11 Bones "Wild and Unholy"

I hate to wait. I think it is one of the things you can retain from youth that helps prevent the early onset of graying. I love the anticipation, the feeling of excitement, the wanting the moment to come. It applies to all kinds of things, both personal and professional. From opening birthday and Christmas gifts, to the next milestones for Music Fog...when will our videos reach their 2 millionth view (in the next couple of days!)...when will we reach 5,000 fans on Facebook (in the next couple of days!)...when will we reach 2,000 subscribers on YouTube? How long 'till The MusicFest at Steamboat Springs, and Folk Alliance and SXSW? I find myself wishing for the next trip, the next big show, the bus ride to Steamboat. There are all kinds of things that I can't wait to do, and like I say, it might just help to be so engaged.

We are waiting to see what 11 Bones is up to next, too! Having a band with so many movers and shakers has got to make it hard, as I am sure carrots are constantly being dangled for the band members' individual talents. For instance, you'll find Silva at Cedar Creek, and with The Trishas. Skinner and Dub are hunkered down in songwriting land. Brian Beken is doing Milk Drive and All The Elements That Make The Earth. Meagan is singing on albums, writing, and designing clothes. Meagan and Adam have been playing some shows with Matt King. Adam is in the studio with Cody Canada and The Departed, Bart Crow, and Mike Ethan Messick. And there is new 11 Bones stuff coming down the pike, too. They have written some new tunes and worked up some fun old ones. The feeling is palpably right when the band gets on stage together, and that's the way it should be. Look for 11 Bones to start some gigging after the first of the year, and maybe even their own 'little thing'! We await that, and to see what emerges from the crew of 11 Bones 'industries,' because, I tell you, they've most certainly got it all!

- Jessie Scott

Mic Harrison & The High Score "Talk to You Tonight"

Let's hear it for truck drivers. They are the intrepid carriers of goods to far off locations, the circulatory system of the organism. Now just think about what that must be like in the Arctic Circle! It's a challenging job, but some people bring a special bit of humor to it. Take Alex Debogorski, for instance. For the uninitiated, he is a CB wielding 'shock jock' of a guy, and one of the stars of The History Channel's Ice Road Truckers series. He has just published his memoir, King of the Road: True Tales from a Legendary Ice Road Trucker. I met the crew as they were on a book tour with Alex, out in front of the Continental Club in Austin, TX, a couple of weeks ago. The story of the ice road, and its importance to the people that live in the Arctic Circle is almost unimaginable to those of us who have never experienced this landscape.

Got some awesome driving music for you today! Not that the new Mic Harrison & The High Score song "Talk To You Tonight" is directly about trucking, and certainly it's not set in as extreme an environment, but the video does reinforce that concept of putting your life on hold to get the job done. The song comes from the latest album Great Commotion, which came out in July of this year. The band has a couple of dates listed close to home for you to catch up with them, if you share the area. Otherwise, 'global village' it with the video, "Talk To You Tonight," and play it loud!

- Jessie Scott

Truth & Salvage Co. "Call Back"

This year has been a treat with travel spanning five different metro systems, countless airports, train stations, and the occasional tour bus transporting me to towns and cities all over the country. It has all been incredible. Sometimes there are first time runs, as it was a couple of days ago getting on the Path train to go from Newark to Hoboken, hoping I was going the right way. And chilling when I asked a fellow rider for directions, and he said "This train goes to Ground Zero." There is still a hesitation in New Yorkers' eyes, the realization that they could be targeted again. Anytime. But at the same time, there is a joy to the holidays in NYC that is palpable. Window shopping down Fifth Avenue, where the displays are fanciful, imaginative, incredible. And the thermometer seconds the motion, providing the perfect crispness to be outdoors. I love the faces, the accents, the people being people, wherever I go. Also, for sure, this year has given me more of a feel for what bands have to go through to keep it going down the pike.

 Truth & Salvage have been hitting the road pretty non-stop, too. That's what you have to do these days to make it in the music biz, to turn people on to your music. Great articles continue to be written about them, and they keep cranking down the highway. They are out west early in December, playing a few shows with the Black Crowes, and have just announced two big dates, December 30th with The Avett Brothers in Ashville, NC, and on December 31st they will be New Year's Eve-ing in Seaside, Florida, with Dawes. Also, there are new Truth & Salvage shirts, which might just make a mighty fine gift for someone you know!

We caught up with the guys at the Gibson Guitar showroom in Washington, DC earlier this year. Enjoy the Music Fog version of "Call Back."

- Jessie Scott