The Popskull Trio / Drongo Family String Band / Death or Something
Drongo
HQ · Seattle, WA
On the bill: Drongo Family String Band
Friends of the Road is an experimental folk collective based out of Seattle, WA; this is an archive of our shows, recordings, and coverage maintained mostly by Julian.
A full account of the band’s history is for another time, but for the sake of understanding this archive, the friends of Friends of the Road started as the Drongo Family String Band, a trio of core members Elliott, Cameron, and Sadie that played shows between 2021-2022. After the turn of the year of our lord 2023, and acquiring a fiddler (Julian), Friends of the Road was officially born after recording the first record “Now You Know Something Right Here And I’ll Tell You For A Fact”, a collection of droned out folk tunes, straight to tape. Friends of the Road played all throughout 2023-2025, acquiring fiddler Kennedy Webb and burning through several tour runs with fellow road dog, American primitive guitarist, and collaborator Ethan W. Olsen (aka Ethan WL) in the summers of 2024 and 2025. After longtime member and esteemed banjo-ist Sadie Siskin’s geographic departure from the band to seek even higher heights of education, the group tried on a few new identities (including Fiddlin’ Kennedy Webb’s “friendsoftheroad” Funsemble and E.H. Sterling’s Northern Broadcasters) before returning to the Friends of the Road moniker again in 2026. And so it is today (and forever more.)
A work in progress: posters collected so far, beginning with Seattle's BEST independent tape label Drongo Tapes and the surrounding community. More are being gathered.
2021
New Here / Ruune / Drongo Family String Band
Drongo HQ
· Seattle, WA
On the bill: Drongo Family String Band
2022
Mold Gold / Drongo Family String Band / True Unknown / Guests
Drongo HQ ·
Seattle, WA
On the bill: Drongo Family String Band
Artwork: @moldgold222.
Mold Gold appears on the original poster but later withdrew; the source says the show continued with local acts.
2023
Reverse Death / Power Strip / Payton Rowe / Friends of the Road
Drongo HQ
· Seattle, WA
On the bill: Friends of the Road (fka Drongo Family String Band)
Water Shrews / Sonora Enjambre / Archival Image / Friends of the Road
Drongo HQ
· Seattle, WA
On the bill: Friends of the Road
Monkey Pub Noise Club No.1 — Flatmass, Pale Light / Friends of the Road / Moonarchy
Monkey Pub ·
Seattle, WA
On the bill: Friends of the Road
Artwork: @flatmass_pale_light (caption).
Flatmass, Pale Light / Friends of the Road / blouseusa band / Gabriel Seaver
Drongo HQ ·
Seattle, WA
On the bill: Friends of the Road
Artwork: Ezra of FMPL (caption).
Friends of the Road & Water Shrews — Summer 2023 tour
Tour ·
Pacific Northwest, United States & Canada
On the bill: Friends of the Road
Artwork: Friends of the Road.
Water Shrews / Friends of the Road / Reverse Death / Masha — Tour kickoff
Drongo HQ ·
Seattle, WA
On the bill: Friends of the Road
Artwork: Friends of the Road.
2024
The Electric Nature / Friends of the Road / Dosenöffner
Drongo HQ ·
Seattle, WA
On the bill: Friends of the Road
Power Strip / Friends of the Road / Modern Folk
Casa del Xolo
· Seattle, WA
On the bill: Friends of the Road
Griffy Jones / Friends of the Road / Sunflecks — Summer 2024 tour
Tour ·
Bellingham, Portland & Seattle
On the bill: Friends of the Road
Artwork: @archivalimage.
Donna Allen & Jane Harms / CEOs Inc / Friends of the Road / Reid Urban / Inn of the Beachcomber: Gold Beach
Casa del
Xolo · Seattle, WA
On the bill: Friends of the Road
2025
Friends of the Road — Spring / Summer 2025 tour
Spring
/ summer tour · Multiple cities, United States
On the bill: Friends of the Road
Will DeLee / My Warm Blood / Friends of the Road / Jes
Drongo HQ ·
Seattle, WA
On the bill: Friends of the Road
Artwork: Sadie Siskin @sadie.siskin.
Friends of the Road — East Coast Spring 2025 tour
Tour ·
Multiple cities, eastern United States
On the bill: Friends of the Road
Infinitefreefall / Midsummer Motel / Cab Driver / Friends of the Road
The Hollow
Haus · Brooklet, GA
On the bill: Friends of the Road
Devon Flaherty and his Railroad Ramblers / Friends of the Road
The Cave ·
Chapel Hill, NC
On the bill: Friends of the Road
Artwork: Ken L. Landgraf (signature on artwork).
