The MusicfestNW Diaries 2011: Friday

Day three of our five-day MFNW blog, and we're finally getting into the thick of things: big acts, big crowds, and, inevitably today, big hangovers.--- Today's contributors, in order of appearance: Chris Stamm, Matthew P Singer, Ruth Brown, Arya Imig, Maggie Summers, Robert Ham, Nathan Carson, Mark Stock, Reed Jackson, Nikki Volpicelli, Devan Cook.

10:30 am @ Doug Fir
A rather long line for this ridiculously early Horrors show. Two types of people here: hungover and really hungover. Only children should have to wait in lines while it is still light out. Oh wait, we're at a Horrors show on a Friday morning. We are children. (CS)

11:00 am @ Doug Fir
All five members of the Horrors are model-pretty, even at 11am, and they do not seem at all bummed to be playing a thankless morning gig. They might even be happy to be here. My theory: they are still buzzing from their discovery that the "just got outta bed" look can be achieved by just getting out of bed. (CS)

2:15 pm @ Doug Fir
Another long line for a free KEXP show (Typhoon this time around). The gentleman behind me sends his young daughter to the front of the line to find out when the doors will open. "I like sending my kids to do stuff like that," he confides to his neighbor. I finally understand why people have children. (CS)

5:05 pm @ Dr. Martens Store
Waiting for Ted Leo to take the very tiny stage while DJ Safi plays Operation Ivy. Art and commerce can swap spit all they want if it means I can listen to Op Ivy in an air conditioned room that's mere minutes away from getting pulled apart by one of our greatest living songwriters. (CS)

5:17 pm @ Dr. Martens Store
Ted Leo introduces "The Sword in the Stone" with this mild chastisement of a certain rabid fan: "Someone requested this on Twitter. I don't take kindly to that. But I was gonna play it anyway." I'm paraphrasing. I'm too distracted to take accurate notes, because I'm busy praying that Ted doesn't mention said rabid fan by name, as said rabid fan happens to be me. (CS)

5:30 pm @ Dr. Martens Store
Ted Leo announces he's going to play yet another specially requested song, one that's usually not in his solo set list—which explains why, halfway through "I'm a Ghost," he stops cold, having completely lost his train of thought. "Part way through that, I was like, 'Hmm, this is going pretty good, I should make this a regular part of the solo set,'" he admits with a laugh. Oh, Ted. Even when you're screwing up your own songs, you're still a national treasure. We should just bronze him now and put him in the Smithsonian. (MPS)

5:10 pm @ Pioneer Courthouse Square
Sally Ford and the Sound Outside are doing their thing and doing it nicely. Although I'm sure they're stoked to be playing the Square, it blows that it looks and feels totally barren without many hundreds of people inside. (RB)

5:12 pm @ Backspace
The Thermals are soundchecking most of their set, so we basically get a very private show. It's awesome. (AI)

6:30 pm @ Pioneer Courthouse Square
Marketa Irglova is struggling to be heard over the downtown hustle and bustle happening all around her as she plays her whispy, threadbare piano folk. Hell, she's so quiet she's nearly being drowned out by rustling leaves on the surrounding trees. All the buskers around Pioneer Square must be having fantasies of her walking by them as they're playing and stopping to listen, kicking off a life-affirming though never-quite-consummated romance. (MPS)

6:30 pm @ Pioneer Courthouse Square
Marketa Irglova does not appear to be a big crowd-pleaser. One wristband-checker tells me people are complaining that they're bored but can't get pass-outs. Another says random couples passing-by are stopped in their tracks by the music, watching through the fence, then making out. So...divisive, then. (RB)

6:45 pm @ Pioneer Courthouse Square
The terrifying YouWho barn owl mascots are wandering the square, making every child cry as they pass. It's also 90 degrees out. I pity them for a moment, then I realize they've walked straight out of my nightmares. I try not to make eye contact. (MPS)

8:01 pm @ Pioneer Courthouse Square
Somebody yells "Free Bird". Sam Beam actually starts playing it, saying "You asked for it, bitches." He doesn't play the whole song. "Be careful what you ask for, bitches," he says. I sort of never thought I would ever hear Sam Beam say bitches twice in two minutes. (AI)

