All three lead singers last Saturday at Mississippi Studios had one defining commonality: They all had an undeniable presence about them onstage.
Dustin Hamman of Run On Sentence, Scott Garred of Super XX Man, and John Vechiarelli draw in the audience in their own ways: Hamman with his dynamic, energetic voice, Garred with his offbeat sound, and Vechiarelli with his quiet, acoustic melodies.
That they all reside in Portland made Saturday even more warm and captivating.
Hamman sounds even better live than in his recordings. His voice is drenched in old-time Folk, and his energetic, fast-paced explosions add an element of punk to his music.
But make no mistake: Hamman’s influences lie firmly in the 1900s–an ode to ragtime, Jazz and Blues. On Saturday, Run On Sentence played crowd favorites “Stonewall” and “November Nights” with a proper nine-piece band, including two trumpet players, a stand-in viola, drums, xylophone, guitar, and double bass.
On “November Nights,” Hamman’s voice was isolated with drums and xylophone in the background. Hamman has the ability to blow through songs surrounded by a variety of instruments, but whenever his voice is isolated he has star power. His vocals immediately gripped the audience.
“Stonewall” started off slow, with Jazz and Blues beats, and proceeded to desperado trumpets, stopping for a second then exploding into a fast-paced roller coaster. The audience that packed the club on Saturday helped bring the song to a dramatic close, singing, “Ahahahaha ahahahaha, ahaha, ol’ Stonewall, Don’t you come around no mooorrre!”
Hamman’s music (with a band including up to twelve musicians) is exciting, well-crafted, and embeds itself into the listener’s memory. It is music that may last a long time. Some of Run On Sentence’s songs on their latest album, Oh When the Wind Comes Down, have the ability of roaring and cutting through any crowded venue. By the time Run On Sentence took the stage, Mississippi Studios was packed, and with live performances like Saturday’s, word should spread pretty quickly about this band.
A stripped down version of Super XX Man was led by Garred with Kelly Dachtler and Bob Ham backed up on guitar and drums respectively. Garred’s wife Michelle (accordion) and singer Ali Wesley didn’t make the trip, which was a little disappointing given they add an extra something to the band, but Garred still put on a fine show.
Super XX Man plays simple music, and it works. Garred’s vocals are sparse and his lyrics have power when sung. A poppy acoustic sound, accompanied by Garred’s stage presence, made the show a delight on Saturday. Garred had an awkward feel about him onstage, jerking back and forth, paralleling his lyrics. From “Medication” (“I’ve taken too many medications, I don’t know”) to touching on loneliness and finding a home, Garred’s music is about those times when things just aren’t right. But it’s also about breaking free from those times, something the crowd was clearly able to do. The trio played “There’ll be Diamonds,” the title track of their latest album, as well as numerous tunes taken from fifteen years of recording.
Opener John Vecchiarelli, who has been performing since the early 1990s, was a fitting start to the night. Vecchiarelli, who is sometimes compared to Elliott Smith, played quiet acoustic tunes from his two solo albums as well as some new tracks.
Accompanied by double bass, floating trumpet, marimba drums, and viola at times, Vecchiarelli played a quiet set, a feeling returned by a hushed audience. He played new tracks “Well Read” and “Stars Not Satellites” at the beginning and ending of his set, putting his whole self into his music. Despite all these years, he doesn’t intend on fading away. A well-respected local musician, Vecchiarelli will be remembered in Portland long after he lays down his guitar.
Run On Sentence is currently working on a new album but needs help to get it done. Donations are being accepted on the band’s MySpace page. Directions are under the “Sounds Like” section. Needless to say, it would be wise to donate. Depending on when the band receives enough money, the new album is expected to be released sometime this year.
Headliner Run On Sentence is fronted by Dustin Hamman and includes a rotating cast of up to 12 musicians. A combination of folk, jazz, ragtime, swing, and blues, the band is an ode to the music of the early 1900s.
