Ponderosa "Old Gin Road"

Cruise around and listen to the radio and there are the haunting refrains of songs we have heard forever. Last night, “Sultans Of Swing” came on for the 30,000 time, not that that is bad, per se, I actually still like the gruffness of Mark Knopfler’s understated vocal. It just cooks right along, and the tune is timeless.

I saw Stacie Collins play at The Saxon Pub on Tuesday night, all rock and roll badass energy, sexual tension, wailing and harp blowin’ and shaking. And what a band, hot tight and tasty! They recall days gone by, when the music was as much a coming of age, a fertility dance, as it was heady and rich. And it is fun, you know it should be fun.

I am happy to introduce you to another band that harkens back to the old days. If you close your eyes, you could picture Ponderosa playing on The Midnight Special TV Show with the late Wolfman Jack. Wolf, we miss you. You know he would have loved these guys. Tonight the band from Athens, Georgia plays the 15th Annual River Revival in Atlanta, and the rest of their tour dates are here.

I am just gonna let it rip, no fuss, no muss, this is “Old Gin Road," from their recent release Moonlight Revival. Hell yeah!

- Jessie Scott

Lisa Morales "I Don't Want to Hear What You Have to Say"

I admit it, I have been on the hunt for peach ice cream again. I am not sure how robust the crop will be this year, as we haven’t gotten very much rain, but when you pass by the fields where hand written signs beckon you to purchase peaches, it can weigh on your mind, especially in the form of ice cream. Sorry, I don’t mean to plant unwelcome seeds. But cruising the ice cream aisle at H-E-B has not yielded the aforementioned flavor. You have the vanilla, the strawberry, the chocolate, of course, and the Rocky Road and Oreo and Cookie Dough…but where is the peach? And pecans, that’s a Texas thing too, and I am on the hunt for those crispy and salted wonders as well.

The flavors of Texas are definitive and varied in Lisa Morales’ new CD, Beautiful Mistake. After an impressive run with her sister Roberta, as Sisters Morales, Lisa steps out solo. It has been three years since their last record, Talking to the River. And it has been a hard time, as their mother, Gloria, died after a struggle with cancer. Lisa has used the pain, strength and insight to pen this record. She collaborated with longtime friend and bassist, Michael Cornbread Traylor as producer. Guest performers include Walt Wilkins and Dustin Welch, who we recorded at Cherokee Creek, but didn’t list on Monday. My bad!

Here is Lisa from the Music Fog Marathon at Threadgill’s several weeks ago, with a live version of one of the songs on her solo CD. We present ”I Don’t Want To Hear What You Have To Say,” with Cornbread accompanying.

- Jessie Scott

Levon Helm "Ophelia"

In September of 2008, as the kick-off event on the eve of Americana Fest, Levon Helm came to bring his 'Ramble' to the Ryman Auditorium. I am happy to report that I was in the audience for this star-studded and sing-along night, as these are songs that are embedded into our brains. On stage were contributors Buddy Miller, John Hiatt, Sheryl Crow, Sam Bush, and Billy Bob Thornton, alongside the members of the storied Levon Helm Band. The show was made into a PBS special, which you might have seen.

By the way, the nominations for the 2011 Americana Honors & Awards will be announced on Monday, May 23rd in New York City. This year’s 12th Annual Americana Music Festival & Conference will take place from October 12 through the 15th in Nashville, and will once again be a not-to-miss week of music. You can register by clicking here. And as we get closer, showcase wristbands will be for sale too, if you just want to go to the night time shows.

Today Levon Helm’s Ramble At The Ryman comes out on CD/MP3/Vinyl and DVD, so we bring you the track “Ophelia.”

- Jessie Scott

Update on 2011-05-19 03:33 by Music Fog

The Americana Music Association announced today that Levon Helm will donate a portion of the Ramble at the Ryman CD and DVD proceeds to the not for profit trade association. “They are one of the few outfits that supports great music” said Helm, “we gotta help ‘em.” Helm is the first artist to donate the shares of cd and dvd sales to the music association.