Saturday, August 20th - Annie Lynch & Michaela Anne, Lindsay Clark, Ed Thanhouser

We're very pleased to continue the month with another round of wonderful music and songwriting. This Saturday brings Annie Lynch from Annie & The Beekeepers from Brooklyn, NY. I've listened to a few songs and there's a ton of warmth coming out of the trio, there's a lot of bare bones that lay transparent within the songs and they show through with ease. I'm very excited to hear more! This is what I pulled up from a another site: "Annie Lynch shows off her remarkable vocal prowess on a debut album featuring lyrics that dance gently over sweet guitar picking. Lynch creates symphonic, slow- burning tunes that strike a lovely balance between heavy emotion and light, sparse sound." - Paste Magazine

Michaela Anne grew up in a military family, and lived as a modern day gypsy - traveling the American terrain as well as abroad. Always active musically, she picked up influences as diverse as the places she lived. Now planted firmly in Ditmas Park, Brooklyn, a neighborhood with an imagined taste of country life within the metropolis of New York City, she h as found a home, and band. Her songs weave stories of the hardships and pleasures in life, notably influenced by the American military family lifestyle. Blending country, blues and folk with heartfelt lyrics and a powerful vocal delivery, Michaela Anne evokes the ever-changing landscape of American life she witnessed first hand.

Lindsay Clark is a wonderful songwriter who recently moved here from Nevada City among

a migration of an extremely talented community. Lindsay plays ballads and spirituals that echo the Appalachian tradition. There's a reflective space in her music, not just in what's expres

sed in the lyrics, but the space that the song holds itself as a whole. Check out her beautiful album here.

Ed Thanhouser is many things in the Portland community: booker, promoter, event organizer, and heavily involved in the PDX Pop Now! Festival, and he also an immensely talented performer. There's a lot of noise coming out of one person. I heard him perform one of his songs in our living room after a show and he left the room anticipating more. Well, he will play a whole set more of his music at this show! We're very humbled to have Ed open the evening grace us with his matured sense of songwriting and arrangement. You can hear his music here.

Saturday, August 13th - Ritchie Young (of Loch Lomond), Eliza Rickman

This is going to be another night of amazing music! We've never hosted two shows in a row, but this is a very special exception. We're pleased to announce that Ritchie Young from Loch Lomond will be performing in our living room! He will be playing solo versions of songs from his extensive and unique catalogue including pieces from the new released Little Me Will Start A Storm which captures arrangements ranging from the dense instrumentation and bright layers of harmonies to the intimate and vulnerable plucking of the violin as the sole instrument. All of these songs will carry their weight with originality and energy.

To make the show even better - the incredibly talented Eliza Rickman will also be performing! Eliza composes music that I could see going very well with a Tim Burton movie, having a charming and quirky aesthetic with darker undertones. Her voice has a commanding presence and sits well with her string ensemble. She will be performing solo playing both a toy and upright piano, all falling as a backdrop to her entrancing storytelling. This is a show not to miss!

Friday, August 12th - The Moth and the Flame, Slow Skate, Waver Clamor Bellow

If you haven't come to a show at The Christmas Horse before, this is a good time to start. The Moth and the Flame are a band that I met while on tour going through Provo, UT (a place I didn't know existed before). I have never been more thankful to tour through this random city since we got to see the amazing performance from this band. As a two piece, both players fill the space and create beautiful and striking compositions. Reminiscent of Sigur Ros, these songs amaze me every time I listen to them. These two lads write songs that warm the heart and break it at the same time. This is unique to the usual acoustic element to our living room show, but it is no less intimate as the other performances.

I first heard the band Slow Skate on NPR and I've been hooked ever since. Not only are they some of the nicest people I've met, they are pretty amazing musicians too! This duo comes from Seattle, WA and they have been on the road a good amount recently and we're extremely happy to have them play! Caitlin's voice carries through as a pulse to each of their compositions, and the songs carry different moods from the the sparse and melodic to the driving and distorted.

Waver Clamor Bellow is a new project conceived for this show. Vernon Shepard plays beautiful noise compositions with textures and layers that flow seamlessly into one another. He will perform his pieces as a soundtrack to a puppet show that will open the evening. I highly encourage EVERYONE to see this show, It's going to be so good!! It will be too warm for a fire, but we can warm ourselves with whiskey and other spirits.

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The Moth & the Flame "Lullaby II" from The Occidental Saloon on Vimeo.