“The Afterlife Part I,” Hamman’s most accomplished piece from his latest album Oh When the Wind Comes Down, defines Run On Sentence’s music. The folk piece starts out slow and sullen and culminates into an extravaganza of guitar, trumpets, double bass, and drums. The song resembles a careful collaboration of instruments comparable to Loch Lomond, which makes sense because members of Loch Lomond have performed with Run On Sentence before along with locals Vecchiarelli, Nick Jaina, Heroes and Villains, and Shoeshine Blue.
The ragtime-influenced “Carrie Part II” and the swing-y, jazzy, bluesy “Stonewall” are other examples of the band’s range and are recipes for a good ol’ time on the dance floor. But beyond the music, Hamman has some great lyrics. In “The Afterlife Part I,” Hamman soulfully sings, “Nothing you can do about the past / It’s a bullshit place on a roadless map / And there’s no point in hanging around the rest stop for directions.”
On “Stonewall”: “Outside it’s getting colder, but the neighborhood is giving you the cold shoulder… Ol’ Stonewall, don’t you come around no more.”
Super XX Man (pronounced Super Double X Man), a folk-based pop band celebrating its 15th year this fall, screams of longevity. Recently transforming into a quintet, Scott Garred heads the band along with his wife Michelle (accordion), singer Ali Wesley, Kelly Dachtler, and drummer Bob Ham. Although the band’s sound is clearly experienced (12 volumes of music and counting), Garred never allows it to expand beyond a homegrown sound. It’s the kind of music that you might use to calm yourself when you are going mad from being locked inside too long. The lyrics touch upon loneliness and helplessness, and the music is generally down tempo. But as painfully relatable as Garred’s music is, it’s also the type of music that can lift you from madness. Sparse, melodic acoustic guitar, accompanied by Garred’s and Wesley’s harmonic vocals and background accordion make the music so beautiful and pleasing to the ears that you sometimes forget its dark undertones. And as dark as some of the lyrics can be, they are also about finding your way and hopeful moments that can spring people from this gloom.
“Big Balloon,” backed by brush drums and pretty female bah bah bah bahs, is a beautiful piece: “I am new here and I feel so very old, everybody knows, everybody knows, everybody knows / And then someone tells me I might rise above / To a land I have seldom spoken of… And then I stroll down the corridor and into my room / I put on my sweat suit and climb a big balloon.”
Perhaps Garred’s sound is so close to home because he actually started it as a solo home recording project in 1995 in Pullman, WA, with just a guitar, ukulele, keyboard, and four-track recorder. His latest album, There’ll Be Diamonds, may be his most personal work to date, reflecting on his time as a music therapist for psychiatric patients at Oregon State Hospital.
John Vecchiarelli, the opener, is no newbie to the music scene himself. Playing since the early 1990s, Vecchiarelli has established himself as a respected musician, producing two critically acclaimed solo albums and has also been compared to Elliott Smith. His second album, Songs From Whoville, was recorded at Jackpot Studios with renowned engineer Larry Crane (Elliott Smith, Quasi, Sleater-Kinney, The Decemberists) in 2004. Perhaps the most intriguing thing about Vecchiarelli is that he wins the audience’s attention by playing quietly and singing his lyrics softly. It takes a presence to play still, melodic music and not be drowned out in crowded music venues. Vecchiarelli has also been a sought after stand-in performer throughout his career and has been known to play drums for Run On Sentence.
Brought to you by KZME, doors open at 8 PM with the show at 9. Tickets $8, 21+
Mississippi Studios celebrated their first birthday with a grand Swellebration–a night that saw eleven Oregon bands take the stage performing 20 to 30 minute sets ranging from acoustic folk to indie rock to a rowdy diva set from Tahoe Jackson.
Inside Mississippi Studios
The bands started playing at 8 PM and North Portland patrons were hungry for the music with a one-in, one-out policy already in place before 9 PM and a line queuing south down Mississippi Ave. The night began with subdued singer-songwriter offerings from Run On Sentence, Sean Flinn & The Royal We, Holcombe Waller, Adam Shearer (Weinland), Justin Power, and Laura Gibson while slowly building into something more potent and rockier.
