A Word From Our Sponsors w/ Jeans Wilder

As I was editing the Jeans Wilder podcast I was reminded of the fact that we just went through an election season (aka the last couple of years).  It seems like it ended an eternity ago and I thought about how lucky we are to no longer get bombarded by news from the campaign trail.  I'm glad that the Jeans Wilder prediction, that we would have Romney in the White House in 2012, did not come to pass.  I'm also glad for the turning seasons, the abundance of good food here at Wealth Underground Farm, and the opportunity I get to meet and converse with so many interesting people via the Farm to Artist Project.

Jeans Wilder was on a short tour when they took the time to swing by the farm to participate in the project.  They brought an incredible energy with them, which translates into a fast paced podcast.  I hardly remember what we talked about since the conversation was such a frenzy.  

Unfortunately, I didn't get to catch them when they played in Portland but Andrew did grace us with a special, one time only performance of Dog Years.  Be on the lookout for that Road Snacks short to be released in the coming weeks.

Thanks to Jeans Wilder for a raucous lunch at Wealth Underground Farm.  To here more from them go to their Bandcamp Page.

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The Skeletonwitch podcast was a lot of fun to produce and I hope you enjoy listening to it.  There will be a special treat from Jeans Wilder out at the end of the week to tease that upcoming podcast.

Early Dinner w/ Skeletonwitch

At a time when their is a lot of division amongst the people of the United States of America, when two men take the spotlight in a mud throwing charade that makes us all feel dirty and defeated, there is still music.  Skeletonwitch, from the much disputed state of Ohio, brings to all of their shows a sense of acceptance and positivity that is especially refreshing during election season.  Their songs are often dark, pursuing themes of brutality and violence, but the opportunity for amusement and escapism that they create leaves everyone who encounters them better off.  Plus they are five incredibly pleasant individuals who are able to leave their aggression on the stage and in the studio.

Any day is worth celebrating but a day without rain this time of year in the Pacific Northwest is to be cherished.  The sun came out as we toured Wealth Underground making it difficult to motivate a transition inside for the meal and the podcast.  When we did go inside, an assortment of roasted vegetables, pasta, and a homemade tomato sauce was there to greet us.  

We met up again at Branx in Southeast Portland for their show with Havok and Mutilation Rites.  They played a ferocious set to a surprisingly large crowd for a Monday night.  If you missed Skeletonwitch this tour, you will no doubt have an opportunity to see them in the coming year, playing an array of new songs, as they are not going anywhere soon.

 

Thanks to Skeletonwitch for swinging by the farm on their latest tour.  Visit their website or Facebook page to hear songs or get information about upcoming shows.  

Also, on the podcast I promised a link to Happy the Hobo's obituary.  Here it is as well as his Facebook page.  RIP Happy the Hobo.

Tacos w/ Torches

Other than cover crop seed, a handful more garlic, and maybe some winter hoophouse crops, nothing more is going to be planted in the field until springtime.  Our time is mostly spent harvesting as the season quiets and the cold puts most things to rest. 

In the midst of this seasonal transition Farm to Artist remains active, recently playing host to Torches from Los Angeles.  They brought up some sun with them on the van ride up from California, which was much appreciated.  We once again hypnotized a chicken, the same one from a few week prior.  It's probably the easiest one to catch now since the first time we hypnotized it we convinced it that it was a human.  Once we stopped harassing the chickens we went inside for a lunch, which consisted of farm fresh taco fixings.

After lunch Torches visited Sauvie Island on a recommendation and then headed into town for their show at the Rotture.  Their sometimes referred to as psychadelic but they more reminded me of the indie/emo bands I saw when I was in high school.  Their is an infectious youthful energy to their live shows that definitely played on my nostalgia.  Torches are both talented and creative and they have a lot of potential. 

To hear more from Torches you can visit their bandcamp page or check them out on Facebook.  Also, check out this video for their song "I Want Something" off of the album Heads Full of Rust:

Chicken Hypnotism w/ Slug Guts

Have you seen the film The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser by Werner Herzog?  There is a scene where these kids, who are taunting a world shy Kaspar, bring a chicken into his holding cell and hypnotize it.  I'm not sure who Kaspar is in this scenario (maybe Le Beouef, our duck?) but Albert, the bass player from Slug Guts, performed the role of the rascal kids when the band recently paid a visit to Wealth Underground Farm.  After the bird laid still for about thirty seconds, he snapped his fingers with the hand not holding a Miller Lite and the dazed hen stood up, assessed the situation, and ran over to the rest of the flock.

Slug Guts, coming all the way from Australia, was in Portland playing a show at The Know.  It was the third show on their tour, following a show in L.A. and San Francisco.

We toured the farm, tasting veggies and having precious animal moments, before going into the house for the meal.  We are in the middle of the most abundant season at the farm and the meal consisted of a diverse array of vegetables.  For the early dinner, we had a slaw featuring radishes, carrots, beans, beets, and torpedo onions as well as roasted broccoli with parmesan.  The recipe for the roasted broccoli is on the Wealth Underground page accompanying the picture of the first share.

I've mentioned before that I appreciate the Know for it's 11pm show end rule, a rule that allows me to see the headlining band and then get home and get a good nights sleep.  Slug Guts played a bawdy set to a full room and even ended a little early.  Instead of taking advantage of the early ending, I ended up saying my goodbyes around one after partying for a while with these Aussie punks (and Mike, their awesome tour manager from New York).

Thanks to Slug Guts for making the trek out to the farm.  Check out their newest album, Playin' In Time With The Deadbeat, released by Sacred Bone Records.  For more info on Slug Guts, visit their Facebook page.

Early Dinner w/ Young Magic

Songs get stuck in your head, which is an (nearly) indisputable fact.  With their first full length release, Melt, the band Young Magic have crafted an entire album that, from start to finish, is one big earworm.  They gifted a tape version of the album to Wealth Underground Farm at the end of their visit and I'm nervous that we are going to pretty soon play it until it no longer works.  Not only do they make beautiful, captivating music but Young Magic, featuring Melati, Isaac, (Michael, the third member of the band, was not on this tour due to Visa issues), and their tour companion Ashley were incredibly pleasant people.  They ended up missing their sound check as the time spent chatting and eating a meal heavy in collard greens went by rapidly.  We probably could have continued sitting around the table for much longer if they did not have a show to get to.

Later, that night we reconnected at the Doug Fir on Burnside.  I arrived in time to catch the end of Imaginary Cities and wished I could have caught more of their set.  Quilt played and if I closed my eyes I could have sworn I was listening to Jefferson Airplane and the year was 1967.  They were excellent and a perfect compliment to the more poppy psychadelic sound of Young Magic, who played last.  Their first album, Melt, is good listening on a record player but, like an awesome movie, is better experienced live.  Even though they were performing as a two piece due to visa issues and, as a result, used a lot of pre-recorded music their live set came off as spontaneous and organic.  Catherine, a friend of Farm to Artist, described the music as transcendent and, along with the moving images on the screen behind the band, there were moments when I felt lifted by the music.  It feels like Young Magic is tapping into an energy stream with their music and I'm thankful they are willing to share that energy with us.

Thank you Young Magic for a pleasant day.  To hear more from the band you can check them out online on Facebook or on their bandcamp page.

This Will Destroy You nearly destroyed!

Hear This Will Destroy You recount a horrifying tale of gang violence in Austin.  Well, it's not that horrifying but there is more action than in most Road Snacks podcasts.  Download it.