Portland-based folk rock band, The Builders and the Butchers, are 20 year veterans of the Portland Music Scene.

Their latest album “Hell and High Water” was hailed by Consequence of Sound, who said, “The Builders and the Butchers make records the way the bards used to pass on stories. They’re poetic and captivating, and do to songwriting what Clint Eastwood does to movies,” and this new record follows the same, narrative-driven path.

With glowing album and show reviews coming from Pitchfork and The Wall Street Journal, among others, their brand of folk-rock is best served live. Audiences can look forward to lively performances, where fourth wall is broken and the audience is able to participate in call and response sing-a-longs. Sometimes the band will hand out instruments for fans to play, and they’ll even get down off stage to perform right on the floor.

The Builders and The Butchers formed in 2005. Ryan Sollee fronts the band, sings and plays guitar, joined by Ray Rude (drums and keyboards), Paul Seely (guitar and vocals0, Willy Kunkle (bass, guitar, vocals, percussion), Justin Baier (drums, backup vocals, percussion) and Harvey Tumbleson (mandolin, banjo, guitar, vocals, percussion). The Portland-based band gained a strong following after years of playing anywhere and everywhere across the city. They quickly grew to become one of the most exciting live bands in Portland and throughout the Pacific Northwest.

The band toured throughout the US and Europe from 2007-2012, playing music festivals, such as Sasquatch and Lollapalooza, and acting as support for Portugal. The Man, Heartless Bastards, Amanda Palmer and Murder By Death. To support their forthcoming release, Hell and High Water, the band played their first US and European tour in multiple years.  In 2024 they hit the road with the Dead South, playing most notably the legendary Ryman Auditorium in Nashville Tennessee.

This new album features a wider array of sounds and shorter, hard hitting songs, while remaining a Builders’ record at heart. The process of creating Hell and High Water (over the pandemic) was the longest of any Builders’ record to date. They spent the 2 years writing the music and recording the music and a year mixing. With several band members living out of state (Justin in Colorado, Harvey in Washington as well as Paul, Ryan, and Ray in Portland), many parts were recorded remotely. Drums and some of the basic tracks were recorded at The Map Room and the rest was laid down piece-by-piece and mixed by Edgar McCrae, and Produced by Ray Rude at their home studio. Influences for the record range from Tom Waits to The White Stripes.