Butch entered the stage to Dr. Hook’s “Cover Of Rolling Stone” then launched immediately into a three song slow-jam fest, featuring Marvelous 3′s “Cigarette Lighter Love Song” as the show opener. For “Every Monday,” the microphone was turned toward the audience, who sang every word to the song while the singer sat on the stage and played along acoustically.

Playing the first six songs of the set sans band, Butch took the opportunity to revisit some pre-Widows tracks from previous albums. Prompted by a crowd who seemed to know every word to every song, the Atlanta native remarked, “I like when this place is sold out– it’s good for my ego. I remember playing the Exit/In to four people when I first played here… three of them were bartenders. We’ve come a long way, baby.”

Cary Ann Hearst of Shovels and Rope joined the band onstage for “Synthesizers,” which featured a full-on “Come On Eileen” too-la-ta-loo-ra mid-song breakdown. And to keep the homage vibe going, Butch Walker and the Black Widows later played a cover of Simon and Garfunkel’s “Cecilia” as a lead-in to “Dublin Crow.”

The highlight of the show was in “The 3 Kids In Brooklyn,” a song which features Butch’s famous “little guitar,” a prop that seems to trigger something that makes him lose his shit and encouages climbing on top of the kick drum. The energy level of the show never wavered, but it hit its peak during this particular jam.

Given that producing records is his day job, Butch Walker knows his way around a studio album, but his live show is where his most substantial connection is made as an artist. Of any of the artists we’ve covered, Butch Walker seems to be most concerned with wanting you to have as much fun at his show as he does– and Butch Walker parties. And if you have any doubts, re-watch that “Every Monday” video; his fans are that dedicated for a reason.

Musicfest NW 2011
by Justin Patterson and Joshua Cooke

Early Saturday evening, Pioneer Courthouse Square played host to Portland’s currently fastest rising band, Typhoon. Beyond the obvious “damn, there are a lot of members,” Typhoon is amazing songwriting, magically melodic, and simply well worth your time to listen to. Playing their biggest show since returning from their first-ever East Coast tour (which included Lollapalooza and the Late Show with David Letterman), they sounded even better than when they left. The band alternated between songs from The Hunger and Thirst LP and the new EP, A New Kind of Home. “Summer Home” was a set stand out and, adding something different, they performed “Kitchen Tiles” as all members lined the front of the stage to end the show.

Late Saturday night, another huge crowd gathered at Dante’s. DJ Beyonda was winding down with some deep electro, and the crowd began to change faces as Big Freedia‘s entrance neared. Suddenly, there was music. A slender brunette in a tight, shiny gold dress was undulating atop a backlit moving dance floor in the front doorway. The contraption, which appeared to be a modified ice cream cart with a glass top and large speakers on the side, was slowly being pushed through the mass of people while pushing out one of Freedia’s songs. Just as it stopped close to the stage and was in the final stages of dispensing its glorious ruckus to the crowd, the big speakers overhead began pumping out the deep bass kick of the very same song. Big Freedia busted onto the stage, and then there were happily shaking booties (“bounce,” the New Orleans dance style) and huge hip hop beats everywhere. It was a crazy mess of bounce that nobody cleaned up all night. And why would you? With her aggressively charismatic style and huge crowd involvement, Big Freedia, “The Queen Diva,” absolutely owned the night. And in her house, big soul and big fun rule.

Musicfest NW 2011
by Joshua Cooke

The merch table must have sold out of clothing articles before Macklemore and Ryan Lewis ever hit The Roseland stage; everyone was wearing their newly-bought attire. There were groups of high schoolers wearing the white jersey on top of the black t-shirt while holding the grey sweatshirt in their hands– it was a wild scene. Personifying a real hip hop show, Mack hit the stage powerful with more energy than his teenage fans combined. Leaving no part of the stage (and some parts of the first couple rows) untouched, Macklemore, Ryan Lewis and trumpet player Owour Arunga had hands waving every direction, fans reciting words and full-participation call and response. Producer Ryan Lewis took an active approach, hyping the crowd from the front of the stage as well as behind the boards. The token jersey-sporting Macklemore played hit songs from his whole catalogue, ranging from The Language of My World, the VS. EP and even some new material. At one point Macklemore said he felt proud to see that so many people had come to see their show, adding that last year around the same time they performed in Portland to about 75 people. This is strictly due to the growing hype around the Seattle rapper who is being set up to be the face of Northwest hip hop.

