Chasing Ebenezer

Tribal folk rock band Chasing Ebenezer is based in Portland, Oregon and released their first album Outcasts & Refugees March 13, 2017. The project is a culmination of two years of recording. Through a fusion of folk, rock, blues, and world music percussion and progressions, this record explores the figurative way we are all displaced people and challenges listeners to care for the literal outcasts and refugees of society.

Benjamin and Heidi Beth Sadler met in college in Virginia and matured their sound after moving to Portland in 2007. After playing under another name for a few years, they relaunched as Chasing Ebenezer in 2013. In May 2016, they released “Slavery,” a song written from the perspective of an enslaved sex worker. The band has played at Northwest Folklife (Seattle), XFest in (Columbia Gorge), White Eagle Saloon, Operation Overcoat, and Mississippi Pizza Pub (Portland). They have been covered by Oregon Music News and The Gresham Outlook. They have played in support of many non-profit organizations and partner with people and groups blessing the community.

The band plays with a full-on rock sound and a folk sensibility borrowing from traditions all around the world. Heidi learned to play classical violin before honing her folk singing and bohemian violin style. Ben incorporates four different guitars, electric Dobro, and ukulele to make each song uniquely different. He finger picks melodies and incorporates Spanish and Irish playing and Eddie Vedderesque vocals. Bryan Atkinson keeps the beat on djembe and congas while Ryan Souders (drum kit) and David Skones (guitar, bass, cello) crank the rock ’n roll to the next level.