Tag Archives: Portland alt-country podcast

Episode #85 featuring Wanderlodge & The Deadstring Family Band

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Brothers from The Deadstring Family: Matt Cadenelli, Kurtis Brothers and Kris Stuart in The Helm. Photo by Anne Marie for Local Hero Media

Stream or download Episode #85: Episode 85 w/ Wanderlodge/Deadstring Family Band

We’re winding it down at The Helm, our home base for every podcast episode recorded in the 2.0 version of That Much Further West. That’s four-plus great years and 85 episodes featuring some of the best singers and songwriters from the Pacific Northwest and beyond. It’s been a great run and a whole heckuva a lot of fun.

But before we exit The Helm and point the ship toward our next destination, we gathered a few very special friends to record Episode 85: Kris Stuart and Matt Cadenelli, the duo that currently perform as Wanderlodge, and also make up two-fifths of The Deadstring Family Band, led by our other guest, Kurtis Brothers.

The lads stopped in to talk about the two projects and spread the word about Wanderfest, the second-annual music and camping event they’re hosting in Gaston, OR, on June 29 and 30. (Tickets, lineup, more info) With a killer lineup featuring some of the best of the best acts in our local Portland rock, folk and country scene, Wanderfest promises to be an amazing two days of music and revelry.

Matt Cadenelli, Kurtis Brothers and Kris Stuart of The Deadstring Family Band, performing live in The Helm. Photo by Anne Marie for Local Hero Media

Kris and Matt share a live performance of the song “I Want More,” the tune that opens the tour CD they were selling while out on the Wanderlodge Spring Tour through California and Oregon. We add in a couple of recorded songs from a few of the Wanderfest, including tunes from The James Low Western Front and Redray Frazier.

Then Kurtis joins the fray to talk about his move from Nashville to the Pacific Northwest and that fateful weekend in July 2013 when he met all the parties involved at the Wildwood MusicFest & Campout. For Kurtis, who met his wife that same weekend, it was a sign of the changes to come and the twists and turns that led him to relocate from Nashville to Portland.

With Kris and Matt riding shotgun, Kurtis fronts The Deadstring Family Band and leads a set of stellar acoustic performances that prove to be a perfect way for us to cap our time at The Helm.

All the fun, facts, fibs, stories and songs are right here in Episode 85, so kick back and enjoy. Here’s the playlist:

Green Volvo, Wanderlodge
I Want More (Live In The Helm), Wanderlodge
Smile, The Deadstring Brothers
Whiskey Farmer, The James Low Western Front
Like Rain, Redray Frazier
Lucille’s Honky Tonk (Live In The Helm), The Deadstring Family Band
Sacred Heart (Live In The Helm), The Deadstring Family Band
Blindfolded (Live In The Helm), The Deadstring Family Band

Review of Years by Sarah Shook & The Disarmers

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Years by Sarah Shook & The Disarmers (2018, Bloodshot)

100 Words on Years
By Mike Lee
That Much Further West Podcast

How do you avoid the sophomore slump when your debut album punched through the country music scene in 2017? You craft 10 country songs infused with a frantic punk rock energy spinning a carousel of earnest lyrics about love, whiskey, heartbreak, redemption and two middle fingers up at the music establishment. Years expands where Sidelong left off teaching a lesson of all thriller and no filler. Tight, well crafted songs with an efficiency of rhythm, melody and lyrics that had me reminiscent of the mighty, Los Angeles, cowpunk legends, X!

Sidelong was the setup and Years is the knockout punch.

Mixtape Trio Bravo:

Listen to “Good As Gold”:  Good As Gold

Listen to “The Bottle Never Lets Me Down”:  The Bottle Never Lets Me Down

Listen to “Lesson”:  Lesson

Catch up on all things Sarah Shook and the Disarmers on their Facebook page or through Bloodshot Records. WEST COAST PEOPLE be sure to catch the band in July  as they hit the left coast and play our favorite festival, Wildwood Music Fest & Campout July 20-22, 2018.

