Patchy Sanders, a genuine family band, comprised of sisters Dani (banjo, harp) and Jacqui Aubert (vocals), their partners Ian Van Ornum (mandolin, bouzouki, guitar) and Dan Sherrill (guitar, banjo, mandolin), and good friends Sara Wilbur (violin, viola), Eric Jones (upright bass), and Alex Patterson (drums & percussion). While some find it easy to characterize their music, others hesitatingly distinguish their style as noir-grass, neo-folk, neo-Americana, or simply Alternative. Influenced by the broader folk revival of the last 70+ years, the band’s three distinct songwriters draw upon diverse influences to bring forth a new, yet familiar sound.
In the Fall of 2013, Patchy Sanders, hailing from performance arts mecca Ashland, Oregon, released their debut album, "& The Wild Peach Forest." The album was recorded at Loud Palace Studios in Weed, California under the guidance of famed producer Sylvia Massy. The record breathes with true acoustic instrumentation from the traditional banjo, guitar, and mandolin, to the more mystical instruments like harp, pedal organ, and nyckel harpa. These instruments provide a masterful foundation to the strong lyrical and vocal essence which characterizes Patchy Sanders' versatility. Massy sees great potential for the band, proclaiming "Patchy Sanders & The Wild Peach Forest" as a milestone in her luminous career (Red Hot Chili Peppers, Johnny Cash, Tom Petty): "I've been waiting 14 years to make THIS record!"
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There Is No Mountain is a Portland, OR-based husband-and-wife duo that combines percussion, guitar, and an affinity for vocal harmony to create a unique brand of psychedelic pop with intricate, world-music-influenced arrangements. The band's subtly virtuosic style has been compared in print to current acts like The Dirty Projectors and classics like Paul Simon's Graceland, but it is perhaps more telling that reviewers have tried to peg the duo's musical influences in genres ranging from jazz to folk, classical to psychedelic rock, and world music to doom metal.
Kali Giaritta (voice, percussion) and Matt Harmon (voice, guitar) met a decade ago in Boston, moved to Oregon on a whim in 2008, and fronted a 5-piece indie folk group called The Ascetic Junkies through several years of regional acclaim and two album releases. When the couple decided to try national touring in 2012, the stripped-down duo arrangement that they adopted for economy's sake quickly afforded them a brand new creative outlet, and by the end of the year they had decided to pare things down permanently and release a new album under a new name (There Is No Mountain, 2013).
TINM's live set-up is an exercise in multitasking - the duo sings nearly everything in harmony while Kali plays a medley of tom drums and percussive instruments, and Matt animates his acoustic guitar using nimble fingers and a bunch of carefully chosen effect pedals. African rhythms, jazz harmonies, shape-shifting arrangements, theatrical melodies, and psychedelic swirls seep through the americana exterior, making their live show a total surprise to any first-timer.
There Is No Mountain often describe themselves as "pop with a short attention span"; Kali and Matt approach their craft as connoisseurs of this country's musical heritage, but like to challenge themselves to keep things interesting and exciting without losing the broad, catchy appeal that they've cultivated over the years. Without any help from booking agents, publicists or managers, the duo spent 2013 playing 122 shows and sleeping in about 40 of the continental States, and they opened up 2014 by kicking off Lincoln Center’s American Songbook series in New York City. They are currently recording a new album of road-tested, somewhat darker material.