Our PNW Music

On this episode of Our PNW Music, we visit with Garrett & The Sheriff’s, an Americana band out of Seattle. 

Garrett Hendricks (lead vocals/guitar), Danny Grasseschi (bass/vocals), Sarah Elder (violin/vocals) and Dani Radovich (percussion/vocals) sat down with us in Rudy’s backyard to hang out, talk music and have a socially distanced porch jam.

Along with discussing the backgrounds of these four amazing musicians, we also talked about two causes that are very near and dear to them: Black Lives Matter and the Washington National Park Fund. Not only do they use their platform to bring recognition to these two important organizations, but they also raise money for the causes. Most of the proceeds from the bands second LP, Woodsmoke, have been donated to WNPF, and all the proceeds from the recent release of the single “Where The Foxglove Grows” have been used to help fund BLM causes.

Garrett & The Sheriff’s are currently working on their third LP, which they hope to have released in late 2020. Make sure to subscribe to their social media sites below and check out some of their live streams. 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/garrettandthesheriffs/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/garrettandthesheriffs/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5EQtCOz1n7H5sNPJN7TiqA

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3immE4133sTjQwpBKofiOJ?si=oZgOrkjTTXaQ4pCy7xc-QQ

Website: https://garrettandthesheriffs.wordpress.com/

On this episode of Our PNW Music, we talk with Chris Eger from The Chris Eger Band and Mid-Life Crisis. Chris, winner of the “Best Male Vocalist Award” from the Washington Blues Society at the 2018 AND 2020 Best Of The Blues presentations, was born and raised in Mount Vernon WA. 

Chris grew up in a musical family; his parents had played in a band together before he was born. Music was a huge part of the Eger household. Chris started studying classical piano at age six, but throughout his childhood was more interested in sports. That all changed when he was twelve and saw a video recording of Stevie Ray Vaughn playing Crossfire from Austin City Limits. It was an epiphany; Chris went home, picked up one of his dads guitars and never looked back. 

In this episode, Chris discusses meeting Eric Heatherly, who became somewhat of a mentor and even produced The Chris Eger bands first LP. 

We also delve into Chris’ quarantine project ..... One Take Weekly. This is where Chris takes favorite classic rock songs by his favorite bands and recreates them by playing every single instrument .... and each instrument is done in one take …. from the beginning of the song to the end. Richard Williams, from Plum Tree Recording Studio, then puts all of the “one takes” together. Each song is quite an endeavor and beautifully produced. We have posted Chris’ YouTube link below where you can go watch all of these incredible masterpieces. 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/chrisegerband

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chrisegerband/

Instagram: https://instagram.com/chrisegerband?igshid=8sa9qhzzhfzq

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5q1EnsZ772cXwXMYpEiFdy?si=XvI2PzwlTrSYr6mDv4nVKw

Website: http://chrisegerband.com

In this episode, Our PNW Music talks with Whatcom County’s J.P. Falcon Grady (of The J.P. Falcon Band). J.P., originally from the Blackfeet Nation out of Browning MT, tells us about his life growing up in with his unconditionally loving and supportive adoptive family, but not always finding the same in others from outside of his home. He talks about how his family always made sure he was educated about his Native American heritage and kept that ingrained in him. J.P. moved around fairly often due to his dad’s profession, a college professor who taught electrical engineering at Montana State University, Purdue University and Arizona State University. The Grady family eventually moved to Whatcom County when J.P. was in high school and was immediately embraced by the Lummi Nation where he finally felt welcome and accepted by people outside of his Immediate family.

Do you want to know what the first song was that J.P. taught himself to play on the guitar? Or what movie taught him to sing? Or why he tends to drift off when you’re having dinner with him in a restaurant? Or what animal was messing with him one quiet night on Lummi Point? All these questions are answered in this podcast. While we love all of our interviews, J.P. definitely stands out as a favorite. An amazing songwriter, an amazing musician and an amazing human being. We are so lucky to have J.P. Falcon Grady here in the NW. Make sure to follow him on his social media pages so you won’t miss any upcoming performances.

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/jpfalcon.band/

Instagram:  https://instagram.com/jpfalconband?igshid=tarw5lvy48ur

Website:  https://www.jpfalconband.com/

On this episode of Our PNW Music podcast we talk to Skagit County native, Cory Vincent (The Cory Vincent Group, Josey Wails, The Troy Fair Band).

In the summer of 2018, Cory decided to leave his day job and become a solo musician full time. He is one of the, if not THE, hardest working musicians in the PNW right now; often playing 3 or more shows every week (pre-COVID shutdown).

Cory is definitely a triple threat. He has an incredibly smokey blues timbre that can bounce effortlessly between a smooth Motown sound to a gravely blues rock style reminiscent of the late, great Gregg Allman.  His deep, sometimes intense, rhythmic guitar playing is a perfect blend of straight blues rock that will bring to mind all the rock icons. And his lyricist style is powerful and concise, yet always evolving. 

