Dirty River Boys "Boomtown"

So maybe you know, or maybe you don’t, but I have been doing weekend deejaying on KNBT in New Braunfels for the last month or so. I am digging being back on the radio. Later today, at 3 pm CT, I am going to have an on-air visit from Paul Thorn during my show. You can listen at KNBT, 92.1 FM in New Braunfels, TX, or check it out on the world wide web on line at KNBT.FM, for a dose of homespun real-speak and spot on music. Paul is playing at Gruene Hall this evening. That will be a fun night of music, for sure.

The Dirty River Boys are a fairly new band on the scene these days, hailing form the dust and the hard scrabble of El Paso. The first time I saw them they were playing in the backyard of the exquisitely cool bar, Luster Pearl in Austin, and I loved their mix of energy, acoustics and percussion. They have been making the rounds themselves lately, and just wrapped up an eight gig summer tour with Cory Morrow sponsored by Red Bull.  A new EP, Train Station, is due soon and includes four songs recorded last year in Los Angeles during the Long Cold Fall sessions. They also planning to record a full album in Austin for January release. Music Fog caught up with them this past January at MusicFest at Steamboat Springs, where they played one from their first EP, Long Cold Fall, here is the Music Fog recording of “Boomtown.”

-Jessie Scott

Ron Sexmith "Former Glory"

Have you ever closed a chapter of your life and been unwilling to revisit it, to stir up the ghosts of it, to let the passions rise in your throat again? It can be so painful to shut the doors, especially when you don’t know if they will ever be opened again. Whether that’s a love, or a career, or a new city. It can be mighty hard to move on to the next thing, as sometimes we fear that it won’t ever be as good again. Don’t settle, life is too short. Live each day, strive for what you want. Be happy, be productive, be open.

Been reading about Ron Sexsmith this morning. He grew up in Canada, in a working class town. Through will and talent, he got a publishing deal on Interscope Records in 1989, that led to eleven albums. His most recent, Long Player Late Bloomer, came out this year. It was produced by Bob Rock of Metallica fame. I know, that does seem odd for the kind of music that Ron creates, but it is a good pairing. Ron Sexsmith writes with an unerring simplicity. He has this uncanny ability to get to the heart of the vibe, and in a gentle treatment he brings forth the truth. This song, “Former Glory,” is a  soother for the soul, for we know that troubled times do pass. Things do get back to normal, and new chapters are written in life. This song is from the 2002 collection Cobblestone Runway. Here is a live Music Fog Marathon performance from Threadgill’s WHQ in Austin, TX back in March, Ron Sexsmith with “Former Glory.”

-Jessie Scott

Somebody's Darling "Been Better"

It’s like someone waved a magic wand, or the weather was looking at the unofficial end of summer. Labor Day weekend, and it magically cued the thermometer to drop. Mind you, it’s still in the 90s, but it's not triple digits. It really is cool at night, which is cause for joy. We have been in the grips of a stifling hot season, with a record breaking 80 days over 100 here in Austin. Could normalcy return, might the fires stop, will it ever rain again? It is one step at a time, though, and the spell is broken. There has always been something invigorating about the autumn. It feels like the beginning of the year. It is a time to redouble one’s energy, commit to new initiatives - back to school, back to work - and tuck in for the duration.

Somebody’s Darling visited us during our Americana Fest taping last year in Nashville. I think lead singer Amber Farris is aptly named, as her voice has that rich honeyed quality. She simply wails, and the band does as well - makes this an appropriate song to celebrate the changing of the season. “Been Better” is the track, and you can find it on the self-titled Somebody’s Darling CD that came out in February. Amber, along with band mates David Ponder, Nate Wedan, and Mike Talley came to our studio at the Nashville Sheraton and tore a hole in our souls with their performance for the Music Fog cameras. For a good time, you gotta see this band! Your next chance is in College Station, TX on Saturday.

-Jessie Scott