B I O 

The short story:

 

Devin Champlin is a songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, luthier and artist from Northwestern Washington. As the frontman/songwriter for Sons Of Rainier (along with bandmates Dean Johnson, Sam Gelband, and Charlie Meyer) he has carved out a unique voice in the contemporary indy-folk americana world. Intimate lyrics filled with optimistic existentialism are unhurriedly sung with a woodgrain baritone over fingerpicked guitar, the occasional elbow fiddle or keyboard. He prefers not to lean too hard into any specific genre, although he's satisfied with the umbrella term "folk" as the idea of non-commercial music made by people for the people. He's spent the better part of two decades studying traditional American musical styles, specifically country blues guitar and old time fiddle tunes, learning from old source recordings, elders in the scene, and the festival/camp community. Along with that cultural musical nerdery he has a prolific output of original music. As an artist with a DIY aesthetic, he uses songcraft as a medium to create imagery- along those lines he also produces animations, videos, paintings, drawings, and prints in tandem with his musical output. Keeping the audience (and himself) on their toes, he rarely plays the same thing twice- sometimes it may seem as if the wheels are about to fall off, but the train stays on the tracks and it's a satisfying roll. His recordings, solo and with Sons Of Rainier have found their way into the permanent library of hobos, widows, fry cooks, and fancy pants alike. In addition to his 2 releases with Sons Of Rainier he has a handful of self-released full length solo albums out, including one all instrumental album recorded on an Amtrak train, and the most recently released Lonesome Splendor In The Circus Tent (2024).

 

The slightly longer story:

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Champlin came up in the all-ages punk scene of late 90's Chicago, shortly thereafter moving West, trading his stratocaster for a banjo, and immersing himself in various forms of American folk music. He spent over a decade touring and playing with The Gallus Brothers, The Crow Quill Night Owls, and a handful of other loose organizations of young fogies. Many hours were spent deciphering guitar lines from 78 RPM records, fiddling with friends in campgrounds, and reveling in the joys of self-made music and culture. While the musical focus was on old fiddle tunes and the like, songwriting was always happening quietly in the background and would appear in spurts at a house show, or a backyard fire.

 

In 2017 Champlin connected with Dean Johnson, Sam Gelband, and Charlie Meyer to form The Sons Of Rainier, a band crafted lovingly around Devin's songwriting. With little else but a few tours, and two self released albums (2018's Down In Pancake Valley, and 2023's Take Me Anywhere), the band has gained a cult following that speaks to the dynamic, heartfelt care that they have put into these songs and arrangements. 

 

Devin's solo releases showcase his variety of influence, and willingness to jump genre. How To Change From Blue To Green (2021) is a mix of what Chris Acker called "earthly folk songs, spacey instrumentals and bedroom rock and roll".  Quality Club Special (2022) is an all instrumental album featuring synth, and drop-tuned guitar, and was mostly recorded in the sleeper car of an Amtrak train. Up, Down, All Around (2023), which is a four song EP recorded in one sitting, two original fiddle songs, and two dreamy fingerpicked guitar singers, was initially released as a limited edition (58) lathe cut 7" record. He's spent a chunk of Fall 2023 in the studio, collaborating with a small crew to bring to life the newest batch of songs.  Leaning less into genre, and more into the meat of the song, Devin can't help but to be a bit lo-fi and easy going.