Tag Archives: Stars of Cascadia

January Podcasts Picks

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Thars the Stars: Portland’s Stars of Cascadia are back with a new record, Fairfield.

We’re keeping it live and local to start off 2019, and kicking things off with a killer cut from that fun and rollicking band of Portland alt-country grinders, Stars of Cascadia. Their new CD Fairfield just hit the streets this week, and “The Great Divide” is a near perfect tune to sum up the mid-Trump swamp we find ourselves wading through daily. Singer Scott Jeffries gets nostalgic on this new disc, ruminating on the Viet Nam era and the last time . . . say, 1968 . . . when the U.S. felt this very divided.

The Delines may be considered a local band in our neck of the woods, but they’re killing it right now in the U.K. and Ireland on their first tour in a couple of years. We caught both of their warm-up shows in Portland before they headed across the Atlantic to promote their brand new album, The Imperial, which is pulling rave reviews around the globe. We share the title cut here.

And while you’re cranking this latest playlist, be sure to stick around for a song from the Portland trio Five Letter Word. We first saw these talented ladies at last year’s Wildwood MusicFest & Campout, and they blew us away with their amazing harmonies and stellar musicianship. Their debut record, Siren, dropped earlier in January, but we expect to be hearing a whole lot of great things from them throughout 2019 and beyond.

We also share new music from Son Volt, Joshua Ray Walker, Ryan Bingham, Vandoliers, Bob Sumner and a song by Ryan Adams with a title that pretty much sums up our feeling about the winter weather in the Pacific Northwest. Not that we’re complaining. Sending out good wishes to our friends in the Midwest (we’re looking at you, Bloodshot Records crew) who are suffering through a record-shattering Arctic blast that arrived in the Great Lakes region overnight.

Since you folks are pretty much stuck inside for a bit, crank up our January Podcast Picks!

Here’s the playlist:

The Great Divide, Stars of Cascadia
The Imperial, The Delines
Burn It, Joshua Ray Walker
Jingle And Go, Ryan Bingham
Mountain Girl, Shane Smith
5 Acres Of Turnips, Pistol Annies
Saturday Satan Sunday Saint, Charley Crockett
Me And Hayes, Mike and the Moonpies
Jesus And Elvis, Hayes Carll
Troublemaker, Vandoliers
The Way She Looked At You, Sarah Shook and the Disarmers
Bourbon And Blood, The Comacheros
Southern Accents, The Steel Woods
Go Home, Garrett T. Capps
Riverbed, Bob Sumner
Easier To Go, Five Letter Word
Living Free, Jack Waters and the Unemployed
F*ck The Rain, Ryan Adams

TMFWP Special: Live From The Helm, Vol. 3

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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 #69 featuring Stars of Cascadia

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Representing Stars of Cascadia (l to r): Scott Jeffries, Mandy Allan and John Nyen. Photo by Anne Marie for Local Hero Media

Stream or download Episode #69:  Episode 69 w/ Stars of Cascadia

When we first met Stars of Cascadia last summer, they had just launched as a local band ready to make some noise in the Americana scene in our hometown of Portland, Oregon, U.S.A. Now they’re back in The Helm with a debut CD called “Riverside Skyline” and ready to rock with a big celebration show this Friday, May 20 at White Eagle Saloon.

According to the band’s leader, Scott Jeffries, the new CD came together quickly under the guidance of producer/engineer Bryan Daste at his Magic Closet studio. With songwriting contributions from several band members, the seven-piece Stars pooled their talents to deliver some beautiful renderings of their heartfelt alt-country songs, some of which the trio of Jeffries, singer Mandy Allan and fiddle player John Nyen perform here live for Episode #69 of That Much Further West Podcast.

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Stars for the night in The Helm: Mandy, John and Scott of Stars of Cascadia. Photo by Anne Marie for Local Hero Media

They also preview a few songs from the debut album that show off the talents of the various songwriters from the band. Each is a poignant look into the life of the author, a theme that often brings out the best in country music. And by sharing a few selections by artists who have influenced his songwriting, Jeffries displays a leaning toward the sentimental and wistful, things that may not seem obvious considering the scathing nature of a few of the originals he shares.

All in all, the band paints a fairly complete portrait of what they’re about and how they bring their hard-boiled stories to life. So sit back and enjoy this hour with Stars of Cascadia, and be sure to pick up a copy of the new record at their show this Friday night or at any of a number of online outlets when the disc goes live later in the week.

Here’s the playlist:

Santa Ana Winds (Live In The Helm), Stars of Cascadia
Life Of The Party (Live In The Helm), Stars of Cascadia
Judge Moore (Live In The Helm), Stars of Cascadia
$1,000 Wedding, Gram Parsons
TVA, Drive-By Truckers
Tonight, Shine A Light, Matthew Lindley
The Man I Am, Stars of Cascadia
Lowmoor, Stars of Cascadia
Bad Habits, Stars of Cascadia

TMFWP Special — Live From The Helm, Vol. 2

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The Helm . . . our home in Portland, Oregon, USA. Photo by Christopher Sohler

Live From The Helm, Vol. 2

To put the wraps on another year of podcasting from our hometown of Portland, Oregon, USA, we’re excited to share “Live From The Helm, Vol. 2,” our second-annual collection of live performances from the 20 artists and bands who were featured on Episodes #40 through #60 of That Much Further West Podcast in 2015.

