Manchester Orchestra @ Hawthorne Theatre

Manchester Orchestra are definitely an outlier band for me, which makes it a harder for me to write about them with confidence, even though I like almost every song off Mean Everything To Nothing. The first time I saw them live I'd never heard them before but I immediately latched on to a couples songs. Now seeing them again after enjoying their album, they are even more impressive. I can see why they inspire the crowd's fist pumping response. Their songs are packed with monster riffs, catchy choruses, and often play with loud/quiet and intimate/aggressive dichotomies. By crossing over they also provide a window into exploring my own taste limitations. It comes down to the sound of their guitars; their riffs are based in hard rock and metal, two genres I don't listen to much and which I associate with the radio stations I abandoned many years ago after failing to hear anything that grabbed me. It's exciting to listen to a band that makes those sounds engaging and enjoybale and makes me reevaluate my assumptions. While I don't plan listening to the radio ever again, I wonder how many other bands I've missed.

Manchester Orchestra - "I've Got Friends" Video

This is sort of the indie rock version of Garth Brooks' classic "Friends In Low Places" and I'm totally cool with that. Aside from the chorus, which flips the relationship, the two don't have much in common except that they both make excellent drinking songs.

Just by chance I caught Manchester Orchestra the last time they were in Portland when I went to see fun. Although I'd never heard them before that night they won me over with a fantastic show. They are coming back to the Hawthorne Theater this Friday and playing with The Features, who are still touring behind Some Kind of Salvation, which has stayed in regular rotation for two years now. It should be a great show.

Austin Lucas @ Hawthorne Theater

I caught Austin Lucas' set in the lounge at the Hawthorne Theater on Sunday. Although he tours with a band, this was his final show in town before heading down to South by Southwest, and it was just him and his guitar. It'd been a while since I went to an acoustic one mic show, but his charisma filled the room, as he bantered with the audience between songs and even interjected humorous antidotes into the middle of a couple of them.

As you can tell from his press shot, his roots aren't purely country and folk. However, little of his hardcore roots are present in his current songs. They range from the lovelorn to barroom rave up, strummed with an intensity that'll fire up your drinking but not quite get you off the bar stool. He's got a good voice, and while he'd likely admit to stumbling a bit, he plays well too. I look forward to catching him next time he passes through, with or without his band in tow.

Lucero - 1372 Overton Park Videos

Oh man. Lucero are playing Portland's Hawthorne Theater Friday night and I could not be more excited. I hope they are touring with a horn section. To top it off Jack Oblivian is opening. This sweet player lets you see all the fan videos released so far. Cool.

fun. @ Hawthorne Theater

After a rousing set by Limbeck – which as a power trio infused their catchy pop songs with plenty of rootsy rock – Fun delivered the show their album promised. Although just two days after the official release of Aim And Ignite people were dancing, waving their arms, and singing along as if it had been out for months. Of course the biggest cheers erupted for their two singles: "All The Pretty Girls" and "At Least I Am Not As Sad (As I Used To Be)". Format fans were sated when the band took it back to 2003 with "The First Single", reminding me just how catchy the Format could be. Although as good as the Format was, Fun takes those same giant hooks and surrounds them with more creative and interesting music. Great show.

Black Joe Lewis @ Hawthorne Theater

How rad is it to see a band live just shortly after falling in love with their new album and having known upon hearing the album that as good as it was, it likely pales compared to the live show, and then finally to have that proven true? Well, I'll tell you. It's fucking awesome. Opening for Lucero, Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears pounded the audience with their soul assault that mixed soul, blues and funk with a healthy dose of garage rock and punk. Almost every song was an excuse to let loose with blaring horns, passionate vocals and wild keyboard. Everyone in the band seemed to be having fun, especially the keyboardist and Joe Lewis, who bounded around the stage, awkwardly jumping off an amp and later almost knocking his face in the mike stand. I can't to see them again when they headline and can play a slightly longer set. So good.

Audrye Sessions @ Hawthorne Theater

How many concerts have you seen where a band plays an orange traffic cone? Ska bands and Stomp don't count. None? I win. Although I couldn't really discern what it sounded like in the midst an epic climax. But that's the kind of creativity and energy that Audrye Sessions displayed at the Hawthorne Theater this weekend. This Bay Area band also incorporated a washboard and violin bow (for the lead singer's electric guitar) into their soaring alt. rock anthems. They sound a lot like early Radiohead with a more optimistic outlook, although the way the lead singer's voice turns the corner mid-word reminds me more of Travis' Fran Healy, especially on tracks like "New Years Day" and "Where You'll Find Me". I enjoyed the whole set, but the standout track was definitely the "Turn Me Off". It's just a sweet single.