Americana Music

Ronny Cox "Sanctuary"

There is such a history with this music. From the British Isles troubadour tradition, to the spirited string band stuff, to the Petri dish that was the Appalachian Mountains, to the pressure cooker of the Mississippi Delta. America echoes with the haunting refrain of tunes gone by. And every once in a while you can hear it in the wind, or the hills, or the tides of the ocean. I had that kind of moment when Ronny Cox boarded the bus in Memphis and brought his friends Radoslav Lorkovic and Jack Williams. You could see them in the moonlight around the campfire after driving the cattle, a hard day's night. Earnest faces illuminated by the flicker of flames, finding the notes and the tones, working out the harmonies and the arrangement. And then bliss. Alas, there was no campfire on the Music Fog bus, but I felt the ghosts of Cowboys Past in this song. "Sanctuary." Amen.

-Jessie Scott

Ronny Cox - Cowboy Savant - Sanctuary

Elliot Randall & The Deadmen "Caffeine and Gasoline"

Cute. This is from his "Write Something About Yourself" box on Facebook. Elliot Randall says, "Not the guy from Steely Dan. He has two 't's. I am 27 and play Americana/Alt Country music. :)"

This Elliot Randall is from San Francisco, where he still resides. I have known about him for a few years now, but this year's SXSW was our first meeting, and I am happy to report that Music Fog was there to capture it! Randall's last album captivated me, especially the tune "Second Time Around." A fine piece of writing indeed, well produced, well done. Check it out if you have a chance. And then there was last year's Elliot Randall and Gina Villalobos "California Tour," of which, Music Fog was a presenting sponsor.

Elliot has a brand new CD out, Caffeine and Gasoline which just broke into the top 20 of the Americana Airplay chart. Number 18, to be exact, this week! So congrats are in order to a really talented and in the pocket artist. Here he is from Threadgill's during SXSW last month, with his band The Deadmen doing the title tune from the CD. Kick ass!

-Jessie Scott

Elliot Randall & The Deadmen - Caffeine & Gasoline - Caffeine & Gasoline

8 Ball Aitken "Outback Booty Call"

I must admit, when there was a FaceBook message to friend 8 Ball Aitken, I was intrigued! Was this a drug reference, or had I encountered an inveterate pool shark? I took the plunge. 8 Ball Aitken is Australia's best loved banana picker turned guitar picker, who has released his third album, Rebel With A Cause. From his website, "This is a raw sound from the deep north, straight out of the Mareeba Delta, all steamy and bouncing off the remnants of extinct volcanoes, booming through the cane fields. 8 Ball rolls into your personal soundtrack, packing wild wet tropics cowboy songs from the roadside, original roots music with balls."

He got on the bus with a didgeridoo. We were alarmed. 8 Ball made the bus rumble, and then he rocked! The song "Outback Booty Call" got the 2009 Capital News Q Country Song of the Year Award. Here it is on the Music Fog Bus from Celebrity Coaches during Folk Alliance 2010 in Memphis.

-Jessie Scott

8 Ball Aitken - Rebel With a Cause - Outback Booty Call