For my Buds, Chuck And Neil,,,,
We have talked a lot about the “return” of the singer-songwriter for a long time. It has seemed that we are in a period that welcomes genuine talent maybe Rolling Stone will continue to confuse good with what sells but us little kids swimming in this big sea, know the real deal when we hear it. Noah Hall as Whiskey Priest picks up his guitar and sings, beautiful melodies, his voice has that Dan Fogelberg , mellow yet powerful, luring you in and keeping your attention and imagine this…paying attention to the lyrics. For those reasons and more , we say , give a listen to Noah Hall as Whiskey Priest and welcome back the Singer-Songwriter…
Meet The Band
I am….
Noah Hall & Whiskey Priest
And my sound might be best described as….
Sad songs that sound happy.
I am originally from…..
Salem, Oregon
Who are some that have an influence on your sound??
Leonard Cohen, Mark Kozelek, T Bone Burnett, Nick Drake, Paul Simon
The first time we met was…..
I met Jeff Stuart Saltzman, the producer of both albums, when he recorded an album
I released with Mothball at Jackpot Studios in Portland. I requested him because I’d heard he
did amazing things in the studio, and he does. He’s responsible for Noah Hall &
Whiskey Priest being a project at all, so it’s important when we met.
I went into the studio with Jeff Stuart Saltzman to record demos for my band
Easterly. Two years later, Easterly hadn’t released an album. Jeff said he loved
the songs and we should release them as the simple acoustic songs they were. I’ve
learned to listen to him.
Before starting the band I was employed as…….
I’ve been a dishwasher, a workers’ compensation claims adjuster, an elementary school teacher, a
librarian, and the director of a medical company.
My craziest gig ever was….
I opened at Doug Fir, in Portland, for a band called Sexton Blake. They had the place sold out, and I hadn’t played to that many people before. It was so loud and crazy I didn’t think anyone was listening to my set. However, the next day I got an email from a girl who said she loved my songs. That felt good.
The first song I wrote was…….
The first song I wrote for Whiskey Priest was Here, the first song from the first album.
It’s about……
Waiting for someone who will never forget the past.
What tunes are you currently jamming to…
I love the new The War on Drugs album! At first it reminded me a little of Telekinesis, but the more I listen the deeper it gets. I’m also listening to the new GOASTT album. And a week rarely goes by without some Dylan, T Bone Burnett, Beach Boys and Beatles.
What are some of the 1st songs you remember listening to that made you say, that’s what I want to do
I watched my uncles band play I Feel Fine, and I knew I wanted to be in a band and play guitar. I also remember them playing CCR tunes like Green River. I loved The Logical Song by Supertramp. I’ve pretty much loved just about every song I’ve ever heard.
When you are touring and have some time off , where could we find you..,.,
I’d be in a cafe reading or writing. I like museums, mostly modern art.
The one thing we want you to remember while your listening to me….
I hope every listener makes the song his or her own. I like to hear from people about what the songs mean to them. I feel like I write very personal and specific songs, but somehow people keep recognizing themselves in them and that’s exciting to me.
Listen to some music….
I enjoy this album so much, that I am going to include the press clip that comes with this Album from my friend Kim Grant..
NOAH HALL & WHISKEY PRIEST RELEASE ALMOST SATISFIED
The Deeply Personal Lyrics of the Album Evoke a “Happy” Side of
Melancholy
Players: Recorded with Jeff Stuart Saltzman (Death Cab For Cutie) and
mastered by Stan Keightley, Jr. Noah Hall vocals, guitar lyrics; Jason
Robbins (The Comforters) on guitar; Joe Harchanko cello arrangements; Rachel
Taylor Brown, keyboard and harmonies; James Gregg on trumpet.
Salem, Oregon July 2014: Almost Satisfied is Noah Hall’s second album as
Whiskey Priest. Twelve songs sung in a beautiful hushed voice, gently
impelled by acoustic plucks and strums, backed by piano, electric guitar,
bass, synthesizers, spare percussion and cello.
An artist with Ravensflight Records, Hall has released Almost Satisfied
digitally and has set a formal release date of August 26th 2014. Portland
comic book artist and children’s book illustrator, Mark Fearing, created
the album cover art.
Frontman for the indie/pop band Easterly, Hall has been making music as
Whiskey Priest since 2006 with the first album, Hungry, being much more
sparse and darker than Almost Satisfied. Hall has earned a reputation for
his personal and honest lyrics. Songs about the pensive topics of loss,
alienation and heartbreak are paired with melodies and arrangements that
infuse the melancholy with a joyfulness and optimism. “I love making
music, ” Said Hall. “ I would write songs whether or not anyone ever
heard them. Melancholia is something I live and explore in every song I
write. Songwriting for me is a way to process life.”
Stan Keightly, who mastered the songs and often collaborates with Hall, told
the Statesman Journal that, “Every song stands on its own. When we were
finished with (Almost Satisfied), I was so emotional it felt like a
cathartic experience. Every one of these songs I knew. I knew what they
meant to him and to me.”
The fragile nature of relationships and energy we (humans) put towards them,
whether we leave or stay, is the thread moving throughout Almost
Satisfied’s twelve tracks. Originally slated to be named, Somewhere and
Not Anywhere, Hall was inspired by the Walker Percy novel, The Moviegoer.
“He talked about wanting to be someone somewhere and not anyone,
anywhere.” Said Hall. “I felt like these songs were in that spirit.
There are a lot of ghosts in these songs, a lot of running.”
Believing in the T Bone Burnett maxim, “I don’t bother with a song if I
can’t whistle a melody”; Noah Hall’s melodies create the difficult
task of making his songs happy and sad at the same time.
“I write songs that are extremely personal yet people tell me they feel
like they were written for them.” Said Hall “I love hearing what other
people think my songs are about. I learn from them. It means the world to me
that others find meaning and affirmation in my songs.”
and you can follow Noah Hall & Whiskey Priest….
Noah Hall & Whiskey Priest, Facebook
and you can shop here….
