I’ve always had this suspicion that Ken Kesey would’ve enjoyed the hell out of Blitzen Trapper. Kesey’s written adoration of Oregon and its rugged beauty associates itself pretty nicely with the style this Portland-based group have made a home in. A wistful brand of country folk that gets downright brazen from time to time, the music of Blitzen Trapper rightly captures the essence of the Northwest, both of today and centuries ago.
Their latest release, Destroyer of the Void, threw me at first, as it seemed the group was melting away into listless folk music land. However multiple listens paid off and proved the album worthy or at the very least unlike the rest of the music that is floating out there among us these days. Heavy instrumentation, dazzling piano and strings back up smart lyrics that keep you thinking. These are songs that need no glitter to make them appealing, and stick to the grit of music that could’ve been played on a porch outside of Eugene in 1872.
Their set at the Crystal Friday night was a lovely reminder that it’s not all about production anymore, it’s about the music. Avi Buffalo opened the show with a beautiful and romantic instrumental, and I was immediately interested in what they were bringing to the stage. But then group-founder, lead vocalist and guitarist Avi Zahner-Isenberg began singing in a slightly nasal, unisex way that wasn’t commanding enough to match the rest of the band’s sound, and I was daunted.
Soon I learned, thanks to the savvy stranger next to me, that the group is usually a four-piece, and that the missing component this night was Rebecca Coleman, who generally plays keyboard and sings back-up for the group. “It’s sad she isn’t here to harmonize with him,” said savvy stranger. And sad it was. The group had some mesmerizing potential with their bare bones sound, and they evolved throughout the set into a rockin’ kind of shoegaze I really appreciated. When I got home, I dug deeper into this mystery member and found out that Coleman isn't listed as a member on every website, and that she was (and maybe still is?) a girlfriend of Zahner-Isenberg’s. Oh, Internet. Thank you for now making me assume the couple has split, and the band is now minus a very necessary piece to their success. If anyone reading this knows the truth to this story, please fill me in.
Back to show, Blitzen Trapper’s set was incredible…for the first 60 minutes or so. There are some fantastic songs in their repertoire, and the new album teems with strongly likeable tracks, but the handful of songs everyone knew got played at the beginning of the show, leaving many people around me bored by the end of their set.
That build up of incredible intensity in the beginning was worth it though, as it featured much of the band’s new album - which sounded awesomely better than the recorded version. "Heaven and Earth" was delivered with raw instrumentation and gritty, yet gorgeous harmonies, while epic odes such as the new album’s title track cast a spell on the crowd. And when well-known hits such as "Black River Killer" came on, said crowd went nuts. It was impressive to see the variety in each song played by the group, particularly when songs like "Lover Leave Me Drowning" veered eloquently from the sweet sensation of violin to daring, manly guitar riffs.
But then all of the common songs had been played, and when bandleader Eric Earley stepped forward for a solo, I couldn’t help but thinking, ‘Shouldn’t these guys be wrapping up the show?’ Earley’s piece was awe-inspiring to say the least, but the band’s return after, for a handful of songs, was unnecessary. As great an act as Blitzen Trapper is, they need to put forth an altogether killer show in order to further substantiate their reachable stardom.
I’ll cast props Earley’s way for returning for a second solo to close the set, because this time it began with an attempt to cover "Rocky Mountain High" – the song ended with him laughing, “I don’t know the words.” Then he introduced a Townes Van Zandt song, and everything from the night smoothed itself out . I’m proud of this Portland band for many things, but above all, it's that they remain close to the truth of music, and that they do it so appealingly well. I think Kesey would've thought much the same.
