Springtime Podcast Picks

Brian Mathusek and Merry Young make up the powerhouse folk-blues duo The Mutineers. Photo by Anne Marie for Local Hero Media.

Stream or download Springtime Podcast Picks: Springtime ’18 Podcast Picks

Spring has sprung in the Pacific Northwest, and despite the usual string of cloudy days, the occasional sun breaks promise brighter days ahead!

The Mutineers tearing it up in The Helm just before they hit the road. Photo by Anne Marie for Local Hero Media.

To keep the good vibes flowing, we present our Springtime Podcast Picks. And to lead things off we have podcast favorites The Mutineers, who tore it up this past weekend at the Treefort Music Festival in Idaho and are south to California for a run of shows the next few weeks (tour dates). If you like high energy folk and blues, you can’t go wrong with The Mutineers, a heavy-touring outfit with ties all over the country.

Festival season is well underway, and a couple of artists shared on this playlist are coming off big-time star turns at South By Southwest in Austin: Sarah Shook and Billy Strings. Shook and her band The Disarmers leaked the second song from their upcoming record “Years” and we share it here, a fun and snotty little number called “New Ways To Fail.” Mr. Strings released his ambitious bluegrass album “Turmoil & Tinfoil” last fall, and we include the lead track after hearing reports of his turning SXSW on its ear with a string of mind-blowing sets.

We also include songs from several artists who will be coming to Portland this spring with dates that are circled on our calendars. In fact, Lindi Ortega was here last night playing Mississippi Studios. Looking forward to upcoming shows by Whiskey Myers and Courtney Marie Andrews, whose new album on Fat Possum records is ready to set the world on fire.

And a quick note of congratulations to our friend Jamie Stillway on her sensational new album “City Static,” out now on Fluff & Gravy Records. Jamie is a world class guitar picker known for her work on acoustic and steel-top resonator guitar, but she’s expanded her palette to feature compositions inspired by picking up a Telecaster electric. Take a listen to the moody and groovy “August” included in this round of picks.

Lots of other incredible tunes from artists new and old included here, so dig in and enjoy! Here’s the playlist:

Break Your Fall, The Mutineers
New Ways To Fail, Sarah Shook & The Disarmers
The Comeback Kid, Lindi Ortega
On The Line, Billy Strings
The Rebellious Sons, Ray Wylie Hubbard
Stone, Whiskey Myers
I’ve Hurt Worse, Courtney Marie Andrews
Gin, Smoke & Lies, The Turnpike Troubadours
Cold Apartment, Warm Girl (Someone Tell Me How), Brad Parsons
Oom Sha La La, Haley Heynderickx
The Trial, The Sadies
I’ll Keep Ramblin’, Blackberry Smoke
August, Jamie Stillway
Nashville 1972, Rodney Crowell
I Want Love, Chris Stapleton
Avoiding Catatonic Surrender, Tim Barry
Fulton County Jane Doe, Brandi Carlile
Me and You, Willie Nelson
Madeline, BJ Barham
Tonight, You’ll Be Breaking My Heart, The Swearengens

Episode #28 featuring The Delines

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The Delines (left to right): Amy Boone, Sean Oldham, Jenny Conlee, Tucker Jackson, Freddy Trujillo and Willy Vlautin

Episode #28 featuring The Delines

We’re not sure if “supergroup” is the best way to describe The Delines, despite the fact that various members have achieved a respectable level of fame with other bands and in other platforms. But with the release of their debut album, an instant country-soul classic called Colfax, The Delines certainly are making their mark. A current string of sold out shows in Ireland and the UK is proof of that.

We were thrilled that our guy Phil Favorite was able to catch up with Willy Vlautin and Amy Boone of The Delines before their final “dress rehearsal” ahead of the tour, a live performance at a jam-packed World Famous Kenton Club in Portland just a few short hours ahead of boarding their flight for Europe. Phil’s been trying (“and failing”) to wear out the new Delines record and has shared a few of the cuts on previous episodes of the podcast. Here, along with the interview, we play a few more as well as a sort of precursor, Richmond Fontaine’s “Post To Wire,” which features Amy’s sister Deborah Kelly on vocals.

Big thanks for Willy and Amy for making time for the interview and sharing their stories from previous road trips, when they met as members of Richmond Fontaine and The Damnations TX, respectively. The two have an obvious chemistry that works beautifully on the new record, and you can sense that when you listen to the interview.

We start this week’s show with a sort of recap of some awesome shows that our hosts Mike, Eric and Phil had a chance to witness last week. The three amigos were all in attendance for the Two Cow Garage show at Dante’s that also had I Can Lick Any Sonofabitch In The House and Root Jack on the bill. Days later, the boys hit a private party featuring Phil’s band, The Lonesomes along with Seattle’s The Swearengens and Portland’s fast-rising, ramshackle country powerhouse Denver. Mercy, what a weekend!

