Election Season Podcast Picks

Stream or download Election Season Podcast Picks: Election Season Picks

“Summer in Portland, everything’s fine.”

Well, we made it through what we hope is the worst of Protest Season. Now it’s Election Season, and we’ve put together this collection of songs to celebrate any and all commentary on the sorry state of our nation. MAGA? Um, no.

But before we let some of our favorite alt-country authorities put in their two cents, we share a song from the great new album by our pals Wanderlodge. “River Don’t Care” from the record Cypress Mountain Drive is an example of how deftly Kris Stuart and Matt Cadenelli can take someone else’s song, make it their own, and take it to a whole new audience.

Make no mistake, though — there are plenty of terrific originals on the new record. Learn all about it in the short film posted above.

We also share a song from Lydia Loveless’ fantastic new album as well as cool new cuts from Otis Gibbs, Brent Cobb, Karen Jonas, Orville Peck, Matt Woods and a scorcher called “Born To Lose” by Chicago’s David Quinn, featuring the smoldering slide guitar of Laur Joamets (Drivin’ N Cryin’, Sturgill Simpson).

New to our podcast ears, we present music from Victoria Bailey, Waxahatchee, Tennessee Jet and Juliet McConkey. And don’t miss the beautiful and sad video below for the song “American Tears” by Silver Lake 66.

We end things on a bit of a somber note, recognizing the passing (way, way too soon) of the great Justin Townes Earle, who in recent years moved to Portland and became part of the fabric of our community. His sudden and shocking death left a hole in our hearts that will never be filled. RIP, JTE.

So give it all a listen, then get out there and VOTE! Here’s the songlist for our Election Season Podcast Picks:

River Don’t Care, Wanderlodge
The New OK, Drive-By Truckers
American Tears, Silver Lake 66
Down To The Well, The Long Ryders
All American Singer, Zephaniah OHora
Say My Name, Lydia Loveless
Born To Lose, David Quinn
Nine Foot Problem, Otis Gibbs
Skid Row, Victoria Bailey
Keep ‘Em On They Toes, Brent Cobb
Sweet Mess, Jaime Wyatt
Legends Never Die (with Shania Twain), Orville Peck
Stray Dogs, Tennessee Jet
Can’t Do Much, Waxahatchee
Heat, TK & The Holy Know-Nothings
Disappearing Girl, Juliet McConkey
Pink Leather Boots, Karen Jonas
Sunshine, Matt Woods
I’m So Good At Absolutely Nothing, Possessed By Paul James
Learning To Cry, Justin Townes Earle

50 Podcast Picks from 2019

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

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

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

TMFWP Special: Live From The Helm, Vol. 3

Mamma Coal celebrated the release of her widely anticipated album “Raven Haired Vixen” with a visit to The Helm. That’s 2016 Oregon Music Hall of Fame inductee Paul Brainard riding shotgun. Photo by Anne Marie for Local Hero Media (www.localheromedia.com).

Stream or download Live From The Helm, Vol. 3:  Live From The Helm Vol. 3

There were a lot of things about 2016 we’d like to forget — it was a year of staggering losses for both the music world and the great wide world in general. Still, our team at That Much Further West Podcast had much to be thankful for, namely the incredible roster of guests we hosted at The Helm for podcast episodes this year.

From start to finish, this year marked a great leap forward for the podcast. The team decided to narrow the focus, dedicating the entirety of each episode to our individual guests. That way we learned more about their histories, their influences, their hopes and dreams and their immediate plans for the future. All celebrated remarkable successes this year and we were happy to promote their fine work and proud to host them in our subterranean home in Portland — The Helm!

Nick Foltz of Lowlight added his usual heavy dose of cool to The Helm scene in 2016. Photo by Anne Marie for Local Hero Media (www.localheromedia.com).

We were pleased to rope in some more out-of-towners this year, including Seattle’s Evening Bell and national acts John Moreland and Aaron Lee Tasjan. We also were thrilled to highlight the great work being down by local longtime friends like Mamma Coal, Nick Foltz of Lowlight and Birger Olsen. We even made some great new friends in Kory Quinn and Taylor Kingman of the Hill Dogs, and hooked up with local legends such as Willy Vlautin of Richmond Fontaine and the mighty Fernando. All were incredibly inspiring to the team.

