Sean McConnell "Praise The Lord"

I found myself in deep reverie a few nights ago when Blondie played the ACL Moody Theater at the W Hotel in Austin, TX. Yeah it was a slamming show, loud and filled with familiar music, dramatic moves, guitar parts and everything else you would expect. I have to say that Debbie Harry looks damn good for 66. But I was melancholy thinking about New York in the 80s, and friends who are gone from the planet. It was a weird time in New York, what with the AIDS epidemic sweeping the city and a certain amount of denial about it all, especially at the beginning. The particular person I was thinking about was a true friend who came to LA to drag me back to my life when I was ‘on the lam,’ rock and roll style, holed up at The Mondrian Hotel for six weeks. Most people won’t go that far out of their way to make things right. Debbie Harry reminds me of my friend, who died  several years ago. I will miss her forever.

So many times when you meet someone and become friends, it is a mutual convenience, superficial and no more. But sometimes there is a deep connection and secrets are shared. True friendships are to be savored. They can be looked at after the fact when the person is gone with astonishment for the degree or respect and love they engendered.  Today’s song is from Sean McConnell, and it should be savored as well. It is a new tune, as yet not released on CD. Beautiful, though, as it gently hangs in the air. We recorded Sean during MusicFest at Steamboat Springs in January. This is “Praise The Lord.”

-Jessie Scott

Mary Gauthier "I Drink"

We are just two weeks out from Americana Fest in Nashville. Music Fog will be setting up shop at Marathon Recorders on October 12, 13 and 14th, and we are going to live stream the mini sets. We have booked some very cool sessions; Guy Clark, The Black Lillies, Ian McLagan, The Bottle Rockets, Sammy Llanos, and The Blind Boys of Alabama, with more to be announced soon. Taking a kind of cliff’s notes version of what Music Fog has attained over our almost 3 years of existence: We generate over 20,000 impressions a day, not counting our 15,000 Twitter followers. We have over 5.5 million views of our  700 videos on YouTube. We are averaging around 100,000 views of those videos each and every week. We add 10 to 15 subscribers everyday on YouTube. We generate between 5,000 and 10,000 impressions on everything we post on Facebook within 24 hours. And maybe the most amazing thing about this campaign we have been waging to bring real music to you, is that it has been viral. We haven’t done any advertising. It has all been word of mouth - that’s yours, and the artists we film who share Music Fog’s videos with their fans, and so on. Thank you for being part of our tribe.

The one thing I know, is that this is music that deserves to be heard whether it is played on the radio or not. I wish Americana Radio could be in every city in this country, all over the world, really. Today’s era reminds me of the early progressive rock period in the 60s. Before the music was widely played on the radio, it was shared by friends, by tips from folks at the record store, and ultimately it found its own level and acceptance. I wish the same for these artists. We filmed Mary Gauthier at last year’s Americana Fest. She is an American original, an exquisite poet and performer with an eye for heartbreaking detail. The song “I Drink,” is a modern classic, having originally appeared on Mary’s landmark album Mercy Now. If you are not familiar with her work, that is a very good place to start. She performed it for our cameras with Tania Elizabeth.

-Jessie Scott

Bob Livingston "Original Spirit"

It is getting so that weather events are accompanied by an uneasy feeling. There was a dust storm on Tuesday afternoon here in Austin, TX. It kicked up grit, and hung in the air with a weird sandy coloration. Eerie eddies of swirling papers and leaves were chasing around parking lots and lawns. I hear there was rain in some spots, but couldn’t attest to it myself. The last time we felt an ill wind blowing here in Texas, it was the outer bands of Tropical Storm Lee on Labor Day weekend. That was what brought the fire storms to central Texas. So many homes were lost, so many lives were changed forever. And so many people need our help. Fire Relief Benefit concerts are springing up everywhere. Willie and friends are doing one on October 17. Others are being planned, as so many folks lost everything. And you can always count on musicians when there is a need. That’s how they are wired.

Bob Livingston is one of them, caring, giving, sharing, innovating. His is an illustrious history, as a member of the Lost Gonzo Band, he was in on the beginning of the Austin Music ethos. BTW, they are this year’s tribute artists at MusicFest at Steamboat Springs. And congrats are in order, as Bob has just won the 2011 Texas Music Album of the Year Award for his latest album, Gypsy Alibi. Bob came to visit us on the Music Fog bus in Memphis, February 2010 during Folk Alliance. He brought Bradley Kopp, and he brought this song, the title track from “Original Spirit,” which came out in 2008. It is a reminder to obey the ancient, to honor the holiness, to live in harmony.

-Jessie Scott