photo by William Anthony
Portland indie-folk duo Blind Pilot are most famously known for touring from Vancouver to San Francisco via bicycle, toting their gear behind them in bike trailers. Combine this carbon-friendly excursion through the Northwest with their down-home, laid-back indie-folk and you have a band that couldn’t represent Portland any better if they tried. Earlier this year they released We Are The Tide, the follow-up to their 2008 debut album 3 Rounds and a Sound. In addition to their performance from the Doug Fir, they’ll be playing Saturday, September 10 at 11:00 PM in the Crystal Ballroom.
Blind Pilot put on a fairly slow moving set of love ballads using a wide array of instruments, including a stand-up bass, xylophone, ukulele, trumpet, organ, and banjo, for KEXP’s live broadcast from Doug Fir Lounge. At several points during the set, it turned into a thigh slapping romp -- these turned out to be the highlights, when the pace picked up and the audience got involved a bit. Easy to listen to, these crescendos could pick up over the space of a bar or two of music in which the volume level nearly doubled. Overall, this local Portland band put on an optimistic set to kick off what should be a long weekend full of tremendous music.
photos by Brittney Bush Bollay:
