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Archive for the ‘Portugal The Man’ Category

Portugal. The Man (The Stone Pony, Asbury Park, NJ, February 23, 2024)

Posted in Asbury Park, NJ, Native Americans, Portugal The Man, Snacktime, The Stone Pony on February 25, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: February 23, 2024] Portugal. The Man

My family and I saw Portugal, The Man at the Newport Folk Festival.  Actually, we saw one song and their opening session with a Native American woman (which was very cool, but obviously meant we missed a few more songs.

So I’ve wanted to see them for at least five years, and I know that I wanted to see them for a while before then as well.

I had tickets to see them with Alt-J last summer, but couldn’t make it.   So here they were coming down to Asbury Park, a closeish drive and a cool city (especially in the off-season, when parking is cheap).

I hated the crowd.  They were squeezed in so close, and then a bunch of tall people shoved in front so I could barely see anything (I didn’t even realize there was a woman on stage until about 3/4 of the way through the show).  And the loud bros behind me engaged in this fascinating behavior: Song starts, “TALK TALK TALK TALK TALK–I love this song–sing chorus very loudly-TALK TALK TALK TALK.”  It was hard to move away from them but I slowly did over the course of the show.

But before the music started, they introduced a Native American woman from Alaska who talked about nature and how cool it was to be at the Atlantic Ocean, since she knows the Pacific Ocean.  And then she introduced a man and his daughter who had lived here on this land for thousands of years.  (I assume they were Lenapi).  The spoke a bit and then sang a song of thanks and praise.

It was pretty cool, and an amazing gesture from the band.  After they were finished, they left, the stage cleared for a few minutes.  Then the lights turned red and that just solidified that I wouldn’t see anything for the show.  So I settled in to just chilling with the music.

And it was pretty amazing.  They opened with a wild medley of Dopesmoker which segued into a really fast version of Yes’ Heart of the Sunrise (just the music).  They segued between that and two choruses of their older songs and finally settled on “Grim Generation” from the new album.

I didn’t really know the new album very well.  I’ve listened to it a few times, but it hadn’t really sunk in like their earlier stuff.  But it sounded great live.

The new album is a bit more mellow, but their older music is weird and wild.  And the crowd LOVED it.  I didn’t know that P.tM had such a huge and dedicated following–people who knew the words to all the songs.  Unlike me.  I knew some of the songs, but what really impressed me was how much I enjoyed even the songs that I didn’t know.  The songs were short and catchy.  Each song was about three minutes with a big chorus and they moved on to another song.  It wasn’t exactly a greatest hits type of show, but more of a touchstone for all of their songs through their career. (more…)

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Snacktime (The Stone Pony, Asbury Park, NJ, February 23, 2024) [PORTUGAL. THE MAN]

Posted in Asbury Park, NJ, Portugal The Man, Snacktime, The Stone Pony on February 24, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: February 23, 2024] Snacktime

I had heard of Snacktime, but I wasn’t all that excited to see them.

SNACKTIME is Philadelphia’s already beloved seven-piece band, blazing a path cut from their soul, funk, punk, jazz, hip-hop, and R&B influences. Created during the height of the pandemic, the group began performing free shows that combined their love of music, food, and togetherness in Philadelphia’s Rittenhouse Square. They quickly amassed huge crowds and became a symbol of positivity and lockdown release, while showcasing the richness of their city’s musical history and community. This progressed to sold-out headlining shows, curation of neighborhood festivals, multiple appearances at Philadelphia 76ers halftime shows, and slots at major music festivals.

It wasn’t that I wouldn’t like them.  I mean, obviously, they were going to be a lot of fun.  I assumed they would play horn-filled songs that were catchy and fun and dancey.  And I felt like I had heard that before, so it didn’t excite me.

And when they came out, that’s exactly what they played.  Super fun bouncy horn filled melodies with occasional words (most encouraging people to get up, stand up or dance).

I was in a crabby mood when they started because it was super crowded and I realized for the third time how much I dislike The Stone Pony as a venue (especially when it is crowded).   I couldn’t really see the band and the lights weren’t very helpful, so it was not a great scene.  But their music cheered me up pretty much from the get go.

