The Hackles are Kati Claborn and Luke Ydstie, who are based in Astoria, Oregan, the oldest settlement west of the Rocky Mountains. They met when they were individually recruited to Portland-based band Blind Pilot, with whom they still play but seeing as they hit it off they also decided to form a musical duo. And raise a family. ‘O My Stars‘ is the pair’s contribution to a new tribute album to Michael Hurley. The album is called ‘Snockument’ and is a vinyl sampler of some of Michael Hurley’s favourite covers of his songs, spanning 30 years or more, threaded with a love and admiration for the songs of Hi Fi Snock. Some tunes were recorded especially for the occasion (Calexico, Cass McCombs, The Hackles, dbh and Little Sue) while others were picked up along the way (Cat Power, Yo La Tengo, The Chicken Chokers, Vernon Tonges and Jason D. Williams). The Vinyl is out this year and there’s an expanded digital version planned for 2022.
Michael Hurley has a career we usually refer to as storied – releasing his debut album, ‘First Songs’, in 1964 on the Folkways label – making his music, by association and sound, genuine Americana. Since then there have been a couple of dozen or more releases featuring songs about maidens, werewolves, wild geese, dogs, UFOs, and the Twilight Zone.
The full track list for ‘Snockument’ is:
Side 2
O My Stars – The Hackles
I Still Could Not Forget You Then – Vernon Tonges
The Rue Of Ruby Whores – Calexico
Portland Water – Jason D. Williams
Polynesia #1 – Yo La Tengo
