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Friday, November 20, 2009
LIVE REVIEW - Fanfarlo @ Doug Fir 11/20/09
-- A Taste from TheInkFlowsLikeWine.com
Fanfarlo hit up my new favorite venue last night, Doug Fir, and the show was solid. There were maybe over 100 or so people there, making it quite the intimate show overall. And there were more than a few random, Portland is weird as hell, things going on throughout the show. This venue seems to inspire madness as well as ingenuity.
The opener, Freelance Whales, was a pleasant surprise. A lot of people showed up to see them early, and the band was very lively and energetic. While they were somewhere in the midst of the Arcade Fire-like feeling of the night, they over did it a bit by having each song feature a chorus of the whole band singing "AHHHHHHHHH." But they did make a lot of interesting choices when putting the songs together.
Frequently I'd find the Whales' songs unpredictable, which always at least makes it a good show. Their lady bassist, who sang along aside the bespectacled lead man throughout the show danced non stop and barefoot throughout the show, which gave the impression that they were having the time of their lives, and I think that helps the crowd enjoy themselves that much more. They admitted it was their first time in Portland, and I'm sure my NYC friends will say, "Whatever, they play around here all the time, they're from here, they played CMJ, blah blah blah." Good for you, I've been listening to Fanfarlo since their early demos, before any of you even heard the name, if you'd like to have a pissing match people.
Before I jump into the band's set, I have to mention the presence of a crazy old tie dyed man that would not stop dancing like he was on two hits of acid. For some reason, this place does draw the crazies, though at many shows in this town, there will most likely be a tie dyed maniac with no clue of what's going on around him. This mustachioed man didn't give two craps about anything but the music. Every time there was a build up, he'd raise his hand in the air like Jesus was coming to take him. And for each rousing beat, he'd be slide across the floor, trying to incite the rest of the front row, whom had given him plenty of twirling room, to dance with him. Freelance Whales loved this guy. They encouraged him to get into it and he did not disappoint them.
Fanfarlo came on shortly after the opener, playing a pretty short set, but a rousing good one. The band is full of amazing musicians, the obvious one being the lead man, Swedish songwriter Simon Balthazar, but the girl Cathy Lucas seemed to be the center of attention. She jumped instruments like it was no big deal, from violin, to saw, to mandolin comfortably. And, like my girlfriend mentioned, she was one of the only people alive that could pull have having pants hiked up that high without displaying a pooch. Song after song was good folky, eclectic goodness, and while I wished the set were longer, I left satisfied. Especially when, still dancing nonstop throughout, the hippie began scatting during a song break and the band broke into laughter, Simon saying, "That was amazing, please, keep that up, more of that," in a thick accent.
The band also confessed this was their first time in Portland, and Cathy immediately pointed out how they knew it was a great town because the first thing they saw when they came into town were two vintage stores next door to each other. Of course than Simon interjected, saying, "Yeah, but then our van got broken into... So, yeah," to which the crowd actually nodded in understanding, one person yelling, "Yeah, welcome to Portland."
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