Guy Forsyth "Things That Matter"

I called the cops a few nights ago; there was a domestic altercation next door. It raged for three hours until 4 am. Maybe even more disturbing than the yelling, is that the cops never came. One would hope they would have if they thought it was a more dangerous scenario, and not just two people having a set-to against each other. It set me to wondering how love turns to hate. Whether substance induced, jealousy inspired, or as a response to issues of dominance; how the passion gets diverted and turns inwardly destructive. As Muddy Waters said "...everybody's fighting about the same thing." I had a conversation with Barbara Jo from KGSR the other night, about why the blues is still evocative. We ran into each other at Jenni Finlay's 4th Anniversary Bash at Cheatham Street Warehouse in San Marcos, and we were talking about the ability the blues has to heal, to soothe, to articulate feelings, even through its sometime heaviness. It is with interest that I watch so many marquee artists, Elvis Costello, Robert Plant, Sheryl Crow, and Cyndi Lauper, just to name a few, embracing earlier musical forms like the Blues, Folk, Bluegrass, and R&B. It says something to me about them, moving back to that music which is eternal.

Guy Forsyth came to visit us at Threadgill's this past March. He graced us with a couple of as yet unreleased tunes. "Things That Matter," a country blues tune, is one of them. As usual, Guy nails the simple, yet sublime, sentiment; the real golden rule. It speaks to perspective. Both the music and the message are stripped down to what's important. It is a beacon of simplicity to illuminate the way.

Guy is doing some dates in Texas before heading to Europe at the end of the month. You can see his full schedule in the tour dates section on his incredible website! And though I hate to be the first to mention Christmas, I am hoping that the magnificent holiday show Guy does with Carolyn Wonderland comes to a venue near you at the end of the year. It is a must see. So is this. "Things That Matter," a tune which he dedicates to the late Stephen Bruton.

- Jessie Scott

Mic Harrison & the High Score "Keep On Letting Me Down"

There is something so comforting to me about the sound of jangling guitars. Maybe it reminds me of growing up, when the insistence of a riff; the tone and texture, was a defining statement. Mic Harrison and The High Score bring a brand new CD to us, Great Commotion, which is the follow up to 2008's On The Right Side Of The Grass. The guys all have day jobs, and they all took a six month break to write and record the new album, adding to a catalog of music that started for Mic in the early 1990's. Back then, the Bradford, Tennessee native (just beside the Kingdom of Skullbonia) was asked to join the Knoxville based V-Roys just as the band was being signed by Steve Earle for his E-Squared Records. Harrison was a 29 year old sawmill worker and singer-songwriter. The V-Roys recorded three albums, and toured all across the United States and Europe before they called it quits on New Years Eve of 1999. Mic had short stints with The Faults, Superdrag, and then two solo albums, when he met The High Score in 2007.

Photo Credit: Annie Clark-Rankin

Great Commotion is the first release totally recorded and produced by the band, and then mastered by 'The Master' Eric “Roscoe” Ambel, marrying roots rock with power pop. And that provides for catharsis. Enjoy the video of "Keep On Letting Me Down."

- Jessie Scott

Butch Hancock "Boxcars"

It feels like I haven't been out in Austin in ages! On Wednesday night, I noticed the buildings seemed to have different colored lights than I remembered. I don't know if that's true, but it felt like I was seeing everything with new eyes. Plus, the skyline - and lights - were beautiful, pristine, glowing. I was heading to the after-party for Hayes Carll, to celebrate his just completed taping of Austin City Limits. Congrats to Hayes, so well deserved for him to appear on that illustrious TV show! We can't wait for it to air.

I hope Music Fog gets to catch up with Hayes on camera at the Americana Music Association's Festival and Conference, coming up September 8th through 11th in Nashville. Here's a link to sign up for that, whether to attend the whole conference, or just get a wristband so you can see all the music. And don't forget tickets to see the Americana Honors and Awards at the Ryman Auditorium!

This year is the first that it will be held at the Sheraton Nashville Downtown where the conference rate is $169 a night, plus tax. The hotel is completing a multi-million dollar renovation that will be finished in time for the Americana Music Festival and Conference to be the first group in the “new” hotel. The rooms are amazing! It will be a hot time in Nashville, for sure!

I am so looking forward, but also really glad I live in Austin, as there is always something going on here too. Our own Denise went to the Flatlanders show last weekend at The Paramount. Not only was she blown away by it, but there was a moment when Joe Ely and Jimmie Dale Gilmore sat and watched Butch Hancock in awe. He performed a haiku, a cappella, that he had just written about a dead owl he found on his property in Terlingua. Butch is one third of The Flatlanders, a magnificent singer/songwriter on his own, and part of the Lubbock Mafia. What is it about Lubbock that has bred such individual artists? Look at this list!

Catch Butch, with various special guests, at the Cactus Cafe in Austin during a five-night stand, August 10th through the 14th, as he revisits his legendary No Two Alike series...not repeating a single song during the run. This is Butch's way of celebrating the past 30 years of the venue, as they enter a new era, and closing out the "original" Cactus. Meanwhile, Music Fog brings you a classic from Butch that we recorded in Okemah, OK during WoodyFest last month. "Boxcars."

- Jessie Scott

Butch Hancock - Eats Away the Night