Review of Crushed Coins by Caleb Caudle

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Crushed Coins by Caleb Caudle (2018, Cornelius Chapel)

100 Words on Crushed Coins
By Mike Lee
That Much Further West Podcast

Pushing the boundaries of sadness appears to be the job of today’s songwriter and it stands in stark contrast to the smiley-face emoticon façade of social media. However, to the discerning listener, there is so much more than melancholy in the works of the modern-day troubadour. The great albums will give us love and laughter along with tears and pain all paired side by side with adventure to add spice to the experiences of life. This album covers a plethora of emotions, giving us a glimpse of the wholeness we seek for ourselves.

Mixtape Trio Bravo:

Listen to “Lost Without You”:  Lost Without You

Listen to “Empty Arms”:  Empty Arms

Listen to “Love That’s Wild”:  Love That’s Wild

February Podcast Picks

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

There’s so much new music out there in our sphere, we can barely keep up with it all. This month’s podcast picks include first releases from upcoming records by Western Centuries, Blackberry Smoke and Charley Crockett; another tune from the much-anticipated new record from Courtney Marie Andrews; a new instrumental from an album full of them by Richmond Fontaine; and killer cuts from new records by Calexico, Ruby Boots and Wes Youssi & The Country Champs.

But we start things off with a brand-new song from alt-country powerhouse Sarah Shook & The Disarmers and their upcoming Bloodshot Records release Years, set to hit the streets in April. Following up their very well-received Bloodshot debut Sidelong, the North Carolina band appears ready to unleash its high-energy, straight-ahead cowpunk on a wider audience in 2018.

“Good As Gold” offers a solid example of the swagger Sarah Shook brings to her music. “It’s about picking yourself up and dusting yourself off after years of being trampled and beaten down,” she said, describing the new album. “Jutting your chin out, head high, after they’ve done their worst, and saying, ‘Still here.’ ”

Scroll to the bottom of this post to check out the Sidelong track “Keep The Home Fires Burnin'” filmed live at the Wildwood Hotel in Willamina, OR by Great Northwest Productions during the band’s swing down the west coast last fall.

With 2018 off to such a great start, we find ourselves still catching up on some of the best stuff from last year. Our picks also include a handful of some of the best tunes from 2017, including songs from Tyler Childers, The Secret Sisters, Zephaniah Ohora, Emily Herring and The Turnpike Troubadours.

And we wrap it with a dose of some of our favorite alternative music heroes, including the great Walter Salas-Humara, who will be coming to our hometown of Portland, OR, USA this week to play a set on Friday, Feb. 23, opening for local legend Mike Coykendall at the LaurelThirst Public House.

So get your week started on the right foot and dial in our February Podcast Picks. Here’s the playlist:

Good As Gold, Sarah Shook & The Disarmers
Tattoos, Tyler Childers
Night Out With Diego, Richmond Fontaine
He’s Fine, The Secret Sisters
Dead In The Water, Calexico
Earthly Justice, Western Centuries
Just Outside Of Austin, Lukas Nelson & The Promise Of The Real
Take Your Love Out Of Town, Zephaniah Ohora and The 18 Wheelers
Last Of The Houston Honky Tonk Heroes, Emily Herring
The Hard Way, The Turnpike Troubadours
Mr. Jukebox, Josh Hedley
I’ll Make It Through, Ruby Boots
Flesh And Bone, Blackberry Smoke
Cadillac Man, Wes Youssi & The County Champs
Misery And Gin, Jaime Wyatt
Smoke ‘Em If You Got ‘Em, Mike and The Moonpies
Kindness Of Strangers, Courtney Marie Andrews
I Wanna Cry, Charley Crockett
2 Cool 2 Be 4-Gotten, Lucinda Williams
Nobody’s Business, Walter Salas-Humara
Mr. Fly, Mike Coykendall

Episode #84 featuring Bret Ervin of Countryside Ride

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Bret Ervin, bellied up at the bar in The Helm. Photo by Anne Marie for Local Hero Media

Stream or download Episode #84: Episode 84 w/ Bret Ervin

The gang from Countryside Ride knew they had the songs and the inclination to make a great second album. But they remained patient while looking for a way forward — some kind of sign to show them which direction to go.

