Sons Of Bill "Find My Way Back Home"

After Christmas this year, before the trip to Steamboat for MusicFest, I did a small but disciplined thing, that is, I put the presents away. This of course can be problematic as there is something that I put in a drawer which I have been searching for all week, but cannot find to save my soul. But there was another item that I happily hung up in my closet. Since it was not a winter thing, I was so stoked to discover it and I pulled it down with glee, feeling the wonder of the holiday all over again. So cool when you get a gift that is a season or two ahead, simply delicious. While I continue digging for the other one that I squirreled away somewhere, allow me to direct your attention to a video that we kept under wraps for this occasion.

We had Sons Of Bill in our digs at the Steamboat Grand Hotel during MusicFest at Steamboat Springs 2011. It is with great fanfare that they have finally released their fab new album Sirens as of last week. Don’t you know, we would have loved to hook back up with them during our Spring Music Fog Marathon last month in Austin, but just plumb ran out of room. But the good news is that while fishing around in the Music Fog closet, we found a video we have not yet posted, that is indeed one of the tunes from the new album. By the way, there is a massive tour going down for Sons Of Bill, so catch them when they are close. Here is “Find My Way Back Home,” the Music Fog version, recorded in January of 2011. Huzzah!

-Jessie Scott

Nakia "Slow It Down And Stay Awhile"

The 2012 Lone Star Music Awards took place on Sunday night at The Texas Music Theater in San Marcos, we wanted to congratulate all of the artists on their wins. While we are at it, congrats to all the nominees, too!

For Best Album - Stoney LaRue, Velvet
Songwriter - Hayes Carll
Country Album - Jason Boland & The Stragglers, Rancho Alto
Americana/Roots Album - Reckless Kelly, Good Luck and True Love
Singer-Songwriter Album - Adam Hood, The Shape of Things
Emerging Artist - Whiskey Myers
Vocal (Female) - Miranda Lambert
Vocal (Male) - Stoney LaRue
Song - Reckless Kelly "Good Luck and True Love"
Musician - Cody Braun (Reckless Kelly)
Album Artwork - Reckless Kelly, Good Luck and True Love (Art by Shauna and Sarah Dodds)
Venue - Gruene Hall

Nominations have been called for this year’s Americana Honors and Awards, and we would like to remind you of our fine album, Who’s First? – Music Fog Sessions Volume 1. If you are a member of the Americana Music Association, we would love to be one of your ten for Best Album of the Year. The deadline for nominations is this Friday. We would be humbled to be on your list!

And while we are on the subject of musical contests, allow us to introduce you to Nakia, who ran it up the flagpole for The Voice on NBC in its debut year, being picked by Cee Lo Green to be on his team in the quarter finals. He is a Virginia Beach, VA native, who migrated to Austin, TX around ten years ago, and initially was taken under the wing of Miles Zuniga of the band Fastball. On April 14, 2009, Nakia release his first full-length album, Water To Wine. He is working on the follow up, and when he came to play for the Music Fog cameras, he brought the new stuff with him. Here is an as yet unreleased tune, ”Slow It Down And Stay A While,” with Chris Johnson on bass, Kevin Lance on drums, Ulrich Ellison on guitar, and Derek Morris on keys. Nakia is on a roll. This here is powerful stuff!

-Jessie Scott

Scott Miller "Lo Siento, Spanishburg WVa"

Scott Miller is in the Music Fog spotlight, as today marks the release of his new five song EP CoDependents. Scott has always written from a keen sociological and historical perspective, and there is a bit of mystery to solve regarding the song “Lo Siento, Spanishburg WVa.” I did some digging on the town, which I had never heard of, and it turns out it is considered one of the most beautiful places in West Virginia. Scott surmises that it will soon be impossible for the townspeople who have spent generations there, to continue to afford to live there. I found a pretty cool history from 1927 about Spanishburg on the WIKI. I checked the Zillow for real estate, and there is an interesting “spread” to the purchase prices.

Scott Miller & Rayna Gellert met at West Virginia's Mountain Stage last year. They quickly became friends and have occasionally performed together since then. Here is a head’s up that there are some East Coast dates on tap. Also, look for Scott to appear on the Music Voyager show on PBS/APT. He is in the upcoming episode “East Tennessee” will air early this month. Oh yeah, and one more thing, lately, we have hit a spate of “language” on some of the videos we have featured. This is your head’s up to listen on earbuds if you are in the office or have the kids around, as the chorus is a tad, ahem, provocative. I was kind of humming along, when I realized what they were singing….. all y’all.

-Jessie Scott