Robert Earl Keen "Merry Christmas from the Family"

Oh Holy Night, O Christmas Day.

You might have noted in the past, we at Music Fog can turn on a dime, going from the sacred to the profane with whiplash speed. It's all good. Anyway, I figure there should be room for the span of all kinds of moments in our lives. And although we try to keep that serene 'real meaning of the holiday' feeling as long as we can, it is like trying to balance on one leg when you have been stopped by the cops, even if you haven't been indulging! Things can just go awry after a while. So here is hoping Christmas brings you pleasure from gifting, feasting and the making of new memories. And if you wind up with an overstuffed closet, an overstuffed belly, and an overstuffed headache the day after, we wish you Godspeed though the chaos. If you have chosen - or don't have a choice - to work today, or if you are donating your time to a food bank or to help others another way, we salute you. If you are serving our country and can't be home with your friends and family, we hold you dearest in our hearts and our prayers. We offer thanks for what you do humbly, knowing that is not nearly enough.

We revisit one of my favorites today. Robert Earl Keen is the Texas Music Pied Piper and National Treasure who appeals to the frat boy in us all. He is legend: a songwriter whose work runs the abovementioned gamut, from the sublime to the ridiculous, or from the sacred to the profane. He is a must see showman with a kick ass band.

O Merry Christmas from Music Fog. Wishing you tidings of comfort and joy, and an acceptable level of dysfunction, because remember, it could always be worse. O Robert Earl Keen. O Merry Christmas From The Family. O!

- Jessie Scott

Eric Brace & Peter Cooper "Silent Night"

Gonna be a quick one today because we are all so busy. But let it be known that Music Fog is proud to call Eric Brace and Peter Cooper friends. They make beautiful music with powerful harmony. They both have backgrounds as journalists, and that adds keen insight to the lyrics they write. On the eve of the holiday, it is time to slow down. We bring you a thought provoking statement propelled by today's work commitments, may they give way to the well-earned kick back. We hope you can do that today...and tomorrow too! As a society, we don't relax nearly enough, and for some, the holiday itself must act as the enforcer. To quiet the chatter, external and internal, to be able to hear oneself at "normal" is a gift in itself.

Christmas Eve. May your shopping and wrapping and prep be done. May you have made a list and checked it twice. May you be surrounded by people you love. May you have peace in your heart. Today's video offering was recorded during Music Fog's Americana Fest sessions in Nashville this past September, but obviously with today in mind. Here's a tune written by their friend Jon Byrd and featured on their latest CD, Master Sessions. Eric Brace and Peter Cooper "Silent Night."

- Jessie Scott

Susan Cowsill "Real Life"

Are you ready for the holidays? That may seem like a common question, but in a way, it is an anachronism. I have been thinking about what it was like back in the days when we made everything ourselves. Yeah, we can be crazy busy with shopping and wrapping and cooking and cleaning, and house guests and visits. But baking from scratch, creating all the holiday delights that cannot be purchased and must be made lovingly, that takes time. I was thinking about how many labor saving devices we have now, that some things have become pale facsimiles of what were our handed down traditions, in the interest of the ease of a tube or a cellophane, a shrink wrap, or can of this or that. (Not that there's anything wrong with Cheez Whiz!)

One of my favorite Christmas memories was during my time in Pittsburgh, where I started my career in radio. I was over at my friend Suzanne's mom's house, and she had been cooking tirelessly forever. There were homemade pizelles with the most delicate anise flavor, all kinds of other baked goods with confectioner's sugar and sprinkles. But the dish I will never forget was her for-real, from scratch pork and chicken liver pate redolent with cinnamon, cloves, sage, mace, bay leaves and a healthy shot or two of brandy and cream. Cooked at low heat for two hours...filling the house with an enticing, incomparable lingering aroma. Georgette was French Canadian, and an amazingly wonderful chef. And a cantankerous bundle of joy, with a cockeyed no BS perspective on life. She was deft at cutting through the crap; delightfully, honestly, so ahead of her time. We drank and ate and laughed, sitting in the best place, the kitchen, exploring the wonders of sensory overload, and celebrating love and friendship. Companionable, in the moment, perfect. Suz and I are still friends today, decades later. Georgette sadly has passed. This time of year we savor the sights and sounds and aromas, and especially the memories.

Susan Cowsill released her second solo album, Lighthouse, in May. It tells of terrible loss, that of her brother Barry Cowsill in the flooding after Hurricane Katrina, and of the damage to her adopted hometown of New Orleans. She lost almost everything she owned, and she poured the emotion into these songs. She writes from a place that is at once incredibly personal, yet universally relatable. And though there was tragedy, there is time for joy in this album too.

We filmed Susan and her band in Nashville this September at the Americana Fest. The song is "Real Life" in all its swings of fortune and glorious contradictions. Love it, hate it, live it.

- Jessie Scott