Bishop Gunn "Keep It in the Red" and more...

Are you digging the Olympics? Not that I watch a lot of sports, but the choices are so varied, and the team spirit of it all has me enrapt. I am ever impressed with watching folks that have dedicated themselves to their sport, and kudos to all who have seen their dream take them to Tokyo, even without crowds in the stands. Life in rock and roll seems to be equally tough, as audiences are filtering in finally and bands are beginning to tour again. I have my hopes high that things will continue to open up, and that we will return to whatever “normal” looks like in the after times. Heck, here’s hoping that the Foggers will be making a trek to Nashville soon to record!

As we look forward, I’d like to revisit something we have been holding on to. Bishop Gunn came before our cameras in February of 2019, and they asked us to wait to post this song, as it was meant to be on their next album. And then the band dispersed. The group has not reformed, but they have decided to release that final album they recorded together, so Gypsy Cadillac just came out. We thank Travis McCready for permission to post, and look forward to his upcoming solo album to be released soon! Meanwhile, we hope you enjoy the Music Fog recording of “Keep It In The Red!”

This was filmed during a private Music Fog recording session on February 10th, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. Travis McCready (vocals, electric guitar), Drew Smithers (electric guitar), Ben Lewis (bass), and Burne Sharp (drums).

• Jessie Scott

     

Here we stand as it’s the unofficial start of summer. I hope things are opening up for you and the season ahead will be sweet with fun and frolic. It’s been a cold and dark winter but the sun is now shining.

It is almost time for Music Fog to film again. Of course, we were about to hold the next round of sessions before all whistles blew to a stop with the quarantine. During our last sessions, Parker Millsap had a new album, Other Arrangements, and we were able to film him solo. From that session is today’s video, “Your Water.” What’s funny is that Parker has a new album out and it just might be time to get back together with him to capture songs from his latest, Be Here Instead. We seem to be on the same cycle!

• Jessie Scott

     

Does your car have a nickname? I have had The Marshmallow for the last ten years, a trusty steed that has taken me from Texas to NYC to Nashville, and far and wide beyond that to explore music, food and culture. A new car is in my sights, and the first thing I’m gonna do is head for The Delta, NOLA, and Austin. I call these adventures “rambles” and what with quarantine lifting, I am about due for a road trip in the new car. I’ll let you know what its name is when I get it. And yes, I am fully vaxxed, double masked, and ready to observe whatever rules and regs I need to to keep us all safe. I think the faster we do these things, the faster we can see live music safely again.

Today’s song regales us with the romance of the open road, from Will Kimbrough, who put the I Like It Down Here album out a couple of years back. On his more recent release, during the 'dark times,’ I got to talk to him for my WMOT Words & Music interview series. You can find it here.

Music Fog filmed Will Kimbrough, with Bryan Owings on percussion and Chris Donohue on bass, during our last outing to Nashville, and we can’t wait to do it again. To quote the song, “we’re not running away, we’re just running.” Or hoping to real soon! Let’s kick back and make a wish, with Will Kimbrough, that the road opens up for us all.

• Jessie Scott

     

Today we received a copyright claim from Sturgill Simpson’s publisher for our video of Sunday Valley (Sturgill’s band prior to recording under his own name) performing “Life Ain’t Fair.” This video has over 8.2 million views so far. It was filmed in 2011, long before Sturgill Simpson was widely known in Rock, Country and Americana music.

Before we go into greater detail, let it be known that we have absolutely no animosity or ill will towards Sturgill. Many times the artists themselves are unaware of these behind-the-scenes issues, and/or they have no course of action themselves to retract management claims or acts of protection. Therein lies the irony. On one hand, the publishing rights holder, or their manager, or the record label, is doing what they’re supposed to be doing; which is to protect the artist and their works. But on the other hand, when agreements are made, and legal contracts are signed, those should be honored.

Music Fog always operates with signed paperwork from the rights holder in our quest to provide a platform for discovery and promotion of Americana Music. This is way more than a “business” for us. Sure, we have to run it like a business legally, but the real mission is a labor of love. We do it for the music. The four partners of Music Fog all have full-time jobs which sustain us. The ad revenue we earn from our YouTube videos funds the thousands of dollars we spend to film our sessions, including location rentals, gear purchases, equipment rentals, travel, housing, personnel, post-production resources, etc. 

