The Beautiful Train Wrecks Release Debut LP

The Beautiful Train Wrecks playing The Great NW Music Tour

After nearly a year of bouncing from the studio to touring the Northwest, The Beautiful Train Wrecks have released their debut LP, Rainy Day Parade. Yes, as the title suggests, they are a Portland group, albeit transplants from Kansas, Washington, Arizona, Texas, and Maine.

The musical influences of this trans-American band glow in this first self release, proving once again that Portland is a music town where talented musicians drift to from all parts of the country.

The recording was engineered by bass player Rick Hedges via his collection of vintage and modern recording gear he amassed “thanks to the modern miracle of eBay,” according to Rick who also has a collection of lap and pedal steel guitars.

Originally aiming to play traditional country music in the vein of Hank Williams, Earnest Tubb, and George Jones, The Beautiful Train Wrecks picked up a couple of lead players and face-planted right into a warm blackberry alternative country pie. Cascade blackberry that is.

The Beautiful Train Wrecks have put a few traditional country tunes on Rainy Day Parade such as the bluegrassy “Country Boy” and the way-cowboy “Portland.” On the fun, traditional country and steel guitar infused tune “Portland” The Train Wrecks sing out “Portland, Oregon/Jesus is gonna make it his home”.

There is a definite Midwestness to this record along the lines of Son Volt and Old 97s, yet it is clearly a Cascade Country record as it is truly of a place, like good country music should be. The last track “Fargo” is not about the Dakota town nobody visits, it’s about the singer’s Portland home on N. Fargo Street off Union Ave.

The two lead instruments, guitar and keys each with their own distinct timbre, give a different richness as you move through the record. The Texas-born and Kansas raised piano/keyboard player Joe Root brings his country and Irish dance music background to the band on the song “Highway 101.” Mainer and lead guitar player Travis Magrane, one half of new-roots duo Magrane Hill, show off their music school training with kick @$$ guitar licks, both on the new record and at live shows.

Band leader Lucas Alberg is the Kansas guy, and there is Midwest alternative country influence all over both his and Magrane’s guitar parts. The guitar tone at the beginning of “Uncle Ralph” will give you the goosies. It’s clear drummer Paul DeMichele has put time in studying with pros such as the brilliant and hilarious Doug Smith of Pink Martini and Ry Cooder’s drummer Don Worth.

A little traditional country here, a little alternative country, Americana and roots rock there, this eleven song recording is a great sample of the broad strokes that the country music genre paints and is a catchy bag of harmony and melody driven tunes.

Catch The Beautiful Train Wrecks playing live at:

9 pm Sat.Dec. 19, The Woods, 6637 SE Milwaukie Ave, 21 +

Stephanie Salvey

This fourth generation Portlander has been a business player in the Oregon music scene since the early nineties when she owned a live music club near the downtown waterfront. Industry gigs include days as a music journalist, publicist, concert promoter, record label gal and indie band manager. Ticket stubs and phone pole poster art from Cascade rock and country shows testify to her years of swimming through the area's live music world. Weekdays are for a rural county legal writing gig. Nights are spent at a flat in NW Portland or out in two-tone Tony Lamas, chasing live music as an insider and fan. "Cascade Country Music comes from that area under the thumb-tip when placed over the Cascade mountain range on a table-top globe".