Category Archives: Podcast

Episode #26 — Dolly & Friends

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Dolly Parton, the chart-topping queen of country music

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This week we give a quick but well-deserved nod to Dolly Parton, who topped the Billboard Country charts last week with the debut of her new album, Blue Smoke. At 68 years young, the incomparable Ms. Parton remains a vital artist and performer who still packs a wallop. We share her great new song “Home” in this week’s playlist.

Our hosts Eric, Mike and Phil had a great time getting together in The Helm in North Portland, drinking whiskey and rye and sharing tales of life in the Rose City. You’ll hear about the “Dark Elf,” a local character who leaped on the hood of a stranger’s stopped BMW and attacked it with a bamboo spear in broad daylight. Once tackled, subdued and hospitalized in a psych ward, the Elf stated his desire to slay the dragon (and no, that’s not a euphemism, at least not in this case).

Then there’s the story about Eric and his friends getting kicked out of a gluten-free brewery for wearing pretzels around their necks. Ah, life in Portland. It really can be like an episode of Portlandia, or a Red Fang video.

An even better part of life in Portland is the thriving live music scene we enjoy, and listeners will hear a lot about upcoming shows on this episode. May be a good idea to have your calendars out while listening — you almost need a scorecard to keep up with all the great shows coming our way.

In the end, it’s about the music and this week’s playlist is a doozy. You’ll hear great stuff from Tim Barry, Lydia Loveless, Possessed By Paul James, Sturgill Simpson and of course, Dolly. So have it and, as host Mike Lee would say, “Enjoy.”

Dog Bumped (Live), Tim Barry
Bleeding Blue, The Swearengens
Verlaine Shot Rimbaud, Lydia Loveless
Hurricane, Possessed By Paul James
Stockholm, Jason Isbell
Home, Dolly Parton
Think To Much, Root Jack
Nobody Gives A Damn About Songs Anymore, John Moreland
Voices, Sturgill Simpson
Good For You, Truckstop Darlin’
I Was Cruel, Caitlin Rose
Faithless Street, Whiskeytown
Our Hope, Ole Tinder
Another Bender Might Break Me, Hellbound Glory
We Are All Alone In This Together, Graham Lindsey
No Lonesome Tune, Townes Van Zandt

TMFWP Special: Catching Up With Matt Woods

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The indomitable Matt Woods

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“Don’t pick up that guitar, boy. It’ll only steer you wrong.” Words of wisdom in a letter from Brushy Mountain State Prison, a notorious little slice of hell in Tennessee that serves as ground zero for With Love From Brushy Mountain, the fantastic new album by singer-songwriter Matt Woods.

We’re thankful Matt didn’t heed such advice, but instead chose to grab his guitar, hit the road and share his terrific songs of love, longing, liquor and lies with an ever-growing audience of believers. As he sings on one of Brushy’s standout tracks, “It ain’t no living, it’s my life.”

Matt’s travels brought him through the Pacific Northwest in recent weeks, and our podcast hosts Mike Lee and Phil Favorite caught up with him and drummer Larry Fulford for a Monday night show at Dante’s in Portland. It was truly Matt Woods at his best. His burly, emotional vocal stylings and impressive acoustic guitar work combined with Fulford’s tasteful and booming rhythms for a unforgettably powerful performance.

After the show, the lads gathered for an interview where Matt talks about the anticipation that’s been building for the release of the new record, especially in light of the buzz created by the album’s advance single, “Deadman’s Blues.”

“Deadman’s Blues” was released last fall and, among other accolades, earned 2013 Song of The Year honors by the respected genre-watch blog Saving Country Music. Now it sits at the center of an 11-song LP that more than delivers on the promise of “Deadman’s” and is garnering universal praise as one of the year’s best records so far.

With the album release, Matt and Larry are streaking across the country with shows scheduled right through June. You can see the tour dates at Matt’s website, and while you’re there, order a copy of With Love From Brushy Mountain. You’ll be glad you did.

