March Podcast Picks

possessedbypauljames

Konrad Wert, aka Possessed By Paul James

Stream or download Podcast Picks: Podcast Picks 3-14-16

Ah, the modern troubadours — we love them here at That Much Further West Podcast. Last week we had handful of our favorite road-dogs roll through our hometown of Portland, Oregon, U.S.A., and we celebrate some of them here with this latest batch of podcast picks.

Kicking things off is Possessed By Paul James, who was in town for a show at The White Eagle with support from The Harmed Brothers (also featured here). Look for Possessed By Paul James all this week at the South By Southwest music conference in Austin, TX, where he has a handful of shows playing alongside some of the greats of Americana, including Lydia Loveless and Hayes Carll (he, too, featured here). PPJ is a force of nature — a one-man folk wrecking crew. Check him out live. You won’t be disappointed.

This month’s picks also include new songs from Sturgill Simpson, the Cactus Blossoms and an exclusive track from Meridian, a Portland band led by Darrin Craig, best known for his work with local bluegrass stalwarts Jack Straw. And speaking of local bluegrass, we share a song from the new album by Left Coast Country, a band we discovered busking out front of Mississippi Studios before a Sturgill show in late 2014. Since then, the lads of LCC since have established themselves as a local bluegrass powerhouse.

The troubadours keep passing through this month’s playlist with songs from Bryan McPherson, Tim Barry and the godfather of all living folkies, Guy Clark. And to wrap things up, we offer a song by Morgane Stapleton from the album “Southern Family,” a new project curated by red-hot Nashville producer Dave Cobb. On “You Are My Sunshine,” Mrs. Stapleton takes center stage while her celebrated husband Chris Stapleton plays a support role with backing vocals and guitar. It’s one of several excellent tunes on a record full of artists we love here at the podcast, including Jason Isbell, John Paul White and Holly Williams.

So dig in, download or give it a stream. It’s this month’s podcast picks! Here’s the playlist:

Heavy, Possessed By Paul James
Tuscaloosa, Caleb Caudle
Lucky To Be A Sad Man, Huck Notari
Under The Axe, The Harmed Brothers
Brace For Impact (Live A Little), Sturgill Simpson
Stoplight Kisses, The Cactus Blossoms
The Magic Kid, Hayes Carll
Go On Lovin’, Dori Freeman
Fought The Blues And Won, The Deslondes
Mason Dixon Waltz, Left Coast Country
The Guitar, Guy Clark
Hearts In Boxcars, Bryan McPherson
Church Of Level Track, Tim Barry
The Flame In The Flood, Chuck Ragan
Ohio, Meridian
You Are My Sunshine, Morgane Stapleton (with Chris Stapleton)

 

Episode #42 featuring The Earnest Lovers

TMFWP_earnest_lovers_2_christopher_sohler_web

The Earnest Lovers: Leslie Beia and Pete Krebs in The Helm. Photos by Christopher Sohler

Episode #42 with Earnest Lovers

We’ve always thought That Much Further West Podcast was for lovers, and on this episode we try to prove it. Not only is the word “lover” in the title of every song submitted to our playlist, but we have one of Portland’s hottest new country bands — The Earnest Lovers — in The Helm for an interview and performance.

Led by local performing veterans Pete Krebs and Leslie Beia, The Earnest Lovers are hitting stages all over the Pacific Northwest with big plans for 2015. Mr. Krebs is well-known for his early rock-and-roll work with the local Sub Pop band Hazel and later as a member of numerous Americana and traditional bands such as Golden Delicious, The Kung Pao Chickens and most recently the Western swing band The Portland Playboys. Ms. Beia has had a huge impact on the local country scene as half of the red-hot duo Copper & Coal, a band whose debut CD is often featured on our show.

TMFWP_earnest_lovers_christopher_sohler_web

Leslie Beia and Pete Krebs of The Earnest Lovers, barside at The Helm.

Krebs and Beia teamed up in late 2014 to form The Earnest Lovers and are in the process of recording and producing their debut EP. An ongoing Kickstarter campaign (see the video and link below) is already 100 percent funded, leaving the duo in position to move forward with confidence. In the interview, we learn how they came together in a love of classic country music in the tradition of the 1950s and 60s; their plans to record the EP with producer Jon Neufeld (Black Prairie, Jackstraw, Dolorean) at Portland’s Type Foundry studio; and how Pete’s love of punk rock eventually led to an appreciation of traditional country.

They also share a pair of wonderful original songs they’ve co-written for the upcoming EP. The songs fit beautifully in the mix of lovers tunes, presented here just in time for Valentine’s Day. Local Portlanders can catch Pete and Leslie this coming Saturday at The Secret Society for “Hearts On Fire” showcase, where several of our favorite singers are partnering for performances of classic country duets originally done by artists such as Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash and June Carter, Buck Owens and Rose Maddox and Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris. Pete and Leslie with being performing the songs of George Jones and Melba Montgomery.

We also share “lover” tunes on the show from some of the podcast’s favorite artists, including American Aquarium, Hearts of Oak, Lydia Loveless, Rachel Brooke and Steve Earle. So if you’re ready for some lovin’, just press play.

Here’s the playlist for Episode #42:

Lover Too Late, American Aquarium
My Lover Adorned, Cahalen Morrison & Eli West
If I Could Be Your Lover, Delbert McClinton
San Andreas Fault (Live In The Helm), The Earnest Lovers
I’m Still Missing You (Live In The Helm), The Earnest Lovers
Mary Wants A Lover, Foghorn Stringband
Lovers Ain’t Easy, Hearts of Oak
Oh, My Lover, Kory Quinn
Lover’s Spat, Lydia Loveless
Late Night Lover, Rachel Brooke
My First Lover, Sassparilla
Poison Lover (with Siobhan Kennedy), Steve Earle
Stone Hearted Lover, The Sumner Brothers
When Your Dream Lovers Die, Townes Van Zandt

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3AxHhGaigc

Click here to donate to The Earnest Lovers’ Kickstarter campaign.