Here’s a rundown of the second half of the evening (read about the first half here) starting with Matt Sheehy & The Menders who began his set looping his vocals and letting his drummer slug the digital drum pads, adding a pleasant, inorganic flavor to his otherwise straightforward sound. Sheehy shone through his opener but fell back upon his genuine but formulaic acoustic roots with his backing band that included Sean Flinn and Andy Parker. He announced that he’s recording a new album, and to close his set, his last tune dawdled quietly competing with the din of chatter.
Eugene and Portland-based Yeltsin finally brought some rocking instrumentalism to the Studios with their grinding indie rhythms as drummer Jivan Valpey’s rolling storm rumbled on, sparking every time you thought it might stop. Happy to be in Portland supporting the release of their new record Rhinestone Glow, bassist Dana Axon beamed a giddy, head bobbing smile as guitarist/singer Jake Pavlak ripped through derivative electric riffs that kept the songs lively. Steady and sunny pop, the band slowed it down with the surf-inspired “I’m Afraid I’ve Lost My Way In This World” (below) off their new album and fuzzed up some guitars with hints of distortion and echoes before heading back to the bar.
Tahoe Jackson may have been the oldest performer to grace Mississippi Studios’ stage on Saturday night but her funky moves and exuberant soul disclosed little about her age as she got down with the audience coaxing her sax and trombone players to follow suit. Bluesy soul from her boys on brass and a funky electric organ matched her range from gruff, grumbling lows to bleating, passionate highs.
Asking, “Are you ready to get the fuck down?” Tahoe shed her specs (they “got too steamy”), flipped the bird, and heedlessly threw her powerful voice to the rafters and directly into the audience’s ears, jiving and strutting amongst the dancing mass. “I wanna be part of the audience,” she announced while belting out in her canary blouse, “Keep that shit funky / Shake what your momma gave ya.” Making it over halfway to the bar before heading back to the stage, she exclaimed to Mississippi Studios, “I’m as good as you are!”
Dirty Mittens eased into their spot with front woman Chelsea Morrisey moaning in her nymph-like warble but she quickly refashioned the band around her into a frolicking indie-pop machine bursting with sax energy and keys that would make a preschooler dimple. Charming and coy but definitely the chief, she led her boys and their arsenal of instruments: unbuttoned bass lines, animated bongos, machine claps, and weary piano notes.
Chelsea could not hit the same pitches that her predecessor Tahoe Jackson did, but she did hit everything with passion, her voice ranging from placid peeps to the cusp of beautifully harsh. Dirty Mittens wowed first time listeners and indulged friends by defining or redefining poppy, indie rock… whatever that means, but it’s meant to be complimentary.
Closers Sallie Ford & the Sound Outside rounded out the swelling night of music with Sallie returning to the stage to show off her Carolina vox and two-step, big beat, blues bop with her men backing. Hearing her voice, you’d feel as though you were transported to a 50’s lounge and this was Etta James not a skinny white girl. But alas, Sallie Ford has that classic sound that’s immediately enjoyable and catchy. Infused with jazz and rockabilly, Sallie’s piddling but charming banter contrasted her hypnotizing, soulful singing.
It was a feat to see eleven amazing bands in one place–a crowed but jovial venue. But with so many acts, the sets were so short that many groups just built up steam to be cast off after their 20 minutes and four or five songs. Regardless, it was a great night for Oregonians and our music. Kudos to the heart and soul of Mississippi Studios and thanks for a nice night, Jim and Alicia.
A Portland staple in recording since 2003, Mississippi Studios on N. Mississippi Ave. knew that as their following grew, the space would need to as well. Renovating and reopening the doors last year also reintroduced their presence to both the music community as well as the rest of Portland.
Unbelievably, a full year has gone by, and as owners Alicia Rose and Jim Brunberg calculated, Mississippi Studios has been packed with over 1,000 shows in those 365 days.
