After years of finding inspiration in the California desert, Son of the Velvet Rat (SotVR) chose in 2013 to leave behind their impressive band history in Austria, and make their home in Joshua Tree.

Today, the band celebrates their new home with the release of their sixth album Dorado – a golden treasure of desert-inspired tracks produced by the critically acclaimed songwriter and producer, Joe Henry, with guest vocals by Lucinda Williams.

Alongside this latest album creation, the band catalogue includes collaborations with other luminaries such as Lucinda Williams and former Wilco drummer Ken Coomer. Peter Jesperson, former producer & manager of The Replacements, put it aptly: “… beautiful and somber music, their lyrics are pure poetry.”

The record is available now in physical and digital formats, including limited edition gold vinyl, hand-numbered to 100. LP includes gatefold jacket, insert, and download card.

“It is a record that you will always return to for comfort in dark moments, a soother, a fret blanket of an album… It’s an Americana ‘Blue Lines’ by Massive Attack – you might not know it now, but in 10 years this will be the best record you ever heard in 2017.” — Fatea Magazine

” Dorado is truly the first great album of 2017″— Coachella Valley Weekly

” Mesmerizing!”— MAGNET Magazine

“They pull together spots of light and hope in the midst of a great ragged emptiness and allow these bright moments to shape the rhythmic momentum that propels the song forward.”— Nooga.com

“Imagine a late Dylan voice, maybe Tom Waits or Nick Cave mixed with the songscape of Brel and Brassens and it will put you in the right territory.” —folking.com

 

Fluff and Gravy Records is just one of more than 150 artists and labels that have joined Bandcamp in donating their profits tomorrow (Feb 3) to the ACLU and other organizations in support of immigrants and refugees. Bandcamp will be donating their proceeds to the ACLU, no matter what you choose to buy, but if you choose to purchase from the Fluff and Gravy Records Page, we will donate an additional 10% (effectively doubling Bandcamp’s donation).

On Saturday, October 8, Fernando Viciconte will be inducted into the Oregon Music Hall of Fame. To celebrate, we are releasing a special animated video that Trizz Studio (Barcelona) lovingly created for “Save Me”, the lead track off of 2015’s Leave The Radio On. The video explores the soul and essence of a young boy’s inner creative battles. The boy protagonist, is a sensitive, young child who is overwhelmed by his own imagination and the endless possibilities of self-expression. The core story is shaped with a naïve simplicity and hints at the places where inspiration evolves.

Congratulations, Fernando!

[youtube height=”HEIGHT” width=”WIDTH”]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQvfKB4JKrk[/youtube]

Nick Jaina’s Brutal Lives Now Available

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Nick Jaina’s “broken-hearted chops once again shine” (Vortex Magazine) on what is easily his most daring record to date. The 14-track album primarily features work that he originally composed for a contemporary dance piece in the summer of 2014. These pieces were all rejected by the choreographer, often with no other explanation other than that they were “too sad.” Nick thought the recordings had some value in them, so he refashioned them into songs, adding vocals and choruses and found sounds to give them a different life.

Due to the unusual provenance of the recordings, almost every instrument was played and recorded by Nick himself. He gave the collection of songs the title that he proposed for the original dance piece, which was also rejected: Vies Brutales, orBrutal Lives.

Available streaming or digitally at on-line retailers right now. Settle in and give it a listen.

 

 

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Find Brutal Lives Here

 

 

 

 

Check out the new single “Make A Life“, from Nick Jaina. It’s the lead track from the digital album, Brutal Lives, which will be released on September 16.

Brutal Lives (Fluff and Gravy Records, Sept 2016) is easily Nick Jaina’s most daring album to date. And that is saying a lot when you consider that Nick has made a career out of re-inventing himself. The 14-track album primarily features work that he originally composed for a contemporary dance piece in the summer of 2014. Though the songs were not used, Nick thought the recordings had some value in them, so he refashioned them, adding vocals, choruses and ambient sounds to give them new life.

Stylistically, the album jumps from the indie-pop standout “Make A Life”, to the haunting “Co-Creators”, to the jarring “Saw You On The Train Last Night”. And I swear, “Fell Too Much In Love” would be right at home in a John Hughes film.  Due to the unusual provenance of the recordings, almost every instrument was played and recorded by Nick himself. He gave the collection of songs the title that he proposed for the original dance piece, which was also rejected: Vies Brutales, or Brutal Lives.

This is Nick’s second release on Fluff & Gravy Records, a follow-up to 2013’s Primary Perception. It will be available digitally on September 16, and coupled with a limited-edition printing of an essay that Nick wrote for people who are new to dance, How To Enjoy Dance. 150 copies of the essay will be released in October.

