February Podcast Picks

Caitlin Sherman has a new record, Death to the Damsel, coming out soon.

Stream or download February Podcast Picks: February ’20 Podcast Picks

Seattle’s Caitlin Sherman’s been on our radar for some time. We first picked up the signal when she sang backups on The Swearengens album Waiting On The Sunrise, and later found her at the center of things in the killer alt-country band Evening Bell. Gifted with a beautiful voice and a talent for songwriting and performing, she never fails to deliver the goods.

That’s why it’s no surprise her breakout new solo album, Death of a Damsel, has industry folks buzzing ahead of its release. We kick off this month’s Podcast Picks with “War For You,” a rollicking romp from the new record. Sherman is just one of a bevy of our favorites who are delivering new records in the coming months, and we preview a bunch of them in this month’s picks.

You’ll hear new stuff from a few of our longtime faves such as John Moreland, Caleb Caudle, Possessed By Paul James, Lucinda Williams and Reckless Kelly, and terrific songs from rising stars such as Whitney Rose, Sammy Brue, Aubrie Sellers, Kelsey Waldon and Marcus King.

There’s a bit of playfulness when Lilly Hiatt name drops our hometown of Portland, OR, USA, and the usual wit and wisdom from our favorite Canadian Cowboy, Corb Lund — both have highly anticipated records coming soon. And the serious business is well handled on cuts from three of the best records of last year offered by Sturgill Simpson, Tanya Tucker and Ian Noe.

So dig right in. It’s our Podcast Picks for February — here’s the playlist:

War For You, Caitlin Sherman
Rollin’ On, Jesse Daniel
P-Town, Lilly Hiatt
Remember To Breathe, Sturgill Simpson
Believe Me, Angela, Whitney Rose
Self-Hatred featuring Derek Trucks, Marcus King
Thoughts and Prayers, Drive-By Truckers
Hard Luck, Tanya Tucker
I Only See You With My Eyes Closes, Reckless Kelly
Crash Test Kid, Sammy Brue
Lucky Charm, Aubrie Sellers
Barbara’s Song, Ian Noe
You Can Have It, Kelsey Waldon
Without You, The Steel Woods
Pearl Snaps, Jason Boland and the Stragglers
In Times Between, John Moreland
Your White Stained Dress, Possessed By Paul James
Man Without A Soul, Lucinda Williams
90 Seconds of Your Time, Corb Lund
Better Hurry Up, Caleb Caudle

October Podcast Picks

Tim Barry is back with a new collection of great songs.

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

Tim Barry is no stranger to the music scene, having spent the last 30 years as lead singer of the seminal hard-core/punk band, Avail, out of Richmond, VA.

Known for their off the wall live shows and relentless touring schedule, Avail stopped touring a dozen or so years ago, which happened to be right about the time Barry’s solo career started taking off, and he has kept that hard-driving work ethic as a singer songwriter.

A month after finishing a string of sold out reunion shows to celebrate the 21st anniversary of the lauded Avail album, Over The James, Barry recently released his sixth full-length album since 2006. The Roads to Richmond contains 12 new songs and all the heartfelt and no-punches-pulled feeling Tim has delivered to us all these years.

That’s why we’re kicking off our latest batch of podcast picks with “Fussin’ Over,” a tune that sits right in the heart of The Roads to Richmond. It’s just one of a bunch of new songs that have flown on to our radar over the past month and are included in this month’s picks.

The playlist also includes new music from Dori Freeman, Chris Knight, Kelsey Waldon, Cody Jinks, John Moreland, Neil Young, Kacy & Clayton, The Dead South and Michaela Anne. But we’re especially excited to share “Big Black Chain” from local Portland faves The Jackson County Kills, whose frontman, Matty Charles, was our featured guest earlier this year for Episode 92.

We’re also honored to share with you a song by Little Sue, who earlier this month was inducted into the Oregon Music Hall of Fame (congrats, Sue!), and a groovy little number by The Lonesome Billies that shows off the funkier side of their take on country music.

Lots more good stuff here, so dig right in! Here’s the playlist for our October Podcast Picks . . . Enjoy!

Fussin’ Over, Tim Barry
Things Like This, I See Hawks In L.A.
That’s How I Feel, Dori Freeman
Big Black Chain, The Jackson County Kills
I‘m William Callahan, Chris Knight
I Can’t Stop Drinking, The Menzingers
Tell ‘Em What It’s Like, Cody Jinks
Anyhow, Kelsey Waldon
Every Mother’s Son, The Drive-By Truckers
Gonna Make It Real, The Long Ryders
East October, John Moreland
By Our Design, Michaela Anne
We Were Cowboys Then, Tom VandenAvond
Revolution Blues, Neil Young
Intervention, Kacy & Clayton
Broken Cowboy, The Dead South
Built For Love, Little Sue
Just Trying To Live, The Lonesome Billies
Running On Empty, Kassi Valazza
All Your’n, Tyler Childers

Episode #64 featuring John Moreland

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Impressive beard, super impressive talent: John Moreland in The Helm. Photo by Anne Marie for Local Hero Media.

Stream or download Episode #64: Episode 64 w/ John Moreland

We were still reeling from his stunning performance the night before at The Doug Fir Lounge in Portland when John Moreland dropped by The Helm for a visit and interview with That Much Further West Podcast. With just an acoustic guitar, a rich, low voice and an arsenal of songs aimed straight for the heart, Mr. Moreland reduced the usually chatty crowd at Doug Fir to a hushed, reverent flock of believers. Call it Sunday School.

John Moreland is an artist’s artist. His name always seems to come up when some of the best songwriters in alt-country and Americana talk about the peers they most admire. And on the strength of his massively acclaimed 2015 record “High On Tulsa Heat,” he’s been riding a huge wave of career momentum.

He started the year opening for double Grammy-winner Jason Isbell in the U.K. and Europe, then returned stateside for his first national TV appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. He’s currently wrapping up a swing through the Western States and will be appearing at the South By Southwest music festival in Texas later this month before hitting the road with Lucero in April.

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A legend in the making: John Moreland stops by The Helm for a chat with the podcast team. Photo by Anne Marie

For this podcast episode, John sits down with the podcast team to talk about riding the publicity wave, the challenges of songwriting and his little tricks for quieting a live, boisterous crowd when the chatter threatens to ruin the mood. He also talks up some of his most-admired peers and his recent discovery of Canadian bands and artists who have come onto his radar, including Doug Paisley.

To complete the episode, we share a set of songs that highlight the  power, depth and greatness of John’s songs as well as the breadth of his talent. This is nothing new — his songs are among the most played on That Much Further West Podcast and will continue to be for the foreseeable future. Simply, we’re big, big fans of John Moreland.

Be sure to follow John’s exploits via his website and be on the lookout for when his road show pulls into your town. He’s a stunning live performer who always is well worth the price of admission.

We couldn’t be more grateful to John for sharing this interview in The Helm or more proud to share this episode with you. Enjoy.