Seth Portenlanger

Hailing from Pittsburgh, Seth has deep roots all over the Ohio Valley where he developed a deep appreciation for the folk music sung by the working people who lived there. “Those early folk songs, the stories they tell,” he says, “is the story of all us. When I first heard songs like ‘Trouble in Mind’, I could relate to the sadness in it, to the hope in it, too. Those songs are universal, and it’s what got me into songwriting.”

Now, after two decades of odd jobs: music journalism, house painting, and a few summers spent in Israel/Palestine on an archeological dig, he finally turned his attention to crafting his homage to the folk music that first inspired him. While the country and folk aesthetic stands out on Proverbs & Prophecies, Seth also applies subtle infusions of jazz and rock. “I listen to a lot of different kinds of music, and I’m pretty seasonal. I listen to a lot of hip hop and jazz in the spring and summer, a lot of blues, rock, and country in the fall and winter. So, those influences come through, too.”