Tommy Womack - Now What!

Happy Mardi Gras. Party up today, for lent is nigh. It is the season of discipline, not indulging in something you love until Easter. Can you give up meat or cigarettes, or a luxury of some sort, for the forty days of the Lenten season? Yikes, discipline, my dear! But today, you have to get it all out of your system. Party until midnight, when Cinderella’s coach turns into a pumpkin at day’s end. Have you ever been to Mardi Gras in New Orleans? They take this revelry thing mighty seriously, ya know. And you can go from a refined dinner with the family; pearls and dinner jackets; to frontal nudity in the street. To each his own.

Tommy Womack would be fun to take to New Orleans. His eccentric observations would be quite worth the price of admission. His might even be the voice of reason, the counterpoint to the debauchery. Tommy’s new CD comes out today. It is the sequel to There I Said It!, and is called Now What! Music Fog had the great good fortune of doing the intro video for it, which you can watch above. And we had the honor of filming Tommy at Folk Alliance in 2010, which you can enjoy below. (By the way, the Folk Alliance is just kicking off in Memphis this week.) So we bring you the Music Fog recording of one of the songs that you will find on the new album. “On & Off The Wagon,” one from the Fog Bank, with Lisa Oliver-Gray. Maybe the “wagon” starts at midnight. Forty days, huh…?

- Jessie Scott

Ray Wylie Hubbard "Count My Blessings"

The weather is nice with sunshine reigning supreme here in Texas. It looks like the trees are even budding early. I am savoring these temperatures, because I know what comes next, the swelter of triple digits. But I digress. It’s always about today. Savor this moment, yesterday’s gone, and tomorrow will bring what it may. It takes a long time to feel good in one’s skin, to get the outside stimuli to stop bombarding you, to hear the voice deep inside and follow that. It is about getting centered. It is a process, and well worth the journey. I think when you get to that place, it can be very fruitful and creative.

Ray Wylie Hubbard has been in that space for a while. Lately, there have been so many cool things happening with him, like touring with Joe Walsh, and collaborating with Ringo Starr who contributes to Ray’s next album, The Grifter’s Hymnal. George Reiff, Rick Richards, Lucas Hubbard, and Ian McLagan also make contributions. You can catch up with the ever-entertaining Mr. Hubbard here. Of course, we haven’t seen a track listing yet for the new album, but this as yet unreleased tune might just be on it. Ray and Rick Richards were filmed during last year’s Spring Music Fog Marathon at Threadgill’s WHQ, for this, our second recording of "Count My Blessings." Compare with the first one here.

- Jessie Scott

Abandon Jalopy "All The Way"

Here's to the weekend. I hope you're done with your work for a couple of days, and can catch your breath and relax. Do something fun: a carnival, the beach, some music, a drive to the country, a walk with your family, your friends, your love.

So crazy, the lives we live. It has been very busy in Fogland this week, as you know, and I am happy to close the laptop for a little while. The schedule for the Music Fog Marathon is just about done, and preparations are underway for our travels and webcast. But it is time to chill and remember something really important. Family.

Today we feature a bit of whimsy from Brad Smith of Blind Melon fame. He has just released the follow up album to 2002’s Abandon Jalopy debut. The new one is called Death and Joy,  and it is the result of several years work at Brad's own recording facility,  Studio Wishbone. The song, “All The Way,” is a sweet sentiment for a Sunday, celebrating togetherness.

- Jessie Scott