Robyn Ludwick "Hollywood"

Robyn Ludwick put out the most amazing album last year, Out Of These Blues. It slinks and slithers in the steamy sun. The throb is merciless, it will hunt you down and engulf you. Music Fog had the pleasure of meeting Robyn on camera at the very first MusicFest At Steamboat Springs that we attended back in 2009. It was our very first event, and I have to say that our MO has changed considerably since then. It is even hard to find the early stuff, because we didn’t tag it on the Music Fog site, but here is the segment we did with Robyn and here is the rest of the stuff we did at our first outing, just in case you want to revisit it all.

Back then, we thought we would do a different website for every gig we did. That changed after the first outing, when we decided that Music Fog needed to house them all.

Robyn Ludwick just unveiled a mighty cool video for one of the songs on her Out Of These Blues album. BTW, the album landed on several Best Of lists at year’s end.  It is totally worth your attention. Of course it doesn’t hurt that Gurf Morlix produced it, and that Robyn has those Robison genes, as Charlie and Bruce are her brothers. She, however cuts her own unique path. Here is “Hollywood,“ haunting stuff indeed!

- Jessie Scott

K Phillips & The Concho Pearls "Lincoln City (Keep It Safe)"

In the K. Phillips & The Concho Pearls song “Lincoln City (Keep It Safe)” there is a mention of Medicine Hat, which is a town in Canada known for its natural gas fields. The first thing that came to mind is Son Volt’s song called Medicine Hat, and then I was off on the research that is so easy to do on the internets. Back in the day when you had an encyclopedia, but that was the only access, it was nowhere so easy, or fun, I might add, to learn about stuff. So, Medicine Hat actually is Blackfoot for the medicine man’s headdress (the name is ‘Saamis), and of course it is the stuff of legend.

photo by Steve CirceoK. Phillips writes about a trek from Medicine Hat, Alberta to Lincoln City, Oregon. At the wrong time of year, that could be a grueling journey. The song can be found on the wonderful American Girls album, which came out a few months back. On it, there are tales of longing and love, desperation, and misbehavior. But this song is the tale of a weary traveler. We filmed K Phillips & The Concho Pearls during our Spring Music Fog Marathon in Austin in March at Threadgill’s WHQ. “….keep it safe, “ here is the Music Fog recording of “Lincoln City.”

- Jessie Scott

Shovels & Rope "Hell's Bells"

Photo Credit: Leslie Ryan McKellarA couple of years ago, I took a drive with Dustin Welch from Cherokee Creek Music Festival to Gruene Hall for two incredible, not to be missed musical line-ups. It is a bit of a hike through the Hill Country, so we had lots of time to listen to music together. One of the folks he turned me on to was Cary Ann Hearst. I instantly fell in love with her voice. Dustin regaled me with tales of Cary Ann and Michael Trent performing together as Shovels & Rope.

Several months ago when they played outdoors at Threadgill’s, they gave me the album titled Shovels & Rope, but that they put out with their given names. Just a few weeks back, their new CD arrived. O’ Be Joyful is coming out on July 31st, under the name Shovels & Rope. Just remember that name, is all I ask. They are raw and ragged and righteous. They are a band, just the two of them, and they are making some serious waves. Most times I like to wait for the album to come out, so we can link to it, but today I ain’t waiting. Today’s tune is “Hell’s Bells,” from the van, as they cruise the country making a documentary, that I for one can’t wait to see!

- Jessie Scott