The Auteur at Tribeca Film Festival, NYC, this week.

April 22, 2008 In News

The Auteur at Tribeca Film Festival, NYC, this week.

The Auteur is a hilarious indie film, made in Portland by writer / director James Westby, featuring HUSH artists on the majority of the soundtrack. It’s screening serveral times this weekend at The Tribeca Film Festival, which had the presence of mind to highlight its “great indie rock soundtrack”. Below is a making-of reel. (A brief warning: may not be suitable for work, etc. Features blocked out nudity and language.) If you are in the NYC area this weekend we implore you to go see it! It’s an original mix of raunchiness and sweetness that will have you rolling in the aisle. For showtimes and more go to theauteurmovie.com or make friends on myspace.

April 21, 2008 In Rauelsson

Bienvenidos Rauelsson

Raúl Pastor Medall is the first of our roster to break our anglophone release history and we’re thrilled about it. We became acquainted with Raúl during his Portland residency last year as he made fast friends with The Loch Lomond crew and Laura Gibson, among others.

His forthcoming release for HUSH is as stunning in form as it is in sound: Two satisfying EP CDs are housed in sturdy black board gatefold with Evan B. Harris (Cover artist for Laura Gibson’s If You Come To Greet Me) scribed text, printed with gold ink.

RaÃºl has given several interviews for Spanish radio recently and is presently at work on a soundtrack. We are looking forward to having him back in the Northwest in May.

Until then, enjoy this lovely tune (Featuring Laura Gibson):

OtoÃ±o Pacifico

And say ciao over on his site or myspace

April 21, 2008 In Laura Gibson, News

On The Road With Laura Gibson

Laura’s been out on the road with Colin Meloy for a couple weeks now, opening the shows and singing duets with the most famous HUSH alumni. The route took them through DC, where Ms. Gibson had the pleasure of meeting Bob Boilen of NPR. Bob intived her to his desk cubicle to perform for those who weren’t on deadline for an off the cuff performance of “Hands In Pockets”. Have a look. The payoff is a the end, I think.

Very endearing, as always.

April 15, 2008 In News, Nick Jaina

Checking in again with Nick Jaina

Burlington Free Press offers this classy audio postcard montage. The lads are working their way back to Stumptown, but if you’re a Californian you’ll have no excuse not to catch them live, as they play every locale in the golden state over the next three weeks or so. (see sidebar for dates).

As if maiking up for lost time, Nick waxed poetical in a tour diary update to rival the likes of Melville at localcut.com. The scene was Wichita, KS, and the outlook is temporarily dour (but in case you don’t make it to the end) everything is okay, everything is alright. The music goes on.

We’ve also added Nick’s 2005 CD effort The Bluff Of All Time, and some handsome Nick Jaina related Tees to the HUSHshop.

April 10, 2008 In News, Shelley Short

Shelley Short: Gifts From Paris & Portland

photo: Laurent Orseau

We’re pleased to announce that Shelley’s third album Water For The Day is now available for early order in the HUSHshop. Shelley will be playing a not-to-miss CD Release show at The Someday Lounge in Portland this Sunday April 13th before a short west coast tour to begin later in the month.

Thanks to Laurent Orseau, who since 2001 have fostered creativity with rare kindness and warmth with their nonprofit association Hinah, a true gift to humanity from which songs, images, and writings spring eternal. Shelley Short recently stopped in and annointed their new flat with a few songs:

Find this and more at Hinah.com

1 – “Godamn Thing”
00:02:49 / 3.23 MB
2 – “Sunny Side”
00:02:37 / 2.99 MB
3 – “Swimming”
00:03:23 / 3.88 MB
4 – “How Grand”
00:03:18 / 3.78 MB
5 – “Bells Of Hell”
00:01:57 / 2.23 MB

March 31, 2008 In Norfolk & Western

What’s New Norfolk?

photo: Chad Crouch

Norfolk and Western have been stirring. They revealed a cavalcade of new songs at their recent sold out show at The Doug Fir which have been recently committed to tape at The Type Foundry Studio, and a session in Spain. Willamette Week leaked the descriptively named (take a breath) track “Sue and The Short Order Cook From Chesterfield” about a month back. I think the band would like you to bear in mind that this is an unfinished, unmastered version.

