We set out to Portland from Seattle at 4pm yesterday, after my forgetting a few really important items, stopping to buy a skateboard for Ryan from a yard sale, and taking I-5 for three exits north before banging a slow and steady U-turn through cobbled streets to merge back onto I-5 heading SOUTH. Seattle gave us a glorious send-off - both the Sunset Tavern show in Ballard the night before, and the sunset the following day as we made our way out of the city. Sun-kissed all the way baby.
Last's night adventure was at the Woods venue in SE Portland. The place was once a funeral home, and much of the decor has been eerily preserved - the tall transistor radio in the back lounge, the peddle keyboard in the bathroom, even the lift where we stashed the instruments before the show (once used for dead bodies and coffins). I crawled in to stash an amp and the door started swinging shut on me, the last sliver of light slowly shrinking... Baby Thor, former bass player for the Horde, and talented member at large for Olin and the Moon, rescued me just in time. Thanks Thor! I don't want my promising merch career to end so prematurely.
I couldn't help thinking about the new Portlandia series as we made comfortable in our music home for the evening. Oh man. Portland is so tongue in cheek and very much conscious of its hipster image. Birdcages were everywhere in the venue last night, replete with origami birds and dollar bills (tip jar = bird cage here). The bartender assures me they were birded up far before the show's release and that just makes me all the more pleased with their presence. That and the fact that as much as Portlanders try to criticize the show, they can't help but identify just the teensiest bit.
O Horizon, Portland-based band, kicked things off. As Monica, the front woman says, they've got a lot of strings in their group. There's the stand-up bassist she's known since middle school, the tall percussionist (orange shaker, tambourine, tenor guitar?) lady she harmonizes so well with, Dan the guitar man from Wisconsin via Nashville and LA, and Monica herself. She's got a nasal twangy voice, an ethereal sound that's getting pretty rounded out with the harmonies of the other three voices. Check them out here: http://ohorizon.org/. Their first EP is being recorded now, and I'd wager they'll get some serious attention in the next couple months.
The Horde was on second, and they sounded pretty great in the space. Ryan's family and friends showed up and the crowd was definitely primed for dancing. I got to try out my flip video skills and will post some video for you all soon. David, Aura's boyfriend, got to play horns with the band - what a way to usher in his 30th year. The Mama/Papa song written by Noble and performed for the SECOND time ever last night was especially memorable. That and Children 2, written for Ryan's little guys back in Seattle's preschool. They just all looked SO COOL up there too, like real rock stars or something. The stage presence is pretty damn amazing, must say.
Olin and the Moon finished it all off. It was the first time I really got to pay attention to their set. The lead vocalist Dave sounds reminiscent of Bright Eyes, and the rest of his 5 male members back him up with a southern country rock style. The Free Bird reference was more aptly applied to this set than most. Their extreme excitement of escaping WA's rule for no beer on stage really made them quite gregarious.
And I got my first free beer of the trip! Tyler from Anchorage Alaska struck up a conversation while they were playing and brought me back a PBR tallboy soon after. Oh Tyler. If only I were from Portland, and 7 years younger, and not in love with a cutie back in Seattle...
Mike, Ryan's buddy from college, was our host last evening. He showed us some of Portland's finest establishments after the show, including one delightful steakhouse with the choicest meats, before ushering us all to bed under his roof. His cat John MEOWkovich woke me up this morning, and Mike plied me further from his couch with offerings of his very own spuds and winter-marinated sweet kale grown on his 1/4 acre urban farm (plus eggs, toast, and oatmeal - whoa!). Thanks, Mike! Your 90s hits, your yummy food, your warm and welcoming smile, and your game of hoops and skateboarding expeditions were much appreciated today...
Now onto Eugene!
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