[Our fearless team, Nicci Boots and Ian McNeil spent three days listening to an obscene amount of fantastic music above the stunning Columbia River Gorge in George, Washington. Check out all our coverage here, over 30 sets from a who's who list of indie music.]
Ahhh, sweet Zooey Deschanel. The girl that everyone loves. I’ve never heard a single bad thing said about her, and it’s clearly because she’s just about the cutest thing on the planet. When she joined up with M. Ward a few years ago, I was a little hesitant about yet another actress becoming a musician, but when I first heard her countrified, Tammy Wynette-like voice, I was sold. And it doesn’t hurt to have Ward by your side, a guy that pretty much defines Portland-cool with his music.
She & Him's performance on Monday was definitely a good one, but their songs don’t always seem to have the right beat to them, and sometimes, they’re slightly boring. Those tiny negative details take nothing away from Deschanel’s personality and Ward’s twangy guitar, however. Their music just has a summer smile kind of feel to it, and it was perfect for the last day of performances at The Gorge.