SOU’WESTER EVENTS!

Robert Meade: Presented by Sou’wester Arts

Robert Meade’s a singer/songwriter, solo acoustic musician who’s been living and performing throughout the Northwest area for over a decade. His brand of upbeat Rhythm ‘n’ Blues & Americana music is bound to lift the spirit. 

Anna Tivel is an American singer-songwriter from Portland, Oregon. She has released four studio albums on Portland-based Fluff & Gravy Records.^[3] Her 2017 album Small Believer received positive reviews^[4][5] and was named a “Top 10 underheard album of 2017” by Ann Powers of NPR.^[6] In 2019, NPR called her album The Question “one of the most ambitious folk records of 2019”;^[7] it was also listed by Paste as one of “10 essential folk albums from 2019”.^[8]

Rolling Stone listed her as a standout performer at the 2019 AmericanaFest in Nashville, writing “In a week of countless songsmiths showcasing their attempt at that exact type of singer-songwriter storytelling, Tivel’s winding, largely chorus-less tales shined and shimmered.”^[9] The magazine also named the lead single from The Question, “Fenceline”, a “song you need to know”.^[10]

Tivel was born in La Conner, Washington and grew up in a musical family, learning violin and fiddle as a child. After moving to Portland at age 18, she developed an interest in songwriting and began to write and perform her own material.^[11] Many of her songs are vignettes about the lives and struggles of ordinary people; she said in an interview “I’m drawn over and over to the small stories of people (myself included) just trying to get by, to do a little better, to feel some sort of beauty in an ugly world.”^[12] Tivel’s songs are often somber in tone as she has said that she “just [doesn’t] trust happy songs as much”.^[13]

On her last album, The Question, she collaborated with engineer Brian Joseph and producer and musician Shane Leonard.^[14]

Papi Fimbres: Presented by Sou’wester Art

AC Sapphire is currently living in the beautiful small village of Joshua Tree, CA. The death place of Graham Parsons and birth place of many artistic visions, just a couple hours away from Los Angeles. Annachristie has been writing and recording her newest EP “Sibling Rivalry” while soaking up the mountain views.

Left Coast Country is a country music collective founded by Drew Tucker in 2010. Based in Portland, Oregon, the group has seen a rotating cast of players through the years and have toured extensively throughout the US.

Dustin Hamman is a composer, musician, hack/wannabe actor/director, and donut enthusiast.

Dustin’s musical tastes span many genres but have always been rooted in folk. He had an early fascination with American Indian singing and early punk rock…later he explored the blues and the origins of country, eventually gaining interest in early jazz, swing, and big band. During a short life in Florida he was introduced to Latin rhythms and became intrigued by Flamenco and classical guitar.  More recently, he’s been dabbling in marriages of a variety of genres including, rap, rock, r&b, and noise/ambient, many of which can be heard on the recently released soundtrack for Beneath The Harvest Sky.  This was his first film scoring effort and he hopes to do many more.

http://www.mamabirdrecordingco.com/nick-delffs

Nick Delffs is a seeker. He’d never identify himself that way. He’s unassuming and self-effacing, careful to discuss song meanings and biographical details without indulgence or melodrama. Delffs cut his teeth playing basement shows in Portland a dozen years ago, just before that city’s cover was irreversibly blown. It was a time when being musically ambitious meant impressing other local musicians. You were a joke, in that world, if you proclaimed yourself an artist or promoted your band with any zeal. So Delffs would probably find “seeker” a rather grandiose title.

https://www.laserslasersbirmingham.com

Luke Borsten: Presented by Sou’wester Arts

Luke Borsten is a songwriter/saxophone man in Portland. After opening for Amanda Palmer, touring nationally, releasing an album at the Wonder Ballroom, and performing on cruise ships for two years, he’s now looking forward to his first live show of 2021. His energetic, front-porch folk performance style keeps crowds singing and clapping along, and he frequently invites special guests up to perform, making for an eclectic and memorable experience.

Luke’s band, Ghost Towns, recorded part of their album at the Sou’Wester, as part of a week-long artist residency in 2014. When not performing live Luke can be found shooting/editing live videos for bands around Portland, and is currently directing his first music video.