September Podcast Picks

Tyler Childers performed at Pickathon on the same day as his much-anticipated record Country Squire was released. Photo by Greg Homolka

Stream or download September Podcast Picks: September ’19 Podcast Picks

Just a few weeks back, the Pacific Northwest became the center of the alt-country universe when Tyler Childers released his much-anticipated new album, Country Squire, the same day as he performed a set at Pickathon, just outside of our home base of Portland, OR, USA.

What nobody saw coming, though, was the big splash made the night before when Mike & The Moonpies, just hours before their late-night Pickathon set, announced the surprise arrival of their stunning new record, Cheap Silver & Solid Country Gold.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the country, the new all-women country supergroup, The Highwomen, crashed the Newport Folk Festival like a meteorite, playing tunes from their new self-titled new record (out tomorrow) and drawing guests on stage including Dolly Parton and Sheryl Crow.

But nothing seemed to steal the thunder from Childers, whose album sold more units in its first week than any other record in the states, marking another important milepost in the upward trajectory of alternative country music.

It’s fun to share tunes from all three of these groundbreaking records and so much more in our Podcast Picks for September. Give it a spin and you’ll also here fantastic new tunes from Tanya Tucker, Jason Hawk Harris, Joy Williams (of The Civil Wars fame), Midland and Sturgill Simpson.

Keep listening and things really get interesting when ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons shows up on “56 Fury,” an instant classic from the stunning new record Texas by the great Rodney Crowell.

We also share a tune from Mercury Rev’s re-imagining of Bobbie Gentry’s The Delta Sweete featuring the one-and-only Margo Price. And speaking of re-imagining, Aaron Lee Tasjan has released a new record, Karma For Cheap: Reincarnated, where he renders many of the songs from his last album as solo performances. We share a fresh tune here to wrap things up.

This batch of picks packs a serious punch with soon-to-be classics throughout. So be sure to listen from start to finish!

Here’s the playlist:

Country Squire, Tyler Childers
Danger, Mike & The Moonpies
Redesigning Women, The Highwomen
Howlin’ At The Moon, Caleb Caudle
Giving In (Giving In), Jason Hawk Harris
Spies, Drivin’ N’ Cryin’
Bring My Flowers Now, Tanya Tucker
Sing Along, Sturgill Simpson
Fast Hearts And Slow Towns, Midland
So Long To The Traveling Kind, Tom VandenAvond
Somebody’s Daughter, Tenille Townes
Times Like These, Hayes Carll
56 Fury, Rodney Crowell
Something Real, Lukas Nelson & The Promise of the Real
Sermon (featuring Margo Price), Mercury Rev
The Devil Drinks Scotch, Matt Woods & The Natural Disasters
Knock Knockin’, Wonderly Road
Front Porch, Joy Williams
Don’t Skip Out On Me, Richmond Fontaine
My Whole Life Is Over (All Over Again), Aaron Lee Tasjan

TMFWP Special: Wildwood MusicFest Preview

The Eagle Rock Gospel Singers: Don’t try to categorize them. Just listen. Photo by Emilie Elizabeth
J. Moses and The Ragged Sunday are set to make their Wildwood debut.

Heading to next weekend’s Wildwood MusicFest & Campout in Sheridan, OR, U.S.A.? Our podcast team will be there in full force and ready to party.

To help you (and us) get ready, we’ve put together this modest playlist of songs by some of the artists who will grace the big stage at Roshambo Art Farm during the event, which kicks off Friday, July 19 and runs through mid-afternoon on Sunday, July 21. (Get your tickets here.)

We’re excited that many of our close friends and podcast veterans are on this year’s bill, including Drunken Prayer, Mike Coykendall, Anita Lee Elliott and Silver Lake 66. We’re also super stoked to see J. Moses & The Ragged Sunday make their Wildwood debut — featuring the sweet vocal stylings of Jason Morgan, the Ragged Sunday is one of the hottest new bands on our local roots scene in Portland. Be sure to get up front early Friday and prepare to rock out with Jason and the lads.

We’re also looking forward to catching up with a few of our longtime friends, including the great Willy Tea Taylor and our old pal Matt Woods, who will have copies of his fabulous new album and will perform with his full band, the Natural Disasters. Matt is a one-man storm of talent, so seeing him with a full band will truly be a sight (and sound) to behold.

And of course, we’re really excited to be turned on to lots of new talent. From the world class music of Jerry Joseph, Sallie Ford and Sammy Brue to some of the exciting acts such as the True Loves and Tennessee Stiffs who are just coming on our radar, the lineup at Wildwood is once again sure to set our musical hearts floating happily into the night.

