Last week, GO! Magazine took a listen to new EPs and albums from Central Oregon musicians. This week’s review roundup is dedicated to new singles, plus a look at some upcoming releases. Without further ado, let’s do this.
“Irresistible,” Neal Marks Single, Mast Year Records
Multi-instrumentalist Neal Marks returns post-pandemic (and post-Groovasaur) with the single “Irresistible,” which showcases his abilities as a producer as well as songwriter. While Groovasaur jammed in jazz fusion mode, “Irresistible” is a full-on rocker with a sensitive heart, riding spacey verses into cascading, wall-of-guitars choruses. Marks proves more than capable in the vocal department as well. A promising debut, with more on the way.
“Take Me Home,” Joel Chadd
Single, self-released
Joel Chadd, best known for his work with folk group Trailer 31, previews his debut solo album (“Ghost of You,” due out in summer) with the single, “Take Me Home.” Conceived as an a cappella number, the song features Scott Oliphant on pump organ (Oliphant, leader of The Color Study, also recorded the song live to tape at his studio, Parkway Sounds). But the star remains Chadd’s honest, powerful vocal and the lyrics: a wistful plea for innocence and home.
“New Industry,” Warm Gadget
Single, self-released
Producer/engineer/multi-instrumentalist Colten Tyler Williams and Scary Busey screamer Tim Vester resurrect Warm Gadget, dormant since the mid-2010s, for “New Industry.” This blast of Ministry-esque industrial riffage, buoyed by Vester’s ever-angry vocal delivery and scathing lyrics, couldn’t come at a more opportune time considering the year everyone just had. “Bow down to the new industry,” indeed.
“Let Go,” MindPalace featuring Cait Ford
Single, 1988 Entertainment
Johnny Davis, known for his work as founder and head honcho of local production/promotion company 1988 Entertainment, teams with singer Cait Ford for “Let Go,” the debut single from the project MindPalace. The song, composed and produced by Davis, rides a club-ready beat and an instrumental that slowly builds in intensity before dipping down again to close, while Ford adds ethereal singing and soul.
“Ghost Town,” Appaloosa
Single, self-released
Appaloosa returns with “Ghost Town,” its first new song since last year’s “Rough Cuts” album. Written by Dottie Ashley and set to release April 16 (another version appeared on “High Desert Calling, Volume One” last year), the song was recorded by Dottie and Eli Ashley at home, with Leah Beshore adding violin and synth at Central Oregon Recording. Dottie’s plaintive singing and the swelling strings paint a picture comparing heartbreak to, appropriately enough, a ghost town.
“My Son,” Pessimist Rex
“My Son,” the latest single from Pessimist Rex, AKA Jason Schweitzer of The Rum and the Sea and Natty Red, is about exactly what it says it’s about. Over a mellow beat and chiming guitars, Pessimist Rex laments his failings as a father in a drawling, pseudo-country-rap, and addresses his son with encouragement: “If you want to be a better man than I am, stand up on these shoulders and take this all in.” (Keep an eye out for a full album, “Schrodinger’s Mixtape,” in the near future.)
“Everybody Wants to Rule the World” (Tears For Fears cover), Cecilia Clark
Self-released via YouTube
Fifteen-year-old Cecilia Clark recorded this cover at Obsidian Studios with producer (and father) Cameron Clark, known for his work with C3 Events, and help from Bob Stark (engineer/strings), Erin Cole-Baker (guitar, background vocals), Laila Biali (piano), Craig Carothers (background vocals) and Mark Karwan (acoustic upright bass). That musical firepower is impressive on its own, but Clark elevates Tears For Fears’ song with her melancholy vocal performance.
“Idealize,” Erin Cole-Baker, Cameron Clark
Single, Blue Attachment Records
Clark also wrote “Idealize” and produced the recording, featuring Cole-Baker, at Obsidian Studios. Cole-Baker’s voice is well-suited to this wistfully melancholy bluegrass- and folk-influenced track, which also features Bend fiddle prodigy CJ Neary, cellist Kerry Sheehan, bassist Samuel Benge, banjoist Garrett Miller and backing vocalists Shannon Smith and Erin Zurfluh.
Upcoming releases
“Sonic Gumbo,” Dr. Green Dreams, release date TBA
Bend funk/punk/R&B/everything else under the sun, by way of Texas. Guitarist/vocalist Dom Taliaferro and bassist Maya Garcia are joined by busy producer/drummer Matt Fletcher and saxophonist Seth Phillips on sax. Expect singles “Cut Me” and the bluesy “Nothing to Fear” to precede the album in a couple of months.
Honey Don’t and Silvertone Devils, titles/release dates TBA
Folk/country duo Honey Don’t — guitarist/singer-songwriter Bill Powers and bassist/singer Shelley Gray — are prepping their first album since 2013’s “Heart Like a Wheel.” The two also lead the more rock-oriented Silvertone Devils, also featuring Evan Mullins, which has an EP on the way.
“Embers,” Coyote Willow, release date TBA
This five-song release will be the progressive folk duo’s first since 2016’s “Raising the Barn.”
