John Fullbright "Gawd Above"

I always get a kick out of reading the comments on the videos we post on YouTube. By and large, there are glowing reviews for John Fullbright. Most people are just amazed at his skill, his depth, and his sheer talent. Not to mention that he is an old soul in his early 20s. Music Fog has been lucky to have followed John for the last three years, the first time we taped him was at Folk Alliance 2009. I had already heard his name whispered by some mighty talented and well respected elders. When Jimmy LaFave brought him to our bus, I couldn’t wait to hear him. He didn’t have much time to be with us; I think it was only with us for two songs and then he had to race off to make it his next commitment. We all looked at each other when he left. Whoa, cool. And his Music Fog videos have consistently drawn views. The word is spreading that he is one to watch.

John Fullbright’s first full-length studio album, From The Ground Up, came out yesterday,  hell yeah, at long last.  It is everything I had hoped it would be, showcasing John’s prodigious talents; songwriting, singing, and instrumentally. The album release was a Kickstarter project, and was released on CD, digital download, and vinyl too!

It was three years ago that he burst upon the music scene with a live album recorded at the Blue Door in Oklahoma City. He is from Okemah, Oklahoma, which is also the home of Woody Guthrie and that would be just one of John’s influences, the others being Townes Van Zandt, Mickey Newbury, Randy Newman, and Jimmy Webb. Schooling aside, John is quite simply a prodigy. Here is the Music Fog recording of one of the songs from the new album. “Gawd Above” was filmed during our Spring Music Fog Marathon at Threadgill’s WHQ in March.

- Jessie Scott

Paul Thorn "What The Hell Is Goin' On"

Through the twists and turns of a career, Paul Thorn remains steadfast and true. He brings an authenticity to everything he does, which comes from somewhere deep in his soul. The spirits of Southern minstrels from time immemorial are awakened with his voice, his delivery and his choice of music. In the past, this has been stuff written by Paul himself. As a palette cleanser, this time Paul delivers an inspired album of cover tunes. Now don’t groan, these are some very interesting choices here, songs that Paul has been incorporating into his live shows along the way. It is an eclectic list, including Lindsay Buckingham, Rick Danko, Eli ‘Paperboy’ Reed, Allen Toussaint, Buddy & Julie Miller, Ray Wylie Hubbard, and Elvin Bishop.

Paul Thorn’s new album, What The Hell Is Goin’ On comes out today, and we bring you the title track, which was written by Elvin Bishop. You might recognize his name from the hit “Fooled Around & Fell In Love,” which featured Micky Thomas on lead vocal. Elvin is a well-respected guitarist and band leader, who has been at it since the 60s. When I first saw him play, it was with the Paul Butterfield Blues Band in the 60s. I am so glad that Paul Thorn is shining a light on him, as well as the others with the release of this album. If you like what you hear, it makes for some mighty-fine music discovery as you chase down the authors. The title song “What The Hell Is Goin’ On” first saw light of day on Elvin Bishop’s 2005 album, Getting’ My Groove Back. Here is Paul’s official video for the song.  And for a limited time you can download the song for free on Noisetrade.

- Jessie Scott

P.S. Don't miss Paul's special CD release show live webcast tonight at 8pm ET on Stageit!

Steve Poltz "Dreamhouse"

You know how hard it is for musicians to make a living these days. We watch our road dog friends tour incessantly, and sell their merch off the stage, which allows them to get to the next town and then to the next. So anything the helps to make things more profitable for them is very cool in our book. Enter Tikly, a ticketing website which allows artists, venues and events to keep more of the money for each ticket they sell. So, if a ticket is $10 or less, Tikly charges the buyer an extra $1. Above that, fees are 10 percent of the transaction, up to $7.50. Just to give you a bit of insight on how fair that is, Ticketmaster fees can often add 50% per ticket. And they don’t ask for contracts or upfront fees.

They have a couple of clients we know and love, The Nadas and Steve Poltz. Music Fog got familiar with the Tikly story when they donated to our Kickstarter campaign. Steve Poltz swears by them, so much so, that he is using them for his present Australian tour.

Steve has a new album coming out next month, Noineen Noiny Noin, which was named during one of his previous Aussie jaunts. Steve asked a promoter if he remembered the year when he first came to Australia, “Oi reckon it was noineen noiny noin,” the man said, referring to the year 1999. Voila, an album title is born! Today’s tune comes from Steve's 2010 release, Dreamhouse.  It's the title track and this version was filmed during our Spring Music Fog Marathon at Threadgill’s WHQ in March.

- Jessie Scott