So dig right into this special edition of That Much Further West Podcast — it’s all right here for you. Here’s the playlist:

Momma Told Me, The Eagle Rock Gospel Singers
Dirty Dollar Bill, J. Moses and The Ragged Sunday
Mayflies, The Sam Chase and The Unconditional
Cordelia, Drunken Prayer
Screw Up, Sallie Ford
Shattering Sun, Mike Coykendall
Peacocks and Blackhawks, Jerry Joseph
The Catch, Sammy Brue
The Dirty, True Loves
Molly Rose, Willy Tea Taylor
Deadman’s Blues, Matt Woods
Where Our Cast Light Doubles, Roselit Bone
The Sound of Bells, Ashleigh Flynn & The Riveters
Backwater Lullaby, Tennessee Stiffs
No Lonesome Tune, Anita Lee Elliott
Young Fools, Small Million
Hobo’s Lament, Malachi Henry and the Lights
Bright Light Midnight, The Hackles
Brown Sugar, The Colin Trio
Pinball, West Valley Shakers
Faded Tattoo, Silver Lake 66

Summertime Podcast Picks

Fernando Viciconte’s new album, “Traitors Table,” is an incendiary masterwork. Seriously.

Leave it to Fernando Viciconte to sum it up so succinctly. The Portland-based singer-songwriter has a long history of penning poignant songs that get right to the heart of the matter, and he’s done it again on the opening track from his new record, Traitors Table, out now on Fluff & Gravy Records.

“Division Lines” turns the mirror on America, where the lost arts of diplomacy, compromise and consensus have been replaced by obstruction, partisanship and name-calling. It’s a perfect state-of-the-union address to kick of our Summertime Podcast Picks, a collection of tunes to get you rolling into the summer festival and road-tripping season.

This batch of picks features lots of cool new music from a bunch of our modern alt-country favorites, including Paul Cauthen, Sturgill Simpson, Chuck Mead, Mike & the Moonpies and Buddy & Julie Miller. But a handful of the tunes sprinkled in — including songs by Lukas Nelson & The Promise of the Real and Will Hoge — touch on the dark political climate that hangs like a cloud over our increasingly less civil society. Some are hopeful, some are sad, some are satire, and all are meant to make you think about how far off-course we’ve run as a nation.

But because it’s summertime, these picks also are designed to put you in the mood to rock. Rising Texas song-slingers Whiskey Myers set the tone with their swaggering new tune “Die Rockin’,” sure to have hips swaying and heads banging in Portland this coming Saturday night when they headline a show with Brent Cobb at Roseland Theater.

Also pointing toward the weekend, we share a couple of tunes by The Stubborn Lovers and country chanteuse Carson McHone, who share the bill Friday night at Alberta Street Pub in Portland. McHone also will join a killer lineup over the weekend at the Jackalope Jamboree in Pendleton in Eastern Oregon on Saturday.

The picks also get a little funky here and folksy there, and in the spirit of the baseball season, we try to touch ’em all. “Junk Town” by Ian Noe shows you why he’s the talk of the folk circuit heading into summer — he’s blowing up thanks to the recent release of his full length LP Between The Country.

Like a loaded gun, R&B in the wrong hands can be a dangerous weapon. But Rich Layton and his band Tough Town have things locked up tight and nailed down on their new album, Salvation Road, out now via Never Lucky Recording Co. It’s a cool rockin’ collection of 11 songs delivered with confidence, clarity, and cleverness from a man who has mastered his craft through years of writing and performing, as demonstrated on the album’s opening track, “Live To Rock.”

We also share some of the best of the year so far, including songs by Caroline Spence (leave a spot on your ‘best of ’19 list’ for her latest record), Nashville’s Charlie Marie and a new song from Jason Hawk Harris, out now on Bloodshot Records.

And we wrap things up with a nod to songwriter Dave Bartholomew, the longtime Fats Domino collaborator who passed away last weekend at the age of 100.

But before we go, we turn your attention to our friend, podcast partner and team photographer Anne Marie Barrett. Her song “Coffee,” a poignant look at racial injustice in America, is available here for download, with all proceeds going to the Portland Freedom Fund, a local nonprofit that shines a light on “the injustices of the cash bail system that preys on the poor and people of color.” Great song, Anne! And a great notion. You make us proud!

