Ray Bonneville "Roll It Down"

Hope you had a good holiday yesterday. Back at the store? You are a brave soul! Me, I am appalled at how much I ate! You too? I am still SO full. 'Tis the season for overindulgence, indeed. Just in case you don't want to wait til January 1st to pull the trigger on your New Year's Resolution to lose weight and get in shape, we bring you an easy rocker, which is just perfect for warming up without hurting yourself too badly. The song is called "Roll It Down" from Ray Bonneville, and it offers the antidote, packed with evocative lyrics that remind us what is important.

Ray Bonneville takes you to the earthiest places. He is such a mirror of the New Orleans sounds he soaked up by living there in the '80s; funky groove meshed with the music he grew up with, blues and country. Roots resonates, it is ever alive, and Ray is a master. We dig back to last February in Memphis at the Folk Alliance for this recording of the title song from his 2003 album Roll It Down.

- Jessie Scott

Robert Earl Keen "Merry Christmas from the Family"

Oh Holy Night, O Christmas Day.

You might have noted in the past, we at Music Fog can turn on a dime, going from the sacred to the profane with whiplash speed. It's all good. Anyway, I figure there should be room for the span of all kinds of moments in our lives. And although we try to keep that serene 'real meaning of the holiday' feeling as long as we can, it is like trying to balance on one leg when you have been stopped by the cops, even if you haven't been indulging! Things can just go awry after a while. So here is hoping Christmas brings you pleasure from gifting, feasting and the making of new memories. And if you wind up with an overstuffed closet, an overstuffed belly, and an overstuffed headache the day after, we wish you Godspeed though the chaos. If you have chosen - or don't have a choice - to work today, or if you are donating your time to a food bank or to help others another way, we salute you. If you are serving our country and can't be home with your friends and family, we hold you dearest in our hearts and our prayers. We offer thanks for what you do humbly, knowing that is not nearly enough.

We revisit one of my favorites today. Robert Earl Keen is the Texas Music Pied Piper and National Treasure who appeals to the frat boy in us all. He is legend: a songwriter whose work runs the abovementioned gamut, from the sublime to the ridiculous, or from the sacred to the profane. He is a must see showman with a kick ass band.

O Merry Christmas from Music Fog. Wishing you tidings of comfort and joy, and an acceptable level of dysfunction, because remember, it could always be worse. O Robert Earl Keen. O Merry Christmas From The Family. O!

- Jessie Scott

Eric Brace & Peter Cooper "Silent Night"

Gonna be a quick one today because we are all so busy. But let it be known that Music Fog is proud to call Eric Brace and Peter Cooper friends. They make beautiful music with powerful harmony. They both have backgrounds as journalists, and that adds keen insight to the lyrics they write. On the eve of the holiday, it is time to slow down. We bring you a thought provoking statement propelled by today's work commitments, may they give way to the well-earned kick back. We hope you can do that today...and tomorrow too! As a society, we don't relax nearly enough, and for some, the holiday itself must act as the enforcer. To quiet the chatter, external and internal, to be able to hear oneself at "normal" is a gift in itself.

Christmas Eve. May your shopping and wrapping and prep be done. May you have made a list and checked it twice. May you be surrounded by people you love. May you have peace in your heart. Today's video offering was recorded during Music Fog's Americana Fest sessions in Nashville this past September, but obviously with today in mind. Here's a tune written by their friend Jon Byrd and featured on their latest CD, Master Sessions. Eric Brace and Peter Cooper "Silent Night."

- Jessie Scott