Kevin Lee Florence – Given

Now available on LP/CD/FLAC/mp3

Be the first to stream the full album here, this week only

From a young age, Kevin Lee Florence was always singing – first in church, and then inadvertently around the house. It wasn’t until his early twenties, however, that Florence picked up the guitar and immersed himself in Neil Young, Damien Jurado, Paul Simon, and a host of other folk legends, despite being raised in an community that disparaged folk music. He found inspiration in his father’s vinyl collection and an inborn penchant for writing poetry, and gradually set about turning his passion into something viable.

It was only fitting that at age 22, a chance encounter with a Gillian Welch record in a Sacramento suburb spurred Kevin Lee Florence to consider creating his own music. Eleven years later, the Folsom, California native—now a resident of Portland, Oregon—is set to release his debut solo album Given via the local indie label Fluff & Gravy records.

Given represents the cream of the crop from his personally penned songs, along with two of Florence’s favorite covers: Paul Simon’s “Peace Like a River” and Damien Jurado’s “Ohio.” These gentle nods to two of his biggest influences help flesh out the simple, nine track record. Flecked with folk influences, finger-picked guitar lines and distinctive harmonies provided by his sister Kelly Florence, Given falls somewhere between Sam Beam’s hushed, vivid folk and Simon’s own conversational, quirky lyrical genius. The slow-burning hope of “Could Today be the Day” falls into a groove, and contrasts with harmony fanfare and drama on album closer “Kindness.” For the more traditional minded, “Shining Shining” is pure pastoral bliss, with bright piano accents and lush harmonies. Through it all, Florence’s understated, warm voice carries the record, wrapping you like a warm blanket on an autumn evening.

Recorded almost entirely live at Fivestar Studio, the finished album is a completely analog effort that features no digital processing. Fivestar Studios is located in the midst of L.A.’s artistic haven Echo Park, and the likes of Father John Misty, Dawes, Bonnie Prince Billy have recorded there. The album features a roster of world-class musicians, including bassist Jon Button (Sheryl Crow, Robben Ford), drummer James McAlister (Sufjan Stevens, Bill Frisell), and guitarist Danny Donnelly. Garth Hudson of The Band, Kevin’s personal hero, is featured on two of the album’s tracks.

“Given, the debut album by singer/songwriter Kevin Lee Florence, shows what a powerful thing it is to have a highly adept artist at the helm and a tremendously talented backing band providing additional instrumentation to that artist’s creations.  He is further proof that the Pacific Northwest has a well of talent that is plentiful and untainted by the assembly line rubbish consistently spewed forth from the mouth of the mainstream music machine. ” – No Depression

Prior to launching his solo career, Kevin led the Northern California band Silver Darling from 2006-2010. A few short months after forming, the band was approached by Davis, Ca-based Crossbill Record, with whom the band released the full-length‘ Your Ghost Fits My Skin’ and the EP ‘Wrap Around My Heart’. A mix of high energy Americana and dark slow-burners; the band toured the west coast extensively sharing the stage with Jason Isbell, Damien Jurado, and The Cave Singers among others.

Today, Given is available on LP/CD/FLAC or mp3 directly from Fluff and Gravy Records, Amazon or iTunes

 
Find Kevin Lee Florence here 

http://kevinleeflorence.com/

https://www.facebook.com/kevinleeflorence

There is a holiday feel in the air today here at Fluff and Gravy Records. What are we celebrating, you ask? Why, the release of Jeffrey Martin’s latest record, of course!

The album, titled Dogs in the Daylight, is an ambitious 15-track collection that is full of weight and intricacy. While the arrangements at first seem more dense than his previous self-released albums, complete with piano, bass, fiddle, drums, and even trumpet, the songs are still carried by Jeffrey’s voice and the sincerity of this songwriting – the very qualities that separate him from his peers. Jeffrey will be touring Regionally and Nationally through 2014 in support of the record.

Order the record here, or pick it up from your favorite online service or local retailer.