TxE is Portland’s hip hop group right now, hands down. Tope and Epp are two emcees with complementing styles which help drive up an already energetic show. By playing to a crowd that was there primarily to see Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, TxE definitely gained many new fans. Tope took his energy straight to the crowd, literally, by stage diving. Epp, and his highly impressive and ridiculous Pharaoh Monche-esque flow had the crowd loving the rapid fire. Not to be pushed aside is the third member of TxE, one of the West Coast’s premier producers, Calvin Valentine, who mixes in live keys and often danced more than some of the crowd members. The group finished their set by bringing up Portland hip hop heavy hitter and friend, Illmaculate, for a couple of songs including the animated, “The Basics.” TxE was MFNW’s proof that Portland hip hop is more than just alive.

Purple and Green is a newer Portland group consisting of producer Adam Forkner on and the charismatic Justin Leon Johnson with the microphone. Having seen them a month before, I was very happy to see another one their shows because I knew what I was in for. I think Justin is some sort of super positively charged, happiness-evoking, semi-nudist dancing machine sent here to make us come out of our shells and get down. He told the crowd to “forget about that masculinity” and to “get in touch with that feminine side.” Justin also possesses a great soulful voice, blending well with the production. Adam’s beats are often fast with very danceable long breaks, which is perfect for Justin to either disrobe a layer of clothing or bust a solo dance. Or both. It was clear that a lot of the crowd didn’t know what to expect, but after every song, more and more people were crowding around, loving the show. A couple of things become obvious watching Purple and Green: Their magic just makes you feel great, Justin likes to be topless, and the man can dance. Purple and Green are not to be slept on, they have the makings of something real funky.

With a tiny bit of biased involved, Glass Candy was my favorite show of MFNW. Before stepping on stage, about a hundred really large multicolored balloons were sent toward the crowd to create the beginnings of a dance party that would require recovery time. With a beautiful printed dress and bare feet, the gorgeous Ida No danced all over stage, which seemed too small to contain her energy. Johnny Jewel ran the production from behind the keys while simultaneously dancing a up a storm. The crowd reacted by dancing off every single ass in Branx that night. Large balloons were flying and popping, Ida’s voice was pulsating the crowd, and Johnny looked like he just got done swimming, given the amount of sweat falling onto the keys. There were no other venues I’d have rather been at that night. Everything post-the Shattered Theatre era was played. “Digital Versicolor” started it off, with “Rolling Down the Hill” and “Computer Love” peppered in the set as well; hearing the new songs, “Warm in the Winter” and “Beatuiful Object,” didn’t hurt either. This show proved the Glass Candy, modern Italo disco sound is more than unique, still powerful, and fun as hell.

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Continue reading » Saturday: Big Freedia, DJ Beyonda, Kelli Schaefer, Typhoon

Musicfest NW 2011
by Justin Patterson

If Thursday night’s keyword was “devilry,” Friday’s was “soulful.” Sallie Ford & the Sound Outside kicked off the day’s lineup with a late afternoon show at Pioneer Square. The growing crowd was treated to the old school rock and roll that she flavors with lyrics which are sometimes curt, sometimes sad, but always sweet and sultry. “Cage” came with the charisma of a Bing Crosby record but the growl of a woman scorned. “Danger” offered the opposite and registered high on the feel-good scale.

Marketa Irglova followed up Sallie Ford’s bouncy stage presence with a cool flow of sub-epic melodies. She was joined by a stoic bass player and an elegant Iranian woman whom she introduced as “Ida.” Marketa, remarking that she’d “never played a town square before,” lovingly ushered each song onto the wide brick expanse with a stream of lucid nomenclature which was simultaneously history, biography and prayer. Part of the yarn, Ida sang in lilting minor over her liquid daf drum, sometimes in duet with Marketa or gentle piano.