So dial ’em up! Here’s the playlist for our Summertime Podcast Picks:

Division Lines, Fernando Viciconte
Cocaine Country Dancing, Paul Cauthen
Die Rockin’, Whiskey Myers
The Dead Don’t Die, Sturgill Simpson
What You Don’t Know, Caroline Spence
Turn Off The News (And Build A Garden), Lukas Nelson & The Promise of the Real
My Favorite Picture of You, Willie Nelson
Junk Town, Ian Noe
Nikki’s a Republican Now, Will Hoge
Whiskey Sisters, The Stubborn Lovers
Maybe They’re Just Really Good Friends, Carson McHone
Cussin’ At The Light, Jason Hawk Harris
You Look Good In Neon, Mike & The Moonpies
Rhinestones, Charlie Marie
Live To Rock, Rich Layton & Tough Town
Daddy Worked The Pole, Chuck Mead
Blue-Eyed Wanderer, Matt Woods
The Wheels of Laredo, Tanya Tucker
Break Down on 20th Ave. South, Buddy & Julie Miller
Ain’t That A Shame, Fats Domino
Coffee, Anne Marie Barrett

Episode #93 featuring Redray Frazier

Redray Frazier stopped by Landmark Saloon to share his heart, rock and soul for Episode #93 of That Much Further West Podcast. Photo by Anne Marie for Local Hero Media

Redray Frazier is one of those musical artists whose whole vibe just seems to make everything alright. Whether he’s performing with his full band or presenting in a stripped down format with a couple of acoustic guitars, he captures you with his presence, his voice and an overall easy cool that makes you want to give in and let his music take you where it will.

That’s why we were thrilled when Redray made time to join us for Episode #93 of That Much Further West Podcast, recorded live at Landmark Saloon in Portland, OR, USA. Redray shares stories of his musical upbringing, his experiences on the road and the journey that brought him from the right to left coast, finally settling in Portland.

Redray Frazier and Matt Brown lay it down during the recording of Episode #93 of That Much Further West Podcast. Photo by Anne Marie for Local Hero Media

With his bandmate Matt “M Bomb” Brown riding shotgun, he also performs a handful of his original songs to the delight of a friendly crowd. Having recently recovered from throat surgery, the talented and humble Mr. Frazier is in fine form here, displaying the soulful voice and natural instinct for song craft that have made him a favorite of music fans not just in Portland but up and down the west coast and around the country.

Local fans can catch Redray all summer long at any of his multiple local residencies, and also look for him as a featured artist at Wanderfest, a festival featuring some of Portland’s best musical talent set for June 28 and 29 at the Dundee Lodge in Gaston, OR (check for tickets and more festival information here).

In the meantime, catch up with all he’s been up to by listening to this latest episode and enjoy the music. Here’s the playlist.

Love Changes, Redray Frazier
Alone (Live at Landmark), Redray Frazier with Matt Brown
If You Let Me, (Live at Landmark), Redray Frazier with Matt Brown
Wouldn’t It Have Been (Live at Landmark), Redray Frazier with Matt Brown
Like Rain, Redray Frazier

May Podcast Picks

Taylor Kingman is back in the spotlight fronting TK & The Holy Know-Nothings. Photo by Anne Marie for Local Hero Media.
TK & The Holy Know-Nothings (l to r): Sydney Nash, Jay Cobb Anderson, Taylor Kingman, Lewi Longmire and Tyler Thompson.

We’re here to help you finish the month of May on a hot streak, and we get things started with a dose of heat from TK & The Holy Know-Nothings, Portland’s scruffy new Americana outfit led by former Hill Dogs frontman Taylor Kingman.

The band just completed a short tour of the western states promoting the release of their debut, “Arguably OK,” out now via Mama Bird Record Co. Looking forward to big things from this talented bunch, which includes Jay Cobb Anderson of Fruition on guitar and Portland’s Mr. Indie Everything Lewi Longmire on bass.

We also share songs from two of Portland’s other shining stars of the moment, Kassi Valazza and Anna Tivel. Anna’s latest record, “The Question,” just out this spring on Fluff & Gravy Records, is garnering high praise nationally and around the globe as her popularity continues to skyrocket. And Valazza is quickly becoming a favorite of the podcast — we’re hoping to have her on as a guest for an upcoming episode soon.

This month’s Podcast Picks also include a number of tunes from fresh-out-of-the-oven releases, including awesome stuff from the new Jason Isbell-produced record by Josh Ritter, the first cut from the major label debut of Tyler Childers, another from Chris Shiflett’s upcoming Nashville-recorded release, and a killer tune from the awesome new album by The Quaker City Night Hawks.

Also included is a song from the new record by Kelly Willis, who will be in Portland for a show on June 7 at White Eagle Saloon, and a number from Shane Smith & The Saints’ new album, due to hit the streets in late June.

