blood’s a rover

Last Friday night Marissa and I went to see De La Soul, the seminal east coast hip hop trio that everyone I know who knows them loves, and everyone I know who doesn’t know them should.

Trugoy, Maseo, and Posdnuos

It was a great, intimate show, largely because De La Soul and the rest of us were celebrating the 20 year anniversary of the release of their masterpiece 3 Feet High and Rising.

Circa 1989

3 Feet High and Rising was remarkable for its use of obscure samples drawn from every different genre or music, complex, literate wordplay, skits that were actually funny, and most of all, the obvious fun that they had while making it. It’s full of in-jokes and cultural references, and more than anything it sounds like a bunch of close friends trying to crack each other up.

It remains one of the best albums ever made, which is all the more astonishing when considering the fact that they were all about 20 years old at the time of its release.

Looking for the love…

There it is!

“Difficult preaching is Posdnuos’ pleasure
pleasure and preaching starts in the heart
something that stimulates the music in my measure
measure in my music raised in three parts
casually see but don’t do like the Soul
’cause seein’ and doin’ are actions for monkeys
doin’ hip hop hustle, no rock and roll
unless your name’s Brewster, ’cause Brewsters’ a Punky.”
-The Magic Number

Towards the end of the show Trugoy hopped into the crowd to shake everyone’s hand before continuing the song. The first person’s hand that he shook was Marissa’s. She played it cool for a few seconds, but as soon as he passed her she completely freaked out.

“Mirror, mirror, on the wall
tell me mirror what is wrong?
can it be my De La Clothes
or is it just my De La Soul
what I do ain’t make believe
people say I sit and try
but when it comes to being De La
it’s just me, myself and I”
-Me, Myself and I

C.J. is a scrub (super scrub!)

After the show, the band stuck around to sign shirts, shoes, and whatever else people put in front of them. It was clear that they genuinely appreciated the love and support they’ve been shown over the years. It isn’t often you meet three guys at or approaching 40 years old who have been doing exactly what they love for over half their lives. I left the show feeling a little envious but also very inspired.

It’s De La Cratic.

Intro and Race For The Prize. Unbelievable.

Framed by balloons

Taps and W.A.N.D. Outstanding.

Whoa.

  
GONG!

She Don’t Use Jelly (reprise). Delightful.

Do You Realize? Heartbreaking.

“Do you realize… that you have the most beautiful face?
do you realize… we’re floating in space?
do you realize… that happiness makes you cry?
do you realize… that everyone you know someday will die?

And instead of saying all of your goodbyes, let them know:
you realize that life goes fast,
it’s hard to make the good things last,
you realize the sun doesn’t go down,
it’s just an illusion caused by the world… spinning ’round.”

Atole performing “Glostix” at Milepost 5, 8.15.09

Last Sunday I attended the latest Lost Gospel show, which featured local Portland favorites Explode Into Colors. Lost Gospel is a loose knit group of artists and musicians who organize free underground shows in unique locations throughout the city without permission or permits. Basically, they’re (we’re?) guerrila-style facilitators of fun and music.

The plan for the show was genius: lay out a huge tarp behind a local middle school, tape down some canvases, fill some tubs with paint, get the band ready to go, and have at it.

Within seconds of Explode Into Colors starting their set, the canvases were well on their way to a Pollockesque state.

Rather than focus on one canvas, I grabbed a can of paint and began wandering around the tarp, adding drips and drops wherever I felt they were needed.

Meanwhile, the band played their catchy, bass and percussion heavy song bursts:

 
Lisa Schonberg on drums, and Heather Treadway on keys and percussion.

Claudia Meza on bass and vocals.

Pretty.

I ended up focusing my efforts on two of the canvases. This one:

And this one, which I later bought because I liked it so much:

Proceeds from the canvases went towards the cost of the generator rental and the next Lost Gospel show. Done with painting, it was time to catch the rest of Explode Into Color’s perfomance:

It was a great show, a great concept, and a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

With Nilina Mason-Campbell, photographer and one of Lost Gospel’s coordinators. 