Needless to say, we’re grateful to the talented folks who helped make this year’s podcast collection bigger and better than ever, and also to the many friends and fans of the show who listened in and served as a wonderful live audience during our show tapings at The Helm.

We hope this collection of live performances will bring back some great memories from 2015 and build some anticipation for what we’ll have in store for next year. We’re expecting big things for the podcast in 2016 and we hope you’ll come along for the ride.

Below is the list of songs and artists included in this year’s collection for you to enjoy. From all of us to all of you, Happy New Year!

Saving Me, Timber County
Prison Song, Denver
San Andreas Fault, The Earnest Lovers
Ants In The Kitchen, The HIllwilliams
The Fire, Jenny Don’t & The Spurs
It’s Ain’t Gay To Love Jesus, The Git Rights Gospel Revue
Hold You Like A Harness, Hip Hatchet
Love Looks Like A Master, Morgan Geer of Drunken Prayer
Adopt A Highway, Alex Salcido of The Harmed Brothers
Chris Bell, M. Lockwood Porter
Man Of The Year, Purusa
Then And There, Barna Howard
Beer Holder, Bad Assets
You Don’t Have To Treat You That Way, Mike Coykendall
A Life In Progress, Ray Vietti of The Harmed Brothers
The Man I Am Today, Stars of Cascadia
Mutiny, Sassparilla
Your American Past, Indianhead
Ocean Rock And Sand, Moody Little Sister
The Whisper, Jeremy Wilson

 

Episode #55 featuring Stars of Cascadia

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Our three Stars of the game (l to r): John, Mandy and Scott from Stars of Cascadia. Photo by Anne Barrett

Episode #55 with Stars of Cascadia

Shifting winds brought smoke from the raging Western wildfires into the Portland area this past weekend, smuggering up the sky and blocking out our beautiful weekend stars. And while our thoughts are with the folks east of the Cascades adversely affected by the fires, we at least were able to enjoy a visit in The Helm from a few of the folks in Stars of Cascadia, a new alt-country band emerging on the Portland scene.

The Stars are led by an old friend of the podcast, Scott Jeffries, who first appeared on the show as a member of the psych-rock band Spirit Lake. He’s joined here by singer Mandy Allan and fiddle player John Nyen, who make up key elements of the full seven-piece outfit the Stars have evolved into.

During the interview, we learn how Mr. Jeffries left Spirit Lake to pursue his country muse. He formed Stars of Cascadia with a group of like-minded supporters of our local men’s professional soccer team, the Portland Timbers, and rounded out the lineup with all the necessary accouterments — telecaster, pedal steel, etc. — to bring their version of original twang to the masses.

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The Stars of Cascadia entertaining the nurses in The Helm.

Having played shows for more than a year now, Stars of Cascadia are picking up momentum and making big plans for recording and live playing. Here they share a couple of Scott’s original songs with Mandy and John playing prominent roles in the performance. Scott also talks about the influences that drove him toward country music, including his upbringing in California, a constant source of inspiration in his song-writing.

The interview evolves into a healthy debate about who was the best singer in The Band — Rick Danko, Levon Helm or Richard Manuel. Too bad none of these greats is alive to defend his particular legacy, though we came to the conclusion that as awe-inspiring as these singers were individually, they were all better when singing together and making those magical harmonies. Listening to the show, you’ll appreciate the harmonies laid down by Scott and Mandy, who produce a little magic of their own.

And while our hot, dry summer has brought dangerous conditions for wildfires, it also brought a wave of our favorite artists as their summer tours roared through the Pacific Northwest. On this episode we share a playlist full of music by some of the great bands and singers our hosts have had the pleasure of witnessing since the last time we gathered in The Helm, including Jason Isbell, American Aquarium, The Good Luck Thrift Store Outfit and Possessed By Paul James.

We also share some new music from artists D.L. Marble, Jonathan Tyler and a track from the new solo album by Slobberbone front man Brent Best. So there’s lots to dig into for Episode #55. Have at it!

Here’s the playlist:

Daddy Was A Liar, Brent Best
Heart On A Shelf, The Good Luck Thrift Store Outfit
Country Love Song, D. L. Marble
The Man I Am Today (Live In The Helm), Stars of Cascadia
Modjeska (Live In The Helm), Stars of Cascadia
Shoulda Known Better, Possessed By Paul James
Wolves, American Aquarium
This Is How We Do Things In The Country, Slim Cessna’s Auto Club
Palmetto Rose, Jason Isbell
Run-Down Neighborhood, Lindi Ortega
Hold You Like A Harness, Hip Hatchet
Riverbottom, Jonathan Tyler