east forest

East Forest’s Slowly But Forward: 12 minutes of “ambient dream-core”

Thacher Schmid

East Forest is the “ambient dream-core electro-acoustic experimental minimalist shaman-rock” project of Trevor Oswalt, a Portland-via-Brooklyn musician. I’ve played with him on a number of tracks, including some more meditative and long-form and some more groovetastic. East Forest just released … Continue reading East Forest’s Slowly But Forward: 12 minutes of “ambient dream-core”

Leaves Russell

Leaves Russell releases “A Tale of Two Basements” EP

Thacher Schmid

In February 2011, Leaves Russell released its debut EP, “A Tale of Two Basements.” The cover art was done by Jeremy Moore and looks like this: The album is available for digital download at leavesrussell.bandcamp.com for a very reasonable $5. The five songs on the album are: 1 Heart of Things 2 Paper Thin 3 La Zona Rosa 4 Na Na Na 5 Replace the Light (Upon the Stand) I played violin, viola and Fender mandocaster, and sang backup vox. Matthew Russell sang lead and played piano, Isaac Medina played bass and Jackson Conrad played drums. The album was engineered … Continue reading Leaves Russell releases “A Tale of Two Basements” EP

Shepherd Express

“A Target On Their Chest”: Women in Policing

Thacher Schmid

Here is the first big story I ever wrote for publication: a cover story for Milwaukee, WI alternative newsweekly the Shepherd Express. It came on the heels of my internship at the Feminist Majority Foundation in Washington, D.C., where I met Penny Harrington, the former police chief of Portland, OR and the first female chief of a major city.   Continue reading “A Target On Their Chest”: Women in Policing

Uncategorized

Petoskey releases “Little Lakes” EP

Thacher Schmid

After a great show at the Doug Fir Lounge on January 22, 2011, Petoskey is releasing its new EP, titled “Little Lakes.” Recorded by Skyler Norwood at Miracle Lake Studios in Camas, WA, the EP includes five songs, including Baby Bee, Chickadee, Jacob and the Whale, Artichoke and 1627 Leffingwell. Petoskey is Angie Kuzma (center), Justin Ready (far right), Becca Vandewalle (back right), Jason Drost (mid right), Lauren Vidal (back left), and Thacher Schmid (far left). You can buy this excellent recording for just five bucks here: http://petoskey-pdx.bandcamp.com/ If you’d like a sneak peek, here are two of the three … Continue reading Petoskey releases “Little Lakes” EP

Willamette Week

Signs of Discontent

Thacher Schmid

Signs Of Discontent Billboard wordplay has caught the Blazers off guard and angered some feminists. BY THACHER SCHMID | 503-243-2122 [December 8th, 2010] It takes a second glance to realize that some billboards in the city that’s home to the Trail Blazers aren’t a typo. The capital letters, several feet tall and a dozen wide, spell the words “TAIL BLAZERS” and are nestled between the faces of actors Charlie Sheen and Neil Patrick Harris. They’re plastered on at least three billboards and one MAX light-rail train as part of a NW32/KRCW ad campaign to pitch two TV series, Sheen’s Two … Continue reading Signs of Discontent

east forest

Music Meditation podcast with East Forest

Thacher Schmid

I just did a podcast with Trevor Oswalt, a keyboardist, producer and vocalist who maintains the Eastforest.org website. It’s titled “Uncoiling,” and clocks in at 16 minutes. Great stuff for meditation, driving, relaxing, taking a bath, chillaxing. I played violin and Fender mandocaster on the piece. Trevor played keyboards, sang and added various effects and other percussion instruments, with loop pedals. You can go to eastforest.org or to the audio link: http://www.losttricks.com/eastforest/SoundHealingBites/Podcasts/SoundHealingBites025Uncoiling.mp3 Continue reading Music Meditation podcast with East Forest

Uncategorized

“Safe” by Star Witness

Thacher Schmid

From left to right, Fern Capella, Trevor Oswalt, Chris Allen, me, Kenny Karales. Star Witness-Safe This track was produced by Chris Allen, who also plays drums. Fern Capella sings lead and wrote the song, while Kenny Karales plays bass guitar, Trevor Oswalt plays keyboards and I play violin/viola. Released June 15, 2010. Check out the band’s website at reverbnation.com/starwitness Continue reading “Safe” by Star Witness

Counterpunch

A Cheesehead’s Musings on the Sunday NYT (Counterpunch)

Thacher Schmid

Here’s a little media criticism I wrote for the underground / activist website Counterpunch.org in 2004: America is a big, gorgeous country. Thank the heavens, also diverse. If the fate of all Americans is intertwined in some way, it’s also a good bet that the world looks different from Wisconsin than from New York. Now, this is no diatribe on the evils of the East Coast or the insular politics of the D.C. “beltway.” Here in the land of Brett Favre and Ahman Green, we embrace our friends on the coasts, in the south and in the mountains. But honesty … Continue reading A Cheesehead’s Musings on the Sunday NYT (Counterpunch)

Adbusters

Belize (Adbusters)

Thacher Schmid

This is a piece I wrote about Belize, a tiny Central American nation with a horrendously high homicide rate, for Adbusters, a graphic art-oriented, activist magazine published out of Vancouver, B.C. My own trip to Belize in 2000 was marred by a double homicide right outside my hotel room, which may or may not have been connected to my friend’s wallet being stolen that same night — after we went to the only disco on Caye Caulker. Luckily, the thief left my friend’s passport, otherwise we might still be there. Continue reading Belize (Adbusters)