Hello reader,
Welcome back.
Today, we’re going to delve into Jake Xerxes Fussell. For those seeing that name for the first time, it’s pronounced zerc zees. The North Carolina-based musician, singer-songwriter, and folk interpreter Fussell leads a fascinating life, and his upbringing and work deserve more attention, in my opinion. Why’s that? He’s your favorite musician’s favorite musician. Those with a soft spot for folklore, music history, traditional music, tribal music, or music lost to time but reimagined or reinterpreted respectfully will love his work. In a world where it’s far too easy to be distracted by short videos, political spin, and scrolling text, one must always break from that environment and enjoy the serenity of slow-moving, beautiful music created by passionate historians and folklorists. And join with like-minded folk who also appreciate these things. And if you do, make sure to take time to check out the Lomax recordings of decades ago.
A significant reason that Fussell should be better known is his Fall Line Radio show. The bio for that is the following: “Fall Line Radio is a weekly two-hour audio show which explores traditional music of the American south and beyond. Hosted by music researchers Jake X. Fussell and Jefferson Currie II, Fall Line Radio brings to its audience a diverse spectrum of sonic offerings from the world’s many musical communities, with a particular bent toward the songs and tunes of the American south. However, our idea of “southern” is broad and inclusive and distances itself from stagnant notions of authenticity, exclusivity, and antiquity. As much as we cherish our prewar blues 78s and “old-time” fiddle tunes, we also love hip-hop, bounce, banda, and norteña. We’re deeply passionate about Native American music traditions, particularly the songs and dances of the southeastern tribal communities.”
As the press release for his new album The Old Beloved Path, which is out via the fabulous Fat Possum Records on Friday, September 18th for your listening pleasure, notes about Fussell, “Prominent artists and documentarians in their own right, Fussell’s father is a folklorist, writer, painter, and photographer, and his mother is an innovative fiber artist. Fussell grew up in an extended community devoted to the preservation of traditional cultural pursuits, including storytelling, log cabin building, and basketmaking. Imbued with this deep respect for the past as well as an unquenchable intellectual curiosity, he grew up appreciating the beauty in those supposed lost arts and is now privy to all that in a way a lot of his compatriots in Indie music are not. While popular music songwriters like Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen will always be among his heroes, he calls people who do nothing but source traditional music and play fiddle tunes faithfully as apostles of a ‘noble pursuit.'” Fussell explains, “For people in the folk music world, songs are their religion. But traditional music is not a bee stuck in amber. I tend to think of everyone who plays traditional music as being on a spectrum from conservative to wildly creative. I am somebody who tends to sit on the edge of those two worlds. I don’t always present these songs in a historical context. I have to relate to them personally. I approach these songs through my own worldview.”
Jake Xerxes Fussell’s first studio album release was the self-titled Jake Xerxes Fussell (2015), followed by What in the Natural World (2017), Out of Sight (2019), and Good and Green Again (2022). I reviewed his 2024 album When I’m Called here at SWT. I loved it, gave it 4.5 Scum Drops, and Josh had it among his favorite albums of 2024 as well. Last year, Fussell collaborated with James Elkington to score the soundtrack to the film Rebuilding, which was written, produced, and directed by Max Walker-Silverman and received generally favorable reviews.
A little more on the album from its press release: “Recorded in North Carolina, The Old Beloved Path was mixed by producer Ben Whiteley, a member of the band The Weather Station who has also played bass on tour with Fussell. Friends Dominic Billett, Isa Burke, Wayne Horvitz, and Ken Whiteley add their instrumental voices to Fussell’s singular musical amalgams. As producer, Ben Whiteley fulfilled Fussell’s desire to make an album that was more direct: a document of musicians playing live together in a room, dwelling less in atmospherics and musical elaboration. Working together, they intentionally limited their palette – focusing less on all the things a song could be, and honing in on the essential. In the revelatory ‘Every Time I Go to Town,’ the sprightly spider rhythms of ‘Boney,’ a traditional tune rarely played, let alone recorded, and his upbeat take on another traditional American classic, ‘Boll Weevil,’ the overall approach is airier, focusing on building textures and staying focused and direct in the art that sustains him.
The songs Fussell chose for The Old Beloved Path are songs he has heard for years, but many of them felt newly illuminated – hitting different. ‘Traditional music gets more intense the older I get. The way that I see the world is through these songs. The world of traditional music has been such a gift to me. If nothing else, a lifelong companion.'” Right on, Jake. I, for one, am happier you’re sharing your love and respect for traditional music with the world. I think each person who listens to the entire album will agree with me.