And to wrap things up, we toss a musical thank you nod to our friend Forrest VanTuyl of An American Forrest, who took time out to meet with us for the podcast special we published last week. Forrest reminded us of the greatness of Ian Tyson, who he regularly covers in his set, and also turned us on to the music of his wife, Margo Cilker. We, in turn, hope to tip you to Margo’s excellent music.

So enjoy! Here’s the list of our May Podcast Picks:

Desert Rose, TK & The Holy Know-Nothings
A Fine Colour, Kassi Valazza
Old Black Magic, Josh Ritter
House Fire, Tyler Childers
Shadow Of A Son, Anna Tivel
Let Me Down Easy If You Can (feat. Amanda Shires), Blackberry Smoke
Heaven Knows, Shane Smith & The Saints
Feral Roots, Rival Sons
El Camino, Elizabeth Cook
Hagler, Hillstomp
Gap Tooth Girl, David Quinn
To You, Matt Carson
Afternoon’s Gone Blind, Kelly Willis
Welcome To Your First Heartache, Chris Shiflett
Fox In The Henhouse, The Quaker City Night Hawks
Letter To Madeline, Ian Noe
M.C. Horses, Ian Tyson
Your Love Is My Rest, Margo Cilker

TMFWP Special: An American Forrest

Forest Van Tuyl in his natural habitat — the mountains of Eastern Oregon. Photo by Ben Herndon

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

April Podcast Picks

Maria Francis and Jeff Overbo lead Silver Lake 66, who have followed up their strong debut with a stellar new album “Ragged Heart.”

Summer Festival Fever is starting to settle in here at That Much Further West Podcast, but Spring has delivered plenty of excellent new albums and live performances on the podcast calendar.

With an eye toward July’s Wildwood MusicFest & Campout, we kick off our April Podcast Picks with a tune from the excellent new album “Ragged Heart” by Silver Lake 66. They’ll be at Wildwood this year, but beforehand, they’ll be celebrating the release of the new record with a performance May 4 at The Secret Society in Portland — a can’t-miss show for our crew.

And speaking of can’t-miss shows, our team caught up with a number of bands as they performed in Portland last week, including Ruby Boots, Jenny Don’t & The Spurs and M. Lockwood Porter, whose new album “Communion In The Ashes” is received widespread critical acclaim since its release a few weeks back. We share tunes from all three outfits here, along with new stuff from The Cactus Blossoms (Doug Fir, May 1), The Long Ryders, Shoves & Rope, Terri Lynn Davis, W.C. Beck, Kassi Valazza, Molly Tuttle and Drivin’ N’ Cryin’.

You’ll also hear tunes from Vandoliers and Cory Branan, who share a bill at White Eagle Saloon in Portland on April 30, and a killer new track from An American Forrest, whose new record is due soon and was recorded right here in Portland by local treasure Mike Coykendall.

So dig into our April Podcast Picks and give it a spin, and be sure check our Live Music Portland calendar for opportunities to support live music in our community.

Here’s the playlist:

Faded Tattoo, Silver Lake 66
Please Don’t Call Me Crazy, The Cactus Blossoms
Wrap Me In A Fever, Ruby Boots
Ruby, Strand of Oaks
California State Line, The Long Ryders
Waiting For A Sign, M. Lockwood Porter
My Only Desire, Jenny Don’t & The Spurs
Greetings From Mardi Gras, The Harmed Brothers
Ain’t Been Tamed Yet, An American Forrest
Rainbows And Ridges, Blaze Foley
Car Wheels On A Gravel Road, Lucinda Williams
Blue Eyed Wanderer, Matt Woods & The Natural Disasters
Times Past, Terri Lynn Davis
Bottom Dollar Boy, Vandoliers
Blacksburg, Cory Branan
Chino, Kassi Valazza
Highway 46, Tom Russell
You Don’t Look So Good (Cocaine), Caroline Spence
The Wire, Shovels & Rope
The Long Way Home, W.C. Beck
Take The Journey, Molly Tuttle
Step By Step, Drivin N Cryin

TMFW Podcast Special: Catching up with Morgan Geer of Drunken Prayer

Asheville, N.C.’s Morgan Geer is back with what critics are calling maybe his finest work yet with Drunken Prayer: “Cordelia Elsewhere” is set for release Friday, April 5.

A couple years back — around the time he was about to embark on tour as lead guitarist for alt-country icons Freakwater — Morgan Geer debuted an original song that’s been haunting us here at That Much Further West Podcast ever since.

“Cordelia” has a melody and chorus so catchy it’ll stick in your head like a piece of gum might to your shoe. But it was the fact that Geer — the man behind one of our favorite bands, Drunken Prayer — had recently moved from Portland to the greener pastures of Asheville, N.C. that really made the song hit home.

