Description

Portland based songwriter, vocalist and instrumentalist Caleb Klauder has been performing music for over fifteen years, and has contributed to a number of successful musical groups. Caleb grew up on Orcas Island, Washington, in a small, rural community where the lives of the islanders were intermingled and there were no strangers. Music was the focal point of many social gatherings, and Caleb grew up listening to fellow islanders play folk, rock and jazz music.
As a young boy, Caleb played the harmonica and saxophone; at the age of twelve he began to learn the guitar and, shortly after, to write songs. Caleb and childhood friend David Andrews wrote their first song together at age fifteen, and continued to do so through high school, college, and beyond. In 1990, they co-founded the collaborative folk-rock group Calobo, centered around Caleb and David’s original songs. Calobo became a Northwest musical staple in the mid-nineties and went on to tour the United States and record five full length albums.
From there, Caleb went on to play mandolin with Everyday Dirt, a versatile instrumental group, and to play mandolin and sing with Pig Iron, a Portland-based traditional stringband. Caleb also contributed to Pig Iron as a songwriter.
Caleb Klauder recorded his debut solo album, titled SINGS OUT, while playing with Pig Iron. SINGS OUT was produced by the young and energetic producer/musician Luther Russell. This record, a diverse collection of rock, country, folk and bluegrass, showcased Caleb’s singing and songwriting in a more pared-down style than the larger Calobo, creating a more focused musical setting.
Caleb currently plays mandolin and sings with the Foghorn Stringband, a hard-driving traditional American stringband. Foghorn has toured extensively throughout the United States and has travelled to the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, Denmark and Malaysia. The group has recorded four albums, one for Nettwerk Records, and has also recorded and performed with Dirk Powell as the Dirk Powell band.
On his new record, DANGEROUS MEs and POISONOUS YOUs, Caleb draws on his diverse musical background to create a sound that is at once varied and classic. Caleb himself sings and plays guitar in a style reminiscent of early Nashville. With pedal steel, acoustic guitar, upright bass and drums, DANGEROUS MEs and POISONOUS YOUs captures a sense of classic yet fresh Honky Tonk, with hints of Old-Time, Cajun, Western Swing throughout. Seven of the twelve songs are original, and the others are covers of artists such as Ray Price, Kitty Wells and Dolly Parton. Classics and new material flow together naturally on this album. It is a fine showcase of Caleb’s diverse knowledge of different musical genres, his fine songwriting, and his ability to render old favorites in a way that is simultaneously faithful to the originals and interestingly new.
Caleb Klauder sings and plays guitar and mandolin on his second full length record, and acts as producer for the first time. Ned Folkerth plays drums; Paul Brainard plays dobro, six string electric and steel guitar; Betse Ellis of the Wilders plays fiddle and sings; Stephen “Sammy” Lind of the Foghorn Stringband plays fiddle and guitar and sings; Jesse Emerson of Amelia plays the bass fiddle; Lewi Longmire and Ralph Huntley of Klezmocracy share the piano seat, and Kevin Sandri of Foghorn plays bass fiddle on “New Shoes”. All tracks were recorded live in the studio between March 2005 and November 2006. After two years of songwriting, a heavy performance schedule, and many recording sessions, Caleb is proud to present this collection of songs. DANGEROUS MEs and POISONOUS YOUs is a lively and creative new album that will please Foghorn and Calobo fans alike.