Ben Meyercord's Live Music Picks for Monday, February 1st

Hello Dear Readers,

Last night I went to the 100th show anniversary thingy. I went with the intentions of leaving once sleep deprivation got the best of me. And guess what...it didn't. I beat sleep deprivation and stayed until the whole thing was over. It started at 5 pm and I got off of work at 6 pm, so I ended up missing the first two bands. It was kinda of a bummer because I think that Monarques are really fun to see. But I caught all the bands that followed. AgesandAges were short at drummer (and a voice?) but still but on a nice set all of the five people in the band sang (usually at the same time). It sounded cool. Then Typhoon came on. It took them a long time to set up because they are a huge band and they had to load in to a packed Rontoms. Unfortunately it resulted in a very short but very good Typhoon set. The Skinnyz played after Typhoon which was not really fair, because all I could think about was how I wished Typhoon was still playing. Then Jared Mees & The Grown Children killed it with a short burst of energy comprised of old and newish songs. They debuted new bassist Quilty and new trumpet player Javier. They both were perfect for the group. The Hosannas played their Church songs and I loved every second. Every time I see them their seems to be a new piece of gear that makes them sound that much more awesome. They have some crazy tones. Then The Dirty Mittens took the stage and knocked out a crowd pleasing pop set which included several songs that had audience powered tambourines. I love to see that band play. They are getting better and better. Nick Jaina finished the night off. I don't know if it was or not, but it seemed like kinda a winding down set. The songs were not by any means slow or anything. But after the very high energy sets of the previous band it seemed a bit slower. Which was perfect cause I needed to take it down a notch. Anyways I could only find one show that looked good to me for today:

Monday, February 1st

White Eagle is having a show with The Parson Red Heads (mostly LA), Norman (Willamette Valley), and Joel Swensen (Medford, OR). The Parson Red Heads is a band I have heard about for a long while now. They make that LA folk music that LA folks do. It seems weird to me LA actually has a good folk scene. It seems so dirty and scummy and just not connected to nature. But none the less I like the music The Red Heads make. Also it should be noted that the bassist, Dave, moved up here to Portland. This is also what I think is a residency at the White Eagle for the Red Heads. Norman is also kinda a Portland band. I want to say that at least one member lives here in Portland. They make good folk rock music as well. I think they will be playing several dates with The Parson Red Heads this month (mostly not in Portland). Joel Swensen is from Medford. Medford is a place that I did not know existed before I met Luz Elena of Y La Bamba. She grew up in Medford. So I know that good things can come from there. But most of the time Medford Talent migrates over to Ashland. Oh hey, I just did a little more research. The reason I have heard so much about The Parson Red Heads is because they used to be Oregon folk. In fact one of them is related to Joel Swensen. Joel's music is nice and folky just as you might expect from this bill. Not all in a bad way. Plus he lists computer as one of his instruments. Intriguing. The show is FREE ands starts at 8:30 PM.


If you see a guy that looks like me at one of these shows please say. "Hi". People who look like me should be showered in pity. One hello is not asking too much.

-Ben


Norman will be play the White Eagle for FREE tonight.