Phil Lee with Tom Mason "Les Debris, Ils Sont Blancs"

Have you ever been to New Orleans? I haven't been back since Katrina (and I gotta turn that around, yeah, you're right!), but for a while there I had been visiting every year. I would take my time to pick though The Quarter for treasures, taking in the sights and sounds, and the food, of course. One year, I hooked up with an old friend, Steve Popovich, who I knew from his long tenure doing promotion at Epic Records in New York. He took me to Mother's Restaurant for a debris sandwich. In this case, debris is defined as the meat that falls off the roast into the cooking juices and fat in the pan. We bought enough for our respective families back home. The cab ride back to the airport was accompanied by the overwhelming aroma, there wasn't a square inch of open space left. Yes, I need to go back!

Phil Lee came aboard the Music Fog bus in Memphis, at Folk Alliance 2010, with Tom Mason and performed a debris song of a different sort. I loosely translate it as "White Trash Girls," but then, it has been since high school for me and French. Feel free to chime in. What I do know is that before this song I never noticed that Phil Lee has a Kinky Friedman-like approach to music, as Kinky, too, would say anything, no matter how politically incorrect it was. And so does Phil. You gotta watch this video. Pay special attention to how Phil is dressed. Everything, all the time. "Les Debris, Ils Sont Blancs" is on the CD The Mighty King Of Love that Phil put out in 2000. Phil continues barnstorming through the south on the "I Saw Him Before He Died" tour.

- Jessie Scott

Stonehoney "Tear It Down"

The show was fun Tuesday night at Rodeo Bar in New York City. [Editor's note: Jessie is on the road with Walt Wilkins & the Mystiqueros this week.] Thanks to Jack Grace for making it happen! Met a lot of nice folks and sang along to every song. Ah, a good day all in all. Everyday I get to hang with friends who are also marvelous musicians, it is fine indeed. And I love going to amazing cities and seeing family and friends, too. Chinatown is always on the list when I am in NYC, and so my brother Mitch and I hit 17 Mott Street, Wo Hop, for a bowl of their legendary wonton soup, and some clams with black bean sauce. There is nothing like a fermented legume!

At the end of the day, it is about sharing the love. Food, music, companionship. Blowing off steam, being in the moment. Whether you get to do those all the time, occasionally, or just for special occasions, it enriches your life. Not only do we believe in the artists' music that you see here at Music Fog, we like hanging out with them too. That is significant. Let me explain. When I started doing radio it was rock, and there was a line drawn in the sand between artists and DJ's...as if they wouldn't give us the time of day. When I started doing country radio, I noticed a change immediately! We, and even the fans, were much more considered to be part of the family. I liked that. Americana follows in those footsteps. Fun folks, and less 'tudes makes for a wonderful community. And so we come to Stonehoney. We just can't get enough. Nice guys, real guys, talented guys. We have been following them around the country, so here's one from the Thompson's loft during WoodyFest in Okemah, Oklahoma last month. Stonehoney's new CD is named after Cedar Creek Recording, where it was produced, but "Tear It Down" is a MF bonus that you won't find on the album, The Cedar Creek Sessions. And yes, their tour continues with North East dates that will wind them into the south in September. See the tour section of their website for all the dates!

- Jessie Scott

Sam Baker "Mennonite"

I am a city girl, having grown up in the New York suburbs. I spent my earliest years feeling the radiated power of that force field. It called to me, and when I was in my early teens, I started answering its call and exploring it. Yes, there was good, and there was evil. I know. Parents don't want their children exposed to all that too early, but so it was. In the grand scheme, cities represent democracy at work for me. They are mutually dependent situations, but in a good way, as we are all in this life together. Not that I don't love all else; the country, the mountains, the beaches; it all has fascination. Monday morning, I woke up in The Mansion on O in Washington DC, after a lovely evening of music and friends in an intimate space with Walt Wilkins and The Mystiqueros. Lunch was at an actual DC lunch counter. Old school. C.F. Folks, where it was New Orleans day, as every weekday has a culinary theme. They are only open midday. No breakfast, no dinner - just lunch, glorious lunch! Zagat rated, I might add. Cheap and hearty eats. That they can make a living with only one meal, and weekdays only, is a thing of wonder. I love inner cities. The culture, the wash of people, the co-existence. Cities are like living breathing organisms, humming along in balance when they are healthy. There are so many that are not however, but that is for another day.

We bring you a tale today about the boy meeting the lures of the big city from Sam Baker and Tim Lorsch, who we filmed on-stage at the Sheridan Opera House during their performance at the Telluride Americana Weekend last month. A joy to be in this former mining town, now seemingly festival headquarters, with rustic charm and the grandeur of being nestled in the mountains. It was a wonderful weekend of song! Not to mention that Sam Baker was cracking us up in between his musical interludes with funny stories and observations, self effacing flights of fancy, all delivered as a stream of consciousness. The songs, however, are a different story, as they look closely at life. Here are Sam and Tim with "Mennonite."

- Jessie Scott