Devin Champlin and Izaak Opatz at Longstaff House

Devin Champlin is a songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, luthier, and artist from Northwestern Washington. As the frontman/songwriter for Sons Of Rainier (along with bandmates Dean Johnson, Sam Gelband, and Charlie Meyer), he has carved out a unique voice in the contemporary indie-folk Americana world. Intimate lyrics filled with optimistic existentialism are unhurriedly sung with a woodgrain baritone over fingerpicked guitar, the occasional elbow fiddle or keyboard. He prefers not to lean too hard into any specific genre, although he’s satisfied with the umbrella term “folk” as the idea of non-commercial music made by people for the people.

He’s spent the better part of two decades studying traditional American musical styles, specifically country blues guitar and old-time fiddle tunes, learning from old source recordings, elders in the scene, and the festival/camp community. Along with that cultural musical nerdery, he has a prolific output of original music. As an artist with a DIY aesthetic, he uses songcraft as a medium to create imagery- along those lines, he also produces animations, videos, paintings, drawings, and prints in tandem with his musical output. Keeping the audience (and himself) on their toes, he rarely plays the same thing twice- sometimes it may seem as if the wheels are about to fall off, but the train keeps a-rollin’.

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Izaak Opatz’s music has always been about longing, run through with nostalgia for the passed-by and out-of-reach. His first two albums, Mariachi Static and Extra Medium, were propelled by a longing for specific people and places, made relatable by wry humor, thoughtful simile and close observation.  ​​More recently, he’s been writing songs that long for an alternative reality, for different possibilities than the short, doomed menu offered by tech lords and the kakistocracy failing to regulate them. Songs that push back against the coercive pressure to indulge in small conveniences at the expense of personal privacy, a 20th-century attention span, and the steady drip of a monthly subscription. It stays on the tracks, and it’s a satisfying roll.

His recordings, solo and with Sons Of Rainier, have found their way into the permanent library of hobos, widows, fry cooks, and fancy pants alike. In addition to his 2 releases with Sons Of Rainier, he has a handful of self-released full-length solo albums out, including one all-instrumental album recorded on an Amtrak train, and the most recently released Lonesome Splendor In The Circus Tent (2024)

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