Local Singer-Songwriter Savannah Clancy Debuts Sophomore Album

WHITE SALMON — On a small stage in the back of Nativ Cafe in White Salmon, Savannah Clancy described the special moment she received a guitar from her dad in 7th grade.

“There wasn’t prodigy energy… Is there a word for if you don’t really care if you’re good?” She asked the crowd, laughing. “Passionate.”

It’s led her to pursue music. Throughout the evening, Clancy performed an acoustic set from “a place to call home,” a follow-up to her 2024 debut “Roots in the Water.” It’s Clancy’s first vinyl album, featuring album art she designed and drew. With her voice as a primary instrument and guitar in hand, she sang songs about love for her partner, childhood memories and honoring her lineage.

“It all has to do with connection and relationships to the earth and to other humans,” Clancy said. “It makes me feel grounded and inspired every time I listen to music or play music in front of others.”

On stage, she was joined by Ben Larsen, who brought harmonious vocals and guitar strumming, and her dad, Daniel Clancy, on the piano. Her brother prepared drinks from behind the counter, including a specialty fir-tip hibiscus spritz invented for the occasion, while her mom, husband and young daughter watched from the audience.

Six years ago, the Clancy family moved to the Gorge, following her brother’s suggestion of being near rivers for kayaking. While they’d visited before, she didn’t anticipate the impact the area would have after living here full-time.

“I just absolutely fell in love,” Clancy said. “It’s one of the most amazing, magical places.”

She added that the Gorge is where she wants to put down roots for herself and future generations, including raising her family here.

“I call it the land of doorways, because when I first came, I knew it was beautiful and I knew it was the place for me,” she said. “But I had no idea how many connections I would make, how deeply I would love the land and the community.”

The evening also celebrated the release of the zine collection River Tales, a collaboration of local artists and poets sharing stories of place in the Gorge. It was a project Alysha De Martinez helped put together, including hand stitching the spine.

Originally from Pendleton, Oregon, Martinez landed in White Salmon after her van broke down on the way to a surf trip. She met Clancy the same day, and the two quickly became friends.

For the event, she also hand-carved and pressed block-printed bandanas and thrifted clothes with salmon, flower, and album-inspired art.

Martinez explained how she resonated with the album’s theme. 

“I wrote a letter to myself flying over from Pendleton to Portland, looking at Mount Hood and Mount Adams, saying I know I’m gonna come home when the mountains start to call me,” Martinez said. “A year later, I quit my job, and now I live between those mountains.”

She added that the backyard rivers flow into the Columbia River, which then leads to the ocean — all places she calls home.