Stepping away from familiar creative habits to embrace a completely new instrument requires an artist with real courage and deep dedication to authentic storytelling. When a songwriter trades six steel strings for dynamic piano keys during a season of massive life transition, the resulting music opens up brand new melodic horizons. Portland based Americana singer, songwriter, and storyteller Jason Lenyer Buchanan reaches that exact creative milestone on his mid-September three-track EP titled Lazarus. Arriving on Lone Mountain Records the very same night he headlines the opening of Portland’s Easyfolk Festival at the Dolores Winingstad Theatre, the record marks a breathtaking evolution in his catalog, presenting his first live-in-the-room collection built entirely around piano compositions.
The transition behind the project reflects both geographical movement and profound internal growth. Following his relocation from Cheyenne, Wyoming to Portland, Oregon, the 2026 Easyfolk Featured Artist and Portland Songwriters Guild member set out to reshape his fundamental writing process. Having built his entire music legacy on guitar, Buchanan shifted his focus to the acoustic piano and Fender Rhodes, allowing Hammond organ textures to layer beneath his expanding vocal arrangements. That deliberate change unlocked longer melodic arcs and gave his narrative lyricism generous room to breathe, capturing a writer wrestling through periods of personal loss, societal upheaval, and family transition.
To capture the raw, uninhibited chemistry of a living ensemble, Buchanan returned to The Owl Studio in Nashville alongside veteran engineer Dan Davis, who previously helmed his acclaimed project Under a Thumbnail Moon. Working closely with longtime producer and close friend Joel Rousseau, who has shaped nearly every release in Buchanan’s catalog, the band assembled an elite circle of musicians in a single room. The tracking sessions favored complete live takes, cutting each song in just two or three passes without digital tricks or artificial overdubbing. First-call Nashville bassist Scott Mulvahill returned to anchor the low end, joined by Craig Dockery on Hammond organ, Josh Seurkamp on drums, acclaimed fiddler Nate Leath, and Rousseau himself laying down electric guitar work. What listeners hear on the recording is the precise, vibrant energy of real people making organic music together in a shared space.
Opening the three-track set, Somewhere in Between serves as a magnificent, sweeping introduction to this new chapter. Driven by warm piano chords, Nate Leath’s expressive fiddle accents, and Scott Mulvahill’s grounded basslines, the track follows a compelling narrative arc about a woman traveling to Hollywood, losing her identity inside heavy personal ambitions, and eventually coming home to her core humanity as a grandmother. The song captures the delicate balance between external success and internal peace, offering a deeply moving exploration of family relationships. Positioned as the title track for a full-length album coming in early 2027, the piece establishes an elevated standard for modern Americana songwriting.
Moving directly into the middle section, the title track Lazarus steps forward as a fierce, soul-stirring protest anthem born out of intense social turbulence. Written while Buchanan was relocating his life from Wyoming to Oregon during nationwide protests over immigration enforcement, the composition addresses a religious institution that lost its moral compass in service to political idols. Playing Craig Dockery’s own vintage Fender Rhodes, Buchanan pairs vintage electric piano keys with Craig’s soaring Hammond organ swells to create an electric, gospel-tinged atmosphere. The song combines passionate vocal delivery with bold lyrical transparency, confronting moral failure while searching for genuine spiritual resurrection.
Bringing the EP to a close, This Old Truck delivers the most intimate, deeply personal moment of the entire recording. Serving as a poignant tribute to the truck Buchanan’s father gifted him before passing away, the track honors the memories woven into a vehicle they rebuilt together with their own hands. Featuring Joel Rousseau’s warm, singing electric guitar leads and Josh Seurkamp’s steady, sensitive drum work, the song wraps the listener in nostalgia, smelling of gasoline, old leather, and chewing tobacco. Driven every single day by Buchanan on the streets of Portland, the physical truck acts as a living bridge to his father’s memory, turning personal grief into a heartwarming, timeless piece of acoustic rock.
What elevates Lazarus into a standout release within the modern Americana landscape is its absolute dedication to sonic authenticity and organic group performance. Free from clinical click tracks or sterile computer editing, the recording captures the natural breathing room, subtle room resonances, and dynamic shifts of a world-class band locked in total alignment. Guided by Rousseau’s clear production vision and Davis’ pristine mix engineering, the EP presents a soundscape that feels warm, physical, and immediately present, offering a comforting sanctuary for music lovers who cherish real instruments played by real hands.
Executing such a vibrant, live studio session requires exceptional spatial balance and audio engineering discipline. The master recording preserves a wide, three-dimensional acoustic soundstage where Buchanan’s lead vocals and piano work sit directly front and center. Scott Mulvahill’s subterranean bass notes and Josh Seurkamp’s warm drum transients hit with physical punch without ever smothering Craig Dockery’s subtle organ textures or Nate Leath’s sweeping fiddle lines. Every sonic element occupies an intentional zone inside the stereo field, ensuring a luxurious, headphone-ready playback experience that translates with equal power on home turntables and venue audio systems.
By embracing piano-led songwriting, live-in-the-room production, and total narrative honesty, Jason Lenyer Buchanan achieves a landmark triumph on this mid-September release. Lazarus functions as the leading edge of a much larger artistic wave, serving as an indispensable contribution to modern independent folk and roots music that proves when an artist writes straight from the heart, the story will always resonate across generations.
Surrendering to the final decaying piano notes and warm guitar fades of the closing track leaves a deeply comforting stillness hanging softly in the quiet room. The gentle Americana rhythm slowly tapers off into a serene, reflective silence that leaves your spirit elevated, your heart light, and your mind filled with quiet admiration for the journey. Lazarus achieves its noble creative mission with quiet, radiant grace, delivering an essential, heartwarming EP that proves true music will always keep us connected to what matters most.
