Who: The Faux Paws w/Eli West
When: Thursday, May 21st at 7:30pm (Doors at 7)
Where: The Palindrome
1893 S Jacob Miller Rd in Port Townsend
“[The Faux Paws] have the special sauce” – Jerry Douglas
“There’s a freshness and warmth to their sound that’s impossible to resist.” – Folk Radio UK
Rainshadow Recording welcomes back The Faux Paws, with special guest, Eli West to The Palindrome at Eaglemount Cidery, 1893 S. Jacob Miller Rd.
"The Faux Paws... are a triangle band in a land of circles. Musically impossible to describe, they don’t even fit into todays often hyphenated-genre world. No fan, industry expert, nor member of the band can seem to sum up this band’s sound in any kind of marketable way. They continue to remain a singularly unique outfit in the acoustic music community, always on the fringes, always memorable and with an increasing number of die-hard fans who feel like they’ve uncovered a secret.
Is it bluegrass? Not usually. Old-time? Occasionally. Is it Celtic? Can’t quite say that. Is it Folk? Americana? Jazz? Singer-songwriter? None of the above, but members of the Paws have deep ties to all of these traditions and blend their elements effortlessly to serve whatever musical idea is being presented. So what can we say? This band takes risks. They’re dynamic, exciting, sincere, irreverent, infectious, and surprising. They move deftly between moods, influences and instruments but always maintaining a “groove” that pulses through the music like a heartbeat (you may not always be aware it’s there but it gives the thing life).
A Faux Paws live show is an explosive roller coaster ride that brings the audience along. Virtuosity on the fiddle, mandolin, guitar and saxophone, sure, but also vulnerability, personal lyrics, tight 3-part harmonies, playful interplay, intricately arranged details and soaring improvisations. Brothers Andrew and Noah Van Norstrand grew up playing contra dance music with their musician mother in the band Great Bear. Based in upstate New York, Great Bear gained a strong reputation in the niche world of folk-dance music, touring the country for eighteen years, releasing numerous albums and starting their own dance festival called The Groove.
According to FolkAlley.com, it’s Trad. Their self-titled 2021 release was named one of the 10 Best Trad albums of the year from around the world. With the considerable success and praise the band has seen since coming out of the pandemic the Paws decided to add upright bass to their touring outfit whenever possible. These days it's frequently Chris Felix Sartori (Twisted Pine, Peter Rowan) and the chemistry is rare and undeniable.
Need more? Well a few points people usually notice: the saxophone that behaves in ways they’ve never heard. An oft-heard ‘compliment’ to Grammy nominated multi-instrumentalist Dean Miller(Port Townsend resident) is “I thought I was going to hate the saxophone!” Fiddle-phenom Noah gets most of the attention on his feet – due to his unique approach to his Quebecois-style foot-percussion he’s developed. Combined with his jaw-dropping array of percussive chopping elements on the fiddle he contains the sound of a full band on his own. Except it’s his brother Andrew carefully executing complimentary chords and riffs on the guitar that makes Noah’s sound what it is.
But spending too many words talking about this stuff detracts from the fact that it’s the original songs – and heart – that keep folks coming back for more year after year. In the band’s 12th year they returned to the studio and emerged with an EP showcasing a huge amount of music in a 5-track sampler. The live-energy of the newly minted quartet is on full display, with very little added. The Backburner EP was released in April 2023 and reached Billboard’s Top 10 Bluegrass Albums Chart. Without stopping to catch their breath, the band returned to the studio in 2024 and their second full-length record No Bad Ideas resolved any question of staying power to the Faux Paws utterly unique sound.
Opening the show is Northwest singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Eli Westhttps://eliwest.com/.
05/21/26 The Faux Paws @ The Palindrome
06/01/26 Live in the Studio Series: The Litch Brothers
06/11/26 Live in the Studio Series: Caroline Aiken
06/22/26 Live in the Studio Series: Lucy Clearwater
06/27/26 Alice Howe & Freebo @ The Palindrome
06/28/26 Songwriting Workshop: Alice Howe & Freebo
06/28/26 Live in the Studio Series: Alice Howe & Freebo (2nd show)
07/10/26 Live in the Studio Series: Sturtz
07/18/26 Live in the Studio Series: The Librarians Record Release Concert
07/30/26 Live in the Studio Series: Iona Fyfe
08/15/26 Live in the Studio Series: Hiroya Tsukamoto
08/20/26 Live in the Studio Series: Andrew Duhon Duo
08/23/26 Live in the Studio Series: Jim Page
09/11/26 Live in the Studio Series: Rough Romance
09/19/26 Live in the Studio Series: Tracy Grammar
09/24/26 Live in the Studio Series: Black Feathers
09/30/26 Live in the Studio Series: Jack Barksdale
10/23/26 Live in the Studio Series: Ray Bonneville
THANK YOU AND OUR SPONSORS FOR SUPPORTING LIVE MUSIC: NICOLE BLASUCCI of COLDWELL BANKER BEST HOMES, A TOUCH OF DUTCH, CORVUS CRAFTS, EAGLEMOUNT WINERY | CIDERY, 91.9 KPTZ.
