Oregon Music News

Photo Credit: Dan Hodge

As bands grow and become widely known, it is often the case that they become more mainstream–meaning they adapt their music to become softer and include pop influences. For some bands, this may mean a rapid decline in the quality and content of music being written and performed. This form of irony–making music more mainstream in order to attract more listeners, yet in the process making worse music and losing fans–is a known conundrum in the music business. Without naming any names, it remains true that we all know of bands like this.

Fortunately, however, some bands are able to pull off this adaptation without tarnishing their sound or the elements of what has thus far produced good music. As everyone who went to Mississippi Studios last Friday already knows, Backyard Tire Fire is one of these bands.

With the recent release of their fifth album, Good To Be, Backyard Tire Fire has established themselves as a true workingman’s band. The core of this group, composed of lead singer/guitarist Ed Anderson, bassist Matt Anderson, drummer Tim Kramp, bring an upbeat, glass half-full approach to life and their tunes that is easy to apply to one’s own life. Produced by Los Lobos multi-instrumentalist Steve Berlin, who has taken a personal interest in the band, Good To Be represents their most complete and well-rounded album to date.

Photo Credit: Dan Videtich

Over their eight-year career, Backyard Tire Fire has developed a heartland indie-rock sound fused with southern, Tom Petty-esque lyrics and the distinct presence of pop and a bit of country. Impressively, their style has remained unique, toeing the line between traditional Americana and distinctly original. The first song played, “Road Song #39” off Good To Be, was especially indicative of this.  Pure grit and rock’n’roll, the song featured lyrics reminiscent of ZZ Top and a straightforward homage to the rock giants that came before.

As they say:

“There’s a smell that I know / It’s sweaty and it’s smoky and it’s ripe and it’s rock and roll.”

From the pop soaked, heel-lifters “Ready or Not” and “Learning to Swim” to the rock-tinged rollicks “Piss and Moan” and the title track “Good to Be,” the band showed a stylistic flexibility and invigorating stage presence that is hard to top. The core trio were joined by Scott Tipping, who has added shredding solos and inspired fretwork since joining the band in 2008, and Steve Berlin on baritone sax. At one point, the pair went off soloing in rounds, each one topping the other in an ecclesiastic spiral of rock greatness that showed off the harder yet blues-ier sound that this group creates on stage.

Photo Credit: Dan Videtich

The headliners were not alone in rocking the house. Local band Sarah Gwen was up first bringing a brand of country-rock that the doorman aptly titled “dirty and sad.” Although the lead guitarist was apparently dying of swine flu, prompting many to hide in the recesses of the balcony, this four-piece band put on an inspired performance. Lead singer/guitarist Sarah Gwen Peters was particularly impressive as she sang with a hearty dose of country soul, almost growling at times as if something primal was tearing its way out through her voice.

Second in line was Kelly Blair Bauman, another Portland denizen. Although they were missing their keyboard player and drummer, this indie-Americana band put on a solid acoustic set. The three-piece, composed of a lead guitar, rhythm guitar/lead singer, and a background vocalist providing angelic harmonies, Kelly Blair Bauman ripped through a quick set of West Coast twang and folk-rock. The lack of the full group apparently disconcerted Bauman, as he repeatedly asserted that they weren’t playing “up to snuff,” but this was not noticeable in the music. A relaxed, laid-back and approachable persona in his own right, Bauman represents the Portland music culture at its finest and will no doubt continue to create his own bevy of followers.

While you’ll have to wait a bit to catch Sarah Gwen next, on April 2nd at Laurelthirst Public House, you can catch Kelly Blair Bauman with the full band on March 24th at A Roadside Attraction.