It’s hard to believe, but this November will mark  the 5th anniversary of the first official Fluff and Gravy release!  To celebrate, we will be hosting a series of 4 concerts, over 3 days, featuring 13 bands (11 Fluff and Gravy artists + guests).  Venues will include The Star Theater, Dante’s, and Fluff and Gravy Studios. In addition to the concert series, we will be releasing “5 Years of Gravy” – a compilation cd featuring unreleased tracks from our artists recorded throughout our 5 year history. The cd will be included in the price for a weekend pass ($35)

Keep your eyes peeled over the course of the next 2 months, as we will be releasing tracks from the cd and a pair of “Legacy Videos” for classic singles.

 

Check out the FULL 3-DAY LINEUP!

FRIDAY, 11/11, 8pm (STAR THEATER)

Hillstomp
Cedar Teeth
Mike Coykendall

SATURDAY, 11/12, 1pm (house show)

The Evangenitals
Catherine Feeny and Chris Johnedis

SATURDAY, 11/12, 8pm (DANTE’S)

Richmond Fontaine
Vacilando
Nick Jaina
Jeffrey Martin

SUNDAY, 11/13, 8pm (STAR THEATER)

Fernando Viciconte
The Hill Dogs
Dan Stuart (of Green on Red) with Thomas Heyman
Kevin Lee Florence

GET YOUR TICKETS!

The ticket link for the festival can be accessed here.

Thank you so much for making the last 5 years possible, We can’t wait to begin our next 5. Hope to see you in Portland this November!

We are pleased to announce that Anna Tivel has won the Telluride Troubadour contest at the 43rd annual Telluride Bluegrass Festival! It is an incredible honor to be acknowledged among all of the other amazing musicians that made up this year’s finalists.

Congratulations to Anna, and a huge thank you to all of you who have supported Anna and continue to inspire her.

You can stream her latest record, Heroes Waking Up, here.

One listen to her world-weary yet somehow bouyant songs and it’s clear – Anna Tivel has spent her share of quality hours behind the wheel of a Dodge Caravan, repeating lines over and over until the words fall in time with the windshield wipers, or until the gas light comes on.

Heroes Waking Up, Anna Tivel’s third full-length album, was be released on May 20, 2016. It is the result of a year spent living and writing in a friend’s garage and on the road. The eleven song recording winds through a dusky darkness of hopeful strangers, shadowed struggle, quiet love, and flying dreams. Produced by guitar magician Austin Nevins (Josh Ritter, Anais Mitchell, The Mountain Goats), Tivel’s faded-photographic songwriting swells above a soundscape meticulously crafted by Nevins on guitar, lap steel, banjo, and pump organ. He is joined by Sam Howard (Ruth Moody) on bass, Ian Krist (Blind Pilot) on vibraphone, Robin Macmillan on percussion, and Jeffrey Martin and Moorea Masa singing harmonies. Throw in some violin and octave violin from Anna herself and the final effect is a sweeping, dream-like exploration of Tivel’s raw imagery and powerful storytelling.

Give a listen to the record here, and then buy it.

Here’s what some folks are saying about it:

“There is not a single song on here that is easily forgettable, much less filler”. – No Depression

“Anna Tivel writes songs that demand the full attention of the listener, and it isn’t hard to give her that because her singing and writing seem to take power over you” – Glide Magazine

“Heroes Waking Up” is a kind of consecration of artistic identity – Music Won’t Save You

“Each song on this album seems to simultaneously sing of sorrow and celebration. That even in the direst of circumstances, life is a still a beautiful thing. The most accurate connection that I could draw to this album is the writing of John Steinbeck.” – Northwest Music Scene

 

 

As Fernando’s 2015 release, Leave the Radio On, was coming together one thing was clear early on in the process. This was going to be a different record for the Argentine-born troubador, best known for his velvety voice and tex-mex, country-tinged rock and roll laments. The 5 years that had passed since 2010’s widely heralded True Instigator had been filled with health problems (a misdiagnosed hiatal hernia that nearly cost him his voice), causing Fernando to all but disappear from the public eye.  Convinced to return to the studio by his friend Peter Buck,  Leave The Radio On would mark a rebirth of sorts for Fernando, and he wanted the record to reflect that.

 In Fernando’s words, “‘Save Me’ is the opening track, and we intentionally chose to make the mix dissonant and disconcerting to let folks know that this record was going to signify a new direction for us. My co-producer on the record Mike Coykendall is on the drum kit and it was one of the last songs that we recorded for the record.”

The video, directed by Thorin Nielson and produced by Tim Scotten, beautifully portrays the tension and angst that permeate the track.

Check out the full album here

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

 

Along with our partners Decor Records in Europe, Fluff and Gravy Records is excited to announce that a new record from Richmond Fontaine, titled You Can’t Go Back If There’s Nothing To Go Back To, is available today.  This Richmond Fontaine’s tenth full-length studio record, and it will be the seminal alt-country band’s swan song.

