Band Of Heathens "Nine Steps Down"

Man, it is such a whirlwind when "The Fog" blows through. I am just catching my breath from last week’s Americana Fest. Today I popped in to the website to watch several of the sets we posted from our Fall Marathon last week at Marathon Recorders. Elephant Revival, Billy Burnette, Blackie & The Rodeo Kings, The Bottle Rockets...there are way more there, and I intend to watch a few every day until I have seen them all.

Right before we took off for our excursion to Nashville, we announced the arrival of our first ever compilation album, Who’s First? Music Fog Sessions Vol. 1. Audio ace Aaron Lee spent months prepping the songs, and getting the necessary behind the scenes prep work done. We especially thank the artists that participated. It has been one of our dreams for a long while, to deliver the audio to you as an album. We have even gotten some requests from DJs to play these tracks on their radio stations. On a personal note, I downloaded the 12 tracks into my iPod, and have been digging listening to them on my travels.

The twelve are Cody Canada and Seth James (AKA The Departed), The Trishas, Elliot Randall & The Deadmen, Kasey Anderson, Uncle Lucius, Chris Knight, David Jacobs-Strain, Morgan O’kane, Deadman, Sons of Bill, Paul Thorn, and of course The Band of Heathens with "Hanging Tree." I must say, it is an in-the-pocket vibey, cool collection, as so much of the music we get to capture is. Like today’s song, which is another from the soulful and earthy Band of Heathens, and was recorded during the same session as the song on our album.

“Nine Steps Down” is one of the songs you will find on their 2007 self-titled album. The New Orleans reference in it predates the motif of their most recent album Top Hat Crown & The Clapmaster’s Son, which is steeped in the gumbo of the mighty Mississippi. Here is the Music Fog recording of “Nine Steps Down,” from our sessions during MusicFest at Steamboat Springs in January.

-Jessie Scott

PS: Let us know what songs you would like us to consider for the Music Fog Sessions Volume Two. Leave your suggestions in the comment box below and we will reach out to the artists and try to get them cleared for the next one!

The Von Ehrics "Lord I Pray"

Music discovery is a sheer passion of mine. I love the hunt, I love finding great new stuff that allows for the fog of music to occur - the dizzying rush of present time when you hear something that captivates. Today’s entry is from Dallas, the band, the Von Ehrics, the album, Two Foot Stomp. How many bands do you know that combine cow punk, country, gospel, and red dirt rock? They are punks to the core. They named themselves after a local and infamous family of wrestling brothers, four of whom died tragically one after another throughout the eighties and early nineties. The band, the Von Ehrics, wants to shatter the curse, and so they keep praying, which is an odd juxtaposition for in essence a thrash Cow Punk speed country outfit, all black leather and swagger.

Texas punkabilly band, The Von Ehrics, are Gabe Aguilar on drums, Paul “Santi” Vaden on bass, Clayton Mills on lead guitar and Robert Jason Vandygriff on guitars and vocals. They present a rocking idiosyncratic style. Check out the video for “Lord, I Pray,” by way of introduction, and make sure you catch them at a venue soon. Here is a warning, be ready to dance…or at least pogo!

-Jessie Scott

The Chapin Sisters "Palm Tree"

Nashville, Americana Fest 2011 is now a memory. The Foggers were behind closed doors, and I think the final count of artists we filmed was 33. Truth be told, we were asked to do a lot more than that, but plumb ran out of time and energy. We finished each day by grabbing some dinner, going back to our hotel rooms and crashed out. We didn’t party, we didn’t attend any official gatherings, we just worked. But when one’s work is such a joy, it is a small price to pay. For our Fall Music Fog Marathon, we were ensconsed at Marathon Recorders in Nashville, thanks to Kathy and Mike Ketchell. They made us feel mighty welcome, and we were able to use their Miktek microphones for our sessions. We loved working with their crew, Chris Woods, Jamison Haggard, Tim Holt, and Shannon Rhoades. The studio was a welcoming place with a great vibe. In upcoming weeks, we will be bringing you videos we shot there, from sessions that you were able to see in their entirety, as we presented it all on Livestream.

The last night of Americana Fest I finally made the rounds and saw lots of friends around the Sheraton Hotel and assorted clubs. Highlights included sets from The Deep Dark Woods, Amy Speace, Raul Malo, Garland Jeffries, James McMurtry and Bobby Keys and the Suffering Bastards. There were an array of clubs; Third and Lindsley which has undergone an expansion and is quite an amazing room, The Basement, The Mercy Lounge, and even a party at The Hard Rock Café on the balcony of the second floor. Good to be back in Nashville, good to broadcast the Americana Honors and Awards show for Folk Alley (where it is archived) and NPR Music.com. All in all, it was great to be celebrating Americana Music. The guys are driving, and we are flying. We will be bringing you videos soon. Meantime, Adios from Nashville. Adios from the Americana Music Association’s Americana Fest. So we are back at it, getting back to normal. Sorting, archiving and getting ready to present our latest stuff. But in the meantime, we bring you a video today from Threadgill’s in March from the Chapin Sisters. They are playing tonight at mood indigo's 2nd Annual CMJ Music Marathon showcase at The Living Room from 9 pm – midnight, along with Tai Burnette, Kaiser Cartel, and Rebecca Loebe. Theirs is a song of longing, “Palm Tree,” that Music Fog captured during SXSW 2011.

-Jessie Scott