After an expectations-exceeding Thursday,  Friday arrived with equally awesome offerings and I was personally more prepared for the venue hopping and possible musical fatigue with so many incredible bands on deck. Friday also brought the beginning of MFNW’s Pioneer Square shows, smack dab in the beautiful area of downtown Portland. This series began with Iron & Wine playing beneath a near-full moon before the rest of PDX’s venues took over the fest’s hosting responsibilities.
(Photos & Videos by Matthew Brady) 

Iron & Wine

It would’ve been tough to create a more picturesque arrangement for Iron & Wine’s set a Pioneer Square on Friday. The stage sat adjacent to the old courthouse, the weather was unbelievably warm and clear (especially for Portland) and a rising moon sat overhead. Unfortunately, the musical set didn’t quite match up to the scene. That may be contrasting Sam Beam’s new direction against the younger, more aggressive bands at Musicfest. But as one concert-goer noted, “this sounds like the background music to a date with a 45-year old woman”. That’s not to rip on I&W though, as they delivered the music we knew they would.

Drew Grow and the Pastors’ Wives

I’ve been hearing great word about Drew Grow & the Pastors’ Wives for a couple of years now, but never actually seen them live. So I met their set at Backspace with great anticipation. The official Musicfest guide listed them as “Versatile Rock”, which proved decently accurate. The quartet ranged through a number of styles, including straight rock to cello accompanied folkier pieces. However, through and through, the band played emotionally packed and earnestly delivered song after song. Definitely worth checking out, though their key player may have earned the Most Awkward musician of the weekend.

The Globes

 I’ve been raving about Spokane, WA’s the Globes for some time now, including an inclusion on our Best Albums of 2k11.5. The quartet released their debut album Future Self this May, and I highly advise you to check that out. The Globes and their grunge-meets-Radiohead-technicality followed Drew Grow at Backspace, and a handful of fellow Spokanite friends and I were tickled to see them play. Singer Erik Walters noted they don’t get to play Portland often and were excited for the opportunity. Unfortunately, this was the most lackluster I have seen the Globes yet. Granted I’ve seen them quite a few times in the past few months, but it was a bummer they couldn’t deliver to Musicfest. To their credit, the next night in Seattle they were playing their 100th show of the year and have been on the road for 2 and a half months, so fatigue is certainly understandable. And they overcame a snare failure and still hit their technical, complex transitions. Check out the video for “Pigeon” below.

Blitzen Trapper

Portland’s own Blitzen Trapper just released their new LP American Goldwing and a co-headlining national tour with Dawes. So their late-night spot at Crystal Ballroom was no surprise.  Their set featured a good portion of Goldwing, which is a blend of good ole’ American heartland rock and classic rock elements. More of a testament to my own fatigue than their set, while Blitzen ripped it, their tunes didn’t seem to stand out from the rest of previous acts. That also speaks to the incredible line-up that Musicfest compiled this year.

The Horrors

The Horror’s delivered one of 2009’s best songs with “Sea Within a Sea”. They had been relatively quiet until the release of Skying this July plus touring for the album. They capped off Friday night’s affairs with a show at Dante’s on Burnside. To their credit, the venue was packed. Yet the show was less than flattering. It may have been the venue and sound system, but the sound was muddled and overcrowded. Where “Sea Within a Sea” showed how well the Horrors worked with minimalism and restraint, their newer material seemed cluttered. Their was simply too much noise that didn’t work well with itself. Additionally, while their undeniable Britishness can be charming, the songs felt like recycled versions of the Smiths and Joy Division.

Saturday, September 10