Back in 2012, Devon Leger in No Depression wrote “(Jeffery Martin) is an incredibly rare find among today’s glut of singer-songwriters: a songwriter whose songs are immediately affecting. These are the kind of songs that can change you.” Shortly after, Jeffrey was selected to perform at the NPR Mountain Stage New Song Contest in New York City.  Since then, he has been touring relentlessly, earning opening slots for the likes of Anais Mitchell, Sean Hayes, Frank Fairfield, Joe Pug, Gregory Alan Isakov, David Wilcox, and others.

We are pleased to formally announce what has been until now a very poorly kept secret… Portland based Indie-Folk artist Jeffrey Martin  has recently partnered with Fluff and Gravy Records and will be releasing a full-length album on August 19.  The album, entitled Dogs in the Daylight, is an ambitious 15 track collection that is full of weight and intricacy.  While the new album is bigger than his previous self-released albums, complete with piano, bass, fiddle, drums, and even trumpet, the songs are still largely carried by Jeffrey’s voice and the sincerity of this songwriting – the very qualities that separate him from his peers.

Check out the video below for a sneak preview of the record, and if you are so inclined, you can pre-order a copy here

[youtube height=”HEIGHT” width=”WIDTH”]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4zziPcq-sE&feature=youtu.be[/youtube]

 

As we prepare for Anna Tivel’s June 17 release, Before Machines, please help us to celebrate by downloading “Gentle War”. Featuring Sam Howard on bass, Taylor Kingman on guitar, David Strackany on drums, and Jeffrey Martin on backup vocals, it is one of the standout tracks on the record. The track is available as a FREE DOWNLOAD until the official record release on June 17.

Sassparilla is set to release their double cd, Pasajero/Hullabaloo, on June 17, but you can hear it, streaming in it’s entirety right now, at Consequence of Sound!

Pasajero was recorded in the Portland studio of Eels’ own Chet Lyster. Here, Blackwell says he attempted to “put a pulp novel to music,” adding “I didn’t want to force-feed the plot to people. I wanted them to make up their own story based on their interpretation of the metaphors.” To that aim, Blackwell made the dense consumable by presenting it via a wide swathe of Sassparilla’s influences. There’s the Door-esque psych jams like “Peaches” and “When You’re The Devil”; the sweet and sedative blues ballad “Cool Thing”; the sax-powered arena rock anthem “Overture”; and the album ending folk-pop ballad “Radio Child”, which wraps things up in a haze of romanticism.

The one common denominator of each song, though, is their studio luster and the balance of darker subject matter with shimmery and extravagant soundscapes.

Meanwhile, Blackwell moved out of the studio and into his own attic to record Hullabaloo. Here, the band delivers a crash course of their live show, which includes lots of group shouting, sweaty beards, and a slightly improvisational nature. There’s the Howlin’ Wolk-inspired blues-rock barnburner entitled Through The Fence”; “It Ain’t Easy”, which can only be described as gospel-on-acid; the hook-heavy ragtime jam “Cocaine”; the pure punk of “Why You Making It Hard”; and “The Hoot Song”, which Blackwell co-wrote and performed alongside his twin two-year-old sons. “I find whenever I’m stressed, tired, angry…a good hoot gets me back in line,” he said. “Kids: so much more wise than we are.”

Check it out the full article here, and pre-oder the double cd or mp3 here

 

Anna Tivel will host a record release party on June 12, at The Old Church (Portland).  She will be joined by local icon,  Mike Coykendall, and the up and coming Vacilando. Her upcoming full-length offering, Before Machines, will be her first release on Fluff and Gravy Records. The tracks range from intimate singer-songwriter performances with just Anna and her guitar, to live tracks with a full band, and everything in between. Bassist Sam Howard (Tony Furtado, Ruth Moody), guitarist Taylor Kingman (The Hilldogs) and drummer, David Strackany provided the backbone for the live tracks, with overdubs by Michael Monko (guitar) and Jeffrey Martin (vocals), all of whom will be performing with Anna for the release party.

Tickets for the event are available here , for 8 bucks, show starts at 8pm

Before Machines will be available on June 17, on cd and digitally. Anna will be touring throughout 2014 in support of the record (more details to come!)