Still, 2016 will be remembered for our many musical losses, one big electoral loss and another that’s particularly personal to our team. We said goodbye the father of our Hoot, our friend Chuck Noland, a loss that proved particularly devastating. That’s why we wrap up “Live From The Helm, Vol. 3” with a beautiful tribute to Chuck by Maria Francis and Jeff Overbo of Silver Lake 66. In a year full of tears, there wasn’t a dry eye in The Helm during that performance.

But as we reflect on the past year before turning the calendar page, enjoy this collection of songs we proudly share here with you. We’ll see you in 2017!

Here’s the playlist:

Memphis Rain, Aaron Lee Tasjan
Our Horse Barn, Kris Stuart
Ride Through The Night, Mamma Coal
Three Brothers Roll Into Town, Willy Vlautin
In The Shadow Of The Tower Of Babel, Kory Quinn
Devil’s House, Evening Bell
A Lovely Conversation, The Harmed Brothers
Life Of The Party, Stars Of Cascadia
You Look As Sweet, Birger Olsen
Mother Mountain, The Hill Dogs
Bloodlines, Lowlight
This Very Hour, McDougall
Wasted And Waiting My Saturday Night, Lewi & Anita
Late Bloomer, Matthew Lindley
True Instigator, Fernando
Walk Away, Silver Lake 66

Our podcast hosts, at home in The Helm, left to right: Mike Lee, Eric Kotila and Phil Favorite.

Episode #77 featuring Silver Lake 66

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Jeff Overbo and Maria Francis are Portland’s Silver Lake 66.

Stream or download Episode #77:  Episode 77 w/ Silver Lake 66

America’s highway, Route 66, covers nearly 2,500 miles from Chicago to the Southern California Coast and for a long time served as the main path for those who migrated West in the early part of the last century.

Regaled in popular culture over the past 100 years, Route 66 serves as the perfect metaphor for the road traveled by our guests for Episode #77 of That Much Further West Podcast, our friends Maria Francis and Jeff Overbo of Silver Lake 66. The Portland-by-way-of-Minneapolis-via-Los Angeles group has taken the long road, overcoming the real life obstacles of age and illness and emerging with one of this year’s finest albums, titled “Let Go Or Be Dragged” (check out this review in No Depression).

On this episode, Maria and Jeff share stories of their journey through 80s — starting in Midwest biker bars, traveling the country in stinky vans, booking shows by pay phone and living on beer and peanut butter. The road led them to move to Los Angeles, where they fell in with a like-minded group of Americana musicians that first held court at The Palomino club and went on to varying degrees of fame — folks like Lucinda Williams, Jim Lauderdale and Dale Watson.

sl66-7

Jeff and Maria, sharing their terrific music in The Helm as Silver Lake 66. Photo by Anne Marie for Local Hero Media

Soon their peers became big influences and they began to write and perform in the alt-country realm, a place they’ve stayed even after moving to Portland in the 90s. After a long period out of the public spotlight, the married couple slowly began to emerge with a batch a well-crafted tunes that display each player’s knack for poignant storytelling as well as their natural chemistry as players and harmony singers.

Now armed with a fantastic new album, Silver Lake 66 is poised to make a big splash on the burgeoning Portland Americana scene. Their album release show, scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 22, at the Alberta Street Pub in Portland, is sure to be a celebration of not just the hard road they’ve traveled but also the open road and blue skies ahead.

We think you’ll really enjoy the stories and the sharing of their wonderful music, so tune in and prepare to be moved by the spirit of Silver Lake 66.

Here’s the playlist:

Sherman County, Silver Lake 66
Devil’s Looking For Me, Silver Lake 66
Bury My Bones In Arkansas (LIve In The Helm), Silver Lake 66
Pineola, Lucinda Williams
Country Comforts, Rod Stewart
Return Of The Grievous Angel, Gram Parsons
Magnolia (Live In The Helm), Silver Lake 66
Walk Away (Live In The Helm), Silver Lake 66
Doctor, Silver Lake 66