As songwriter Willy Vlautin puts it, “We all wanted to make one more record after The High Country. Dave moving with his family to Denmark stopped us for a long while, but we were dead set on one more. I wrote You Can’t Go Back… to give an end piece for all the characters who inhabited the world of RF over the years. Throughout the new record are hints of past RF albums and nods to past locations that the characters had found themselves in, and always they’re drifting and searching, hoping for a decent place to land. In the end they try to go back home where they were when RF first began. It’s where the characters started and now where they’ll end.”

“RF has had a great 20+ year run and these guys are my best pals so it’s a tough decision but the right one. We’ll tour this record for as long as we can and then we’ll a have a knock down drag-out party, wake up with a hangover, and move on.”

Here is what the media is saying:

“Every song is like a mini Coen Brothers movie… Dramatic and poetic, you’ll sorely miss Richmond Fontaine when they’re gone” –Q Magazine

“9/10” “as good as anything he’s ever written” – UNCUT
“the band’s final reading approaches perfection; an Americana capstone” – Pop Matters

 

 
The record is available in digital/cd/lp formats atiTunes, Amazon, Fluff and Gravy Records, or at your favorite record store.

On March 18, alt-country/post-punk pioneers Richmond Fontaine will release “You Can’t Go Back If There’s Nothing To Go Back To“, announcing that it will be their final album after a 20+ year run. Rather than a nostalgic drive down memory lane, the record offers some of songwriter, Willy Vlautin‘s most powerful work to date. Featuring long-time members, (drummer) Sean Oldham and (guitarist) Dan Eccles, the band is rounded out by Freddy Trujillo on bass this time around (following founding member and bassist Dave Harding’s move to Denmark). UNCUT gives the record a “9/10”, calling it “as good as anything (Willy) has ever written”, and Q Magazine said “Every song is like a mini Coen Brothers movie… Dramatic and poetic, you’ll sorely miss Richmond Fontaine when they’re gone”

As Willy puts it, “I wrote You Can’t Go Back… to give an end piece for all the characters who inhabited the world of RF over the years. Throughout the new record are hints of past RF albums and nods to past locations that the characters had found themselves in, and always they’re drifting and searching, hoping for a decent place to land. In the end they try to go back home where they were when RF first began. It’s where the characters started and now where they’ll end.”

The record includes 13 tracks and is available on CD (with 8 page lyric booklet) and LP (with insert). The deluxe version of the lp, featuring a gatefold jacket, 180gm vinyl, poster, and a cd with 8 bonus tracks is nearly sold out. Get your copy from Fluff and Gravy Records (North America) or Decor Records (Europe).

The band will be embarking on a European Tour in April, and will be planning US dates for summer of 2016. “We’ll tour this record for as long as we can and then we’ll a have a knock down drag-out party, wake up with a hangover, and move on”, says Vlautin.  You can follow their victory lap here. Don’t miss it.

Along with his partner in crime, Chuck Prophet, Dan Stuart led Green on Red to the forefront of the Americana movement from the early 80’s through mid 90’s, before Dan disappeared from the music business in 1995. In 2010 he fled to Mexico and began writing under the pseudonym “Marlowe Billings”. 2012 saw the release of a new record, The Disappearance of Marlowe Billings, to be followed by a false memoir of the same title.  Both were explorations of the events that had led to his unraveling, his early days leading the erratically magnificent Green on Red and his later years as a kept man and occasional screenwriter who wandered the streets of NYC and Barcelona looking for opium dens that no longer existed and regrets that always will. The world took notice and he was back in the game but somehow all the rules had changed. Now, shunning his Americana roots, Stuart wanted retribution, songs that still had a taste of danger and intrigue, what use to be called rock ‘n’ roll. Recording alone in a concrete bunker in Oaxaca, with only the help of a banda engineer keeping time with a 30 peso little black egg shaker, Marlowe’s Revenge was born. He would later bring on Twin Tones (Mexico City) as his backing band, and the match couldn’t be more perfect. Today, Fluff and Gravy Records is proud to release Marlowe’s Revenge, digitally, ahead of our 2/19 physical release (LP/CD). You can grab a download at iTunes, stream it at Spotify or Bandcamp, or can order directly from the Fluff and Gravy store (LP/CD/mp3/FLAC). The CD contains a beautiful 12 page booklet, and the LP includes a color insert. Here’s what the media is saying: “this “wonderfully sleazy chunk of dirty, dangerous rock ’n’ roll gets Stuart firmly back in the game” – Q Magazine “8/10” – Uncut Dan will be touring Europe from February – April, and has plans for US dates in April/May. Keep up to date here.

