Breanne Tepler, frontwoman of Breanne Marie & the Front Porch Sinners, slept in the day after the band’s latest album release party. Not usually one to sleep late, she had earned it after a busy, celebratory day of music.
The previous afternoon, four band members performed on WDIO’s The Lift. Shortly after, the full band regrouped at the UMD campus for a Live from Studio A session with Christine Dean, a joyful prelude of a warmup before the big release party the next night at Sir Ben’s in Duluth.
The release party was packed with fans, friends, and family, many of whom had supported the album through Kickstarter. Before the first song, Tepler asked the backers to make some noise, and the room erupted with cheers, a joyful acknowledgment of the community that had helped bring the album to life.
“It felt like a big community hug last night,” she said, taking in the crowd that had come out to celebrate the album’s debut. “I thought what a wonderful thing that we crowdfunded and these people showed up at the finish line for us. It was awesome.”
The band, self-described as Great Lakes Country, released their new album, Two Trees, on November. The album was inspired by two trees learning against each other in Tepler’s yard, one thriving and one faded. Often exploring subjects of grief, hope, and resilience, Tepler blends personal reflection with storytelling, giving listeners both melancholy and moments of quiet triumph.
Two Trees marks a shift from the band’s previous albums, with songs that feel like immersive short stories.
“Our producer, Jillian Rae, said the songs themselves have a cinematic quality to them,” she said. “They’re a collection of short stories… I put a lot of furniture in the room in these songs.”
Tepler explained that this approach helps listeners step fully into each narrative, experiencing not just the emotions but the small details that give each story life.
Early feedback on the album and accompanying videos has been surprising and meaningful for Tepler. After one fan praised her music video for Shelf, she said she replied, “Shelf is such a sad song and sorry, I gave you a sad video.”
The fan responded that it made him smile. Tepler reflected, “I thought it was a big assumption on my part: I put out a sad song, it’s going to make people sad. He thought it was great and he smiled because of it, because that was his reaction to it. We can all have different reactions.”
She added, “Maybe it’s because it has a childlike innocence to it and, even if we have sad childhood memories, there was inevitably some happy memories in there, too.
It’s okay to look back and feel both things.”
Tepler said she has been feeling excited about finally sharing these songs with the world, a project that has lived with her through seasons of change, challenges, and growth.
“I feel like my writing matured in a way that I’m writing about grief differently,” she said. “I’ve suffered three immediate family member losses since 2006. My dad, my younger brother, then my older brother, all three different times, three different tragedies. So, I’m always writing about grief and loss, but the way that it was done this time just has a maturity to it. Instead of woe is me, this is sad, I’m sad, it’s turned into this, ‘hey, I know what this feels like, and we’re going to get through this.’”
In addition, the band has grown and evolved since their last release, adding more depth and talent to the group.
“We’re four years after the last album,” Tepler reflected. “We’ve added a new drummer and a new bassist. We used a producer, not just for the pre-production part, but for the whole project. That was very new.”
Tepler said this album also marks a departure from her usual autobiographical style, allowing her to explore fictional stories and broader themes.
“This is also the first album that I really explored things that weren’t autobiographical, which is pretty cool to be writing fictional stories because I don’t typically do that,” said Tepler. “I have a trilogy of songs that now encompasses three generations of a family of women who experienced trauma at every level, every generation.”
First formed in 2013, Breanne Marie & the Front Porch Sinners has grown into a six-member band, including Tepler and her husband Evan Tepler, Kailyn Pelerin, Johnny “Blaze” Peterson, Matt Groom, and Tarek Makky. Recording for Two Trees took place at Sparta with Rich Mattson and Rae producing, adding new layers to the band’s sound.
“With this project and in the last several years, it’s been about community and it’s about collaboration, working with other people. Because if I surround myself by people who are way better than I am at the things that have more talent, have more experience, then that’s only going to stretch me further towards where they’re at or stretch me in different directions I wouldn’t have gone otherwise. I hope that when the listener gets a hold of Two Trees and maybe they’ve heard something in the past of mine, that it lands that way, that they listen to it and go, wow, this is beyond what she’s done in the past.”
Tepler found a lot of inspiration being part of the Singer-Songwriter Songwriting Challenge Group, a Facebook community she has participated in for years. Members write songs weekly, often inspired by prompts such as words or photos, then share their work for feedback.
“When I was writing these songs, I was challenging my self because it’s a challenge. I was challenging myself not to miss a week, and sometimes that means writing something you don’t like. Or if you’re uninspired by what your life is giving, what you’re feeling and thinking, you have to imagine someone else’s story, some one else’s situation. This group I’m in, it forced me to give it a try. To write about something I don’t know.”
Being part of the group helped Tepler not only creatively but also socially, giving her a network of songwriters across Minnesota and across the country. During the pandemic, when her “networking social butterfly heart” was struggling, the group became a way to connect, collaborate, and stay inspired.
“I think that the group is so great for a lot of reasons, but I really needed that connection in those early post-pandemic times and to find my community of songwriters. This group has been so great at greasing the wheels and lighting a fire because we can procrastinate on things. And you’re just lovingly encouraged to get it done. You’re held accountable by group members. There’s a rewarding feeling at the end when you do post a song.”
Some members of the group, including Christopher David Hansen, who lives up north, suggested bringing the “Singer-Songwriter Rounds” to the North Shore to make it easier for local artists to participate.
The upcoming event will take place at Harbor Rail Pub in Two Harbors on Sunday, November 30, from 4 to 6 p.m., featuring Tepler alongside Rich Mattson, Reggie Ducote, Christopher David Hansen, Ditty Wish, and Cameron Elijah Erickson. In a round format, each singer will take turns on the stage for a song and discussion.
“He identified Harbor Rail Pub and the North Shore as an area really rich with musicians, but also a place we all want to drive to. I love Two Harbors. I love the Harbor Rail Pub,” said Tepler.
Tepler said she looks forward to sharing songs from Two Trees at the event and emphasized how much a songwriter round can transport both performers and listeners.
“I think that a songwriter round is one of the best ways to fully escape whatever you’re dealing with and living in and working around. Just have that night of escapism where you can dream and be inspired and feel things. Put down the phone and let that world kind of wash away for a moment. Give yourself permission to escape into this world. Show up and leave everything behind and just be fully present in the moment and they’ll enjoy it. I promise.”
