Let me be honest: I’ve known of the existence of both Husker Dϋ and Pavement for about as long as I’ve known what music was, but I’ve never really explored what either band sounded like. They’re both obvious icons of the indie-rock world, and for that I’ve always held respect for them, but have just never really took the time to listen to their music.
Then I discovered Scott Kannberg—former guitarist for Pavement—and his newest project, Spiral Stairs. I was absolutely blown away, and even more so when I found out they’d be playing in Portland this weekend. It also seemed pretty cool that Husker Dϋ’s Bob Mould would be headlining, because I saw it as an opportunity to properly expand my musical knowledge to the depths it should’ve reached years ago.
I was slightly happy to get to the show and see Mould would be opening, instead of headlining, due to "a family emergency." And I got even happier as the show went on, because I became more and more anxious for his band to be done and off the stage. Sure, Mould’s got some major talent, but it felt too much like he was trying to regress from his earlier, punkier days, into something more easy-listening. He and his backup band of two played at least four songs that smacked eerily of mid-90s introspective rock, and it was boring, to say the least. But the second they launched into a Husker Dϋ tune, everything flipped. Mould seems to still carry a bit of rebellious angst in his back pocket, and he brandished it with a flourish. The band carried the flag with him, revealing an intense piece to their outfit that clearly needs to be used more often.
Toward the end of the set the crowd joined together to sing Mould "Happy Birthday," and it weirdly seemed a fitting way to wrap up the hodgepodge of styles his band had laid on us.
After that, the real fun began. Almost fifty-percent of the crowd exited once Mould finished, and I’d like to let them know they should feel sorry for themselves. The Spiral Stairs set was playfully fantastic, full of dynamic grooves that kept the remaining audience shaking. Despite the fact he’s been performing for over twenty years, Kannberg showed an almost virginal excitement about what he was doing. And his band did just the same—I can’t say enough about his incredible guitarist, who frequently spasmed as if the guitar riffs were the things keeping his blood pumping. With appearances by members of The Posies, including founder Jon Auer, the show was brimming with excitement from start to close. Kannberg also brought songs from other projects to the table, and it all felt ridiculously right.
I got a chance to talk to some of them after the show, and Kannberg spoke as if he didn’t have the right to have played after a Bob Mould show. Truth is, Spiral Stairs upstaged the hell out of the accidental openers. They’ve got a delicious thing going, and I can only hope the boys that backed Kannberg up this night stay with him long enough to cook up much more good stuff.
