Local Show: Weinland 6/28/08

My friends and I spent some quality time in Portland the evening of Saturday 6/28, once again breaking away from the weekend nightlife purgatory that is Hillsboro. We started with pre-funk libations at the Matchbox, followed by dinner at Pok Pok (fast becoming one of my favorite restaurants), then an all local show at the Aladdin. Good times. A Weather and Norfolk & Western opened for Weinland's homecoming gig, which was a pretty big deal, as the boys had just returned from their first national tour. The crowd was enthusiastic and proportionately sized to the venue, and a palpable mood of high spirits permeated the overall atmosphere. (Plus, the theatre itself was frickin' hot after A Weather finished the first set - so the atmosphere was quite literally thick.)

This was the first time I'd seen Norfolk & Western perform, and I was thoroughly impressed with their indie-americana/alt country sound. Their set was understated and unpretentious, and Adam Selzer, the frontman, played some sweet rockin' guitar reminiscent of My Bloody Valentine and Sonic Youth; an effective juxtaposition in contrast to their otherwise folksy repertoire. I believe they're playing during PDX Pop Now at the end of the month, but I haven't any other details. Worth checking out, though, definitely.

As for the headliner that night, Weinland - a band I had seen only once before a couple of years ago at the Doug Fir - they played a strong set worthy of all the homecoming excitement generated. Whilst they were quite fond of the (well-rehearsed) informal jam band/hootenanny presentation, they managed to pull it off tastefully. Their songs were all heartfelt indie-folk numbers; nothing experimental, nothing artificial. And they seemed quite at home playing with the Portland Cello Project.. so, yeah. Rock on, Weinland, rock on. Their next gig will be at the Doug Fir, 8/08, and then sometime during MusicFest NW in early September. They've officially set the bar for themselves.