Jake Shimabukuro "Bring Your Adz"

Music Fog is migrating westbound for MusicFest, and will be arriving in Steamboat Springs, Colorado tomorrow if the Good Lord is willing. Gotta do our studio build out, then hit record and play...and the beat goes on! It seems somewhat unusual to me that CDs are slated to come out this early in the year, but hey, there are no rules. And so we welcome today's offering of a brand new album, Peace Love Ukulele, from Jake Shimabukuro. "The ukulele," he says, "is the instrument of peace - and if everyone played the ukulele, the world would be a better place." That said, if everyone played with the level of virtuosity he brings, the world would be Utopia! Jake will be joining the lineup for the Old Settler's Music Festival, which is set for April 14th though the 17th in Austin, along with other award-winning artists; The Avett Brothers, Sam Bush, Tim O’Brien, Langhorne Slim, Green Mountain Grass, Elliott BROOD, and Emmitt-Nershi Band.

All I can say, as we embark on our first event coverage of the nascent year, is there are plenty of cool festivals coming for 2011. And there are plenty of opportunities ahead to showcase talented artists here at Music Fog. Today we source a song from Jake's new album called "Bring Your Adz."

- Jessie Scott

PS There is another song on this album I would like to mention here, a tribute to the courageous American soldiers of Japanese ancestry who fought and sacrificed their lives in World War II. "Go For Broke" was the motto of these second-generation (Nisei) Japanese-American soldiers from Shimabukuro's native Hawaii. The men of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, 100th Infantry Battalion, the 1399th Engineering Construction Battalion, and the Military Intelligence Service (MIS) fought for the U.S. against their ancestral land at a time when those of Japanese heritage were often viewed with suspicion. Also, I wanted to recommend a wonderful book I just finished that was set in that era, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, a novel by Jamie Ford.

Ray Wylie Hubbard "Snake Farm"

The drive to MusicFest in Steamboat Springs begins today for the Music Fog truck BBC (Big Blue Crew), coming from the east coast. I think the rendezvous point, to met up with those of us from Austin, is somewhere at an undisclosed location outside of Oklahoma City, OK. Denise, Sheila and I are eager to return to the state where I demanded sushi this past July, on the way to WoodyFest in Okemah. Now don't you say it too, sushi in Oklahoma! I beg to differ, I needed my raw fish fix, and it was just fine, thank you very much. Road food is hard to agree upon, though I do have a rule when we are traveling for production. When there is food, you should eat, because you just don't know when you will see it again. It could be hours and hours. The tug of war comes from those who want to dine, versus those who want to bag a burger, taco, or other fried thing and go. I will let you figure out who is who. Maybe we should start making a list of restaurant recommendations, and of course, if you have any along the route from OK City to Steamboat, please share!

I can't believe we saved one last MusicFest 2010 video for the trip to this year's celebration. In fact, the very first time I heard the song "Snake Farm" was at MusicFest in 2006. We were set up in the conference room of the Steamboat Ski & Resort office to broadcast the MusicFest on XM's X Country. Ray Wylie Hubbard played the song for us live on the air from our makeshift radio studio, which had a huge picture window overlooking the skiers coming down into the gondola area. Just magic. And I was blown away by the song, which wasn't set to come out until June of that year as the title track to the Gurf Morlix produced album. One play was all it took to light the phones up. But we waited, and didn't break the song out again until it was time for it to be released. When you get phone calls from just one play on the radio, now that's persuasive stuff.

Ray Wylie Hubbard's 3rd annual Grit n Groove Festival has been announced for April 2, 2011 at Whitewater Amphitheater in New Braunfels, TX, and that's persuasive stuff too! Artists announced so far include Chris Robinson (Black Crowes), The Trishas, The Gourds, Jonathan Tyler & the Northern Lights, Cody Canada & Seth James, and of course Ray Wylie with the full band. I have been sworn to secrecy as to the remaining lineup, but an overall WOW is all I can say! Tickets are on sale now...click here. We'll miss Ray Wylie at MusicFest this year, but can't wait to catch up with him sooner than later. Here is the last video we've been holding from 2010's MusicFest, "Snake Farm."

- Jessie Scott

Stacie Collins "Tied to You"

The last Sunday of the holidays. Ate too much, drank too much, had a big time and sure hope you did too. And that you made it home in one piece from your New Year's celebration, and are taking a well earned day of rest from your parties. It's back to work tomorrow, wherever you are and whatever that means. We Foggers are packing for our impending trip up the mountain to Steamboat Springs, Colorado for The MusicFest. And so another year begins, and we are so looking forward to it. Attention, if you are heading up to 'The Boat' for MusicFest, make sure you pack the appropriate stuff for a ski adventure, even if you are not planning to ski. Down is good, as are ear warmers or hats, gloves, and waterproof boots with treads...all are essentials. Thermal shirts are not appropriate as standalone items. They should be topped with a jacket with lining. I can't tell you how many years I have seen people dressed for Texas winter in the Colorado Rockies. It ain't enough, so be forewarned.

Photo Credit: Staci McQueenI was thinking that today might be a day to recuperate, so we would dig into something tender, or even spiritual, and then I said "Nah," we're going to rock it instead. About getting the second wind, I do believe! Do you know about Stacie Collins? She is a bad ass harp blowing hell-cat who fronts a hard-core honky-tonking rock and roll band. Her third record Sometimes Ya Gotta just came out, and it was the second time she hooked up with producer Dan Baird. It features contributions from the likes of Warner E. Hodges (Jason & the Scorchers), Eric ‘EBO’ Borash (Radney Foster) and Dan Baird (Georgia Satellites); and the deep pocket rhythm section features Jimmy Lester (Los Straight Jackets / Webb Wilder) on drums along with Stacie’s husband Al Collins, who also plays bass for Jason & the Scorchers. They are based in Nashville, where I got to see them a few years back at 3rd & Lindsley, but they do thousands of miles each year in the US, Europe and Scandinavia. If you attend a show you will enter a force field that compels you to stomp your feet. I highly recommend the joy, and the change of consciousness it will bring. Here's one of the songs from the new CD, "Tied To You."

- Jessie Scott