2020 06
Working with producer and musician Tim Lamberson from Salem, Oregon, I've been developing Sour Alley's fourth album probably called Life on the Run. With the great pandemic of 2020, people and society have been harmed and instead of beating to death the doom or anarchy card, I feel strong about becoming strong. Instead of the end of all things that might come from unresoved post-traumatic toxic stress, we can recovery through post-traumatic growth. Consider feelings and circumstances a semi-colon to the the narrative or one's life and kick life in the bum to get it on the run to where you want to go!
2017 02
After our last gig in the summer of 2016, the band more or less broke up. Chris and Lori moved to a suburb of Gold Hill (read "The Boonies") and Chad got married. So, Michael has been working on a third album with a working title of "Roller Derby Queen." The scratch tracks are laid out and it's slow going since there will be various musicians sitting in rather than a band. The tunes sound good and it will likely be a mixture of local talent with a wide range of styles. The bonus track will be an instrumental version of Sweetest Soul from the Stray Puppets album and with the addition of violin by Mai Dotran and a closing horn solo by Paul Brainard. It should be pretty tight. Michael is also working with a local open mic gig at Taproot Cafe in Salem--a very cool place to be if you haven't already been there.
After our last gig in the summer of 2016, the band more or less broke up. Chris and Lori moved to a suburb of Gold Hill (read "The Boonies") and Chad got married. So, Michael has been working on a third album with a working title of "Roller Derby Queen." The scratch tracks are laid out and it's slow going since there will be various musicians sitting in rather than a band. The tunes sound good and it will likely be a mixture of local talent with a wide range of styles. The bonus track will be an instrumental version of Sweetest Soul from the Stray Puppets album and with the addition of violin by Mai Dotran and a closing horn solo by Paul Brainard. It should be pretty tight. Michael is also working with a local open mic gig at Taproot Cafe in Salem--a very cool place to be if you haven't already been there.
2013 03
Michael and Rob started playing some Christmas tunes together in the winter of 2012. Then Isaac and Michael started creating some original music. Then Chris reminded us that he plays drums and we all decided to play around with some tunes that Michael wrote. We began practicing as a "garage band" about the end of April 2013 in a garage that opened up into the alley. While we were working over Mr. Enthralled, a strangely uninhibited person danced out of a car, in, and then out of the garage. We decided to take this band stuff seriously. On June 9,
2013 06 Start Up2013 we posted a web page and that made us virtually real.
Since then we have shifted members and recently have stopped playing live as Chris moved out oaf the alley and someplace in the Southern Oregon Cascades. So for now, we will probably just focus on studio work since the tunes don't stop coming . . .
Sour Alley plays only original songs that are not limited to a particular genre, but rather to a particular experience--everything. Both lyrics and tunes are important and we take particular interest in vocal harmonies. You will hear a full range of styles from blues to country to classic/psychedelic/surf rock to light jazz and straight up quirky.
Anyhow, we are out of the garage and into the alley of life. . . as Salem's Quirky and Likeable Band.
SourAlley
Michael Polacek (Guitar/Vocals)
Lynette Polacek (Percussion/Vocals)
Sometimes Sour Alley Players
Chris "Solo" Buckley (Drums/Percussion/Vocals)
Lori Buckley (Keyboards/Horns/Vocals)
Chad Weber (Guitar/Vocals)
Rich Malloy (Bass)
Michael Farmer (Bass/Vocals)
Isaac Duke (Bass)
Rob Wolf (Guitar/Vocals)
Michael and Rob started playing some Christmas tunes together in the winter of 2012. Then Isaac and Michael started creating some original music. Then Chris reminded us that he plays drums and we all decided to play around with some tunes that Michael wrote. We began practicing as a "garage band" about the end of April 2013 in a garage that opened up into the alley. While we were working over Mr. Enthralled, a strangely uninhibited person danced out of a car, in, and then out of the garage. We decided to take this band stuff seriously. On June 9,
2013 06 Start Up2013 we posted a web page and that made us virtually real.
