This Weekend in Music

Blitzen Trapper at Metro

As Blitzen Trapper took the stage at The Metro on Thursday night, their humble and down to earth presence was immediately felt.

According to their bio on Sub Pop's website, Eric Early, (lead singer/guitarist/songwriter) lived a portion of his early adult life homeless in his home town of Portland, Oregon. He cites this as part of his influence for his outlook on life, and therefore music.

As one delves deeper into Blitzen Trapper's discography, it becomes apparent what inspires Early. Each record shines as a personal vision of Americana, which can also be heard in their southern-rock guitars, harmonicas, and Dylan-esque folk tales. Though it is quite apparent that Early is heavily influenced by Bob Dylan (a comparison constantly re-appearing in many reviews of their work), on stage he came off as more of a Bruce Springsteen. Early himself remains an original vision of Americana, and his over-whelmingly sincere and dedicated performance only added to this. That being said, Blitzen Trapper is refreshing and original in many ways.

Though they are definitely influenced by Southern/folk rock, Blitzen Trapper put their own stamp on the genre, sometimes transcending it. This is what makes Early's particular vision of America and the world so original and enjoyable, the perfect mix of paying tribute to the greats, while twisting it enough to be completely it's own. On stage Blitzen Trapper appeared solemnly adjusting their gear, only to jump into a lively and almost happy-go-lucky set.

Naturally they played a few songs off their new album, American Goldwing, but they didn't forget their enjoyable material from Wild Mountain Nation, and Furr. Standout songs were "God and Suicide," "Sleepytime in the Western World," "Black River Killer" and "Might Find it Cheap". After reading

Electric Six at the Double Door

both lyrics and prose by Early, I was interested to see if his personality came through on stage, and it truly did. Early is a great songwriter; not afraid to wear his influences on his sleeve, whilst treating us to his honest, "American-hero" persona, all while maintaining a humble appearance. Blitzen Trapper played their hearts out, and it was well worth the effort.

Six-piece Detroit- based Electric Six packed the house with excited fans at The Double Door on Friday night, and they did not disappoint.

Electric Six has a different sound live compared to in the studio, however it works very well and the audience was really enjoying their performance.

The band played a good mix of their expansive repertoire, not forgetting to cover material off their 9th and newest album Heartbeats and Brainwaves.

Electric Six has been steadily churning out records since their debut album Fire in 2003, which features their most popular hit "Danger! High Voltage" which is rumored to feature Jack White of The White Stripes. Electric Six is known for its comedic videos and lyrics. The group definitely seems to approach everything they do with a healthy dose of humor.

But when it comes down to it, they are seriously good musicians with a knack for creating catchy dance-rock tunes. As performers, they don't fail to live up to their reputation. Their performance was energetic and entertaining, and they will surely fill many venues to come.

Wooden Shjips at the Empty Bottle

Walking into a sold out show is not always a great experience, however the Empty Bottle seemed to hold it comfortably on Saturday night. As I walked towards the stage I caught one of the opening acts for Wooden Shjips, Birds of Avalon. At first it was not obvious whether it was worth standing in the shuffling crowd to watch this band, but after a song or two, their set picked up, as did the band's energy.

The openers were a pre-cursor to a psychedelic night, even though for a "psych" band, they were quite energetic, with two guitars matching soaring leads, and throw-back 70's rock riffs. In fact, this was almost anti-climactic, as Birds were much more energetic and eclectic in sound than the headlining band Wooden Shjips.

Wooden Shjips' sound is often described as minimalist, though live their sound is very full, thanks to ultra-distorted guitar paired with effect drenched keyboards. While loud and effected, the music itself seems relatively simple and influenced by garage rock riffage.

Both the drummer Omar Ahsanuddin, and bassist Dusty Jermier play very simple, eventually monotonous rhythm, not droning, just ever-repeating. This is a sturdy yet tiring foundation for guitarist Erik Ripley Johnson to strum distortion soaked riffs, while intermittently having some fun with his pedal board, and quietly whispering in super echo. During all this, keyboardist Nash Whalen (whose keyboard is obscured by a large amount of a tin-foil colored sheet) plays cutting tripped-out notes.

Most Wooden Shjips songs seem to start with an idea which gets repeated for several minutes without much variation, and while some may find this a bit tiring it seems to be a formula that works. The Bottle was packed and most folks there seemed to be big fans, showing that Wooden Shjips have created their own desirable sound.

Photos by Ellie Pritts Photography