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Have a shot in the heart: Rob Stroup and Naomi Hooley of Moody Little Sister tending bar at The Helm. Photo by Anne Barrett

Episode #58 with Moody Little Sister

With a grand celebration of the release of their new album coming this weekend, Naomi Hooley and Rob Stroup of Moody Little Sister dropped by The Helm to share songs and stories with our hosts and a wonderful gang of friends for Episode #58 of That Much Further West Podcast.

Oozing with talent and confidence and armed with a one-of-a-kind, infectious laugh, the lovely Ms. Hooley speaks with an air of relief knowing the new record is in hand and ready to share with the band’s growing fanbase. Both she and Stroup explain why they decided to scrap a year’s worth of work on the album and chart a new course, one involving Stroup’s longtime friend and producer Pete Droge, to finally make the record they really wanted. They also share some secrets about developing their songwriting partnership and talk about the fantastic band they’ve assembled to help realize their vision for Moody Little Sister.

We could have gone black-and-white, but dig that gold wallpaper on the piano! Naomi and Rob of Moody Little Sister, killing it live in The Helm. Photo by Anne Barrett

The terrific chemistry between the two is obvious as they perform a pair of songs from the new record, Hooley playing her electric piano (decorated with gold wallpaper) and Stroup on guitar and harmonica. Folks in the Pacific Northwest area can check them out this coming Saturday, Oct. 17 at the Old Church in downtown Portland, and to keep tabs on future shows and doings, check out the band’s great website.

Perhaps there’s a touch of irony in the playlist for this episode in light of the prominence of Ms. Hooley — it’s dominated by some of our favorite alt-country female voices including Jenny Don’t, Bri Bagwell, Elizabeth Cook and Amy Boone from The Delines.

We also share some new discoveries from the great state of Texas, fantastic songs from the new albums by Aaron Lee Tasjan and Bottle Rockets, and a couple of intentional nods: one to the Supersuckers and their frontman, Eddie Spaghetti, who is battling cancer; and another to our pals in Denver, Colorado, who lost a powerful voice in their rock community last week, Mikey Herrera of Tin Horn Prayer.

Yup, Episode #58 is seriously good. So tune in and crank it up!

Here’s the playlist:

Every Town, The Statesboro Revue
The Trouble With Drinkin’, Aaron Lee Tasjan
I’ve Been Drinkin’ More, Jason James
Here I Go, Moody Little Sister
Lean Your Little Heart (Live In The Helm), Moody Little Sister
Ocean, Rock And Sand (Live In The Helm), Moody Little Sister
The Fire, Jenny Don’t & The Spurs
Half As Good, Bri Bagwell
I Don’t Wanna Know, Bottle Rockets
El Camino, Elizabeth Cook
I Drew A Line, Folk Family Revival
He Told Her The City Was Killing Him, The Delines
Roadworn And Weary, Supersuckers
Gulf Coast Gypsies, Uncle Lucius
The Next Storm, Frank Turner
Rosie, Tin Horn Prayer