Travis Puckett and the Incorrigible Enthusiasm haikus are easy. but sometimes they don’t make sense. refrigerator.

Well, I don’t know how much I intend to film with my new helmet-cam rig, but I expect it will be a new favorite.  Since I seem to be indecisive with this blog, I may as well just stick to the video blog idea and diversify from the music only theme.  Ready?  Lets dig in. 

This is footage from my commute to work.  What you are seeing is the second half of my ride TO work. The cute little bumble bee colored girlie is Alice, my HOV passenger and best friend. This was my first attempt at helmet cam action, so it may seem a little shaky.  I seek to improve upon that!  Enjoy.  

SE Madison and 7th from Travis Puckett on Vimeo.

As summer gives way to fall in the deliciously beautiful pac NW, a great outdoor concert is just the way to feed your soul. Enter My Morning Jacket. We had a week of cooler temps and gray skies that parted on Saturday, the day of the show. It was a perfect setting for a really fantastic show.

The set list was consumed by material from the new record, ‘Evil Urges’, with a buncha tunes coming from ‘It Still Moves’. What impressed me most about this band is their excellent prodution: sound and lights. Gotta give it to the guys behind the scenes making it happen for this band. Of course, it helps that MMJ plays a brand of rock and roll that just makes for great live music. Long jams, hot guitar licks and wailing vocals is the recipe for a yummy show.

On a bad note…I must throw some disrespect to the crowds in Portland. In my time as a concert goer in this town, I have been saddened to see how much people run their mouths at shows. It is particularly annoying w/ bands like MMJ and Okkervil when there is a slow(er) song and everyone around me is trying to talk over the music. When I see a band, I can tell a lot about the singer’s ability to bring it live vs. singing in the studio – which is harder to do in this town than it was in Dallas or (ahem) Austin.

Here you go, some tasties from the show on Saturday. Had to do two because the jams were all so good!

Lay Low from Travis Puckett on Vimeo.

Gideon from Travis Puckett on Vimeo.

Well, better than ok, as a matter of fact. I think a lot of the reason I liked the show so much is because of my familiarity with their library of music. Seeing them live shined a light on Will Sheff that I couldn’t see when listening to the albums. He really does have a passion for his music. That passion is what separates casual listeners from real fans of their music. If I didn’t know the songs, I would get a little tired of all the yelling.

Musically, the band is right on the spot. Jonathan Meiberg looked like a badass with his black shirt and dark grey neck tie- perfect for some spot-on bass work. The band does well to bounce back and forth from slow and introspective sound to hard and loud. A seasoned band no doubt.

Also notable, Travis Nelsen looks like Animal from the muppets.

okkervil river from Travis Puckett on Vimeo.

To finish things off, Al and I took in a nice leisurely set of Les Savy Fav. Lead singer Tim Harrington led the audience through Spoken Word, Poetry excerpts, and Moody Blues covers. It looked to be an enlightening show, until the music really started. As with any LSF show, the main attraction was Tim, the front man with a penchant for shocking stage antics. He came out in a toilet paper sling and neck brace which soon gave way to man sweat. Soon, he made it out into the crowd for some mingling amongst friends. Once back onstage, Tim announced that he found a fork while dancing in the crowd. Then he used the fork to comb his chest hair. And on and on and on. The music, though, was pretty darn good. The band was on point for each song, with the high energy set getting better with each new tune. I must admit, I was a little afraid of being assaulted by the lead singer…a feeling I have never felt at a show.

Les Savy Fav from Travis Puckett on Vimeo.

As I hinted in the last post, Built to Spill is a personal favorite.  After snoozing through the Britt Daniel set, I got nice and close for a first hand sampling of Doug Martsch brilliance.  What amazes me about this band is that they play at such a decibel that would normally sound just fuzzy and indiscernible, but they always sound crisp.  You can pick out any one of the band members from the PA system and hear every note laid out perfectly.  And, to watch Doug Martsch strangle and shake his guitar yet hear beautifully distorted guitar licks is worthy of a second post.  Enjoy.

Perfect From Now On from Travis Puckett on Vimeo.

Wonder Ballroom. I
wonder why you have giant
wooden erection

Britt Daniel. I wish
you could perform your stuff with
a band…wait…spoon

Untitled from Travis Puckett on Vimeo.