You can pre-order now, here

 

 

 

 

 

 

[youtube height=”HEIGHT” width=”WIDTH”]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8pZXBo7LJM[/youtube]

Sassparilla to release Pasajero/Hullabaloo, on June 17 – Preorder now!

On June 17, raucous, melodic Americana outfit Sassparilla delivers Pasajero and Hullabaloo, an ambitious 19-track double disc set.  The two albums move in seemingly opposite directions; Pasajero, produced by Chet Lyster (Eels) is more akin to the band’s latest two records (2012’s The Darndest Thing and 2013’s Magpie), while Hullabaloo, recorded in frontman Kevin Blackwell’s attic, captures the live essence and playful nature of the band.  The end result presents the full breadth of Sassparilla as never before in one package, an accomplishment not to be taken lightly. The recording will be available as a specially priced 2xcd set, FLAC, or mp3 and can be pre-ordered here.

The record release show will be at The Doug Fir in Portland, on June 20, followed by shows in Eugene at Sam Bonds Garage on June 27, and Seattle at the Tractor Tavern on June 28.

 

Fluff and Gravy Records is proud to welcome Anna Tivel to the family. Raised among the ferns and the farmland of Northern Washington, Anna loved words long before they became the backbone of her music. “My sister, my mom and I would go to our little town library with a rolling suitcase and fill it to bursting,” she remembers, “we’d read in the car, in the bath, under the covers late at night, always piles of books, always music playing, from Paul Simon to Dylan, from The Kingston Trio to Itzaak Perlman.”

Entranced by the sound of her grandfather’s violin, Anna started learning in the first grade and never put it down. In 2006, she moved to Portland, muddled through college, and started waiting tables and playing some fiddle on the side. Over the next few years she was swept up by and welcomed into the Portland music scene, playing with multiple groups around town including the Nathaniel Talbot Quartet, Shook Twins, and The Jackalope Saints. But it wasn’t until she picked up the guitar, learned a few chords, and started writing songs, that music began to fill a much bigger space in her life. “It was like being dunked in cold water or slapped in the face…in a good way,” she says, “it suddenly became ok that i couldn’t seem to retain concrete information, that my head is always full of sensory things, smells and sounds and color. Suddenly there was a place for all of it.”

Anna’s first album, 2012’s self-released Brimstone Lullaby, was recorded by Rob Stroup at 8Ball Studio in SE Portland. The album is a fully flushed representation of that first year of songwriting, colored by some incredible local musicians. Her new album, titled Before Machines, brings a more intimate, raw batch of songs to the table, recorded mostly live and mixed to tape at Fluff and Gravy Studios, with a group of musicians who were only roughly familiar with the material. Bassist Sam Howard (Tony Furtado, Ruth Moody), guitarist Taylor Kingman (The Hilldogs) and drummer, David Strackany provided the backbone for the live tracks, with overdubs by Michael Monko (guitar) and Jeffrey Martin (vocals). The intention was to capture these songs in their most naked form, before multiple rehearsals and repetition had a chance to smooth over the edges.   The result is a warm and honest record that allows Anna’s songwriting to be at the forefront.

Before Machines will be available on June 17, on cd and digitally. Anna will be touring throughout 2014 in support of the record (more details to come!)

You can pre-order now, here

 

 

 

 

 

 

[youtube height=”HEIGHT” width=”WIDTH”]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8pZXBo7LJM[/youtube]

The Evangenitals have announced a string of Northwest dates to support their upcoming Fluff and Gravy Records release, Moby Dick; or, The Album. The record, to be released on March 18, 2014, is a musical swirl of immaculately crafted songs, each interpreting an aspect of Melville’s masterpiece with an approach that tacks between intricate arrangement and the deceptively simple country-inflected tunes for which the band is best known.

Catch them in the act this March!