An hour later, at Backspace coffee bar, Drew Grow and the Pastor’s Wives belted out some heavy-footed folk rock songs. “Friendly Fire,” a compelling march, wilted and soared in Drew’s warm tenor over juicy guitar licks and a deep-pocketed rhythm section. “Do You Feel It” was grandiose and catchy at the same time, a crescendo of epic indie-rock proportions. In fact, the performance was far bigger than the small and crowded stage it unfolded on. Drew Grow’s lead is vastly expressive, with cavernous guitar rhythms and an emotional honesty that is deep, warm and mesmerizing. This is a new kind of gospel, and his band, following him through every bend in his musical journey, are not his only believers.

Across the river, Reptar was inundated with color. The four-man art rock band from Georgia was moving from a vaguely Carribbean synth arpeggio into a happy techno-pop breakdown, and was about to teleport into an icy rock groove inhabited by a New Orleans four-horn band. Early in the high-energy set, it was clear that the only constant in this band’s performance would be spectacle. The music, fantastic and genreless as art rock can be, was foot-stompingly, body-rockingly, smilingly good, and it came with lots and lots of antics– from the bassist and keyboardist tossing a tambourine across the stage in time with song rhythm, to lead singer Graham Ulicny inserting seemingly random throat gurgles into otherwise docile verses, to William Kennedy’s claw-waving parody of namesake Reptar the Dinosaur from behind the keys in the middle of a song. The crowd went wild. How to describe a Reptar show: So. Much. Fun.

When the stage was cleared for MSTRKRFT, almost everything disappeared. When the Toronto-based duo briskly took the stage, they shrugged off the intense roar of their fans and launched straight into a pummeling, two hour club set. For some, this would later be described as disappointing; the band– who did not play some of the softer indie-electro dance pleasantries that the disgruntled minority had come to hear– wasn’t what they expected. This was no Beach House chill-out session. Portland radio doesn’t have a station like this. At the front, engaged in flying hands and elbows and bodies, cameras dropping onto a floor of oblivion, it was, in fact, a bloodbath. But for those enthralled in the heat and the intensity and the physical engagement (a large contingent) it was definitely awesome. Tech trance blended with solid-state Daft Punk-ish club beats and crashed into hoovering dubstep. Unexpectedly, Portland got one of the best and most danceable electronic sets ever, where every song that dropped was perfect in timing, placement, and energy. When MSTRKRFT left the stage (abruptly, just as they entered, with the crowd demanding an encore that was not given) normalcy descended from the ceiling-lights of the Wonder Ballroom, and the street began filling with a dazed and deflated zombie apocolypse.

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Continue reading » Friday, pt. 2: Glass Candy, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, Purple and Green, TxE

Musicfest NW 2011
by Justin Patterson and Joshua Cooke

Suuns brought a hard-hitting set to Branx Bar Thursday, smoldering their way into the psyche of Rotture’s more capacious alter ego. With songs like “Gaze,” the band lingered on the lulling malcontension of ’90s ambient industrial music (though, in this case, the sound was almost completely produced live and largely absent of samples) and, with the writhing Ben Shemie in command, successfully hammered it into the shape of an imminent and opium-forged doom.

Next up was Portland-based Talkdemonic, a coed violin and drummer/producer band, who are about to release Ruins, an all-new album which will be out on October 4th. The duo, whose recordings have often contained long, droning, and lushly-populated soundscapes, featured their signature sound in their eardrum-exploding set.

Afterward, the Handsome Furs showed up with a more somatic selection of some of their more popular tunes. But where Talkdemonic focused on atmosphere-rupturing sound, the Furs put on a more physical performance. “When I Get Back” was delivered faster, longer and harder than it comes on Spotify — with fully-airborne, leg-pumping synth riffs from Alexei Perry. Guitarist and singer Dan Boeckner crooned on “Damage,” lighting the adoring Portland fans on fire. Ruthlessly amped (shouts of “Portland, we fucking love you!!” between songs), the electro Furs put on a show that was purely rock and roll. Portland was dancing which means I think we love you, too.

