Bassist/vocalist Melanie Radford (Built to Spill, Blood Lemon) celebrates the release of her debut solo album For the Sake of Stillness, an inventive reimagining of lush ambient folk delivered with her singular touch. It was recorded during and in-between tours, coming together over a stretch of two years as a centering practice and statement of self. Constantly in motion from touring with Built to Spill, Melanie felt a deep need to make music that felt quiet, warm, grounded. She began collecting field recordings during her travels, going for long walks alone through cities, natural spaces, and neighborhoods. With these audio recordings as the foundation, Melanie built out melodies and rhythms, always keeping her bass and vocals at the heart of the music. For the Sake of Stillness is part meditation, part love poem, part hymn. The music is quiet, dreamy, steady and self-assured, propelled by melodic bass lines, musical minimalism, poetic lyricism, and Melanie’s powerful, haunting voice, which is the twin and complement to her bass. She will be playing with her band featuring Jim Roth (pedal steel), Lupe Flores (drums), and Lori Goldston (cello), with special projections and visuals tailored to the space.
Opener Sheridan Riley began playing drums at age eleven, inspired by the likes of Karen Carpenter, Led Zeppelin, the Jackson Five, ABBA, the Beatles, Deerhoof, Miles Davis, and Elvin Jones. After high school they played as often as they could, performing in contexts ranging from touring indie rock acts, country bar bands, and the Long Beach community college swing band. Since then, Riley has performed in the bands ALVVAYS, Dante Elephante, and Zen Mother, as well as a duo project with trumpeter Ahamefule Oluo called Insect Revenge, and a solo project called Peg. A frequent participant in the late, great improvisational series Racer Sessions, Riley has also collaborated with many Seattle artists including Lori Goldston, Wayne Horvitz, Haley Freedlund, Neil Welch, Cassandra Jenkins, Hand Habits, and Abbey Blackwell, among others.