8:15 pm @ Pioneer Courthouse Square
I expected Sam Beam to look all rugged and unwashed when he took stage, but instead he looked like a very polished member of Kings of Leon. But that voice, I thought, that voice will redeem him. Instead, there were eight people creating a sound that should have been left to just a few, and his voice was overshadowed by everything else. I get it, you're headlining the festival, but there was too much production involved here. The saxophonist killed it and the instrumental parts were solid, but it really just sounded like watching a Dave Matthews show at a church camp retreat. Too much preaching, too many lights and too many back-up singers. Keep it simple next time, Beam. (MAS)

8:07 pm @ University of Portland
Here's how I know tonight is going to be at the very least interesting. I'm riding my bike past the entrance to UofP, and a dude in a Volkswagen, waiting to turn onto North Willamette, gives me a sincerely angry "FUCK YOU!" as I ride past. I flip him the bird, but am still confused as to where that came from. The only two explanations I could come up with were: 1) He mistook me for outgoing mayor Sam Adams (it's happened before but with far less swearing) or 2) He's not a fan of Witch Mountain (I'm wearing their t-shirt tonight). (RH)

8:15 pm @ Hawthorne Theater
Thank you, Hawthorne Theater for turning off the abysmal black lights and keeping the vibe red and moody for the grindcore onslaught tonight. (NC)

8:35 pm @ Pioneer Courthouse Square
Iron and Wine's noodling set is not winning him new fans at the entrances. "It's like a cat is vomiting in my mouth," says a wristband checker. "This is Michael W. Smith." At this, I have the chance to practice to practice my praise-and-worship dance pose, complete with hands raised receptively to heaven. Glory to Sam Beam, I guess. (AM)

8:44 pm @ Nick's Coney Island
The only way to deal with Hawthorne Theater in the summer is to take advantage of the MFNW re-entry policy. If I'm going to make it two more hours, I need a glass of Off the Rails' "Paranoid" beer, and Nick's is the place. (NC)

8:45 pm @ Hawthorne Theater
Pig Destroyer's garish and gory merch was probably conceived in a stoned teenager's dreams before being delivered (prematurely) in a shady head shop circa whatever year Slayer peaked. Meaning: I want to buy all of it. (CS)

8:47 pm @ Backspace
I'm not inside yet, but my friend Amy and I are walking around the block so I can cool down post-ride before entering the sauna that is Backspace. She gives Drew Grow & The Pastors Wives what I think is a fantastic compliment: "They sound like 'Killer Cars'-era Radiohead." (RH)

8:55 pm @ Backspace
Most charming and inspiring thing I've seen so far: Janet Weiss behind the merch table, carefully folding Drew Grow t-shirts and setting them out for sale. (RH)

9 pm @ Roseland Theater
As the lights dim, Macklemore's already dense, mostly teenage crowd lets up a huge roar. I'm pretty sure they're going to be disappointed to realize the next act is Shabazz Palaces, not Northwest hip-hop's Great White Hope. Unless, as Aaron Mesh pointed out on Twitter, teens have suddenly taken to reading the New Yorker regularly. (MPS)

9:03 pm @ Roseland Theater
This Macklemore crowd, enduring Shabazz Palaces, looks like a middle-school Rumspringa. The TV above the bar is showing Mallrats. Because that was the year most of these people were born.(AM)

9:05 pm @ Backspace
The last time I saw The Globes, they were on a tall stage at a club in Austin for SXSW. I remember so much about that show that had nothing to do with the band (the leather daddy forcing a drink on one of the guys in the band, a raccoon slowly crawling along the top of the outside tent with a baby raccoon in its mouth). Here, with no distractions and loving the music, I find myself thinking, "Jesus, these guys look so short." (RH)

9:07pm @ Hawthorne Theater
Truly adorable that Elitist's singer Josh Greene can climb off a stage full of sweat and testosterone, and give me the sweetest hug and genuine smile. (NC)

9:13 PM @ 6th and Yamhill
So Sam Beam has the whole night ahead of him, right? A friend and I try to guess what he might be up to after the load out. Givers? Horse Feathers? Olivia Tremor Control? Go back to the hotel and eat? (AI)