Headlining Thursday night at the Doug Fir, Josh Carter and Sarah Barthel of New York’s Phantogram performed to an excited and full venue. The crowd was into it; even as Sarah came out for sound check, the crowd awoke with screams. Phantogram’s sound echoed off the Doug Fir walls as Sarah’s seductive voice took over the show. Her straight, midnight black hair bounced as she commanded the keyboard along side Josh’s rhythmic guitar riffs. The crowd pleasers were, of course, the hits, like “Mouthful of Diamonds,” as everyone sang, the world is not around because of you, you know I’m not around because of you. Phantogram was high on my list of people to see for this festival and I don’t think I was the only one who left a happier person that night.

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Continue reading » Friday, pt. 1: Drew Grow and the Pastor’s Wives, Marketa Irglova, MSTRKRFT, Reptar, Sallie Ford & the Sound Outside

Musicfest NW 2011
by Justin Patterson and Joshua Cooke

The Crystal Ballroom was packed with music lovers ready to kick off 2011’s Musicfest Northwest which, in turn, created a sauna-like atmosphere. By the time headliners, The Kills, took stage, it was hot. Very hot. When Jamie and Alison walked on stage, Alison grabbed the microphone and complimented the temperature, “We’re going to sweat with you guys.” Cheers followed and The Kills transitioned to the beginning of their set with hits “No Wow” and “Future starts Slow.” All heat aside, the show was rock as rock should be. Alison’s demanding voice with Jamie’s effortless and heavy guitar let no one down. The venue’s infamous flexible, bounce-friendly dance hall floor didn’t stop until Alison sat at the front of the stage as they performed the sultry Marilyn Monroe cover, “One Silver Dollar.” The ballad-esque song gave the crowd a chance to mellow out for a minute before returning with “Sour Cherry.” With everyone in the midst of anticipating how much fun they’d have at MFNW this year, this was the right way to kick off the festivities.

The Heligoats‘ Chris Otepka skittishly took Bunk Bar’s dim stage Wednesday, playing with a full band to a crowd which had inundated the venue. Lyrically, he was solid, and a short set of songs including “Movie Guns” were delivered smoothly, slightly uptempo and with some milky sweet guitar solos. It was enough to set the stage aglow for Kelly Blair Bauman, whose bassist had recently lost his instrument in a fire; despite this and a sound malfunction involving the bass amp’s sound jack, Kelly’s dreamy, dense texturing of ethereal slide guitar, melty violin licks, and shuffling rhythm section (look for all this on the new album, Gomorrah) washed through the bar and cast a spell of euphoria.

By the time self-described “melodramatic popular song” writer Sean Flinn took the stage with his Royal We, Bunk Bar had become an overcrowded sauna. Outside, the line to get in had quadrupled in length and the open window next to the stage was full of shadowed faces. The band let loose a stream of mellow, straightforward indie rock with gospel organ undertones and major-key guitar breakdowns and then they started swaying. Based in Portland, the band had in attendance a big group of friends who cheered louder than anyone else between songs.

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Continue reading » Thursday: Handsome Furs, Phantogram, Suuns, Talkdemonic

Parachute Musical chose the 5 Spot as the venue to house the Nashville edition of their Kill It Cut It Down album release and they brought fellow Nashvillians, Eastern Block to open the show.

Like Parachute Musical, Eastern Block navigate their rock-based soundscape by alternating between keys and guitars, and their heavy guitars and full vocals had no problem filling the venue as fans passed a giant tip jar through the crowd like an indie rock collection plate.

Parachute Musical took the stage for their set a little after 11 pm, with all four band members dressed in white t-shirts, causing an audience member behind me to surrender to the urge of telling a “looks like everyone got the memo” joke regarding PM’s solidarity-chic attire.

With the exception of “You Could Take A Lot” and “Hometown,” Parachute Musical played every track from Kill It Cut It Down, including a sounds-just-as-good-live-as-you-hoped-it-would rendition of “Losing You.” Taking the place of the missing tracks were old jam “No Comfort” and new jam “All Systems Go.”

The band’s incessant touring throughout the country appears to be paying off– Parachute Musical’s live show is fun and energetic, each of the four members playing an obvious and integral role in the band’s architecture. Each member makes sure to put more sweat into their performance than even the sweatiest fan could put into dancing, and bassist Andrew Samples just might be the most photogenic member of any live act, ever. Even if Parachute Musical aren’t your favorite indie band, their live show will earn your respect.