Yeah.

Yep.

Yes.

Last Saturday the Portland Cello Project performed an incredible set of dancey pop songs with vocals provided by several of Portland’s most talented frontmen/frontwomen. I wasn’t planning to go until the very last minute, but I was so glad that I did. It was goofy and charming and most of all, fun.

Like I Love You by Justin Timberlake featuring Christopher Francis

SOLD OUT!

Psycho Killer by The Talking Heads, featuring Carley Baer

Smooth Criminal by Michael Jackson featuring Jared Mees
(This is the coolest photo I’ve taken in a long time.)

“Wahh wah, wha wha wah wah wah waaaah, wah wah wah wah waaaah waaaaaaaaah…”
Hey Ya by Outkast, featuring the Portland Cello Project

The Girl is Mine by Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney
featuring Adrienne Hatkin and Paul Seely

P.Y.T. by Michael Jackson featuring Jack Saturn

It was a sometimes a challenge to focus on the musicians over the vocals and wildly appreciative audience, but every time I paid attention I was rewarded for it. Stunning.

Push It by Salt N Pepa featuring Ritchie Young and John Brophy

One of the major highlights of the show was Brian Perez’s blistering rendition of George Michael’s One More Try. While some of the performances sometimes veered into karaoke+cello territory, Brian was full on and he killed it like no one else that night.

“Oh so I don’t want to… hold you, touch yooooooooooou…”

And the fantastic evening climaxed with a rediculous-yet-logical group sing-along of…
well, just watch:

I love this city so much.

Or, What I Did On My Website Vacation:

I went to see The Brian Jonestown Massacre!

I participated in a neighborhood-wide photo scavenger hunt!
(This is us as the cover of Arrested Development)

Spring sprung!

I saw the premier of my friend Aaron’s band, Here Come Dots!

As well as their second show!

I hiked in the Oneonta Gorge!

I saw E*Rock make music with a Wii controller!

I took a lot of random pictures!

I caught up with old friends and made new ones!

I discovered a field of clover while driving back from Astoria!

I attended a FUTURE PARTY dressed as a time traveling Jules Verne!

Jules, pondering the future.

Marissa and Aaron went too.

In April, I launched my standup comedy career!

Here’s a sample ‘joke’:

“Recently some friends of mine were expecting their first child… and it ended up being stillborn. They were really upset, understandably, and so I tried to console them by sharing something with them that I’d never told anyone, which was that I had a brother who was stillborn.

My parents decided to keep it.

When people hear that, they ask if it was strange, growing up with a sibling who was, you know… dead. But it I never really thought about it. I mean, I was taught to just treat him the same as I would any other baby- so I’d take him to the park, push him on the swing… people would glare at us sometimes, but that was just ignorance. Basically it was decided that whatever it was that came out of my mother’s womb, was going to be raised right: as a stillborn-again Christian.”

Jimmy and Tory played that night, too!

In May I hiked around Mt. Saint Helens…

…where I saw a dragonfly and found a dessicated frog!

Click image to enlarge. Seriously, do it.

Also, this.

But for the most part, I spent way too much time in the city!
 

I also ate ALOT of incredible cart food:
 
 
 

And saw Femi Kuti play at the Oregon Zoo!

And at the beginning of June I flew back to Connecticut, where I’ll resume posting… now!

I just got back from seeing a concert in one of the most beautiful churches I’ve ever visited- the Frauen Kirche, here in Dresden. I wasn’t planning on going to a concert today, but I managed to buy a scalped ticket for 8 euro moments before it began, and doing so afforded me some time to really examine this amazing building. The music wasn’t bad either.

Dresden has been lovely, and tonight I leave for Prague.