9:17 pm @ Mississippi Studios
Caleb Klauder ought to be featured prominently on the Nebraska state quarter. He's wearing his trusty cap and would be right at home next to a hay baler. (MS)

9:30 pm @ Roseland Theater
I've never been a fan of the Roseland sound system. Over the years, I've seen quite a few bass-heavy acts suffer from it. Sadly, Shabazz Palaces—an act that's built on wobbles and woozes—is being added to the list. Fans are beginning to boo and chant for Macklemore, which is sad, because Shabazz released one of the better hip-hop albums this year with Black Up. (RJ)

9:35 pm @ Roseland Theater
As great as its album is, Shabazz Palaces needs to work on its live show. There's just nothing compelling about Ishmael Butler rapping while fiddling with a laptop. It completely lost an audience it was already going to have a hard time winning over. Then again, it could've been the venue, which turned the group's powerful bass into an overwhelming muddle. I was at Shabazz's show at Jimmy Mak's last year, but I wasn't really "there," if you get what I'm saying, so I'm not really in a position to judge how they did in a more intimate environment. (MPS)

9:31 pm @ Hawthorne Theater
Damn it's good to see Transient back on stage. A recent head-on collision in Savannah left two of these kids in casts. There is nothing more badass than playing a show in a cast. Krysta sounds so powerful. Humbling. (NC)

9:50 pm @ Star Theater
Checking out the Star for the first time. It's nice. It still has that "new venue" smell. Don't worry, though: By the end of MFNW, it'll smell like armpits and urine, like every other great club in town. (MPS)

9:55 pm @ Star Theater
I run into Aaron Mesh, who points out that Bruce Springsteen's "The River," a song about getting a 17-year-old pregnant, is on the sound system, and he's about to float into a crowd of 17-year-olds at the Macklemore show. Tread carefully, my friend. And check I.D.s. (MPS)

9:55 pm @ Backspace
Quintessential Portland moment of the night #1: my friend Amy and I are saying our goodbyes as I get ready to head to the Star Theater. She says she's going to see Kelli Schaefer tomorrow. Jokingly, I point to Kelli's drummer, Jeremiah Hayden, standing nearby and say, "I think he would have something to say about that." Amy looks concerned and says, "Oh...what about Kelli Schaefer....?" Jeremiah grimaces, "Eh...she's alright." He turns to his left. "Amy, this is Kelli." (RH)

10 pm @ Star Theater
For some reason, I had in my head that the band playing before Thee Oh Sees was Portland's own Mean Jeans. But the kick drum most certainly says "Bare Wires" on it. Feel like texting everyone I talked to and apologizing. No time. The band is off and running, and I need to dance. (RH)

10:03 pm @ Mississippi Studios
Fernando's bassist is Sagat from Street Fighter. And he's sporting the same shirt he won the bowling league in. Better still, his guitar strap is diamond-studded. I can't keep my eyes off of it. (MS)

10:06 pm @ Star Theater
Beach balls? Seriously? Who brings those to a show outside of the doofs who pay $85 to see Jimmy Buffett? Granted, it was fun to turn around and see someone get hit square on the top of the head with one, but still... (RH)

10:14 pm @ Mississippi Studios
There's a woman in a scarf Flamenco dancing to Fernando. Yes, the band is singing in Spanish, I suppose that's the only motive. But it's still a clear case of folk-rock. I envy her until she shouts "Play another one, Caleb." She's got her bands mixed up. (MS)

10:18 pm @ Roseland
Macklemore made his own jacket on the trip down. He models it, and pours seltzer on the crowd. It's about now that I start being genuinely impressed by how overwhelming this audience connection is. Everybody sings along to the Killers—not because they're impressed that he's surely the first rapper to sample the Killers, but because they already adore him and the Killers, in no particular order. This is a moment. Last year's Girl Talk show felt a little like hyped bullshit. This feels like love. "Stay true, Portland," Mack says, and so many little white babies are getting made tonight. (AM)

10:19 pm @ Hawthorne Theater
Nice to see that the bouncers have given up on the idea of frisking me for a third time. My date and I don't seem to pose much of a threat. (NC)

10:20 pm @ Roseland
I got felt up walking through a metal detector. (NV)

