Chris Scruggs "Where The Wind Might Blow"

These are strange times, as we all grow apart, and live within our cliques, form like-minded culture groups and withdraw into our circles. It is with particular interest that I look at today’s hippies, bikers, rockabilly kids, Deadheads and the like. They all echo a lineage, and there forbearers were colorful, as are they. Enter Hipsters. The clothes, the haircuts, the progressive policies. The art and culture and contemplation of our crazy world. You might think they are slaves to fashion, but they hear an earlier calling.

In the growing world of hipsterism, we are accumulating quite a pantheon. Chris Scruggs was a hipster before the term was coined, I do believe. When I first met him he was a young’un in Nashville, and we were introduced by an unsung hero friend of mine, Greg Garing. The next time I saw Chris was at the XM Studios in DC, when he visited with BR549, and ripped it up. Then there was a performance for the Music Fog cameras during SXSW in 2010, where he solidified the vision and rocked the house. Let’s revisit that evening’s version of “Where The Wind Might Blow,” the original of which you can find on the Anthem album.

-Jessie Scott

Mike Farris "I'm Gonna Get There"

Today, everything seems so normal. The blistering heat wave of this summer in Austin has given way to a couple of days with the highs in the 70s. Birds are chirping, kids are walking to school. I am doing the usual things to get back in the saddle after a road trip; cleaning, vacuuming, laundry, general puttering around. Life in order. It is an ebb and flow kind of thing, that is for sure! Oh there is still plenty on the pile to be chipped away at, including the initial decisions for Aaron Lee to assess what we captured in Nashville during our Fall Music Fog Marathon. 32 bands in three days is a lot of content to sift through, so this week, we are bringing you videos we shot at other events, while we formulate our plans for the unveiling of the new stuff. We do hope you enjoyed our streaming. It was definitely a peak behind the curtain at the vibe of the recording studio. It was not meant to be a show delivered exactly on the clock, and we did try to stick close to our schedule, but there are always things that need to be done. What was the line, “We will sell no wine before its time.” Yeah, it’s like that. Though, you can get a look at the unedited raw feeds, for a limited time, over on our Nashville Broadcast Archives page.

Never fear, we will start rolling out the latest crop of music next week, but today, we revisit a session from last year’s Americana Fest. I am in love with Mike Farris. His voice, his phrasing, his ear. He is, as they say, the total package. His music enriches our lives. Mike is in the midst of recording a new album. We’ll be looking for that in 2012. Today’s tune comes from the groundbreaking album Salvation In Lights. Hard to believe that one will be five years old next year! Catch Mike in concert soon. Here is the Music Fog recording of “I’m Gonna Get There.” Say amen!

- Jessie Scott

Lincoln Durham "How Does A Crow Fly"

Percussion is a wonderful thing. It evokes all kinds of feelings, with all kinds of sound that make you take note like a groundhog smelling the air for a clue. I want that in my life, the hand claps the drum rolls, the cymbal crashes, hell even the gongs ringing in the air. I had a dream about percussion, maybe I should buy some shakers and a tambourine. There are astounding one man bands; foot stomping, wailing, carrying on in the best possible tradition. Making a ruckus, hooting and hollering and bringing joy.

Lincoln Durham is pursuing the fine tradition of the one man band. It is not a bad thing, especially today when you can loop segments of sound and play them back, providing your own counterpoint. But even if you don’t, you are providing a service and a link to a grand tradition celebrated in the past for its virtuosity. This is what Lincoln Durham aspires to. His new album is coming out soon. He is immersed in his craft. And you know the blues can touch us, providing catharsis. Lincoln came to play solo for the Music Fog cameras in March during our SXSW shoot. This is “How Does A Crow Fly,” deep and rich and percussive.

-Jessie Scott