Travis' first solo album in two years comes in with no accompaniment.

This set of tunes was recorded in the Canadian forest along Christina Lake in British Columbia. Named after the Kootenay Boundary region and the river for which all the beer comes from. All acoustic, original songs written by Travis and recorded immediately after writing. This album is a unit of songs, each as valuable as the others to create the singular mood in the forestry.

--THE ALBUM--

'The Kootenay Tapes' takes the listener to the tranquil Canadian Rockies, tinged with light acoustic singing and playing. Each of these songs were written within days of each other, some of which back-to-back on the same day. Travis relies only on his guitar and the rich reverberation of the mountainside onto the water. The tunes cover themes of environmentalism, isolation and comfort through the things that make life worth living.

--THE SONGS--

Incorporating some new chords, ideas, and lyric forms, these new songs have a cohesive feel with one another, making for a complete album experience. Two microphones, a guitar, and a lot of B.C.-grown grass, are all that it took to put together this album. A great view of the waterfront on a lonely perch served as the studio for this outdoor album, akin to "Physical Graffiti" or "Outsideinside". There are no overdubs, edits or fancy techniques, the songs here are presented in their uncut form.

"BREAKS WITH THE SOUL" - Travis makes no secret that he has always structured the Jam House album tracklists similar to a baseball lineup - leadoff contact hitters, power cleanup hitters, and then everybody else who can get on base. This tune is a great contact hitter, serving as an easygoing, open song to invite the listener into the vibe of the record.

"TWILIGHT OASIS" - A song recorded deeper into the forest late into the night, we venture to a fictitious burger stand that operates directly out of the woods. 'Shakes and another fries' are available to satisfy the listener and craft a narrative seeking out this hidden diner among the trees.

"HAD TO GO" - The longest vocal number on the album is a sprawling, intimate number exploring detachment and isolation, two common themes of the album. A light shimmery tune, this tune evokes Crosby-Stills-Nash distilled for one performer.

"LAKE JAM #2" - One of a pair of instrumentals on the record, included for good measure. Experimentation is vast with a solo instrument, unbound from things like common keys, rhythms and measures. Travis takes it in an open-tuned fashion, fit with bluegrass and country inflections. Call-and-response idioms are used in an interesting way here, between registers of the same instrument.

AND MORE...

Bandcamp deluxe edition includes four bonus tracks from the same sessions.