Any day you get to end with a 300-year old double bass playing jazz interpretations and new work called “Cat Piano” dovetailed with Shelley Short’s amazingly delicate and friendly voice is a good day indeed. Celebrating the release of Short’s A Cave, A Canoo with a tight-knit crowd of friends and musicians, the Golden Bears kicked off the night.
The Golden Bears have gotten great press in the past, and it is clearly well deserved. The story goes: their record was made while Julianna was pregnant, and once their daughter showed up it was only the record that would calm the baby. It calmed the rest of us too, opening up to a soft night where the simple ruled.
Glen Moore is a staple in the Portland jazz scene, along with his gigantic bass that has outlived ten or more human generations. It was really more of a duo; the bass and Glen taking turns of being in charge of the music. Alternating between bowing and plucking the bass, the sounds that came out of that instrument were surreal, rich and wonderful in a way you don’t often get to hear.
The openers were the perfect primers for Shelley Short. She took the rich bass (Glen guested on a few songs), the girl/boy vocals, and a truly Nortwest sense of love and whimsy to the stage. Dressed in a clean, simple black dress and tan Victorian-ish shoe boots, Shelley was clearly presenting exactly who she is in real life. With no need for showy lights or visuals, and no impromtu solos, Shelley and Alexis Gideon (providing electric guitar, vocals and assorted sounds) proved that songwriters and songsingers are alive and well.
While Holocene might not have been the warmest venue for such an evening, the sound was great and the crowd clearly appreciative of a venue supporting local music. Next time though, I’m bringing some blankets and pajamas—it would be a high honor to drift into sleep to Shelley’s music.
DOWNLOAD: Shelley Short - Swimming (MP3) or Follow us for more Shelley Short MP3s (Twitter)
Ugh. Paste’s profile of Free Energy made me kind of hate them. So does your review. It’s this unctuous defense of good-time rock-and-roll ("we’re just here to party, and we’re awesome!") that seems more self-serving than fun-loving.
by beth on Wed Mar 17, 2010 at 09.41 pm from the entry: Foreign Born + Free Energy - The Knitting Factory (Brooklyn, NY; Mar. 12, 2010)
that inescapable feeling you are referring to, is that like when you hear something and you could have sworn you heard it before because of the nostalgic catchy quality? or is is like when you’ve heard a band exactly like said band?
great post by the way!
by paul on Wed Mar 17, 2010 at 03.15 pm from the entry: The Novel Ideas - "The Sky Is A Field" - Borrow It
Whoa! I had no idea she was enegaged. You would never know with the way she behaves! Wow!
by art on Wed Mar 17, 2010 at 09.48 am from the entry: Nikki Darlin and John McCauley: 1+1=1
This comment stream is so meta. Great review Kelly.
by chris on Tue Mar 16, 2010 at 07.50 pm from the entry: Flying Lotus - "Cosmogramma" - Buy It
no prob. The whole album is excellent, combining some of the harder sonics of Los Angeles with the meat of his debut and obviously difficult to summarize in only 50 words… 
I’d say it’s on par with the debut, but better than Los Angeles.
by kelly on Tue Mar 16, 2010 at 06.23 pm from the entry: Flying Lotus - "Cosmogramma" - Buy It
By the way, I really liked the mp3 posted. Thanks.
by Joshua H on Tue Mar 16, 2010 at 06.17 pm from the entry: Flying Lotus - "Cosmogramma" - Buy It
WHO WROTE THIS...PUKE ! “WHO WROTE THIS...PUKE ! “Picture yourself coasting your bike past space funk palm trees, homeless harpists, vintage video arcades, electronic drum circles, and 60s psychedelic singers who’re waiting for the bus. Cosmogramma is kinda like that if someone suddenly tripped you just as you’re starting to enjoy the ride. But in a good way.””
by Joshua H on Tue Mar 16, 2010 at 06.17 pm from the entry: Flying Lotus - "Cosmogramma" - Buy It
