Stars of Cascadia - Riverside Skyline (2016)

Stars of Cascadia shine brightly through the cloudy skies of Portland, Oregon. Their debut album Riverside Skyline is an alt-country gem straight out of Laurel Canyon and Bakersfield, bursting with melodic hooks and compelling harmonies while exploring themes of reminiscence and loss, small town struggles, and the duality of seasons. The group is led by singer/guitarists Scott Jeffries and Ray Yurkewycz, who began exploring their sound as members of Spirit Lake. Where that band colored Scott’s songs with their typical psychedelic bombast, Stars of Cascadia fully embrace those Americana stylings, joining latter-day revivalists such as Ryan Adams, Jason Isbell, and Sturgill Simpson as spiritual heirs to Gram Parsons, the Byrds, and Neil Young.

"Santa Ana Winds" is one of several songs that recall Jeffries' southwestern upbringing, lamenting the hot wind that blows in off the desert in the summer, while "Judge Moore" is an unflinching diatribe against theocratic politicians. Yurkewycz and bassist Paul Regan also contribute songs, with the former penning "Low Moor" about a dying mining town and Regan writing "(Too Many) Bad Habits", a seemingly straightforward love song that takes an unexpectedly dark turn. The Stubborn Lovers lead singer Mandy Allan provides sweet Emmylou-style harmonies throughout, Texas fiddle circuit veteran John Nyen lends some down-home flair, recording engineer and local pro Bryan Daste gives some added country authenticity with his pedal steel talents, and Ty Downing holds it all down with his powerful drumming.