Giving credit where it’s due. The Old Beloved Path album credits:
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All songs are traditional, arranged by Jake X. Fussell except “No 1”
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Produced by Ben Whiteley
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Recorded by Alli Rogers at Betty’s in Chapel Hill, North Carolina
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Mixed by Ben Whiteley at Casa Wroxton in Toronto, Ontario
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Mastered by Steve Fallone at Sterling Sound in Edgewater, New Jersey
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Design & Layout – Max Taeuschel
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Front cover photograph – Fred C. Fussell / Ace-Hi Inn, 10th Street, Columbus, Georgia, early 1980s
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Jake Xerxes Fussell – vocals, acoustic & electric guitars
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Dominic Billett – drums & percussion, piano (A2, B1), reed organ (A3), synthesizer (B2), harmony vocals (B4)
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Isa Burke – fiddle, piano (A4, B2, B3), acoustic guitar (B1), harmony vocals (B2, B4), mandolin (B3)
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Wayne Horvitz – harmonica (A1, A2, B2)
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Ben Whiteley – upright & electric basses, reed organ (A1), mandolin (A3) , acoustic guitar (B1), synthesizer (B2)
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Ken Whiteley / bass harmonica (A4, B4)
And now it’s time for some hype for your ears via a collab between Fussell’s channel and Fat Possum’s YouTube channel, the song “Rock Island Line”:
(All credits and rights to Jake Xerxes Fussell and Fat Possum Records)
Thump along to the beat of “Every Time I Go to Town”:
(All credits and rights to Jake Xerxes Fussell and Fat Possum Records)
The shimmery song, “Boney”:
(All credits and rights to Jake Xerxes Fussell and Fat Possum Records)
A new interpretation of a blues standard. The song “Boil Weevil”:
(All credits and rights to Jake Xerxes Fussell and Fat Possum Records)
Throughout the album The Old Beloved Path, you can hear the careful songcraft and arrangement. I hope this release gets the attention of casual music fans, as it’s a very good album deserving of it. Don’t sleep on this or overlook it. You’ll find at least one song you like, most likely more. The meticulous care, respect for the music and past, and the quality that Fussell practices and has others employ while working with him shine brightly for all to hear. Even the most casual listener will recognize this in Fussell’s work. Often, for Fussell, this careful songcraft and deliberate, thoughtful arrangement result in gorgeous guitar work and melodies. The pickin’, the pluckin’, the strumming, tapping on the body- it all sounds lovely. Sometimes they are paired with Fussell’s vocals or other instrumentation like harmonica, reed organ, piano, or fiddle. The pairings stand out. Kudos to all. It was a treat to hear some harmony vocals on this album. I liked what I heard, and listener, I think you will as well.
The opening song “No 1” was a lovely guitar-driven instrumental, followed by songs with Fussell’s vocals. Listen closely for songs with harmony vocals employed. As memorable and great is Fussell’s voice, I think the harmonized vocals were a welcome addition. The songs flow well from one to the next, and the next after that. The percussive block claps of “Rosin Some” are paired with Fussell’s matter-of-fact, deeper voice. “Boney” is a shimmery treat of a listening experience. How the guitar shimmers, how Fussell paces his delivery. The album’s closing song, “Of All the Beast-es in the World,” is a sweetly strummed tune, a slower-moving tune that shuts the door on the album quietly and nicely. Kudos. All involved are arguably the best at what they do.
All that being said and all things considered, The Old Beloved Path gets 4 out of 5 Scum Drops from me. It is a very good album in general, and better than most. Relative to all new releases in 2026, as is the standard with SWT album reviews, I see it fitting in within the 72nd-83rd percentile. There’s a lot to like. The arrangements and musicianship stand out to me well after listening a few times over. I recommend adding this to your collection in the formats of your choice. But not getting vinyl and listening in a living room setting, ignoring the outside room for a while as you focus on this album, seems like a poor decision. Get that vinyl!
I’ll always advocate that you take the time to listen to every album in its entirety. Listening to The Old Beloved Path will take just over half an hour from start to finish, just over an hour if you listen twice back-to-back. Along the way, you’ll discover your own favorite songs without the influence or bias of others. After several listens, I found the songs highlighted in green below to be my favorites on this album.
The tracklist for The Old Beloved Path (song length)
- No 1 (4:21)
- Rock Island (4:30)
- Every Time I Go to Town (2:52)
- Rosin Some (3:51)
- Boney (4:49)
- Early Early in the Spring (3:00)
- Boil Weevil (3:33)
- Sandy Land (4:02)
- Of All the Beast-es in the World (1:53)
Total runtime: 32:51
Check out Jake’s awesomely comprehensive site for his music and upcoming shows, and explore his Linktree, Instagram, YouTube page, Bandcamp page, Apple Music page, Spotify, and Facebook page.
Thank you for reading and supporting good music.
Until next time,
Alex
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Scummy Water Tower Productions co-founder, reviewer, business manager, and editor. Thank you for visiting this site, scummywatertower.com, and YouTube for Water Tower Sessions and SWT Interviews. And all of our socials.
Questions, feedback, or more? Contact me: alex@scummywatertower.com