Saturday March 1st Pre-Lease Party, Pappy & Harriet’s, Pioneertown, CA
Thursday March 6th Frog and Peach, San Luis Obispo, CA
Friday March 7th  Angelicas, Redwood City, CA
Saturday March 8th The Stork Club, Oakland, CA
Sunday March 9th The Crepe Place, Santa Cruz, CA
Monday March 10th Orr Hot Springs, Ukiah, CA
Tuesday March 11th Palm Lounge @ Eureka Inn, Eureka, CA
Wednesday March 12th Bomb’s Away Cafe, Corvallis, OR
Thursday March 13th Alberta Street Pub, Portland, OR
Friday March 14th Walla Walla Guitar Festival, Walla Walla, WA
Saturday March 15th Cornucopia on 5th, Eugene, OR

and

Friday March 28th Moby Dick Unplugged! w/ special guest Jim Kweskin: Coffee Gallery Backstage, Altadena, CA

PRE-ORDER the record!

Pre-order HERE

 

The Evangenitals sign with Fluff and Gravy Records and announce new record

Fluff and Gravy Records is proud to introduce you to, The Evangenitals. Founded by playwright/director Juli Crockett and opera, jazz & gospel singer Lisa Dee,  The Evangenitals are an alt-country/Americana love revolution made flesh for your listening pleasure. On a quixotic crusade in the key of life, hell-bent on breaking hearts open, they are a genre-bending, ever-creating force of nature. The Evangenitals boast one of the most eclectic resumes in the indie music world. As live performers, they’ve built a fiercely loyal following through a thousand shows at clubs, coffee houses and festivals throughout the world (including Scotland’s prestigious Edinburgh Fringe Festival). Their shows are notable for music that can be bawdy and rollicking in one moment, and, in the next, sufficiently mysterious and haunting to make the rowdiest of beer brawlers pause, turn toward the stage and listen.

Moby Dick: or, The Album, the band’s debut album with Fluff & Gravy Records (March 18. 2014), is a musical swirl of immaculately crafted songs, each interpreting an aspect of Melville’s masterpiece with an approach that tacks between intricate arrangement and the deceptively simple country-inflected tunes for which the band is best known.  At times the songs are lushly poetic, at others, coarsely powerful. Joined by such notable guest artists as: folk legend Jim Kweskin (of Jug Band fame), acclaimed avant-garde performer Dorian Wood, and composer Jeremy Zuckerman (“Avatar: The Last Airbender” and recent #1 iTunes Soundtrack “Legend of Korra”), among others, the band has crafted a timeless record that will resonate equally with fans of the classic Melville novel, and those who have yet to discover it.

Check out the video below for a sneak peak…

[youtube height=”HEIGHT” width=”WIDTH”]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MY92-AvSOV0[/youtube]

“…a wonderful treat from artists at their best.” Ned Ragget – Pitchfork Magazine

Our friends at Pitchfork give high praise to Waterdrawn.

Read the full Picthfork review of Waterdrawn by Horse’s Ha here.

 

New Release by Mike Coykendall

The good news just keeps on coming for Fluff and Gravy. We are proud to announce that we will be releasing the third solo album by Mike Coykendall. Mike has made a name for himself by recording, producing and performing with such notable acts as Richmond Fontaine, M Ward, She and Him, and Blitzen Trapper among others. Look for a late summer/fall release date to be announced here soon!

http://mikecoykendall.com/bio.html

Only 4 days away! We are sure getting excited for the upcoming Drunken Prayer release, “Into The MIssionfield”. Early reviews have been glowing – see for yourself…

http://musicspectrum.org/2012/02/03/dont-be-weighed-down-by-drunkenness-sing-the-altcountry-blues-drunken-prayers-into-the-missionfield/

http://hangout.altsounds.com/reviews/142511-drunken-prayer-missionfield-album.html

If you love good news, you’ve come to the right place. We are excited to announce that we will be releasing the debut, self-titled album by Austin,TX based Jack WIlson in March of 2012. Jack is touring regularly, so be sure to check out our tour page to keep up with him. Things are sure looking up for us all at Fluff and Gravy! More to come…

Great news, friends! The anxiously awaited Drunken Prayer full length release, Into The Missionfield, arrived today at Fluff and Gravy Records and it sound great! It’s been pumping through the office speakers all morning, and the first person to pull it from rotation is gonna lose a finger… Wanna know how to order yours before the official February 7, 2012 release date? Stay tuned for details…