-Day One-
Photo’s and Commentary by Erik.
Portland, for the most part, is by no means a boring city if you have an open mind for entertainment. Tons of bands live here and there is some sort of show happening on any given night. Granted, never did I imagine that this past Monday would turn out how it did. By luck and friends and swift text messaging, I got to meet Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore and see him play in a house show with around no more than 40 other people in attendance. There was talk in the blogs and on the street about some Nike-sponsored Girl Talk and Thurston Moore show at a secret location, happening sometime this week. (It was actually a post from Sasha here on FuckBadMusic that first tipped me off.) So when my friend told me about this thing happening Monday night, I immediately figured they were talking about the secret show. Thinking it was invite only, and not being invited, I didn’t really care to attempt it. “No. It’s a house show,” she said. I called the taxi.
It’s hard to call a set of rowdy, electric, squealing, damaged guitar noise “intimate” under most circumstances. That word seems to be more reserved for softer sounds. Stuff that you “pay attention to” note for note. Moore’s set, despite being built with heavy distorted bricks of cathartic guitar wanking, was made wholly musical and engaging by his excellence in free improvisation. The setup, for what I could see and hear, was simply Thurston’s guitar and a distorted Fender amp. Although it was a set of simple guitar noise, the strangest and most memorable moments came from Moore’s command of distorted feedback. For instance, halfway through the set, Moore took a sudden break from thrashing to let a particular feedback whine resonate by itself. Then feedback note shifted up, and diminished in volume. Then again; a yet higher and quieter feedback, let live long enough to set up some tension before he was again backing into the crowd, stomping around with his guitar in the air. It was musical moments like these, in a crowded living room with a guitar legend wailing noise, which lent the night the most surprising intimacy.
-Day Two-
Photo’s and Commentary by Me, David Blake
(Please forgive the mixed drink all over the lens during Girl Talk)
Thurston Moore took the stage at the Wonder Ballroom with a charisma that only a rock & Roll veteran could achieve. Tonight he was with a 4 piece band consisting of Steve Shelley on drums, and others from his hometown. A mostly 21 and over crowd provided a calm atmosphere for his mostly Trees Over the Academy set.
At one point during the show he joked about taking his shirt off, to which he recieved many howls and encouragements. His response was retrospective, “I never really did that no shirt thing on stage”. Maybe a lapse in speech, as i’m sure he has many stages to take in the future, but it kind of put the whole crowd, and his solo career into perspective for me. Mostly people were here to see Sonic Youth, which really must be something he faces often. Regardless people were enjoying themselves, and he played a tight set that served as a reminder of just how excellent his 2007 solo album is.
Unfortunately people in the crowd grew a little restless when he divulged into noisier territory; but with the accessibility and up tempo nature of what was to follow, it was understandable.
Greg ‘Girl Talk’ Gillis took the stage in traditional fashion, hyping up the crowd with a lone Clipse sample and then walking off stage to change. It’s hard to discredit his enthusiasm for the party he so seamlessly creates each time he takes the stage. On the one hand he is extremely experimental with his sampling, often reaching the cusp of utter chaos before bringing everything back to something totally familiar like ‘Since You Been Gone’. On the other, his stage antics and curious costume often bring his persona into question. But the 40 some people who rushed the stage, as well as the couple hundred still on the floor, didn’t seem to mind.
There was really two sides to the Girl Talk show Tuesday night. On the one hand you had a million people dripping in (fruition) sweat at the awesomeness of such a big party. The other side, however, came after the show, when there was literally a line to get a chance to speak with Gregg. Luckily I had spoken to him before the show, and secured my spot at the end of the line for an extra special chat with him backstage.
More Photo’s of you dancing after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted By David Hutchinson
