Portland, OR

Today’s post is a little bit of everything.

Firstly, I did in fact go to Doug Fir last night to see Tim Finn. Awesome show, and I am so happy I went. I was sitting at home writing an article on rising sea levels in Africa, and watching the Republican National Convention. All the sudden, it was 9pm, and the show was set to start at 9pm. I had a little debate with myself, and said, you know you have waited your whole life to see Tim so just go already. I hopped in the car. Upon arrival at Doug Fir (my first time), the door guy asked me if I was by myself, and being a loser with no friends, I said yes. He said it was my lucky day, as he had an extra ticket for me. It is like I was meant to be there…

The cutest, most adorable little thing, Jasmine Ash, opened. Just her and an acoustic guitar. She has a sweet, soft voice, which usually isn’t something I dig, but she was really quite good. I checked out her myspace page, and she is a local Portland act. I will definitely try to catch her again. I told her I was going to put her in my pocket and take her home. She didn’t seem adverse to the idea.

Here’s a video she has out on her myspace page.

Tim Finn came on, and wow, what an amazing show. The man has been performing since before I was born, and he is very comfortable in front of an audience. He was exceedingly charming, and I must say, Mr. Finn has only grown more handsome over the years. He opened with “Parihaka,” a song off the self-named album that he released in 1989. I still have that cassette, but alas, no cassette player, so I have not heard that song in forever. He played a really nice blend of old favorites and newer stuff, and a lot off of the Crowded House album, Woodface, on which Tim was a full-fledged member of that band. I was starting to think, wow, there is a lot off Woodface, when he explained “we are in Woodface kind of mood tonight.” That makes sense, and the 40 of so people in the audience seemed to respond best to those songs, so as long as everyone is happy. I would have liked a few more early, solo-career songs, but it is always difficult to please everyone. Tim Finn did a great job and ended the show with a promise to be back next year (promoting a new album). Also, props go out to his band members, maybe Greg on electric guitar and Simon on keys. I didn’t quite catch the names, but talented young men, and Greg did a nice job singing along on some of the harmony-based Crowded House and Split Enz songs.

Funny side note, actually two: Finn mentioned that he went to Powell’s, like everyone who visits Portland does, and he said it was just too much for him. I couldn’t agree more, that place is totally sensory overload. You have to be in the proper mood to battle the crowds, and have plenty, and I mean plenty, of time to wander. Also, Finn said that Doug Fir had a very “Twin Peaks” feel about it. Exactly what I thought when I got there. More red velvet and it would be uncanny.

Moving on to Music Fest Northwest, I know a bunch of bands are playing this weekend. I am going to try and catch as many as I can, but I say that now, and I tend to get very comfortable at home, so we’ll see what I get out of my house for. I wouldn’t mind seeing Built to Spill…

To end, I have to say that Portland has an incredible music scene for those of us that really love music. And when I say music, I don’t mean corporate-committee-overly-produced-whatever-sells-the -most-singles music for the masses. I spent my last two teenage years in Chicago during the early-to-mid nineties, which was a great time for music, and Chicago was a hub for that scene then. Lots of small venues, great relatively unknown bands, you could see a great show any night of the week. I had a radio show on WHPK (the pride of the South Side, University of Chicago’s station with a range of maybe nine miles), so I got a lot of free tickets and never got carded for some reason, despite my baby face. Portland reminds me a lot of that time. Not only are there some pretty awesome local acts, but it seems that Portland is always a stop on bands that matter tour schedule. Small venues make such a difference if you want to feel connected with your favorite bands.

If you cannot find something to do in Portland, it’s your own fault.

Tim Finn, Jasmine Ash, Portland, Doug Fir, Crowded House, Split Enz, Music Fest Northwest, MFNW, Built to Spill, Chicago, University of Chicago