First, off why hasn't anyone claimed that as a band name yet? Maybe they have. I should do a check. Or maybe I should just swap GIFT with DEAD... and voila! New Band Name! I already have the eponymous song to go with the name. It's funny how I come around to figuring things out sometimes. Now I just need to find a band.
Anyway, that's not what I got on here to write about. I was just thinking about last night's show with Weinland, The Maldives, and OR, The Whale at the Doug Fir. So call this a review of sorts.
OR, The Whale, from San Francisco, stole the show, I thought. I wasn't sure what to expect in the live set after hearing the recordings. Sometimes, the vocal blend is a smooth for my taste, but they brought it up another notch with their live set. "Black Rabbit" was especially good. A couple of songs were a bit busy at times, but they had my attention for most of the set. And Alex, the lead singer is came out west from Ann Arbor. I've never heard of him until now, but I definitely can see it now (whatever it is).
The Maldives - I saw them at the Crystal and they were so excellent. However, I don't think this was their night. It's not that the Doug Fir stage isn't big enough to hold them all, but I'm not sure the room itself is big enough for their sound. Everything just seemed very concise and understated, and it felt like they were holding back most of the night. Without the room for the music and voices to stretch their proverbial legs, the lackluster lyrics just don't hold up well enough on their own. I appreciate what they do, and their simplistic approach to songwriting, but this is the kind of band that I think will well on giant arena stages, opening large clubs for the Drive-By Truckers. Knowing what they're capable of, I will certainly go see them again.
I sorry to say that I can't say the same for Weinland. I love "Breaks in the Sun." I was so happy to find something that I thought to be really good without the assistance of anyone else (except for emusic) and it was one of my faves of last year. Needless to say, I may have had unreasonably high expectations. The live show didn't really translate very well. They're into it, they have some presence on stage, but the vocals generally were too breathy for my tastes. Additionally, they just didn't seem to have the kind mental telepathy you need to have with a sound man. Okay, that might very well be the most absurd thing to ever come out of my mouth, but Mr. Sound Man didn't possess the magic to make them sound good. When dobros and acoustic guitars are semi-distorted - you just can't tell if that's the intention or not.
I hope that these remarks come across as constructive, and apologize for venting at anyone's expense. I really work hard to keep a general positive attitude about anything... and I really try not to surround myself with negative people... but I fear that this local music scene isn't what I'd hoped it to be. I have over 15 years of experience dedicated to sifting through music and keeping an open mind about it, through radio, booking, etc, and am very selective. Most of the bands that I see, that I like, are from out of town. My saving grace is Richmond Fontaine...but they're in Europe for another 6 weeks. It's not really my thing, but Michael Dean Damron... The man is so genuine, you just can't not like him. He has that rare gift of being able to entertain an audience, and hold their attention. Norfolk & Western... they're a long-time staple of this city, and they've yet to let me down. And I have Rollie. So I'm not going to give up. I'm going to keep searching for that slot where I feel most comfortable. I think that might be here:
http://deerlodgepdx.com/
How could it not be?
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