Area musician joins Zooey's pal for tour, TV.
Paul fills-in for CD-release show
M. Ward is that lucky Portland musician who worked with Zooey Deschanel on the She & Him Cd. Ward's latest work Hold Time comes out this month (Feb 2009) and is eagerly awaited by fans of his 2006 disc Post-War along with his previous releases going back nearly a decade.
A supporting tour kicks-off this month including David Letterman (tune-in on Tue Feb 17th) and some East Coast dates, before heading to Europe, then returning home for 2 sold-out nights at the Aladdin in March. They just added the Coachella fest on April 17th.
Nathan gets the nod
Playing keys and guitar for the tour will be Nathan Jr., a versatile multi-instrumentalist and singer who also manages the Alberta branch of Trade-up Music. Nathan is the regular bassist for the Stan McMahon Band and he's worked with Stan for years. Nathan also records and performs his own music and is generally in-demand as a hired-gun for recordings and tours playing bass, keyboards and guitar.
Chandler moves to bass
The aforementioned Stan McMahon band was already slated to host a CD-release show at McMenamin's White Eagle Saloon on Friday February 27th, when the Nate was tapped for the M. Ward tour (the M stands for "Matt") --so while Nathan and Mr. Ward are performing in Amsterdam on that date, the bass position for Stan's group will be filled by Paul Chandler who normally works with Stan as guitarist for Giant Bug Village, Portland's long-running tribute to Guided By Voices.
Paul fills-in for CD-release show
M. Ward is that lucky Portland musician who worked with Zooey Deschanel on the She & Him Cd. Ward's latest work Hold Time comes out this month (Feb 2009) and is eagerly awaited by fans of his 2006 disc Post-War along with his previous releases going back nearly a decade.
A supporting tour kicks-off this month including David Letterman (tune-in on Tue Feb 17th) and some East Coast dates, before heading to Europe, then returning home for 2 sold-out nights at the Aladdin in March. They just added the Coachella fest on April 17th.
Nathan gets the nod
Playing keys and guitar for the tour will be Nathan Jr., a versatile multi-instrumentalist and singer who also manages the Alberta branch of Trade-up Music. Nathan is the regular bassist for the Stan McMahon Band and he's worked with Stan for years. Nathan also records and performs his own music and is generally in-demand as a hired-gun for recordings and tours playing bass, keyboards and guitar.
Chandler moves to bass
The aforementioned Stan McMahon band was already slated to host a CD-release show at McMenamin's White Eagle Saloon on Friday February 27th, when the Nate was tapped for the M. Ward tour (the M stands for "Matt") --so while Nathan and Mr. Ward are performing in Amsterdam on that date, the bass position for Stan's group will be filled by Paul Chandler who normally works with Stan as guitarist for Giant Bug Village, Portland's long-running tribute to Guided By Voices.
Cd-Release show sure to please
"Its going to be a great show and I was honored to get the call" says Chandler who also performed with McMahon in a duo for years in Eugene at Arnold's Hideaway and the frats. "I've been hearing some of these songs for a while but I now firmly believe in this CD, the songs really say what I feel and they have a timeless quality like the best pop songs of Badfinger, Big Star or The Beatles."
Stan McMahon is in his 50's but has the energy of a teenager. He's been singing the history of rock for a while and pours it all into his original compositions. His songs include some recent influences like Replacements or Robert Pollard while others would be at home on a late-period Roy Orbison disc.
If you only make it to one rock show this season, this is the one. Portland's Strange Effects play wonderfully infectious 60's-psych-pop-garage rave-ups and The Neat open with their own brand of poppy goodness. Cover Charge/21+ You might want to get one of the hotel rooms at the White Eagle for this one. Paul's take: "With my newly-acquired western-wear, I expect this evening to be kinda like the scene in Midnight Cowboy where they wander into a loft-party reminiscent of Andy Warhol's factory"
Of course, Mr. Chandler is hoping that the McMahon group will gain a reputation as the newest hot-bed for up-and-coming talent, not unlike Art Blakey's band was for jazz. "Perhaps Isaac Brock from Modest Mouse or the Decemberists guy will need a fill-in player sometime and look to this band as one of the farm clubs" says the ever-ebullient bassist.
"Its going to be a great show and I was honored to get the call" says Chandler who also performed with McMahon in a duo for years in Eugene at Arnold's Hideaway and the frats. "I've been hearing some of these songs for a while but I now firmly believe in this CD, the songs really say what I feel and they have a timeless quality like the best pop songs of Badfinger, Big Star or The Beatles."
Stan McMahon is in his 50's but has the energy of a teenager. He's been singing the history of rock for a while and pours it all into his original compositions. His songs include some recent influences like Replacements or Robert Pollard while others would be at home on a late-period Roy Orbison disc.
If you only make it to one rock show this season, this is the one. Portland's Strange Effects play wonderfully infectious 60's-psych-pop-garage rave-ups and The Neat open with their own brand of poppy goodness. Cover Charge/21+ You might want to get one of the hotel rooms at the White Eagle for this one. Paul's take: "With my newly-acquired western-wear, I expect this evening to be kinda like the scene in Midnight Cowboy where they wander into a loft-party reminiscent of Andy Warhol's factory"
Of course, Mr. Chandler is hoping that the McMahon group will gain a reputation as the newest hot-bed for up-and-coming talent, not unlike Art Blakey's band was for jazz. "Perhaps Isaac Brock from Modest Mouse or the Decemberists guy will need a fill-in player sometime and look to this band as one of the farm clubs" says the ever-ebullient bassist.
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