Tony Joe White "Polk Salad Annie"

For over 40 years, his voice has romanced us; his songwriting has transported us to the rich loam of Louisiana. His signature sound is unforgettable and there ain't nobody who even comes close. His first contract, to Monument Records, was signed in 1967. His music has lived in all the "and" categories: Rock and Roll, Country and Western, and Rhythm and Blues. Tony Joe White is an early Americana pioneer, but this past decade has been particularly fruitful with the releases One Hot July, The Beginning, and his duets album Heroines featuring Shelby Lynne, Emmylou Harris, Jessi Colter, and Lucinda Williams. Then that was followed by a live Austin City Limits performance, Live from Austin, TX, then Take Home The Swamp, and Uncovered, which featured JJ Cale, Eric Clapton and Mark Knopfler. Whew!

Tony Joe White has a new CD out called The Shine, and that is cause for celebration. It is a swampy, southern soul stew; raw, stripped-down and intimate, allowing his sultry delivery to take center stage. And he is on tour, oh yeah. If you haven't seen him perform, you owe it to yourself to get to one of his shows. I met up with Tony Joe for an interview just south of Nashville in the late 90's, when I was an editor at The Gavin Report, and doing the syndicated weekly radio show This Week In Americana. His manager took me out the back door at the end of our session, and showed me a plant. Tall, stalky and leafy. He said it was polk salad. And that wherever Tony Joe goes, they find it growing...we're talking Japan, Australia...and utterly magical. We are pulling one out of the Johnny Cash Show archives, a version of that song from the first of two appearances Tony Joe made on that iconic and ground breaking television series. "Polk Salad Annie" with Johnny from 1970.

- Jessie Scott

John Brannen "I Could Be Persuaded"

The town is alive with the sound of music! Austin City Limits Music Festival is going on, and Zilker Park is playing host to a smorgasbord of the most happening artists in America. Over the three days, there is plenty of Americana being represented. Starting with the annual appearance of Asleep At The Wheel, Two Tons of Steel, Sahara Smith, JJ Grey and Mofro, Those Darlins, Ponderosa, Carolyn Wonderland, Tom Freund, Band of Heathens, Sarah Harmer, and Ryan Bingham and The Dead Horses. And that was just yesterday! Here is today's schedule. Plus, this year there are aftershows in clubs around town. Sorry, we don't mean to tease you, but instead to tantalize you with the choices to dive into. Next year, when you are scheduling vacation time, pick one of the incredible music festivals and immerse yourself, right! And a head's up, for ACL you have to buy tickets early, cause this one sells out every year.

"I Could Be Persuaded" is the song we bring you today from John Brannen. He is one of those mysterious people that just starts you to guessing - where he came from, how he grew up, what his story is. His travels have taken him to many of the music centers in the United States: New York, Nashville, Memphis, Muscle Shoals, Los Angeles, and there are hints of each layered in, on top of his Southern roots, Charleston, where he was born. With chiseled features and a Southern rock sensibility, he makes common man music. It is an easy groove to live in. John's 6th, and latest CD is called Bravado, and it was co-produced by David Z, whose credits include Prince, Fine Young Cannibals, Buddy Guy, and Kenny Wayne Shepherd.

When we hooked up with John in Nashville, during the Americana Fest last month, he had one of those crazy long travel days, and we so appreciate that he came to see us anyway. I guess he really could be persuaded...Game On!

- Jessie Scott

The Trishas "Moses"

ACK! I have the creeping-crud-sore-throat-sinus-infection that so often accompanies the rock and roll lifestyle. The kissing and handshaking of a festival, and then the dastardly plane ride home. In this case, taking an extra three hours because San Francisco was fogged in, and we were unable to take off. So the trip home became a 12 hour affair. So I had to visit the walk-in clinic today for some antibiotics. It hurts to talk, and well, that's just bad. Well maybe my silence is not bad for some people. Just ask Beans, and he'll say it's hard to get a word in edgewise with me. So my laptop becomes even more essential. I also met a singer at the clinic today who said she'd had this throat thing going on for a month. Perish the thought! I am living on ice pops and Hall's® Mentho-Lyptus, and typing away. Life is grand.

It is a good week when you can see The Trishas twice. Not that we expected that, but when we brought you the Raul Malo video for "Sinners & Saints" on Tuesday, there they were, in all their glory. The new CD They Call Us The Trishas is out, though they call it a mini-album, not an EP. We look forward to more from them soon, as this is a time for writing, growing, and becoming everything their promise holds. The road trip continues for them tonight in Conroe, Texas for the Cajun Catfish Festival. Mmmmnn, that sounds DELICIOUS. And fun! They have lots of other Texas dates coming up, and will be back to play the MusicFest at Steamboat Springs in Colorado this coming January. It is an incredible lineup there again this year. Meantime, click here for the rest of The Trishas' schedule. We bring you a SXSW 2010 performance of the song "Moses."

- Jessie Scott