Music Fest NW Night 2

Thursday night saw the second night for MusicFest NW and everyone was out to get down on some great live shows. I started the night off going to Backspace to see three piece band Cheap Girls from Michigan. They have a great alt-rock sound that is reminiscent of the 90s. They have a bunch of catchy tunes that end up rocking your face off when you least expect it.




After Cheap Girls I hopped over the river to go see Lemolo at Mississippi Studios. I had some good timing since the venue started to fill in soon after I arrived. The two girls from Seattle have some serious talent. They have some really cool looping features, great songwriting, and amazing vocals. To me they bridge a gap between classical, metal, and pop music. Definitely worth checking out live.




After Lemolo's set I headed over to Ted's Berbatis to see Purity Ring, but with the line going down the block and around the corner I decided to instead to go back over the river to see Onuinu at the Doug Fir Lounge. I got there just as they were firing up their single "Ice Palace." The lounge was pretty crowded with people dancing and swaying to the electro beats of Onuinu. I really enjoy Onuinu's ability to mix electronic-pop with some rock elements, it reminds me of a chiller Neon Indian.





The last band for the night was Tanlines over at the Holocene. Tanlines have a really cool tribal like electro-pop sound to them. The crowd was getting down as the duo started up with their single "Brothers." They will be playing Fun Fun Fest in the fall so be sure to check them out.

Live At Mississippi Studios: Pure Bathing Culture + Lemolo

Last night was a great show that featured one of Portland's newest most popular bands, Pure Bathing Culture. But up first was Seattle duo Lemolo. They put on an awesome show. These two ladies know how to put out a lot of sound. With cool, spacious keys, warm guitar riffs, and some expert drumming they filled up the venue with great music that could easily be the soundtrack to a night road trip. Lemolo's brand new album, The Kaleidoscope, just came out last week and you don't want to miss out. Check it out below, my favorites include "Open Air," "Letters," and "On Again, Off Again."

After an absolutely stunning performance from Lemolo came Bryan John Appleby and his band. Though at first a little more acoustic and along the lines of singer/songwriter it soon turned into an awesome rocking anthem. With a voice that could be reminiscent of Ben Gibbard and a sound that comes more from country/folk-rock, the combination has a great outcome. The band is equipped with a lap/slide guitar and banjo along with the more contemporary instruments. I have been really digging on their Fire On The Vine album which you can listen to below.

As the set change after Bryan John Appleby started to settle down, the little venue of Mississippi Studios started to fill up to capacity. Pure Bathing Culture is definitely one of the most popular bands here in Portland already. Having just started as a duo in January, they now have an EP and are a four piece band with this being the debut of the new drummer. They not only played the popular songs but came out with a couple of brand new tracks as well. Pure Bathing Culture has a sound that is pretty similar to Beach House but more of a 80s pop-rock feel instead of the dreamy-pop. You can catch Pure Bathing Culture at the PDX Pop Now! festival next weekend or at MFNW. You can check out more pictures at KillingSasquatch.com.