Cloud M. / Friends of the Road / Caleb Flood
Circle Thrift
· Richmond, VA
On the bill: Friends of the Road
Friends of the Road / Kaho Matsui / Rowland Taylor / Raven Bauer Durham & James Wolf
Rhizome DC ·
Washington, DC
On the bill: Friends of the Road
Artwork: Elliott Hansen (official venue page credit).
Kaho Matsui + Heather DiStefano / Friends of the Road / River Full of Fruit
DuBois Robeson
People's Center · Philadelphia, PA
On the bill: Friends of the Road
Friends of the Road / Kaho Matsui / The Bicentennial Memorial Accordion Choir / Ollie Becker
Pasta Planet ·
Boston, MA
On the bill: Friends of the Road
Friends of the Road / Sam Boston & Emma Mistele / Murena / Clancy Conlin
Red Ink
Library · Providence, RI
On the bill: Friends of the Road
Friends of the Road & Water Shrews tour kickoff / WHAT / CSTMR
Chapel
Performance Space · Seattle, WA
On the bill: Friends of the Road
Artwork: @the.marooned.
Free Water Shrew Ensemble & Friends of the Road — Summer 2025 tour
Tour ·
Multiple cities, western United States
On the bill: Friends of the Road
Cascadian Midsummer — Sacred Grove
Red Hawk
Avalon
On the bill: Friends of the Road
Pink Trash Can / Water Shrews / Friends of the Road / Favorite Haunts Sewing Circle
The Harmony
Room · Los Angeles, CA
On the bill: Friends of the Road
Joe Cantrell / Water Shrews / Friends of the Road / Matty Terrones
Burn All
Books · San Diego, CA
On the bill: Friends of the Road
Friends of the Road / Free Water Shrew Ensemble / Ritual Ashing / Casino Space Travel
Milk Thistle
· Yucca Valley, CA
On the bill: Friends of the Road
Friends of the Road / Free Water Shrew Ensemble
Slow Body ·
Tucson, AZ
On the bill: Friends of the Road
Free Water Shrew Ensemble / Friends of the Road / Tarantula Hawk / AMCM / Marlon Rohl
Longhair
Records · Albuquerque, NM
On the bill: Friends of the Road
Water Shrews / Friends of the Road / Sonic Chick / Fragrant Blossom
Pen Pals ·
Englewood, CO
On the bill: Friends of the Road
Friends of the Road / Maraud / Free Water Shrew Ensemble / ZWI
Kirk’s Grocery
· Billings, MT
On the bill: Friends of the Road
Water Shrews / Rammer Shriver Duo / Goopy / Friends of the Road
VFW ·
Missoula, MT
On the bill: Friends of the Road
DrongoFest 3
Drongo HQ,
Hot House, Brunch Box, Monkey Pub, Seattle Records · Seattle, WA
On the bill: Friends of the Road
Artwork: Emmet Martin (caption: flier artwork by emmet).
Friends of the Road / Free Water Shrew Ensemble / Burial Cake split tape release
Gallery
1412 · Seattle, WA
On the bill: Fiddlin Kenny Webb’s “friends of the road” Funsemble
2026
Friends of the Road & Casey Adams — New Year 2026 tour
Tour ·
Multiple cities, West Coast
On the bill: Friends of the Road
Friends of the Road & Casey Adams — New Year 2026 tour (alternate artwork)
Tour ·
Multiple cities, West Coast
On the bill: Friends of the Road
Height Bemtok / Lady Zade / John Swanke / E.H. Sterling’s Northern Broadcasters
Bad Bar ·
Seattle, WA
On the bill: E.H. Sterling’s Northern Broadcasters (members of Friends of the Road)
Susquatch 5
Black
Lodge · Seattle, WA
On the bill: E.H. Sterling’s Northern Broadcasters
Artwork: @samseyramwich.
Once Removed 01 — opening
Once
Removed 01 · Greenwood, Seattle, WA
Friends of the Road performed at the opening; confirmed by the organizer’s recap. This exhibition poster does not list the music performers.
Friends of the Road / Hanna Broback & Noel Kennon / Joseph Dee Bradshaw
Vermillion ·
Seattle, WA
On the bill: Friends of the Road
Friends of the Road / Tunnels of Light / Lady Zade / Rivka and the Girls Choir
Drongo HQ ·
Seattle, WA
On the bill: Friends of the Road
DrongoFest 2026
Drongo HQ
/ Brunch Box / Cowpine Theater / Hot House / Monkey Pub / Pink
Castle · Seattle, WA
On the bill: Friends of the Road
Lucas Gunn / Friends of the Road / BC Welsh
Woodland
Theater · Seattle, WA
On the bill: Friends of the Road
Artwork: @archivalimage (caption).
Friends of the Road / Noel Kennon & Ahmad Yosefbeigi / Johnny Bell
Gallery
1412 · Seattle, WA
On the bill: Friends of the Road
Artwork: Original artwork by @danielmccoyjr.8202 (modified with permission), per the caption.