Portugal the Man Shouts out the Blazers, Satan After Surprise Grammy Win

The Grammys are bullshit.

This isn't news. It's something music fans internally knows, and yet we somehow let it upset us every year. Why anyone continues to take it more seriously than, say, the Kids Choice Awards is beyond me.

That said, our town is small enough that's it's still kinda cool when someone we know wins—especially when it's a relative surprise.

Last night, Portland-via-Alaska transplants Portugal the Man capped their miracle year by taking home a golden gramophone for their left-field smash "Feel It Still" in the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance category, beating out the likes of Imagine Dragons, the Chainsmokers and "Despacito"—making them the second Portlanders to beat out Justin Bieber on Grammy night.

Accepting the award onstage, bassist Zach Carothers seemed simultaneously shellshocked, nonplussed and maybe a little stoned. "We grew up in a small town in Alaska, this is crazy for us," Carothers said, "our heroes were dog-mushers." He then shouted out the indigenous people of his home state, bigged-up the Trail Blazers and concluded with a casual "Hail Satan." Singer John Gourley, meanwhile, stood in the back and mimed wiping his ass with the statuette.

We've been a bit critical of the band in the past, but maybe these guys truly are the heroes Portland needs.

Sadly, Portland got shut out in the other categories it was represented in. Pianist Randy Porter lost out to singer Cécile McLorin Salvant in the Best Jazz Vocal Album category, while ambient musician Steve Roach—whose nominated album, Spiral Revelation, was released by Portland-based Projekt Records—lost in the Best New Age Album category.