I really feel the need to write this entry not because the show was phenomenal (which it was), but more to spotlight The Woods, the new musical venue in Sellwood. It is, in a word, great. It used to be a funeral parlor for chrissakes! Imagine if the Fisher family decided to hold rock shows in their viewing room — THAT’S what the Woods is like. Unfortunately I didn’t think to take pictures of the place while I was there, but their website has some good pics, so check it out. And if you live in the area, go see a show there! Support that place, because it rocks.
It also couldn’t have had two more musically different bands. Horse Feathers is very quiet; Thao Nguyen, not so much.
Horse Feathers was first. Their lead singer, whose name I don’t know but he looks kind of like Ron Howard so let’s call him Ron, was so quiet at times he whispered. He plucked his guitar quietly too. In the Crystal Ballroom, that would’ve been murder (and my friend Paul said that there were many times at other shows when he couldn’t hear them). However, the acoustics in the Woods were PERFECT. The sound was mixed perfectly. No one was too loud or too quiet, and there was only one instance of feedback, probably due to the sound guy tinkering around[1. You’d be surprised how many feedback problems come from the sound guy trying to get it “just right.”]
Anyway, their songs were beautiful, their cellist is gorgeous and if she reads this, hi, you’re gorgeous, why were you hanging out with that weird hipster looking dude? I’m fun. I’m … tall. I can make you laugh. Etc etc. The guy in the glasses to the right in the picture can play the saw, which is awesome. Just really great stuff all around.
Next up was Thao Nguyen, a tiny timid girl who really knows how to get down. Again, their set sounded GREAT. I hadn’t really listened to Thao prior to this show; I’d heard a couple of songs, but didn’t get into them that much. Now I feel bad. After the first song she shyly asked us all to stand up (we had been sitting for Horse Feathers — not rudely, of course, but because it was mellower). After a couple of songs everyone was dancing as much as hipsters could dance[2. As in, they were moving their arms.].
They also had the wonderful Portland Cello Project play a couple of songs with them. I guess they’re all going on tour together, which is great. Oh! And I learned that Andrew Bird, who I saw on the bus a couple of days following his show at Edgefield, was in town recording tracks for Thao’s new album! Pretty awesome.
So that was that. I have some new t-shirts, and I have a new cool place to see music. Everything’s doing juuuuust fine.