10:21 @ Hawthorne Theater
A Storm of Light has covered all of the bases: a beardy guy, a bald guy, a guy with a hat, and blonde and brunette gals on either side of the stage. No coiffure turf violations in this band. (NC)

10:25 pm @ Roseland
Macklemore, evangelizing for a Shabazz Palaces set that has not gone as well as potentially imagined, says they share "the same Northwest blood." I'd say this gets the biggest cheer of the night, but it's hard to distinguish at this point. Seducing a room that does not need seducing, he says that he's been a Trail Blazers fan since the Sonics left Seattle, and that he went to high school with Brandon Roy. (AM)

10:25 pm @ Backspace
P.S. I Love You has a crummy name. After 10 minutes of their set I would have renamed them something like P.S. I'm Upset With You, which seemed to fit better. But I like what the two guys have going here. One guitar, one drummer, pretty high energy, kinda loud. Pink shirt on lead singer Paul Saulnier. Solid. Vocally, Saulnier needs to work on developing his sound. It was trying to be two different things at once, and sometimes it just came off as confused. I wasn't sure what kind of band I was listening to—hardcore, dance, pop, rock? Maybe that's the point, but a little fine tuning wouldn't hurt. (MAS)

10:25 pm @ Roseland
Macklemore: "Seattle and Portland are like brother and sister."
Axe-sprayed bro beside me: "Fuck Seattle!"
Good, I'm glad we're all friends here. (NV) 

10:28 @ Roseland
Macklemore sure grabs his groin a lot. Casey Jarman tells me it's a "hip-hop convention." Someone on the Twits tells me that's called "palming." Either way, it's gross. The cynic in me wants to hate this whole concert, but I can't. These kids are having the time of their fucking lives. I wish there were bands and artists around when I was a teenager I had felt so passionately about. And Macklemore is good. And he has the whole crowd chanting that they won't do drugs. I know it's incredibly un-cool of me to say this, but I think that's a great thing. The world doesn't need another musician glorifying drug addiction. (RB)

10:29 pm @ Roseland

10:30 pm @ Roseland Theater
The buzz continues to grow for Willamette Week's cover boy as Macklemore, who sold out Key Arena last weekend as part of Bumbershoot, begins to rock his set in front of this over-hyped crowd of scantily clad youngsters. I remember seeing him only a year or so ago—far from the sold-out, floor-shaking dance party going on tonight. Ryan Lewis pumps the crowd up, the cowboy boot-clad trumpet player kills his solos and Mack, in between his soul-bearing verses, shows his million-dollar smile—a great formula for success. I'm not sure Mack will make it big nationally, but if it happens, it'll happen in the next year or so. Seattle hip-hop, in general, is making a big stand this summer. The blogs are starting to catch on, which, nowadays, usually leads to success. (RJ)

10:42 pm @ Roseland
I feel like I'm at an Atmosphere show but no one's trying to be someone else. There's definitely the same amount of suburban white kids, though. (NV)

10:47 pm @ Roseland
Macklemore's got a speech before starting "Wings," the first song I heard from the artist and the closest match to Eminem's "Toy Soldiers" I've ever heard, too. He's talking about how great Nike is, how this is the birthplace and all that, but he's wearing bright red Vans. (NV)

10:58 pm @ Hawthorne Theater
The Pig Destroyer pit has overtaken the entire all ages section. I would totally join in if I didn't have a smart phone in my front pocket. Oh, and if this particular pit was not the domain of self-loathing jocks who never figured out how to throw or kick balls. (CS)

11:00 pm @ Wonder Ballroom
Upon leaving MSTRKRFT show:
Me: I feel like I just left another planet.
Friend: I feel like I just left a sweaty bro's ballsack. (AA)

11:01 pm @ Mississippi Studios
Dan Mangan is telling us that Canadians take robots very seriously. And I'm pretty sure he's being serious. He goes on to sing about it, bringing the crowd with him on a joyous sing-along that has people swaying their drinks back and forth like drunken beer hall patrons. (MS)

11:05 pm @ Hawthorne Theater
Disappointed. Pig Destroyer is not living up to the hype. The new drummer is great, and the singer is ok. Guitarist and sampler dudes look like they put on weight after moving out of their frat house. Bummer. (NC)

