Shows Seen This Week: Port O’Brien and A Pack Of Wolves
How did it already get to be Saturday? On Wednesday night, I went to see Bay Area bands Port O’Brien and A Pack Of Wolves open up for Man Man at The Independent. I had a terrifically bouncy good time and meant to write down my impressions of the show immediately, but it’s been one of those kinds of weeks in San Francisco. There are always so many things to do here, aren’t there? In any case, the show was terrific, the venue was wonderful as always and the night was worth mentioning immediately even though I didn’t.
Port O’Brien kicked off the show, playing to the kind of small crowd that you get when you’re the opener for a relatively early show. But the filtering-in size of the crowd didn’t seem to phase this Oakland band who played their hearts out as though the place was packed, filling the space with energy and getting the crowd of mostly-twenty-something kids jumping and cheering along. They’re an acoustic indie band with an experimental edge to them that I’ve noticed to be something of a trend for Oakland bands, that trend of inserting a little bit of dissonance into the music to jar the audience into paying attention. For example, my favorite song, “A Bird Flies By” was going along smoothly when suddenly there was on-stage screaming by the group’s lone female (Cambria Goodwin) which jolted the attention of the crowd.
But what was particularly notable about the band was not their experimental edge so much as the interesting vocal effect that they produce by having all five (although it’s apparently usually four) band members sing many of the lyrics in tandem. Straining on tiptoes when reaching the high notes, lead Van Pierszalowski played as though having a good time depended on it. Bringing the audience in to join on the final song, “I Woke Up Today”, Port O’Brien ultimately gave the impression of just being a really fun band.
Port O’Brien was followed by the guys I went to see, A Pack of Wolves. The duo didn’t fail to bring the same play-for-all-your-worth energy to the stage. In fact, their entire set was jam packed with energy vibrating from both of their bodies through their instruments and out in to the crowd. I hesitate to highlight the talents of either of the guys because it’s their symbiotic combination which makes their energetic indie pop come across so well, but I do have to say that if you’re the kind of live music fan who thinks that drums make the set, you’d be wowed by A Pack Of Wolves live performance.
What stood out about these guys was the way that their music came across as very physical. Although their sound isn’t even remotely harsh, and isn’t a sound I would be particularly inclined to call “high energy”, they play with a physicality that makes the music go straight into your body. The way that they move along with their instruments creates the impression that they are funneling their energy into their music and having it compress there before shooting back out at you to create an actual physical sensation that makes you want to bounce with their music. Oh, and they were selling CDs for just a dollar and homemade T’s for $5 – just can’t beat good music combined with DIY spirit.
I actually missed the headliners, Man Man (who were described by one of the Port O’Brien guys as putting on a show that’s “like Queen on steroids with hyphy”), but I didn’t feel like I’d missed a thing. Port O’Brien plays around California for the next month but will be back in San Francisco on May 4th for a show at Bottom of the Hill. A Pack Of Wolves is on the road now and will be back May 19th for a show at Edinburgh Castle.
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