Music’s great. Shows are great. Getting to see one of your favorite groups from Canada play one of the only shows you might get to ever seem them play at is great. Watching a clan of idiots drunkenly heckle a group to the point of almost making the group leave the stage? Not great.
Shortly after Born Ruffians began their rip-roarin’ good set at the Doug Fir on Saturday night, said clan of idiots started professing their love to the group by grabbing the bassist’s mic, almost knocking it over, and obnoxiously yelling about how great they were. The band was clearly getting annoyed, and it took comments from the bassist, vocalist and a threat of “If you touch our bassist’s mic one more time, I’m gonna kick your ass,” from the drummer, before the morons finally cooled down. Thank you, drummer. Because I’m pretty sure the rest of the crowd (including me) was about to aid in the ass kicking if they didn’t stop interrupting the show.
Because it was a truly a fantastic show we had on our hands. Aan had opened, with lead singer Bud Wilson wearing only socks on his feet. Shoelessness aside, this band feels and sounds like a three-man Radiohead. Producing varying beats that never quite feel uncomplimentary to each other, Aan piece together a type of music that is both very curious and very exciting. Waaahs, coming from the lips of the singers and the musical instruments at their fingertips, test the crowd to see if they are listening, and ease them into a somber groove before they are punctured with abrupt crashes and changes in speed, decibel level and intensity. This was put to best use during the quiet and soothing “Wet and Dripping,” a tune that just about puts you to sleep with a smile on your face before it jerks you out of your peace and gets your head convulsing with an industrial beat.
Then there are songs such as “Heart Is The Ocean,” which are just so damn good because they put you in an unknown and almost uncomfortable place with their disjointed melodies, frequent inclusions of new sounds and occasionally piercing vocals. It’s a good unknown place and it’s one that you want to explore a bit. To borrow a word from the song’s title, it makes you feel as if you’re on the ocean, where the unknown is all around and beneath you. Their twinkling drum and keyboard beats make you feel as if you’re lost in a dream, just soaking up every bit of color and vibration around you; heavy bass notes are dropped to constantly keep the hum of the dream moving, and spice up its emotion. Pretty heavy stuff, and this Portland three-piece mastermind it well.
“T.O.Y.,” a song about being “over you,” evolved into an extended rock jam, that was full of completely lovely and unexpected guitar notes. There were also a few epic Pink Floyd moments in Aan’s set, which only makes me hope these guys can achieve at least a piece of the notoriety that great band has over the years.
Following them was the less adventurous Meligrove Band, who are touring with their Canadian countrymen, Born Ruffians, across the U.S. This foursome really got me thinking about how I probably would have liked them that much more if they hadn’t been sandwiched between such great acts this night. They proclaim themselves as a rock group on their Myspace, and I agree that it’s an indie-sounding version of that, but they weren’t quite experimental enough to impress, considering the Aan set that preceded them.
Meligrove Band did convey a more macho Weezer-type sound, circa The Blue Album, from time to time, but nothing was consistent enough to keep me on the dance floor. Their beats were really driven, with shout-out-loud-type lyrics, but the only thing that really made their music memorable was the deep and heavy grooves the bassist kept laying down. All in all, I failed to be impressed until their last song, a fun track that was accentuated by a disco ball turning on above the crowd.
And then the most exciting act of the night, the Born Ruffians made their way to the stage. Touring in support of their delicious 2010 release, Say It, these guys nailed their show, particularly through the aid of a charismatic bassist, that put on one of the best bass performances I’ve ever seen. I’ve honestly never seen a bassist so effectively dominate a set, and do it in a way that doesn’t overshadow everybody else. Hats off to you, Mitch Derosier, especially for not giving a shit about the fans that were trying to wreck your show.
I came to learn this band of indie cool is much more well known than I thought, as the audience wholeheartedly sung out the words to every one of their songs. “Oh Man,” “Sole Brother” and “Hummingbird” were delivered in a fresh and absolutely contagious way, and the crowd was more than grateful for it. I’m a big fan of the way these guys spit out a kind of pop music that isn’t cheeky or unoriginal; this music is likable no matter who you are, or what kind of genres you stand by. It’s got a loopy, funky kind of beat to it, and every song’s got a surprise for you in how it’s delivered. Really good stuff.
So that’s why I’m so happy Born Ruffians refused to let the drunkards in their crowd get the best of them, and why I wasn’t surprised at all when one of Derosier’s bass strings snapped off mid-encore, and he kept on playing, anyways. Way to stick it out for your true fans.