If words and pictures aren’t enough, there’s also video because we live in the future.

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For more on Eastern Block, visit eastern-block.tumblr.com.
For everything on Parachute Musical, vist parachutemusical.com.

Opening the annual concert series Live On the Green, Will played the perfect mix of new and old songs, including a version of “When I Can Afford To Lose” that featured the vocalist trading in his guitar for the keyboard. Hoge also played “Ms. Williams,” introducing it as the first of his songs he ever heard on the radio, a goosebumps-inducing rendition of “When I Get My Wings,” and rounded out the set by bringing former keys player, Jefferson Crow, up onstage for “Pocket Full Of Change.”

The event announcers made endless jokes about trying to guess whether forthcoming release Number Seven is or is not Will Hoge’s seventh album and that was almost as lame as the part when an unnamed independent music journalist may or may not have become somewhat choked with emotion during the third verse of “Even If It Breaks Your Heart.”

Number Seven will be released on September 27th.
You can stream “When I Get My Wings” (on repeat) on Spotify.

Will Hoge will begin touring in support of Number Seven at the end of this month:

09.21.11 Loveless Barn @ Nashville, TN
09.22.11 The Children’s Museum of the Upstate @ Greenville, SC
09.23.11 Peace Center Amphitheatre @ Greenville, SC
09.24.11 40 Watt Club @ Athens, GA
09.25.11 Vulcan Park @ Birmingham, AL
09.28.11 Diesel Rock n Roll Country Bar @ Virginia Beach, VA
09.29.11 Visulite Theater @ Charlotte, NC
09.30.11 Vinyl @ Atlanta, GA
10.01.11 Lincoln Theater @ Raleigh, NC
10.05.11 Canopy Club @ Urbana, IL
10.06.11 Shank Hall @ Milwaukee, WI
10.07.11 Maintenance Shop @ Ames, IA
10.08.11 The Mill @ Iowa City, IA
10.13.11 Mercy Lounge @ Nashville, TN
10.20.11 Rhythm & Brews @ Chattanooga, TN
10.21.11 Backstage at the Tin Roof @ Nashville, TN
10.22.11 Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack @ Little Rock, AR
11.01.11 Radio Radio @ Indianapolis, IN
11.02.11 Majestic Theater @ Madison, WI
11.03.11 Double Door @ Chicago, IL
11.04.11 Off Broadway @ St Louis, MO
11.06.11 Knuckleheads @ Kansas City, MO
11.09.11 World Café Live @ Philadelphia, PA
11.10.11 Highline Ballroom @ New York, NY
11.11.11 Johnny D’s @ Somerville, MA
11.12.11 The 8×10 Club @ Baltimore, MD
11.16.11 Beachland Ballroom & Tavern @ Cleveland, OH
11.17.11 The Basement @ Columbus, OH
11.18.11 The Southgate House @ Newport, KY
11.19.11 Kirk Avenue Music @ Roanoke, VA
12.01.11 Fitzgeralds @ Houston, TX
12.02.11 The Prophet Bar @ Dallas, TX
12.03.11 Stubb’s Waller Creek Outdoor Amphiteatre @ Austin, TX
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For more on Will Hoge, visit willhoge.com, where Number Seven will also be available for purchase.

On tour in support of their forthcoming LP, Outside, O’Death visited Portland’s Doug Fir to play their punk-infused Americana to a small-but-dedicated group of fans and strangers on a Thursday night.

Seemingly unconcerned by the limited turnout, the Brooklyn five-piece played hard and loud for those of us who did come out, and they made the trip worthwhile. With a sound that wavers somewhere between Gogol Bordello and Mumford and Sons, each member of the band is a showman as much as he is a musician, and each instrument is well utilized. Not at all your typical, modern Brooklyn band, O’Death sound closer to something you might find in a Kentucky barn– if Kentucky has punk bands and mosh pits.

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For more on O’Death, go to odeath.net.

For more on Sharon Van Etten, visit sharonvanetten.com.