The Deep Dark Woods "Charlie's (Is Coming Down)"

"...the woods are lovely, dark and deep..." - Robert Frost from the poem "Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening" which, I have to admit, is one of my favorite poems. It takes you to the heart of the scene, between the cadence and the scanning, you FEEL the slowness; the snow falling, the serenity. I am not sure if The Deep Dark Woods took the inspiration for their name from this poem, but to my ear, they are the musical embodiment of it. Their music echoes with the stillness, their haunting harmonies glisten in the air. They are steeped in vibe and virtuosity, or as they put it, "The Deep Dark Woods approach their instruments with studied respect for the honoured traditions of the shadowy side of roots music."

They are doing a swing through the U.S. in May, and I can't encourage you loudly enough to immerse yourself in them in person.

• 13 May 2010, 8PM * The Turf Club w/ Hurricane Bells * Saint Paul, MN
• 15 May 2010, 10PM * The Cactus Club w/ Hurricane Bells * Milwaukee, WI
• 16 May 2010, 9:30PM * The Empty Bottle * Chicago, IL
• 18 May 2010 * The Basement: New Faces Night * Nashville, TN
• 20 May 2010, 12Noon * Blue Plate Special on WDVX: Listen Live Online * Knoxville, TN
• 20 May 2010 * Bristol Train Station w/ Sam Quinn and Japan Ten * Bristol, TN
• 21 May 2010 * Border Bash w/ The Devil Makes Three * Bristol, TN
• 22 May 2010, 8PM * The Masquerade * Atlanta, GA

For inspiration, here is "Charlie's (Is Coming Down), with guest Kendel Carson on fiddle, from our SXSW Showcase in March. This song is featured on CBC Radio 2's Great Canadian Song Quest project, representing Saskatchewan. Listeners were asked to nomiate a location from within their province to be the basis for a song, then they voted on which artists would write about the winning location. Pretty slick, huh?

-Jessie Scott

Willie Nelson "Man With The Blues"

420. April 20th was a Tuesday this year, and since recordings are released on Tuesdays (thus iTunes Tuesday) what a prime opportunity for Willie Nelson to make use of that iconic number as a marketing tool, and put his latest album Country Music out then! I can hear the discussions in the boardroom, pro and con, back and forth. But Willie never falters in his Willie-ness. And he has a brand new label home, as he has hooked up with Rounder Records. Now that I think of it, it is highly unlikely that particular boardroom discussion would have ever happened there, a not-so-corporate little engine that could!

T Bone Burnett produced the new CD. “I’ve known T Bone for years, but never worked with him before,” Willie says. “He sent me a list of 28 songs he’d thought about for this album and I added “Nobody’s Fault But Mine. We recorded 23 and picked 15 out of that to release.” There was aiding and abetting from stellar sidemen, including Ronnie McCoury, Jim Lauderdale, and Buddy Miller. And there is a feeling of coming full circle with this effort, Willie returning to the vibe with which he recorded the landmark album Stardust, which is his most successful album to date. From the new CD, this sweet video of "Man With The Blues." Long may you wave, Willie!

-Jessie Scott

Kasey Anderson "Don't Look Back"

Kasey Anderson released his fourth CD, Nowhere Nights, back in February and I am so happy he sent it my way. Anderson defines it as “equal parts charge, benediction, apology and indictment,” which was inspired by a burning need to make drastic changes in his life. “For almost a decade I lived in an insulated little community,” Anderson says. “I woke up one morning and knew it was time. I was numb all over. I had to get out.” Relocating to his hometown of Portland, Oregon, Anderson began crafting the songs that would comprise the new album. Assisted by his touring band—guitarist Dan Lowinger, bassist Bo Stewart, drummer Julian MacDonough and keyboardist Lewi Longmire, as well as producer Eric “Roscoe” Ambel on keys and guitar—Anderson wrote songs that, he says, “take an honest look at where I had been, where I was, and where I was going.”

One of the places he was to go was to Austin for SXSW. We communicated back and forth via email to make this Music Fog session happen. Many times, when I book someone, I have already seen them perform. And when I haven't, it is with fingers crossed that they will be "as advertised," able to pull it off in front of our cameras. Kasey delivered an earthy, 'Gram' vibed performance on March 18th, and dedicated this song to the memory of Alex Chilton who died the day before. "Don't Look Back."

-Jessie Scott

P.S. The first time I heard The Box Tops song "The Letter," was on a jukebox in Manheim, Germany in 1969. We played it over and over again until we ran out of coins. Alex Chilton left an indelible mark on our culture through his music. The SXSW aggregation was collectively saddened by his untimely passing. So many of us were looking forward to the SXSW performance of Big Star, which became a tribute concert to Alex instead.