They found it when the band did a studio session at The Deer Lodge, a Portland-based music hub where producer and engineer Ezra Meredith was compiling songs for a tribute CD to country music great George Jones. In making its contribution to the compilation, the band and Meredith immediately clicked, and from there Countryside Ride saw the path to making their fabulous new album, “I Hope He Breaks Your Heart.” It’s a long-playing blast of pure country music that eschews modern production tricks and will delight traditionalists and new fans searching for a truer sound.

Bret Ervin belting it out in The Helm. Photo by Anne Marie for Local Hero Media

Countryside Ride singer Bret Ervin Lien stopped into The Helm to record Episode #84 in advance of the record’s release and the band’s big show this coming Saturday at The Secret Society in Portland. He talked about the band’s natural progression from a trio to a five-piece, the inspiration he draws from his daily life for his songwriting, and finding a second home for his band at The Deer Lodge.

He also offers up some songs from a few of his major influences and plays a few stripped-down versions of tunes that highlight the new album. One listen to this podcast and you’ll know why we’ve come to love and admire this very humble, talented singer-songwriter as well as the super cool folks he calls bandmates. So sit back, buckle up and enjoy a ride through the Pacific Northwest countryside.

Here’s the playlist:

All You’ll Ever Be, Countryside Ride
I Hope He Breaks Your Heart, Countryside Ride
Since You’ve Been Gone (Live In The Helm), Bret Ervin
Ramblin’ Lips, The Cedar Shakes
Pay No Attention To Alice, Tom T. Hall
Other Side Of The Blues, Mike Stinson
Truck Driver’s Lament (Live In The Helm), Bret Ervin
Breakfast Blues, Countryside Ride
Trailer Of Love (Live In The Helm), Bret Ervin

Countryside Ride, 2018: Jessica Kunze, Ian Miller, Bret Ervin Lien, Joshua Kunze and Johnny Payola. Photo by Mirifoto (www.mirifoto.com)

January Podcast Picks

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Dori Freeman’s album “Letters Never Read” met with universal praise upon its release in October. Photo by Scott Simontacchi

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

Seemingly out of nowhere, Dori Freeman’s eponymous debut album took alt-country nation by surprise in 2016 with its refreshing, straight-ahead approach. All talent, no schtick — and the media praise flowed.

Same story late last year when Freeman’s follow-up, Letters Never Sent, hit the streets in October, just in time to make it on an endless list of “Best of 2017” rankings. No sophomore slump for Freeman, who picked up right where she left off with “If I Could Make You My Own,” the lead song from the album that tops this month’s Podcast Picks.

Rowdy good fun: Banditos will be at Doug Fir Lounge in Portland on Sunday, Jan. 28. Photo by David McAllister

We also feature new music from a few more of our favorites, including Caleb Caudle, First Aid Kit, Courtney Marie Andrews and the legendary Mavis Staples.

As for bands heading our way for shows in the upcoming weeks, we offer a little rowdy fun from Banditos, another song from Whitney Rose (we featured her last month as well), a spooky little tune from Canada’s Deep Dark Woods, and some excellent red-dirt country by The Randy Rogers Band.

And speaking of legends, we’ll forgive country’s true outlaw, Billy Don Burns, for misspelling Gram Parsons’ name in the song we include here. Famous for his association with Willie Nelson and his many scrapes with the law, Burns is a criminally underappreciated talent who will appear at Dante’s here in Portland tonight! (That’s Wednesday, Jan. 17 for you folks scoring at home).

So dial it up and settle in for a fun little ride — you can download or stream this month’s Podcast picks right here at our home page.

