019 The Western Thistles, Part 1

THE WESTERN THISTLES
Woody tones and belting harmonies.
"Mark Boer and Bri Huot connected over their appreciation of Americana, folk and outlaw country. Through pursuing their own music, they came together to weld their talents for the sake of the song. As multi-instrumentalists and songwriters, they strive to transcribe their witness of day-to-day living and leave a mark on whoever’s listening."
-Bandcamp.com
We had been watching The Western Thistles for a while on Instagram. We fell in love with their approach to old tyme music and decided to reach out to see if they would want to be on our show. To our delight, they did!
On June 9, 2024, we taped an episode of After Hours at the Commodore with our first (official) studio audience. And magic was made. The audience Q&A was fantastic and we ended up getting enough for 2 episodes. This is Part 1.
Not since @MandolinOrangeMusic (now Watchhouse) came along have we seen a pair so well suited to making music together. So, sit back, relax and fall in love with The Western Thistles, Bri and Mark, just like we did.
NOTE: You may have noticed the single microphone in front of Mark and Bri. That's their 'Delphina' large diaphragm condenser microphone from Ear Trumpet Labs. @Eartrumpetlabs
This is the first time we've recorded a session using a single microphone. The performers must treat the mic as a separate instrument, effectively 'playing' it as they do their own instruments to create the final mix, live in their performance. It's really tricky. It takes a lot of practice. But, The Western Thistles make it look easy... and good. Enjoy!
SET LIST:
"Brushy Fork of John's Creek"
"Western Plains"
"Barroom Stool"
Buy their albums - thewesternthistles.bandcamp.com/
Follow them on Instagram - / thewesternthistles
See them here - linktr.ee/thewesternthistles
PRODUCTION NOTES:
Executive Producer: David Gee
Producer: Dan Kern
Production Manager: Brian Copping
Photography: Frank Gasparik
Production Coordinator: Alysha Durovick
Mixed and mastered for maximum enjoyment with headphones.
Special thanks to the Commodore Restaurant, Edmonton
After Hours at the Commodore was created by David Gee and Kaylin Kowalyshyn
Art direction by Steven Hope

[@peternolan7408]

A great channel for 'meeting' new acts. This was great!!

[@thecommodoreyeg]

Thank you, Peter. That means a lot to us.

[@alext5252]

Beautiful!

[@thecommodoreyeg]

Thank you.

[@LonesomeTraveler]

Well, that was lovely! Great videography (as always) and audio too - and all coming out of a single Edwina mic (as far as I could see). Thanks!

[@thecommodoreyeg]

Firstly, thank you for this. Secondly, great eye! However this is the Delphina model. Indistinguishable from the Edwina, but designed more for small groups as opposed to solo performers. We had to double check because we also guessed Edwina.
So happy you liked this. We can't wait for part 2 this coming Sunday.