Upstarter

Going to a show alone usually isn’t anyone’s Plan A, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be a good time. Three local bands on a Tuesday with relatively short notice was an improbable group outing anyway, so when my mention of the show on the chat was met only with a suggestion for a new program on Apple TV+ two hours later, I wasn’t terribly surprised. I’ve been to shows alone before.

There is no “Jump to Recipe” button in amateur music writing, but if you’re looking for an account of the actual show I guess it starts in paragraph four. Otherwise, the following is a little background information.

I’d been looking forward to seeing Amusement again as they are one of my favorite bands period right now. Sometimes you get lucky and happen upon music that feels tailor made to your preferences, and when they’re local it’s even sweeter. Not to be reductive of any of their nine recorded songs (including one Dinosaur Jr. cover that is honestly so much more sick and necessary than you think it would be), but Amusement sound like a cross between Seaweed’s Four and Pegboy’s Strong Reaction, with some aforementioned Mascis style leads peppered in there. People say this kind of shit all the time about bands, and then you hear them and you’re like, “Yeah, but not as good”. This is what sets Amusement apart. They’re on that same level. These guys are the real fucking deal. Easily my most listened to band of this past year.

I went into the evening with the handicap of having had too much clam chowder at my in-laws before heading across town. Additional handicaps of being low on gas, being a little tired, it’s cold outside, and I’m thirsty, were also present. Your mind plays tricks on you when you try and go out at night when you’re over 30 (and more so every decade after). So do your eyes, making the driving tricky, because you also go blind when it’s dark outside the day you turn 45. Undeterred, I sat in my car in front of the venue considering going home, because I actually was deterred by all those things. Thankfully, I decided to go for it. I paid my $10 door fee after unnecessarily asking if they took cash, because now that I’m here alone I’ve suddenly started to behave as if I’ve never been anywhere. Perfect time to head to the bar for some self-assuredness. This came in the form of a glass of red wine, because now every time I have an IPA I get weird nightmares and gain five pounds. It came in an actual wineglass, which was embarrassing, but whatever. I walked around like I was maneuvering between groups of people I knew (I wasn’t), waiting for the first band to start. During this aimless shifting I did get to witness a very cool interaction where the parents of one of the members of SPARES showed up to support their adult son. The dad unzipping his jacket to reveal an old Psalm 69 Ministry shirt made the moment extra special. There is still beauty in the world if you know how to look for it.

Mercifully for me as I was out of ideas on how to act natural, SPARES started their set. I’d spent some time with their EP (a 23 minute 12” with six songs, some might call it an LP) in the days leading up to the show, and had been enjoying it more and more with each listen. It’s a slow burn, but really pays off and has become one of my favorite records of the year. I was curious to see what they’d sound like in a bar setting, since have a lot of tangled intricate structures and Faraquet-style noodling in their songs. They sounded amazing, it was truly impressive. That band is tight, and more than a little reminiscent of another top shelf classic Portland band of yesteryear, Thirty Ought Six.

As I’m watching them I remember that this is the same bar that my old band played an ill-fated (and poorly attended) Halloween show 15ish years ago, which was the opposite of what I was witnessing here. No members of SPARES appeared wasted, and nobody was dressed in a way too small Pinocchio costume that ripped down the center when they popped into a Johnny Ramone stance. That night sucked, this one was turning out to be pretty great. I love SPARES, and am going to try and sneak over to catch them next month when they’re playing downtown next door to the Toys That Kill show. Check them out, and make your streaming service addled brain sticks with the songs even if they start slowly. Sometimes the main hook is buried pretty deep, but it’s always there and always worth it.

FeverSleep are up next, and I notice that their singer/guitar player is also the bass player in Amusement. These three bands share a couple drummers as well. Feversleep have such a cool sound that’s somewhere between the B side of Bivouac and Broccoli. All their brilliant moodiness shines through in the live show too, and it’s a killer set. They also have a six song, 20 minute 12” that came out a couple years back. I almost picked up a physical copy, and really wish I would’ve now that I’ve been listening to it so much. Great band, and if their new track “Glassing” is any indication, they’re only getting better.

I think a true sign that you really like a band is when they play a new song and you’re happy about it, so when Amusement open up with something I haven’t heard yet I’m pretty excited. It’s obviously great, and remains faithfully on-brand. They followed it up with “Walk Out to Sink” and “Holding On”, probably my two favorite songs of theirs if I were forced to choose, and by now I’m having the best time. This is evident in any of the clips people posted on Instagram (which I rejoined immediately afterwards so I’d quit missing out on shows like this) where one dude in a backwards Twins hat is bobbing his head just a little too enthusiastically. More hits are played, and I think a couple were making out in the photobooth before gleefully leaving together midway through a song. Magic is in the air. I’m glad I didn’t give into laziness and duck out last minute because something seemed potentially uncomfortable.

Speaking of something potentially uncomfortable, I’m unable restrain myself from talking to John and Stan from Amusement after their set. This isn’t only because of the band, but also because John was wearing an Allied Recordings hoodie(!) and Stan had on a very sharp Sugar T shirt, the latter of which I fully intend to hunt down a copy of later on international punk rock marketplace, Etsy.com. Sick band shirts remain the greatest ice breakers. I chatted with these dudes after a different show this summer, and they were both very nice, cool, and interesting fellows. It’s impossible to tell if these conversations are mutual, or merely tolerated by the other party, but after hearing a story about Lance Hahn rescuing a guitar he got from Leatherface from an apartment fire, I realize that even if I’m embarrassing myself I’m also acquiring a piece of historical knowledge that is priceless.

Despite going alone and being old, I left this show feeling reinvigorated by it. Whether or not there’s always a great local music scene no matter where you are, or if this particular group of bands right now in Portland is something truly special is up to you. I’d like to think it’s both. Don’t be afraid to get out there.

-Zach Nells-Tessmer