Heidi Spencer "Hibernation"

Austin is in high spirits this time of year. It feels like summer vacation is drawing people to the capital of Texas. They are in the clubs, spilling out into the streets from the restaurants, bars and cafes. It has been a good music week here with Robert Ellis and Jonny Corndawg, Steve Earle and the Dukes and Duchesses, which includes Chris Masterson, Eleanor Whitmore and Allison Moorer, and then last night Roger Clyne and The Peacemakers and Sons of Bill. It has been a display of lots of expertise, great writing, harmonies, amazing playing. I think about all these folks just starting out practicing in their rooms, spending hours by themselves to get good. Learning chords, learning how to marry the voice with the instrument, putting in the 10,000 hours.

We want to take you back to that beginning feeling. When I watch this video, I think about all the alone time, all the determination, all the discipline it takes to get to having a career in music. We taped Milwaukeean Heidi Spencer without her band The Rare Birds at the Music Fog Marathon in Austin in March. Her debut album Under Streetlight Glow had just come out. She came to see us very early in the morning, giving us a gentle peak behind the curtain to how she crafts her music. This is “Hibernation.”

-Jessie Scott

Roger Clyne and The Peacemakers "Banditos/King of the Hill"

I had a pure New Orleans red beans and rice dinner a couple of days ago, during which I was regaled with the history of this traditional Monday dish in South Louisiana. You might know that Monday was laundry day, so it was a good day to slow simmer dinner, adding the ham bone from Sunday’s leftovers. Voila, you have a cheap and mighty tasty complete protein. I love the foods along the I-10 corridor. From Florida Cracker, Gulf Coast, Cajun and Creole Country, to Tex Mex, Hatch Chiles in the "Land Of Enchantment," to the further Southwestern cuisines of Arizona and California, it makes for varied bounty for sure. A friend of mine, John Wooler, produced a couple of tasty albums just over a decade ago. He called them I-10 Chronicles, which started from California to Texas, and then moved eastward in volume two.

Roger Clyne starts his biography by referencing food. He doesn't like serving the musical version of junk food. "I like to put a little more heart into my cooking than that," Clyne said. To continue the theme, Roger Clyne and The Peacemakers most recent album is called Unida Cantina, and Roger has put out Mexican Moonshine, which is a for-real tequila This all makes for a recipe to eat, drink, and be merry.

Today’s tune comes from our 2011 MusicFest at Steamboat Springs sessions, from the Steamboat Grand. “Banditos” originally came out as a Refreshments tune, the band Roger was in before he started RCPM. You will find the coda is “King Of The Hill,” yes, the theme music from the TV show, which Roger penned. They were cooking. (But, as I recall, so were we!)

-Jessie Scott

Bob Schneider "Honeypot"

Bob Schneider is a bona fide Austin force of nature. He has been not so quietly biding his time playing multiple places around town, in whatever configuration suits the vibe of the moment. He fearlessly makes his sets available to all who want to purchase it at the end of the performance. At the Saxon Pub for the last two Monday nights, he has webcast the festivities, too. I am so impressed with his artistry and his output, especially  the quality of his last couple of albums. The writing is relatable and the production value imaginative.

We really wanted Bob to come to visit us during the Cherokee Creek Music Festival in May outside of Llano, TX. I tried to reach out in advance to set it up, but didn’t hear back. I had my fingers crossed that it would somehow work itself out. He wandered up to our "studio" in the house near the main stage during Jack Ingram’s session with us. He watched quietly for a time; then I asked, and he said yes! We were stoked to have him do a couple of songs for us. His new album A Perfect Day was inspired by a boat trip last summer on Lake Austin, crafted with ease and sunshine in mind. “Honeypot” is from the new CD. We wish that it brings you the sigh of a “day off” feeling, even if for a few minutes, and especially if you are at work today.

-Jessie Scott