Brian Setzer Orchestra "Jump, Jive, An' Wail"

Have you been having trouble this week, adjusting to Daylight Saving Time ending? It just feels so weird to be coming home from work with the sun already down, and I suspect this weekend it will be even more obvious that the days are getting shorter. So with the weekend upon us, shall we have some fun? I thought so, and there ain't nothing like jump blues from a big band to bring a smile to your face and a bounce to your step. The Brian Setzer Orchestra performed this song in front of an audience of 150,000 people during their headlining set at the Montreal Jazz Festival, that's 300,000 arms waving in the air. There might have been a hundred and fifty band members on stage, only kidding, but Brian does travel with quite the crew. And spiffy dressers, too. We are talking leopard print tuxedos, or should I say dinner suits? Slick sequin dresses, great hair, and I am sure everyone's shoes are divine.

Brian Setzer has mined the roots landscape since his days with the Stray Cats, along with Slim Jim Phantom and Lee Rocker, reviving rockabilly in the 80s and beyond. The trio still tours from time to time, too, so be on the lookout for that. The most recent album is a Brian Setzer Orchestra issue, "Christmas Comes Alive!" The CD is a collection of 15 holiday tracks performed live in concert as only the Brian Setzer Orchestra can do it. And the BSO have a couple of New Years' dates in California, in case you want to see them in person.

Today's song was a 1956 hit for Louis Prima, and has been in the BSO repertoire since 1998, when it earned a GRAMMY® Award for Best Pop Performance. This version features a stinging Gretsch guitar solo by Setzer, high-energy bursts from his cranking horn section and his energetic backup singers. "Jump, Jive, an' Wail" from the Brian Setzer Orchestra's DVD and CD It's Gonna Rock...'Cause That's What I Do.

- Jessie Scott

Ray Wylie Hubbard "Count My Blessings"

More Christmas present ideas, can you stand it? I am all about letting our fingers do the walking. A few years ago, when I was still living in DC, I flew down to Austin for a visit, and Ray Wylie Hubbard himself was dispatched to pick me up at the airport. He asked if I was in a hurry, and when I said that I wasn't, we made tracks to an unforgettable location. I actually must report that in my haze (fog, really) I have forgotten where it is, but not WHAT it is, as it made an indelible mark on me. It is the home of Despair, Inc, the people who put out the Demotivators calendar and collectibles, and having grown up on Mad Magazine, I relate. The choices for the 2011 version of the calendar are priceless. And Despair offers you the opportunity to customize your own calendar, including whatever specific demotivators you want to include, and you can even choose to start at a different month than January, if you like. I have to report that I save these, because even when the year is over, the messages delivered, and the ability for them to be wall hangings, remain a constant.

It doesn't surprise me that Ray would bring me to a place like that. He is a down home philosopher-artist, who casts a laser-beam light of reality on what he surveys. We are talking about truths here. I love that he has come into his own at this time in his life. And, yay, he is writing his memoir! Ray has spent the last couple of months in collaboration with All Music Guide writer, Thom Jurek for the upcoming book. Since I love the stories Ray tells on and off the stage, and his canny assessment of the morals contained within, I can't wait for the physical manifestation. And the feature film that Ray co-wrote with award winning director Tiller Russell, The Last Rites of Ransom Pride, has finally been released. And ya know, he wrote all of the songs for the movie, as well. Play it online, or add it to your DVD queue at Netflix. Also, on tap for early next year is a different kind of collaboration with Kevin Welch, as he and Ray Wylie will hold three weekend songwriter's workshops in, where else, Wimberley, TX. And speaking of songwriting, the performing rights organization SESAC, which recognizes the major impact and growing relevance of the Americana format, handed out awards to several top artists and songwriters in the genre last Monday night, including Bob Dylan, Jim Lauderdale, Allison Moorer, The Avett Brothers and Ray Wylie Hubbard. Ray and Hayes Carll were honored for their work on Ray's most recent album A. Enlightenment B. Endarkenment (Hint: There Is No C).

So let's all raise our voices in a rousing round of Happy Birthday to you, Ray Wylie Hubbard! The celebration takes place tonight at the One World Theatre in Austin, then continues this weekend in Dallas and Houston. And beyond! We revisit the stage at Threadgill's during SXSW 2010, for an appropriate sentiment with "Count My Blessings." This is a new song from Ray, which he says might make it onto the next album!

- Jessie Scott

Joe Ely "Hard Livin"

Living in Austin has given me an even deeper appreciation for the Texas artists that I have loved from afar through the years. Take for instance, Joe Ely, who has served to define the Americana genre through his musical explorations. He's had inspired choices in tour mates, that have included Bruce Springsteen, Los Super Seven, The Clash, The Clancy Brothers, and the songwriter's dates with John Hiatt, Lyle Lovett, and Guy Clark. Joe Ely has spread his wings, and grown his catalog, keeping his eyes fixed on the skyline, while mining music of the heart. I am so glad that he and Butch Hancock and Jimmie Dale Gilmore, aka, The Flatlanders got to become the entity they are; they were just a little ahead of their time when they put their first album out in 1972. After reuniting on the Horse Whisperer Soundtrack, they put their second out in 2002, followed by two more CDs in 2004 and 2009. There are new Flatlanders tour dates this month.

Joe Ely, Jessie Scott - New York City, 1978Joe has been doing some appearances with his legendary 1987 band; Davis McLarty, David Grissom, Jimmy Petit, and Bobby Keys. They are a "not to miss!" And in his spare time (!?!), he writes books and journals, and will have two art openings featuring his photography, paintings, and drawings - one in Lubbock and one in Dallas, this January. In advance of Joe's new CD, Satisfied at Last, which also comes out first of the year, he has posted two new songs to iTunes, "Mockingbird Hill" and "You Can Bet I'm Gone." When Joe Ely first started his recording career, I was on the radio in New York. And when he played a date in 1978 at The Bitter End (which was briefly called The Other End) I was there to enjoy the show, and then afterwards for the obligatory photo op which we fondly call a "grin and grip."

A note about Joe's wife, Sharon Ely, who is a force of nature herself. With a never ending smile, and a heart as wide open as the Texas sky, she has been cooking her Holy Posole for friends for years. Holy Posole (manna from heaven) is about to hit the shelves of several stores! A visit to her website finds that her Holy Posole is sold out, but you can get put on the "notify" list. It would make a great Christmas present!

Joe Ely visited us during SXSW 2010 for a short yet magical set at Threadgill's South. "Hard Livin'" is today's Music Fog video offering. And Joe, you make it look so easy!

- Jessie Scott