Saturday arrived with the final full day of MusicfestNW across Portland. It also offered perhaps the best 1-2 Pioneer Square punch with the Antlers and Explosions in the Sky back-to-back. Check out our summary, HD videos and pics below.
(Photos & Videos by Matthew Brady)
Antlers
The Antler’s Burst Apart is one of 2011’s best records. And I’d yet to see the live rendition, so their performance at Pioneer Square topped my list of shows to see at Musicfest. The Brooklyn trio took the stage with a distinct East Coast vibe (trust me, it was apparent even in the hipsterhemia of Portland). The record translated marvelously live, with the trio demonstrating masterful restraint and precision during their show. Their ability to hold slow builds and stay focused before monumental drops was awe-inspiring. Peter Silberman’s vocals are insane, but falsetto holds such as the ending of “I Don’t Want Love” hauntingly reverberated throughout Pioneer Square. In comparison to many of the loud, rockin, noise-filled performances of Musicfest’s many band, the Antlers stood apart for their precision, patience and beautiful control. Check out my terribly focused vid below.
Explosions in the Sky
Explosions in the Sky have had one hell of a summer. Upon releasing their latest Lp Take Care, Take Care, Take Care, they’ve embarked on what will be a world tour and headlined some of the greatest festivals in America already (see: Capitol Hill Block Party). Which is just plain great news, because they deserve it. As one of the hardest working and flat out nicest bands around, EiTS really should be taking victory laps. If you don’t believe they’re gracious, just check out our interview with Mark Smith right here. Concerning their Musicfest performance, Antlers put on one of the greatest acts of the festival and was certainly a tough act to follow. To start, the band caught a hell of a lot of unfair flak concerning 9/11. And on the eve of the 10th anniversary, they simply dedicated their set to Love. Then they ripped through an absolutely beautiful set that ranged through their discography. Additionally, their already reputable energy was taken to the next level by an ever-exuberant new bass player. All in all, they gifted another set to remember.
Grails
Grails is another of those bands I had heard much about, but not actually heard. They’ve been ripping it in Portland for some time now, but somehow not received too much attention outside of PDX. Indicative of their situation, their past four albums have all consistently received near 8.0’s from Pitchfork, but the site hasn’t really vaulted them up. Anyhow, they took to Roseland Theater on Burnside on Saturday night. Moving past the “instrumental” label, they crafted a very honed-in, avant garde, free form, psychedelic symphony for concert goers. Give em a listen.
Helio Sequence
For some reason, my brain lumps Helio Sequence, Airborn Toxic Event, and Gaslight Anthem into some strange similar category. Not only is that completely irrelevant, it’s straight wrong. But it does give me the opportunity to tell you that I was extremely excited to correct myself and distinguish Helio Sequence from that category. The Portland duo pleased a totally packed Doug Fir on Satuday night with their brand of optimistic, floating, feel-good jams. Drummer Benjamin Weikel is absolutely insane on the kit, almost machine like, and it’s easy to see why Isaac Brock enlisted him to play for Modest Mouse in Jeremiah Green’s absence. Meanwhile, Brandon Summers crafts warm soundscapes to accompany the beats in a way that sounds like it shouldn’t fit, but works perfectly.