When The Missionary Position got on stage on Thursday night at the Ash Street Saloon, I was sure I’d made a mistake, misread the lineup and mixed up the main act with the opener.
Luckily, that’s just how good this band is.
The Missionary Position makes a blues-y, brooding and sex-crazed brand of rock that is infused with gutsy and gritty guitar riffs alongside a smooth saxophone, rhythmic synth lines, and dominant drum work. Frontman Jeff Angell, formerly of Post Stardom Depression, reminds us all just how frontmen are supposed to be. For the entire set he was either wailing on the guitar or kicking over the mike, demonstrating a bad-boy swagger highly reminiscent of Robert Plant in his early days.
Playing songs off their debut release, 
Diamonds In a Dead Sky, The Missionary Position demonstrated how to play a seedy, soulful type of rock that focuses on life’s simpler pleasures: casual sex, meaningless relationships, and turning up the volume. From the grunge-riddled lament “Here Comes the Machine” to the remorseful ballad “All My Mistakes,” Angell and this talented four-piece spanned the spectrum of filthy rock and made it into something darkly beautiful.
Like they say in “Why Me? Why Now?”: “I’d like to change, but I don’t know how.”
This is a good thing.
After a quick break, Ape Machine came on. While it is tempting to say that the polished, finely honed work of The Missionary Position stole the show, this was simply not true. These two bands just have completely different styles. Whereas The Missionary Position played a very structured, composed set, Ape Machine brought a jazz-blues orientation to their music, clearly feeling it out as they went along and feeding off each other’s energy.
The first two songs were disjointed and out of rhythm, but once they did get going, it was like watching a forest grow on super-fast-forward. The sound was so natural and organic that you were immediately aware of being present for the assemblage of something animalistic, yet highly evolved. Maybe that’s the definition of rock ‘n’ roll itself, or maybe a band of rock apes has to teach us how we’ve evolved using one of the more primitive senses.
Ape Machine moved through its set 
with a casual ease, swinging between different songs and jams flawlessly and with little pause or interruption. Playing material off their debut album, This House Has Been Condemned, Ape Machine did not seem like the new, rising band that it is. On tracks like “All Times” and “Monte Malady” (also released as promo tracks), they demonstrated a cohesion that brought the ecclesiastic guitars, pounding bass, thunderous drumming, and soaring vocals into one unified front that nearly blew out the windows of the Ash Street Saloon.
While the set ended unceremoniously, it nonetheless left the crowd in an uproarious mood evidenced by the supremely drunk tottering outside and those left on the dance floor–still busting a move to the music long gone, this crowd was given one of the first tastes of two new bands that are ready to make some noise. Whether you are looking for dark, sexy and mysterious, or wild, barbarous and raucously raging, keep an eye out for these two bands. You will be hearing a lot more from them.
The Bright Midnight started everything off with a grunge-y, power-pop sound and an energetic presence that created a solid tone for the evening. The Portland-based rock-pop fusion band is playing again at the Ash St. Saloon on March 23.
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That was the most well written review I have read of a Portland based writer in YEARS. Cheers to you my friend for capturing the bands essence and transferring it into print quite so majestically.