Thursday, May 19 // Doors at 7 PM // Show at 7:30 PM // $15

HORSE FEATHERS

“On Horse Feathers’ sixth album, their introverted persona has thawed, revealing a surprising affinity for the joy of Stax-era and countrified-soul.” —Pitchfork

“…from Justin Ringle’s sandy-voiced warmth to lush string arrangements to fatalistic lyrics that undercut the surrounding swirl of sonic comfort food.” —NPR

“The arrangements are beautiful, borderline orchestral, and contribute to an expanding Horse Feathers soundscape… Horse Feathers are forging a new way forward.” —Exclaim!

“Horse Feathers has evolved expertly, and Appreciation is a case study in artistic growth.” —Pop Matters

Horse Feathers, and their re-imagined string ensemble of seasoned players are returning to the road in the spring of 2022 in support of their April, Kill Rock Stars re-issue of their 2008 breakthrough release “House With No Home.” Justin Ringle and longtime violinist Nathan Crockett will be backed by new additions of upright bass (Luke Ydstie: The Hackles, Blind Pilot), banjo (Kati Claborn: The Hackles, Blind Pilot) and violin (Halli Anderson: River Whyless). The group will be performing selections from “House With No Home” as well as old favorites, highlighting the acoustic characteristics of earlier orchestral arrangements as well as the energy of recent releases.

MAITA

Growing up in Oregon splitting time between her mom’s Japanese-speaking home and her father’s English-speaking home, Maita-Keppeler found an expressive avenue out of her shyness through music. “I was getting so much out of songwriters like Elliott Smith, Feist, and Cat Power at a point when I really needed them,” she says. That fiery devotion brought her to perform at open mics in college, to connect with other people through art.
Along with guitarist/producer Matthew Zeltzer, bassist Nevada Sowle, and multi-instrumentalist Cooper Trail, the Portland-based singer-songwriter tapped into that intimate longing, recording I Just Want To Be Wild For You in a recording studio located in the basement of a church.
After the critical success of MAITA’s Kill Rock Stars debut, Best Wishes, Maita-Keppeler and her bandmates dedicated their time to reinforcing their already heady compositions, adding a deeper echo of the label’s indie rock legacy. From the churning glow of “Pastel Concrete” to the riotous give-and-take of “Honey, Have I Lost It All?”, I Just Want To Be Wild For You frames the complex emotionality of Maita-Keppeler’s lyrics in visceral songs that sink immediately into the heart. By picking apart the smallest moments of confusion, uncertainty, and disconnection, Maita-Keppeler’s songs discover the heights of emotion.
“I write songs by listening and watching, trying to get to the truth of it all,” she says. The catharsis produced in that process comes naturally, and conveys to the listener just as easily as it does to Maita-Keppeler. In those moments of disconnect, of confusion, of isolation, I Just Want To Be Wild For You thunders ahead, forging unexpected connections along the way.