Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson, These United States, and Oh Captain My Captain Play Mississippi Studios in PDX
Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson, These United States, and Oh Captain My Captain, Portland, OR
by Brianne Turner, photography by Liberty Cornett
Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson, These United States and Portland band Oh Captain My Captain rallied together to create a surprisingly rock-based lineup at Mississippi Studios during the PDX stop of their U.S. tour.
The show opened with a viewing of Robinson’s music video for “The Sound,” (directed by Alicia J. Rose), then shifted immediately to a fairly remarkable set from locally-based five piece Oh Captain My Captain. Playing a solid and harmony-filled show, the band immediately surpassed their title of pre-opening band (i.e. the band whose set time you utilize to finish your beer at the bar conveniently located across the street from the venue) and instead made showing up on time worth the unfinished beer. Sometimes drawing comparisons to the Beach Boys (because, duh, harmonies), OCMC implement a variety of instruments and vocal arrangements into their music, creating a substantial collection of live songs that hold up to any of the studio recordings available on their MySpace page.
Following Oh Captain My Captain were These United States. After playing their first song, lead singer Jesse Elliott announced to the crowd that he had ripped one of his thumbnails off just before the show, adding, “I hope it doesn’t affect your night, but it’s gonna make mine really physically painful.”
Rock ‘n’ roll.
Playing an assortment of songs from their newest album, Everything Touches Everything, These United States had no problem jamming through the pain and graced the tiny Mississippi Studios stage with a loud and sweaty collection of songs that expressed the notion that these guys have some experience when it comes to playing loud and sweaty rock music. Just as enthusiastic about his band as even the most fervent TUS fan, Elliott often jumped off of the stage and into the audience to dance and watch his band play on without him.
Taking the stage at 11 p.m., native Portlander Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson positioned himself at stage left with his guitar, allowing bassist William Carl Cameron to claim center stage. With his mother in the audience, Robinson further proved his whistling skills by dedicating a quiet cover of Otis Redding’s “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay” to her, but was full of energy for the rest of the show. With his drummer drenched in sweat by the second song, MBAR amped his generally mellow studio sound up for the stage, mercilessly attacking his guitar strings and flinging himself onto the floor during some of the more elaborate jam sessions.
It was an honest and tiring rock show from beginning to end. All bands are worth seeing live, but here are some pictures of the show anyway: