local grass: Portland’s Black Prairie

Black Prairie, a new collaboration out of Portland, Oregon made up of three members of the indie-rock band The Decemberists and two other Portland-based folk stars, will release a bluegrass album on Sugar Hill Records in April. The new band’s debut, Feast of the Hunter’s Moon, is produced by Tucker Martine (The Decemberists, Death Cab for Cutie) and features Decemberists guitarist Chris Funk, bassist Nate Query and Jenny Conlee on accordion.  

There are a couple of songs already on the band’s MySpace page. “Red Rocking Chair” has a slow, ominous mountain sound, while “Back Alley” sounds like straight-up traditional bluegrass. Both tracks left me longing for the other 11 songs on this 13 track album that Sugar Hill says will embody “the rich sonic landscape of the Portland music scene while integrating the diverse backgrounds of its members.”  

Check out the first two tracks below and stay tuned for more.

Black Prairie on MySpace

Black Prairie on Sugar Hill Records Web site