Maggie Björklund "Wasteland"

I am in a moody space, the morning after, the haze of tired but happy. Today I was searching for something to wash over me, to provide a soundtrack to the Zen time and space I would like to cultivate all day. The Foggers are offloading what we captured in Austin during the Music Fog Marathon, and we hope to start rolling videos your way by the end of the week, or soon thereafter! No sleep for the wicked, ya know?

So today, as it is Tuesday, we bring you Maggie Björklund. She is Danish, a singer and superb pedal steel guitarist. Her debut solo album comes out today; Coming Home is ethereal, merging Maggie’s warm folksy with musicians Joey Burns and John Convertino from Calexico, and Mark Lanegan, Rachel Flotard, and Jon Auer.

This comes from her press release, ”Though born and raised in Denmark, Maggie has nailed the wide open American West with her knockout pedal steel skills and resilient vocals. Coming Home is an album that straddles delirium and ecstasy, when the vultures circling overhead look like doves. Psychedelic desert pop music. It’s the sound of a bead of condensation rolling down a beer glass at a grimy cantina. It’s the sound of the glare off the windshield when you turn the ‘67 Caddy west. It’s the sound after the gunfight.” We couldn’t have said it better. Here is Maggie Björklund with “Wasteland” recorded at Crackle & Pop! recording studio in Seattle.

- Jessie Scott

Chip Taylor "James Wesley Days"

Whew.  We are out.  We are fried, but happy, after four epic days of music at Threadgill's WHQ in South Austin. We'd like to thank our sponsor, Neustar, for making the Marathon possible, and special thanks to the entire Threadgill's family for making us feel so at home.

We love being part of the Austin music scene. With 44 acts in the last four days, we can't tell you how appreciative we are of the artists who shared their abundant talent with us. We are honored to be able to archive it all. And for those who were on line to watch our first ever stream live, we welcome you wherever you are around the world. Most of the performances will be left on Ustream as full sets for a week, and then we will begin our usual process of posting more polished versions of individual songs.

Speaking of that, the Fog Fellows, Chris, Beans, and Aaron are on their way back to DC. So for the next few days, we will be bringing you tunes from other events, in a effort to allow them to regain their equilibrium. Denise, Sheila and I just have to drive cross town, open the mail that has been piling up for the last week, and we will be back to normal in Austin, this most amazing music Mecca. 

Today is is Chip Taylor’s birthday. He was born in 1944 as James Wesley Voight. He grew up in Yonkers, New York, in the shadow of New York City. He is a renaissance man, and it could be said he is a late bloomer, but he was an early bloomer, too. Here is a very early incarnation, back when he went by the name Wes Voight. When I think of the impact a song like “Wild Thing” has had on the generations since the 60s, it is a pretty remarkable achievement in itself, but he has written more songs that are embedded in our brains. And I love that Chip champions other artists like John Platania, Kendel Carson, and Carrie Rodriguez, as he remains incredibly busy flying from Europe and back to the States, and touring all over the place. So Happy Birthday to you Chip, aka “James Wesley.” Here is a song we recorded back in September at the Americana Music Festival in Nashville.

- Jessie Scott

Sprint to the Finish

Wow. Simply wow. I am basking in the afterglow of an amazing day of music yesterday as we wrapped the third day of the Music Fog Marathon, presented by Neustar, at Threadgill’s WHQ in South Austin. We've been holed up in the back room, with the red velvet curtains, capturing magic as the music emanates from the stage. We started the day with Chapin Sisters, and then solo sets from Robert Ellis and Ron Sexsmith. Then a couple of hot young bands in Ponderosa and Deadman. Then it got packed and crazy, with visits from Jimmy LaFave, Dave Alvin, Malford Milligan, Carolyn Wonderland, and Brigitte DeMeyer. We wrapped and ate, and pondered the next round. So it is upon us, Day Four. We will be sending out a live feed here on Music Fog once again, via Ustream. Here is the schedule of our final day...it's a sprint to the finish now!

- Jessie Scott

Saturday March 19, 2011

• 11:10 AM  Lincoln Durham
• 11:40 AM  Colin Gilmore
• 12:20 PM  Zoe Muth
• 1:20 PM   Eilen Jewell
• 2:20 PM   Bonnie Whitmore
• 3:10 PM   Eddie Spaghetti
• 3:40 PM   Matt Hillyer
• 4:20 PM   Jack Grace Band
• 5:20 PM   Ha Ha Tonka
• 6:20 PM   Ruby James
• 7:20 PM   Waco Brothers