In the meantime, enjoy this podcast featuring a handful of tracks from the new record, a couple of rough live cuts from the Dante’s show and some select bits from Mike and Phil’s conversation with Matt and Larry.

Here’s the playlist:

With Love From Brush Mountain
Company Town (Live at Dante’s 5-12-14)
Interview, Part 1
Deadman’s Blues
Interview, Part 2
Ain’t No Living
Port St. Lucie (Live at Dante’s 5-12-14)
Interview, Part 3
Real Hard Times
Interview, Part 4
Lucero Song
Liberty Bell

Episode #25 featuring Ron Rogers

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Ron Rogers and Deborah Giles, rendered in oils?

Episode #25 featuring Ron Rogers

We kick off this week’s podcast with an interview with a local treasure, the great singer/songwriter/guitarist Ron Rogers. Ron and his lovely bride Deborah Giles stopped by The Helm to give us an interview and play a few tunes from Ron’s impressive catalog.

Ron is the leader of one of Portland’s finest Americana bands, The Wailing Wind, who lay down some of the most consistently gooey grooves in town. Ron’s also a terrific storyteller, and during the interview he tells how his upbringing in Texas influenced his writing, and how his years working in the music business in Los Angeles helped frame his experience playing in the Portland music scene. He also talks about the concept behind the television show he’s developing featuring some of Portland’s best musicians.

He wrapped things up by grabbing an acoustic guitar and teaming with Deborah on a couple of a very nice original tunes, showing off the excellent wordplay that is a hallmark of his songwriting. Great stuff!

Ron and Deborah stuck around The Helm for a bit after the interview as our hosts took us through another awesome playlist of great tunes, including new music from Matt Woods, Sturgill Simpson and Old 97’s, and a batch of songs from bands on the Farmageddon Records roster.

So kick back, relax and enjoy. Here’s the playlist:

Alabama Chrome, Ron Rogers and the Wailing Wind
Interview with Ron Rogers
Hang Tough live in The Helm, Ron Rogers & Deborah Giles
Slave Boy live in The Helm, Ron Rogers & Deborah Giles
Oregon Girl, Michael Dean Damron
Selfish Man, Highlonesome
Up On Blocks, 44 Long
Fall Down Easy, Uncle Tupelo
Pitchfork, My Graveyard Jaw
Wolves (Live), American Aquarium
Wichita Skyline, Drag The River
Illinois, Jonathan Warren and the Billy Goats
Drinking To Forget, Matt Woods
One Of Them Days, Jake Ray
Life Of Sin, Sturgill Simpson
North, S.S. Web
Nashville, Old 97’s
Thistle-N-Thorns, The Hangdog Hearts
Friends in Bottles, The Takers

Episode #23 — Go Blazers!

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Episode #23 — Go Blazers!

NBA playoff fever has swept through our hometown of Portland, OR, USA, aka Rip City, where our Trail Blazers have grabbed a 3-1 first-round lead over the Houston Rockets. During the latest taping in The Helm, the podcast lads were monitoring the scoreboard while putting together Episode #23, dubbed by co-host Mike as “The Michael Jordan Episode.”

Well, since Michael is sort of a four-letter word in these parts (the Blazers famously passed on His Airness in the 1984 draft in favor of the infamous, injury-riddled and sadly cursed Sam Bowie), we managed to spin the topic away from the Bulls famous #23 and to the excitement swirling here in the City of Roses.

It’s not just the playoffs that have the gang kinda giddy this week. Around the time of the taping, word had just broke that Mike had booked a summer house concert for Possessed By Paul James here in Portland. Warning: The PPJ show date quoted here on the podcast has changed, but if you follow us at Facebook, it won’t be hard to track in the weeks ahead.

