Micky Braun "The Band Song"

Happy New Year, and while we're at it, Happy Steamboat! For a decade, I have made my way to MusicFest in Steamboat Springs, but unfortunately I had missed it for the last few years. Needless to say it is great to be back. Monday night was check-in night, so it was a time for the artists to greet one another and for everyone to get settled in. I got to go to the artist reception, with everyone sharing hugs and smiles and chat for this 'extended family' vacation, with music! Kevin Fowler, Roger Creager, the Reckless Kelly boys, Bruce Robison and Kelly Willis, Charlie Robison, Uncle Lucius, Dustin Welch, Gary P. Nunn, Kelley Mickwee, Jamie Lin Wilson, Jason Eady, Jason Boland, and Micky & The Motorcars were in the house, a veritable smorgasbord of Music Fog artists!

Today's video is from MusicFest at Steamboat in 2011 from Micky Braun, of Micky and the Motorcars. They are presently writing, and are expecting to deliver their next record in fall of this year. They have been plenty busy touring though, and have been to Europe three times this past year, twice to Germany, and to play the Country Rendezvous Festival in France. We look forward to new music, and a kickass week on the 'boat. Since the rest of the Music Fog crew couldn't attend this year, we look back a bit to a video from MusicFest in 2011, here is "The Band Song."

- Jessie Scott

Charlie Robison "Beautiful Day"

New Year, New You, New Day for us, too! While we were all out partying and paying attention to other stuff, Music Fog quietly hit another milestone, surpassing 28 million views of our nearly 1000 videos on our YouTube Channel. And though I know that we have all been celebrating for the last two weeks, this does call for a celebration of its own. Later this month, Music Fog jumps behind the cameras to capture lightning in a bottle, as we invite musicians to record sessions in a quiet corner of my new club, Midtown Live at 251 West 30th, in New York City. The crew: Aaron, Beans, Chris, and me, will be primping and fussing and setting lights and building out our equipment to welcome artists into our space. We haven’t been together for a shoot for a while, and we are excited!

In past years during this week, we might just have been found in the Rocky Mountains. Ahhh, to be on the slopes of Steamboat for MusicFest. To all our friends who are lucky enough to be there this year, the 30th Anniversary, Music Fog says “Happy Steamboat!” It is a fine adventure in slowing time down to savor the experience of great music, good times, and brotherhood that spans the years. You should go sometime, heck we should all go next year!!!

From MusicFest 2011 in Steamboat Springs, we caught up with Charlie Robison to listen at his knee to his song “Beautiful Day.” Wishing beautiful days the whole year through from us Foggers to you! Happy New Year.

- Jessie Scott

Dustin Welch "Things I Cannot Change"

The calendar has turned to the last page of the year. December is upon us, and the holiday season is about to kick into high gear. All I want for Christmas this year is to unpack all the boxes from my recent move, so I can actually entertain! Yahoo and yeehaw. I am only sorry that this year I don’t expect to be attending MusicFest at Steamboat Springs - missing it for the first time in a decade. Of course, the new gig comes first, and the rest of the Foggers are off globe-trotting. So they won’t be in attendance either. But then again, the travel takes us all kinds of places, with the ability to capture moments that are then preserved forever.

Got one of them today, from the 2011 MusicFest at Steamboat, the father and son collaboration of Kevin Welch and Dustin Welch. Of course Dustin has been a busy boy these days, he does workshops with Wounded Warriors to bring music creation to their lives. Check out Voicesofagratefulnation.org  or soldiersongs.org for more information on this worthy project. Dustin is also readying his new album, Tijuana Bible, for late February release. He slid me a copy before I left Austin, and I can’t wait for you to hear it. Kevin is on tour in Canada now, and continues his songwriter workshops in Wimberley, TX. A beautiful thing indeed.

Speaking of beauty…here is the Music Fog recording of “Things I Cannot Change,” from Dustin’s forthcoming album!

-Jessie Scott