The John Henrys "New Years"

(Video contains explicit language)

Happy New Year! Music Fog turns two today! We started this experiment in direct music delivery to you on the heels of being the remote broadcast team at XM Satellite Radio that covered Bonnaroo, Willie's Picnic, Farm Aid, SXSW, Austin City Limits Music Festival, and various other special events in the U.S. and even out of the country. One of the things we took away from our time together, is that we actually LIKED each other, and that we were incredibly lucky to have been 'up close and personal' with the artists that serenaded us. We realized the only thing that was missing was the pictures along with the sound, so we bought some cameras and set out on the Music Fog mission, with the mantra, "How hard can it be?" We aim to expand on that concept in the coming year. It is so interesting that walking the path means things are now possible that were not even on our radar two years ago. We thank you so much for your support and for sharing us with your friends. The artists that we showcase deserve to be heard by more people. And that is our mission too! Fasten your seatbelt, and come along for the ride. First up this year is the MusicFest in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, which is just days away!

We take you back to Nashville, now, at September's Americana Music Festival. It was still quite warm. We cruised around in short sleeves, that is, on the rare occasions we were out of the Sheraton, on maneuvers. Actually, it only happened once a day. We try to eat one good meal, the rest of the time, there are artists coming and going. We try to squeeze as many recordings in as we can in a short time. But even in the rush, we love feeling each entity that is put before us. Everybody just brings it! I think since time is so compressed, it acts as an adrenalin rush of incentive to nail it. I suspect it's just human nature that if you think you can do it again, sometimes the magic doesn't happen in quite the same way. And we have come to rely on magic. The John Henrys came to visit, booked in at the last minute. They chose to look ahead to the holidays, even though autumn hadn't yet begun in Tennessee. They are a rocking, stringed, bad ass band out of Canada. We had to hold this tune for today. "New Years" from their CD Sweet As The Grain, which I am happy to say I did get to play at XM a few years back. Be forewarned though, this one is not for the kiddies, as it contains some "language!" Happy New Year.

- Jessie Scott

Hans Rotenberry "Sweet Bitch"

If things have seemed squirrelier than usual, Mercury has been retrograde since December 10th and it went direct yesterday. Whoa, what'd you say? Whatever does all that mean, anyway? Who knows! I don't know that I believe celestial bodies being able to predict the future and all that, but Mercury Retrograde, now that's another story, as it is said to disrupt travel and communication. So if things have been out of whack, we can blame it on the planets and move on. After all, it is just in time to ring out the old and ring in the new. I hope that you have made some fond memories in 2010, even in the midst of tough stuff going on in the economy, on the job front, with the housing crisis, not to mention all the other things that might have befallen someone you know, or even you for that matter. Here is to an end that will yield a new beginning.

The song for the last day of the year is from Hans Rotenberry, who tells us how it came to be.

"I think it was when I had my cat spayed that I first said 'so long, sweet bitch,' hoping her behavior would change. It struck me as a good title. Then I wrote the words and had them around for a while, then my oldest cat died, one I'd had for half my life. So I got to thinking about all the Roy Orbison tearjerkers whilst digging a cat's grave, then all the music came. So I used the sadness of Max's passing to add to the, uh, emotional authenticity, or something. It's my mom's favorite tune of mine. I dedicate it to her all the time. Mom gets the joke. Amen."

Remember to take inspiration wherever you can. Goodbye to 2010 and hello to Hans Rotenberry, recorded at Americana Fest in Nashville this past September. "So Long Sweet Bitch."

- Jessie Scott

The Infamous Stringdusters "Magic #9"

I am reminded of that wonderful line from the A Team, delivered by George Peppard in the role of John "Hannibal" Smith, clenching a cigar in his mouth as he says, "I love it when a plan comes together." But I really do. I am a tireless rooter for people to accomplish cool things, and when they are rewarded for them, I have been known to actually jump up and down. Yes, I was a cheerleader in High School. Does that explain it, or am I just hopelessly sentimental? One of the reasons I am so impressed with artists of every stripe, is that they create out of thin air, it is something from nothing. The icing on the cake is that then it can touch people- it can excite, inspire, make you happy or sad. There is something so primal about this all, and miraculous at the same time.

The Infamous Stringdusters are all that. A finely honed hydra of an organic delivery machine, they are expressive, improvisational and exciting to watch. And they have been nominated for their first ever GRAMMY® in the Best Country Instrumental category for their song "Magic #9," off the album Things That Fly. The 53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards will be held Feb. 13th, 2011 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles. To get an inside look at the recording of the album, click here for a video introduction.

The Stringdusters are performing out west from January through March, which they are calling The Ski Tour. That includes a performance at the 5th Annual Big Sky Big Grass Festival on February 18th in Big Sky, MT. Ooh, we hear they are on the line-up for the Telluride Bluegrass Festival for 2011, too. Hot band, hot time, with hot stuff going on. Here are The Infamous Stringdusters, filmed during September's Americana Fest in Nashville, with their GRAMMY Nominated tune...the Music Fog version!

- Jessie Scott