Bill Miller "Wind Spirit"

I have changed course a million times trying to figure out what song to bring you for Thanksgiving. I have researched a zillion "Thanks" songs to no avail, and have been racking my brain to deliver this simple, yet heartfelt, message...but with which song? We could have done "Thanks To You" Emmy's version, or Chris Smither's version of this Jesse Winchester song. None were on the web. I thought about Arlo Guthrie's "Alice's Restaurant," Loudon Wainwright's "Thanksgiving," or even his "Suddenly It's Christmas." From the sublime to the ridiculous.

Today, thanks to us all. To our maker, to each other, to our land. To our families, to our friends. To life. To living in this great country. To freedom, to the stars and the sky and the wide open spaces. To those that have helped us along the way. To complete strangers for a smile, the opening of a door; of a small inconsequential kindness that made such a difference. I don't think we take the time to say thank you enough. Don't just take, give back. Be a good neighbor. Do things to help out in your family, community, school, church. Be considerate, be loving, share. Celebrate the harvest.

Sometimes saying 'thanks' is a hard thing to do, so the song we bring you today has no lyrics. It is from Native American artist Bill Miller. He has posted two CDs this year; they came out in June and September respectively, Chronicles of Hope and Spirit Wind East. He is an award-winning recording artist, performer, songwriter, speaker, painter, and a world-class flute player. Miller received the GRAMMY® award for Best Native American Music Album in 2005 for Cedar Dream Songs. Our friend peter Cooper did a wonderful story on him that was featured in the Tennessean's Entertainment/Music section, Tune In Music City.

Be thankful for whatever your blessings. The song "Wind Spirit" is from Bill Miller's album of 2000, The Art Of Survival. Let the warmth fill your heart. Be still, be joyous.

- Jessie Scott

Lynn Miles "Save Me"

One day last week on the road: Breakfast in Nashville. Ran into Jason Boland at the airport, flying back to Austin. Landed, drove west into the Hill Country at sunset, a long golden glow that lasted for almost an hour, as my car was winding through hills and dales to see Brian Langlinais at the Waring General Store for Steaknite. Drove back under cover of the night through San Antonio, which shimmered ahead like the proverbial Emerald City. Then up through Austin to the Continental Club for a bit of Susan Cowsill's performance, before I surrendered to the weight of the tired. But I have to say, I find traveling enriching. Logging those miles, seeing people and places. It keeps you on your toes. And I think it resonates the universe when you are out there, it rattles the cage. No emotional baggage, just keep moving.

Lynn Miles stands as one of Canada’s most accomplished singer/songwriters with five albums under her belt. Her CD Unravel, won a 2003 Juno Award for Roots & Traditional solo album of the year, and 2005's Love Sweet Love found favor with two Canadian Folk Music awards: Best English Songwriter, and Best Contemporary Singer. She has a brand new album that just released in Canada and Europe, called Fall for Beauty, which is her first studio album since 2005. It comes out in the states on January 8th, 2011, and you can pre-order it directly from True North Records. You can also stream the album on that page, while you're waiting for your copy to arrive!

Lynn is a woman of the world, a true observer of life's tribulations. Her music presents a startling sincerity, a gritty realism; and that coupled with the command of her delivery, brings grace to the subject matter notwithstanding the hardship. The cliff awaits. "Save Me" renders it as a fait accompli. It is a song with a brooding sexual tension that contemplates that relationship that just isn't such a smart idea. Lynn Miles performed it for the Music Fog cameras during our 2010 SXSW showcases at Threadgill's in Austin, Texas.

- Jessie Scott

Elvis Costello "National Ransom"

Interesting times we live in...coming off the questions asked in this past election, and for me, coming off enough travel around the United States this year for an eyes wide open assessment of how America is doing. Now I know about the rust belt, and white flight, and regentrification, and center cities trying to bring people back to work, shop and play. But there is fear creeping around every corner these days. There are storefronts empty in places one wouldn't expect, like Telluride. There are new ghost towns forming when business gets closed down, and outsourced to another shore. And the debt, the debt just keeps growing. One would hope some sanity ensues, that someone just might heroically swoop in with a plan to fix the mess that isn't draconian, and that society can still function. One can wish! We are in the midst of a seismic shift. Fasten your seatbelt!

Elvis Costello's second CD working with T Bone Burnett is called National Ransom. It was recorded in Nashville and Los Angeles over an 11 day period earlier this year. It just hit the street a few weeks back, and features contributions from The Imposters and The Sugarcanes, along with Vince Gill, Marc Ribot, Buddy Miller and Leon Russell. There is a wonderful short film about the making of the record online at his website, just click on the "Flick-a-Tron" header. I think it's great that Elvis gets to make different sounding records, different moods to explore, with different statements to make. Here is one, "National Ransom," the title track, recorded at WNYC in New York.

- Jessie Scott