11:10 pm @ SE 3rd & Oak
I just walked past a glowing neon green crate being dragged by a pull cart. On the block, two girls grinding. Out of the block, Old Dirty Bastard bumping. Around the block, a nomadic crowd forms. This is the MFNW stage no one told you about. (NV)

11:12 pm @ Branx
Two cops pulled over with their lights on for an illegally parked car with its lights on. They're in the middle of the smokers' arena and Branx patrons trying to get their fix aren't happy. "How many cops does it take to write a ticket?" someone taunts in between puffs. (NV)

11:15 pm @ Crystal Ballroom
I'm watching Blitzen Trapper, more out of obligation than anything. I've never seen them before, which other Portlanders find ridiculous. So I'm watching now, and I really have nothing to say about them. I'm not sure if that's more of a comment about myself or the band. (MPS)

11:15 pm @ Branx
Just in time for the fabulous Mr. Green. He's wearing what I would've chosen as a five year old girl playing dress up with my mom's clothes. Hair pick, satin green shawl, and plenty of sparkly blue makeup. I would've chosen an over-sized pair of heels, but by the way he's moving, I can confidently say he opted out. (NV)

11:17 pm @ Star Theater
How do you get that perfect note of feedback during your live set? Follow John Dwyer's advice and hold the guitar up in the air with your teeth which leaves your hands free to fiddle with the knobs on your amplifier. (RH)

11:19 pm @ Mississippi Studios
Obsessed with his independence, Mangan mentions how great it is to have complete control over his one-man band. He touts the ability to slow things down or speed them up, on a whim. And then he starts doing that with his banter, extending words here and rifling through them there. It's just making me tired. (MS)

11:21 pm @ Hawthorne Theater
When a line of kids decide to all stage dive in succession, the last one (a fatty) trips and falls face first onto the stage. This is the best part of the show since A Storm of Light's actually very epic last song. (NC)

11:22 pm @ Star Theater
Sorry to call you out, buddy, but...it is adorable to see Jared Mees when he's stumblingly drunk. (RH)

11:23 pm @ Dante's
Kenny Fresh is rocking out to The Stepkids. I knew I made the right choice. (AI)

11:30 pm @ Backspace
The Thermals killed it. Straight up. This show embodied everything I love about rock music: sweaty, packed out club, hot frontman (Hutch Harris), sexy girl bassist, crowd surfing drummer, low-fi, punk sound, super high energy. The electrifying chemistry going on between the aforementioned beautiful people, frontman and bassist, was impossible to ignore; just plain sexual all around and super fun to watch. If you're getting Portlanders to do something other than just stand and watch, then you're doing a lot of things right. (MAS)

11:32 pm @ Star Theater
Quintessential Portland moment of the night #2: The mosh pit for Thee Oh Sees looks joyous and sweaty. People are actually crowd surfing with huge grins on their faces. But one gent, looking so sweet and determined, takes the time to hold up a sparkly sandal that someone lost high in the air to try to find its owner. He looks crestfallen when no one claims it. (RH)

11:39 pm @ Dante's
Okay, The Stepkids are everything I love about the last 50 years of music. (AI)

11:45 pm @ Crystal Ballroom
Good thing this Blitzen Trapper concert is only a head-nodding affair. If it was a more of a dancing thing, I'm pretty sure the audience would drown in its own sweat. The Crystal's open-window solution to hot weather has never really worked out. Tonight, the air is so thick with humidity that you could eat it with a spoon. Still, Eric Menteer's twangy guitar riffs sound kind of perfect right now. And, Eric Earley's honey pot of a voice sounds like it was made for summer nights like these. One cool thing about the whole open-window deal is that all of Burnside is filled with the echos of Blitzen right now.

Also: Ish from Shabazz Palaces is here! He's probably wondering why this system doesn't sound like shit. (RJ)

11:45 pm @ An industrial Southeast street corner
OK, I'm starting to hit a wall. I'm reclining in my car seat, trying to rest a bit before catching Glass Candy at Branx. I'm going to force myself through this, because it's MFNW. Can't stop, won't stop. (MPS)

WWeek 2015