Make sure you follow Cory’s social media pages so you will get notified of upcoming live streams .... and hopefully some in person performances in the near future.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cory.vincent.589

Instagram: https://instagram.com/coryvincentofficial?igshid=1bfrsspt5f9k6

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/381VYgjoITBVVsBSRfpnWY?si=FvPQtFuzQTeMDHNcKgasNw

website: https://coryvmusic.com

This episode of Our PNW Music is the debut of The Stepdads, a duo made up of childhood friends Jack Mattingly (Jack Mattingly & Whiskey Fever, Bare Feet, Bad Chuck) and Dusty Claybo (The Last Resort, Bad Chuck). This is the second music collaboration that Jack and Dusty have created; the first being Bad Chuck, which was a venture born when they were in high school and lasted until they were in their early 20’s.

The Stepdads episode is about a friendship that is nearly three decades in the making. With our world enveloped in a pandemic, division and protesting centuries of inequality and injustices, Jack and Dusty embody the innocence of childhood friendship, playing guitars in the back yard with the fur babies and spending free time in the woods instead of in front of a TV. Listen while they entertain us with stories from when they were in 4th grade all the way up to present time; you’ll laugh and cry (from laughing so hard).

The music centerpiece of this episode is a song called “The Roaring 20’s” that Jack wrote on January 2nd, 2020 after spending a few celebratory days with his BFF, Dusty. The song was a take off from the ‘roaring’ 1920’s and meant to be a hopeful outlook into the 2020’s. Listening to the song now, it derives a sort of eerie, prophetic sentiment. The song is brilliantly written and has an all encompassing melody that will have you reaching for the repeat button each time the song ends. If you have never heard a Jack Mattingly song, “The Roaring 20’s” is a perfect representation of his incredible artistic talent. As far as the Our PNW Music co-hosts are concerned .... all roads lead to Jack 💚. 

With the “stay at home order” in place, Our PNW Music podcast had to get creative in order to bring you the best of the Pacific Northwest musicians. With most of the country hunkering down at home due to the COVID-19 virus, it got us thinking .... or maybe remembering.... there used to be a time, before music streaming services and mixed tapes, where we would listen to a FULL vinyl album (and 8-tracks/cassettes/CD’s). In the words of Shane Gildnes from Fanny Alger, it was a time “that provided for the ability to not listen to music as a background activity, but it was actually THE activity”. Now, when so many people have this extra time on their hands, it’s a great opportunity to go back and revisit the “lost art of deep listening”. On “Listening To Albums Again II” we spoke with Dennis Dorgan (New Brother, Whiskey Fever) and Chuck Dingée (The Walrus, Free Harmony) 

Dennis Dorgan recounts how the “Commit This To Memory” album by Motion City Soundtrack helped him deal with the suicide of his brother; listening  to other narratives helped him consider other prospectives.  “Reconstruction Site” by The Weakerthans helped pull him through his own suicidal feelings.

Chuck Dingée spoke about his love of concept albums, starting with Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side Of The Moon”; where there was very little space between the songs because it was made to be listened to as one whole piece. Other concept albums that Chuck dives into are: “Twelve Dreams Of Dr Sardonicus” by Spirit, “It’s A Beautiful Day” by It’s A Beautiful Day and “Abbey Road” and “Sargent Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band” by The Beatles. 

Do you have any albums that you’ve listened to over and over from beginning to end? If so, let us know. We’re always anxious to add to our own collections.

Savanna Woods, the PNW’s own “Queen Of Hearts”, joins us on this episode of Our PNW Music. 

Ms. Woods, a Stanwood native, currently heads two bands, The Woods Sisters and Waking Maya; however she recently has been branching out on her own. She’s an amazing song writer who has an angelic voice with just enough grittiness to lull the listener into a mystical trance. 

Savanna has two major loves: music and traveling. Visiting over 28 countries to date, this young woman of twenty five years of age, has been able to seamlessly combine her two passions on weekly Facebook posts titled “Wandering Wednesdays”. You can access these videos on Savanna Woods Music FaceBook page.

Please listen in as Ms. Woods regales us with stories of her travels, music and what drives her wandering nature. And make sure to subscribe to her social media sites so you will be alerted to all of her future endeavors. 

FaceBook:  https://www.facebook.com/SavannaWoodsMusic/

Instagram:  https://instagram.com/savannaeden?igshid=q9gqlnh62zuv

Website:  https://www.patreon.com/SavannaWoods

In this episode, we talk to Brittany Collins, singer-songwriter from Stanwood, WA.  Coming from a sports centered family, Brittany did not pick up the guitar until she was a young adult, however she had aspirations of writing and performing music since she was a young girl..

