George Turner and Ben Alexander of My Fellow Traveller stopped by to chat about their music and their unique albums. The band is bringing back the album as an art form, with their Pink Floyd-esque tunes that bleed into one another, making them sound more like movements than separate songs within themselves.  There are no “singles” on these records.

We chatted about their most recent work, Misery Becomes Wisdom, with its creative orchestration and cheery title.  We also discuss their live, their band name (Traveller with two “ll”s?) and why their third album will be their last.

Listen to a full and yet-to-be-released song on this episode, “Waiting For A Match” from their upcoming Wisdom Becomes Truth.  Also hear parts of “A Sorrow I Can Call My Own” from Misery Becomes Wisdom, and “Stay Down” from the unreleased record.

Check out My Fellow Traveller at http://www.reverbnation.com/myfellowtraveller

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I learned about Michael Shoup when I read a blog post of his on Music Think Tank on the topic of Artistic Efficiency - How to Create More and Get out of Your Own Way.  I loved the post and so I email him and told him so.  A few months later – he’s coming through Portland on a Pacific Northwest tour!

Michael sat down with me in the studio to chat about his blog post and how he turned around his musical career after burning out and going into debt.  We also discussed his new Song-For-You project, and you’ll hear a full version of the song Closer on this episode.

We also talked about what the Nashville music scene is like, a music marketing company he started, and a funny story that involves a cover he once did of Defying Gravity from the musical Wicked.

Listen to the episode below – and check out Michael’s music at www.michaelshoup.com.

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Laurel graced by the studio this week to talk about life, music, and her Airstream trailer.  Seriously – ask her about it.  It’s a pretty cool story.

Laurel splits her time between Portland and Bend, has a great album House of Snow (produced by Portland Cello Project’s Douglas Jenkins) out last year, and is playing a around Portland right now; check her out this Wednesday at the Laurelthirst Public House.

We talked about her songwriting, her advocacy surrounding the North Pacific Gyre, and her life’s adventures.  You’ll also be able to hear songs off of her House of Snow album: clips of Doldrums and Puppy Love, and a full track – Anywhere – in the middle of the interview.

Check out Laurel at www.laurelbrauns.com

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This singer-songwriter is down from Olympia, WA this week , and he stopped by the studio to talk about his new album Puzzle Pieces as well as his life and music.  Jabi is a doctor and an author as well as a musician – it was inspirational to hear what he’s done and how he put together his latest album.

Listen to Inverse Second(s) from Puzzle Pieces on this episode.  You’ll also hear clips of Voices and Undertones.

Jabi moved to the Pacific Northwest after living and playing in Southern California, and we chat about the differences between the two music scenes on this episode.  We also discuss his songwriting process and how he made Puzzle Pieces – an album which he crafted out of 100 song ideas down to just a handful.  The track names to the new album are all lines from a poem that Jabi wrote – and we delve into the inspirations and meanings behind a few of the album’s songs.

Jabi’s Portland CD Release concert is tonight at the Alberta Street Pub.

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Tyler joined us this week to talk about his music, his upcoming show at the Alberta Rose in Portland, and his stint in Nashville.  Learn about Tyler’s fascinating songwriting process and more on this episode.

Songs:

Full song – Best Laid Plans, Live from Alberta Rose Theater

Clip – The Road, Bittersweet Parade (2010)

Clip – We Grow, Long Before The Wheel (2010)

tylerstenson.com

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Bluegrass-influenced band Jackstraw has been a Portland staple for more than 15 years.  With a new album Sunday Never Comes released at the end of 2011, I sat down with Jon Neufeld, who plays lead guitar in the band.

We talked about the beginnings of the band, the new album, and Jon’s musical background and other projects.

Listen to a full track from Sunday Never Comes in this episode – Come On Back To Me, the first song on the album.  You’ll also hear clips of If I Die and Dark and Empty, also from the new album.