The Swellebration, as the swell celebration was aptly named, gave their thousands of fans (or just the few hundred that could cram inside) a chance to enjoy a free evening filled with eleven different amazing artists that love Mississippi Studios as much as Rose and Brunberg do.
The doors opened at 7 PM and the diehards were there waiting patiently for the opening acts to begin. As they waited, birthday cake was cut and passed around the room. It’s a good thing they didn’t wait until more people arrived–the cake was gone within minutes, surprising the server: “I thought I’d get a bunch of polite no’s.’” But a celebration it was and there was no holding back.
The music began at 8 PM with Justin Power performing solo on guitar, banging his steel-toed boots on the floor in solid rhythm proving that for him, drums and bass are unnecessary. The din of chatter among the crowd quieted as he sang, listening to the captivating folk-style sound that followed in the footsteps of great one-man performers of the past.
Laura Gibson performed second to cheers and excited screams from the audience as she made her way to the stage. Before beginning her second song, she chuckled and apologized that the song, ”Nightwatch,” was a lullaby. Gibson also asked for the audience’s help with the song, providing some background vocals. “It’s really easy,” she said, instructing us. “Da. Da-da-da–da. Da-da-da–da. Da-da-da-duh.”
Nervous laughter was heard throughout the room as everyone worried a little that they wouldn’t be able to remember. But as soon as she gave the word, the room filled with the peaceful chants and the harmony was made much deeper by the collective group.
As she promised, the next songs had a quicker pace and more upbeat feeling, but all her songs showcased her beautifully distinct and peace-inducing voice, leaving everyone mesmerized even as she announced the next artist to perform: Adam Shearer from Weinland.
Shearer called into the crowd, urging any of his fellow Weinland band mates to feel free to join him on stage. When a drummer showed up ready to assist, Shearer mentioned laughing, “Well actually, you don’t know this one,” but insisted he stay. “Just follow along.” It had to have been a ploy, because there was no telling that they hadn’t played it together before.
Holcombe Waller performed songs on guitar, with friend Ben Landsverk accompanying him, from his new album-in-progress, The Winter Songs, due out in May 2010. Waller has completed 10 songs so far available for listening on his website with links to purchase upon completion, and the downloads will disappear as the release nears. On Saturday night, his clear, smooth voice fluctuated with precision, almost sing-speaking with such insightful lyrics–no description to do him justice, just listen.
Sean Flinn and the Royal We borrowed Sallie Ford for the evening who lent her powerful voice, perfectly accompanying Flinn’s. Flinn’s folk sound evoked a feeling of simpler times, his steady voice grounding the songs while the music invited the body to sway and the toes to tap.
Releasing their LP, Write Me a Novel, this summer, Flinn and the Royal We are already beginning to play songs in preparation. They also perform on Saturday, March 13th at The Woods.
Run On Sentence picked up the pace with sounds reminiscent of being on the bayou on a hot summer night. Singer-songwriter Dustin Hamman put so much into his whiskey tumblin’, grumblin’ songs that it came as a surprise when his speaking voice sounded so calm and sensible. With a rotating cast of 13 musicians often joining Hamman to form Run On Sentence, Saturday night saw a stand-up bass, glockenspiel, and lonely horns alongside Hamman’s steady acoustic strums. But the heart of the band remained centered around the spiritual singer who, at times, is the only member of the group.
The Swellebration was swell indeed–so popular and beloved that many late-coming fans were left waiting in the cold. But they waited eagerly, all for the love of Mississippi Studios and the second half of the night.
Unorthodox, revolutionary, bizarre rock’n'roll has always been a part of life on Mississippi Ave. But until Jim Brunberg and Alicia Rose came along, North Portland’s indie rockers, folk strummers, roots whiskey guzzlers, electro-dance party-goers, and neo-bohemian, post-vaudvillian eccentrics didn’t have a proper home in the neighborhood–a suitable space for the cornucopia of talent that graces our city.
Alicia Rose
The guitarist, songwriter, record producer, entrepeneur Brunberg had an idea to create such a home, and he enlisted the talent booker, photographer, accordion-extraordinare Rose. And on Saturday evening, this home–to artists and concert-goers alike–turns one year old… with a celebration of course!
Actually, a Swellebration… as the line up swells with some of Portland’s and Oregon’s best indie, folky, rocky, soulful talent. “We wanted to thank PDX for supporting us and the local music scene through one hell of a recession year by offering a pileup of some of our favorite artists,” says Rose.
“We did the math and in this past year we were home to over 1,000 bands and performances over 365 days serving thousands of you the best local/national/international music, art and performance has to offer!”
Starting at 8 PM, the one-year-old renovated and reinvigorated Mississippi Studios hosts a full night of FREE anniversary entertainment on Saturday, March 6th featuring:
Amongst the bloated mass of Oregon talent, OMN grabbed some time with Yeltsin, Dirty Mittens, and Holcombe Waller before they have their cake, and eat it too, on Saturday night.
On the phone from Eugene, Yeltsin’s Jake Pavlak gave OMN a listen to “I’m Afraid I’ve Lost My Way In This World” from their new album, Rhinestone Glow, as well as a few words.
Who are you?
I’m Jake Pavlak and the band is Dana Axon and Jivan Valpey. And that’s it.
What instruments do you play?
We play guitar, bass and drums.
And what’s your sound?
It’s kinda indie rock, sorta poppy. Sometimes it’s a little loud, but you know, it’s not metal.
Where have you been?
We’ve almost been together for 7 years. We’ve put out an EP, two CDs and now we’re putting out our first record. And we’ve mainly just played in the Northwest–Seattle, Portland… Oregon, you know.
Where are you going?
We’re hoping to do some serious California shows. We’re trying to book a tour right now because we’ve never been down there. We have friends in San Francisco and LA. Basically we’re gonna try and book the tour around some pretty good shows in LA and flesh it out from there. We’ve also been trying to work on getting some better shows in Seattle and Portland.
How many dates do you think you’ll play?
Hopefully like six shows.
Have you ever played Mississippi Studios before?
We’ve never played there.
Are you excited to play Mississippi Studios?
Yeah, I’m excited to play there… it seems like a pretty sweet venue from what I’ve heard.
I take it you’ve never been to Mississippi Studios then.
No, that wouldn’t be a good thing to ask [laughs]. I shouldn’t come in there totally clueless about the place.
Okay, finish this sentence then: Mississippi Studios is…
Like a second home to me.
What can we expect from this Saturday’s gig?
We’re bringing the record to Portland for the first time, but there are a lot of bands on the bill so we’re just gonna try and put out heads down and play as many tunes as we can in the time that we have. You know, we kinda waste a lot of time in between songs [laughs] so we’re gonna try to avoid that and focus on just playing a solid set.
Anything else you’d like to add…
It’s kinda cool that we got to make a record because we’ve never made one before. We wound up recording with this friend of ours, Justin Higgins, and without his help, we wouldn’t have been able to do this at all. We wouldn’t have anything right now if it weren’t for him. Also we got some help from Jerry Garcia’s daughter, but if you put that in there then people are gonna think that we’re hippies. She’s not a hippie really at all. Her favorite band is the Wipers. [Laughs]
Next, the saccharine lead singer of Dirty Mittens, Chelsea Morrisey, briefly wove their story for OMN.
Who are you?
Dirty Mittens is Chelsea, Ben, Patrick, Noah, Reed, and David.
What’s your sound?
I once overheard someone say that we sound like “a cute pop band getting mauled by the soul train.” That sort of stuck with me.
Where have you been?
We started as a trio playing mostly house shows around three years ago. We met a bunch of talented people during that time; artists, musicians, performers, etc., and just started building our “family” from there. The vision has always been somewhat old school, that is, to do as much with live instrumentation as possible. People have come and gone, but over this last winter we really seemed to settle into something great.
Where are you going?
Actually, we are currently finishing up our debut record with Jim Brunberg who owns Mississippi Studios.
