May Podcast Picks

Portland’s Golden Promise (l to r): Erik Clampitt, Scott Pettitt, Lucas Jones, Jason Fleming and Sean Burke. Photo by Joel Gaddis

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

New albums from several of our favorite national artists (Caleb Caudle, Jason Isbell, Western Centuries, etc.) have helped sustain us through the past few months of the COVID-19 pandemic, but nothing can replace the joy of watching our favorite local bands tear it up in our favorite local bars.

The podcast’s first pandemic casualty happened nearly two months ago, when a scheduled podcast episode featuring local honky tonk band Golden Promise had to be cancelled. Talk about bad timing — Golden Promise’s debut album, Long Days, Sleepless Nights, hit the streets just as local Portland bars and businesses were closing and social distancing measures firmly put in place.

So for our May Podcast Picks, we kick it off with a handful of our favorite local bands. Batting leadoff is “I Ain’t Drunk” from Golden’s Promise’s debut. It’s designed to launch you with style into a weekend of isolation drinking.

We also have great new songs from former Podcast guests Chuck Westmoreland and the Harmed Brothers, tunes from local faves Jenny Don’t & The Spurs, Roselit Bone and Richmond Fontaine as well as great new songs from Lucinda Williams, American Aquarium, Jaime Wyatt, John Baumann, Whitney Rose and John Anderson.

We also share another stunner from Tanya Tucker’s award-winning record from last year, While I’m Living; we pay tribute to the late John Prine; and eventually wrap things up with a classic from the one-off album from 15 years ago by The Drams.

So if you can, take The Drams advice — get “Unhinged” this weekend and crank up our May Podcast Picks! Here’s the playlist:

I Ain’t Drunk, Golden Promise
The Serpent and The Swan, Chuck Westmoreland
All The Same, The Harmed Brothers
Nobody’s Crying Over You, Jenny Don’t & The Spurs
Laughlin, NV, Roselit Bone
You Can’t Rule Me, Lucinda Williams
$87 and a Guilty Conscience That Gets Worse The Longer I Go, Richmond Fontaine
1000 Cities Failing (Part 1), The Sadies
A Better South, American Aquarium
By Your Side, Jaime Wyatt
Lightning On The Mountain, Kyle Nix
This Country Doesn’t Sound The Same, John Baumann
In A Rut, Whitney Rose
Ghost Town, Sarah Shook & The Devil
I’m Still Hanging On, John Anderson
Illegal Smile, John Prine
The Wheels of Laredo, Tanya Tucker
Here’s To You, The Silos
Unhinged, The Drams

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

September Podcast Picks

Tyler Childers performed at Pickathon on the same day as his much-anticipated record Country Squire was released. Photo by Greg Homolka

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

Just a few weeks back, the Pacific Northwest became the center of the alt-country universe when Tyler Childers released his much-anticipated new album, Country Squire, the same day as he performed a set at Pickathon, just outside of our home base of Portland, OR, USA.

What nobody saw coming, though, was the big splash made the night before when Mike & The Moonpies, just hours before their late-night Pickathon set, announced the surprise arrival of their stunning new record, Cheap Silver & Solid Country Gold.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the country, the new all-women country supergroup, The Highwomen, crashed the Newport Folk Festival like a meteorite, playing tunes from their new self-titled new record (out tomorrow) and drawing guests on stage including Dolly Parton and Sheryl Crow.

But nothing seemed to steal the thunder from Childers, whose album sold more units in its first week than any other record in the states, marking another important milepost in the upward trajectory of alternative country music.

It’s fun to share tunes from all three of these groundbreaking records and so much more in our Podcast Picks for September. Give it a spin and you’ll also here fantastic new tunes from Tanya Tucker, Jason Hawk Harris, Joy Williams (of The Civil Wars fame), Midland and Sturgill Simpson.

Keep listening and things really get interesting when ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons shows up on “56 Fury,” an instant classic from the stunning new record Texas by the great Rodney Crowell.

We also share a tune from Mercury Rev’s re-imagining of Bobbie Gentry’s The Delta Sweete featuring the one-and-only Margo Price. And speaking of re-imagining, Aaron Lee Tasjan has released a new record, Karma For Cheap: Reincarnated, where he renders many of the songs from his last album as solo performances. We share a fresh tune here to wrap things up.

This batch of picks packs a serious punch with soon-to-be classics throughout. So be sure to listen from start to finish!

