Dustin Welch "Lost at Sea"

There are dark grooves cut into his guitar, there are dark grooves that emerge from its hollow body. His voice sounds like that of an 80 year old, but that belies his age. He is Dustin Welch, and he is another of the stellar new crop of artists coming into their own. He and I met a few years ago, and before we had a chance to get to know one another, I overheard him talking about literature. Deeply, richly, passionately. Impressive, I thought, he is a reader. Not to paint him as too serious, though, as he also has a touch of the prankster, accompanied by a twinkle in his eye. One of the hallmarks of this emerging generation is a reverence for the forms that have come before, and yes, the lifestyle, too. Bohemia lives!

Photo Credit: Ed VeroskyI am missing Dustin's presence at WoodyFest! I wish he could have been here with us in Okemah, OK. While I am at it, I have been missing him in Austin, too, which is a big enough city to not run into everyone you know just by happenstance. My bad, as I have been preparing for these road trips, I haven't been going out on my usual rounds. Dustin has a bunch of dates coming up, mostly in Texas, if you are around for the next month. You just might see me in the audience there. So, I am watching this video with that in mind...Dustin, I will catch up with you soon. This is one from the Music Fog bus at Cherokee Creek Music Festival this past May. Dustin Welch, "Lost At Sea."

- Jessie Scott

Carrie Rodriguez "When I Heard Gypsy Davy Sing"

What an image, what a talent, what an amazing entity Miss Carrie Rodriguez is. Just TOO good! Her new album, Love and Circumstance, was produced by Lee Townsend (Bill Frisell, Loudon Wainwright III, etc) and on which she honors other writers; notably John Hiatt/Ry Cooder/Nick Lowe/Jim Keltner (aka Little Village), Buddy & Julie Miller, M. Ward, Lucinda Williams, Richard Thompson, Gillian Welch & Dave Rawlings, Bonnie Owens & Merle Haggard, Townes van Zandt, Hank Williams, and David Rodriguez (her Dad). She took her touring band into the studio to record: Hans Holzen (guitars), Kyle Kegerreis (bass), and Eric Platz (drums). Special guests joining in on the recording include Bill Frisell, Buddy Miller, Greg Leisz, and Aoife O'Donovan. Kick ass!

Photo Credit: Sarah WilsonAlso, look for her on the airwaves, as Live & Circumstance - A Carrie Rodriguez Radio Special hosted by Alejandro Escovedo is being prepared for release to radio in early August. In addition to the conversation and interview, it will feature live performances from her record release show in NYC at Joe's Pub in April and from her performance in May at the Pabst Theater in Milwaukee. And if that ain't enough, the Love & Circumstance Tour is officially underway with shows in Portland, OR; Belingham, WA; Seattle, WA; Crested Butte, CO; Taos, NM; Fruita, CO; Snowmass, CO; Salt Lake City, UT; and Boise, ID! More in August, plus three extra special shows will be added late in the month with John Prine.

Carrie brought artistry and emotion to our stage at Threadgill's in March, as she stripped down her dad's tune, "When I Heard Gypsy Davy Sing," with Hans Holzen accompanying.

- Jessie Scott

Danny Barnes "Overdue"

I LOVE this...searching for his website, it came up as "Ol' Danny Barnes!" Ain't that a hoot. Danny's site is cool, where the first thing you see is other artist's endorsements scrolling of Danny's work. They include Robert Earl Keen, Tony Trischka, Keller Williams, Sam Bush, and Dave Matthews. More heavy duty name dropping: Danny Barnes plays on the song "Tomorrow Never Knows" on Herbie Hancock's new concept CD The Imagine Project with guest vocals from Dave Matthews. Other contributors to the CD are Anousha Shankar, Jeff Beck, John Legend, The Chieftans, Seal, India Arie, Pink, Derek Trucks, Susan Tedeschi, Chaka Khan, K’Naan, James Morrison, Wayne Shorter, and Lisa Hannigan. Pretty heady stuff! Of course, I suspect Danny is taking it all in stride by now. Matthews sang on a couple of the songs on Pizza Box, Danny's latest CD. You may have also noticed Danny on stage at Bonnaroo with the DMB last month.

All cozy, all for the very BEST of reasons...it's all about the artistry. Danny Barnes' website is a delight to tool around on. Give yourself plenty of time for the exploration. His "How to Make a Living Playing Music" article is a great read, and there are three "How To Play The Banjo" videos, too, if you are of a mind to learn from the master. But first, here's a Music Fog video to get you in the mood, from the Threadgill's stage this past March. The song "Overdue" is from Pizza Box. Beautiful!

- Jessie Scott