(Mini) Concert: Jake Bugg

I woke up on the morning of the 22nd and immediately checked my email. Alas, no message from KINK saying I won a spot in the Bing Lounge to see Jake Bugg do a short set and interview. I figured 'what do I have to lose?', so I called the station to see if I might be able to get in. Sure enough, the nice man in charge of the shows, David I believe was his name, said that he'd put me on the list and to come on down. Hurray!

The performance started at 1, but I took the 11:30 bus from my house which put me in line at about noon. The crowd was a mix of teenage girls, and middle aged (and older) people. Lisa, the bubbly woman who gives out tickets and is basically the front of house for the events at the lounge started passing out tickets down the line. I was second in line, and because I was alone I got the ticket for row A seat 1. Literally the first seat. I thought I was only going to get standing room, so that was awesome!

He played four songs, and did a short interview, but for some reason I couldn't find the other song and interview video, so you can find them here, here, and here.

Storm Passes Away

Lightning Bolt

He had to run off after the show so there was no meet and greet which was a bummer, but it was a great set!

Grammys: The Bands That Should Have Won

The 56th annual Grammy Awards were last night at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Frankly, I don't usually watch them because there are rarely any acts that I like that are nominated. This was true of last night, but I was bored and it was on the DVR so I could skip whatever I wanted. The only people nominated that I regularly listen to were Vampire Weekend who were nominated (and won) for best indie album, which is ironic because the only real 'indie' artist in the literal meaning of 'independent' was Macklemore & Ryan Lewis who won best rap album. The other artist was Regina Spektor who was nominated for the song "You've Got Time" which she wrote and performed for the opening credits of the hit Netflix show Orange is the New Black. It was her first ever nomination and unfortunately she didn't win. However, she wasn't even there because she is 'very pregnant' so it's good she didn't have to sit through all that only to leave empty handed.

As I was watching - and fast forwarding - I noticed that there were more performances than awards given. I'm not sure when this shift started, but I only counted 16 actual awards that were handed out on the broadcast, and 20 performances. Interesting.

Anyway, if I were in charge of giving out awards for the two biggest categories, the nominees and winners would look like this:

Album of the Year:

AM - Arctic Monkeys

Evil Friends - Portugal. The Man

Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Actions - Franz Ferdinand

Reflektor - Arcade Fire

Shangri La - Jake Bugg

Winner: AM - Arctic Monkeys

Song of the Year
Do I Wanna Know - Arctic Monkeys
Modern Jesus - Portugal. The Man
Entertainment - Phoenix
Diane Young - Vampire Weekend
Come A Little Closer - Cage The Elephant

Winner: Modern Jesus - Portugal. The Man

Concert: Colin Meloy

The Crystal Ballroom turned 100 years old on the 21st. To celebrate, they had 100 nights of music and events leading up to the big birthday party on the 21st featuring Colin Meloy doing a solo set.
When I got to Ringler's pub next to the Crystal to wait for doors to open, there were balloons and parts hats at every table. Many people had no idea why, but it made me even more excited for the evening of music to come. I met some kids and one of their father's who had come from Bend for the show.

Colin Meloy set off on his US solo tour in November of 2013 with a month and a half break until his west coast tour leg. I had been tracking what his setlist would look like though the website setlist.fm where I could see what songs he played at the various venues throughout the tour. He changed it up a fair amount, but played Engine Driver into Bus Mall, Crane Wife 1&2, and Crane Wife 3 nearly every night.

As I got to the third level where the actual ballroom was, there were tables and tables full of cupcakes. I hurriedly grabbed one at random and secured my spot in the front. The one I ended up grabbing was a lemon poppy seed cupcake that was delicious!

Before the opening act, a representative of the Crystal came onstage and rattled off a long list of people who have played at the Crystal, and why the place was so special. Then almost the entire staff came onstage and two of the security guards brought up a giant cake and the entire audience sang happy birthday.

Then John Roderick played his set. He had opened for the Decemberists ten years previous so it was special for him to be playing with Colin again. His music was good. He reminded me of a sort of cross between Counting Crows vocals and a Guster sound to his songs.

