Hadden Sayers "Sweet Texas Girls"

The test of a true guitar slinger is if they can slow down and still deliver the tasty. Today we bring you Hadden Sayers, who has been hiding in the spotlight for years. He combines his love for the blues and Americana on his new album, Hard Dollar, which came out yesterday. He has played guitar in B.B. King’s rhythm section, The Silent Partners, and for the Blues Foundation’s Female Blues Artist of the Year, GRAMMY© Award-nominated force of nature Ruthie Foster. He has performed at some of the most prestigious blues and jazz festivals in the world, including Monterey and Telluride, and has shared the stage with the likes of Bonnie Raitt, Los Lobos, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Derek Trucks, Bruce Hornsby, Delbert McClinton, and Darius Rucker.

We had two videos to pick from, and both of them are gentle rather than screaming, though there are some scorching tunes on the new record. One is a duet with Ruthie Foster. The other we bring you below. What is remarkable, is that this video could have been an excuse to parade stereotypically young women; to Hadden’s credit, it is every kind of woman instead, old, young and in between. Here is Texas-bred Hadden Sayers with “Sweet Texas Girls.”

- Jessie Scott

Cody Canada & The Departed "Years In The Making"

I am back on the radio! I am doing Sundays on KNBT in New Braunfels, and it is so cool to be playing the music again, and not just writing about it. So many of the artists that get played on the radio station LIVE in that neck of the woods, there has been a migration of Red Dirt south from Stillwater, Oklahoma to NBTX. After my show this past Sunday, I HAD to stop at Cooper’s Barbecue, where it is all about the meat. I went for the smoked rib eye, as my eyes danced around the room to the neon signs from artists like Randy Rogers Band, Jack Ingram, and Cross Canadian Ragweed. I wonder how long it will be before there is a Cody Canada & The Departed neon up on the wall there.

Today, the longest day of the year, is the also the day that This Is Indian Land hits the streets. It’s a long awaited recording representing a new phase in Cody Canada’s career. The sonics are more expansive; you will find experimentation with instruments, and a different vibe that has to be artistically satisfying for everyone involved. If you are around New Braunfels, TX on Sunday June 26th, Lonestar Music will host a street party for The Departed’s CD Release. This free event will be held in the streets of Gruene next to Lonestar Music and will include lots of goodies for those attending. Cody will be playing along with Midnight River Choir and you can expect a slew of VERY special guests.

We were so happy to have Cody and Seth come to our temporary studio at the Steamboat Grand during The MusicFest this past January. Here is an acoustic Music Fog version of “Years In The Making.”

- Jessie Scott

Update on 2011-11-05 02:39 by Music Fog

The Music Fog version of this song is now available to download at either of the stores below:

The Trishas "Chicken & Dumplings"

Today we take a gander at the long tradition of food as a metaphor for sex in blues music, as I found a wonderful history of The Blues here. This music is rife with euphemisms and secret code. I am reminded of the songs that gave instructions for the underground railroad which guided the escape to freedom, like this one from Mark Erelli “The Drinking Gourd.”

The melding of Black folk music with White was a wholly American construct. Back then, there were things that couldn’t be said in polite company. Boy does that ever seem quaint now that there is no governor on how overt music can be. Once upon a time, you had to read between the lines.

To wit, cruising through Alabama a couple of weeks ago, I heard an amazing song that I just had to share with you, “Sorry, I Didn’t Know It Was Your Mama,” from Lenny Williams. That is just way too much information!

That said, today’s song here on the Fog, “Chicken and Dumplings,” is relatively innocent. We filmed The Trishas, with the powerful blues belting of Liz Foster, at Threadgill’s WHQ this past March during the Music Fog Marathon. Not too long ago, when a chill was in the air, I fondly remember a dinner with this ultimate comfort food, as Chicken and Dumplings is a weekly special there. The Trishas will be playing Threadgill’s WHQ this Friday night, and then continue a run of Texas dates before heading to The Rockies. All I can say is, “Is it time for lunch yet?”

- Jessie Scott