Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside

Summary

Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside was an American rock band from Portland, Oregon. The band has been described as "Rockabilly",[1] or as having a "raw soul"[2] 1950s rock-and-roll energy sound. Sallie Ford describes it as "Rock n Roll" and that people find it "more rockin’ than they expected."[1] The group received positive reviews from USA Today's music critic Whitney Matheson[3] and from The Oregonian critic Ryan White.[2] In 2011, they signed a record deal with Partisan Records and released their first full-length CD Dirty Radio in May, began a US tour in June,[1] and in August, performed on the Late Show with David Letterman.[4]

Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside
Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside
Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside
Background information
OriginPortland, Oregon, USA
GenresRock
Years active2007-2013
LabelsPartisan Records
MembersSallie Ford
Ford Tennis
Tyler Tornfelt
Jeffrey Munger
Websitewww.sallieford.com
Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside at TFF Rudolstadt 2012
Sallie Ford
Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside at the Doug Fir Lounge, Portland, Oregon. Shot by Stephanie Neil

Sallie Ford is the daughter of puppeteer Hobey Ford, and grew up in Asheville, North Carolina before moving to Oregon.[2] In Portland, she worked as a waitress, and met Alaskan fisherman Tyler Tornfelt and Ford Tennis and Jeff Munger who were "scraping by".[2] With Ford on vocals and guitar, Tennis on drums, Munger on guitar, and Tornfelt on upright bass, they had a band in 2007. They played local clubs in the Portland area.

According to singer Seth Avett of The Avett Brothers, Ford's songs have that "rare quality of somehow combining fun with emotional and artistic integrity" and she "fills the room with it" and reminds him of the "energy of early rock 'n' roll."[2] The group opened for The Avett Brothers and recorded a five-song EP entitled Not an Animal.[2] Ford's voice has been compared to Ella Fitzgerald, Tom Waits, Billie Holiday, with possible influences from Bessie Smith and Snoop Dogg,[2] and used the words "two-step big beat gospel" to describe the effect.[2] The group has toured the United States, including cities such as Seattle,[5] and have appeared in Nashville. A reviewer for the Portland Mercury suggested that listeners should dress in 1950s style with a "trilby hat", and described the group as "energetic."[6]

On December 17, 2013, the band announced that they would separate after 4 final shows. They closed things out with a pair of shows at the Doug Fir Lounge in Portland.[7] As of March 2014, Ford had found a new backing band and was working on new material.

Discography edit

  • Not an Animal
  • Dirty Radio
  • Untamed Beast
  • Summer E.P.

References edit

  1. ^ a b c "Interview: Sallie Ford". Portland Monthly. June 1, 2011. Retrieved 2011-06-07. Last Tuesday Sallie Ford & The Sound Outside welcomed a respectable crowd to east-side record hub Music Millenium [sic], playing a short set and signing copies of their debut full-length release, Dirty Radio.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Ryan White (January 7, 2010). "Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside build some buzz". The Oregonian. Retrieved 2011-04-27.
  3. ^ Whitney Matheson (March 18, 2011). "The Week in Pop: My pop-culture picks (and yours!) of the week". USA Today. Retrieved 2011-04-27.
  4. ^ Ryan White (August 3, 2011). "Portland bands Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside, Typhoon both visit David Letterman". The Oregonian. Retrieved 2011-08-04. Tonight, Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside will grace the stage at the Ed Sullivan Theater.
  5. ^ Ezra Ace Caraeff (December 20, 2010). "Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside at American Standard Time". The Portland Mercury. Retrieved 2011-04-27. Portland's very own Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside were recently up in Seattle and recorded this live video for American Standard Time, the blog of Greg Vandy of KEXP's "The Roadhouse." In addition to this beautifully-filmed "Vocals Chords" video, the band did this quick clip for "Dirty Radio" as well.
  6. ^ "All Ages Staff Pick Up & Coming -- Sallie Ford & The Sound Outside". The Portland Mercury. July 26, 2010. Retrieved 2011-04-27. Wear your best 1950s dress and trilby hat to the park, and dance 'til dusk to Portland's hottest number Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside. Ms. Ford's energetic band ...
  7. ^ "Sallie Ford". Facebook. Retrieved 15 November 2014.

External links edit

  • Oregonian photo gallery
  • Short article about Dirty Radio, pre-release