Concert: Modest Mouse

The last time Modest Mouse played their hometown of Portland was back in the summer of 2011 at the McMenamins Edgefield 100th birthday celebration. They came back in full swing after canceling a European tour in 2013 to continue work on their album. With around a dozen show tour plus festival dates, they kicked off their tour with two hometown shows on May 1st and 2nd at the crystal ballroom.

They obviously felt comfortable in front of their hometown fans, as was apparent by them coming out a half hour later than they were supposed to. They had some longer than necessary pauses between songs, with a few awkward stories told here and their by front-man Isaac Brock. 

The first was an anecdote about when he was opening up a can of cat food and was reminded of how his grandmother's house used to smell, even though she didn't have a cat (which was the weird part). The other story was about how he was an extra in The Pelican Brief, and signed up his girlfriend even though she couldn't make it, so he got paid twice. Both stories ended rather abruptly, and filled some of the time spent in between songs.

They played a rather conservative set of songs that were sure to please. A handful of older songs, but they mostly stuck to their newer work, while also introducing three new songs: "Shit in your cut', 'Lampshades on fire', and 'Sugar boats (alternately known as 'heart of mine')'. 

With 7+ people on stage at any given time, a whole second percussion set, and some brass instruments, they were very tight (although a tad rusty considering it had been a while since playing live). Isaac Brock did his classic, spastic, shout-singing in parts of most of the songs, and all the other band members switched between instruments so often that everyone was all over the stage, which accounted for some of the long pauses between songs.

No definitive news yet about when the new album will be released. I have a good friend who is next door neighbors to Isaac Brock, and Isaac invited her and her boyfriend to come listen to the new album. So as far as I know so far, it is almost in its completion, and hopefully will be released in the fall/winter. Their last full length album, We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank, was released in 2007, and the EP No One's First and You're Next came out in 2009. They are long overdue for a new release!

The encore was: Lampshades on Fire, Baby Blue Sedan, Doin' the Cockroach, Tiny Cities Made of Ashes

Dashboard

Fire it Up

Photos and videos courtesy of Howard Weiner 

Concert: Franz Ferdinand

On April 26th I went to see Franz Ferdinand for the 4th time. The first time I saw them was with Death Cab For Cutie in a double headlining bill with The Cribs as the opening act back in 2006 at the Memorial Coliseum. The time after that was at the Crystal Ballroom back in December of 2008, and the last time was at the Wonder Ballroom in August 2012.

Every time I see them I leave the venue smiling. They put on such a fantastic show, and might be one of the best lives bands I've seen in my concert going career. Their energy, enthusiasm, and crowd connectivity is invigorating and it sucks you in. With their catchy tunes and sometimes odd lyrics, they have quite a unique sound, while still having the classic British rocker aspect to their music.

The opening act, Cate Le Bon, is a Welsh singer-songwriter who was excellent. Her voice and lyrics had a hauntingly beautiful quality, and she was very enjoyable to listen to.

Then, finally, Franz Ferdinand came out to roars of applause wearing matching outfits. Honestly, they were really tacky looking, but if anyone could pull off that look it was them. They were all wearing some variation of pants, shirts, and jackets that were a mix of black, white, and gray. 

They played a fairly long set with all the old favorites and a good chunk of their new album (Fresh Strawberries, Bullet, Right Action, Evil Eye, Love Illumination, Stand on the Horizon, Brief Encounters, and Goodbye Lovers and Friends). I didn't get the setlist which was the first time in a while, so that was a total bummer. I asked the roadie a bunch of times, and he gave them to surrounding people but not me, but in the end he gave me two consolation picks (one from Alex, and one from Nick).

God, they are so good live. I ended up right in front of Bob (the bass player) which was fun, but I really like to stand in front of Nick (the guitar player) if I can because he's got some excellent dance moves! The line outside the door was a lot longer than I had expected it to be, otherwise I would have gotten a better spot... I got there about two and a half to three hours before the doors, but there were already like, thirty people there.

All in all it was a fantastic show, and Franz Ferdinand always deliver!

