Oregon Music News

Shoeshine Blue

It’s a gray day at noon to kick off the second day of PDX Pop Now! with the harmony-heavy, acoustic folk of Shoeshine Blue on the inside stage before just a handful of early risers… early for the young crowd that is, as a few older couples (and kids as well) populated the slowly growing mix.

Sad violin strings were bowed and plucked as the male and female of vocals Michael Apinyakul and Ezza Rose glided together but never rose high enough to soar.  Without drums, the deepest sound on stage was the gently thumbed upright bass as Shoeshine Blue calmly soothed the audience inside the low light of Rotture.

At times the country-choral harmonies bared the songwriter’s soul telling stories of heartbreak and loss with vocals reminiscent of a smoothed out Dylan adding touches of Tweedy and the accompaniment of a wispy female vox beside.  The sleepy elegance made you want to crawl back into bed or lie in the grass to watch the sky change colors on a warm summer’s night.

At 12:40pm, again came the contrasts.  The ferocious, female three-piece Tiny Knives were utterly unpolished.

“You guys got outta bed for this shit?” taunted the lead singer.  “I’m so proud of you, I barely made it.”

Then Tiny Knives jolted into a rage of violent noise and bad-tempered growls that jostled your system destroying everything serene that the delicate Shoeshine Blue had worked so carefully to establish.

This is not your normal concert lineup: abrasive follows charming.

The three punky girls blasted out a barrage of basement noise with fierce intensity and screeching lyrics.  A few up front flailed limbs akin to air drumming as Tiny Knives encourage the crowd to howl life wolves while burning harsh licks on one-and-a-half-minute songs of corrosive explosion.  But damn, there was some energy filling the room.

Quickly losing the energy created by Tiny Knives, Soup Purse was one man on stage making rough noise with a load electronic equipment. Lacking what could actually be called songs, Todd Dickerson triggered hectic, submerged beats, looped fragments of vocals, twisted rows of knobs, and belched feedback–all for the sake of “improvised music,” as Dickerson called it himself.

Possessed screams, the grind of metal on metal, like a semi-screeching to a halt, and hypnotic thuds generated what some may call an aural experience… but with ear-splitting feedback and growls, Soup Purse literally lacked rhyme or reason.  Failing to generate an atmosphere around his caustic clamor, his noisy environment was just a self-indulgent, disjointed auditory purée.

Often times at a show you are treated to two, three or even four bands that are alike in genre, yet have major differences in tone, composure and overall style. This is to be expected because it equates to a great show. After all, we come to see the music we like.

Friday night at the Doug Fir was no exception, as Shoeshine Blue opened up for The Devil Makes Three (DM3) frontman Pete Bernhard. Right off the bat you could tell that Shoeshine Blue was one of the most fitting band names here in the region, as they brought a particular blend of gospel-folk-blues-rock that had you pining for the loafer days when all shoes were shiny and you could polish them to a sheen that would either conduct solar electricity or function as a very capable mirror.

The swath of Mississippi Delta blues permeating the music is no mistake, as lead-singer and frontman Michael Apinyakul is a transplant from Missouri, bringing with him the ruddy blues that flourished in his home region. Since landing here in Portland, Apinyakul has slowly gathered the pieces of Shoeshine Blues around him. Originally a solo, lo-fi, basement recording project, the group has grown to include drums, back-up guitar, an upright bass, and two full, angelic voices that add a gospel undertone to Apinyakul’s raspy, M. Ward meets Bob Dylan vocals.

The result of this slow congregation is something mellow yet entrancing, as one could almost see their toes dragging against the current of the massive river that lends its name to the music, songbirds singing in the distance and the heat of a midsummer’s day crushing any notions of work or toil in the coming hours. It was a perfect example of just another band that crosses the boundaries of genre and space, and returns to something tangibly recognizable only as an afterthought.

Funny, that reminds me of someone…

Right. The headliner.

While Shoeshine Blue relied on a large band to create their sound, the same could not be said for Bernhard’s solo project. It seems that, at least for his live shows, Bernhard loves the three-piece band. Complete with a bassist/back-up vocalist and a very capable drummer, this trio put out more sound than one would think possible (if they hadn’t seen a DM3 show before). This preference for the three-piece could be because it works so well for his sound–that mixed genre jambalaya composed of elements of country, folk, bluegrass, roots-rock, rockabilly, indie and true-blood Americana. If you add some meat to it… you got a nice stew going.

Compared to his recent solo album, Straight Line, which featured a full band and some accompanying artists, the stripped down nature of the material exposed Bernhard as the country music lyricist and rockabilly picker that he really is. The material was mostly off Straight Line, and comprised a deep, introspective look hemmed with a old-time twang, a country stomp and the roots-rock sensibilities that permeate all of the music he writes.

And the end-product?

“Some of ‘em are a little bit country and some of ‘em rock’n’roll.”

This observation was spot on. From the hoppy, dance-floor friendly tracks “Satisfied” and “Mr. Mudd and Mr. Gold,” to the country witticisms present in the rolling tunes “Orphan” and “Mint Condiion,” Bernhard was able to consistently spin through genres and styles without ever straying far from his down-home-rock roots. And to telling effect, as the dance-floor was littered with do-se-do-ing couples, wildly flailing solo artists, and the occasional, albeit brief, appearance of a line dance.

You could instantly tell that Bernhard enjoys what he does as his stage presence was one of calm relaxation and air of cordiality that was positively infectious. This type of repose is one of the most indicative elements of a talented performer, and Bernhard is no exception. With a jovial banter and a couple of wide grins, he spun through an efficient night with style and country grace, leaving the crowd bubbling contentedly.

If you missed the show, don’t kick yourself. Bernhard will be returning as the frontman for the group that has brought him fame, The Devil Makes Three, March 27 at the Wonder Ballroom.