Sassparilla "My First Lover"

First off a Valentine’s kiss to all the Americana artists who were nominated for Grammys this past Sunday night. So good to see that there are those musicians that are still keeping it real. Here is a tip of the chapeau to the 2012 Grammy winners: The Civil Wars Barton Hollow for Best Country Performance for a Duo or Group and Best Folk Album; Alison Krauss & Union Station for Paper Airplane, this year’s Best Bluegrass Album; The Tedeschi Trucks Band Revelator which picked up Best Blues Album; and Levon Helm for Ramble At The Ryman which won for Americana Album of the Year.

Today is Valentine’s Day, and no matter where you are in the cycle of love, we shine a light toward the original awakening. “My First Love,” comes from a Portland, Oregon band called Sassparilla. Remember when your breath quickened at the very thought of your paramour? How everything was more exciting, even the most mundane chores, when you did them together? The song comes from the new album, The Darndest Thing, from the group - Kevin "Gus" Blackwell on vocals, cigar box guitar, and National resonator guitar, Ross "Dagger" MacDonald on harmonica, and Colin "Sweet Pea" MacDonald on washtub bass (they are father and son,) Naima provides vocals, accordion, washboard, and Justin Burkhart is on drums. Alert, there is a bit of graphic language in this video, oh, yeah, and cigarette smoking, too. Good thing we can’t smell it! Kisses everybody, Happy Valentine’s Day!

- Jessie Scott

New Country Rehab "The Last Hand"

This Kickstarter thing is making me a bit crazy. It is like Christmas morning, every morning, as I check to see how we are doing with pledges. I still harbor hope that we will raise the funds to bring Music Fog down to Threadgill’s for our Spring Marathon next month in Austin. But when you get right down to it, this is the ultimate gamble. When us Foggers left XM Radio in 2008, we didn’t want to quit shining a light on worthy music. So we launched the Music Fog website, linked it to Facebook and YouTube, and began our journey to carve out something on our own. The radio business we knew and loved for so long has become a shadow of its former stature. Having been pioneers at XM, we wanted to continue to do that, using the new technology and ability to go directly to the audience ourselves. And the thing is, it is working. We have an audience. We are helping to get the word out about wonderful music, and not a day goes by that we are not flooded with artist requests.

Alas, the sponsor side of things has not been as fruitful, so we came knocking on your door for funding this time. There are only a few days left, as the deadline to reach our goal expires on Thursday in the wee hours of the morning. So, if you would, continue to share the link with your friends, and let’s see if we can hit the number at the eleventh hour. Thanks for your help, your pledges, and your faith in us.

Today’s video is a gambling tune from a Canadian buzz band, New Country Rehab. They just announced a Canadian tour a couple of days ago, set to roll in March. Their self-titled album came out about a year ago, and we caught up with them at our Fall Music Fog Marathon, at Marathon Recorders in Nashville in October. Here are John Showman, James Robertson, Ben Whiteley, and Roman Tome' with the Music Fog recording of “The Last Hand.” Deal the cards.

- Jessie Scott

Joan Osborne - Bring It On Home

Someone asked me that onerous question last week, "If you were deserted on an island what three albums would you take with you?" Ack! That is hard anyway, but even harder when one is put on the spot to answer. I will spare you the mind's gnashing of gears to try to whittle it down to three, but on the way home that night, I just happened to have the entire 1995 Joan Osborne album Relish on my iPod, and after digging into it, I wished I had included that on my list of three. That was the album that introduced Joan to most of us initially, and I am eternally grateful for her depth, range, and choices in music then and now.

Joan Osborne is set to release a new album, Bring It On Home, on March 27th. It is a collection of blues, soul, and R&B tunes, the flavors of which have informed Joan's palette since her early 20's when she was running around New York City. Me, I am loving the reemergence of the Mojo Triangle's rhymes and rhythms coming from so many artists I admire. On the forthcoming album, there are nods to legends like Sonny Boy Williamson, Muddy Waters, Otis Redding, Ray Charles, and Slim Harpo. There has been one song released from it already, Slim's classic "Shake Your Hips." We found a video for you, below, for the album’s emergence. And here is the Slim Harpo recording, though it is audio only from YouTube.

- Jessie Scott