Jeff Plankenhorn plays a soulful, distinctly Austin brand of roots
rock that, over the past several years, has gained him a devoted
national following and a seat among the very best contemporary
Americana songwriters. His confident, catchy-as-hell fourth studio
album, Sleeping Dogs was released to rave reviews (Rolling Stone
Country, the Boot, Twangville, among others) and spent a good chunk of
2018 on the Roots Rock and Americana radio charts (#5 and #44). The
four-piece band that bears his name has become a favorite on the
festival circuit, scoring spots at Old Settlers Music Festival,
Kerrville Folk Festival, Telluride Americana Music Festival, and
Austins annual New Years Eve blowout at Auditorium Shores. Well before
he started rocking festival stages as a solo artist, Plankenhorn was
already in the musical DNA of his adopted home of Austin, Texas. His
bluesy, slide-driven guitar style was born out of jam sessions,
residencies and house shows played for local audiences eager for the
electricity and edge-of-your-seat musicianship that makes Austin the
live music capital of the world. In Austin, he says, few players
rehearse. You show up and you play, for better or for worse. That
freewheeling philosophy, and the disciplined songwriting craft that
underpins it, is the result of Plankenhorns almost ten-year run as a
member of the Resentments, a supergroup of sorts that hosts one of the
longest running residencies in Austin. Every Sunday for the last 20
years, a rotating cast of Austins best songwriters has brought their
newest tunes to debut at the Saxon Pub, an Americana stronghold on the
famous Lamar Street. The group walks a tightrope between improvisation
and songcraft that is thrilling. This musical bootcamp sharpened
Plankenhorns writing process and gives his songs a lived-in ease. Over
the course of five solo albums, Plankenhorn has drawn on a wide range
of styles, combining influences from electric blues, progressive
bluegrass, sacred steel, and power-pop to create a musical identity
all his own. A big part of it is his voice. Plankenhorn grew up in
Ohio singing choral music as a boy soprano. The vocal clarity and
power he developed in those early years is evident in the soulful
baritone he employs now. The biggest contributor to Plankenhorns sound
is his virtuosic touch on anything with strings - ranging from
electric and acoustic, guitar to dobro and lap steel. His most
distinctive sonic paintbrush is the custom electric dobro he invented,
appropriately called the Plank. If youve listened to roots music from
Austin in the last couple decades, you may have heard it - a sharp,
crunchy slide sound derived from the instrument's combination of a lap
steel neck and electric guitar body. That distinctive burn is all over
Plankenhorns 2016 album, SoulSlide, in addition to recordings from
Austin greats like Ray Wylie Hubbard and Joe Ely. (In between solo
gigs, hes a first-call session guitarist.) Word of mouth at his shows
has even resulted in a few one-off orders for the Plank, including
from members of Wade Bowens band and Blue October. Plankenhorn is a
magnet for diverse ideas and collaborators, and his genius is in
bringing them together. Sleeping Dogs merges styles effortlessly,
juxtaposing sweet-hearted anthems like Love is Love (a response to the
Pulse nightclub shooting) against ominous, weathered tunes like Tooth
& Nail, which he co-wrote with Ray Wilie Hubbard. Several of the
albums standouts are the result of collabs with Americana royalty,
including Holy Lighting, which features a duet with Patty Griffin.
Tying it all together is a big-heartedness that speaks to a worldly
approach to Americana music. Plankenhorn came to Austin by way of
Nashville. The way he tells it, he met outlaw-country great Ray Wilie
Hubbard on a Nashville sidewalk, sat in with him that very night on
dobro, and, before he knew it, had a long-term gig crashing on
Hubbards couch in Texas hill country. From there, he launched a new
chapter as a solo artist, and Hubbard is a mentor to this day. The
last few years have been a time of outstanding creativity and
commercial breakthrough for Plankenhorn - success for which he credits
his sobriety. Id toured the country and played the world, but it wasnt
until I got clean and went to rehab that things really started to come
together. Since getting clean seven years ago, Plankenhorn has
channeled his addictive energy into songwriting. He lives half the
year now living with his wife on Vancouver Island, Canada, where he
spends idyllic days writing and playing with their dogs. The other
half he spends in Austin, where he remains in demand as a session
player, cowriter, and producer. The success of his last two albums
have brought international interest in his music, and full tours of
Europe and Canada are in the works. ATWOOD'S IS A MIX OF SEATING AND
STANDING ROOM. PURCHASING A TICKET DOES NOT GUARANTEE SEATING. 21+ /
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02/03/2020 Last update