Also on this episode:

– Jon talks about his side projects, including his work with Dolorean, Kung Pao Chicken, and Black Prairie.

– We discuss Bluegrass music in Portland and beyond.

– Jon reveals Jackstraw’s plans for 2012 and tells a great story from the road in 2011.

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Something different this week: Luciana Proaño is a Portland-based dancer and artist, and she is working with her whole family including husband John JB Butler (an accomplished Jazz musician and composer) on her newest production – Ginger?!…Bread Boy.  Listen to some tradition Peruvian songs and more on this episode.

Luciana and John came into the studio to record this episode on Sunday, carrying an acoustic guitar and a cajón with them.  You’ll hear these instruments in the two songs they recorded for the middle of this episode — they are both variations on traditional Peruvian songs.  The first is a Tondero, and the second is a Festejo.  Luciana, who is originally from Peru but has lived all over the world, plays the cajón, and John JB Butler played the classical guitar.  You’ll notice there sounds like more than two guitars on the recording — he also brought a looping machine so that he could play multiple parts!

I’ve just met Luciana and her family of artists recently, but as you listen to this episode I’m sure you’ll be amazed by everything this family does.  Their two younger sons are part of the Ginger…Bread Boy production, while the oldest son is off playing with one of Portland’s most famous bands Pink Martini.

The main topic of conversation on this episode is Ginger…Bread Boy, which opens this Saturday at the BodyVox Dance Center.  There is another show on Sunday as well.  Buy tickets and find out more about Luciana buy going to www.lucianaproano.com.  The performance features dance, storytelling, animation/other visuals, and of course music.  JB Butler, Damian Erskine, and Mark Griffith make up the band.

Listen to this episode and find out about the story and the inspiration behind the Ginger…Bread Boy performance, the fascinating artistic and musical careers of Luciana Proaño and JB Butler, and more.

This episode also features music from Bahama Cowboy by JB Butler and Essiet Essiet.

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We talked with soul/pop singer and pianist Nicole Berke about her upcoming album, her musical upbringing, and moving to Portland from the East Coast.  Josh Lava, the drummer in Nicole’s band, also joins us for the interview.

Listen to Nicole’s song “Subconscious Heart” from her unreleased and yet-to-be-named album on this episode.

Some highlights:

– Nicole reveals the words to one of the first songs she wrote (its about a fish!)

– Nicole and Josh discuss the process of making the new album

– We talk about the differences between East Coast and West Coast music cultures

– Nicole explains the meaning behind the word “Frondescence,” the title of her EP

– We discuss the songwriting process

Also on this episode you’ll hear clips from two songs on the Frondescence EP, “Come On” and the title track “Frondescence.”

For more on Nicole Berke, visit her website: http://nicoleberkemusic.com/.

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Jonah talks about Portland concerts this week: The Head and The Heart, Thao with the Get Down Stay Down, and others. Also listen to this show for music recommendations, future shows in Portland to look out for, and more.

Listen to the full song of Jonah’s I Don’t Need You To Know on this episode.

What we talked about:

- Review of Head and The Heart show

-Upcoming in Portland: Feist + Jonah Luke + Kelsey Morris

-Music Recommendations: Paul Simon + Brett Dennen

Cheers,

Jonah

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Experimental Math-Pop rockers Wax Fingers joined us this week.  The trio from Portland, OR talked about the Math-rock genre, how they started (on Craigslist), and their first full-length album.

Listen to the song “Skeleton Key” on this episode. Also hear clips from their songs “20/20″ and “Fasten The Hook,” all from their self-titled debut LP (Buy it here.)

What we talked about:

– What the heck Math Rock is.

– How Wax Fingers started, and how they got their name.

– How they record vs. their live show

– Future plans (EP! Tour! etc.)

Links:

Wax Fingers website

Octopus Entertainment

NOTE: I’d like to apologize to Wax Fingers for not getting this episode up yesterday, as we discuss their awesome Halloween show in this episode, which occurred on 10/31/11.

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