Port O’Brien isn’t for everyone. I’ve come to understand that as I’ve talked to others and read blogs that don’t quite understand the band’s appeal. POB’s sound struck me right away when I discovered their debut album, The Wind and The Swell, and they won me over on their sophomore release, All We Could Do Was Sing.
If you’re on the fence, I’d suggest seeing them in person. Port O’Brien has the ability to make the crowd feel like part of the band and it’s not just because they invite people up on stage to bang on pots and pans for their “hit” song “I Woke Up Today.” They are about the most genuine, hard-working musicians you’ll meet.
I had the chance to chat with Van just before his set and it went something like this:
Me: Hey Van! Good to see you. Where’s Cambria (banjo, vocals)?
Van: She’s sick and couldn’t make it.
Me: Where’s Zeb (lead guitarist)?
Van: He’s in the bathroom puking his guts out right now.
Me: Sooooo…
Van: Yeah, so I don’t really know who is going on stage in three minutes.
A minute later Zeb emerged, pale and sweaty. Van gave him a huge hug, said “I love you,” and they walked up on stage. I bought Zeb a bottle of water, but I don’t think he took one sip. He just started hopping around stage like a madman with his guitar. You can also see Rooftop Song and I Woke Up Today on our YouTube Channel.
I passed by a few nice cover tunes while driving on the internet super highway, along with news that Bon Iver is releasing a new EP called Blood Bank and Phosphorescent a Willie Nelson tribute album (click “via” links for more details).
Deer Tick also recorded a favorite Paul Simon tune and it’s nice to hear him accompanied by a piano. “Something In The Way” is a natural song choice for Van of Port O’brien’s voice.
The best part of doing these year end lists is rediscovering every album we loved in 2008. While we chose Blitzen Trapper as the best album of the year, it may as well be a three-way tie. How do you choose between Blitzen Trapper, Fleet Foxes and The Black Keys?
Hopefully y’all liked our choices. I’m always interested in hearing about what we overlooked. So, what were your favorite albums of the year that we missed?
The cover art is made of wood and that’s what the album gives me. I don’t have enough good things to say. It’s my favorite album of 2008 and “Black River Killer” is my favorite song right now.
After Magic Potion, how do the Akron boys take it to the next level? They let Danger Mouse take over production and add in more instruments like banjos and flutes. The results are wondrous.
Video: The Black Keys – I Got Mine (Live on Letterman)
As stunning a debut as you’ll see in years. Woody saw them at SXSW and said “I thought angels were singing to me.” I called him a pussy at the time, but he’s right. So angelic. To say I am looking forward to their 2nd release is as big of an understatement.
Video: Fleet Foxes – Tiger Mountain Peasant Song (Live In London)
4. Dr. Dog – Fate
Jeff Tweedy loves Dr. Dog and so do we. Production is getting tighter and the songs are taking on bigger, often biblical themes. See them live to really appreciate the band.
Justin Townes Earle is what country music needs right now. If you’ve had enough of the mainstream pop garbage, listen to the music as Hank, Townes, Kris, Willie, Waylon and Johnny intended it to be heard. Justin has a voice and bravado that’s a throwback to country music’s legends.
Video: Justin Townes Earle – Lone Pine Hill (Live)
6. Drive-By Truckers – Brighter Than Creations Dark
DBT’s first album without Isbell and, although I miss him dearly, Hood and Cooley show that the show will certainly go on. It’s 19 tracks deep and “Ghost To Most,” “Two Daughters and a Beautiful Wife,” and “Daddy Needs a Drink” have all become favorites. I’m also craving more Shonna Tucker after hearing “I’m Sorry Huston.”
In our review, I compared these guys to the scene in Young Guns when the gang visits the spirit world. Calexico are true musicians that explore new sounds and bend genres. This album comes with some spicy, southwestern flavor.
Do I even need to write anything about My Morning Jacket? This would have been higher on the list, but there are one or two tracks on Evil Urges that I can’t even listen to – “Highly Suspicious” is one of them. I still respect the constant experimentation and will remain a captive listener with each release.
9. Port O’Brien – All We Could Do Was Sing (our review)
Lead singer-songwriter Van Pierszalowski is an Alaska fisherman (think Deadliest Catch) and All I Could Do Was Sing always feels inspired by a bit of cabin fever with soft, sweet, finger-picked tunes like “Fisherman’s Son” offset by extended jams and heavy guitar riffs on “Pigeonhold” and “The Rooftop Song.” Damn good people too.
I’m not sure what the rebel side of heaven looks like, but I hope when I’m bellied up to the bar at The Big Guy in the Sky’s Bar and Lounge, that Langhorne strolls up in his fedora so I can buy him cocktail.
Port O’Brien is the hardest working band in America. It seems like every day they release a new video or cover song, all while touring relentlessly, playing festivals, and chatting it up with bloggers.
They just released a new video for “Stuck On A Boat” that I once described like this:
Van’s soft vocals ease into the tune, accompanied by an electric guitar as he sings of the isolation he feels on the ocean, kept away from the woman he loves. The sound grows bigger and stronger with the lines “My feet weren’t made for the sea/ They were made for running free/Don’t make much sense to me/ To be stuck on a boat at sea.” Stringed arrangements and a building power in his vocals evoke a growing desperation, teetering on madness.