They played soulful music and implored us to Step Up to The Dance Floor.

I thought about how they were promoting a message of positivity, but “I Don’t Give a Damn” was kind of an odd choice.

However, I really enjoyed the stupid shout-along “Smokin’ Drinkin’ Talkin’ Shit”

The rest of the show was more of the same, with solos, chanting, clapping and good feelings.  There were a lot of people who were there to see Snacktime.  And I totally get it.  It’s just not quite my thing (except when it is). (more…)

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ALT 104.5 Fishtown FestivALT Block Party (July 29, 2023) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in ALT 104.5 Fishtown FestivALT Block Party, Brooklyn Bowl, Cafuné, David Kushner, DJ Reed Streets, Grouplove, Max Davey, Philadelphia, PA, Portugal The Man, Snacktime, The Fillmore Philadelphia, The Foundry, Voilà on July 29, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: July 29, 2023] ALT 104.5 Fishtown FestivALT Block Party

I received a notification that Portugal. The Man were going to be playing at The Fillmore.  They are a band who are high on my “wanna see” list.  So I grabbed a ticket even though I had a ticket for another show that night.

Then I learned a short time later that the Portugal. The Man show was part of this ALT 104.5 Fishtown FestivALT Block Party.  It’s an all-day affair in three locations.  Much of it is free, although the Portugal. show is not.  Well, then it turned out that we were picking up my daughter from camp that day–so that knocked out going into town early.  And then we got invited to a farewell party for a friend who was leaving the area.  So there went the evening show.  I tried to resell my tickets but I guess Portugal. The Man is not on the top of everyone’s “must see” list.

As for the free bands, it’s amazing how much TikTok is making new bands into favorites.

There are three venues involved. (more…)

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Alt-J / Portugal. The Man / Cherry Glazerr (The Mann Center for Performing Arts, Philadelphia, PA, April 13, 2022) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Alt-J, Cherry Glazerr, Mann Center for the Performing Arts, Philadelphia, PA, Portugal The Man on April 13, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: April 13, 2022] Alt-J / Portugal. The Man / Cherry Glazerr

I was really looking forward to this show.  It was a summer highlight.

Alt-J is one of those bands that I kind of like and kind of don’t.  Their music is weird and unsettling.  Catchy and earwormy and annoying at the same time.  But their live show is supposed to be amazing.

I’ve wanted to see Portugal. The Man for a long time.  We saw an abbreviated set of theirs at Newport Folk Festival a while ago, and it just made me want to see the whole thing.

Cherry Glazerr is an indie rock band that plays incredibly catchy fuzzy pop rock.  I’d really like to see them in a smaller setting, but this would have been my first chance to see them.

Then we booked a vacation to D.C.  We were expecting to come home early this day, but our plans changed and we wound up getting home just about when the first band was supposed to go on.  I doubt I would have gone anyhow–it seems weird  to come back from vacation and go out, but I had held out hope for this show.

Alas.

But again, D.C. was a great mini-vacation and I’m really glad we went.

 

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Leo Carew–The Wolf: Under a Northern Sky: Book One [excerpt] (2019)

Posted in "Weird Al" Yankovic, Excerpt, Fantasy, Futility, History, K.J. Parker, Leo Carew, Portugal The Man, Tom Holt, Violence, War on October 20, 2020| Leave a Comment »

SOUNDTRACK: PORTUGAL THE MAN-“Live in the Moment” (Weird Al Remix) (2018).

Portugal. The Man asked Weird Al to remix two songs. This is the second one.  This remix starts with the Weird Al polka medley treatment–lots of fast accordions.  The vocals sound a little different, although maybe that’s just because all of the proper music has been removed and replaced with the oompah bass, accordion and horns blasts.

The transition between verses is tackled with that Weird Al polka flourish, fitting perfectly.

The song definitely feels more frenetic with that intense bass thumping but the chorus is still just as catchy.