What does Mississippi Studios mean to you?
This is a pretty loaded question. If you had asked me this a year ago I would of said that Mississippi Studios is an amazing sounding venue that puts on great shows and really supports local bands. All of this remains true, but at the start of this last winter Jim and the MS family have been more than just a venue to us. When Jim stepped in and took our album recording under his wing we had a number of songs (we’d been sitting on for quite some time) but no money to record them. He has donated his VALUABLE time to us like an angel. I’m not sure if there is any other way I can put it.
What can we expect from this Saturday’s gig?
You can expect to see us in top form with high spirits.
Anything else you’d like to add…
You can get the full list of our upcoming shows on our MySpace page.
And finally…
Who are you?
Holcombe Waller.
What’s your sound? What instruments do you play?
I play folk music which incorporates a small classical ensemble and sometimes ecstatic percussion and drums. On Saturday, I’ll play solo with guitar, or maybe my friend Ben Landsverk will play with me.
Where have you been?
I’m from San Francisco and moved to Portland five years ago. I play mainly here, SF, New York, and LA a bit. I collaborate with dance (Joe Goode Performance Group and Zoe | Juniper) and create and tour interdisciplinary work that combines music, theater and film (PICA presented it last March). I love dolphins.
Where are you going?
I’m always working on new music and have a new album coming out this year. I’m still touring the aforementioned PICA-presented work (Into the Dark Unknown: The Hope Chest), going to Europe in May with it. I’m developing a new theatrical music performance that will heavily incorporate aspects of silent film. I’m also working with a team of developers and a business partner to create a new service that helps musicians release threads of music one song at a time–”The album is dead, now it’s a thread.” I am doing a lot of different things–my love of dolphins, therefore, comes in handy.
What does Mississippi Studios mean to you?
Mississippi Studios is simply the rad venue that my wonderful friends Alicia Rose and Jim Brunberg run–it means home-style, it means intimate-yet-expansive, it means Portland does it best when it does it itself.
What can we expect from this Saturday’s gig?
Mmmm… my parents are in town, maybe they’ll come!
Anything else you’d like to add…
I’m currently fan-funding my new album with an online campaign. Folks can pre-order the album and read more on my website–that’d be nice.
Super XX Man plays simple music, and it works. Garred’s vocals are sparse and his lyrics have power when sung. A poppy acoustic sound, accompanied by Garred’s stage presence, made the show a delight on Saturday. Garred had an awkward feel about him onstage, jerking back and forth, paralleling his lyrics. From “Medication” (“I’ve taken too many medications, I don’t know”) to touching on loneliness and finding a home, Garred’s music is about those times when things just aren’t right. But it’s also about breaking free from those times, something the crowd was clearly able to do. The trio played “There’ll be Diamonds,” the title track of their latest album, as well as numerous tunes taken from fifteen years of recording.
Super XX Man (pronounced Super Double X Man), a folk-based pop band celebrating its 15th year this fall, screams of longevity. Recently transforming into a quintet, Scott Garred heads the band along with his wife Michelle (accordion), singer Ali Wesley, Kelly Dachtler, and drummer Bob Ham. Although the band’s sound is clearly experienced (12 volumes of music and counting), Garred never allows it to expand beyond a homegrown sound. It’s the kind of music that you might use to calm yourself when you are going mad from being locked inside too long. The lyrics touch upon loneliness and helplessness, and the music is generally down tempo. But as painfully relatable as Garred’s music is, it’s also the type of music that can lift you from madness. Sparse, melodic acoustic guitar, accompanied by Garred’s and Wesley’s harmonic vocals and background accordion make the music so beautiful and pleasing to the ears that you sometimes forget its dark undertones. And as dark as some of the lyrics can be, they are also about finding your way and hopeful moments that can spring people from this gloom.
Tahoe Jackson
ura Gibson
Next, the saccharine lead singer of Dirty Mittens, Chelsea Morrisey, briefly wove their story for OMN.
And finally…
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