Here’s the playlist:

If I Could Make You My Own, Dori Freeman
Fine Fine Day, Banditos
Empty Arms, Caleb Caudle
Long Lonely Road, Valerie June
Trying Times, Carrie Nation and the Speakeasy
Graham Parsons, Hank Williams and Me, Billy Don Burns
Whole Lotta Highway (With A Million Miles To Go), Marty Stuart and his Fabulous Superlatives
Fireworks, First Aid Kit
Just A Drink Away, Charley Crockett
Arizona, Whitney Rose
Delta Dawn, Hellbound Glory
Little Drunk Fists, Slobberbone
Something To Hold On To, Turnpike Troubadours
Way Out, John Calvin Abney
If All I Was Was Black, Mavis Staples
San Antone, The Randy Rogers Band
Without Your Love, Chris Stapleton
San Juan Hill, The Deep Dark Woods
May Your Kindness Remain, Courtney Marie Andrews
Sid and Nancy, Micah Schnabel

 

Live Review: Whiskey Wednesday with Western Centuries at Landmark Saloon

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The Big Three: Western Centruies featuring (l to r) Jim Miller, Cahalen Morrison and Ethan Lawton on the tiny stage at Landmark Saloon in Portland.

Western Centuries
Live at Landmark Saloon
Portland, OR, USA
1-10-18

By Phil Favorite

When it comes to West Coast country bands, it doesn’t get much better than Western Centuries — the five-piece, Seattle-based unit featuring three distinct singer-songwriters and a harmony sound all their own.

So when Western Centuries loaded into the tiny Landmark Saloon for a couple of intimate sets of high quality Honky Tonk, the Whiskey Wednesday regulars knew they were in for a treat. The place packed quickly but there was just enough room for the dancing crowd to shake and spin, just a step or two from the band and arm’s length from the tip jar.

With singers Jim Miller, Cahalen Morrison and Ethan Lawton sharing the spotlight, the band famously rotated instruments and kept it loose. Lawton and Morrison switched back and forth from fronting the band to playing drums, and Morrison and Miller swapped duties on lead guitar, with one plucking a clean telecaster while the other strummed a rich acoustic.

Describing Western Centuries sound as straight Honky Tonk would be misleading. It’s easy to identify influences from across the Americana spectrum — R&B, country, soul, folk and cajun music all color the sound.

The band played favorites from their excellent 2016 record “Weight of the World,” but much of the first set drew from their upcoming album, “Songs From The Deluge,” due out April 6 on Free Dirt Records. The sweat and smiles pouring from the dance floor all night told the rest of the story.

Late last year,Western Centuries premiered four of the songs from the new album n KEXP’s Swinging Doors program, hosted by DJ Don Slack. For a taste of what this band is all about, check out live versions of “Wild Birds,” “Wild You Run,” “How Many More Miles To Babylon” and “Three Swallows” in the video below.

Learn more about Western Centuries and their upcoming album release at Free Dirt’s Western Centuries page.

 

Episode #83 featuring Matthew Lindley

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The man with a plan: Matthew Lindley re-visits The Helm. Photo by Anne Marie for Local Hero Media.

Stream or download Episode #83: Episode 83 w/ Matthew Lindley

Matthew Lindley is a man with a plan. And, wow, what a plan it is. For his upcoming seven-day residency at Al’s Den in downtown Portland, Lindley has something special planned for each and every night of the week.

Described as “Matthew Lindley’s Cavalcade of Stars,” Lindley will be joined each night by friends who span his 15-plus-years of making and sharing music. He’ll dedicate each show to a period in his music career, featuring specific albums from the past along with songwriting and storytelling nights squeezed in to mix things up. No two nights will be the same, which should keep the shows fresh every night.

Matthew Lindley, live in The Helm. Photo by Anne Marie for Local Hero Media.