After the (serious) second chorus there’s a wild and silly polka instrumental break.  Then Al takes over lead vocals for the final verse.  Since Al’s voice is synonymous with funny, it’s a little strange to hear him sing straight lines–but his voice works operfectly.

[READ: October 10, 2020] The Wolf [excerpt]

K.J. Parker’s Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City contained two excerpts from other books tacked on at the end.  The second is an excerpt from Leo Carew’s complicatedly named The Wolf: Under a Northern Sky: Book One.

The blurb says

In Leo Carew’s thrilling and savagely visceral debut epic fantasy, The Wolf, violence and death come to the land under the Northern Sky when two fierce races break their age-old fragile peace and begin an all-out war.

Roper surveys the scene.  At nineteen, this would be his first battle.  They are in a deluge of rain, which he imagines will shorten the battle–men fight less fiercely in the rain. Ropers father Lord Kynortas says they have no battle plan, they are unsure what they will face. But they have ninety thousand soldiers of the Black Legion marching behind them.

The Sutherners had amassed a similarly large army and threatened the balance of power in Albion.

Kynortas introduces Roper to Uvoren, the warrior that every young boy of the Black Legion aspired to be like.  Uvoren is kindly to the boy and tells him that his father is a lot of fun to watch in a parley situation.

Roper had never seen a Sutehrner before and he was shocked to see that the looked just like him, only smaller. They were childlike.

As the leaders approached, Kynortas announced that the Sutehrners had invaders their land. They had burned and plundered.  Kynortas towered over the Sutherner leader.  Kynortas told him to take his men and leave or he will unleash the Black Legion soldiers and show no mercy.

The leader of the Sutherners was named Earl William.  He was not intimated despite the size difference.  He told Kynortas that his men were very comfortable there and that they have a strong position.  He demanded thirty chests of gold for them to leave.

Roper knew that thirty chests was an absurd number. His kingdom did not have much use for gold and could never procure thirty chests.  Roper concluded that Earl William did not want his offer accepted.

Kynortas said that they neither had that much gold nor would they “satisfy your greed for things that are soft and impotent.”  Then he jumped forward and seized Earl William’s breastplate.  He pulled it off and flung it aside leaving Earl William exposed.

Earl William’s men stormed off.  Except for one named Bellamus.  He snorted at Kynortas and said “being blessed with bone-armor, I cannot imagine you know how it felt for Earl William to have his defences taken so contemptuously from him.  Before this battle is over, I will show you how that feels.”

When Roper asked if this was typical negotiation, Kynortas nodded.  Negotiation is just n exercise in intimidation

When Roper said that they weren’t serious about their gold request–Earl william was goading them into attacking.

Kynorta smiled assuming the Sutherners were overconfident.

I’m vaguely interested in this story, but with so many other books I want to read, I don’ imagine I’ll continue with this story.

 

 

 

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K.J. Parker–The Two of Swords: Volume One [excerpt] (2018)

Posted in "Weird Al" Yankovic, Archery, Excerpt, Fantasy, History, K.J. Parker, Portugal The Man, Tom Holt, War on October 19, 2020| Leave a Comment »

SOUNDTRACK: PORTUGAL. THE MAN-“Feel It Still” (Weird Al Remix) (2018).

Imagine taking this ubiquitous and insanely catchy hit and removing all of the music and replacing it with an oompah-pah polka.

That’s what happened when Portugal. The Man asked “Weird Al” Yankovic to remix their song.

Basically Al has taken the song and turned it into one of his polka medley type songs, but not exactly.  He doesn’t speed up the song (although the polka bass makes the song feel more intense) and he leaves most of the original vocals intact.

The song begins and sounds pretty much the same.  Then come the big tuba (possibly) bass notes that signify polka.  There’s accordion trills at the end of each line and the standard polka transition that Al uses in all of his polka medleys between verses.

Verse two features lots of unnecessary and amusing backing vocals from Al, as well as obligatory “heys!” in the background.

Each further section gets a unique treatment.  The “I’m a rebel just for kicks” part now features fast banjo chords and the “easy coming” part is sung by Al.

It’s a funny treatment–not a typical remix at all.  But it also retains the spirit of the original, just in a very different-sounding way.

