Jeffrey Martin, Bart Budwig [inside]

Jeffrey Martin writes the kind of songs that can weigh on your soul – a litany of heavy reckonings and leaden revelations. Last year’s fourth LP, Thank God We Left the Garden delivered the Texas-born, Portland-based songwriter’s most striking work yet, each song grappling with a wary reconciliation of the world and the self. At his best, Martin balances a lyrical heft that sits somewhere between David Ramirez and Richard Buckner, yet even amid the heaviness, he continues tracking toward an elusive light. Fellow Oregonian Bart Budwig opens, working the mood swings between wild howling roots and somber dirges. – Doug Freeman