On this episode of  That Much Further West Podcast, Lindley returns to The Helm as a guest for the first time since he was promoting his latest CD release, “Late Bloomer,” in October of 2016. He talks about his plans for the upcoming residency (beginning Sunday, Jan. 7) and the challenges he’s set for himself for the weeklong stretch.

He also shares some of his favorite tunes from 2017 and lays out his musical plans for early 2018. And not to be outdone, Lindley performs a few new and old tunes that clue you in on just what a fine talent this Spokane, WA native is.

So settle in and crank it up. We’re excited to bring you Episode #83 from The Helm. Here’s the playlist:

Late Bloomer, Matthew Lindley
Midnight Train To Memphis, Chris Stapleton
Tupelo, Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit
My Year Of Anger (Live In The Helm), Matthew Lindley
Heart In Your Hand (Live In The Helm), Matthew Lindley
Murphy Bed, Matthew Lindley
Pullman, WA, Matthew Lindley Mistake
Can’t Stay Away (Live In The Helm), Matthew Lindley
Holding On, The War On Drugs

Review of Wannabe by Taylor Kingman

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Wannabe
by Taylor Kingman
(2017, Mama Bird)

By ERIC KOTILA

“I wannabe strong. That time I proved I was right, I was wrong.”

I love records where the artist opens up and shares everything they have. For some songwriters (John Moreland, Willy Tea Taylor, Micah Schnabel), it just comes naturally and they do it all the time. Others (Jason Isbell, BJ Barham) share it from a period in their life when there is growth. Taylor Kingman is among the latter, and it’s evident on his solo debut, “Wannabe.”

I first met Taylor at the 2013 Wildwood MusicFest & Campout as lead singer of The Hill Dogs and, I must be honest here, I was not impressed. A late start to his showcase set and a missed slot at the Sunday morning review showed me a kid still trying to figure things out while having the time of his life. Soon afterward he was spending a lot more time here in Portland and a few friends who also saw the Wildwood performance said I should get to know him better and see him for the talented, good-natured kid that he is.

Getting to know more about Taylor the person, I discovered a kind spirit with a big smile who truly loves music. We had him and The Hill Dogs on the podcast (see Episode #72) and I could tell immediately he had figured stuff out. He launched an open mic on Sundays at The Laurelthirst Pub, challenging all comers with a new songwriting theme each week. He started hanging and playing with the regular musicians there as well. This is where we have seen him shedding his old skin for new. His songwriting is amazing and has matured so much. We all witnessed a rebirth at Wildwood 2016. The Hill Dogs were perfect and blew everyone away.

Now Taylor has made an honest and truly great solo record.

“I wannabe forgiven for everything I knew. I wannabe true.”

To purchase a CD, cassette or digital download of “Wannabe” by Taylor Kingman, visit his page at the Mama Bird Recording Co. website. Taylor will be performing songs from “Wannabe” and also playing with his band TK and The Holy Know Nothings on Wednesday, Nov. 29 at Mississippi Studios.

Listen to “Wannabe” on Spotify, courtesy of Mama Bird Recording Co.:

Review of A Long Way From Your Heart by Turnpike Troubadours

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A Long Way from Your Heart
by Turnpike Troubadours
(2017, Bossier City)
 
100 words on A Long Way from Your Heart
By MIKE LEE
Every great road trip is about the journey more than the destination. The latest offering from Turnpike Troubadours is a leisurely drive on the back roads of Oklahoma. The windows down on the old Chevrolet C-10 as the fence posts whiz past and the roadside attractions become paragraphs in your travel memoir. The boys in the band are seasoned guides taking you to all the fun spots including that great, local diner in the town you never heard of before now. Easy yet meaningful conversation and hearty laughter are the hallmarks of this trip which doesn’t leave you choking on red dirt.

Mixtape Trio Bravo:

Listen to “The Housefire”:  The Housefire

Listen to “Pay No Rent”:  Pay No Rent

Listen to “Pipe Bomb Dream”:  Pipe Bomb Dream