Then Colin Meloy came out to the roars and cheers of his hometown fans. He played Hazards Of Love part 1, and then explained afterwards that the muffled shout that can be heard at the end of the song was in fact, Chris Funk shouting out the name of a sandwich played in reverse. Mystery solved! I had always been curious as to what the hell that was.

He played a nice mix of old and new songs. He mentioned the struggles of trying to get his son to eat his breakfast in a quick song called "Hank Eat Your Oatmeal" which turned into Calamity Song. He played an old song called Tristan & Isolde from his former band called Tarkio. At the encore he played a song that wasn't on his setlist called Record Year (which incidentally is my all time favorite Decemberists song), because someone in the back of the crowd shouted it out. I'm very appreciative of that man, whoever he was. However, Colin hadn't played it in so long that he kept forgetting the words, but the girl next to me and I supplied him with corrections when needed which he seemed to appreciate.

There were two new songs called Philomena and Better, which Colin said were new Decmeberists songs that were in the works as the band were in the studio again. Hurray! Before he played Philomena he prefaced it with saying he named the song before the movie with the same title came out, and that the song is rather lude and now all he can think of is Dame Judi Dench when he sings this particular song.

It was an excellent show, and I snagged another cupcake on my way out. There were quite a few left over which I can only assume is due to gluten intolerance because they were damn good cupcakes.

Leftover cupcakes

The one and only setlist that was onstage that I managed to snag

I've never seen the stage so empty

Concert: Arctic Monkeys

I haven't seen the Arctic Monkeys since 2007 when their second album Favorite Worst Nightmare came out. Their two albums after Favorite Worst Nightmare (Humbug, and Suck It And See) were good, but not my favorite. Arctic Monkeys played a show at the Crystal Ballroom the same night I had tickets to see Adele at the Edgefield after Humbug came out. I had to decide who I wanted to see, so I picked Adele figuring the next time she came through town she'd play somewhere way bigger. The next time Arctic Monkeys played was when they opened for the Black Keys at the Rose Garden not long after Suck It And See came out. I'm not a huge fan of the Black Keys, and I'm even less of a fan of the Rose Garden (which is the stadium where the Portland Trailblazers play). I had only ever been to one concert there (N*sync when I was seven), and the place is massive. After having gone to so many intimate shows, and seeing Arctic Monkeys in an intimate environment, there way so way I was seeing them someplace so big.

Then they finally came back to Portland at the Roseland Theater on December 6th. Their latest album, AM, dropped a few months before they came to town, and the album is amazing. Easily their best yet.

I got to the Roseland Theater to wait in line at around 3pm, and to my dismay I saw there was already a line of around 40 people already formed. I later learned that the people at the front got there at 11 am and drove from Seattle. I got in line and was trying to figure out a plan of action for once I got inside. At the previous Arctic Monkeys show 6 years previously I remember it being rather mosh-y and packed like sardines. Apart from not being able to see if I'm not at the front, breathing and getting trampled would also be a big issue.

I wandered up the length of the line to see if there was maybe someone I knew from another show. Low and behold, a concert bud of mine, Sarah, was about 6th in line from the front. I asked if it would be possible for me to join her and her friend since it was just me and I'm so small one person wouldn't really make much of a difference. She said sure, and we talked about music and whatnot while we were waiting. She was there when the whole Two Door Cinema Club incident went down.

It was absolutely freezing waiting outside. The temp was in the low 30s and kept dropping as the sun set.

By the time we finally got to go in at 7 I couldn't feel my toes. The first band were a local act called BattleMe. This was actually my third time seeing them. They opened for Walk The Moon when they played for $0.97 at the Crystal Ballroom as part of 94.7's "I Saw Them When Show" series. The next time was when they opened for Metric at the Roseland. Both times I was not impressed. They seemed kind of self-involved and had long, drawn out jams on stage. I was bummed I didn't like them since they're local, and I was hoping for the whole "third time's a charm" thing, but to no avail. They were as mediocre as I remembered.

