- Donerail closed out 2010 with a two shows in Portland: Dec, 10 at The Kenton Club (w/ Beyond Veronica, HolliePollack, including a surprise appearance by Monstress), and Dec 18 at the Green House, both in North Portland.

- Came one step closer to finishing the most recent batch of recordings for release. As of 1/20/11, final mixes are about 99.9% done, and we’ll be mastering and finalizing details for their release, hopefully in the near future. Stay Tuned!

- Donerail continued to rehearse with Chet Morris for a recording project this is “about Portland” and is involving a wide range of Portland artists. We are scheduled to hit the  studio on Marchy 20th to record One Way Street.

Stay tuned!

It’s been a long time since we’ve updated anything on the blog, we’re sorry. It’s just that we’ve been very busy lately and haven’t had time to talk about what’s going on. So, what’s been happening?

Duncan, Dan & Cerissa in the Studio

Last winter we started recording a new album. We took a couple weekends to lay down a bunch of tracks that we’d been playing around with for awhile (ONo!, Manitoba, Eyes Wide Open, Lakes of Fog) and some new ones that we hadn’t really finished (Old Man & The Sea, I Don’t Wish You Were the Devil, Wheezey (all working titles…)). We wound up with a ton of songs and we started working on finishing them, while still playing some shows.

Take a listen to our early cut of Wheezy:

Now the most recent mix:

Then summer came and we all had to take a bit of a break.

jP at Tualatin River Keepers Event

We played a couple of great events: SEMpdx Rooftop Party, Chet’s Summer Band Bash & The Tualatin River Keepers Music Fest. We had a great time at all the events, and feel that we got a good deal of attention. Chet has asked us to record a song with him on his upcoming release all about Portland. It should be really fun, and we’ll be on an album with a bunch of great local artists.

We came into fall with a new perspective on a lot of stuff, and new plans for some of the songs. Today, we’re playing bigger and better venues, making more connections, perfecting our recordings, and pursuing a lot of press. We just opened for Dax Riggs at Dante’s in Portland, and had a great time. We gained a lot of fans that night, sold some T-shirts, and had a great time. We’re looking forward to so much more now.

Sometime this week, Willamette Week’s Local Cut is expected to do a write up on one of our new songs. This is great news for us. WW is one of the 2 main culture rags here in Portland, and we can’t wait to be featured.

Things are looking up around here. Stick around for more news!

Donerail Guitars

“Sessions From the Box features intimate performances and interviews from up and coming and established artists”, and we were tickled to be asked to participate. It’s pretty exciting to be in the same company as artists like Erin McKeown, The Crosswalks, The Hydropods, and Gliss. Said podcast is now up on on the Sessions website and can also be found on iTunes. Go ahead, pop in and have a listen!

Sessions From The Box – Donerail

Donerail...as a Cartoon Artwork by Emily Block.

First off, Donerail will be playing a show in Portland at KELLY’S OLYMPIAN this coming Tuesday, July 22nd with our friends Hutson. Donerail will be playing first at 9pm, so don’t be late. This will also mark the first gig for Donerail’s new drummer Duncan!

Next, the boys will be heading down to Eugene to play McSHANE’S BAR & GRILL on Saturday, July 26th. It’s going to be a full night of music, and this time, we’ll be welcoming back original Donerail drummer, Dain! We’d booked this one before Duncan was added to the band, so this is a one-time only event – it’s kinda like when Van Halen got back together for that one performance and no one told Dave that he wasn’t back in the band…although, I’m pretty sure Dain knows better

Oh yeah, Donerail has a new drummer – Duncan John. Please welcome him the next time you see the band. We wish all the best for Sean.

jP made me put this part in:
I assure you an album is forthcoming! It’s in the mastering phase right now, and soon we’ll have a name and some artwork for you to drool over. In the meantime, be sure to check out our myspace (www.myspace.com/donerail) and website (www.thedonerail.com) for some new songs. Don’t forget about our blog (www.thedonerail.com/blog), we’ll be putting up stories from the recordings and from the road soon.

Here are the details for the shows:

Jul 22
KELLY’S OLYMPIAN
426 SW Washington
Portland, OR 97204

Jul 26
McSHANE’S BAR & GRILL
86495 College View Rd
Eugene, OR 97405

We look forward to seeing you Tuesday night, July 22nd, 9pm, at Kelly’s Olympian; and Saturday, July 26th, 9pm, at McShane’s!!

Take care,
James
~Donerail Booking