Tour 2010 Part 1: Port City Music Hall (March 23rd)
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Originally we had planned on booking a date in Portland at the end of the tour, but the Port City Music Hall contacted us about participating in their TWO series, the schtick being 2 bands, 2 dollar cover, and 2 dollar drafts. Apparently the local clubs have discovered that tuesday nights are an untapped local revenue source, so they’re all coming up with things like this. Best of all, they wanted to pair us with Ocean, a signed touring doom metal band and one of the pillars of local music. They’re also close pals of ours from previous bands, and Ocean’s bass player Reuben is our Jenny’s romantic partner. Oddly, we have not played with them since our second gig back in 2004, so this would be a nice musical reunion.
PCMH is a HUGE venue with a top flight staging/sound/lights, and usually only have touring acts coming through. Ocean was the “headliner” but both bands got to soundcheck, a REAL soundcheck, not just making sure signal was going through the PA. There were monitors everywhere! We could actually hear clearly onstage! This rarely happens. Where I musically grew up in NY/NJ, live sound is really good, and I’m sorry to say this if anyone is offended, but for the most part sound people in New England are pretty shabby and the systems are never rung out. PCMH was a refreshing change from the norm. Ocean’s soundcheck was staggering: their dense wall of doom really filled the huge room and started reacting with the structure. We were aghast with anticipation: this was going to be a really heavy night.
I think because there were only two bands that night, we were required to play for 70 minutes, about 20-25 more than any previous gig we have played. At least we would now have an opportunity to really showcase a broad cross section of our material. Our set went down great, not feeling hampered by unclear sound onstage, we were able to really dig in and rock. The pics from that night on that huge stage made us look like a major band. That’s was a nice feeling. The downside of the long set, though, was that by the end we were pretty pooped. My guitar solo in the last song sounded more like the solo in “punk rock girl” by the Dead Milkmen than the version on our original cd. (You Milkmen fans know what i mean.)
Afterwards everyone was complimenting us and stating with a bit of shock how great the venue and PA made us sound. Apparently a lot of them had never been to the venue and couldn’t believe how nice and upscale it looked and sounded. Some pics from the show can be seen here.
Ocean eventually strapped in and cranked up. Those of you who have heard them know what they sound like: a horrifyingly beautiful droning noise at glacial tempos, a wall of noise as thick as the walls of Hitler’s bunker. It was so dreamy and beautiful, Jenny and I stood there in the audience totally enraptured. And boy did they seem different on that big stage, like they finally LOOKED like the major band we know they are. We had just never visually SEEN it that way before. They usually play the same loveably dark local rat holes all Portland bands play. They did their usual thing of play one song that lasted about 40 minutes and a second one that was about 25. Ocean has move into first place on my great Portland bands list.
All in all a GREAT night and totally put us in the mood for the upcoming tour. Turnout was great (166 – a surprising amount on a tuesday), we were well compensated, and best of all we got to play on a great stage with a great PA with Ocean.