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Event
Austin's Jeff Plankenhorn @Charslanding
Jeff Plankenhorn Austin/BC-based blues/rock/americana artist with incredible talent that demands attention. Jeff has shared the stage with artists like Ray Wylie Hubbard and has played festivals such as Telluride Americana Fest. With songs that feature Ray Wylie Hubbard and Patty Griffin, his 2018 release Sleeping Dogs is available now via Spike Steel Records.
Jeff Plankenhorn plays a soulful, distinctly Austin brand of roots rock that, over the past several years, has gained him a devoted national following and a seat among the very best contemporary Americana songwriters. His confident, catchy-as-hell fourth studio album, Sleeping Dogs was released to rave reviews (Rolling Stone Country, the Boot, Twangville, among others) and spent a good chunk of 2018 on the Roots Rock and Americana radio charts (#5 and #44). The four-piece band that bears his name has become a favorite on the festival circuit, scoring spots at Old Settlers Music Festival, Kerrville Folk Festival, Telluride Americana Music Festival, and Austins annual New Years Eve blowout at Auditorium Shores.
Well before he started rocking festival stages as a solo artist, Plankenhorn was already in the musical DNA of his adopted home of Austin, Texas. His bluesy, slide-driven guitar style was born out of jam sessions, residencies and house shows played for local audiences eager for the electricity and edge-of-your-seat musicianship that makes Austin the live music capital of the world. In Austin, he says, few players rehearse. You show up and you play, for better or for worse.
That freewheeling philosophy, and the disciplined songwriting craft that underpins it, is the result of Plankenhorns almost ten-year run as a member of the Resentments, a supergroup of sorts that hosts one of the longest running residencies in Austin. Every Sunday for the last 20 years, a rotating cast of Austins best songwriters has brought their newest tunes to debut at the Saxon Pub, an Americana stronghold on the famous Lamar Street. The group walks a tightrope between improvisation and songcraft that is thrilling. This musical bootcamp sharpened Plankenorns writing process and gives his songs a lived-in ease.
Over five freewheeling solo albums, Plankenhorn has drawn on a wide range of styles, combining influences from electric blues, progressive bluegrass, sacred steel, and powerpop to create a musical identity all his own. A big part of it is his voice. Plankenhorn grew up in Ohio singing choral music as a boy soprano. The vocal clarity and power he developed in those early years is evident in the soulful baritone he employs now.
The biggest contributor to Plankenhorns sound is his virtuosic touch on anything with strings - ranging from electric and acoustic, guitar to dobro and lap steel. His most distinctive sonic paintbrush is the custom electric dobro he invented, appropriately called the Plank. If youve listened to roots music from Austin in the last couple decades, you may have heard it - a sharp, crunchy slide sound derived from the instrument's combination of a lap steel neck and electric guitar body. That distinctive burn is all over Plankenhorns 2016 album, SoulSlide, in addition to
recordings from Austin greats like Ray Wylie Hubbard and Joe Ely. (In between solo gigs, hes a first-call session guitarist.) Word of mouth at his shows has even resulted in a few one-off orders for the Plank, including from members of Wade Bowens band and Blue October.
Plankenhorns early musical upbringing was as eclectic as his career might suggest. In his 20s he was as likely to be found arranging horns in a 12 piece funk group as playing guitar in a progressive bluegrass band. But his biggest musical influence by far, he says, is Stevie Wonder, whose positivity is all over Plankenhorns songs. Stevies mastery of instrumental harmony can also be heard in the jazzy, descending chord progression of Further to Fall.
Plankenhorn is a magnet for diverse ideas and collaborators, and his genius is in bringing them together. Sleeping Dogs merges styles effortlessly, juxtaposing sweet-hearted anthems like Love is Love (a response to the Pulse nightclub shooting) against ominous, weathered tunes like Tooth & Nail, which he co-wrote with Ray Wilie Hubbard. Several of the albums standouts are the result of collabs with Americana royalty, including Holy Lighting, which features a duet with Patty Griffin. Tying it all together is a big-heartedness that speaks to a worldly approach to Americana music.
Plankenhorn came to Austin by way of Nashville. The way he tells it, he met outlaw-country great Ray Wilie Hubbard on a Nashville sidewalk, sat in with him that very night on dobro, and, before he knew it, had a long-term gig crashing on Hubbards couch in Texas hill country. From there, he launched a new chapter as a solo artist, and Hubbard is a mentor to this day.
The last few years have been a time of outstanding creativity and commercial breakthrough for Plankenhorn - success for which he credits his sobriety. Id toured the country and played the world, but it wasnt until I got clean and went to rehab that things really started to come together. Since getting clean seven years ago, Plankenhorn has channeled his addictive energy into songwriting. He lives half the year now living with his wife on Vancouver Island, Canada, where he spends idyllic days writing and playing with their dogs. The other half he spends in Austin, where he remains in demand as a session player, cowriter, and producer. The success of his last two albums have brought international interest in his music, and full tours of Europe and Canada are in the works.
http://www.jeffplankenhorn.com
Jeff Plankenhorn performs "Homecoming" on DittyTV
https://youtu.be/kzuJK262pA0
Advance $10 (Showdate $15 / Kids12- $10) now
charge by phone (778) 421-2427,
cash @Rollin Arts & Gayles Fashions,
online http://bpt.me/,
service charges may apply
FMI http://alberni.ca/events/34836 https://www.facebook.com/events/690264511437419/
Chars Landing 19+ (accompanied kids welcome) 4815 Argyle @5th Port Alberni V9Y 1V9 Tel: 778-421-2427 www.charslanding.com
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LocationChar's Landing (View)
4815 Argyle St.
Port Alberni, BC V9Y 1V9
Canada
Categories
| Minimum Age: 19 |
| Kid Friendly: Yes! |
| Dog Friendly: Yes! |
| Non-Smoking: Yes! |
| Wheelchair Accessible: Yes! |
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