As many of you know, I headed out to The Treasure Island Music Festival on Sunday afternoon with my trusty point and shoot camera in my holster. As you also may know, my pictures are always horrendous but I like to share them anyway.
Port O’Brien and Dr. Dog tied for my favorite performance of the day. Van Pierszalowski played with his usual intensity and while most people talk Port O’Brien’s anthem, “I Woke Up Today,” I found a new favorite. “The Rooftop Song” may be a song that you overlook on their album, but seeing them perform it live is quite an experience.
This is Tokyo Police Club.
This was my first time seeing The Morning Benders and I was really impressed. They played a tight set that included a new track that I can’t recall the name of. I think Chris Chu and the gang will continue to put out great pop music.
It’s hard to take a worse picture than this, until you see my picture of Dr. Dog. That one is really shitty. I now know what Woody was slurring to me at South By Southwest when he said “the Fleet Foxes sound like angels singing.” Their vocals are stunning.
Okkervil River took the stage and had some technical difficulties starting off. Will Sheff got a little testy and asked for “a real guitar chord” and took a cheap shot at the festival. A few of the people around me that weren’t familiar with Okkervil River were real turned off. Seemed out of character for Sheff, but my man crush remains in tact. There’s a lesson to learn from this, however. If you are a band playing at a festival, don’t assume that everyone in the crowd is there to see you. It’s your opportunity to win new fans, so smile and don’t take yourself too seriously.
Yeah, see what I mean? Those shadow puppets are really Dr. Dog, playing at sunset. You can see San Francisco in the background across the bay and this band was the perfect choice to close the day and start the night. “The Ark” was a crowd favorite.
I don’t know what the hell this is, but it walked by me twice and really freaked me out. It’s mouth is right at wang level, so it made every guy around a wee bit nervous.
I had to leave after Dr. Dog’s set, so I missed The Kills and The Raconteurs, but I walked away from the festival one happy camper. Other than a great lineup, here are five more reasons why you shouldn’t miss this festival next year…
Before boarding the shuttles from San Francisco to Treasure Island, some hippie chicks were selling pot brownies like it was a lemonade stand. I did not partake, but I’m pretty sure San Francisco is one of the only cities that has no issues with this.
No beer lines. Do I need to continue with the list?
No bathroom lines. The human to port-o-potty ratio was 5 to 1. I was expecting to use Drinking Buddy’s “Peeing at a Rock Show” handbook, volume 1 and volume 2, but it was unnecessary.
Super comfy shuttles. It was expecting school buses, but they put us up in tour buses.
The setting is about as good as it gets, isolated on a small island across the bay from San Francisco.
Last week I found myself alone in Boston eating clam chowder. I took the T from downtown out to a cool neighborhood off the Central Square stop in Cambridge. Grabbed dinner at The Green Street Grill, which has the best drink menu I’ve ever seen, and swallowed down a couple non-adventurous Smuttynose beers. I was just killing some time before heading to the legendary Middle East to catch Port O’Brien.
Port O’Brien’s MySpace page said the show was going to start at 8pm. I arrived at the Middle East at 6.30pm, thinking I’d have a few more cold ones before show time. I sat down, ordered a PBR and waved down Van Pierszalowski, lead singer of Port O’Brien. He joined me at the bar and said “Whoa, you’re here early.” He then explained that showtime was at 10:30pm. For those of you not strong in mathematics, that’s four long hours from the time my belly first touched the bar. I suddenly felt like Zane Lamprey, except without producers paying my bar tab.
Luckily time flew by, thanks to the cast of characters surrounding me. I made friends with the Middle East staff and local Cambridge artists (planning trivia night for those not entering the show), Scary Jerry and his fishing hat (and his nonsensical stories about Manhattan College hoops), Ole Louisiana (just in town to collect better unemployment benefits than his home state offers), and of course, Van from Port O’Brien.
Van and I talked at length about the band’s East Coast tour and the toll the rising gas prices are taking on the band as they lug their gear across state lines, performing to smallish crowds. I don’t have anything against the headliner of the tour, Bodies of Water, but they are not the type of band that draws sellout crowds in every venue, even though they are east coast natives. They also aren’t the perfect fit for Port O’Brien’s sound. A perfect night would have been Port O’Brien plus The Felice Brothers…
Anyway, the tour might not be creating a windfall for the band, but it hasn’t had an impact on their spirit. They took the stage and tore through a tight set that included most of All We Could Do Was Sing. The many PBR’s make the mind a little hazy, but I do remember being blown away by lead guitarist, Zebedee (Zeb) Zaitz. In addition to having an incredible name, he adds great intensity to the band. And then there’s Cambria and Van, the most interesting couple in indie music. Van always gives it his all in every performance and Cambria brings a quiet elegance to the stage with her banjo.
The highlight of the night was watching people in the crowd join the band on stage with pots, pans, and tribal chants for “I Woke Up Today.” An amazing night of music for me. I even dragged Ole Louisiana, a die hard country music and Kenny Chesney fan, into the show with me. He had trouble understanding the words, but fell in love with the band. He begged me to email him some POB tracks, but I lost his email address immediately. Here are some mp3’s for you, Ole Louisiana. You’re my boy, Blue. You’re my boy.