Mike also shares a few stories from behind the scenes of his rock and roll past, including the birth of the Gothic Americana scene in Denver, a cool one about Chuck Ragan’s boots, and another about George Clinton, smoking crack and stealing cars. We also get a tip on a cool bar in North Portland and a Scotch-tasting lesson from Eric, and a nose-clearing lesson from Phil.

More importantly we’ve got some great music to share, including new stuff from Left Lane Cruiser, Cutbank and Matt Woods as well as classics from Lucero, The Handsome Family and The Highwaymen.

So let’s tip it off, shall we? Here’s this week’s playlist:

Losing Days, Frank Turner
Slingshot, Left Lane Cruiser
You Make My Heart Beat Too Fast, Buddy & Julie Miller
The Mountain, Lucero
Can’t Be Satisfied, Hillstomp
Hold Back The Water, Cutbank
Bones, Willy Tea Taylor
Used To The Truth, The Hooten Hallers
Scarlet Town, Gillian Welch
Shoulda Known Better, Possessed By Paul James
Dead Man’s Blues, Matt Woods
When That Helicopter Comes, The Handsome Family
I Want My Mojo Back, Scott H. Biram
Disarray, The Ghostwriter
The Last Cowboy Song, The Highwaymen

 

Episode #22 — Remembering Levon Helm (1940-2012)

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Levon Helm

Episode #22 — Remembering Levon

The second anniversary of Levon Helm’s death gave us a chance to pay tribute to the great man, and also to do it from our home base, The Helm. So we did just that for Episode #22, which features a block of favorites from Levon and The Band.

The boys managed to tape this week’s show while Eric was on baby patrol. Thankfully his daughter Ruby is a great sleeper — she snoozed right through the show so the crew could bring together their usual shenanigans uninterrupted. This trial run went so well, it could be the precedent for future shows from The Helm.

This time around, we kept it pretty brief, but we also have a new music from Hillstomp and Sturgill Simpson and a block of other goodies for you to enjoy, so just press play. Here’s this week’s songlist:

Santa Fe Line, Hillstomp
Gone, Gone, Gone, Nikki Lane
Turtles All The Way Down, Sturgill Simpson
Rattlesnake, American Aquarium
Reno, Denver
The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down, The Band
Poor Old Dirt Farmer, Levon Helm
Anna Lee, Levon Helm
When I Paint My Masterpiece, The Band
The Weight, The Band
Meanest Jukebox In Town, Whitey Morgan & The 78s
American Charm, Hip Hatchet
Whip-Poor-Will, Magnolia Electric Company
It Could Happen To You, Blue Rodeo
Here’s Looking At You, Kid, The Gaslight Anthem

Episode #21 Greetings from Portland, Oregon, U.S.A

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Episode #21 Greetings From Portland

Let’s start this post with a note of thanks to all of you who have been listening to the podcast and visiting our Facebook page. Last week we saw an enormous increase in podcast-related traffic and we’re super grateful to all of you for staying with us through the trials and tribulations of pulling together 20 episodes in the new incarnation of the show. Thank you!

This week’s podcast is an “all music” show delivered with the help of many of the musical acts we’ve featured through the first 20 episodes: the legends of country, the pioneers or alt-country, the current standard bearers of Americana and a bunch of fantastic artists from the Pacific Northwest and specifically right here in beautiful Portland, Oregon, U.S.A.

We’re deeply indebted to the friends who have helped us since the launch of the podcast last fall, especially the talented musical folks who have given their time to perform or be interviewed (or both) for the show. Several — such as Sarah Gwen, Freddy Trujillo, Joel Roth of the Low Bones and Miller & Sasser — are featured on this week’s podcast, which includes lots of “tags” from said folks and also contains the world’s shortest interview.

The sun is shining today in beautiful Portland, and we think we have your perfect soundtrack for the day. So let’s get to it. Here’s the playlist for Episode #21.