Growing up, Brittany’s grandmother introduced her to classic rock music from power hitters Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and Janis Joplin. In fact, “Me & Bobby McGee” is a fan favorite in her live performance sets. Brittany often credits her grandmother as the main individual that influenced her to become a musician. 

In this episode we explore Brittany’s struggles with stage fright and how joining community theatre helped bring her partly out of her shell .... then her own drive and perseverance of regularly attending open mic nights helped boost her confidence level and fine tune her stage skills.

Brittany also discusses her song writing process, travels with her family and why she always comes back home to the PNW, as well as her transformation as a musical artist during this COVID-19 quarantine era.  Please make sure to subscribe to her social media links below so you will be notified of all future projects and performances. We’re sure that her charm, talent and positivity will make you a life long fan as it has done with us.

FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/BrittanyCollinsBand/

Instagram: https://instagram.com/brittmakesmusic?igshid=1lksnk0cuteuh

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/Bombshellnetwork

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5pzvjjFxUezDM7TaGcT9fX?si=_123esqTTK265ti7f4dbYA

Website: https://brittanycollinsband.com/

With the 2020 “stay at home order” in place, Our PNW Music podcast had to get creative in order to bring you the best of the Pacific Northwest musicians. With most of the country hunkering down at home due to the COVID-19 virus, it got us thinking .... or maybe remembering.... there used to be a time, before music streaming services and mixed tapes, where we would listen to a FULL vinyl album (and 8-tracks/cassettes/CD’s). In the words of Shane Gildnes from Fanny Alger, it was a time “that provided for the ability to not listen to music as a background activity, but it was actually THE activity”. Now, when so many people have this extra time on their hands, it’s a great opportunity to go back and revisit the “lost art of deep listening”. 

On “Listening To Albums Again”, we talk with Cory Vincent (solo artist formerly from Josey Wales), Michelle Montoya (Gin Gypsy), Andy Brown (Whiskey Fever, Fortune 500, Pavlov Jones, Hindu Grass) and Shane Gildnes (Fanny Alger, Blue Green, Stagnant Water) while they recount their favorite albums from their youth. 

Discover how a used album of Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid”, purchased from a second hand record store, redirected Cory Vincent’s love of blues into a new direction. 

Michelle Montoya talks about being introduced to Michael Jackson’s “Off The Wall” album by her neighbor ..... and that she would go to her neighbors house so often just to listen, it was eventually gifted to her.

Andy Brown talks about how Tom Petty’s “Damn The Torpedos” made a huge impression on him as a young adult growing up in Sedro Woolley. And on a comical note .... Andy will tell you what artists were not his favorites ... but always made big points with the ladies during his “dating days”. 

And finally, Shane Gildnes, the walking encyclopedia of musical knowledge, talks about the impression that Pink Floyd’s concept album “The Wall” made on him. And .... as only Shane can do .... you will also hear his thoughts on what important people DJ’s are, his rules to reading liner notes, how Led Zeppelin snuck up on him, his memories of the Columbia record company and his 7 degrees of separation between Pink Floyd’s “The Wall” and actor Kevin Bacon. There is never a dull moment talking to Shane and we are so lucky to have him here in the PNW.

We talked with Sue Passmore of the Good Lovelies. They will be in Mount Vernon at the Lincoln Theater on May 2nd.

We played the songs:

Crabbuckit - written by Kevin Brereton, known as the artist k-os

Kiss Me in the Kitchen - Sue Passmore wrote for their album Let the Rain Fall

I See Gold Caroline Brooks brought the song to the group with co-writer Robyn Dell'Unto.

Whiskey - A song from their first album; 2007’s Oh My!

Last Night - From their Burn The Plan album written by Kerri Ough.

From https://goodlovelies.com

Kerri Ough, Sue Passmore, and Caroline Brooks – immensely talented vocalists and songwriters in their own right; however, it’s their voices interwoven in harmony – powerful and pure, organic and inspiring – that elevates the Good Lovelies from impressive to peerless. 

Over the course of their decade-plus career, they’ve covered plenty of stylistic ground, adding tinges of pop, roots, jazz, and even hip-hop to their country folk core at various points. 

The trio first united in 2006 for a one-off performance and has since compiled a catalogue of four studio albums, a pair of EPs, a live album, and Christmas collection. Through it all, the unmistakable sound of their intertwined voices has been the sonic anchor, and that remains true as the Good Lovelies now look to push further into the mainstream with their most accessible and pop-influenced output to date. 

Their upcoming collection offers a perfect balance between a more modern production style and the wholesome musical influences that have made them a household name over the years. What’s more, the songs themselves build on the Good Lovelies’ familiar foundation with a widespread appeal. 

Website- https://goodlovelies.com

Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/goodlovelies/

Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/goodlovelies/

Spotify- https://open.spotify.com/artist/3hh35eWuRs5ZqIUIKyne5S?si=A_FA09-iT0mmHSr7aXUB4A