The Farewell Drifters "Little Boy"

I evidently have entered another era where babies are popping up everywhere. Several musicians I know are new parents, and I am awash in the cuteness of the pictures on their phones of their little ones. Being a mom myself, I can tell you it is one of life’s greatest adventures. It is so strange, because growing up, I never wanted to have children. It was always positioned to me as a drudgery, a huge responsibility. I recoiled from that, but then one day, someone got me to thinking about the rest of it; the joy, the love, the communication, the teaching. I am glad I became a parent. Watching a child grow is simply amazing, and nurturing them is a wholly fulfilling pursuit.

But kids do grow, and you can only be there for them until they push away. There are things you can tell them that they won’t internalize, and there are things you hope go well. You pray that some episodes are not too painful for them when they go south. Life, there really are no Hallmark Cards for some of it, and no blueprints for most of it. But to be truly alive, you have to make your way. Have you heard about the book, Dear Me: A Letter To My Sixteen Year Old Self? One of the celebrities comments about not being stopped by fear. Go for it, no matter what.

Photo Credit: Rachel Moore

Today’s tune is from The Farewell Drifter’s album Echo Boom. Here is our recording of “Little Boy,” filmed at the Music Fog Fall Marathon, from Marathon Recorders in Nashville, during October's Americana Fest. If you like it, catch up with them on tour.

- Jessie Scott

Lynn Miles "Three Chords and Truth"

Sirius XM Radio just took the folk channel, The Village, off the XM Satellite lineup, and relegated it to the internet. There are posts from irate listeners on their Facebook page and a petition has been started to bring it back. I wish everyone luck, as we have seen that movie before up close, what with the removal of X Country, the channel I programmed up until three years ago. So it seems to be for the underserved genres of music. And Folk is such a rich and iconic world. I, for one, refuse to believe that there is too small an audience for this to be a viable format.

Yeah buddy. A life of music. Hang it all out there, learn the lessons, make the mistakes, and somehow someway, stay alive in it for as long as you can, if that is your calling. In the spotlight today is Lynn Miles, from a session we did almost two years ago at Threadgill’s during SXSW® music week in Austin. The song can be found on her most recent album, Fall For Beauty, which came out about a year ago. In December, Lynn picked up the Canadian Folk Music Award of English Songwriter of the Year for the new album. Congrats are due. Here is the Music Fog version of one of the songs from it, “Three Chords and Truth.” Amen.

- Jessie Scott

Corb Lund "Alberta Says Hello"

Monday in Austin, the temperature made it all the way to 77. This is coming off experiencing some mighty cold weather in Steamboat, and then in Nashville at the end of last week. What with a bit of rain this winter in the ATX, the lawn, which I never mowed in the spring, summer or fall this year, is greening up a bit. Flowers are blooming. It is kind of weird. I drink it deep though, knowing that this is the tolerable time of the year here. Summers are blistering. Austin always threatens with the stifling hot, and I don’t look forward to that. Last year was beyond my ability to comprehend it. Cold is another story.

Up at Steamboat in past years, a makeshift stage was parked at the base of the mountain during The MusicFest. Brave souls like Jack Ingram have stripped off their jackets and performed in short sleeves in 14 degree weather. There were heat lamps on stage, but even still, it is hard to fathom. This year was more temperate at Music Fest, especially during the day. And there is a beautiful new permanent stage now. Corb Lund joined Jack Ingram on it for the last day, with gumbo and beer and skiers and folks dancing in the snow. A magical thing indeed. So let’s dig into some Corb, from Americana Fest 2010 in Nashville. “Alberta Says Hello” comes from the 2009 album Losin’ Lately Gambler. Here is the Music Fog rendition.

- Jessie Scott