After seeing Megafaun play an amazing and surprisingly experimental set at the Galaxy Barn on Friday, it was anyone’s guess what they’d be pulling out for their performance on Saturday at the Woods stage. What we got was different, more traditional but no less wonderful and personable than before.
The group started their set off with a track off their new EP Heretofore called “Volunteers.” With this song, the band set the mood for their performance. Despite the huge crowd of onlookers, the show felt intimate and warm under the shade of the trees as sunlight streaked through the branches. “Volunteers” is a twangy number that’s heavy on the banjo and vocal harmonies. The band seemed to decide midway through playing that the stage was too small to contain their energy and ventured out into the middle of the crowd to play and sing with an enthralled audience. At some points, their show had a church-like feel, with the whole crowd singing along as the band walked between hay bail “pews.”
At the end of their second song, Megafaun broke from their instruments, going for only vocals with the audience. Between songs, the band chatted with the crowd, making jokes port-o-potties and talking about how pleased they were to be playing Pickathon. They also managed to seamlessly transition from talking and playing into each song, with some getting a reworking here and there. In the intro to one song, the band started with an ominously dark and ambient instrumental part that broke into the light tittering of banjos and soft vocals of “Kaufman’s Ballad,” off Gather, Form & Fly. In stark contrast to its dark beginnings, this song came out as positively angelic, flooding the crowd with a rich, deep musicality.
Balancing their sweet voices and delicate playing, Megafaun is still a band that isn’t afraid to throw some yelling in with their music, giving them an edge and a fresh energy to their performance. The band broke for a moment to do what they called “interactive tuning,” where they played while tuning their instruments and creating something akin to the free-form jazz version of folk. This ruckus of sound smoothly transitioned into their next song “The Process,” which packed a punch in its lyrics and artfully arranged instrumentals.
It becomes evident when you’re watching Megafaun that this is a band that loves to perform. They have a comfortable air to them, interacting with audience beautifully and showing a kind of raw honesty that makes everyone in the room (or woodsy clearing in this case) feel like they’re hanging out with a group of friends. “I feel like this is the kind of environment we can keep trying new things in,” said one band member shortly before the band headed out form the stage and into the audience yet again to play amongst the people.
Playing off stage again, the group managed to drum up a few more sing alongs, including one to “Ain’t No More Cane,” a traditional prison song that got a lot of endearingly off key notes from the audience and a pretty decent harmonica solo from some random guy in the audience. The band finished out the song to a standing ovation and cheers from the crowd.
Megafaun ended out their set with an encore performance of “The Fade,” a song that seemed to be a fitting close to their performance and beautiful finish to their already splendid set, finishing on a quiet, delicate note. A far departure from the psychedelic experience they brought playing in the barn, Megafaun proved with this set that they’re not only talented, but also versatile.
It would be easier to describe Fruit Bats as a rock band than a folk band, but there are some very distinct elements of folk in their vocals and guitar in particular that made them an easy fit at Pickathon this year. Playing the Mountain View stage on Saturday, the band had no trouble filling the large outdoor area with a sound that was booth fun and carefree.
Their music on the whole has a nice loose, breezy feeling to it, a tone that was set when they opened with the delicate guitar strumming of “Primitive Man.” Their music is fairly reminiscent of Blitzen Trapper, who headlined Pickathon last year, in its vocals and instrumental construction, with an added lightness that gives the listener an overwhelming feeling of calm content.
This is a fun band. They have a lively stage presence and an engaging style. The downside to their carefree vibes though is that after a while, their music begins to blend together a little bit. It never stops being a pleasant listening experience, but it does stop standing out as much and it’s easy to get distracted from their performance. In addition, the band looked a little tired out midway through their set, though they never lost the feeling that they have a lot of soul behind them. In the end though, the band redeemed themselves slightly with some very rocking instrumental arrangements, a quality that jarred the audience back to reality and out of an overly contented haze. Their show was an overall nice experience, but one that might not necessarily be worth it to go out of your way to see.
If you live in Portland, there’s no way you haven’t heard of Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside. After being named “Best New Band of 2010” by Willamette Week and putting out a solid EP, Not An Animal, the band has gotten a lot of local attention from both fans and the press. Originally hailing from Asheville, Norch Carolina, Sallie Ford is the fire and soul of the four-piece group. With a backing band good enough to match her stellar vocal talents, Ford was set to croon her way into the hearts of her Pickathon crowds.
Playing at the Galaxy Barn on Saturday morning, the band was met with a spattering of people for their first few songs, with the crowd gradually filling the room as their set progressed. “We’re not very prepared today you guys,” said a blurry eyed Ford at the beginning of their show, before launching into what would prove to be an amazing show of musicianship.