We offer a simple arrangement with each artist we record. We do not charge them for the recording session—we foot the bill entirely. The artist comes before our cameras willingly, and they get introduced to a very large audience on Music Fog, our YouTube channel and the rest of our socials. They may make use our high-quality videos for any other promotional opportunities that arise for them. Our recordings have been featured by CBS TV, The BBC, and sometimes have been released on their albums, with no cost to the artist. In exchange, we ask for a few rights, including use of their likeness and use of the underlying song for promotional purposes. We record new versions of these songs. Having that agreement allows us to collect advertising revenue on the videos we feature on YouTube. This is the sole source of income to fund our music production. 

Certainly, one video removed can’t threaten the future of the Fog, but several videos can sure risk our ability to film future sessions. And it has been happening a lot lately. A video here, a video there. All we can do is dispute the claim to try and retain ownership, but the publishers and record labels have the upper hand. If they decline, we lose the dispute and any ad revenue goes to the publisher/label. So, instead, we remove the video since our original contract has been broken. This hurts the artists and the growth of Music Fog's audience. In some cases, the videos are removed completely from the platform without our say, as was the case with our first posting from Sturgill Simpson, Sunday Valley’s “I Wonder.” So, today Sturgill Simpson’s music no longer resides on Music Fog, as his one remaining video has been taken down. These videos represent historical moments, and they are being wiped away by the entities hired to protect copyrights.

More times than not, publishers and labels have retracted their copyright claim against us once they were aware of the arrangement or mistake. However, other artists that have had a video taken down, or in some cases their entire Music Fog collection removed, include then-unknown to more widely known artists: Sierra Hull, Ward Davis, Over the Rhine, Carrie Rodriguez, SteelDrivers, John Fullbright, Lynn Miles, Dash Rip Rock, Hayes Carll, The Coal Porters, Sarah Jarosz, Marshall Chapman, Sahara Smith, David Olney & Sergio Webb, Reckless Kelly, Belleville Outfit, Donna the Buffalo, and Will Hoge. In some cases the video has never been seen, as the copyright claim was filed while we were preparing the video for public viewing!

We’ve been told many times that it is an honor to be invited to play in front of the Music Fog cameras. We hold that recognition close and hope to continue to be a pivotal conduit between the artist and the audience. But our model is at risk if agreements are not kept. We are powering through this pandemic just as you are, and plan on recording new sessions once it is safe to do so. But if every publisher were to dismiss our agreement, there’s no way we could fund future shoots.

If you’re a fan, please reach out to your favorite Music Fog artist and let them know how much they mean to you, especially if you have discovered them via our videos. If you are an artist with dropped Music Fog videos, please convince your publisher, your record company, or your management, to release any claims against Music Fog. Contact us directly if you need clarity. We would be grateful for the opportunity to continue promoting you and your incredible body of work.

Now that’s Americana!

- The Music Fog Crew

UPDATE - March 24th, 2021: The publisher has released their copyright claim against us, so this incredible performance is back out in the world! A big thanks to the industry for believing in us and supporting what we do. Here’s the video!

     

Maybe it’s the holidays being behind us, and maybe it’s that I can already feel the days getting longer, but I am starting to dream of a time when we can all get back to normal. I can hardly wait for the return to restaurants, shows, vacations, meetings, and for the Foggers being back together to capture music. We have been making as much of the small blessings of life as we can, and Music Fog has a couple of new things to be grateful for. We just hit 100,000 subscribers on our YouTube channel! That’s quite a milestone when you realize this has all been organically grown by word of mouth! We thank you for your continued support. Also, we are rolling out a new website, with some new bells and whistles, and an updated Music Fog logo, so thanks for stopping by to check it out.

Today’s video comes from Chuck Mead, of course of BR5-49 fame. His credits also include helping birth the modern era in Nashville, bringing folks back to Lower Broad, when no one dared venture downtown. He is a producer for the Memphis’ legendary Sun label, where he also was Music Director for the Million Dollar Quartet show. He has a frequent presence online, for his Lil’l SOB Jamboree, which you can find on his YouTube channel! We bring you a song from Chuck today about being there for one another, ‘cause after all, isn’t that what it’s all about? Here is the Music Fog recording of “Daddy Worked The Pole,” filmed during a private session in Nashville. We can’t wait to start recording again, after the pandemic!

Jessie Scott