Portland-based folk rock band The Builders and the Butchers have recently announced their forthcoming album, The Spark, which is due out May 19th. The band’s fifth LP will be released on Badman Recordings Co. – their third release with the label.
With comparisons to The Decemberists coming from Pitchfork and The Washington Post, among others, their brand of folk-rock is best served live. Audiences can look forward to lively performances, where the fourth wall is broken and the audience is able to participate in call and response sing-a-longs. Sometimes the band will hand out instruments for fans to play, and they’ll even get down off stage to perform right on the floor.
The Builders and The Butchers formed in 2005. Ryan Sollee fronts the band, sings and plays guitar, joined by Willy Kunkle (bass, guitar, vocals, percussion), Justin Bair (drums, backup vocals, percussion) and Harvey Tumbleson (mandolin, banjo, guitar, vocals, percussion). The Portland-based band gained a strong following after years of playing anywhere and everywhere across thecity. They quickly grew to become one of the most exciting live bands in Portland and throughout the Pacific Northwest.
This new album features a wider array of sounds and shorter, impactful songs, while remaining a Builders’ record at heart. The process of creating The Spark was the longest of any Builders’ record to date. They spent the last five years writing the music and a year mixing. With several band members living out of state (Justin in Colorado, Willy in Malta, Harvey in Washington and Ryan and Ray in Portland), many parts were recorded remotely. Drums and much of the electric guitar were recorded at Revolver Studios and the rest was laid down piece-by-piece and mixed by Edgar McCrae at his home studio. Influences for the record range from Tom Waits to The White Stripes.
Today Glide is excited to premiere the music video for “Older Than Sin”, one of the more raucous tunes on The Spark. The quickfire tune goes full cowpunk with a relentless groove and Ryan Sollee’s commanding vocals belting out on full blast. There is a defiant energy to the tune, which fits the narrative of the video focusing on a group of angry youth standing up against an even angrier old man. There is a back and forth exchange between young and old before the man ultimately gets what seems to be coming, exactly as the lyrics of the song suggest. The band simplifies the story by describing it as “a reclusive family’s patriarch is laid peacefully to rest the normal way.” “Older Than Sin” captures the sheer talent of this band and, though fitting as a single, mostly begs to be heard in the live setting.
Directed by Joe Bowden
Producer: Ashley Mellinger
Director of Photography: E. P. Davee
The Builders and the Butchers release The Spark on May 19th. For more music and tour dates visit thebuildersandthebutchers.com.
