The Agnostic Phibes Rhythm & Blood Conspiracy "Neckin' Party"

I am waxing nostalgic as I write this. It is my last night in the East Austin shotgun shack that has been my home for the last three years. I came to Austin to heal my heart from major losses; my husband Robert passing in 2007, my XM job ending in 2008, my son striking out on his own to his first apartment in 2009. I found an incredible community here, banded together by a love of music and a communal sense of rugged individualism. It has been wonderful on so many levels. I think you have to throw yourself into the stream, to resonate vibration in the universe, and if you do that, the path will unfold. I am letting life take me on the next journey, to the next chapter, though I take with me all that has come before.

I have been getting lots of questions if the things I do are continuing. I say resoundingly YES! I am staying on the air at KDRP, though I will be doing my show from NYC through the magic of technology. The School Night Sessions at Threadgill's will continue on Sundays and Tuesdays for October, then go to primarily Sunday nights with the occasional midweek special thereafter. And Music Fog isn't going anywhere either, we promise to continue as a trusted Americana music discovery site. Next week, I set out for New York. There will be updates along the way, as Abbey Road from Luckenbach is road tripping with me.

Today's taste is a weird little concept video, shot through the peep hole of a door featuring The Agnostic Phibes Rhythm & Blood Conspiracy. It is a meeting of the minds, a Canadian delta-punk-blues-alt-country-garage-rock quartet, with members of Agnostic Mountain Gospel Choir and Forbidden Dimension. The video is the debut, "Neckin' Party," from their critically acclaimed CD Campfire Tales. It was filmed and produced by the Conspiracy's drummer Jay Woolley and features a special cameo appearance by Canadian cult
movie hero Old Man Mask. Behold the weirdness!

-Jessie Scott

Scrapomatic "I Want The Truth"

I am packing. This is my last weekend in Austin for a while, as I hit the road  to make the move to New York. A great job awaits, I have been named the Director of Hill Country Live. It is honest to goodness Texas barbecue with two locations, in New York City and Washington, DC. Hill Country marries authentic and succulent Texas barbecue with great American Roots Music, and that makes for an incredibly simpatico evening out. I am northward bound to a city that glitters when the sun goes down.

I want to turn you on to an album with a decidedly big city title; I’m A Stranger and I Love The Night, from the band Scrapomatic, which came out in August. The band is led by Mike Mattison, who also sings and writes songs for the Tedeschi Trucks Band, and Paul Olsen, an in-demand New York musical director. Scrapomatic brings an amalgam of roots, r&b, folk and soul music. Mike picked up a Grammy in 2009 as the lead singer for The Derek Trucks Band for Already Free.  In 2010, he joined the newly formed Tedeschi Trucks Band as a backing vocalist and songwriter and won another Grammy for Revelator.

Today’s tune is “I Want The Truth,” from the Jammin At Hippie Jack’s Festival. Here is the sweet voice of Mike Mattison and Scrapomatic.

-Jessie Scott

Whitey Johnson "Memphis Women and Fried Chicken"

What a week it has been! I love the close in accessibility of Austin Bergstrom Airport! Flying out to Nashville, the airport was full of friends, all of whom were coming to the Americana Conference too. Sunny Sweeney, Hayes Carll, and John Evans were some of the folks I ran into who were departing Austin, and then I ran into Suzanna Choffel just landing from NY for a Texas run of dates. She’ll be at Threadgill’s later this week. The camaraderie started with the flight, and then tumbled into the week’s event, music, food, panels. It is so good to charge one’s batteries being with the music community. I will have another post about all the showcases and some highlights, but here was an early one.

I tried to keep it fairly low key for day one of Americana Fest, but managed to run into Sean McConnell who was recording at RCA Studio A, and then ran into Patterson Barrett, Tim Easton, Amy Speace, Anna Egge, Doug and Telisha Williams at the Five Spot. I capped the night off with Gary Nicholson doing his Whitey Johnson blues set at Bourbon Street in Printers Alley, with stellar players joining him on stage including Reese Wynans and Colin Linden, a great band totally in the moment. Here is a taste of the Whitey Johnson magic, with one of my favorite songs, “Memphis Women and Fried Chicken.”

-Jessie Scott