Newspaper, The Resolectrics
Cooke City, The Lonesomes
Wild American Runners, Arliss Nancy
Suicide Sal, Karen Jonas
What Is Truth, Johnny Cash
Bluegrass State, Truckstop Darlin’
Bye Bye Baby, Miller & Sasser
Arianne, The V-Roys
Border Radio, Kelly Willis & Bruce Robison
The Race Is On, George Jones
I Was Country When Country Wasn’t Cool (with George Jones), Barbara Mandrell
Keep Your Promises, Matthew Lindley
90 Miles (The Tennessee Song), The Honeycutters
Sister Sinead, Kris Kristofferson
The Old Black Hen, Songs: Ohia
We’ll Sweep Out The Ashes In The Morning, Gram Parsons
If You Come Around Here, The Swearengens
Loaded, North Twin
Something May Catch Fire, Chuck Ragan
Tom 33, The Low Bones
Woods, Sarah Gwen
Assimilation Blues, Trujillo
Winter Bloom, Celilo
This Land Is Your Land, Tim Barry
A Good Day To Be A Husband, I Can Lick Any Sonofabitch In The House
Christ For President, Billy Bragg & Wilco
Too Lazy To Work, Too Nervous To Steal, BR5-49
Another Place Another Time, Jerry Lee Lewis
Bartender Blues, Countryside Ride

 

Episode #20 featuring Miller & Sasser

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Chris Miller (left) and James Sasser

Episode #20 Miller & Sasser

We invited the A-team into The Helm for our latest episode, and boy oh boy did they ever deliver.

First up was our pal Kip from Secret Aardvark Trading Company, who arrived for the start of the show with a hankerin’ thirst and a re-up of habanero sauce, the gift we share with our musical guests. As Eric says early in the show, Kip is family and it sure was a blast having him as an audience of one for this week’s show. Not only is he great company, but he shares a cool story about how he met the great country singer Emily Herring and came to play in her band, providing a terrific intro for her song “Your Mistake.”

Things just kept getting better with the arrival of Chris Miller and James Sasser, the dynamite local country duo who stopped by for an interview and live performance. Miller & Sasser came straight from their weekly happy hour gig at The Landmark Saloon here in Portland and shared some stories from their recent travels to California and Texas, as well as some history of how they met and how our own Mike Lee played an integral role in launching their partnership.

These fellas a first-rate gentlemen and performers, and one listen to their original song “Step By Step” will give you a good idea of just how good these guys are. When it comes to country singers in Portland, it just doesn’t get any better than James Sasser. And for guitar pickers, Chris Miller’s track record speaks for itself. He’s been playing for years as a sideman with some of the bigger names in alt-country (most notably with Dave Alvin) and is a member of the Oregon Music Hall of Fame. We feel super blessed to have these fine gents in The Helm and are pleased as all get out to share this special interview and performance.

Episode #20 also features some fine music from more of our favorites, including Neko Case, John Moreland, local boys Riviera and the red-hot Lydia Loveless. We also have a fantastic Trio Bravo from super listener Will Ginsler, who’s been one of the podcast’s top advocates. Thanks, Will, for the great support and also for the kick-ass three-song collection you selected.

Lots to chew on this week, so let’s get started, shall we? Here’s the playlist for Episode #20.

Stars & Gutters, Two Cow Garage
Shit Shots Count, Drive-By Truckers
Tennessee, Johnny Cash
All My Friends Are Crazy, 500 Miles To Memphis
Things That Scare Me, Neko Case
Break My Heart Sweetly, John Moreland
Hurricane, Possessed By Paul James
Trio Bravo by Will Ginsler
Satan And St. Paul, John Fulbright
For The Turnstiles, Neil Young
Cocaine and Ashes, Son Volt
Your Mistake, Emily Herring
Honky Tonkers Don’t Cry, Dale Watson
Interview with Miller & Sasser
Step By Step (Live In The Helm), Miller & Sasser
Tell It To The Jukebox (Live In The Helm), Miller & Sasser
When You’re Smiling (The Whole World Smiles With You) (Live In The Helm), Miller & Sasser
Cavalier, Shovels & Rope
Little Ways, Dwight Yoakam
Hopeless, Riviera
I Hope He Breaks Your Heart, American Aquarium
Let’s Just Be Friends For Tonight, Zoe Muth and the Lost High Rollers
The Very Best, The Harmed Brothers
The Very Best, The Good Luck Thrift Store Outfit
Cigarettes & Truckstops, Lindi Ortega
Kit Kat Clock, Bottle Rockets
Head, Lydia Loveless
Bar Lights, Root Jack

