Featured Shows
Andy Frasco & The UN - The Aladdin Theater PDX
Andy Frasco & The UN play Aladdin Theater in Portland, OR
photos by Julia Varga
I knew Andy Frasco from his podcast Andy Frasco’s World Saving Podcast, listening to him interview some of my favorite artists, stand up comedians and actors has always been enlightening, fun and every now and then runs off the rails, and I’ve loved it! I was so thrilled to see him on the bill in PDX, and I had no idea what to expect. Luckily, I met some cool people who had seen his most recent five shows and gave me a bit of a heads up for the calamity that may ensue; I am thrilled I got the inside info, because I was prepared!
A barefooted Frasco perched behind a custom piano, greets the fans as one tosses him a mushroomy souvenir, which he happily and unquestionably gobbles up, thanks Portland for their kindness and goes right into his set.
Frasco and his band are noted for their on stage “shtick” but from what I saw, there was no “shtick” per se, there was definitely a genuine feeling of “fuck it lets play music and have as much fun as possible”, but no shtick. Frasco jumped atop his piano singing to the crowd from a dizzying height (apparently just dizzying for me , stupid vertigo) then just as easily jumps back down and takes his place behind the keys.
I grooved along to their originals, and absolutely loved their covers of Talking Heads “Life during Wartime”, Stone Temple Pilots “Vasoline”. Guitarist Shawn Eckels brought metal guitar riffs to complement Frasco’s piano, and Ernie Chang’s saxophone, Andee Avila on drums and at one point Frasco had everyone switch instruments mid song without interruption. Eckels even had it in him to jump on top of Frasco’s piano, as it lifted him even further towards the top of the theater and absolutely shredded.
Opener Big Something jumped on stage, along with rapper Damn Skippy (Alex Veazy) and Frasco leaned into the role as the Orchestrator of Chaos demanding guitar duels, two drummers one kit and a music mayhem to create some insane energy and an energized crowd.
Fun show for sure, I definitely recommend seeing an Andy Frasco show, with or without “shtick”, it WILL be fun.
photos by Julia Varga
The Beths at Wonder ballroom PDX
New Zealand indie rock band starts a 6 month world tour with two nights in Portland, Oregon
photos by Julia Varga
With the recent announcement of The Beths playing Newport Folk Festival this summer, we knew we’d have to check them out asap. Luckily, the New Zealand band started their six-month world tour right here in Portland with a sold out two-night stint at Wonder Ballroom. We got to catch them on night two with a giddy crowd which took no time filling the venue after doors opened.
As The Beths walked onstage, a giant fish head inflated from behind the amps and they immediately went into their first song, “Future Me”. Between songs, name suggestions for the fish were thrown out from the crowd for a few fun interactive moments. The Beths haven’t toured North America since 2019 and the crowd was clearly exhilarated for the indie rock band’s set and fish name suggestions continued throughout the show; which made for a clever means of connecting with the crowd.
Touring their new record Experts in a Dying Field, the band brought harmonizing melodies and energetic guitar riffs. They also brought open-hearted lyrics like those in “Silence is Golden” (featured on NPR ‘s #NowPlaying in June 2022), a song that starts with fast paced drum beats, gritty guitars and quick lyrics, and ends in punk like distorted electric guitar and repeated “Silence is golden, is golden is golden”. The crowd stayed quiet until the last syallable then erupted into thunderous applause and cheers, which continued throughout the entire show and through the encore. The band made quick work of their impressive 16-song set list and 2-song encore for a fantastic start to their tour.
The onstage fish however, left Portland still unnamed.
photos by Julia Varga
