Ray Wylie Hubbard "Mother Blue's"

It is the Monday after the KNBT Americana Jam, and boy are my arms tired from clapping, and boy am I hoarse from hooting. But a blast was had by all, and what a great day of music it was to benefit the Comal Cops for Kids. One notable member of the KNBT air staff, Ray Wylie Hubbard, was missing from the line up yesterday, as he was in Memphis last night at the Levitt Shell in Overton Park. Ray hosts a Tuesday night show on KNBT called Roots & Branches of Americana. This Tuesday, Ray’s guests are The Trishas and Greezy Wheels.

We have a new Ray Wylie Hubbard song to bring you today. When Ray sang it for us at the Americana Music Festival last September, it didn’t even have a name yet. The thing that is really cool about it, is that it tells a true tale. It is the story of an evening way back when, in a Dallas club called Mother Blue's, and it references a then 16 year old door girl. When they met again in 1987, it led to Ray and Judy marrying in 1989 and having their son Lucas, who is becoming a wicked guitar ace of his own. Interesting about the coincidences that sometimes come our way. Now of course, Judy Hubbard is Ray’s manager, and being “Mother” Hubbard, she writes an advice column in MusicFest Magazine (a magazine I get to write for also!).

Here is another entry from our Music Fog Marathon several weeks ago at Threadgill’s WHQ in Austin, “Mother Blue's” from Ray Wylie Hubbard and Rick Richards.

- Jessie Scott

Americana Music Jam 2011

It’s gonna be a busy weekend, even if there was nothing to do today, tomorrow will make up for it. That’s because Mattson Rainer has gathered another stellar lineup for his KNBT Americana Music Jam at Gruene Hall in New Braunfels, Texas. What a kick ass day! Tina Wilkins, The Trishas, Ted Russell Kamp, Walt Wilkins & The Mystiqueros, Matt King, Emory Quinn, Bleu Edmondson, Tom Gillam Band, Zack Walther, Monty Byrom, Sean McConnell, Jason Boland & The Stragglers, Wade Bowen, Randy Rogers, Stoney LaRue, and Cody Canada & The Departed. Wow. The 15th Annual is sure to please.

After a past Americana Jam, in a year long ago and far away, I flew basically from the after party to the set for the Down From The Mountain taping and concert that night...you remember, the folks from Oh Brother, Where Art Thou doing a concert tour and film. I have to say I was fairly useless (hungover) though I got to interview the likes of Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings, and Dr. Ralph Stanley. It is a reminder for me to clear the decks for this Monday!

Now I suspect you know almost all the names above. But maybe Monty Byrom has you puzzled. He is the honey voiced singer of the legendary band Big House, and he will be playing at the Jam with Tom Gillam’s band this year. Here is a song to stoke the memory cells, “Whose Baby Will You Be Tonight.” That is if the Rapture doesn’t take us all to the heavens. And if not, I will be in a heaven of my own!

- Jessie Scott

Ray Bonneville "Nightwalker"

On Wednesday night, as the sun was going down, I was at Steak Nite in Waring, Texas wrapping up a wonderful dinner with homemade peach cobbler, and homemade chocolate cake with the creamy frosting that melts in your mouth. On the way out to the Hill Country, I passed hogs and goats and cattle. Real deal one lane roads, arroyos and signs with markings for alerting one to the height of the water in case of floods. Not that that has been our issue in Texas this year, nope, it has been dry as a bone. In fact the flooding down the Mississippi should have been apportioned as rain to the south of the I-10 corridor, instead of it all going north. We met up with some folks that live in New Orleans a few days ago at the Cherokee Creek Music Festival, and they were remarking how dry it had been there this winter, too.

One of the artists we hooked up with at Cherokee Creek last weekend was real deal Ray Bonneville, with plenty of that New Orleans cadence woven into his music. And this time, it was an especially magic recording, as Ray was joined by Rad Lorkovic, and John Fullbright. Thanks to Chip Dolan for leaving the keyboard with us. And watch out Mike Meadows...Rad might just have passed you in Music Fog MVP appearances, having played on four different sessions in just one day!

We love it when we capture something one of a kind, and we hope this one grows wings. This was recorded in an old ranch house on the grounds, just 100 yards from a loud festival stage, with the musicians playing the song together for the first time, in one live take. See what you think.

- Jessie Scott