping in on other sets and shaking things up is what makes it so awesome. You are pretty much guaranteed to hear a song and never hear it the same again. And when you hear it playing on your stereo in the car or living room you can’t help but think about the times you heard it live. Behind the lyrics and melodies, you have your own memories imprinted in song that roll like an old film in the background.

-Sheila