Will Kimbrough "When I Get to Memphis"

Before our world became so accessible, with highways and easy air travel, songs conjured up feelings about far away places. One could listen and imagine what they were like. There was such romance to it, such an interconnected sense to hearing about Old Cape Cod, Saginaw Michigan, or Santa Catalina. It is strange now to be yearning for far away places, but most of us have the quarantine blues as we stay at home and hardly venture past the city limits.

Photo Credit: Epiphone

Today we head down the Mississippi with Will Kimbrough. New Orleans brings sultry weather and a banquet of flavors and music. Of course, one could hit I-10 for Mobile, Alabama, where a couple of songwriters met a while back, Jimmy Buffett and Will Kimbrough. You know, Will has just contributed four tunes to the new Jimmy Buffett album Life on the Flip Side, which speaks to how fine a songwriter he is. Last year, Music Fog captured “When I Get To Memphis” from Will’s I Like It Down Here album, with Bryan Owings and Chris Donohue.

- Jessie Scott

Sarah Potenza "Dickerson and Queen"

Happy 4th people! This is a weird one for sure, but we still can declare independence. COVID numbers are rising around the country, so remember to social distance and wear a mask if you are heading out. Me, I’ll make do in the back yard. Thinking back on the last few times I was out, before we scattered to the wind, there was a very cool night at City Winery Nashville, where there were worthy shows upstairs and downstairs. Delbert McClinton was in the big room, having just won another GRAMMY©, and upstairs in the lounge was Nashville’s own Sarah Potenza.

Photo Credit: Val Hoeppner

Sarah, being the force of nature that she is, was her ever bawdy, no holds barred, diva persona. As we used to say, “Too Much Ain’t Enough.” That just might be her slogan. When she came to play at my WMOT 895 Fest last year, she wore a bathing suit, and her guitar slinger husband, Ian, wore a Hawaiian shirt and jam set. Fetching couple for sure. I miss all that; live music and hugs and applause, the next best thing is watching from the comfort of your home. Here is Sarah from last year’s private sessions in Nashville with one off her Road to Rome album, with the Music Fog recording of “Dickerson & Queen." (Note: there are some explicit lyrics)

- Jessie Scott

Will Hoge "The Reckoning"

Today we celebrate Will Hoge, as it is the occasion of the release of his new album, Tiny Little Movies. Man, what a fine songwriter he is. And thank goodness, he is keeping the rock and roll spirit alive. I am ever in awe at the ease with which he writes, and I'm blown away by his performances, whether solo, or with his kick-ass band. Recently, Will came to play for WMOT’s Public Radio Music Day broadcasts in April, just before we shut it all down, and I have a new interview coming up with him on the radio in the 6pm Central hour today. We did a Zoom for release day, and you can find it on WMOT.org, Live Sessions on NPR, or listen live to us on your favorite smart speaker, or on the radio if you live in middle Tennessee, at 89.5 FM. By the way, we play a bunch of his music.

Music Fog goes back a ways with Will, too, having recorded him in 2009, and at AmericanaFest back in 2011. A year ago, Will Hoge returned to the Music Fog set to lay some more tunes down. One that he performed for us is on his 2017 album Anchors, and we bring that to you today. Here is “The Reckoning,” filmed during a private session in Nashville last year.

- Jessie Scott