Here's Ulysses:

Stand on the Horizon:

Evil Eye

All photos and videos courtesy of Howard Weiner 

(Mini) Concert: Black Prairie

The day after Bombay Bicycle Club on April 23rd I was able to attend a very special evening show at the KINK Bing Lounge to see Black Prairie. The day before when I was talking to Lisa (the woman who essentially runs the shows at the Bing Lounge), I asked her about a Portugal. The Man show that went on at the lounge the month before. It wasn't advertised and I didn't know about it until it was happening which was a bummer. I learned that it was a benefit show for the Portland Rescue Mission and Lisa mentioned another show coming up where tickets couldn't be won in the normal way (clicking a button online and crossing your fingers your name gets picked). I asked about it and she told me that the Black Prairie show the next night was through their clip radio app. I was bummed because I wanted to see them, when to my great fortune, a woman near by who had heard out conversation chimed in saying that she had won two places but couldn't attend, and offered me her spots. My lucky day!

So the next night after my classes I went and got in line outside the Bing Lounge. I was first in line, and snagged a seat right front and center. Flying Elephants Deli catered the event and the band played seven songs. The regular drummer, John Moen, couldn't make it that night, so Jenny Conlee's husband sat in and did an excellent job. I must admit, after the performance when I was talking to the band members, I definitely gushed and probably embarrassed myself a bit. It's hard to stop gushing when you're meeting some of your favorite musicians! I couldn't make it to Black Prairie's show at the Aladdin a few nights later, so I was really happy I got to see them (and especially for free)!

Setlist for the evening

Selfie that Chris Funk took of me and the band!

Let It Out

Fortune

Lay Me Down In Tennessee 

(Mini) Concert: Bombay Bicycle Club

On April 22nd I won two spots to see Bombay Bicycle Club at the KINK Bing Lounge! I hadn't gotten tickets to see them play that night at the Wonder Ballroom, so I was glad I could still see them. They played "Luna", "To The Bone", and ended with "Shuffle". It was a great short set! They also had a brief interview where they discussed their new track "To The Bone" what was released for record store day, and their new album "So Long, See You Tomorrow" debuting at number one in the UK.

Very cool rendition of Shuffle

You can see the other videos here, here, and here

Concert: The Strypes

Well well well, shame on me for not posting in so long. What with classes, spring break, and the lack of shows I've seen I'm really behind. I'm definitely going to write about the latest Broken Bells album, festivals, and the latest shows announced, but for now I'm writing a review of The Strypes when they played in Portland on the 28th.

The Strypes are a four piece band out of Cavan Ireland that consist of Ross Farrelly (lead vocals/harmonica), Josh McClorey (guitar), Evan Walsh (drums), and Pete O'Hanlon (bass). They are currently 17-19 years old, but the music they play is ageless. If their talented enough to be NME's number 1 band to watch and opened for the Arctic Monkeys all over Europe, you know they're in for big things and will only hone in their talents over time.

They first jumped on my radar when they covered the Bo Diddley song "You Can't Judge A Book By The Cover"

And I even wrote a New Band Alert about them on this blog a while back.

So now to the show on the 28th at the Holocene in Portland Oregon. The venue itself is very small and quite cool. It's actually one a block and a half away from the best little coffee house in Portland - Rimsky Korsakoffee. I got there relatively early  (I didn't think there'd be a long line or anything, but I still wanted to get there before doors), and snagged the perfect spot front and center of the small stage.

I had no idea what to expect in terms of the crowd that would be at the show. I was surprised at the amount of older adults that were there (and even singing along), and actually felt sort of young. There were are few kids there that looked around 10 or 11, but other than that it was mostly adults and a few other people around my own age. Since their music is so classic I guess it's not actually that surprising that so many adults were there... 

The opening band were from Portland and they were called The Cry. They had some good songs, but I sort of felt like they spent more time on their image that they should have spent getting tighter as a group performance wise. But they did good publicity by passing out business cards to the line outside as well as inside, so props to them for that. Plus they covered Boys Don't Cry by The Cure, and they did so very well.

