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When you give up the paved highways of the West for the horse trails of Eastern Oregon’s Wallowa Mountains, life slows down. Nature’s beauty reveals itself more subtly, as do the people who take to life in the backcountry.

Forrest VanTuyl is one of those people. A few years back he decided to pursue the life of a horseman and settled in the tiny town of Joseph, OR, a remote place in Northeastern Oregon that serves as a gateway to some of the most beautiful landscape in the world.

And as he’s learning the packing skills and tack of a mountain trail outfitter, he continues to apply his keen eye for detail to his poetry and the songwriting that he shares as An American Forrest — an insightful blend of Western folk and country music that has drawn praise from fans and critics alike.

Podcast co-host Phil Favorite caught up with Forrest during his recent stop in Portland to play one of 20-or-so shows his band is playing in support of the new An American Forrest record, “Oh Bronder, Yonder Donder?” Landmark Saloon in SE Portland seemed an appropriate meeting place for the interview, it being just blocks from where “Oh Bronder” was recorded by Mike Coykendall at his Blue Room Studio.

Over the course of this special episode, Forrest talks about his life as a horseman in Eastern Oregon, his connection to the tradition of cowboy poetry and music, life on the road with his talented singer-songwriter wife Margo Cilker, and the mining of inspiration from his many hours spent in the backcountry. Also we share a number of tunes from the new album (listed below).

An American Forrest will be playing the Northwest Folklife Festival in Seattle this weekend and will be at Fort George Brewery in Astoria, OR, on Sunday, May 26. Also, be sure to check out the video below offering an intimate look inside the making of “Oh Bronder.”

Sam’s House
Yonder Mountain
Rawhide
Pendleton Overcoat