Episode #5 features nine songs (30-plus minutes) from up and coming bands from Brookings, Oregon and the national music scene.

The podcasts kicks off with two songs – “Moonscape” and “Walk Into The Wind” — from Dangermuffin, a sand-blasted roots rock band with a sweet jam spread from Folly Beach, South Carolina. Dangermuffin is an eclectic trio, providing a much-needed fresh perspective on American roots music. Seamlessly melding the feel of a back porch blues band with dance-floor grooves, their original yet familiar sound pleases crowds of all ages.

Next up is “Atmosphere” by the five-piece rock band Elliot, hailing from the  Pacific Northwest. It plays energetic, acoustic and melodic rock with a heart for social justice. With smooth, pop-influenced vocals, wide open electric guitars, rhythm pianos and soaring harmonies, Elliot’s sound is modern and tasteful.

“No Nostalgia” is the latest song from the seven-piece Portland group AgesandAges.  The band exudes enough electric joy that it feels like a big tent revival.

“She Still Believes” is a throwback to 1970s rock ballad by Don Hoxie, a veteran of the rock-bar scene in Bend Oregon.

John’s Brown Body is a modern reggae band that pushes the boundaries of the genre by incorporating rock and jazz into their songs, such as the one featured here called “Bread.”

“Learn to Love” is the latest song by Slow Children, a three-piece rock band whose members grew up in Brookings, Oregon. They are back on tour following three years of performing almost nightly in the Las Vegas club scene.

Calling their sound a marriage of AC/DC and The Beatles, A.M. Interstate of Redmond, Oregon, displays their chops with “The Tailor.”

The podcast ends with a sweet tune from Sara Jackson-Holman, a 21-year-old Oregon native who’s sound ranges from an alternative Indie-pop to lazy, seductive jazz ala Norah Jones.

Once again, the Coastal Grooves podcast offers an eclectic mix of fun, adventurous music. Stream it now on your computer or download it and listen to it later at your leisure. Please visit the artist’s web site to learn more about them and listen to more of their music. Enjoy!

Modern country-rock  singer Travis Rush, a graduate of Gold Beach High School, has released a new CD “Feel,” available in stores and iTunes March 16.

Watch him perform his first single from the release below and hear more songs at Travis’ website at www.travisrush.com

Travis, now 35, spent the  first 18 years of his life in Gold Beach. He returned to Gold Beach last May with a seven-piece band to perform at the high school.

The Curry Coastal Pilot talked with Travis during that visit to learn a little more about his life since moving away from Gold Beach.

Here is an excerpt from the resulting story:

When Rush left Gold Beach at age 18, he traveled with the group Up With People, visiting 17 countries in about two and one-half years.

“It was an amazing experience,” Rush said.

“I moved to LA and chased a record label down there a while,” he said. “In two years, I was fed up. I wasn’t having a good time. One day, I decided I wasn’t going to wait for someone to tell me I wasn’t good enough. I decided to come back home and start a business.”

So he headed to Portland and went into Web development and hosting on the Internet.

“I tried to get more of a foundation and more experience in life,” he said. “As you live long enough, you’re able to write more music. You’ve been through some stuff.”

He said when you grow up in a small town, there are no concerts of any kind. Now he said he’s been watching schools cut choir and band.

“When I was in school, that and sports were the only thing kids had. Now, they’re taking some of that away,” Rush said.

So, he decided he wanted to bring a concert to small towns, a quality concert.

“My road crew is from Rose Garden in Portland, a huge coliseum,” he said. “I want to bring a show that size to these towns as well as generate money for schools.”

He’s taking his show to 36 cities, and giving schools an opportunity to participate in proceeds.

“A school can make about $3,000 on the concert,” he said. “I hope we can raise at least $50,000 for schools.

“On top of that, we’re bringing 10 kids from town at each school and paying them to help the road crew and merchandising crew to set up the stage and lighting and so on. They’ll get a taste of working with professionals who do this every day.”

Rush said he still has family in Gold Beach and Bandon and, when he was growing up, they enjoyed recreation in Curry County.

“My favorite was going up the river and having water skiing, camping and rafting,” he said.

“It’s been a while, a few years. We used to, every time I came home, get a boat and go up the river,” he said. “My mom used to work for Jerry’s Jet Boats.”

“I miss the people,” he said. Everybody’s so friendly.”

Rush said he started singing when he, his dad, brother and sister, would sing in the car on the way to school.

“Harmony and such,” he said.

“Then I got into playing piano and I loved that. When I got in high school, my choir teacher – Keith Fleshman, better known as Flash -- was a major influence on my singing. He really taught me a lot.”

“My dad used to play country music – Glen Campbell, John Denver, Kenny Rogers. I said I hate country. I’ve always liked adult contemporary – Elton John, Billy Joel. Then a lot of country got on the edge of being pop music.

“As the style came into new country, I really liked that,” he said. “I consider my style a combination of Keith Urban and Billy Joel,” Rush said.