Lake Street Dive "Clear A Space"

It feels a bit weird to be in Steamboat without the Foggers, but here I am. Great to be back in The Boat! And MusicFest at Steamboat is the same as it ever was, a warm gathering of fellow travelers in the snow, in the high altitude, set amidst the beauty of the mountains. I think the friendships made through the years here are what makes this so special, whether artists or fellow attendees. This is my tenth year, and I have been involved in a different kind of tech experience each time. So this year the MusicFest folks decided to stream the shows from the tent, sort of like what I used to do when I was programming X Country, XM 12, only with pictures! Today, there are four sets coming your way, all start time ares Mountain Time, of course:

3:45 to 4:55 Ragweed former members Cody, Jeremy and Rand.

5:20 to 6:40 Casey Donahew Band.

7:10 to 8:30 Roger Creager.

9:00 to 10:30 Reckless Kelly.

And that is just day one of four!

The band Lake Street Dive is heading out west in February.  We were tickled to have made their acquaintance during Americana Fest in Nashville in October. They are from Boston, and that begs the question what is in the water in Back Bay? Such a lovely lilt to so many artists out of their; from Eilen Jewell to Miss Tess, to the prodigious talents of Mike Olson, Rachael Price, Bridget Kearney and Michael Calabrese. Today we bring you an as yet unreleased tune form the Music Fog Fall Marathon at Marathon Recorders, “Clear A Space.”

- Jessie Scott

Fred Andrews "This Side of Crazy"

I have been driving by Franklin Barbecue just off I-35 at East 11th Street in Austin at lunch time for the last 6 months, seeing this incredible line waiting to get their daily meet. Franklin’s started as a well-respected food cart in 2009, and when this building became available, they jumped at the chance of having a brick and mortar establishment. They opened right around SXSW 2011, if I recall correctly, and there were lines from the start. There is a total buzz on this place; Bon Appétit magazine named them best in the country during the summer. Now you know I love my Q, but I was having a hard time looking at the people waiting for two hours to eat. Then I tried some brisket and some smoked sausage, quite heavenly. Still I think it is a tad crazy to wait that long to get your lunch.

Steamboat time is upon us. Music Fog is not attending this year, but I am on the mountain with fond memories. Last year, we had the honor of doing another edition of the Gondola Concert Series™ where we bring our cameras and audio recording gear, tweet for a contest winner to take the ride with us, and grab a game artist to serenade us. Last year, Fred Andrews was our ski-lift crooner. Now it happens that Tuesday was the release date for Fred Andrews and Honeybrowne’s new album This Side Of Crazy. Take the virtual ride with Fred, as he does a solo version of the title song from the brand new album.

- Jessie Scott

Low Cut Connie "Rio"

I usually don’t make New Year resolutions, but since I have spent the last few nights dancing to the music of Willie Nelson, Mingo Fishtrap, Walt Wilkins and Garrett LeBeau, I think that sets the tempo for the year.  Dancing is feel good fun, and I think the best exercise is seamlessly woven into your life. There is already plenty of music to dance to in mine, but I hope to find a bar or two that has an 80s night!

Photo: Emad Hasan

‘Tis the first day of music discovery here and yeah you can dance to it. Long Tall Sally and Short Fat Fanny ain’t got nothing on Low Cut Connie, I’ll bet she’s built for speed too. There are no women in this band, so I am not casting aspersions.  Uh-oh, the name of the album is Get Out The Lotion, so you might as well assume the position while you are at it. There are five tunes from the album for you to sample on their website, and their two songwriters bridge the pond; New Jersey's Adam Weiner and Birmingham, England's Dan Finnemore. It makes for boozy, swampy, hip shaking stuff. That’s Adam on the piano ala Jerry Lee,  and Dan on the drums, along with guitarist Neil Duncan on his Les Paul and bass player Russell Salib. Here is a somewhat lo-fi video of the song “Rio.” Hope we can give them the magic Music Fog treatment one of these days! 

- Jessie Scott