Concert Reviews »
Concert Review: Eleanor Friedberger
At a quarter past 10, before a thinly populated but receptive mid-winter Portland crowd, the Fiery Furnaces’ Eleanor Friedberger and her solo effort’s backing band (MGMT’s Matt Asti on bass, Ahmed Gallab on percussion
Read More »Concert Review: Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra
(Photo: (c) Pirlouiiiit – Concertandco.com) The experimental post-rock group known today as Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra was first named, in an age now long past – that is, 1999 – simply A
Read More »Concert Review: Cass McCombs/Gabriel Wallace/Frank Fairfield
(Photo: D’Aundra Wallace/The Spec) After “Love Thine Enemy,” the opening tune of Cass McCombs’ set at Chicago’s Lincoln Hall, the performer asked the sound technician, “Is there any way you could turn it all
Read More »Concert Review: Tortoise
As I walked out of the Empty Bottle the other night, I was faced with the conundrum of trying to describe the indescribable. This is not to say that post-rock band Tortoise’s set was
Read More »Concert Review: Vince Neil/Station/Whisky Preacher
The name Vince Neil should conjure up either the image of an ‘80s glam metal party boy or the modern adult who, between public turmoils, devotes time to charity. I had the chance to
Read More »Concert Review: Sharon Van Etten
Before having the privilege of hearing Sharon Van Etten perform her new album Tramp front to back at the Mercury Lounge on a frozen Manhattan evening, all I knew was that she’d put out
Read More »Concert Review: Papercuts
On a chilly December evening in Portland, Papercuts fits right in. The fog drifting in off the Willamette, casting its luminescence in clumps near each streetlight, and the heavy moist sheen accumulating around every
Read More »Concert Review: Over the Rhine/The Milk Carton Kids
With their Simon and Garfunkel-style harmonies and Chet Atkins-inspired guitar picking, Los Angeles-based folk duo The Milk Carton Kids proved the ideal opener for Over the Rhine. Kenneth Pattengale and Joey Ryan have both
Read More »Concert Review: Wilco/Nick Lowe
It’s appropriate that Wilco’s multi-concert residency in their hometown of Chicago was scheduled for December. The first of the band’s five sold-out shows felt like a huge holiday gift for their large fan base.
Read More »Concert Review: The Sea and Cake/Lia Ices
Switching between distorted synth chords and colorful piano tones, employing baroque pop flourishes as well as tastes of honky-tonk, Lia Ices’ set opening for the Sea and Cake played host to a variety of
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