“Sue and The Short Order Cook From Chesterfield”

We’d also like to draw attention to a gem of wax which was released just last summer. Norfolk & Western and Graves interpret the classic NW doo-wop of The Fleetwoods in the six song Fleetwoods Hack. Go buy one now (only 9 bux! with a hand-letterpressed cover!). Issued by the Olympia upstart PIAPTK, this 10″ vinyl release (or CDr for $6 if you, gasp, don’t spin wax) is a satisfying and sweet tribute. Fleetwoods who? Trust me you know. Their hits “Come Softly To Me” and “Mr. Blue” were #1 hits in 1959: indeed, they hold the distinction of being the first band ever to top the Billboard Charts twice in a single year. (Factoids!) And, The Fleetwoods were just high school kids from Olympia, Wa. that composed their songs as A Capellas. They didn’t play instruments!

The following track was available at the fine blog Cable and Tweed (so we’re presuming it to be free’n’legal): Norfolk & Western with The Graves -“Mr. Blue”

While we’re shining spotlights on things past, why not post that Hinah Gift Session from way, way, way back in 2002 with Peace Harbor. It’s a sweet one:

1 – Norfolk & Western “No Else Where He Can Go”
2 – Adam Selzer “Far From My Lair”
3 – Norfolk & Western “A Marriage Proposal”
4 – Norfolk & Western “Final Gratitude”
5 – Norfolk & Western “Of Divided Night”
6 – Peace Harbor “Torch Song”
7 – Peace Harbor “In My Room”

Word on the street is Norfolk & Western are taking the pick of the litter from recent and future sessions for the next album release. The name, track list, and release date are all TBD.

Thankfully they will be sharing some of these tasty morsels with us in April on tour in the West with the engaging and amiable Weinland

March 24, 2008 In Laura Gibson, News

New Tour-Only EP from Laura Gibson!

fresh photo: Melanie Brown

Tour-Only Cover EPs are the de rigueur of today’s working musician. Colin Meloy announced his ode to Sam Cooke a few weeks back, and we are pleased to confirm the details of Laura Gibson’s (to open all tour dates for Meloy) cover EP counterpoint: Six White Horses: Blues & Traditionals Vol I Presented by Laura Gibson and Friends.

Recorded over a weekend, in the kitchen, front porch and basement of an old Victorian House in Sellwood, Oregon, Six White Horses finds Laura Gibson reinterpreting six old blues and traditional songs that have greatly influenced her music and guitar-work. The sparse and somewhat improvisational arrangements came as a collaboration with multi-instrumentalist Jason Leonard, seasoned in radio sound-effects and found-sound compositions.

While Gibson’s guitarwork mostly adheres to the original blues composition, her voice, nylon strings, and reliance on non-traditional instrumentation bring the songs into a unique time and space. Gibson’s voice and classical guitar were projected and recorded through the speaker of an old-record player. Leonard contributes non-traditional instruments (washbucket, newpaper drums, porch stomping, bells, whistling, vibraphone and glockenspiels). A neighborhood saw player, known only as Mr. Fantastic, exchanged a few haunting melody lines for a bottle of whiskey. All songs were recorded by Sean Ogilvie who engineered the project, and contributed piano to “All the Pretty Horses”. The CD will be available exclusively on the tour, and as a digital release when the tour concludes.

Tracklist

All The Pretty Horses (traditional)

One Dime Blues (Blind Lemon Jefferson)

Freight Train (Elizabeth Cotton)

One Thin Dime (Mance Lipscomb)

Black is the Color of My True Loves Hair (traditional)

Dryland Blues (Furry Lewis)

The Auteur at Tribeca Film Festival, NYC, this week.