premiere « Frequency blog: Music news and reviews from Bend and Central Oregon, by Ben Salmon

Archive for the ‘premiere’ Category

Exclusive stream: Travis Ehrenstrom, “Remain A Mystery”

Friday, April 5th, 2013

The Travis Ehrenstrom Band. Its namesake is second from left.

When I saw Central Oregon singer-songwriter Travis Ehrenstrom perform in early 2009, my review focused on “Remember My Name,” a terrific song from his solo album “Somewhere In Between.” At the time, Ehrenstrom was 19, and I thought the tune’s high quality foreshadowed good things to come from the young artist.

Four years later, Ehrenstrom seems to be on the verge of delivering on that promise in a big way with his new record “Remain A Mystery.” Funded primarily through the fundraising website Kickstarter and recorded by Keith Banning at Lonely Grange Recorders in Sisters, the full-length album is expected to be released in June.

Until then, you can dig into the title track, which is exclusively available for streaming below thanks to Ehnrenstrom. It’s a big sonic step forward from the guy-and-guitar aesthetic of “Somewhere In Between,” with its lush sound, faint keyboard pulse and ethereal melody. At times, Ehrenstrom sounds like he’s channelling My Morning Jacket’s Jim James, and if you know me, you know that’s a massive compliment.

Ehrenstrom expects to have preorders for the new album up on his Bandcamp soon, and on Saturday, he’ll debut his new band at The Belfry in Sisters, where he’ll help warm up The Weather Machine‘s CD-release party. The show will start at 8 p.m. and it’s $10 to get in, or free with a student ID.

Tags: Travis Ehrenstrom
Posted in music on the web, premiere | 4 Comments »

Exclusive stream: Eric Tollefson, “Leo”

Thursday, April 19th, 2012

Back in 2009, Eric Tollefson burst onto the local music scene with “The Sum of Parts,” an album that showcased the then-25-year-old’s impressively smooth synthesis of acoustic pop and bluesy rock delivered straight from his heart to your ears. (Here’s the article I wrote back then.)

Three years and a ton of gigs later — including slots opening for G. Love, Robert Randolph and Jackie Greene — Tollefson is back with a new album, “The Polar Ends,” a meticulously crafted collection of songs that boast beautiful production, indelible melodies and a bunch of big-time players.

Tollefson will play his local album-release show on May 3 at McMenamins Old St. Francis School, and “The Polar Ends” will be officially released on April 24. But thanks to the man himself, Frequency has an exclusive premiere of my favorite track on the album, a sturdy pop number called “Leo.” Give it a spin below, and then check back here (or in GO! Magazine) on April 27 for more on Tollefson and “The Polar Ends.”