Portland’s version of the music industry festival, Music Fest NW, came to the city, September 7th through 11th, with artists big and small playing venues across Portland.
The second night of Music Fest NW had every venue in Portland bumping, and a tough decision had to be made out of twenty-something venues and hundreds of different artists – where would the night lead you? Although it was a tricky decision, I chose to head straight for the Doug Fir, not only for their superb sound quality but also for the heady and talented line up. The evening consisted of a musical splendor full of Phantogram, White Arrows, Purity Ring, and Brainstorm. Unfortunately I had to miss the opening act do to a tight work schedule (the one down fall of having a music festival sprawled throughout your city) but I did make it just in time to catch Purity Ring.
As a duo, Purity ring took to their instruments, audience members were hypnotized towards the stage and did not take their eyes nor ears off them as electronic dream pop sounds seeped through their membranes. The tag team was not only a richness of sound but visually appealing as well, with a copper pipe contraption they both hammered on and a drum that lit up with or with out a pound.
Singer Megan James added a soothing innocence to Corin Roddick’s ghostly synths weaving her voice in and out on a time and in such a way that you could almost visualize it bouncing off each sound that Roddick creates. James paused in the moment to reflect on how she picked blueberries earlier that day stating, “The thorns on the blueberries were like poison injecting into my body,” which brought her into songs like “Ungirthed” and “Belispeak”. Purity Ring is pure original talent and will most likely be headlining in no time.
Transforming us out of Purity Ring’s rabbit hole into a dance-worthy dimension was Los Angeles’ White Arrows. The five equally handsome, equally talented members were decked out in Hawaiian and tie-dyed shirts, filling the audience with anticipation and smiles. The energy that transmuted from White Arrows was infectious, and the audience responded by shaking their way through the entire set.
Click here for photos of Phantogram at 2011 Pacific Festival in Silverado, CA in the QRO Concert Photo Gallery Click here for photos of Phantogram at 2010 North Coast Fest in Chicago, IL in the QRO Concert Photo Gallery
Click here for photos of Phantogram at Music Fest NW 2010 in the QRO Concert Photo Gallery
“Coming or Going”, from their self-titled album, had every foot taping and singer Mickey Schiff’s voice carried strong through each twisted synth sound. With a live drum, shakers, two guitars, an electronic keyboard machine, and bass the furious five break through genres, invoking a free for all dance frenzy that generated a fog of sweat in the dimly lit Doug Fir. White Arrows continued to nourish their listeners with psych pop and disco beat breakdowns, producing a climax in the room leaving every listener dizzy with delight.
By the time Phantogram was setting up their gear, the venue was packed wall-to-wall and no wonder; they seem to have been on the line up of every big festival this summer. This is Phantogram’s second year on tour celebrating their full-length album Eyelid Movies (QRO review). The trio played mostly in the dark as red and blue lights flashed seeming as though they could have performed with their eyes closed. Typically, the band plays as a duo with Josh Carter and Sarah Barthel, who have been friends since junior high, but there was a live drummer backing them up on that Thursday night.
Phantogram whispered celestial trip hop melodies through their fingertips as they mused through the crowd-pleasing “Mouth full of Diamonds”. Barthel’s airy voice floated between and around the snare filled back beats of Carter’s magic. The duo – sometimes trio – has an eclectic sound dripping between shoe gaze, hip-hop, and electronica, which illuminated a lightness through out the overflowing venue. The Saratoga Springs, NY based band had a lullaby-like sound that would make you think the album was only meant for at-home listening, but the talented pair brought on a strong performance leaving no room for wandering minds, but only at ease listeners.
Day 2 of MusicFestNW a success!
