Domaine Serene Wine Lounge Lake Oswego

Rich Swanger is an Oregon based songwriter with roots in folk, gospel, and country-blues music. Born amongst the Appalachian hills of Pennsylvania, he was surrounded by song from the very beginning. He discovered harmony in the church choir and found an attraction to twang hearing his father strum country classics around the house. This led to a wild love for timeless melodies and rock-solid songwriting. A move to the Pacific Northwest in 2004 proved to be the catalyst he needed to start releasing some of his own music, and further explore his love of the song. His humble solo project, Seahorse, started in the late 2000’s and grew organically over the next decade to include some of the region’s most inspiring musicians. Sensing a need to address that change and growth, he stepped out from behind the moniker in 2018 with a self-titled release, ‘Rich Swanger & The Little Known Band.’ RS & LKB transformed his quiet, folky originals into glistening country and blues songs, while also emboldening him as a performer. Lo and behold, he began to heed the deeper call of music. Rich’s songs have been featured on the television show Shameless and his song “Didn’t Make a Sound” recently won Portland’s Folk Festival songwriting contest . He has also played TEDx Portland alongside Rebecca Jordan Smith (Prince, John Legend). Swanger has recorded 4 full length albums and performs regularly around the Pacific Northwest as a solo act and with his group, The Little Known Band.

A self-taught musician and composer based in Portland, Jason combines elements of bossa nova, flamenco, and French gypsy jazz using primarily classical (nylon string) guitar. His 2010 release Solo Trio featured gypsy jazz standards along with his original compositions.  In early 2018, he released Busquer featuring 12 original pieces.   In support of this album, Jason’s live solo performances include both solo guitar and live looping options, essentially creating the sound of a small group with only one musician.   Jason also creates custom solo guitar arrangements of well-loved pieces. You may have seen Jason performing solo at culinary bright spots Andina, El Gaucho and the Ringside Fish House in downtown Portland.   He’s also a big favorite among our oenophile friends at many wineries within the Willamette Valley.  Jason’s rich musical history includes being a founding member of Portland’s early idiosyncratic country indie rock band The Flatirons, which was featured by MTV.

Chris Couch has been a staple of the Portland music scene for over a decade now, first as a founding member of the reggae rock group, Outpost, and more recently as the lead singer/songwriter/rhythm guitar player in the West Coast genre jumping, touring and festival mainstay, World’s Finest. Recently, Chris has started to branch out in solo performances as well as a kids’ music project called Pajama Jam. Equally at home on large stages with the full band as he is in intimate settings all alone, Chris has found his voice to be one of honest reflection and hope for the future. His eclectic approach to songwriting has lead him to many different musical experiences with an audience as diverse as the music he writes.