Since then we have shifted members and recently have stopped playing live as Chris moved out oaf the alley and someplace in the Southern Oregon Cascades. So for now, we will probably just focus on studio work since the tunes don't stop coming . . .
Sour Alley plays only original songs that are not limited to a particular genre, but rather to a particular experience--everything. Both lyrics and tunes are important and we take particular interest in vocal harmonies. You will hear a full range of styles from blues to country to classic/psychedelic/surf rock to light jazz and straight up quirky.
Anyhow, we are out of the garage and into the alley of life. . . as Salem's Quirky and Likeable Band.
SourAlley
Michael Polacek (Guitar/Vocals)
Lynette Polacek (Percussion/Vocals)
Sometimes Sour Alley Players
Chris "Solo" Buckley (Drums/Percussion/Vocals)
Lori Buckley (Keyboards/Horns/Vocals)
Chad Weber (Guitar/Vocals)
Rich Malloy (Bass)
Michael Farmer (Bass/Vocals)
Isaac Duke (Bass)
Rob Wolf (Guitar/Vocals)
Welcome
2013 06 09
SourAlley is a band coming out of the garage and into an alley near you.
The second day we all got together in Chris "Solo" Buckley's garage, a lady literally danced on in the back door and then after a few tunes danced on out again. Not one of us knew who she was and not one of us knows where she went. But it was then and there that we all agreed that we had left the main street and were now seeing life from the back alley.
There is a specialness about unpredictable events and unforeseen interactions with life that make the act of life worth living. It is the unconscious hope that after we wake each morning, we will run head on into the novelty of life experiences which incite learning and joy. Life should be a virgorous activity like surfers who have to bash through the surf in order to get on the other side before riding the waves.
Playing original tunes with one another is a challenge, but it is one of those challenges that makes you want to squint and bear down on the task at hand. Together, we have huffed the scent of the unusual--SourAlley has drawn us out of our ordinary day jobs and into a playground.
Whenever one thinks of something sour, and I don't mean the sort of malodorous sock drawer of mine, a normal human responds in some way. There is an arousal of the salivary glands and once the smell of a fresh lemon hits the air, there is a heightened awareness of all things sensory. If we have a sound, and if we want a particular sound, it would be one of quizzical awareness. "What do the lyrics mean?" "Where did that tune come from?" "Do I like that?" "Hmmmmm . . . "
We are fond of walking down alleys and hope you are too. We both know that alleys make walking more interesting--even dangerous.
Thanks for visiting out SourAlley!
SourAlley is a band coming out of the garage and into an alley near you.
The second day we all got together in Chris "Solo" Buckley's garage, a lady literally danced on in the back door and then after a few tunes danced on out again. Not one of us knew who she was and not one of us knows where she went. But it was then and there that we all agreed that we had left the main street and were now seeing life from the back alley.
There is a specialness about unpredictable events and unforeseen interactions with life that make the act of life worth living. It is the unconscious hope that after we wake each morning, we will run head on into the novelty of life experiences which incite learning and joy. Life should be a virgorous activity like surfers who have to bash through the surf in order to get on the other side before riding the waves.
Playing original tunes with one another is a challenge, but it is one of those challenges that makes you want to squint and bear down on the task at hand. Together, we have huffed the scent of the unusual--SourAlley has drawn us out of our ordinary day jobs and into a playground.
Whenever one thinks of something sour, and I don't mean the sort of malodorous sock drawer of mine, a normal human responds in some way. There is an arousal of the salivary glands and once the smell of a fresh lemon hits the air, there is a heightened awareness of all things sensory. If we have a sound, and if we want a particular sound, it would be one of quizzical awareness. "What do the lyrics mean?" "Where did that tune come from?" "Do I like that?" "Hmmmmm . . . "
We are fond of walking down alleys and hope you are too. We both know that alleys make walking more interesting--even dangerous.
Thanks for visiting out SourAlley!