Corb Lund "Alberta Says Hello"

Monday in Austin, the temperature made it all the way to 77. This is coming off experiencing some mighty cold weather in Steamboat, and then in Nashville at the end of last week. What with a bit of rain this winter in the ATX, the lawn, which I never mowed in the spring, summer or fall this year, is greening up a bit. Flowers are blooming. It is kind of weird. I drink it deep though, knowing that this is the tolerable time of the year here. Summers are blistering. Austin always threatens with the stifling hot, and I don’t look forward to that. Last year was beyond my ability to comprehend it. Cold is another story.

Up at Steamboat in past years, a makeshift stage was parked at the base of the mountain during The MusicFest. Brave souls like Jack Ingram have stripped off their jackets and performed in short sleeves in 14 degree weather. There were heat lamps on stage, but even still, it is hard to fathom. This year was more temperate at Music Fest, especially during the day. And there is a beautiful new permanent stage now. Corb Lund joined Jack Ingram on it for the last day, with gumbo and beer and skiers and folks dancing in the snow. A magical thing indeed. So let’s dig into some Corb, from Americana Fest 2010 in Nashville. “Alberta Says Hello” comes from the 2009 album Losin’ Lately Gambler. Here is the Music Fog rendition.

- Jessie Scott

Kathleen Edwards "Change the Sheets"

Back home again. Whew. I don’t want to say I was tired, but first I was certain I had left my iPad in the restaurant in Nashville. I flew the whole way back to Austin thinking, “What a bonehead thing that was.” It was in the overhead bin in my briefcase. Duh. Then, I got in my car to drive to KNBT, to do my afternoon radio show, and went to pull my iPod out to listen on the way there, and couldn’t find THAT, until I got to New Braunfels and realized that it was in my briefcase, too. That’s why I always do an idiot check before I leave a hotel. You know you are tired when you can’t replay your actions in your mind’s eye. Autopilot much? The road. It beats you up, while it exhilarates you.

I love songs about the road, there are so many of them, but there is always room for another. Canadian chanteuse Kathleen Edwards gives a nod to the road on her new album Voyageur out today, produced with Justin Vernon from Bon Iver. There are tour dates all over the place, as you would expect, or you can catch her tonight on Letterman. Today’s song is “Change The Sheets.” Her official music video for the song can be found here, from her VEVO page. The version we bring you below was filmed at Stephen Talkhouse in Amagansett, NY (Long Island) on July 17th, 2010.

- Jessie Scott

Guy Forsyth "The Hard Way"

Here is an impassioned plea for the sake of the music, or art in general for that matter. I don’t know exactly when we screwed the pooch on all this, but one thing is for certain, we no longer live in a time where the true value of culture is recognized and honored. Music and art have been treasured through the millennia; and were even economically viable pursuits. It might be because of the digital dilemma, the consolidation of media, or the democratization in the process of making art leading to an imbalance of supply and demand, but we are in the middle of a seismic shift. It is hard to get it out there, it is hard to make money doing it. We no longer have a delivery system which allows for fame and fortune. The days of becoming a household name with one’s music are pretty much over.

Take Guy Forsyth. If the world was as it used to be, a couple of decades ago, he would be front and center in the global spotlight. Now, it is hard to find a national one, let alone one that is worldwide! Guy is charismatic, thought provoking, and hugely talented. I hear we will see a new album from him this year, and that is always a treat. When he played for the Music Fog cameras at the 2011 Spring Marathon at Threadgill’s, he shared this unreleased song, “The Hard Way.” Something to ponder, for sure.

- Jessie Scott