It’s all come full circle since. Geer recently visited Portland and played a series of shows ahead of the release of his brand-new record with Drunken Prayer, titled Cordelia Elsewhere, due out this Friday on Deer Lodge Records. We caught up with Morgan to talk about the nice response the new record is receiving and our continuing fascination with the title cut.

“Cordelia” is a song about the “scooping out of the middle class,” as Geer puts it, a state of affairs that has become all too common in trendy towns where gentrification is driving up prices on everything from rent to food to real estate.

Geer also talks about how the current state of American politics creeped in as an overarching theme for the new record. He speaks to how divided the nation has become, and about how so many Americans are trapped in costly living situations they can’t get out of.

As for the record, American Standard Time put it this way: “Beware Cordelia Elsewhere. Here Drunken Prayer is exploring pathos with a variety of American sounds. Whistling past the graveyard with garage rock, country, soul, and a power pop vibe that buoys listeners in its murk. Here is the best thing Drunken Prayer has ever done. Emotional work songs for dark days. Songs to sing along to as you dig your own grave.”

In our interview, Geer also shares his plans for the rest of the year, which include a summer trip back to the west coast for a series of shows, including an appearance at this year’s Wildwood MusicFest & Campout in July.

And all along the way we play new cuts from the record. So kick back and have a listen and learn more about what makes this killer singer-songwriter tick and why you won’t want to miss his next performance when he visits a town near you soon.

Enjoy! Here’s a playlist of songs included:

Into The Water
It Happens All The Time
Cordelia
Science
Rubble & Dust

Review of Deserted by Mekons

Deserted by Mekons (2019, Bloodshot Records)

By Mike Lee
That Much Further West Podcast

The desert is bereft of forgiveness for those who choose to inhabit the shifting land. I don’t speak of those residing in concrete and glistening glass, monolith cities who survive on borrowed hydration and whirring A/C units. No, I am talking about the desert rat. The sidewinder who shifts through the land leaving little trace of existence.

These vagabonds have no archetype. They are devoid of country or nationality and these travelers stand hard with an edge against the wind and sand. They move underground, live in the shadows and embrace the freedom of the chilled night air in the deserted corners of our earth.

The life in the desert makes people adapt to survive, to grow and to learn. “Deserted,” a collection of nine songs by the Mekons is a great capsule of desert life. A genre-bending sonic excursion led by well-seasoned guides who can transform their musical experience into a Saguaro cactus blossom or a scorpion sting. 

Episode #92 featuring Matty Charles

Matty Charles, proud new papa, outside Landmark Saloon ahead of Episode #92 of That Much Further West Podcast. Photo by Anne Marie for Local Hero Media.

Late last year, singer-guitarist-songwriter Matty Charles pulled off an impressive double. Around the same time he and his life and musical partner Katie Rose welcomed a newborn son into the world, Matty introduced a new band, The Jackson County Kills, to the musical community here in Portland, OR, USA.

And while his life has been mostly domestic in the meantime, the talented Mr. Charles has been squeezing in occasional gigs with the JCK and creating quite a buzz. The band’s danceable country rock has arrived on the scene like a breath of fresh air at the same time the venerable Landmark Saloon has returned regularly scheduled music to its tiny stage.

That’s exactly where our team gathered last week to record Episode #92 of That Much Further West Podcast, when Matty signed on as our special guest to help us get caught up on all he has going on.

Matty Charles sharing the goodness at Landmark Saloon for Episode #92 of That Much Further West Podcast. Photo by Anne Marie for Local Hero Media.

We learned of a 7-inch single in the works and a regular “Whiskey Wednesday” slot for The Jackson County Kills that may include an occasional cameo from new mama Katie. We also learned about Matty’s musical upbringing here in Portland and the subsequent travels that carried him from New York City to Santa Fe and San Francisco to finally resettling in his hometown.

He also shared wonderful stripped down performances of some of the songs that have made him a stalwart in our local folk and country scene. And we managed to squeeze in a few recorded songs, one from his solo album “Back At Your Door” and a pair from the stunning Matty Charles & Katie Rose record “Catching Arrows.”

So settle in for a fun ride — just press play! Here’s the playlist:

Caution, Matty Charles
Love’s Lost Quarter (Live at Landmark), Matty Charles
I Belong To Heaven (Live at Landmark), Matty Charles
What I Want, Matty Charles & Katie Rose
Glorieta (Live at Landmark), Matty Charles
Hey, Pretty Birds, Matty Charles & Katie Rose

Matty Charles fronts The Jackson County Kills at Strum Guitars in Portland, with Kevin Major on drums and Bryan Byrnes on guitar.