My friends Jason and Pharis Romero (banjo and guitar) traveled the west coast backing up and recording one tune each with some of their favorite fiddlers between San Francisco and Vancouver BC. It is a fabulous CD and I was fortunate enough to be included in the project.

Shipping Port

Order the CD at here

On occasion I get to play music with my dear friends Jason and Pharis Romero. And on some of these occasions we get to record our music together. Old Billy Hell Yeah! was the name of our band.

Little Rabbit

I’ve Been All Around This World

Poor Old Napper

Liza Jane

This is the one and only release the GIO put out before parting ways. It was recorded in my shack on the permaculture farm in Portland, OR by Tim Wenzel in Jan 2006 It was released after the band broke up. It features Sophie Vitells and I on fiddles, Maggie Brunjes on Banjo, Patrick Lind on washtub bass, and Caroline Oakley on guitar.

Going Up To Hamburg

Moonshiner

Paul Silveria, master of puns and wacky ideas, wrote the script for an Old Time 78rpm-style musical skit and enlisted as many of Portland’s old time bands as he could fit in the studio. The results were hilarious and captured a moment in Portland’s history.

Black Eyed Suzie

One summer a brave girl named Emily Rose rode the greyhound to Portland from Vancouver, Canada. She showed up at one of my gigs saying she didn’t know anyone but that she wanted to learn to play old time music. As it turned out, the songs she did sing were hauntingly beautiful and her personality charmed our whole community. Portland took her in like a stray puppy. I insisted that we record her songs.  It was my first an only gig as a recording engineer.

Sally Walker

Roustabout

Turkle Dove

Big Hoedown

Big Fancy

Moonshine Still

The Dickel Brothers Volume One – LP/CD Empty Records

In early 1999 the Dickels went into Larry Crane’s Jackpot Studio to record our first full length LP. Blake from eMpTy Records offered to put it out on his primarily punk rock record label. Since all of us had been involved in various punk scenes we jumped at the chance. Being cheeky bastards we decided to put two tracks on the vinyl LP that were not on the CD.

The Sinners Have Come

New River Train

The Dickel Brothers Volume Two – LP/CD Empty Records

By the end of 1999 we were back in Jackpot Studios recording our second album in one year! It was released just before our six week national tour in the summer of 2000. This would be the last recording of that lineup of the Dickel Brothers.

I’m Getting Ready To Go

Rambling Boy

First self released 7″ on Boxcar Records

Back in Oct. 1997 when the Dickels were just Matt, Clancy and myself we hand made and self released our first 7″ on our own label. It was a home made job with block printed covers, gaffers tape spine, a printed black and white photograph of the band, and a hand written booklet illustrated by Bwana Spoons. There was only 300 printed so you might have to search hard to find one.

Let Her Go, God Bless Her b/w Possum on a Rail – Empty Records 7″

This 7″ was a pre-release that Empty Records offered to put out to get people excited about the upcoming full length album Dickel Brothers Volume One. It was recorded at the same time as the Volume One recordings.

Ballyhoo Blues – 7″ Extra Ball Records

The Dickels became good friends with Sam Soule from Multiball magazine. In 199? he asked us to be on a split 7″ that would accompany the magazine so Matt wrote a song about the original Ballyhoo Pinball Machine that was released in 1931. The song was later released on a compilation cd put out by Extra Ball called “Hot Pinball Rock”

BallyHoo Blues

Bill Mason b/w I’m Thinking Tonight of My Blue Eyes – 7″ Extra Ball Records

Our relationship with Extra Ball continued and they offered to put out a 7″ of just us.  Brian, our bass player, printed the gorgeous covers at Stumptown Printers.  these tracks were recorded in Dec. 1999 during the Volume Two recording sessions.