Oregon’s Travis Champ and Austin’s Leo Rondeau are two American songwriters that will be making their way across Europe this May. As labelmates on the independent Whatbang Records, the pair plan to cross through the cradle of classical music, sharing stories and songs that are cosmically rooted in American traditions. Champ (formerly of The Cedar Shakes) recorded his debut solo EP Oh, Athens towards the end of the Eastern portion of a bi-coastal U.S. tour in late 2016. Rondeau’s much anticipated release Right On Time is nearing completion and was produced by Andrija Tokic (Alabama Shakes, Deslondes, and Hurray for the Riff Raff). Travis Champ and Leo Rondeau will be performing in Vienna at Cafe Carina on May 11.

A full stream of Travis Champ’s Oh, Athens is available at: https://travischamp.bandcamp.com

A full stream of Leo Rondeau’s new single is available at: https://goo.gl/l4WI3f

Travis Champ:
From the town of Nehalem, Oregon, Travis Champ's baritone drawl and campfire strumming gives his songs an immediate familiarity, consistently transporting the listener from the scope of their own perspective to grounds of a common experience. The songs are like scraps of fabric that form an old winter coat: worn and resilient, threaded by an economy of concern which often lies invisible at first glance. But there is substance here. There is a candid affinity for both the past and the present. If one were to simply try it on for awhile, they may be astounded by its durability.

“The vision of the recently founded label, Whatbang Records, is as eloquent as it is promising claiming to produce ‘Independent Cosmic American and Experimental Country on 12″ and 7″ vinyl.’ Sounds too good to be true. The first LP from The Cedar Shakes eliminates any doubts, however, as to whether that promise is grandiose. (4 out 5 Stars)” – Rolling Stone Germany

"So geerdet, warm, rauh und erfahren, wie seine alte Martin aussieht, klingt sie auch und mit ihr Travis Champs Sound. [...] vom ersten Ton an bestechen Champs' Vignetten durch sanfte Melodiösität und einen sie durchziehenden geradezu hypnotischen Swing; einfach, scheinbar, aber das Gegenteil von langweilig. Travis' Bariton passt dazu wie die Erde zum Boden: tief und beruhigend moduliert er die Melodiebögen und dringt, ohne es zu erzwingen, in jede Ritze [...]“ – Frank Schwarzberg, Roadtracks Magazin

Travis Champ - Stack O'Lee - https://youtu.be/hwJlAeaJ7Os

Leo Rondeau:
Leo Rondeau deals in stories candid and honest and plainspoken. Based in Austin, Texas, his own story finds root in the Turtle Mountains of North Dakota, where Rondeau grew up surrounded by country music listeners and pickers spanning three generations. “It was always around me,” he says.

This aspect of his adolescence bolstered an unwavering sense of self and place in his work that sets Rondeau apart from peer musicians. A child of the rural American west and owning family lineage within the Turtle Mountain band of the Chippewa Indian tribe, his own history and worldview are engrained in the lines of his songs. This is about a type of honesty that means more than simply telling the truth. It’s a voice that either lives within you or does not.

“Leo Rondeau is a songwriting lifer who you sense takes a wide, patient perspective, and has a belief in the power of song to outlast trends, obscurity, or even a song’s original creator when it is approached with heart.” – Saving Country Music

Leo Rondeau - Resistance In My Blood - https://youtu.be/Sh8FHiVD9ck