When Kevin French came to Portland, he brought his ears. When he left,
he took an elite roster of Portland bands with him. In a few short
years, his sharp ear turned his company, Bigshot Touring Artists, into
a magnet for many of Portland’s best bands.
French has since relocated to New York City, but he hasn’t
forgotten Stumptown. He continues to represent such premier local bands
as Blind Pilot and the Builders and the Butchers. Now Bigshot’s teaming
with MFNW for an epic showcase of some of this city’s best music.
Headliners Blind Pilot burst onto the scene last year with “3 Rounds
and a Sound.” Portland was instantly captivated by the band’s elegantly
sparse acoustic sound, and the rest of the country quickly caught on as
the band toured. In true Portland spirit, founding members Ryan
Dobrowski and Israel Nebeker played their way from Vancouver, B.C., to
San Francisco, traveling solely by bicycle. (As if this city didn’t
already love them enough.) As the fans proliferated, so did bandmates,
and Blind Pilot has swelled to stage-cramming proportions. Its sound
may have been fleshed out, but the reasons Blind Pilot is among
Portland’s favorite bands haven’t changed.
Known for blistering live shows and gallows songcraft, the Builders
and the Butchers earned disciples like the fire-and-brimstone preachers
the band evokes. Think evil Creedence, with Poe writing lyrics.
Darkness and death may be the Butchers’ favorite themes, but the
music’s savage, irrepressible energy prevents it from ever feeling
depressing. And never is that more true than when the graveyard anthems
come alive with horns and mandolins.
The showcase’s lineup is rounded out by a trio of lesser-known but
still ridiculously talented musicians: singer-songwriter Langhorne
Slim, whose twangy country-tinged ballads command comparison to Ryan
Adams (without the douchebaggery); piano-mashing popster Richard Swift,
with eclectic production ranging from acoustic to synth-soaked
electro-folk; and Austin Lucas, who builds on folk traditions with his
bluegrassy updates on classic Americana.
This is an “I saw them when” moment not to be missed. It could
represent the last time such an all-star lineup will share a stage—they
are, after all, big shots.
SEE IT: The Bigshot Touring showcase, featuring Blind Pilot, the
Builders and the Butchers, Langhorne Slim, Richard Swift and Austin
Lucas, takes over the Crystal Ballroom on Saturday, Sept. 19, 8 pm, $15
or wristband. All ages.