The Builders and the Butchers

The Portland-based ensemble the Builders and the Butchers developed a strong regional following throughout the Pacific Northwest thanks to their high-energy live shows, which fused folk, country, and twangy rock. Their self-titled 2007 debut captured much of that onstage vitality, yet the group explored a smoother production style on the 2009 release Salvation Is a Deep Dark Well. Extensive touring across the United States and Europe broadened their reach, leading to a partnership with the Badman imprint that issued several well-received albums such as the more spontaneous 2011 effort Dead Reckoning and 2017’s The Spark. Following a five-year hiatus, they reaffirmed their signature approach on the 2022 album Hell & High Water.

The band’s story began in autumn 2003 when vocalist Ryan Sollee moved from Anchorage, Alaska, to Portland alongside his group the Born Losers at the time. Drawn to blues, country, and gospel traditions, Sollee started a fresh project and soon assembled a lineup that included bassist Alex Ellis, organist and percussionist Ray Rude, drummer Paul Seely, and mandolin and banjo player Harvey Tumbleson. Their debut performance took place during Halloween weekend 2005, quickly attracting listeners with dark, Southern gothic material performed mainly on acoustic instruments and minimal amplification. Growing audiences eventually required added volume, though the rustic character endured, prompting local Americana imprint Bladen County Records to sign the Builders and the Butchers; their self-titled LP appeared in March 2007.

Even though tracked in a studio, that first album functioned essentially as a live document meant to preserve the band’s raw concert atmosphere. Salvation Is a Deep Dark Well arrived in 2009 with a more refined Americana tone shaped by producer Chris Funk of the Decemberists. After multiple U.S. and European tours, the Builders and the Butchers reverted to their earlier method for Dead Reckoning, their third album, which was captured through spontaneous live takes across eight days and marked their initial outing on Portland’s Badman Recording Co. By then Willy Kunkle and Justin Baier had taken over bass and drums from Ellis and Seely. Western Medicine, issued in 2013, presented a denser, more apocalyptic sound as their fourth studio record. The Spark emerged in 2017 with an ominous yet vigorous character; self-produced and assembled digitally while members lived in different parts of the country (one even abroad), it reflected that dispersed reality. Entering the following decade the Builders and the Butchers stayed active despite geographic separation. Like The Spark, much of their subsequent material was recorded remotely over five years before the 2022 release of Hell & High Water, which added modest extra textures while staying faithful to their foundational folk-rock identity.