This week’s podcast also has some classic songs from Billy Joe Shaver and Texas Tornados, tunes from new discoveries Adam Faucett and Those Crosstown Rivals, and other kickass stuff from the likes of The Resolectrics, Sturgill Simpson, The Whipsaws and Frank Turner.

So let’s get it on! Here’s this week’s playlist:

Shallow Grave, Root Jack
I Give Up (The Puppy Song), I Can Lick Any Sonofabitch In The House
Annie, Get Your Guns, Two Cow Garage
Cooke City, The Lonesomes
Don’t You Care, The Swearengens
Toledo, Denver
Black Rose, Billy Joe Shaver
Post To Wire, Richmond Fontaine
The Oil Rigs At Night, The Delines
Interview with Willy Vlautin and Amy Boone of The Delines
Wichita Ain’t So Far Away, The Delines
Freddy Fender, Trujillo
Your Man, The Resolectrics
Is Anybody Goin’ To San Antone, Texas Tornados
It Ain’t All Flowers, Sturgill Simpson
Whiskey Farmer, The James Low Western Front
Become What We Are Now!, Adam Faucett
Ichabod, The Legendary Shackshakers
Fire And Brimstone, James Leg
Mind Of Its Own, Miller & Sasser
Little Drunk Fists, Slobberbone
The War, The Whipsaws
No Friend Of Mine, Those Crosstown Rivals
Glory Hallelujah, Frank Turner
Well Lit Highway, Hearts Of Oak
Tonight Ain’t Gonna Be Good, Lucero

Episode #13 featuring Fredd Luongo of The Swearengens

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Fredd Luongo

Episode #13 with Fredd Luongo of The Swearengens

This week, Eric and Mike are back in all their vulgar, politically incorrect glory as we bring you another fun show from The Helm. Philly missed the taping because he had band practice, but he did catch up with Fredd Luongo of The Swearengens, a great Seattle alt-country band named — fittingly for this episode — after the foul-mouthed saloon keeper and general all-around bad guy played by actor Ian McShane in the HBO drama Deadwood.

The soft-spoken, kindly Mr. Luongo (not at all like Al Swearengen) was nice enough to sit down for an interview before his band’s terrific show Friday night at The Landmark Saloon in Portland. Among other things, he talked about his influences from the late-90s Americana scene and also some of the kindred spirits he’s connected with in Seattle. Later in the podcast, we share a Swearengens song and also hear from a couple of those key groundbreaking bands of the Seattle alt-country scene, Chuckanut Drive and North Twin.

You’ll also hear some wonderful females voices on the show, including recent breakthrough star Holly Williams and the great Lucinda Williams, as well as a pair of showings by Portland’s own Annalisa Tornfeldt: one with her band Black Prairie (on the heartbreaking and haunting Richard Manuel) and another with her fantastic female trio Calico Rose.

We also get a bit folky on this episode with a tune by Utah Phillips and a tribute to a giant in American music, the recently departed Pete Seeger. We’ll always remember Mr. Seeger not just for his profound musical impact, but also the never-wavering political courage he displayed in bringing his songs of hope and legend to audiences around the world.

Here’s this week’s songlist. Enjoy the show!

That Much Further West (Show theme), Lucero
Ain’t Nothing Free, Root Jack
Ballad Of The Opening Band, Jeff Tweedy
Railroads, Holly Williams
Wrong Way To Run, Willy Tea Taylor
Interview with Fredd Luongo of The Swearengens
Timebomb, Old 97’s
Long Winter’s Feeling, Freddy Trujillo
Never Gonna Change, Drive-By Truckers
By The Time I Get To Phoenix, Glen Campbell
If You Come Around Here, The Swearengens
Richard Manuel, Black Prairie
Jesse James, Pete Seeger with Ramblin’ Jack Elliott and Ed McCurdy
Pineola, Lucinda Williams
Portland, Drag The River
The Green Rolling Hills of West Virginia, Utah Phillips
Thunderstorms And Neon Signs, Wayne Hancock
Hangin’ Up, Chuckanut Drive
Trouble, Have Gun, Will Travel
Write Home (Live At Al’s Den), Calico Rose
Oh Me Oh My, Deadstring Brothers
Drunk Dial, Whiskey Shivers
Hurricane, Possessed By Paul James
Bar Scar, The Whipsaws
Just To See, The Low Bones
Whiskey For Breakfast, Adam Lee and the Dead Horse Sound Company
Thinking California, The James Low Western Front
Darken My Door, Cory Branan
Wreck, North Twin