Then finally, after all that waiting, Arctic Monkeys came out. They were better than I remembered. They've aged like a fine wine, and have really grown into their roles as rock stars. I was actually surprised that they were playing the Roseland and not the Memorial Coliseum or the Rose Garden.
Alex Turner was as charming as ever, and really pulled off the greaser look - complete with a comb that he pulled at twice to fix his pompadour. The energy of the band, even after touring for so long, was incredible. The crowd were all into it too, and it got very sardine-y just as the show was starting. It got hard to move and breathe throughout the night, but it was worth it. I was right in the front and center directly in front of Alex. There was one moment during the set that he made eye contact with me for about five seconds or so. Everyone surrounding me had their phones out to take pictures and videos, and I was the lone person who didn't. Alex must have noticed and saw that I was truly
enjoying the show instead of recording sloppy video to prove that "I was there".

After the show I got a shirt that's baseball style and says "Why'd you only call me when you're high?" and an Arctic Monkeys hat (sort of beanie style with a pom pom on the top). I managed to get the setlist which is great. I didn't stick around to meet the band afterwards as I had my dad waiting on me, but my friend Sarah did, and she told me that they came out about forty-five minutes after the show. She said they waved at everyone, but didn't come over and say hi. Just went straight onto the bus. She said she didn't blame them because some of the girls were freaking out and acting crazy.

I'll post some videos later when my dad uploads them to youtube. He had a great vantage point in the balcony and got some great footage.


It was truly a stellar show, and I'm so happy I got to see them again, even after 6 years.

Foster The People

Foster The People just announced the upcoming release of their sophomore album Supermodel. The announced only two tour dates at very small clubs. They are playing the Doug Fir Lounge in Portland, and The Crocodile in Seattle. Tickets sold out very fast, and radio stations like KINK and KNRK are both going to be giving out tickets for the Portland show. I'm not sure why they picked these two cities considering that they're from LA, but it's exciting nevertheless. The other tour dates they have announced are all festivals, like Coachella in CA, the Governors Ball in NY, and the Big Guava Festival in FL.

Their new song Coming Of Age has the classic Foster The People guitar/synth riffs, with layered vocals and lyrics about - you guessed it - growing up coming of age.

The complete track list for their forthcoming album is:
1. "Are You What You Want To Be"
2. "Ask Yourself"
3. "Coming Of Age"
4. "Nevermind"
5. "Pseudologia Fantastica"
6. "The Angelic Welcome Of Mr. Jones"
7. "Best Friend"
8. "A Beginner's Guide To Destroying The Moon"
9. "Goats In Trees"
10. "The Truth"
11. "Fire Escape"
12. "Tabloid Super Junky"

The album will be released March 18th on Columbia Records. Stay tuned for a tour announcement.

Concert: Portugal. The Man (part 2)

In the second Portugal. The Man show, I was right up front again (and as always). The opening band was Wampire, a local duo that was influenced by Starfucker, another Portland band. They have a synth-y sound with some classic 80's beats thrown into the mix.

Then Portugal. The Man came out and it was great as always. They love playing for the hometown crowd, and Zachary talked about how the first band he saw in Portland was at the Crystal and that it was crazy that he was playing here now. It was very sweet, and they band played great.

It was interesting though, because I felt like they had a better energy at the kids show, but didn't play quite as well (probably since it was in the afternoon), and they played better in the evening, but didn't have quite the same energy.

The only problem (and this happened when I saw them in Oakland too), is that the photographers and people who get press passes to take photos are only supposed to be allowed to take pictures for the first three songs. In this new set that they've been playing and touring with, there aren't really many definitive breaks between songs - they kind of merge and run into one another. So the photographers were there for over five songs, and it was very frustrating when they would stand right in front of you and they shouldn't even be there in the first place...

Otherwise it was a great show, and I can't wait to see them again.

