Tom Catmull with Jeff Plankenhorn at Longstaff House

Jeff Plankenhorn’s songwriting, expressive vocals, and musicianship are front and center on his latest album, Alone At Sea, produced by Colin Linden (Bruce Cockburn, Keb Mo.) New sonic territory is explored on this gem of a long player.

The title track, “Alone at Sea,” is a poignant ballad nestled between two of the album’s many up-tempo tunes.It envisions an adventurous soul who’s searching for self-awareness and learns to appreciate solitude, not unlike Plank’s experience of moving to Canada’s Vancouver Island from a 20-year stint in the landlocked confines of Austin, TX.

Plank is a highly respected musician known for his skill as a slide guitarist, songwriter, and vocalist. He’s gained recognition both as a solo artist and as a sought-after session musician. Plankenhorn’s musical style encompasses elements of blues, folk, Americana, and roots music, creating a sound that’s uniquely his own.

For Jeff Plankenhorn, there’s nothing quite like the feeling of bringing people together to experience the joy music brings. He’s so good at it that he’s been recognized with Austin Music Award nominations for Musician of the Year, Best Guitarist, and a win Best Misc. Instrument – for “The Plank” a hybrid lap steel guitar Jeff designed himself. In 2016-2017, he also earned Album and Song of the Year nominations for his album, SoulSlide, and the single “Trouble Find Me.” Listeners quickly get that Plank loves a good groove, but he’s also become quite accomplished at composing ballads, as proven by two of the album’s other standouts, “Bluer Skies” and You’ll Stay.” These days, Plank happily finds himself on the road over 150 days a year. “I like the idea that people get uplifted at my shows; just one of the great ways to escape the hubbub of day-to-day living. I like the idea that everybody who walks in — I don’t care if you’re a biker or a drag queen — I want you there. Music is supposed to bring people together.” His music does exactly that — whether people come to listen or do a little dancing. Or ideally, both.

“…his distinctive voice & sparse instrumentation that’s actually layered tones that are subtle & border between the darker Bob Dylan tunes & the melodic meanderings of Tom Waits. Very likable because Plankenhorn is a careful distance from basic mainstream artists. He walks his own road & sometimes it seems he makes his own road.”
– John Apice/Americana Highways 9/28/23

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Tom Catmull is a word enthusiast. They are the larger part of what makes his world go round. He’s spent the last twenty-five years in his adopted hometown of Missoula presenting words in ways to make them as alluring as possible to people who crave such things. The tricks useful to achieving this feat include infectious melody, thoughtful arrangement, storytelling, some finger picking and a clean shirt.

The last couple of decades have included seven full length albums, a few television appearances (Montana PBS 11th and Grant), a hundred theaters performances (The Wilma, The Rex, The Roxy, The Dennison, etc), dozens of festivals, countless honkytonks and two ridiculously fun national anthems. He’s been the supporting act for Robert Earl Keen, Charlie Musselwhite, Junior Brown, Asleep at the Wheel and a dozen others.

There exists some confidence that his roots driven Americana songs are worthy of your time. Don’t be fooled, though. The acoustic guitar, harmonica and hat are just cheap ploys to get the words out in front of you.

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