A Wild Weekend at Portland's Music Fest NW

Past Lives / Photo by Josh Elliott

Friday:

Built to Spill (The Wonder Ballroom)
Portland has a special affection for Built to Spill (and vice versa), so it's no surprise the group's performance drew a crowd that extended down the block. Playing their jammy 1997 classic Perfect From Now On in its entirely, the beefed-up Boise-based outfit featured six members, twice the lineup from a decade ago when the album was recorded. Captained by ringleader Doug Martsch, this crack team played spot-on, nostalgia-inducing renditions of their most emotionally moving songs. And the enthusiastic audience repeatedly serenaded their heroes with extended ovations almost as long as some of Martsch's epic guitar solos. The band rewarded the crowd for its devotion with a stellar encore, including older gems like "Car," off 1995's There's Nothing Wrong With Love, and "You Were Right," from 1999's Keep It a Like Secret .

The Black Whales (Rotture)
Our first unexpected discovery. The Seattle natives feature former members of the Catheters and Tallbirds; the quartet rolled out an energized glam-punk and power-pop composite executed with an unspoken confidence. On CD, the band's songs are scrubbed free of the occasional blemish; In concert, though, their sound was louder and more raw, delivering a collective sense of urgency.

Crooked Fingers (Doug Fir)
90's bands of the indie persuasion have been reforming with increasing frequency in recent years, but one act to resist the temptation thus far has been Chapel Hill's the Archers of Loaf. Head Loafer, Eric Bachmann, has never been one to rest on his laurels or revisit past glories, so many in the audience were flat-out stunned when his current outfit, Crooked Fingers, encored with a punched-up cover of the most famed AOL anthem, "Web in Front." The mighty cut provided an ample punctuation point to an already solid set that showcased a wide range of sounds, textures, and emotions. What this means, Loaf fanatics, for the future is hard to say -- apparently, though Bachmann is a bit more self-reflective than first thought.

>> Read about Saturday on page 2.
>> Check out pictures from Music Fest NW