{See Me River photo by Kyle Johnson}

Tonight is a three band deep jubilee of American self-expression as smart and intimate as a poem by Walt Whitman, and as big and overflowing with talent as a Seattle Carter Family.

The Tractor hosts See Me River's album release for The One That Got A Wake, their latest and best album so far. They're middle in the bill, but SMR's latest songs (among the best: "A Drink To The Kids," "Pasithea Will Try," and scopious character study and album opener "Heroine") are more ample in composition and have a flux in both lyrical insights and musical twists than ever. If you've often been blown away by the majestic pull and sweep of the Kerry Zettel and his dark-garbed collective of players' performances live but have been waiting for less minimalist and doomy undertones, the bracing, sobering wake up call of The One That Got A Wake will be the one that sucks you in. Check out the new songs and see for yourself, and I bet you'll be walking away with a copy tonight.

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The diaspora of talented songwriters from the collective known as Carissa's Wierd has by now become legendary, with a few albums of post-break-up works from Sera Cahoone (solo) and Mat Brooke (Band of Horses, now Grand Archives) to remind fans of their three very fine, first full-lengths while all together: Ugly but Honest (2000), You Should Be At Home Here (2001), and the absolute classic Songs About Leaving (2002, recorded and mixed by Chris Walla).

Co-leader Jenn Ghetto has kept a lower profile since helping to craft and contributing inspirational vocals and guitar to those dark day dream discs, but her band S is currently touring with Grand Archives, playing the Southwestern states as I write this. For the journey flagship Seattle label Aviation Records did a high quality re-release of her personal 1999 debut sadstyle, which Ghetto is able to sell whilst on tour. This connection occurred, according to Hannah Levin at the Seattle Weekly, when guitarist and keyboardist Joe Arnone from Aviation's band See Me River began helping Ghetto revive S.

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