Mike Coykendall is a veteran songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist with a career spanning over four decades. He fronted Klyde Konnor in the ’80s and Old Joe Clarks in the ’90s before moving to Portland in 1999, where he built his Blue Rooms home studio. Known for his work with artists like M. Ward, She & Him, and Bright Eyes, he also developed a unique solo performance style using a custom setup he calls “the rig.” He’s released several solo albums—including Chasing Away the Dots (2012), Half Past, Present Pending (2015), and The Dirt and the Dust (2021)—and continues to be active in the Portland music scene as a performer, producer, and engineer.
Travis Ward
Travis is a bare-knuckled folk singer, a broke-down blues man, a DIY archivalist, producer, retired basketball player, fly fisher, poodle walker, but most importantly, a family man. Travis has toured the US, UK, and Europe. He’s played countless dive bars, festivals, and theaters from near and far, created film, soundtrack, and live theater work. He’s been busted, disgusted, and mistrusted, yet he continues to make meaning of the world through his favorite medium, the well-crafted and timeless song. Travis’s newest release, The Opener by Travis Ward, is a collection of stark, minimal recordings that paint a landscape of a folk singer’s journey.
Discography:
Hillfolk Noir – Skinny Mammy’s Revenge, 2010
Hillfolk Noir – Radio Hour, 2012
Travis Ward – Jump Up and Jolitties, 2012
Hillfolk Noir, What’s That Hat For? 2013
Hillfolk Noir – Pop Songs for Elk 2015
Hillfolk Noir – Junkerpunch, 2017
Hillfolk Noir – Pickles for the Apocalypse 2023 (Junkerdash Records)
Floating Witch’s Head – You Look Like a Rainbow, 2024 (Moon Ruins Records)
Hillfolk Noir – The Opener by Travis Ward, 2025 (Junkerdash Records)
Teach and Wrong – Podcast, Season 1 & 2, 2024 – current
The Opener by Travis Ward is the newest creation from Hillfolk Noir’s songwriter, Travis Ward. The record is a quasi-conceptual piece that runs adjacent to the life of a folk singer. Not exactly autobiographical, but not a far stretch either… The Opener consists of two tracks, Side A (11 songs) and Side B (10 songs). DIY or Die! All songs were written, recorded, and mastered, artwork created, graphically laid out, paid for, and promoted by Travis Ward, Hillfolk Noir, and Junkerdash Records. Folk art crafted by hand in Boise, Idaho, and created for all ears.