Their instrumentals are simple, but pleasant and provide a wonderful canvas for the colorful palate of Ford’s voice. Hearing her sing is enough to give even the hardest of listener chills. The whole package has a very vintage, doo-wop soul feel to it. The crowd in their barn was completely and riveted to the stage, watching Ford as she slouched and sang her way through songs.
Four of five songs in, the set turned sultry as Ford sang into some very solid basslines and strummed away. Her vocals got low and she stamped her feet, making her look a bit like a little girl throwing a very lovely tantrum. At the end of one song, her guitarist reiterated the fact that band was still a little sleepy. “This is like the blurry-eyed-need-more-coffee set,” he joked. The funny thing was that the band sounded amazing, right on their game and full of energy and feeling. If they need coffee, they sure could have fooled us.
At the heart of it all, their music is sweet and incredibly heartfelt. With influences ranging from blues to old jazz to straight up soul, Ford mixed it all together with her own brand of sass, throwing in a slight warble and wail to her singing. The woman herself cuts a striking figure with vintage cateye glasses and light brown curls falling delicately around a kind face.
Her music is smart and funny too. On “Write Me A Letter,” she managed to reference both ee cummings and Joni Mitchell, hitting some deliciously delicate high notes with her soaring voice while she was at it. One unexpected treat Ford threw to the audience was a stellar cover of Tom Waits’ “God’s Away On Business.” The original song was sweetened up with Fords vocals and her band mates wonderful arrangements. It still had an edge of Waits to it, but with a special spin that made it special and new.
Portland should feel very lucky to have received this musically inclined lady from North Carolina. Ford and her band are taking old sounds, dusting them off and making them into something gorgeous and all their own. If you ever get the chance to see this band play, drop everything you’re doing and take it because they are a treat not to be missed.
Richmond Fontaine is a band that has certainly paid their dues in the Pacific Northwest music scene. They’ve built a solid following in their 16-year career and have managed to put out some solid albums. Unfortunately, their set at the Mounatin View stage during Pickathon was less than stellar.
The bands overall sound keeps with their 90s root grunge roots, but with a little more country rock to it. Maybe Will Vlautin was having an off day, because his vocals felt coarse and strained as he sang to a full, but un-energized crowd. This was one of the few times during the festival you could see a large amount of people quietly in front of the main stage, not because they were enraptured with the music, but because it’s just not the kind of stuff you can really rock out to or, for that matte, feel a whole lot about.
It wasn’t that their set was bad, because it wasn’t. The problem was that it wasn’t good either. It just wasn’t much of anything and neither is their music. There’s something too safe and formulaic about it, as if there’s no feeling behind it. All of the songs manage to run together into a blob of country-twinged rock that is a little less than appealing and more yawn inducing than toe tapping.
If this was a band with incredible stage presence, amazing harmonies or thought provoking lyrics, they might have been able to save themselves. From their show at Pickathon however, it’s clear that their music has run its course and that it might be time for Richmond Fontaine to hang up their guitars and exit the stage gracefully.
DOWNLOAD: Megafaun - Volunteers (MP3) or Follow us for more Megafaun MP3s (Twitter)
Two songs go in, one comes out. Pick a side.
thanks so much nadine! probably the best compliment a photog can get!
and thanks for reminding me to embed the video in the post too!
by Steve Benoit on Sun May 20, 2012 at 09.33 am from the entry: Father John Misty + Har Mar Superstar - Brighton Music Hall (Boston, MA; May 16, 2012)
I can’t get over how these photos captured my up close memory of the night.
by nadine on Sat May 19, 2012 at 11.08 pm from the entry: Father John Misty + Har Mar Superstar - Brighton Music Hall (Boston, MA; May 16, 2012)
Or should it be whoever? F my grammar.
by nadine on Sat May 19, 2012 at 10.30 pm from the entry: Father John Misty + Har Mar Superstar - Brighton Music Hall (Boston, MA; May 16, 2012)
Whomever took these photos certainly captured the night!
by nadine on Sat May 19, 2012 at 10.26 pm from the entry: Father John Misty + Har Mar Superstar - Brighton Music Hall (Boston, MA; May 16, 2012)
“Mindkilla” is awesome. I’ve got this music video last week and really impressed through watching every performance particularly “Glass Jar”. Thanks dude. :)
dance contest
by Mark Waugh on Thu May 17, 2012 at 05.54 am from the entry: Gang Gang Dance's Illuminating "Mindkilla"
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