Here’s the playlist:

Country Squire, Tyler Childers
Danger, Mike & The Moonpies
Redesigning Women, The Highwomen
Howlin’ At The Moon, Caleb Caudle
Giving In (Giving In), Jason Hawk Harris
Spies, Drivin’ N’ Cryin’
Bring My Flowers Now, Tanya Tucker
Sing Along, Sturgill Simpson
Fast Hearts And Slow Towns, Midland
So Long To The Traveling Kind, Tom VandenAvond
Somebody’s Daughter, Tenille Townes
Times Like These, Hayes Carll
56 Fury, Rodney Crowell
Something Real, Lukas Nelson & The Promise of the Real
Sermon (featuring Margo Price), Mercury Rev
The Devil Drinks Scotch, Matt Woods & The Natural Disasters
Knock Knockin’, Wonderly Road
Front Porch, Joy Williams
Don’t Skip Out On Me, Richmond Fontaine
My Whole Life Is Over (All Over Again), Aaron Lee Tasjan

Summertime Podcast Picks

Fernando Viciconte’s new album, “Traitors Table,” is an incendiary masterwork. Seriously.

Leave it to Fernando Viciconte to sum it up so succinctly. The Portland-based singer-songwriter has a long history of penning poignant songs that get right to the heart of the matter, and he’s done it again on the opening track from his new record, Traitors Table, out now on Fluff & Gravy Records.

“Division Lines” turns the mirror on America, where the lost arts of diplomacy, compromise and consensus have been replaced by obstruction, partisanship and name-calling. It’s a perfect state-of-the-union address to kick of our Summertime Podcast Picks, a collection of tunes to get you rolling into the summer festival and road-tripping season.

This batch of picks features lots of cool new music from a bunch of our modern alt-country favorites, including Paul Cauthen, Sturgill Simpson, Chuck Mead, Mike & the Moonpies and Buddy & Julie Miller. But a handful of the tunes sprinkled in — including songs by Lukas Nelson & The Promise of the Real and Will Hoge — touch on the dark political climate that hangs like a cloud over our increasingly less civil society. Some are hopeful, some are sad, some are satire, and all are meant to make you think about how far off-course we’ve run as a nation.

But because it’s summertime, these picks also are designed to put you in the mood to rock. Rising Texas song-slingers Whiskey Myers set the tone with their swaggering new tune “Die Rockin’,” sure to have hips swaying and heads banging in Portland this coming Saturday night when they headline a show with Brent Cobb at Roseland Theater.

Also pointing toward the weekend, we share a couple of tunes by The Stubborn Lovers and country chanteuse Carson McHone, who share the bill Friday night at Alberta Street Pub in Portland. McHone also will join a killer lineup over the weekend at the Jackalope Jamboree in Pendleton in Eastern Oregon on Saturday.

The picks also get a little funky here and folksy there, and in the spirit of the baseball season, we try to touch ’em all. “Junk Town” by Ian Noe shows you why he’s the talk of the folk circuit heading into summer — he’s blowing up thanks to the recent release of his full length LP Between The Country.

Like a loaded gun, R&B in the wrong hands can be a dangerous weapon. But Rich Layton and his band Tough Town have things locked up tight and nailed down on their new album, Salvation Road, out now via Never Lucky Recording Co. It’s a cool rockin’ collection of 11 songs delivered with confidence, clarity, and cleverness from a man who has mastered his craft through years of writing and performing, as demonstrated on the album’s opening track, “Live To Rock.”

We also share some of the best of the year so far, including songs by Caroline Spence (leave a spot on your ‘best of ’19 list’ for her latest record), Nashville’s Charlie Marie and a new song from Jason Hawk Harris, out now on Bloodshot Records.

And we wrap things up with a nod to songwriter Dave Bartholomew, the longtime Fats Domino collaborator who passed away last weekend at the age of 100.

But before we go, we turn your attention to our friend, podcast partner and team photographer Anne Marie Barrett. Her song “Coffee,” a poignant look at racial injustice in America, is available here for download, with all proceeds going to the Portland Freedom Fund, a local nonprofit that shines a light on “the injustices of the cash bail system that preys on the poor and people of color.” Great song, Anne! And a great notion. You make us proud!

So dial ’em up! Here’s the playlist for our Summertime Podcast Picks:

Division Lines, Fernando Viciconte
Cocaine Country Dancing, Paul Cauthen
Die Rockin’, Whiskey Myers
The Dead Don’t Die, Sturgill Simpson
What You Don’t Know, Caroline Spence
Turn Off The News (And Build A Garden), Lukas Nelson & The Promise of the Real
My Favorite Picture of You, Willie Nelson
Junk Town, Ian Noe
Nikki’s a Republican Now, Will Hoge
Whiskey Sisters, The Stubborn Lovers
Maybe They’re Just Really Good Friends, Carson McHone
Cussin’ At The Light, Jason Hawk Harris
You Look Good In Neon, Mike & The Moonpies
Rhinestones, Charlie Marie
Live To Rock, Rich Layton & Tough Town
Daddy Worked The Pole, Chuck Mead
Blue-Eyed Wanderer, Matt Woods
The Wheels of Laredo, Tanya Tucker
Break Down on 20th Ave. South, Buddy & Julie Miller
Ain’t That A Shame, Fats Domino
Coffee, Anne Marie Barrett