Tag Archives: Anna Tivel

50 Podcast Picks from 2019

Posted on by

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

Have we seen the last of the Turnpike Troubadours? Here’s hoping for a revival and return to form in 2020 for the Oklahoma Red Dirt legends.

Stream or download 50 Podcast Picks from 2019: 50 Podcast Picks from 2019

After a maddening period that saw at least half a dozen stop and starts (cancelled shows, shaky performances, etc.), the Turnpike Troubadours — the rising Oklahoma-based band which seemed destined for big things — finally suspended all group activity in 2019. Some members turned their focus to other projects, while mercurial frontman and main songwriter Evan Felker retreated underground, leaving many to speculate that his personal problems threw the group’s future into jeopardy.

But late in the year, a new single by Felker emerged from Austin, TX, USA, where veteran singer-songwriter and producer Bruce Robison pinned down Felker to perform a few tunes in the studio for his burgeoning Next Waltz multimedia project. The song and video (see below) for “Whiskey In Your Water,” with Carrie Rodriguez singing a dual vocal, shows Felker in fine form and hints at exactly why he is so beloved by fans of the Troubadours and why concern for his well-being remains at the forefront of their thoughts.

We decided to kickoff our 50 year-end podcast picks with the tune in hopes that we haven’t seen the last of Felker and possibly the Turnpike Troubadours as a unit. It’s one of the songs from artists who made a big impact on the ears of our podcast producers in 2019.

Along with a bunch of great new discoveries this year, our podcast picks are highlighted by several career-best moments by some of our favorites, including many from friends and folks who have been guests on our show in the past.

So give it a listen with an ear toward finding your next favorite Americana or Roots act. We bet herein lies the fix you’re looking for in 2020. Here’s the playlist:

Whiskey In Your Water, Evan Felker with Carrie Rodriguez and The Next Waltzers
What You Don’t Know, Caroline Spence
Cordelia, Drunken Prayer
Good at Bad News, Tylor & The Train Robbers
Cheap Silver, Mike and the Moonpies
The House That Built Me, Tanya Tucker
Hey, Heartbreaker, Matt Woods
Things Like This, I See Hawks In L.A.
Big Black Chain, The Jackson County Kills
56 Fury, Rodney Crowell
Walk Through Fire, Yola
Jesus & Elvis, Hayes Carll
All Your’n, Tyler Childers
Ian McLagan, Drivin’ N Cryin’
Downtown, The Cactus Blossoms
Doubt, Clara Baker
Cocaine Country Dancing, Paul Cauthen
Giving Up, Tim Barry
California State Line, The Long Ryders
Emmanuel, TK & The Holy Know-Nothings
Mississippi Nuthin’, Shovels & Rope
So Long To The Traveling Kind, Tom Vanden Avond
Strange Shadows, Aaron Lee Tasjan
Colorado, The Quaker City Night Hawks
Sam’s House, An American Forrest
That’s How I Feel, Dori Freeman
Kind Days, John Calvin Abney
Rolling Stone, Whiskey Myers
Letter To Madeline, Ian Noe
Division Lines, Fernando
Back Into This Church, Ron Rogers & The Wailing Wind
Ruby, Strand of Oaks
Right At Home, Daystar
Old Black Magic, Josh Ritter
The Imperial, The Delines
Hard Time With The Truth, Kendell Marvel
Wake Up Call, Rich Layton and Tough Town
Wildflowers & Wine, Marcus King
The Dream Is Dead, M. Lockwood Porter
Fenceline, Anna Tivel
Excuse Me, Charley Crockett
Blue Earth County, Silver Lake 66
Sad Songs, Kassi Valazza
East October, John Moreland
Just Trying To Love, The Lonesome Billies
Old Soul, The Highwomen
Where The Buffalo Roam, David Quinn
Beautiful and Kind, Ryan Bingham
Turn Off The News (Build A Garden) (Acoustic), Lukas Nelson and the Promise of the Real

May Podcast Picks

Posted on by

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

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

December Podcast Picks

Posted on by

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

Chris and Morgane Stapleton — a beautiful and formidable partnership.

Stream or download December Podcast Picks: December ’17 podcast picks

Howdy folks! We’re back! And so, for that matter, is Chris Stapleton, whose new album “From A Room, Volume 2” came out last Friday to the usual round of critical acclaim. We thought it appropriate to launch our December Podcast Picks with the song “Scarecrow In The Garden” because it shows off the beautifully matched voices of Chris and his secret weapon — his wife and musical partner Morgane Stapleton.

