Acoustic Conversations

“Leave Oregon. It’s the first song I play when I hit the stage in Nashville … but it really is OH-re-gon,” Tyler Stenson tells us, noting with pride that even though he’s moved to Nashville, he remembers his roots. He’s in Portland for a CD release tour, giving us the honor of a drive-by catch-up session with five new songs and a raft of new experiences to share..

"When I was a kid, I think it was when I was in high school ... I made this decision that I wanted to start focusing on really doing things, instead of just watching," says Matthew Price. So he learned to juggle. And play the guitar. And to write music. We caught up with Matt on the heels of the release of his first EP, "Stranded." We hope you enjoy the show, and drop by our Facebook Fan page at facebook.com/acousticconversations.

If there's a gimmick to Jake Oken-Berg, it's the run for Mayor. That's what gets you to ask, what's up with this guy? But that's where the gimmick ends. Because it turns out, he's as stone serious about politics as he is about his music. And when you close your eyes and Jake starts to play, you hear clearly why any loss to politics is a big win for music. He is hard on the keys, but he's not a Ben Folds-pounder. He's deliberate in his playing and laser-focused in his songwriting, pressing against the boundaries of piano pop.

"For me, the musicians that I like are the ones that are somehow tapping into the universe," says James Jeffrey-West. And he says it with total and complete authenticity. He says it, too, while talking about Buddy Guy and Jimmy Hendrix, among other musical influences. We hope you enjoy the show this week with Portland's James Jeffrey-West.

"I've gotten really into Dollhouse," says Lisa Forkish. "My whole family is obsessed with Joss Whedon." And yet, somehow, her music stands in stark contrast this geek cred. Forkish exists deeply. Her songs are calculated and considerate, showing off her broad talent at the piano. Enjoy the show, and the six live tracks we recorded with Lisa, all free to subscribers in iTunes or our newsletter.

"I think a lot of my earlier songs were all about relationships. Mostly that went wrong," says Justin Jude of his early songwriting. Much is going right for Jude, whose tone and tenor has taken on a rich storytelling vibe that makes his music varied and entertaining across his catalog. Enjoy the show, and the six live tracks we recorded with Justin, all free to subscribers in iTunes, or our newsletter.

"I figured if I was going to write this kind of music, I was going to need a murder ballad," says Dustin Pattison in a gentle tenor of his tune Peace With God. And it's with that same soft-spoken demeanor that the singer-songwriter walks us through his life of musical -- and practical -- contradiction. We first caught Dustin at a local open mic night, and we knew the moment he opened his mouth that we had to find a way to share him with you. Enjoy the show, and the 7 live tracks we recorded with Dustin, all free to subscribers.

Matt Vrba isn't pure folk. He isn't pure country. He certainly isn't pure rock and roll. But somewhere in there, somewhere munged between the blues licks and jazz, up under the trucker cap and faded jeans, there's a storyteller with grace of the greats and style enough to take a bar coaster in the eye. We caught Vrba on a whirlwind tour of the Northwest straight out of Nashville, and bring you 6 live tracks, all free to subscribers.

Sam Wegman has been playing the guitar since he was 12. So what, right? Thing is, the guy is now just 19, a college student and dorm room troubadour, turning out some insanely catchy riffs and razor-sharp lyrics. This week on the show, we talk with Sam about love, life, and music.

Tyler Stenson calls his music "Epic Folk", a fusion of country, folk, and rock. It is at once a grab bag of honest storytelling and cutting lyricism that he deftly illustrates with his guitar. This week on the show, we talk with Tyler about growing up in a family of 10 siblings, we talk about a refined view of success as a working musician.

These guys have been playing as a together as a band for eight months and already have the tone and grist of seasoned pros. We caught up with them early the same evening they were due to pick up the gold master of their first album, Crack the Pavement. They did their best to mask their nerves about the whole ordeal,unconvincingly as the night wore on, yet they still managed to turn out six tight living room tracks for A/C. These are jam tunes, rhythm and flow, that smack of Sublime, Blues Traveller, a hint of Jamiroquai, and more than healthy dash of Marley and Judge Roughneck. It's summertime, and there's no better way to kick it than with the rocking festival sound. Enjoy Portland's own outPost.

From the days of Nine Days Wonder to The Strangers to Kerosene Dream to The Bart Ferguson Band, our guests this week have been making music. Over two decades, and a roller coaster of tours and dances with commercial success, the band is evolving once again. Success means something different than it did in those early days, but the band is still moving audiences. We recorded five tracks on the couch this week, which we'll post shortly. In the mean time, please enjoy our chat with our friends, The Bart Ferguson Band.

In our first episode, we sit down with Al James from Dolorean to talk about the recent release of their first album, "You Can't Win." Al plays four tracks off the new album for us. Individual downloads will be available soon from acousticconversations.com.