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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“Division Lines” turns the mirror on America, where the lost arts of diplomacy, compromise and consensus have been replaced by obstruction, partisanship and name-calling.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
