Ray Wylie Hubbard "Coricidin Bottle"

Driving around Texas this past weekend, I was once again elated by the beauty of Lady Bird Johnson’s Wildflower initiative. There are carpets of flowers of yellow, orange, blue, and purple. There is that yummy spring green color, which is at once tender and electric at the same time. The bees are buzzing; I even saw a monarch butterfly this week. Now you know with all this blooming comes the allergens, and then comes the antihistamines. I have lived in many places that have laid claim to being the worst for allergies, but Texas might just be number one for me. In an effort to breathe free, I started thinking back on what medicines were really effective along the way, since nothing seems to work anymore to quell the symptoms.

In my travels in the internets, I came upon another usage altogether, using the Coricidin Bottle as a guitar slide. Actually, Duane Allman is credited with doing that first, back in the 60s. Derek Trucks, Rory Gallagher, and Gary Rossington followed suit, but the bottles went out of production in the early 1980s. Since the mid-80s, replicas have been on the market. Ray Wylie Hubbard releases his new album today. It is called The Grifter’s Hymnal, and it is filled with the crunchy, gritty sounds we have come to love from Ray Wylie Hubbard. This album provides peaks behind the curtain, confessional moments. That includes the first cut on the album, “Coricidin Bottle.” It is a stomper of a tune, providing an insight into the objects and an homage to the spirits that have paved the way. And the glass slide, yeah it’s there to make some down and dirty yet glorious sounds. Here is the Music Fog Marathon recording of “Coricidin Bottle,” from a couple of weeks ago at Threadgill’s WHQ in Austin, TX.

-Jessie Scott

The SteelDrivers "When You Don't Come Home"

I am on a personal mission to eradicate the idea that if it comes from Nashville, it must be plastic. Yes, the mainstream country industry is centered there, but there are so many  talented musicians that call Nashville home. Having lived there myself once upon a time, I can tell you there are wonderful nights in the clubs, parties that bring together famous faces behind closed doors for magical evenings, and plenty of that precious creative juice that makes for memorable music. There is everything imaginable in Music City, from Rap to R&B, from Gospel to Grunge, from Blues to Bop. Having a business infrastructure allows the best and brightest to make some money playing on other folks’ sessions, while they keep their own music bubbling too.

The SteelDrivers inject some soul into their scorching Bluegrass delivery. They are an A team of artists, much in demand for their individual talents, and celestial when taken together. Fiddler Tammy Rogers, bassist Mike Fleming, guitarist Gary Nichols, Brent Truitt on mando, and banjoist Richard Bailey bring the joy to performance. The band has three acclaimed albums under their collective belt. They were nominated for a Grammy award in 2009 for their first album, and in 2010, their second album received two Grammy nominations. Today we get to bring you a song that, as yet, has not yet found its way onto an album. The SteelDrivers came to play for the Music Fog Spring Marathon at Threadgill’s WHQ a couple of weeks ago in Austin, TX. I gotta say, this is the way to start a week. Here is “When You Don’t Come Home,” written by Tammy Rogers and Gary Nichols.

-Jessie Scott

Shannon LaBrie "I Remember a Boy"

Hope the weather is spectacular where you are. After all, spring has sprung, and for fully half the country it is uncommonly warm for this time of year. Glorious sunshine, everything blooming, this is the season when we all feel alive. Make time this weekend to get out and enjoy, if the sun is shining in your neighborhood. And if it is raining, just think, the pollen is being washed out of the air, and that should help things this time of year, too.

Photo Credit: Charity VanceA few months back while it was still the dead of winter, I was in Nashville and attended a show at The Basement featuring The Mastersons. Yes, they were just part of our Music Fog Marathon last week, and videos will be forthcoming from that session. I find Nashville so enigmatic because I used to live there. No matter where I go in that town, I run into people that I know. It is almost as if I conjure them up. That night was no different, and among the folks at the gig was an old friend named DeWayne Brown. Several years ago at Bonnaroo, DeWayne gave me and the XM crew lots of tips about how to survive in the mud, as he was a veteran at it. Come to think of it, he has always given me good advice---about music or otherwise. That night he introduced me to Shannon LaBrie. And since it’s spring and that’s when a young man’s fancy turns to thoughts of love...well you know, here is the first video from her. It is a sunkissed affair, with longing for what once was. The song “I Remember A Boy,” comes from her self-titled EP, just out.

- Jessie Scott