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

John Fullbright "The Flower Song"

People are posting their best of the year, and it highlights just how hard it is to keep up with everything that is coming at us these days. Here is a fan-generated Top 500 from No Depression. Instead of looking at just this last year, last night I did a search for some tasty nuggets from the way back machine in my brain to see if I could find a few titles digitized, or even on CD. There is a soundtrack that I would love to get my hands on again, from the film Steelyard Blues, with Nick Gravenites and friends. But I ain't gonna buy the vinyl for $500, or CD for $450. And then there is an amazing record from 1970 by Kathi McDonald (with Sly Stone!) called Insane Asylum that I need on my iPod! I love the mental trips down the cobwebbed synapses to find some of the music through the years that was especially meaningful. Recently I had a snippet of chorus in my head for a month before I figured out what it was, and then located it. Hate when you get a song stuck like that, but it sure feels good when the AHA moment comes!

Photo Credit: Vicki FarmerAs Music Fog gets ready for the new year, including our imminent trip to MusicFest at Steamboat and beyond, I am looking around at the new acts we want to bring you in 2011. Yes, of course we will have returning friends in for more video sessions. It is with anticipation that I think about getting introduced to new artists that, as I write this, we have not yet heard of, though. And when I think back on this year, one of the people I am most happy to have brought you is John Fullbright. I had been hearing the whispers from music biz people about him, long before I saw him play, and months before we had him visit us on the Music Fog bus. Our first encounter was at Folk Alliance in Memphis this past February. It was an abbreviated affair, as he had to run to perform at a showcase. Then we had the pleasure of a visit during the Cherokee Creek Music Festival in May. I am attaching his upcoming tour dates, though you might just have to make it to The Blue Door in Oklahoma City if you are near there or passing though, as he plays there often. We can hardly wait to see what the future holds; may his star burn bright in the coming year. Here's a new, unreleased song from our Cherokee sessions on the Music Fog bus with John. We're not sure if this is the working title, or the one that will stick, but he calls it "The Flower Song."

- Jessie Scott

Ray Bonneville "Roll It Down"

Hope you had a good holiday yesterday. Back at the store? You are a brave soul! Me, I am appalled at how much I ate! You too? I am still SO full. 'Tis the season for overindulgence, indeed. Just in case you don't want to wait til January 1st to pull the trigger on your New Year's Resolution to lose weight and get in shape, we bring you an easy rocker, which is just perfect for warming up without hurting yourself too badly. The song is called "Roll It Down" from Ray Bonneville, and it offers the antidote, packed with evocative lyrics that remind us what is important.

Ray Bonneville takes you to the earthiest places. He is such a mirror of the New Orleans sounds he soaked up by living there in the '80s; funky groove meshed with the music he grew up with, blues and country. Roots resonates, it is ever alive, and Ray is a master. We dig back to last February in Memphis at the Folk Alliance for this recording of the title song from his 2003 album Roll It Down.

- Jessie Scott