The Fling, Yukon Blonde, Battleme @ Doug Fir Lounge 12.18.11
For a Sunday night at Doug Fir I couldn’t have asked for more. The evening featured a double headlining bill of Long Beach, CA five piece The Fling and Canadian four piece Yukon Blonde. In support of Yukon Blonde and The Fling was newly full banded and Portland based Battleme.
Battleme who is signed to Trashy Moped Recordings (Ghostland Observatory) and Get Loud, put on one of the most confident and energetic performances I’ve seen in a long time. Frontman Matt Drenik displayed a sense of showmanship that one perfects after several runs through SXSW with his former band Lions. From rock and roll stances to full on guitar theatrics Battleme is a welcomed addition to the Portland music world. Battleme who is a newly formed trio has been featured in television shows such as Sons of Anarchy, Chuck, and Criminal Minds. The crowd at Doug Fir seemed extremely familiar with Battleme’s Sons of Anarchy featured and Neil Young remake of Hey Hey, My My, as requests for it were echoed as their set wrapped. Look for a new Battleme single to be released in early 2012.
Following Battleme was co-headliner Yukon Blonde (Bumstead and Nevado Records) who are wrapping up a 60+ North American tour in support of their new EP Fire//Water before heading to Australia and Europe in January and February. The first thing that grabbed me about Yukon Blonde was their laid back and playful stage presence. Interactions between lead singer Jeff Innes and guitarist/vocalist Brandon Scott really complimented my favorite of their tunes Fire. With beautiful vocal harmonization, toe tapping guitars, and a funky harmonica incorporation, Fire really captures the musical range that Yukon Blonde possess. Although they don’t have a video for Fire, Yukon Blonde does a really fun video for their track Water.
Wrapping up Sunday evening at Doug Fir as well as winding down their several months on tour was the Long Beach, CA band The Fling who are signed to Dangerbird Records. The brother fronted (Dustin and Graham Lovelis) five piece have been busy on the road in support of their album When The Madhouses Appear, and it was great to see them live in Portland. As a Los Angeles native, I’ve caught The Fling live a few times, and Sunday didn’t disappoint. The most impressive thing about The Fling has been their growth as a band. Through band shifts and member fill-ins, The Fling has come into their own. Their unique blend of indie/folk rock, keeps me wanting more every time. If you’ve never heard of The Fling before check out their song Wonderingfoot, it’s a good one.
Discuss - 2 Comments
An apt review! I think I was more pleased with Yukon Blonde at the end of the night, but The Fling were fun to finally see live. Wanderingfoot is SUCH a good song…one of my favorites of 2011 for sure.
Totally agree.Can’t wait for them to make their way back up here.