Episode #19 featuring The Evangenitals

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Juli Crockett Feldman (left) and Lisa Dee of The Evangenitals. Photo by Chad Lanning. Cupcakes by Dina.

Episode #19 with Evangenitals

We survived another music-filled weekend here in Portland and are back to take you along for another podcast joyride, this week featuring Los Angeles band The Evangenitals, who rolled through Oregon on tour supporting their new record, Moby Dick (or The Album).

The band played a fantastic set headlining our That Much Further West Podcast showcase last week, and afterwards podcast host Mike Lee caught up with singers Juli Crockett Feldman and Lisa Dee for the interview. The ladies talk about their philosophy for surviving the rigors of the road, capturing new fans and what it means to be “making it” in the music business. Juli and Lisa proved as lovely and articulate as they are fun and talented, and we’re grateful they took time to speak with Mike about their music and the new record.

The Evangenitals show launched a wild weekend of rock and roll that had our fearless hosts running all over town to see some of our favorite bands. Philly grabbed the baton on Friday night and did some serious gig-hopping, catching a number of acts including Matthew Lindley at Beaterville Cafe and the CD release show by Spirit Lake at Mississippi Studios. Eric dropped in for the second of Hillstomp’s epic two-night stand at Doug Fir that included a set by local faves Root Jack.

This week’s playlist reflects a lot of what the guys witnessed this weekend and includes songs by Lindley, a brand-new tune from Hillstomp, a little bit of Root Jack and a bunch of stuff from some of our favorites, including a new song from Chuck Ragan. Also, we’d be remiss if we didn’t send a shout out to our Hoot sister from Copper & Coal, Carra Stasney, who gave birth last week to her first child, a boy named Dean Michael. Congrats Carra, and thanks for all your great music!

Here’s this week’s playlist. Enjoy the show.

Left To Right, Matthew Lindley
Don’t Come Down, Hillstomp
Non Typical, Chuck Ragan
Small Town Heart, Austin Lucas
Cardboard Hearts, Dexateens
Darken My Door, Cory Brannan
Kentucky Blue, Copper & Coal
Moby Dick, The Evangenitals
Interview with Juli and Lisa from The Evangenitals
Quee Queg, The Evangenitals
The Rent, Root Jack
Broke Down South Of Dallas, Junior Brown
Over Before It Started, The Baseboard Heaters
Southbound, Railbenders
Jesus Christ, Slim Cessna’s Auto Club
I Lie When I Drink, Dale Watson
It Ain’t Easy Being Me, Chris Knight
I Am Your Man, The Ganges River Band
Kiss The Bottle, Lucero
Gates Of Victory, McDougall

Episode #18 featuring Spirit Lake

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Spirit Lake (l to r): Ray, Justin, Adam, Scotty and Travis.

Episode #18 with Spirit Lake

Big thanks to Scotty, Travis and Justin from Spirit Lake, who visited our crew in The Helm for an interview and to share some tunes from their new CD, The Biggening. The record — a big, big dose of rock — comes out this week, and to celebrate, Spirit Lake is hosting a CD release show this Friday night at Mississippi Studios in Portland.

The guys talked about Spirit Lake’s expanded lineup and how it’s reflected on the new CD, a follow up to their debut of two years ago, Uncle Walker’s Amber Restorative. Things go from blue to raunchy pretty quickly in this episode, but a lot of laughs are shared. Travis and Justin’s “Walken Off” was definitely a first for the show and one of the many highlights of this week’s episode.