[READ: October 10, 2020] The Two of Swords: Volume One [excerpt]

K.J. Parker’s Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City contained two excerpts from other books as bonus material.  The first is an excerpt from Parker’s earlier trilogy The Two of Swords.

The blurb says

A soldier with a gift for archery.  A woman who kills without a second thought  Two brothers, both unbeatable generals, now fighting for opposing armies.  No one in the vast and once glorious United Empire remains untouched by the rift between East and West, and the war has been fought for as long as anyone can remember.  Some still survive who know how it started, but no one knows how it will end.  Except, perhaps, the Two of Swords.

Sounds pretty epic.

The excerpt is actually a very small detail and I found it very compelling.

Teucer is an archer.  He has an excellent draw but his release isn’t great.  He tends to be a bit hasty. But on this day, he was releasing perfectly.  He seemed to be hearing voices in his head–voices that were guiding his hands.  When he snapped out of his reverie, he realized that he had hit eight bullseyes. (more…)

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K.J. Parker–Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City (2019)

Posted in "Weird Al" Yankovic, Black Lives Matter, Death, Drinking, Fantasy, Feminism, Funny (ha ha), Futility, History, K.J. Parker, Native Americans, Portugal The Man, Racism, Sexism, Tom Holt, Unreliable narrator, Violence on October 18, 2020| Leave a Comment »

SOUNDTRACK: PORTUGAL THE MAN-“Who’s Gonna Stop Me” (feat. “Weird Al” Yankovic) (2020).

Portugal. The Man and “Weird Al” (punctuation buddies, clearly) have worked together in various ways in the past.  But here is something totally weird for Weird Al.  He is providing serious verses to a serious song.

Portugal. The Man songs tend to be dancey and fun, but this song is quite serious (and the video is fantastic).

A quiet opening of drums and echoing keyboard notes.  The hook comes when the vocals speed up in the middle of the first verse.

There are some gorgeous “ooohs” and then Al’s verse comes.  Al obviously has a great voice–he can mimic anyone–he is perfectly matched to the original vocal line and his voice sounds great singing “sneaking out, jumping over backyard fences, we’re always looking for freedom.”

After some more of those haunting oohs, a loud drum fill introduces the second half of the song which elevates the song into a slightly more danceable section full of drums and voices.

And then comes the incredible hook of “toooooooo high!”  The vocal range from the deep “too” the soaring “high” is outstanding.

It sounds like Portugal. The Man are taking their music in yet another direction and this one is quite a good one.

[READ: October 10, 2020] Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City

I read a positive review of K.J. Parker’s “follow up” to this book called How to Rule an Empire and Get Away With It.  When I picked up that book, I saw that the back cover said it was the follow up to Sixteen.  I assumed that meant it was a sequel and that I should read Sixteen first.  Well, Sixteen ends pretty definitively.  It turns out that Empire takes place seven years later and while I haven’t read it yet, I think it’s good I read this one first.

Also, K.J. Parker is the pseudonym of Tom Holt, a fantasy author I have not read but whom I gather I would like a lot.  So it was a good thing to read the review of Empire.

Parker has written several trilogies as well as a few stand-alone books.  I bring this up because I’ve read that some of the characteristics of this story reference other parts of his stories (this is a stand alone story, but I guess there might be parts that refer to his other books).

Like, for instance, the blues and the greens. These are two of the dominant races in the book.  I had a hard time telling them apart because there was no real introduction of either group. It was clear they hated each other, but I couldn’t figure out why (which I assumed was the point). At any rate, another reviewer says that the blues and greens are part of his other books, so maybe they are explained elsewhere.