In November 2015, Whidbey Island farmer and folk musician, Nathaniel Talbot, released “Swamp Rose and Honeysuckle Vine“. The record is more stripped down than his previous offerings, relying on his raw and immediate finger-picked guitar, supplement by upright bass and the occasional mandolin, fiddle or dobro. More often than not, Nathaniel’s narratives take center stage, as is they do in “Born To”.

Nathaniel explains… “We farmers tend to romanticize the past, perhaps to a fault, longing for  those simpler times when man was more in tune with the natural cycles of the land and skies. I’m guilty of doing so, even though i know very well that those ‘simple times’ only exist in our idyllic hindsight, and that every generation has had to grapple with their own uncertain technologies and new social norms which seem to threaten their existing relationships with nature and each other. That being said, I’m fascinated by human evolution and think it can be instructive to look back and learn from the cultural and ecological forces that drove the first 99% of our history, those that literally shaped the brains and bodies that we still carry today, mostly unchanged. The fact is that for tens of thousands of years we lived in small, tight-knit bands, intimately tied to the surrounding plants, animals and climate and bound by social contracts (political, spiritual, sexual) that would seem completely alien today. “Born To” attempts to remind us that we’re physical and spiritual products of a time that we never really experienced, an idea that can perhaps bring comfort to those that often feel alienated by the modern world. “

The video was filmed live at Fluff and Gravy Studios by Kevin Hanzlik, and features Sam Howard on upright bass, and Anna Tivel on fiddle.

[youtube height=”HEIGHT” width=”WIDTH”]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ie3gqZPev-8[/youtube]

From now until December 31, you can shop the Fluff and Gravy Store for huge discounts on LPs, CDs and T-shirts from your favorite artists, including Fernando, Jeffrey Martin, Hillstomp, Catherine Feeny, and The Harmed Brothers. Everything in the store is 25-50%! All t-shirts are just $10!

Best of all, there is only one flat shipping charge ($3.50 for US) whether you order one record or 20, so be sure to stock up!

 

Order HERE by December 15 in order to ensure Holiday delivery

 

On November 20, Nathaniel Talbot will release his fourth full-length album, Swamp Rose and Honeysuckle Vine, via Fluff and Gravy Records. To celebrate, we are offering the single “Before There Was Blue” as a FREE DOWNLOAD while we count down the days to the album’s official release.

Nathaniel discusses the inspiration for the song… “Over the course of several weeks, I came across a variety of different articles, news pieces, and podcasts all investigating the role of language in shaping our minds and the way we see the world around us. I became fascinated by how our words, a non-material, purely sonic medium, could physically change our brains, and wanted to explore it more in a song. Years ago, as a budding naturalist, i began to realize that by simply learning the names of certain birds and plants it became easier to spot them along the trail, as if those words helped pull the particular subject from the backdrop and into focus. The names, despite seeming rather arbitrary, helped me to categorize and make sense of an otherwise dizzyingly complex world around me. In this tune i play around with how our childlike, pre-word brain may have interpreted the world.” 

If you like what you hear, you can order the cd or digital album here

On November 20, Nathaniel Talbot will release his fourth full-length album, Swamp Rose and Honeysuckle Vine, via Portland’s Fluff and Gravy Records. Nathaniel, who operates an organic vegetable farm on Whidbey Island, WA, works roughly 60 hours a week on the farm every year from March through October. As such, the songs on the album are intimately tied to the lush farmland and windswept vistas of Whidbey Island, deeply rooted in the earth and American traditionalism.

Swamp Rose & Honeysuckle Vine captures the raw, live energy of Talbot’s guitar playing, and has a more stripped-down approach than his previous albums  – no drums, fewer string arrangements, and sparse vocal harmonies. Tracking guitar and vocals live and solo, usually in just one or two takes, Talbot then brought in his quartet of Portland all-stars, Anna Tivel (violin, vocals), Sam Howard (double bass) and Lincoln Crockett (mandolin) and Benji Nagel (dobro), whose auxiliary instrumentation is used intentionally and sparingly to great effect, filling in and conversing with the core of Talbot’s playing and singing. “Challenging what folk music is capable of,” says Seattle Weekly, “Talbot’s powerful, uplifting voice harnesses a country twang complemented by lush acoustic finger-picking and a violin that feels like it was birthed next to a babbling brook in the mountains.” Channeling the lyrical prowess and gritty charm of Anais Mitchell on tracks like “As the Way,” and the concrete characterization in the work of Elliott Smith on tracks like “Able Man,” Talbot stands on the shoulders of generations of folk musicians and Americana singer-songwriters before him. His approach to music feels like that of someone who treats it as a craft handed down and honed, like the tilling of soil or the carving of wood.

“It’s a wealth of lyrical vision, complex guitar playing, and expert musicianship; a work about people’s connection to one another through the earth,  disguised as a folk album about farming.” – American Standard Time

“simple, pure, haunting” – Vortex Magazine

Listen to the record here!

Buy the cd or digital album here!