High Horse

Greetings from High Horse HQ! And Happy Halloween, Day of the Dead, All Saints Day, etc… !!!

I began this transmission from Porto a couple of weeks ago from a penthouse suite overlooking the capital city of Portugal. I was on assignment from the High Horse HQ and had just returned home from the second night of Hola Nola. This was a collection of musicians I was familiar with from the New Orleans scene and beyond. Many that were associated with Mashed Potato Records. This scramble of songwriters and musicians and record label has an impressive revolving cast. The imprint has put out two compilations of music: a Vol. 1 and a Vol. 2(below) – and have really made some waves with the artists they curated and showcased. (The Lostines, Chris Acker, Twain, Max Bien Kahn, Jackson and the Janks, etc.)

My traveling companion K and I were excited to see the whole show and the whole crew, consisting of the incredibly talented Sabine McCalla, Sam Doores, Gina Leslie, Leonie Evans, Max Bien Kahn and a handful of other musicians from the states, and from Portugal and Spain I was unfamiliar with.

The kicker was that both Duff Thompson and Steph Green were on the bill. These two were both very much involved in the above mentioned music community in New Orleans but had moved back to Canada around/during the pandemic. DT and SG were both instrumental in Mashed Potato Records and a particular corner of the New Orleans scene. They also were instrumental in the Dean Johnson record, Nothing for Me Please, which High Horse gushed about Here!

We were disappointed to say the least when we arrived and found out that we had missed Duff and Steph’s performance. There was some mix up with the time slots and the venue wanted to start the music early as the venue was outdoors in the garden on the fourth floor of the boutique hotel, surrounded by rooms inhabited ( I assume) by paying customers who may have had other ideas of how to spend their evening. We must have walked into the lobby of the hotel right as they were finishing their set. But word found its way to them that we were severely disappointed to have missed their set and they played a SECOND set just for me and K. This was incredibly generous and an amazing gift of their time. The whole crew joined them in playing some of our favorites songs.

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Steph Green has just released an album titled Lore on the Mashed Potato Records imprint. It is a collection of songs described as “a series of vignettes that immerse the listener in dreams and nightmares of the West”. What is could be meant by “west”, in a sense of both the macro and the micro (within and without) is explored in these songs. Some, Green says, were written upwards of ten years ago and she was happy to get them out into the universe. They were recorded to tape and produced by the songwriter and multi-instrumentalist “at home” and it is a wonderful collection of songs that stay with you and keep growing the more and more you listen to them.

It is softer, quieter and more subdued than her album Thanks for That (more of a rocker of a record that was released last summer) and some of the songs harken back to earlier recordings with a little more sonic maturity. The album has the same ambience of some of my favorite Yo La Tengo tracks (see: And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out) and early Beach House (see Devotion).

I’ve been listening to it in the mornings on the train, heading out to my post outside of the city as the sun rises. “Arkansas Valley” and “Mine” are two tracks that I keep returning to. Steph Green has become one of my favorite artists in the last few years. I have been excited to see her putting out more and more material; never sacrificing any quality of the music or compositions. This record stands up to her best work and I look forward to spending more time with these songs.

Duff Thompson has also released an album this month titled Shadow People. It is a burner of a record; burner but it burns slow. Like his debut LP Haywire, it is full of poignant and self-aware lyrics, playful and interesting arrangements, rocky and jangly and also some very quiet and sweet. Duff is an exceptional songwriter, often evoking dread and depression with a light touch.

As the press release reveals about the album, it is full of Thompson’s “swagger” and mood that only he can create. Lines like “Too many hot days are killing all my plants” from album opener, “Just Like Me”, fill the album with memorable moments to sing along with. The press release also mentions that Shadow People is the first of two albums recorded, the second one not yet scheduled for release. With both of these artists giving us new music this month, our cups overfloweth.

There is something comforting about this record and how it keeps the palate of the artist, the signature sound that has really made the Mashed Potato Record albums so special. There is a roughness that adds to the quality and strength of the songwriting. The subtle strings and Vaudevillian piano add depth and sophistication. “Shapeshifter”, a single and a standout track, is a perfect example of this. It’s one of my favorites from this album. I’m sure it will be an audience favorite and I hope, one day, I get to hear Thompson play it live!

Speaking of live, Duff Thompson and Steph Green are on a US tour and you would be doing yourself a disservice if you didn’t go and check them out!

These two are the real deal! Check out both of their new albums and keep your eye out for new music coming out from the Mashed Potato Records camp…

And thanks, Duff and Steph for the wine and conversation in Portugal. We talked about being on tour, the Seattle connection by way of Chris Acker, my fond memories of touring with The Growing Boys, playing drums with Shawn Hess and The Country Skillet; we talked about the recording of Dean Johnson’s record, the magic of Sam Doores, the importance of The Deslondes, their time in New Orleans, moving back to Canada and what it means to be a true Canadian.

Can’t wait to see what you guys are up to down the line! Salud!

And here is another tasty morsel of Duff and Steph performing some of their songs together (also Twain, who has a few tracks on the first Mashed Potato Records Compilation)

I’m going to try and do these music posts more often… and add links to make the “articles” more interactive; referring back to other posts and linking to similar artists, YouTube videos, rabbit holes to keep you entertained, etc… Stay Tuned!

–Evan O’Neal