Blitzen Trapper at Pitchfork

At the risk of beating a dead horse, I'll say it. Blitzen Trapper is good.



Plus Hutch from the Thermals interviewing Blitzen Trapper at Pitchfork.

EDIT: video links dead

The Decemberists - Troutdale, OR (7/19/2009)

The third show of the weekend and the second by the Decemberists. This one had about half the people of the first show. They still played Hazards of Love and a few different ones during the finale. They even played their cover of "Crazy on You" again. I know they have to appease fans who weren't there the night before, but I would have liked a little more effort.

Blind Pilot

Andrew Bird

The Decemberists



Flickr, Last.fm

Setlist:

1-17. The Hazards of Love (album)

Encore

18. Here I Dreamt I Was an Architect
19. The Bachelor and the Bride
20. We Both Go Down Together
21. Sleepless
22. Dracula's Daughter
23. O Valencia!
24. Crazy On You

Encore

25. I Was Meant for the Stage
-setlist.fm

Tracks 18 from Castaways and Cutouts
Track 19, 25 from Her Majesty
Track 20 from Picaresque
Tracks 23 from The Crane Wife
Track 22 from Colin Meloy album Colin Meloy Sings Live!
Track 21 from charity compilation Dark Was the Night
Track 24 a Heart cover from Dreamboat Annie

Marty Marquis (Blitzen Trapper) - "NCh'i-wana's Revenge"

Here's a video posted on the Trapper board a couple of days ago. It features Marty Marquis of Blitzen Trapper during his solo performance at the Ace Hotel for a PDX Pop Now! benefit. "NCh'i-wana's Revenge" is an unreleased track written by Marty. He supposedly has a whole bunch of solo tunes that may be released as an album someday. PDX Pop Now! was this past weekend at Rotture.

Speaking of Blitzen Trapper, they put on a great show at a small venue down in Kennewick, WA this weekend. It's been a busy concert week so I've fallen behind on pictures. Expect more pictures from the Decemberists, Sonic Youth, and Blitzen Trapper.

Marty Marquis from Asher Sandberg-Lewis on Vimeo.

The Decemberists - Troutdale, OR (7/18/2009)

The first of two Decemberists concerts at Edgefield last weekend. Would they play the Hazards of Love twice in two nights? The answer is yes, but they did change their encore setlist. The noise limitations at Edgefield made their set a bit shorter than their set in Missoula.

Blind Pilot



The Decemberists



Flickr, Last.fm

Setlist:

1-17. The Hazards of Love (album)

Encore

18. Oceanside
19. July, July!
20. Billy Liar
21. The Engine Driver
22. Dracula's Daughter
23. O Valencia!
24. Crazy On You

Encore

25. Sons & Daughters
-setlist.fm

Tracks 19 from Castaways and Cutouts
Track 20 from Her Majesty
Track 21 from Picaresque
Tracks 23, 25 from The Crane Wife
Track 22 from Colin Meloy album Colin Meloy Sings Live!
Track 18 from 5 Songs
Track 24 a Heart cover from Dreamboat Annie

Death Cab for Cutie - Troutdale, OR (7/17/2009)

This was the first of three concerts at Edgefield Manor last weekend. Death Cab started off with three songs from Plans and followed them with their typical selection of new and old favorites. The setlist ended up being very similar to the last time I saw them in Spokane. They always put on a good show, but everyone one in my group felt they were not as into it as they could have been.




Last.fm, Flickr

Setlist:

1. Marching Bands of Manhattan
2. Your Heart is an Empty Room
3. Crooked Teeth
4. President of What?
5. No Sunlight
6. My Mirror Speaks
7. Title Track
8. Grapevine Fires
9. I Will Possess Your Heart
10. Little Bribes
11. Cath...
12. A Movie Script Ending
13. Soul Meets Body
14. The New Year
15. The Sound of Settling

Encore:

16. I Will Follow You into the Dark
17. Title and Registration
18. Transatlanticism
-setlist.fm

Track 4 from Something About Airplanes
Track 7 from We Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes
Track 12 from The Photo Album
Tracks 14, 15, 17, 18 from Transatlanticism
Tracks 1, 2, 3, 13, 16 from Plans
Tracks 5, 8, 9, 11 from Narrow Stairs
Tracks 6, 10 from The Open Door EP

PDX Pop Now!

Seattle may get Bumbershoot and the Capitol Hill Block Party, but Portland has been quietly developing their own summer festival lineup, plus the beer is better.

PDX Pop Now! (July 24th-26th)


This event is designed to showcase up and coming Portland bands. These Portland bands take over the Rotture for 3 days at the end of July. The fundraising events feature artists dedicated to Portland music like James Mercer of The Shins, Brandon Summers of The Helio Sequence, and Marty Marquis of Blitzen Trapper playing at the Ace Hotel. This Thursday the 16th YACHT, Point Juncture, WA, and Y La Bamba are playing outside Portland City Hall.

Bands:

Thrones, Menomena, Grouper, Laura Gibson, Explode into Colors, Dirty Mittens, Au, Red Fang, The Minus 5, The Shaky Hands

last.fm

Pickathon (July 31st - August 2nd)

Pickathon takes place out on Pendarvis Farm in Happy Valley, OR ( a 15 minute drive from my old high school). This festival features some of the best indie bands playing folk and alternative country music.

Bands:

Blitzen Trapper, Dr. Dog, Vetiver, Thao with the Get Down Stay Down, Justin Townes Earle, Elliott Brood, Horse Feathers, Alela Diane

Last.fm

Musicfest NW (September 16th - 19th)

This one isn't so much a festival since it takes place in multiple venues across Portland, but it definitely has a festival atmosphere and it brings a lot of great bands to town. Last year's was a lot of fun.

Bands:

Girl Talk, Explosions in the Sky, Monotonix, Bad Brains, Sunny Day Real Estate, Portugal. The Man, The Get Up Kids, Modest Mouse, Love as Laughter, more TBA

Last.fm

Blitzen Trapper was at the Crystal Ballroom for last year's Musicfest NW. Speaking of BT, they have a 4th live session up at Daytrotter. I've added the link to the other Daytrotter links.

Blitzen Trapper - "Black River Killer" (Official Video)

Next month, Blitzen Trapper is releasing their Black River Killer EP. This EP contains six songs only available previously on a tour-only EP and on some live recordings for Daytrotter. The title song appeared on last year's Furr. In accordance with this new release, they have released a video for "Black River Killer". They recruited Portland fans for filming at Portland's Artist Repertory Theater. The video is followed by a short making of, and here is a write-up of the shoot from Portlandesque.