Yoke Lore - Wonder Ballroom - Portland, OR
I went in to the Yoke Lore show completely blind as to who or what I was going to drench myself in, only being familiar with images I’d seen online, and really just wanting to meet and fan girl over Cooper, the tour photographer. I was absoltuley blown away by the explosivity I saw on stage.
Yoke Lore, a stage moniker Adrian Galvin has adopted for his solo musical endevors (formally of Walk the Moon which is the coolest little tidnbit). He bounced on to stage ,flashing a winning smile that 4 of 5 dentists would completely approve of, to the screaming glee of the left side of the split general admission sections of the ballroom.
The genre descriptors “folk-pop” and “indie-pop” used to annoy me, but I think they can apply to Yoke Lore; it’s not fully pop music, not those syrupy sweet lyrics drenched in repetitive melodies to get the masses going. The free spirited, dance-as-you’d-like-but-give-it-all-you-got vibe is what hooks the crowd, along with beautifully introspective lyrics and Galvin shredding on a banjo like I’ve NEVER seen anyone before, provides the perfect environment for a storm of exuberant fun.
In between songs, and I love this- Galvin segues from one song to another by reading his free flow poems which he then crumples and tosses into the crowd.
Touring a new album Toward a Never Ending New Beginning, dropped at midnight the night of the show, and songs like “Shake” were a treat to watch live, along with a Savage Garden cover, “Truly Madly Deeply”.
