Music Blog

Impressions of, reactions to and takes on action from the first full night of MusicFest NW 2010, compiled by our can-do gang of musical savants.

As if the transition from summer to fall wasn’t already hard enough! Washed Out, Phantogram, and Ra Ra Riot filled the Wonder Ballroom Thursday evening with balmy indie-pop. It made me wish I were sitting by a swimming pool wearing Nike Sportswear rather than standing in front of a stage sponsored by Nike Sportswear.

Washed Out (pictured, right) kicked off the show with dreamy homespun textures that infuse lo-fi synth atmospherics with rhythmic gestures from 80’s pop. Phantogram followed with a set that included most of the songs from their debut album, Eyelid Movies. Their set flowed smoothly between chart-ready tracks such as “Mouthful of Diamonds” and extended synth jams. Ra Ra Riot, three shows into their new tour, capitalized on their opener’s romantic nostalgia. The Syracuse-based band performed songs from their latest album, The Orchard, and old favorites. Walls of sound and careful pop orchestrations were a nice way to end the first show of the evening. Now if we can just rewind the calendar a few months... 

-Alex Lewis

 

Henry Wagons (at Mississippi Studios): Unhinged? No, more like a possessed barn-door that creaks & bangs through the night and might slam you in the face on a calm day. Acerbic, funny entertainer with Johnny Cash's punched delivery and memorable songs.

-Zaph Mann

 

Maybe the best thing about MusicFest NW-- even better than the sheer amount of music to be had-- is the fact that it's an easily taken in taste tester of genres and sub-genres (and, increasingly, sub-sub genres). It's with little effort that one can hear new wavish indie pop, lush, harmony-filled folk, groove-tastic Brazilian funk and whiskey-fueled twang-- all in the space of a couple of hours. It's an interesting sensory experience to go from the throwback roots of local favorites Sallie Ford & the Sound Outside (who had Berbati's filled to capacity) to the retro-funk of Brazilians Garotas Suecas, who haven't fallen too far from the tree of their Os Mutantes forefathers. Up the street a bit, there were no doubt similar experiences being had following Ted Leo & the Pharmacists up with Big Freedia. In these scenarios, the din of nightlife on the street between venues (and maybe a stop at a foodcart) serves as the pallette cleanser.

More than pleased with the band I was telling everyone was the best kept secret of the festival in Garotas Suecas, I opted for a mostly mellow close to the night with Justin Townes Earle on our stage at Berbati's. Joined by fiddle and upright bass, he played heavily from his new album out next week Harlem River Blues, throwing in some old favorites and covers here and there, including Townes Van Zandt's "Rex's Blues" during the encore. Relaxed and whiskey-fueled, Earle played an impressively assured set that also featured some back and forth ribbing between he and some of the drunker patrons of the front row. "It's like my great grandaddy would say," remarked Earle in his lazy drawl-- you'll have to imagine the finish, because we can't recount it here. 

-Jeremy Petersen

More to come here, of course! Still two full nights of action to go (we'll be at Berbati's for the duration-- come say hi!), followed by Sunday night's closer with The National, The Walkmen, The Helio Sequence and Talkdemonic. And if you're one of those who are lucky enough to be coming to our PDX Rx day party tomorrow (11-3) at Mississippi Studios, we'll see you there!

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Tagged: MFNW 2010