Then The Strypes came on. They played three songs, then stopped due to an issue with one of the speakers. They actually ended up going off stage while the problem was being sorted out, and it halted the show for about 10 minutes. They came back and apologized for the delay and played the rest of the show just fine.

The stage presence, talent, and skill of these musicians is incredible considering their age. They are talented beyond their years and are on a good track to succeed.

After the show I was taken backstage by one of the member of The Cry who I had been talking to outside and got to meet all of them. They were so humble and sweet considering how tired I'm sure they were (jet lag, different time zone, having just played, etc.).

After taking a few quick pictures and probably gushing too much about how much I enjoyed the performance, I told Josh (the guitarist) that the next time they're in Portland I'd love to show them around, and seemed really down and had me friend him on facebook to we could communicate through messaging next time they're here. When they do come back I expect they'll be playing a bigger venue than the Holocene (maybe the Wonder or even the Roseland), so I'm very glad I got the change to see them at a place that I had yet to see a show at. 

The Holocene is a 21+ venue like the Doug Fir, but because all of the band members are underage, they made the show early (doors at 6:30 show at 7. The whole show was over at 9:30) and all ages. 

Setlist

  With Josh

                                                                   

With Pete

With Ross and Evan

Concert: Jake Bugg

When I got to Ringler's next to the Crystal Ballroom, there were no decorations this time. There were a few other people waiting inside that looked like they had only gotten there a little bit before I did. Later on in the evening we all joined together into one group (four of us total including me). That's why I like going to concerts by myself; I get to meet new people and sometimes make new friends, or 'concert buds' as I call them, and see them at other shows.

Anyway, all of them were there for one of the opening acts, Albert Hammond Jr. who is actually they guitarist and keyboardist of The Strokes. He has his own band though (under his name) and they were awesome. They sounded just like the strokes basically. I honestly had no idea who he was until the group came together and they told me.

Since I was there so early, we saw the bands get there and unload all of their stuff. My group all ran out to meet Albert when he appeared later in the day, and I held down the fort inside. When Jake Bugg was going from the bus to the venue I was able to snag a quick picture and say hello. He's actually smiling in the picture (something he rarely does), but - of course - I look awful.

The show was late - doors at 8 show at 9 instead of the standard, doors at 7 show at 8. And with two opening bands I knew it would be pretty late.
One of the security guards I had befriended, John, was standing nearby when I got inside and was front and center. I asked him when it was over, and it didn't end until 12:20. I asked him how that worked since nearly all of the shows I've been to there ended before 11:30. He said it depended on the curfew that they are given, and most of the time it's midnight, but that particular night it was 1am. I should have asked him how that worked... Next time I guess.

It's very convenient to know a security guard by the way. Sometimes things get crazy and people are assholes, and to know someone's name can help get their attention to take care of the issue. That's about it though, other than knowing someone who knows the times of the shows. John did give me a bottle of water though which was awesome.

The first band were called The Skins, and they were out of New York. The had a very rock sound to them, but also a few softer songs. The lead singer had a voice that sounded to me like a combination of Adele and Amy Winehouse. Very powerful from such a small woman. The female guitarist could shred like crazy and that combined with the other guitarist playing the same lick intensified the sound and made it that much more tight.

Here's a song of theirs called Ocean:

Then Albert came out and played in a black jumpsuit. The sound was very much like the strokes and included the signature guitar's playing together and harmonizing. There were a bunch of people around me in the front who were just there for him and left afterwards.

Then Jake Bugg and two others came out. The only time I have seen the stage emptier was the night before when it was just Colin Meloy, a guitar, and a table. The drummer and bass player were only onstage about 50% of the time. Since I had only ever seen Jake play solo with an acoustic, it was really cool to finally hear those rock songs with the addition of the bass and drums. The classic trio of bass, guitar, and drums.

Jake Bugg has been compared to Bob Dylan, but says one of his biggest inspirations was actually Donovan. He has a great combination of rock songs and mellow, hauntingly beautiful acoustic songs with lyrics about getting out of his hometown and love. At only 19 he is a nice refresher from the other kids his age in music *coughJustinBiebercough*, and lets his talent and hard work shine through.

(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!