Reckless Kelly "I Never Liked St. Valentine"

It is cold! I am under the blankets with my boots on, swaddled in sweatshirts. Winter - it is an acquired taste. We were just in the Rocky Mountains a couple of weeks ago, but you EXPECT it to be cold there. It is chilly in Texas as I write this. I am having to drip the faucets tonight to keep the pipes from freezing. It is just wrong. As I am from the Northeast, I have no right to complain. But I do wonder if it is an old wives' tale that our blood thins out upon moving south?

I should ask Idahoans Cody and Willy Braun of Reckless Kelly for the definitive answer to that question. Not that they are old wives, but because Idaho is massively cold, and they never seem to complain about the weather in Austin. Last time I saw them, they were preparing to be 'roasted' (now that's an interesting way to stay warm) during MusicFest at Steamboat. We hear it was brutal, tongue firmly planted in cheek but with love, sort of, you know how those thing are. Earlier that evening, we wrested Cody and Willy away from serving a lasagna dinner to a roomful of guests to record a few songs for our cameras.

During MusicFest I was reminded of a really cool event that Reckless Kelly is headlining in early June, Fest Out West in Lajitas, TX with Cody Canada & The Departed, Wade Bowen & Randy Rogers, Micky & The Motorcars, Butch Hancock, The Trishas, John Evans, and Hayes Carll. What a great lineup! Get in on it early, because it will sell out! The other event I wanted to shine a light on is Reckless Kelly's 3rd Annual Celebrity Softball Jam, which happens on May 1st at Dell Diamond in Round Rock, TX. I went last year and it was a blast of a day, from the game, which left multiple people sore from playing, to the wonderful array of artists that played afterwards.

Back at Steamboat now, we were honored to once again have Cody and Willy stop by for a 2011 MusicFest appearance in the Music Fog studio at the Steamboat Grand. Since Valentine's Day is just a couple of weks away, we'll lead things off with an unreleased tune they recorded with us, written by Willy Braun and Todd Snider, "I Never Liked St. Valentine."

- Jessie Scott

Sean McConnell "The Other Side"

Some things are just meant to be. Sean McConnell was paying attention when his parents were playing the folk clubs around the Boston area, as he was growing up. When they up and moved to Atlanta, he found his father's guitar, as a means to heal from being separated from the people he loved and left behind. By college time, he had two indie albums, and a buzz growing around Atlanta. The move to Middle Tennessee State University, which by the way has a mighty fine music program, was a fortuitous next step. Close to Nashville, but just out of reach enough to actually focus on one's studies. Sean made the most of it. In his sophomore year, he started touring the country, and then signed a coveted publishing deal. His songs have since been recorded by Tim McGraw, Brad Paisley and lots of others. But we are just interested in Sean singing himself. He of the soaring voice and beautiful pacing, can make notes hang in mid air, can make them ache.

There was something going around at Steamboat this year. If truth be told, there is something going around everywhere, every year. Sean was in bed for a couple of days, and we were heartsick that we weren't going to be able to meet up with him. Then the proverbial skies cleared, and he was in our studio, bringing that unmistakable warmth. The song "The Other Side" comes from Sean's 2010 CD Saints, Thieves, and Liars. This is how it is done.

- Jessie Scott

Radney Foster "Until It's Gone"

It was wonderful catching back up with Radney Foster on the occasion of his very first visit to MusicFest in Steamboat Springs! Ours is yet another friendship made during my time living in Nashville in the late 90s, a time I treasure. Now don't you be sneering at that. Nashville is home to a wealth of artists that are not part of the 'mainstream machine.' People who can't help but create; who write and perform from heart and soul. Radney is yet another Americana MVP. He is a renowned writer, instrumentalist, producer and performer. His discography is a thing of wonder. And that is just the stuff with his name on the cover.

Of course, the Foster & Lloyd titles are on that list as well, and the big news is that there will soon be another one! It is the first album that Radney and Bill have recorded together in twenty years. After our recording session, Radney returned to our room to play us tunes from the new F&L CD, out this spring. And WOW is all I can say. But I say wow a whole lot when it comes to Radney's work. His varied credits include producing CDs for Randy Rogers, Brandon Rhyder, Roger Creager, Jack Ingram, Rosehill, and of course, himself.

Radney's most recent album is the stunning Revival, released in 2009. From it we bring you the song "Until It's Gone." It really does give you insight into Radney's need to, love of, and immersion in, the music. And it might just be a great theme song for what goes on at MusicFest at Steamboat every year!

- Jessie Scott