When McDougall arrived in Portland after years in the California punk scene, he was surprised to find so few candidates for collaboration in the "indie" hotbed. Somewhat out of necessity, the multi-instrumentalist -- who hadn't forgotten his roots in to-the-point, three-chord jams -- started experimenting with solo material of a different stripe. That transition proved completely natural for the talented singer-songwriter, who appears to have made a power play in trading his guitar and amp for banjo and harmonica.

We recently got a chance to see McDougall at Pianos in New York City and found the man's fervor for the banjo inspiring. He cut his set in half with an impassioned, knee-slapping solo that he claimed was his "workout the evening." But after a short water break and a few more songs, he ended with yet another, even faster and more tiring (to play, not to hear) solo that had the whole bar crowding around to gawk, heads bobbing, heels kicking.

Today we're offering up 'Ready, Begin,' from McDougall's latest full-length 'A Few Towns More.' As the artist told Diffuser.fm, it's "a song about when fall comes around, the air gets cool, and I want to get moving and shake off those lazy summer days."

We highly recommend 'A Few Towns More.' You'll smell campfire when you listen in your living room.
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