Once back in control of the microphones, Mike, Eric and Phil ride it out with some pretty groovy tunes and fun banter, including a not-so-flattering assessment of Sheryl Crow and her body of work. There’s also new music from Drive-By Truckers, classics from Whiskeytown and Richmond Fontaine and a loving tribute to country flag-waver Toby Keith by the one and only Michael Dean Damron.

Thank you for dialing it in. We hope you enjoy the show. Here’s this week’s playlist:

Nobody Gives A Damn About Songs Anymore, John Moreland
Bundle Of Joy, The Swearengens
The Other Side Of OK, Drag The River
Shit And Memories, Joshua Black Wilkins
To Love Somebody, Lydia Loveless
Streets Of Baltimore, Gram Parsons
When You’re Gone, Lucero
Interview with Scotty, Travis and Justin of Spirit Lake
The Biggening, Spirit Lake
Hellbent, Spirit Lake
I Want A Love, Spirit Lake
Santa Ana Winds, Spirit Lake
Questions (You Never Ask), Spirit Lake
Primer Coat, Drive-By Truckers
Something ‘Bout You, Frizzell & Friends
Blackbird, Matthew Dean Herman
$87 and a Guilty Conscience That Gets Worse The Longer I Go, Richmond Fontaine
Either Way We’re Fucked, Hellbound Glory
Bury Me On A Rainy Day, Otis Gibbs
Stay On The Ride, Patty Griffin
16 Days, Whiskeytown
Pickin’ Up The Signal, Son Volt
Church Of Level Track, Tim Barry
Toby Keith, Michael Dean Damron
Cover Me Up, Jason Isbell

 

Episode #17 Hijinx From The Helm

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The Man In Black, Johnny Cash

Episode #17 Hijinx From The Helm

Our fearless hosts celebrated Johnny Cash’s birthday last week by convening in The Helm for another taping of the podcast and a chance to share some great music with y’all. We laughed, we cried, we drank and in the end barely made it to the finish line. But we made it, and here it is in all its ragged glory.

Listen to the show and you’ll learn about Philly’s thrifting prowess, Mike’s ability to work 19-hour shifts without the benefit of caffeine or cocaine, and Eric’s love for live sing-alongs, especially with Possessed By Paul James. But wait, there’s more! . . . some political banter (“haters gonna hate”), a conversation about who was the best singer in The Band, and a tribute to the late, great comedian Harold Ramis.

The boys have been plotting for future episodes and getting ready for our March showcase featuring The Evangenitals at Alberta Street Pub in Portland on March 13. But this week, without an interview to share or a band to feature, our fearless hosts plowed forward with a playlist that includes honky-tonk heroes, kickass country up-and-comers, great friends and rock-and-rollers from across the alt-country landscape.

So kick back, dial it in and enjoy. Here’s the playlist:

Cocaine Blues, Johnny Cash
Never Comin’ Home, Scott H Biram
We Welcome You Home, Possessed By Paul James
Life Ain’t Fair And The World Is Mean, Sturgill Simpson
Ooh Las Vegas, Root Jack
When You See Me, The Harmed Brothers
Devastate, Amanda Shires
O, Jolene!, The Hooten Hallers
The Last One To Leave Seattle, Waylon Jennings
Love Is A Long Road, Del McCoury Band
The Weight, The Band
Rasputin & Me, Scotland Barr & The Slow Drags
Wanna Be Your Mama, The Damnations TX
Ten Mile Grace, The Weight
Drink ‘Til We’re Gone, Lucero
Two More Bottles Of Wine, Emmylou Harris
Righteous, Ragged Sons, Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires
Deadman’s Blues, Matt Woods
Little Drunk Fists, Slobberbone
St. Mary’s (Live), American Aquarium
Ain’t No Grave, Drunken Prayer