Singer-songwriter Spencer Albee on music, Palomino Motel and upcoming Word Barn show

On Saturday, Oct. 15, Palomino Motel will shack up for a spell at the Word Barn. The Motel, which is overseen by Portland-based (and regionally revered) songwriter Spencer Albee (Rustic Overtones, As Fast As, Spencer and the Walrus), has released a couple singles and have plans for a full-length album at some point in 2023. Seacoastonline caught up with Albee to discuss a life around music, being born here in the Granite State (Dover!), and what keeps him plugging away.

Seacoastonline: Let’s talk about Palomino Motel, which features you and Natalie Mishell. How’d this band come to be? Why’d this band come to be?

Albee: Natalie and I met right before the pandemic. She had just moved here from Brooklyn (by way of California). After lockdown, we reconnected at a live streaming event she was hosting and had invited me to play. Shortly after that, I asked her to join us in Spencer and the Walrus, our Beatles band that plays a three-night stand annually at the State Theatre in Portland. In that band, we started harmonizing together a bunch and that led to us playing shows together and eventually writing and recording together.

Seacoastonline: You’ve been at the heart of so many musical explorations over the years; Rustic Overtones, As Fast As, Rocktopus, your solo ventures, that Beatles project that landed you some ink in Rolling Stone… When do you decide to move in to “the next thing”? Or are all these bits and pieces working parts of a whole?

Albee: It’s usually time to think about the “next thing” when one thing ends. Rustic came to a close after years of label troubles, then As Fast As was born, and so on. It’s not like a timer is set on each project. They just run their natural course.

Seacoastonline: In general, why music? Why do you seek it? Why do you create it?

Albee: It’s in my bones. I also love comedy, but I simply don’t have the aptitude for it that I have for music. Music, I just understand in my own way. It makes sense to me, how to put it together. When I hear other people who put music together in a way that pleases me, that’s when I seek that out. It’s food for your heart and soul. That's as far as I will go with the self-care talk.

Seacoastonline: Palomino Motel just released its second single, “Hold My Feet To The Fire.” What were the goals for this tune? Are you and Natalie co-writing these songs, or taking turns? What do you appreciate about the collaboration?

Albee: Some songs, like our last single “Make This Easy" are more of a co-write. Natalie came in with the bones of that one and we fleshed it out. “Hold My Feet” was my song that Nat made some good suggestions on. There are other songs where she is the songwriter and others still that are more full-on collaborations. Working with someone you like writing with is a special treat. It also can feel like less work, because, well, it’s less work. You don’t have to come up with all the answers by yourself. That can be fun sometimes, but I think for both of us, we just grew tired of being solo acts and wanted to be part of something collaborative.

Seacoastonline: What’re the plans for a proper full-length release (are there plans for a proper full-length release)? Where’s this thing going?

Albee: Working on releasing a full length in probably the spring of 2023. Where’s it going? Well, we will continue to play for people for as long as they care to listen. So far, we have had a really positive reaction to what we are doing, and that feels great. Hopefully, we can build a nice following and come back regularly to visit our friends.

Seacoastonline: You’re heading down I-95 for a gig at the Word Barn in Exeter on Oct. 15. What excites you about the show? What can folks expect?

Albee: I’m excited to play the room because I really like what Ben (Anderson) and his family are doing with the place. It’s good vibe central. I’m also excited to share the stage with our friends Dwight + Nicole from Burlington. People can expect a heartfelt show from people who will be very excited to be playing for them.

Seacoastonline: Do you have a renewed appreciation for being able to share your tunes with a live audience (after the year-plus layover we all experienced in 2020)?

Albee: 100%. The break also helped me focus on the part that really matters, which is making music that speaks to you and sharing with people who want to hear it and who will give you that energy in return. ... The rest is all bulls--- and doesn’t matter.

Seacoastonline: I think a lot of people think of you as a “Portland guy,” which obviously makes sense, but you were born in Dover, here in the ol’ Granite State. How does/has the New Hampshire version of the “Seacoast music scene” informed your approach to your art, if at all?

Albee: It’s true that I was born in Dover and I grew up in York, Maine, which is much closer to Portsmouth than Portland. I also consider myself somewhat of a Portsmouth kid. So, I grew up with The Elvis Room and Stone Church and Groovechild and Percy Hill. It was part of my imprinting on live performance. I also used to frequent Sessions Music, which used to be located in downtown Portsmouth in the old theater next to Eagle photo. That pre-dated Bull Moose in Portsmouth. Additionally, my mom is from NH, so I have a lot of roots there. Also, a huge fan of the White Mountains. Grew up going there as well. Additionally, I grew up watching PBS on channel 11 out of Durham. All of these things together absolutely informed who I was in regard to attitude and pop-culture references. There’s a Portsmouth sensibility that I understand. Like music, it’s in my bones.

Seacoastonline: Given the venue’s name (the Word Barn), what’s your favorite word? What word do you tend to overuse? What’s a word to live by? What’s a word that sums up where you are at this point in your career? And finally, what’s a word that envelopes what you aspire to find as you continue to navigate this life?

Albee:

FAVORITE WORD: pursuant

OVERUSE: like

LIVE BY: accountability

WHERE I’M AT: acceptance

MOVING FORWARD: opportunity!

Check out thewordbarn.com and palominomotelmusic.com for more information.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Songwriter Spencer Albee on Palomino Motel and upcoming Word Barn show