It was a taste of home Thursday night at the Paradise in Boston. And a preview, of sorts, of things to come.
I’ve been missing home, Portland, Oregon, for a while—which is to say, ever since I arrived in Boston. After nearly three years and several endless winters spent in Boston, the urge to return to the Pacific Northwest has never been stronger. Thursday night’s show with Blitzen Trapper and Alela Diane, both of whom currently reside in the Rose City, gave me just enough Portland flavor to tide me over until I return home this summer.
The Paradise was surprisingly full when Alela Diane took the stage. Apparently, though, word of Diane’s lovely West Coast folk music had not spread to Boston, as midway through her third song, an audience member shouted out, “What’s your name?” The murmur of agreement that rippled through the crowd indicated that others were thinking the same thing. Musically, Diane and company (including her father on guitar and mandolin) did not stray far from the laid-back, gentle sound of her recordings. Most of her selections were faithfully reproduced from her latest release, the lovely To Be Still, with Diane’s delicate melodies floating above a gentle backdrop of strings and mellow percussion. It was soothing and quite enjoyable; it was hard to resist a subtle sway, even weighed down by cameras, in my case.
After the requisite Live Nation safety announcements, and an impressively short equipment setup and check, the Portland sextet Blitzen Trapper ambled onto the stage. They wasted no time, kicking off with a flurry of tunes from their latest release Furr. Indeed, their set was Furr-heavy, and it wasn’t until late in the evening that they treated the audience to several of the more memorable songs from Wild Mountain Nation. During the title track, “Wild Mountain Nation,” a pair of girls waved Oregon license plates in the air, prompting drummer Brian Koch to run to the front of the stage with camera phone in hand to capture the moment. This was followed by scattered shouts from the crowd of Portland-area neighborhoods (in which they presumably resided in the past). I had no idea that many fellow Portlanders live in Boston.
Where live–Alela Diane was faithful to her recorded sound, live–Blitzen Trapper was quite liberal with theirs. Despite their Dead influences, they didn’t devolve into any outright jams, but they experimented with tempos ("Black River Killer") and displayed some nice transitions ("Country Caravan” into “Lady On The Water"). In a surprising move, lead vocalist Eric Earley performed several solo pieces, including a fantastic cover of Reverend Gary Davis’ “Cocaine Blues,” and was accompanied by only Marty Marquis and Brian Koch for another. But the entire band was on stage as they finished their set with some Wild Mountain favorites, and wished the enthusiastic crowd a good night.
I was riding high on Portland spirit as I left the Paradise—not only from the show I had just witnessed, but also knowing that I would see these two fine bands again at this year’s Pickathon festival (see last year’s coverage). Now that’s something to look forward to!
SETLIST
Fire + Fast Bullets
Saturday Nite
God + Suicide
Stolen Shoes + a Rifle
Sleepy Time in the Western World
Murder Babe
Black River Killer
Canyon’s Edge
Summer Twin
Furr
Country Rain
Cocaine Blues (Reverend Gary Davis Cover)
Not Your Lover
Country Caravan -> Lady On The Water
Suite
Wild Mountain Nation
Devil’s A-Go-Go
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Do some purchasin’, y’all!
Blitzen Trapper: Furr | Wild Mountain Nation
Alela Diane: To Be Still | The Pirate’s Gospel
DOWNLOAD: Blitzen Trapper - Black River Killer (MP3) or Follow us for more Blitzen Trapper MP3s (Twitter)
Two songs go in, one comes out. Pick a side.
Also, I have yet to pay this venue a visit, is it good spot? good people, good vibe, good atmosphere?
... man, i hope i win some tickets…
by Jaz Bonnin-Aldatz on Thu May 17, 2012 at 12.27 am from the entry: It's all good, see Fishbone for free at Fête
Looking forward to the show. Would love to win some tix for my pals.
by MC Breath on Wed May 16, 2012 at 07.40 pm from the entry: It's all good, see Fishbone for free at Fête
I’m dying to see him no better place than FETE!!
by Telly on Tue May 15, 2012 at 02.57 pm from the entry: we'll see you (and Talib Kweli) at Fête!
Sound does matter. Viva Le Fete!
by Auquanetta on Tue May 15, 2012 at 01.13 pm from the entry: we'll see you (and Talib Kweli) at Fête!
YES! i MUST go to this show! i was just strollin down the street the other day and saw the poster! SO stoked they’ll be in town.
by Jaz on Mon May 14, 2012 at 05.30 pm from the entry: It's all good, see Fishbone for free at Fête
Fete Forever!!
by Tabitha on Mon May 14, 2012 at 05.08 pm from the entry: we'll see you (and Talib Kweli) at Fête!
Congratulations and thank you to Fete for bringing talent to Providence! We needed this venue and vibe. Bless.
oh and I’d love to win tickets; its my boyfriends bday:D
by Ellen on Mon May 14, 2012 at 07.23 am from the entry: we'll see you (and Talib Kweli) at Fête!
Aren’t they a sextet? Saw the show the night before and was blown away how good they were.
You’re right Kyle - definitely a sextet. I’ve made the change to the review. I don’t know how that one made it through the cracks!
They put on a great show - hopefully I’ll catch them at SXSW as well as Pickathon.