MUSIC
…Or What I Learned While I Was Away by Right Lane Ends
Take a Listen Below!
Right Lane Ends’ first full-length LP, “...Or What I Learned While I Was Away,” is first and foremost an encapsulation of the feelings Primary Lyricist/Guitarist Thomas McDowell experienced returning home from college in the wake of the Great Recession. The themes explored over the course of the album delve into the push and pull of chasing aspirations while being forced to play along with societal expectations. It’s a fight for the soul caught between harsh reality and escapism, and of choosing hope and joy over submitting to routine and choicelessness.
Recorded independently over a 5 year period from 2016-2021 at Rowan Studios in Clackamas, OR, the album features lyrical contributions from each member, and includes songs written from the time spent in Eugene at U of O, as well as after the group fully relocated to Portland. The album also serves as a further crystallization of the long tenured songwriting partnership between Thomas and Drummer Adam Brzycki, the two having played music together since 2006 save for a brief period after the dissolution of their first group in 2010. Shortly after forming Right Lane Ends in 2012, the group found bassist extraordinaire Zack Prichard who seamlessly integrated into the band’s sound and quirky sense of humor, and attended U of O with Thomas. The band would grow their fanbase and expand their skills cutting their teeth on local bar gigs, and college shows both in Eugene and Portland.
Upon Zack and Thomas’ completion of college, the band gathered in Portland and got to work finding a new vocalist (previous vocalist Loren Smith was unable to make the move up to Portland). In April of 2015, after many many candidates, the group finally struck gold in Michael Frazier, a Dayton, Ohio transplant with an operatic voice and style all his own. The fit was natural and the group wasted no time diving into the local scene, working with several promoters and getting the opportunity to perform at some of Portland’s best known venues including: Dante’s, The Roseland Theater, Twilight Cafe, The Analog Theater, and more.
In 2016, the group began recording what would become “...Or What I Learned While I Was Away”, though at the time only 2 tracks (Archaeo & Sidewinder) were recorded and released as a “teaser EP”. The group returned to the studio in 2017 to record 2 more songs (Roses & Haiku) and shortly after decided to record a full length LP. The group worked through each song with assistance from Producer/Engineer Jake Rowan, eventually live tracking (sans vocals) each of the album’s 11 tracks. The result is Right Lane Ends exactly as they sound live onstage and in person, and is a testament to the tight feel and intricate compositional skills the group enjoys showcasing.