Bob Livingston "Android's Lament"

A couple of weeks ago, I was at Threadgill's South for a cool gig in the outdoor Beer Garden. It is an amazing place to see a show, a bit of greenery, with the city skyscrapers in the distance ringing the venue. And sometimes it can be a hard time getting past the entrance to the place, as the Austin music crowd seems to hang just past there. Lots of hugging and kissing and handing out business cards. Some nose to nose conversations take place, with plans for lunch, dinner, another show. Bob Livingston was there the last time I was, and we hugged and chatted. Bob has carved an indelible mark on this town. He's a member of Austin’s legendary Lost Gonzo Band, performing and recording with Jerry Jeff Walker, Michael Martin Murphey, and Ray Wylie Hubbard. The band had an integral role in designating Austin as the 'Live Music Capital of the World.'

Bob's legacy grows with his escapades and projects, too. His non-profit organization, Texas Music International was founded in 1995 to explore multi-cultural themes in music and art, and promote them internationally. The idea is to educate, entertain and empower audiences with cross-cultural understanding. TMI coordinated Bob and his son Tucker Livingston's 2005 tour to Africa for concerts in Morocco, Tunisia and Angola; and then the January tour of Vietnam and Thailand. Their latest project is a documentary about the Livingston's musical tours that was shot in 17 countries!

We are happy to celebrate a new release from Bob, called Gypsy Alibi, out just a month now. Bob and company went into the studio back in February and cut six new songs, co-producing with Lloyd Maines. The next bit of them were done at Cedar Creek Recording in March. Along the way, stuff was tweaked at Bradley Kopp's studio in Buda, Texas. Bradley joined Bob on the Music Fog bus at Folk Alliance in February, too. We have something from the new album for you now, "Android's Lament" on Music Fog.

- Jessie Scott

Terri Hendrix & Lloyd Maines "I Found the Lions"

The first time I saw Terri Hendrix perform, I was taken by how different she was. Folky, jazzy, bluesy; a genre jumper with a sense of timing all her own. It was at a KNBT Americana Jam a decade ago, and she was just such a breath of fresh, unpolluted air. I have been a fan of her music for years. She has walked her path relentlessly and pioneered, carving out a space for herself, putting out her albums on her own label. She is incredibly prolific, with 14 releases in the last 14 years. The most recent, Cry Till You Laugh, came out in June. Plus, the companion book Cry Till You Laugh - The Part That Ain't Art, Terri's first, has just been released. It's actually two books in one, with the “Part That Ain’t Art” section acting as a primer for exploring the “DIY” route in today’s music business. And Terri's essays range from fun, to confessionally honest, just as her songs do.

Photo Credit: Mary BrutonI saw her play twice this year, so I consider myself doubly blessed. Most recently, she and Lloyd Maines were at The Rock Garden House Concert series in Austin, for a spectacular evening under the stars. And in the July heat in Okemah, Oklahoma, she came to pay tribute to Woody Guthrie at WoodyFest. She wrote about her experiences in regard to Woody in her GoatNotes blog. We had the opportunity to catch up with her at WoodyFest, inviting her and Lloyd into the cool red brick environment of the Thompson Loft, out of the midday heat. She played one of my favorite songs for the Music Fog cameras, "I Found the Lions." Check here for her upcoming tour dates.

- Jessie Scott

Shinyribs "Who Built the Moon"

A plea for sanity. We are all Americans, and our country is in trouble. We need jobs, a cohesive vision to create the industries that will take us into the future. We need to reduce the debt. We desperately need campaign reform. How about offering media advertising free to candidates, so they wouldn't have to be paid for by raising money from special interests. And remember Equal Time, and the Fairness Doctrine.

And don't forget that we are not alone in the world, there are countries who are better educating their children, and creating the jobs of tomorrow. We must be better equipped to answer these challenges. I have to say that our "Pursuit of Happiness" seems to be the only thing on the mind of many folks. With freedom comes responsibility. Why the rant? Because we are posting a Shinyribs video today, that speaks to me about the grandeur of setting one's sights high. After all we are the country that put men on the moon!

Photo Credit: Joe WinstonShinyribs is fronted by Kevin 'Shinyribs' Russell. He was born in Beaumont, Texas and raised in The Church of Christ, but found himself at 17 in Louisiana biker bars playing a hybrid of loud country, blues, rock, and psychedelic swamp. Kevin formed The Gourds in 1994 and they have been cranking for over 15 years. Only problem was Kevin was writing so much, he needed another outlet, so he started doing solo shows under the pseudonym Shinyribs in 2006. And that evolved into the current band; Gourd drummer Keith Langford, Cerebral Pony bass man Jeff Brown, and Kentucky Fried keyboard whiz Winfield Cheek. Shinyribs put out Well After Awhile in June, produced by Kevin and his long time friend George Reiff. There are guest appearances by Ray Wylie Hubbard, Mark Rubin, Scrappy Judd Newcomb, Michael Fracasso, Phoebe Hunt and more. There is such a lovely, and yes zany, connect-the-dots quality to this song. Let's build something great America. "Who Built The Moon," from our SXSW 2010 shoot at Threadgill's South in Austin.

- Jessie Scott