Port O’Brien

Woody and I are both huge fans of Discovery Channel’s Deadliest Catch and were extremely saddened by the news that Captain of the Cornelia Marie, Phil Harris, passed away at age 53. He leaves behind two sons. There was an obvious song choice to use as a tribute.

From his kids, Jake and Josh:

It is with great sadness that we say goodbye to our dad – Captain Phil Harris. Dad has always been a fighter and continued to be until the end. For us and the crew, he was someone who never backed down. We will remember and celebrate that strength. Thanks to everyone for their thoughts and prayers.

From Discovery Channel:

Discovery mourns the loss of dear friend and colleague Captain Phil Harris. He was more than someone on our television screen. Phil was a devoted father and loyal friend to all who knew him. We will miss his straightforward honesty, wicked sense of humor and enormous heart. We share our tremendous sadness over this loss with the millions of viewers who followed Phil’s every move. We send our thoughts and prayers to Phil’s sons Josh and Jake and the Cornelia Marie crew.

From Port O’Brien:

Port O’Brien – Fisherman’s Son

There are certain bands that I associate with HearYa more than others. Bands like Ha Ha Tonka, Other Lives and Joe Pug are a few that blend great musicianship with amiable personalities. Port O’Brien is another of those bands and over the course of three albums and countless shows, Port O’Brien has never ceased to amaze us. It has been a treat to watch them evolve since Oz recommended them a couple of years back.

I showed up a little late to the session and the first thing I noticed was a slight lineup change. I was a big fan of their previous guitarist – a fellow named Zeb. Zeb had an in-your-face, direct sort of style and I loved watching the interplay between Zeb and and lead singer Van Pierszalowski, especially during songs like “The Rooftop Song.”

Zeb’s replacement, Graham LeBron, was a likable fellow and former guitarist in Rogue Wave so it was hard to feel disappointed. After hearing him warm up, I started to get excited about the new sound. During a run-through of Sour Milk/Salt Water I began to see how Gram fit into the band. His playing, while being less brash than Zeb’s, seems to agree more with Port O’Brien’s sound. His playing creates atmosphere and given the personal nature of the band’s latest album, Threadbare, I think it’s just what the doctor ordered. It transports you to a place and way of living that is foreign to most; even to the most ardent Deadliest Catch fan.

So during this next portion of the band’s evolution, after signing to a label, releasing of one of the best albums of the year, a mammoth tour and our second opportunity at a live session with them, I consider myself lucky to be along for the ride. Enjoy the tracks and the best band intro we’ve ever had.

Port O’Brien Intro Song

Exclusive: Port O’Brien – Sour Milk/ Salt Water (Video)

Exclusive: Port O’Brien – My Will Is Good (Video)

Exclusive: Port O’Brien – Oslo Campfire

Exclusive: Port O’Brien – In The Meantime

Download the Port O’Brien live session as a zip.

Video: Port O’Brien – My Will Is Good

Port O’Brien have been one of my top five favorite bands for the past three years. Each album they release far exceeds my expectations and slowly becomes an addiction. I’ve seen them in San Francisco, Austin and once in Boston where I had the opportunity to chat with lead singer Van Pierszalowski over a pint. He gives great hugs. I digress. The band’s latest album, Threadbare, recently elbowed its way near the top of my list of best albums of 2009.

The nucleus of the band are Van Pierszalowski and Cambria Goodwin and, while past albums have drawn their influence from Van’s commercial fishing exploits off the coast of Alaska, Threadbare is a different sort of expedition. The music is more focused, which I assume is the result of more time on land, on tour and in recording studios. The lyrics are more serious and at times very sad. The passing of Cambria’s brother just before recording the album may have had something to do with that.

I’m sure that tragic loss burned the fuel that became Threadbare. Cambria’s desolate voice shines on “High Without Hope 3,” the title track, “Next Season” and “(((Darkness Visible))).” Van is even despondent on tracks like “Calm Me Down,” but more frequently he balances the album with uptempo songs like “My Will Is Good,” “Leap Year” and “Love Me Through.” I haven’t even mentioned two of the best tracks, “Oslo Campfire,” “Sour Milk/Salt Water” and a song from previous albums called “Tree Bones” that has a Meat Puppets “Lake of Fire” vibe. That last part may just be in my head.

If an album is very good, I procrastinate writing about it. I’m painfully aware that I’m not a professional writer, so putting pen to paper over an album I love is daunting. For the great albums, I know I’ll never do them justice so I put them off for days or weeks. I’ve had Threadbare for about five months. I’m just now writing about it.

Website | MySpace | Facebook | Twitter | TBD Records

Port O’Brien – My Will Is Good

Port O’Brien – Sour Milk/Sour Water

We just finished up a great live session with Port O’Brien, featuring several tracks from their about to be released new album, Threadbare. I haven’t finished writing it up yet, but it’s one of those at the top of my list for 2009. Here’s the video for “My Will Is Good.”