Last Saturday I went to see Pattern Is Movement and The Mint Chicks at the Towne Lounge. There was a decent crowd gathered when I arrived at the tail end of Pattern Is Movement’s set, and I understood why: for one, they received a great write up in Portland’s local alternative weekly…

“Having recently gotten the internet goin’ nuts, Philadelphia duo Pattern Is Movement proves to be the rare case for believing the hype. Singer-keyboardist Andrew Thiboldeaux provides stately grandeur via both his clarion moan and his electronics-augmented faux ivories, while drummer Chris Ward is a winning glutton for bombast. Their recent album All Together (released earlier this year on Hometapes) is one the most successful records in some time at sounding joyful without sounding sappy. Their music glitters like the golden rooftops of Constantinople and soars and swoops like the sun-drunk birds above.”

Hyperbole, sure, but they were also quite good. I particularly enjoyed Chris Ward’s intense, bombastic, and metronome-precise drumming. It reminded me what a horrible, horrible drummer I am, and that’s always nice.

After Pattern Is Movement finished their set it was time for The Mint Chicks. And now we’ve reached the part of the post when I get really, really annoyed with Portland’s fickle, undiscerning, and largely undeserving audiences.

As soon as Pattern Is Movement left the stage, about 85% of the audience left the venue. The Mercury had told them who it was important for them to see that week, and so, having seen them, they were free to go drink somewhere else and hit on/get hit on by each other. Which was a shame, because The Mint Chicks are in no way a lesser band.

By New Zealand standards, at least, there aren’t many bigger bands. Formed in 2001 by two brothers and two of their friends, they won five 2007 New Zealand Music Awards including Best Rock Group, Best Rock Album, and Album of the Year. So, having conquered their homeland, they decided to seek their fortunes abroad and move to… Portland, Oregon.

The band struck me as an interesting blend of Nuggets-esque late 60’s psychedelia mixed with early 90’s uptempo power pop. Also, punk, Also, noise. Also, antics. At the show I asaw, frontman Kody Nielson worked the (suddenly empty) room as though it were an arena, swing his mic around by its cord like a whip, engaging in glaring contests with individuals at the bar, jumping up on flimsy tables and generally showing great disregard for his safety. It turns out this is typical: in 2005, he wielded a chainsaw on stage and destroyed a corporate sponsor’s sign at a music festival. And in 2006, while opening for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, the volume of their set was so loud that plaster sections of Auckland’s St. James theater fell, injuring two concert goers.

Which is awesome.

And suddenly it occurs to me that perhaps that explains Portland’s reluctance to embrace The Mint Chicks while far less interesting bands consistently pack them in- maybe Portland audiences want to be seen at the right shows, they just don’t want to be seen enjoying them. They don’t particularly like being challenged by music that’s difficult to categorize. And they certainly don’t want to be seen dancing.

The next Mint Chicks show in Portland is on October 10th at Holocene with Oh Captain, My Captain.

On Saturday afternoon, I joined a line that would eventually string down the street from The Wonder Ballroom, around the corner and at least three blocks down MLK Blvd to see two Brooklyn bands, one new and one old(er): Ratatat and Les Savy Fav.

Both bands gave good performances, though it’s hard for me to get too worked up over Ratatat’s video game, drum and bass, and Wagner influenced instrumental rock music. Whatever, it is what it is.

Bleep bleep bloop bleep!

Waaaaaaah boom boom boom beep eep!

Les Savy Fav is notable for two things: sliding seamlessly between punk-tinged pop and pop-tinged punk, and their wild frontman Tim Harrington, whose nonstop antics make their shows a much larger spectacle than they would be otherwise.

“I bless the rains down in Africaaaaaaaa…”

Everyone’s praying that that waistband will hold except that one guy up front.

The highlight of the show for me was then Tim Harrington disappeared backstage and returned with painter’s ladder, which he proceded to open, lean out into the crowd, and then climb. To the top. While being supported by fans. Who then surfed him across to the lighting fixtures.

Unbelievable.

Joining the crowd.

Attacking the balcony

Goodnight!