The City appears to also be a thing that Parker likes to play around with.  In this book, the City is run by the Robur, a dominating group who have successfully conquered much of the surrounding lands. (more…)

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Newport Folk Festival Recap (Fort Adams State Park, Newport, RI, July 27 & 28, 2019)

Posted in All Songs Considered, Amanda Shires, Amy Ray, Benmont Tench, Billy Strings, Bob Boilen, Brandi Carlile, C., Chris Funk, Colin Meloy, Courtney Marie Andrews, Crosby Stills & Nash, Crosby Stills Nash and Young, CSN, Dawes, Dolly Parton, First Ladies of Bluegrass, Fleet Foxes, Fruit Bats, Hozier, Hurray for the Riff Raff, J.S. Ondara, Jade Bird, Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit, Jim James, Judy Collins, Jupiter & Okwess, Lake Street Dive, Lucy Dacus, Maggie Rogers, Maren Morris, Mavis Staples, Molly Tuttle, Muppets, My Morning Jacket, Native Americans, Newport Folk Festival, Newport, RI, Nilüfer Yanya, NPR/PRI/PBS, Our Native Daughters, Pete Seeger, Portugal The Man, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, S., Sheryl Crow, Susto, T., The Decemberists, The Highwomen, The Milk Carton Kids, The Shins, Trey Anastasio, Vacation, Wilco, Woody Guthrie, Yola on July 28, 2019| 1 Comment »

[ATTENDED: July 27 & 28, 2019] Newport Folk Festival

Back in 1998, I won a radio contest (not through luck, I knew the name of a song and couldn’t believe no one else did!) and scored a ticket to the Newport Folk Festival.  It was in a lull back then and also, I believe there was only one stage (it’s hard to remember).  Now it is at full power, selling out before artists are even announced.

S. and I have talked about going and finally this year I saw when tickets were announced and I bought 4 tickets for us.  I knew that our son wouldn’t want to go, but I decided to make a long vacation out of it–a couple days in Rhode Island and then about a week in Maine.  He couldn’t say no to going to that.

I didn’t get Friday tickets because three days seemed excessive.  Plus, you never know who is going to appear until long after you buy the tickets. and that actually worked out pretty well.   Turned out, there wasn’t anyone I really wanted to see.

So we rolled in for Saturday.  I was told that if you wanted to get the poster you had to get their very early.  We arrived at 12:30 and they were long sold out.  Oh well. (more…)

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Hozier (Newport Folk Festival, July 28, 2019)

Posted in Hozier, Mavis Staples, Newport Folk Festival, Newport, RI, Nina Simone, Portugal The Man, XPN Fest on July 28, 2019| 1 Comment »

[ATTENDED: July 28, 2019] Hozier @ Newport Folk Festival

Ever since I learned that Hozier’s “Nina Cried Power” featured Mavis Staples who knew Nina Simone, I was more blown away by the song.

From Billboard:

it was important to me to have Mavis involved. She was kind of there at the beginning of the song. Even when the song was in its embryonic state and the idea of it was forming, I wanted to credit the legacy of the artists in that song and the names were kind of popping into my head, [and] I knew it needed Mavis. I just felt incredibly fortunate and honored that she got where the song was coming from and vibed with it and was up for being a part of the song.

I’d already been impressed by “Take Me to Church” and “Jackie & Wilson,” so I knew I’d want to see him live. (more…)

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Trey Anastasio (The Fillmore Philadelphia, May 25, 2016)

Posted in Crosby Stills Nash and Young, CSN&Y, Gorillaz, Led Zeppelin, Leon Russell, Mike Gordon, Philadelphia, PA, Phish, Portugal The Man, The Fillmore Philadelphia, Trey Anastasio, U2 on May 25, 2017| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: May 25, 2016] Trey Anastasio

I saw Phish for the first time last summer.  The show was a lot of fun and I understood why people wanted to go to every one of their shows.  I haven’t really listened to as much of Trey Anastasio’s solo music, although I do like his new album Paper Wheels.  But I thought it would be a great opportunity to see the front man in a small place–getting up close in a way I’d never be able to at a Phish show.

The ticket said the show would start at 7:30, I wanted to get there early to get in front.  I arrived later than I wanted to, but the show didn’t go on until 8, so I was a little annoyed.  And yet it also meant that I got to get up pretty close (right behind the front section which appeared to be the dance section of the floor).

I was really surprised at how little pot there was at the show.  I smelled a little, but for the most part it was more drinking than smoking (and there was much drunkenness at the end). (more…)

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