Here are the Threadbare tracks we were given to post:

Port O’Brien – My Will Is Good

Port O’Brien – Sour Milk/Salt Water

Video: Port O’Brien – My Will Is Good

Port O’Brien just premiered another new track (via Stereogum) called “My Will Is Good.” The album entitled Threadbare will be released on October 6th.

What strikes me about this album, in addition to Cambria Goodwin taking on more vocal duties, is the change in Van Pierszalowski’s vocals on most tracks. His delivery is less forced and more confident. More to come on the album later.

Port O’Brien – My Will Is Good

More about Threadbare:

As 2009 began, the band started to prepare songs for what was to become threadbare.  What started as a light-hearted and loose effort quickly turned into a dense, introspective work following the tragic loss of Cambria’s younger brother.  They started recording at their friend Jason Quever of Papercuts’ living room studio in San Francisco.  The songs were given a certain warmth and intimacy that couldn’t be achieved in a larger space.  The sense of comfort they found gave them the ability to fully realize the weight of the songs.  “In the Meantime” explores the desire for contentment in tumultuous times.  “High Without the Hope” bookends the album, illuminating the emotion and sense of loss that was felt throughout the recording process.

Port O’Brien is releasing a new album called Threadbare on October 6 via TBD records. I’ve been wanting to write up a proper review, but fellow HearYan, Woody, tells me it’s too early. I’ll time a proper writeup closer to the release date, but let’s just say I absolutely love this record.

We got early approval to post the first single. It’s probably 4th or 5th on my list of favorite tracks from Threadbare. That’s how good the album is.

Port O’Brien – Sour Milk/Salt Water

TBD Records, home of HearYa favorites Other Lives and White Rabbits, just snapped up another favorite in Port O’Brien. Their new album entitled Threadbare comes out 10/6 and their fall tour dates are below. We’ve been huge fans of Port O’Brien for quite some time and this is like watching my son Teddy head off to Kindergarten.

Van, Cambria and company are some of the nicest people you can meet and we wish them nothing but success on their new venture.

Here’s some info on Threadbare:

As 2009 began, the band started to prepare songs for what was to become threadbare. What started as a light-hearted and loose effort quickly turned into a dense, introspective work following the tragic loss of Cambria’s younger brother. They started recording at their friend Jason Quever of Papercuts’ living room studio in San Francisco. The songs were given a certain warmth and intimacy that couldn’t be achieved in a larger space. The sense of comfort they found gave them the ability to fully realize the weight of the songs. “In the Meantime” explores the desire for contentment in tumultuous times. “High Without the Hope” bookends the album, illuminating the emotion and sense of loss that was felt throughout the recording process.

Sorry. No new tracks released yet. Here are a couple older tunes:

Port O’Brien – I Woke Up Today

Port O’Brien – Close The Lid

Tour dates:
August 14 Haldernm Germany – Haldern Pop Festival
August 16 Leicester, UK – Summer Sundae Weekender
August 17 Manchester, UK – NIght and Day Cafe
August 18 London, UK – Borderline
August 20 Kiewet, Belgium – Pukkelpop Festival
August 21 Erfurt, Germany – Highfield Festival
August 22 St Polten, Austria – Frequency Festival
August 24 Groningen, Holland – Noorderzon Festival
August 25 Utrecht, Holland- Tivoli
September 18 Portland, Or – Mississippi Studios (Music Fest NW)
September 22 Vancouver, BC – The Media Club*
September 23 Seattle, WA – Sunset Tavern*
September 25 Salt Lake City, UT – In The Venue*
September 26 Denver, CO – Hi-Dive*
September 28 Omaha, NE – The Slowdown*
September 29 Minneapolis, MN – 7th Street Entry*
September 30 Milwaukee, WI – Mad Planet*
October 1 Chicago, IL – Schubas Tavern*
October 2 St. Louis, MO – The Billiken Club*
October 3 Indianapolis, IN – Radio Radio*
October 4 Cincinnati, OH – Southgate House*
October 7 Columbus, OH – Wexner Center for the Arts*
October 9 Toronto, ON – Sneaky Dee’s*
October 10 Montreal, PQ – Il Motore*
October 13 Boston, MA – Paradise Rock Club*
October 14 New York, NY – The Mercury Lounge*
October 16 Brooklyn, NY – Union Hall*
October 17 Philadelphia, PA – North Star Bar*
October 18 Baltimore, MD – The Talking Head Club*
October 19 Washington, DC – DC 9*
October 21 Chapel Hill, NC – Nightlight Bar & Club*
October 23 Atlanta, GA – The Earl*
October 24 Nashville, TN – Exit In*
October 27 Dallas, TX – The Cavern*
October 28 Austin, TX – Emo’s Jr. *
October 30 Phoenix, AZ – Modified Arts*

* w/ Sea Wolf and Sara Lov

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.

Deer Tick – Still Crazy After All These Years (Paul Simon via)

Bon Iver – Your Love (The Outfield via)

Port O’Brien – Something In The Way (Nirvana)

Phosphorescent – Reasons To Quit (Willie Nelson via)