Built To Spill. I wish
you could retire from tour, and
be my live-in band

BTS from Travis Puckett on Vimeo.

haikus aside, if
I were Bill Gates, I would buy
Built to spill…for real.

The day belonged to Hip Hop, so as you can surmise…it was a good day.

Cool Kids got things off on a nice foot with some fresh beats and a b-boy style that works really well with the opposing styles of their respective emcees: Mikey Rocks and Chuck Inglish. Like any good hip hop show, the opening act must hype the crowd. I would say that the kids had the audience pretty hyped. Unfortunately, the promoters felt otherwise. We waited nearly a half hour for Del, and the time was chewed up by an energetic emcee (I forget his name) who was entertaining…just not quite so entertaining as cool kids. Check out a little sample of what went down with the kids in town.

Cool Kids from Travis Puckett on Vimeo.

Then, the moment I was waiting for: Del the funky (fresh/live/dope/ill) Homosapien stepped on stage. His set was very diverse, which it would have to be when you consider how many projects he has been involved in over the years. My fave is, will always be, Deltron 3030. I like his style, he looks so comfortable on stage, and never really over does anything. He threw in some comedy between songs with some stage antics, and had a second emcee, A PLUS. He and A PLUS worked well together to accent some of Del’s tunes with some b boy style. My only wish was that I could have not been stuck behind the tall guy with ridiculous B.O. for the majority of the set, but I guess that’s a testament to the quality of Del’s show that I would stick it out. Check it:

D E L from Travis Puckett on Vimeo.

And, to complete the night, I headed to Holocene for to check out Deerhunter. The place was packed, hundreds clamoring to see Bradford Cox’s high cheekbones. I had to wait in line to get in, and while outside my anticipation grew as I could hear the show from outside. Inside, the venue proved to make things difficult. The band was set up in a main room, which was a Fire Chief’s nightmare. You could feel the heat coming out of the sardine packed room from 50 feet away. Fortunately, they were projecting the gig on a main wall in the lounge/bar area. A lot less crowded- it just lacked in sound quality as the PA system blasted their music around the lounge. The band was pretty intense. they have a hard driving sound with no hesitance toward experimenting – mostly through effects on Bradford’s vox. He gets amazing sound from the mic and the band never relents. I would see them again, but it would have to be an intriguing double bill…perhaps with Les Savy Fav. Foreshadowing?

Deerhunter from Travis Puckett on Vimeo.

The MFNW kicked off nicely with the pairing of British acts Fuck Buttons and Mogwai.  They played the roseland theater in downtown portland to a house packed with white people…and a white guy with a bag on his head.  

‘The buttons’ came in high on my list, after receiving much praise from their SXSW performance this spring.  I definitely tip my hat to their ability to stand alone, creatively, but they failed to win me over after seeing a short set of their music.  Frankly, the set should be shorter.  By the third song, I really felt like the formula wasn’t going to change.  It didn’t.  It wasn’t all that bad though, considering the unique quality of the sound, the loudness that 2 guys can make, and the interesting approach they have to layering freakishly haunting noise over subtle beat patterns.  

 
Fuck Buttons from Travis Puckett on Vimeo.

Then came Mogwai.  The house was packed by the time the first note rang, and the crowd was in for a treat.  I liked Mogwai most this night because of the diversity in arrangements that the band presents.  The keyboard player also plays guitar, they have songs with 2 bass players, and they don’t use the same arrangement twice.  Oh, and they have some sweet guitars.  I love a good telecaster, and on a few of the songs, two of the guitars were telecasters.  The bass player also has a beautiful Rickenbacker 4000 series bass.  They all had great sound.  

Mogwai 2 from Travis Puckett on Vimeo. 

At the end of the night, we were treated to some quality hobo percussion, which I have since discovered to be a highly competitive market in Portland.  

hobo drums from Travis Puckett on Vimeo. 

stay tuned for more from the festival!  

With no more delay, it is time to get started in my bloggery.  Tonight begins the MFNW festival, and I will mark that as the beginning of this website.  Tune in tomorrow for hilights and details on the greatness of Mogwai and Fuck Buttons!  

http://www.musicfestnw.com/

travis with a sparkler, originally uploaded by alicenoyes.

I love Arrested Development, fireworks, and my yogi girlfriend.