ABOUT

THE BAND:
Katie Sawicki - Guitars, Vocals, Songwriter
Zanny Geffel - Drums, Synths, Vocals
Kelly Clifton - Bass
Mieke Bruggeman - Woodwinds
Margaret Wehr - Vocals
PAST COLLABORATORS:
Kristen Gass/Sleepwalker - Keys, Vocals
Adam Sweeney - Bass, Vocals, Guitar
Dr. Rebekah Hanson - Viola
Jean Mastaler - Violin
Kyleen King - Bass
Andrew Alseri - Bass
Francesca Erni - Keys
THE STORY: The Cabin Project - a group of all women and non-binary Portland-based musicians - is a musical hybrid of orchestral folk, rock, and indie. The band’s sound stems from haunting choruses, harmonies, and orchestral elements. Sonically expansive, but heartfelt and intimate, The Cabin Project has used the last 14 years of writing and performing together to hone a sound all their own.
The group was born in 2009, after band lead Katie Sawicki threw in the solo touring towel, intent on a new sound. Her upstairs studio, lined with doug fir walls, became the cabin project-- an invitation to collaborate and work collectively towards a sonically expansive sound. It began with layered tracks, doubled vocals, and rhythms that eventually found their way to drummer and percussionist Zanny Geffel. The two were joined by Kristen Gass, who introduced whisper vocal harmonies that would help define the band’s haunting sound, and Adam Sweeney, who helped push the group through its folk-to-rock journey. While the record built upon Sawicki’s folk roots, it implied a clear synth, percussive, and rock future to come. When the first self-titled record was done, it needed an audience–and so The Cabin Project was born, releasing its first record at Mississippi Studios, a space that was taking its place in Portland’s music scene to the next level right around the same time.
The Cabin Project’s sound evolved over time, welcoming violist Rebekah Hanson for a five year stint that opened up the group’s sound to the possibilities of electric strings. Eventually the group moved into a quartet form, shifting from viola to violin with Jean Mastaler’s own electric string section, and Kelly Clifton on bass. Clifton’s melodic bass lines pushed the band’s arrangements to a more intimate level.
Each graduating member left its mark on the bands’ sound, and each incoming member invited possibility and a renewed drive to hit the road. The group juggled all the usual challenges of aband over the years, handling most of the booking, tour managing, publicity, etc. As the band’s sound matured over time, so did its relationship to the music industry. “At some point, we stopped trying to ‘win’ over the music industry, but instead, win each other over,” Sawicki reflects. ”For us, the mutual admiration and the slow and steady growth gave us the freedom to create whatever we needed to in that moment.” Over the years, they saw each other through major life moments, heartbreaks, new love, and everything in between. It has all been channeled into the music they write and the show they put on. Once described as “a kinesthetic and emotional sojourn” they have churned out 6 records of intimate, sonically expansive, and nostalgic rock.
The Cabin Project remains a powerhouse collective of queer, women and/or non-binary musicians and creatives and today’s line up is no different. Sawicki, Geffel, and Clifton ground the group today, and Mieke Bruggeman recently joined on woodwinds.
A set of two EPs entitled "What I Heard When I Listened | What I Said when I Spoke”. At a time when many worlds were turned upside down, these albums narrate the reflection, revelations, joys and struggles of what grows from the opportunity to start again. The songs that emerged speak to a time of intensive listening and discovery. To help support this process, the band also ensured our communities were a part of each step of the process; the project was entirely written, recorded, mixed and mastered by queer, women, and/or non-binary artists. The Cabin Project released "What I Heard When I Listened | What I Said when I Spoke” at The Old Church in Portland, OR August 18, 2022.
Katie Sawicki - Guitars, Vocals, Songwriter
Zanny Geffel - Drums, Synths, Vocals
Kelly Clifton - Bass
Mieke Bruggeman - Woodwinds
Margaret Wehr - Vocals
PAST COLLABORATORS:
Kristen Gass/Sleepwalker - Keys, Vocals
Adam Sweeney - Bass, Vocals, Guitar
Dr. Rebekah Hanson - Viola
Jean Mastaler - Violin
Kyleen King - Bass
Andrew Alseri - Bass
Francesca Erni - Keys
THE STORY: The Cabin Project - a group of all women and non-binary Portland-based musicians - is a musical hybrid of orchestral folk, rock, and indie. The band’s sound stems from haunting choruses, harmonies, and orchestral elements. Sonically expansive, but heartfelt and intimate, The Cabin Project has used the last 14 years of writing and performing together to hone a sound all their own.
The group was born in 2009, after band lead Katie Sawicki threw in the solo touring towel, intent on a new sound. Her upstairs studio, lined with doug fir walls, became the cabin project-- an invitation to collaborate and work collectively towards a sonically expansive sound. It began with layered tracks, doubled vocals, and rhythms that eventually found their way to drummer and percussionist Zanny Geffel. The two were joined by Kristen Gass, who introduced whisper vocal harmonies that would help define the band’s haunting sound, and Adam Sweeney, who helped push the group through its folk-to-rock journey. While the record built upon Sawicki’s folk roots, it implied a clear synth, percussive, and rock future to come. When the first self-titled record was done, it needed an audience–and so The Cabin Project was born, releasing its first record at Mississippi Studios, a space that was taking its place in Portland’s music scene to the next level right around the same time.
The Cabin Project’s sound evolved over time, welcoming violist Rebekah Hanson for a five year stint that opened up the group’s sound to the possibilities of electric strings. Eventually the group moved into a quartet form, shifting from viola to violin with Jean Mastaler’s own electric string section, and Kelly Clifton on bass. Clifton’s melodic bass lines pushed the band’s arrangements to a more intimate level.
Each graduating member left its mark on the bands’ sound, and each incoming member invited possibility and a renewed drive to hit the road. The group juggled all the usual challenges of aband over the years, handling most of the booking, tour managing, publicity, etc. As the band’s sound matured over time, so did its relationship to the music industry. “At some point, we stopped trying to ‘win’ over the music industry, but instead, win each other over,” Sawicki reflects. ”For us, the mutual admiration and the slow and steady growth gave us the freedom to create whatever we needed to in that moment.” Over the years, they saw each other through major life moments, heartbreaks, new love, and everything in between. It has all been channeled into the music they write and the show they put on. Once described as “a kinesthetic and emotional sojourn” they have churned out 6 records of intimate, sonically expansive, and nostalgic rock.
The Cabin Project remains a powerhouse collective of queer, women and/or non-binary musicians and creatives and today’s line up is no different. Sawicki, Geffel, and Clifton ground the group today, and Mieke Bruggeman recently joined on woodwinds.
A set of two EPs entitled "What I Heard When I Listened | What I Said when I Spoke”. At a time when many worlds were turned upside down, these albums narrate the reflection, revelations, joys and struggles of what grows from the opportunity to start again. The songs that emerged speak to a time of intensive listening and discovery. To help support this process, the band also ensured our communities were a part of each step of the process; the project was entirely written, recorded, mixed and mastered by queer, women, and/or non-binary artists. The Cabin Project released "What I Heard When I Listened | What I Said when I Spoke” at The Old Church in Portland, OR August 18, 2022.