Whitney Rose’s new album, Rule 62, is creating a lot of buzz. She’ll be at Bunk Bar in Portland in February.

In fact, there’s an awful lot of wonderful singing on this collection of picks, which skews country in a major way. In the long while since we last put out a playlist, several of the artists included here have released great new records for you to discover and explore. And in the new year, several will be rolling into our town — Portland, Oregon, U.S.A. — and showing off their skills in the live setting.

So give it a spin, make some notes and support these acts when they come through your town. Here’s the playlist, enjoy:

Scarecrow In The Garden, Chris Stapleton
Wake Me In Wyoming, Whitney Rose
65 Days In L.A., Cody Jinks
A Little Pain, Margo Price
El Camino, Left Arm Tan
Highest Building, Anna Tivel
Mind Of Its Own, Miller & Sasser
Postcard, First Aid Kit
Thirteen Silver Dollars, Colter Wall
Troubled End, Jade Jackson
Oh, What A Bummer, Micah Schnabel
If I Could Make You My Own, Dori Freeman
Marfa Lights, Paul Cauthen
Fat And Famous, Ashley McBryde
Diggin’ Holes, Brent Cobb
Jackpot, Nikki Lane
Wannabe, Taylor Kingman
How Tall The Glass, Kristina Murray

June Podcast Picks

Posted on by

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

Band+4

The men of Western Centuries (l to r): Rusty Blake, Ethan Lawton, Cahalen Morrison, Jim Miller and Dan Lowinger

Stream or download June Podcast Picks:  June Podcast Picks

A new name and a new album — it seems like a risky proposition for a band that not only had the name cache of one of the truest young voices in country and folk music but also a super cool band name to begin with. But for the collaborative Pacific Northwest trad country band Western Centuries (formerly known as Cahalen Morrison & Country Hammer), it actually makes sense. One listen to Side A of “Weight Of The World,” the new album by Western Centuries, and you’ll realize right away that this is a band with a lot more than just the talented Mr. Morrison going for it.

Blessed with three great songwriters in Morrison, Ethan Lawton and Jim Miller (founding member of Donna The Buffalo), the band is rounded out by a pair of Portland-based aces: Rusty Blake on steel guitar and Dan Lowinger on bass. But it’s Morrison’s honey-baked voice at the center of the proceedings, which is why we selected the title cut for the top of this month’s Podcast Picks. You can stream the record in its entirely here. Highly recommended.

Speaking of new records, we picked cuts from wonderful new releases by North Carolina’s The Honeycutters, The Jayhawks, Austin Lucas, Anna Tivel (out now on Fluff & Gravy Records) and rockers Arliss Nancy. Also, a classic Richard Thompson cover from a dear friend, Florida-based Reina Collins, who will be in Portland this week for a happy hour show at Mississippi Pizza on Friday, June 10.

We recently discovered Texas-bred troubadour Brian Wright while he was playing lead guitar as part of Aaron Lee Tasjan’s touring band — turns out he has an amazing output of records himself. “Haunted” is from his 2013 release “Rattle Their Chains,” a world-class collection of Americana songwriting and performance. We also picked a song by The Tragically Hip, a nod to the bummer news that singer Gord Downey is suffering from terminal brain cancer; and also a classic from one of the giants of American music, the recently deceased Guy Clark.

Many, many great voices and songs to soothe you here, so have it! Download or stream our June Podcast Picks above.

Here’s the playlist:

Weight Of The World, Western Centuries
On The Ropes, The Honeycutters
Haunted, Brian Wright
Lost In The Summer, The Jayhawks
Too Much Too Soon, Bonnie Whitmore
Henhouse, Ray Wylie Hubbard
Boots Or Hearts, The Tragically Hip
Sometimes, Luke Bell
’52 Vincent Black Lightning, Reina Collins
Montana Love Song, Younder Blue
Midnight (featuring Kelly Smith), Austin Lucas
L.A. Freeway, Guy Clark
Shadow Of A Son, Anna Tivel
Bar Of The Century, Arliss Nancy
I Need Never Get Old, Nathaniel Rateliff
Leaving Louisiana, Shovels & Rope
End Of The Line, Hurray For The Riff Raff