The Coal Porters "No More Chains"

The Coal Porters. What a name. It is a wonder no one got to it first, but then Sid Griffin is just the kind of wunderkind that would have a band named so cleverly. And for Sid, it has been a glittering list of engagements, some with illustrious band names like the Long Ryders and Western Electric. He is a pro golfer, broadcaster with BBC credits under his belt, internationally recognized authority on Gram Parsons, and just put his fourth book out, Shelter from the Storm: Bob Dylan's Rolling Thunder Years. Oh yeah, and he performs solo too! Sid is Kentucky born, and a sixties punk band denizen in the band The Unclaimed, before the Long Ryders came into existence. Sid now resides in London, where the Coal Porters are the leading Alt. Bluegrass band, and where his Western Electric plays both kinds of music: country and EASTERN! You can read more about his history in the EXPLOITS page of his website. 

Photo Credit: Michael Clement

The Coal Porters formed in 1992, relocating from Los Angeles to London, and from electric to acoustic. Their latest CD, Durango, came out in January and was produced by the legendary Ed Stasium with cameo appearances from Peter Rowan and Tim O'Brien. They came to Music Fog dressed for British Invasion success, when we brought them to our Sweet Suite at the Sheraton Nashville Downtown. They danced, troupe-like into our consciousness. Sid Griffin on vocals & mandolin, Neil Robert Herd on guitar & vocals, Carly Frey on fiddle & vocals, Andrew Stafford on double bass, and Dick Smith on banjo & vocals, who is leaving to join a new band called Burning Desire. And so the Coal Porters are actively looking for a new banjo player extraordinaire, so if you know of one (or you ARE one) reach out to them via their website. Their next U.S. gig will be February's Folk Alliance in Memphis. Just think, you could be making the trip, that is if you play banjer! Maybe we'll see you there. In the meantime, we revisit Nashville from last month during Americana Fest!

- Jessie Scott

Sara Petite "Bootleggers"

I don't know if you get HBO, but I am digging the new show Boardwalk Empire. It explores the era of prohibition in that fabled town of gilded pleasure, Atlantic City, and is set against the great art deco architecture, coupled with opportunism born of desperation. I'm sure the book that inspired the show is an interesting read, too. Freeing the liquor or making it appear out of thin air; why are we so taken with these activities, these enduring 'common man beats the heat' stories? Outrunning the revenuer in the hollow, bringing booze in across the border from Canada, stomping grapes in the bathtub in Brooklyn. These are stories of folk heroes. I don't know what it is with man and "the buzz," but I suspect it has been going on since the dawn of time. For some reason, it resonates even today when we don't have that to rail against.

Observe if you will exhibit A: that would be Sara Petite, who fairly explodes when she hits the stage. She came to visit us on the last morning of the Americana Music Festival in Nashville just a few weeks ago, and she brought us the song "Bootleggers." She is one of the new crop of female singer/songwriters that are Americana traditionalists, with a gonzo twist, a rocking attitude that makes you want to jump out of your chair. She put out her third album, Doghouse Rose, just a few months ago, and presently she is bouncing around the country. Catch her if you can, though she may just outrun you. There is that wild spirit of evading the cops in this song. You will want to take chase after her.

- Jessie Scott

Jon Langford "1234Ever"

Artwork by Jon LangfordJon Langford is a Renaissance Man for the 21st Century. His music stints, starting with punk and moving through the Alt. Country landscape, and his other creative endeavors lead us to the obvious, that ONE THING can't contain his energy and his vision. His art is a thing of glory and is on display at Yard Dog in Austin. He has created iconic visual images of Hank, Johnny and Elvis, among others in his prolific portfolio. His paintings appear on bottles and other items for the Dogfish Head Craft Brewery. We have a bit of it for you here, too, as he crafted the poster for the three-day Americana Live In New York event which kicks off tonight! Join us if you are in the NYC area at Rodeo Bar for sets from Bill Kirchen, Jim Campilongo, and Jack Grace! And then tomorrow and Friday at Hill Country!

Jon Langford, a Welshman who now calls Chicago home, works with different groups for the different flavors needed to satisfy his soul: The Three Johns, The Mekons, Pine Valley Cosmonauts, Waco Brothers, Wee Hairy Beasties, not to mention under his own name. He has written a book, is a regular contributor to the radio show This American Life and is a father figure to many next gen Chicago musicians. His multimedia music/spoken-word/video performance, The Executioner's Last Songs, premiered in 2005. He also illustrated the comic strip Great Pop Things under the pseudonym Chuck Death. Since 2005 he has been one of the hosts of a weekly radio program, The Eclectic Company, broadcast on WXRT in Chicago. In early 2009, the Walkabout Theater Company in Chicago premiered a stage adaptation of Jon's Goldbrick, featuring a live band, two actors and video projections. At the end of last year The House Theatre of Chicago staged a production written by rock journalist Mark Guarino and based on Langford's art and his 2004 solo album All the Fame of Lofty Deeds. I am wondering if he ever sleeps, because here it is 2010, and there is a new CD out! It is called Old Devils, and from it we bring you "1234 Ever," with Jim Elkington on guitar, videotaped during our Music Fog sessions at the Sheraton in Nashville during Americana Fest last month.

- Jessie Scott