Modern Jesus

Purple Yellow Red And Blue

Concert: Portugal. The Man (part 1)

In addition to playing a sold out show at the Crystal Ballroom later that night as a part of 94.7s December To Remember series, Portugal. The Man played an all ages kids show that same afternoon. The show was a benefit concert for an organization called Oregon Music Hall Of Fame. It's an organization that  honors Oregonians that have made significant contributions to the music industry, including performers and non-performers alike. They also provide college scholarships to musically talented kids to continue in their field.

The show was for kids aged 18 and under. If you were over 18 you had to be accompanied by someone 18 or younger. Finally being 19 and looking like I'm 16 payed off! I got to the venue and met up with some of the people I had met at Alt-J and The Mowgli's. Only a few of them were going to the kids show, and the others held out spot in line when we went in so we could re-join them right after the kids show.

There was no opening band and no barricade from the audience to the stage. The band came out and played a mini version of the set they've been playing all tour long. They - of course - bleeped the word "fucking" to "really" in the song Creep in A Tee Shirt.

Then towards the end of the set they had three boys who were students of the program come out. They played the horns for the song Creep In A Tee Shirt, and it was exceptional. They boys knew what they were doing, and it was excellent to finally hear that song with the horns like how it was recorded on the album. They didn't bring a horn section with them on tour, so that was the first time I heard that song live with horns. Very cool.

After the show, rather than immediately leaving the stage and going backstage to relax, the band members all hopped off stage and met their young fans. They stuck around for quite some time, making sure to greet everyone who was waiting. By the time I left (relatively early after they were done performing) to go back in line for round 2, they were still there and talking to people. They were all very sweet and humble, and it was a very fun show.

John Gourley

Zachary Carothers

Kane Ritchoette

Happy New Year!

Well, it's a new year and a fresh start. I think resolutions can sometimes be unrealistic, but the only one I firmly set for myself was to get this blog up and going, and post as often as I can. It's difficult since there are only so many concerts that I attend any given month, but I'll try to write about other interesting things happening in music.

So for my first post I'm going to talk about Alt-J. After continually missing seeing them live (I swear every time they played I was either busy or it sold out in seconds), I was finally able to procure a ticket. They played at the Crystal Ballroom on December 2nd with the band Genders as their opener. Genders are a local Portland band, and I thought they were quite good. Then Alt-J came out, and it was just as trippy as I thought it would be. Joe Newman's voice is so different from any other musician I've ever heard, and I was immediately drawn into the unusual yet mesmerizing sound.

The band were very good live, although from all of the hype and anticipation, I was slightly let down. Joe's voice was often flat, and there were some notes that he couldn't quite hit. I had a friend at the show who had seen them twice before and said he was like that at every show. I'm hoping that will eventually change and he won't have that issue so much in the future. When my parents saw Silversun Pickups for the first time they weren't quite as together as they should have been, and Brian Aubert's voice wasn't hitting the right notes. But the second time they saw them when I was there as well, they were all spot on and it was a great show, so maybe that will be the same story for Alt-J.

Either way, I'm glad I finally got to see them, and I ended up meeting some cool people who had also come alone. We sort of joined together inside Ringler's pub next to the Crystal and started talking. What brought the two over (apart from me sitting alone) was the fact that I had managed to tap into Alt-J's bus's Wi-Fi. As I was telling the waitress that, they both overheard and we all came together.

After the show one of their (hot) roadies gave me a setlist. When I was waiting for my ride outside of the Crystal a drunk girl befriended me and we waited for our subsequent rides together. It turns out that Grimes had parked their car too close to Alt-J's equipment van, and the (hot) roadie that gave me the setlist was standing by it waiting for someone to come move the car so he could load up. The drunk girl and I walked over to him (since he wasn't busy) and started chatting. It was fun hearing him talk just to hear his wonderful accent. He told us about the tour, how it was a lot of work but fun to see new places, that the shows in the US were smaller and less crazy than the shows in Europe, and that he's been on tour with them for over a year. He was very nice. Then Genders moved their car and he had to start loading, and drunk girl and my rides arrived at the same time. A pleasant way to end the show.

Setlist

The bus's Wi-Fi (I correctly guessed the password)