Will Kimbrough "You Made Your Bed"

Ok, so I have been in New York for the last three days for Americana Live In New York, which was curated by my fellow Americana Music Association board member Chip Taylor, with excellent facilitation by Jack Grace. We had a blast, and the music was awesome, bringing three different vibes in the three days. The first night was a guitar soaked, exhilarating evening of in the key of "red" at Rodeo Bar. Night two was colored cool "blue" with Cindy Cashdollar and Steve James taking the stage at Hill Country. Friday night, back at Hill Country, was "white" hot with Chip Taylor and Kendel Carson, John Platania, The Beauties, and Oh Susanna all coming and going from the stage, playing on each other's tunes. And it was old home week for me with Howard Leibowitz from Elmore Magazine, Emily Smart from Six Shooter Records, Jessica Styles from Music City Roots, and Meredith Ochs from Outlaw Country all in attendance. A red white and true blue inaugural Americana Music Association event in New York. I can't wait for next year!

Will Kimbrough wasn't in New York with us for this event, but we did see him at the granddaddy Americana convention, the Festival & Conference in September. Will has been in front of the Music Fog cameras before, solo and with Tommy Womack as Daddy. But this time we filmed him with a band; Tim Mark, Fred Eltringham, and Lisa Oliver-Gray! From Will's blog posted on October 20th:

"It’s been a busy Fall. Since the Americana Music Conference, I’ve been to Ireland with Rodney Crowell, I’ve played a brand new festival in Indiana, played on sessions for Tom Russell, Daniel Tashian and Tommy Keenum, played New York City, appeared on Dave Marsh’s Sirius Radio Show with Darlene Love, played in the round with Marshall Chapman and Matraca Berg, started working on a batch of new songs, and now I’m in California with Jimmy Buffett. It doesn't really slow down until Christmas. See you out West or somewhere..."

Wow! We bring you one from Americana Fest last month, and be forewarned...extra-super-special rocking ahead! Time to put your dancing shoes on! I think we first heard this one on Daddy's At the Women's Club CD. And I love that these songs live on in different incarnations. Jimmy Buffett often plays Daddy's "Nobody from Nowhere" in concert, as it's on his Buffett Hotel CD, and the title track of Will's latest project, Wings which was co-written with Buffett and is on the same CD. Looks like Will is makin' his bed real nice.

- Jessie Scott

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