Two "Free" Shows that were Incredible and Made Me A Fan for Good. And Jojo

A couple of weeks ago, I went to see Jojo. Now, before you criticize or chastise me for this, there are a few things you should know about me if you don't already: 1) I have a well-known, well-publicized affinity for female pop (I cannot explain it, but it's been there ever since Debbie Gibson and Tiffany hit the scene in the '80s and early '90s), and I definitely cannot say it's a guilty pleasure, because I don't find it necessary to be guilty of liking any particular genre of music. I don't judge other 2) if it's a live show, I'll probably go to it 3) Jojo is a fellow New Englander, born in Foxboro, MA 4) she was the unfortunate victim of major label abuse and disputes, which really stunted and stalled her career (re: think Kesha without the alleged sexual and mental abuse) and 5) I enjoy underdog stories, especially when musicians turn things around and take the road less traveled back to fame.

And it should be noted that this girl, discovered and signed when she was only 13 years old, puts on one hell of a show, lots of (sexual) energy, as she's now an adult (or at least a twentysomething with more freedom to be who she is without a major label quelling anything for fear of upsetting the masses). And, as one of her newest songs suggests, she makes no apologies. A lot of her set focused on her new album's material, playing a few of her older hits in an acoustic set, briefly, in the middle of the show.

Sure, I was probably the only straight male there without a girlfriend, but that's never stopped me from having a great time and enjoying a concert.

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This week I was fortunate enough to win free tickets to two (pretty packed) shows here in Portland, at Port City Music Hall (easily one of my favorite small venues). The first show was Jamestown Revival and, full disclosure, I had not heard any of their stuff until I looked them up on Spotify when the chance to win tickets popped up on my Facebook feed. After listening to their albums, I was convinced it had potential to be a pretty decent show, and they certainly did not disappoint. The energy and the crowd were incredible.

Side Note- In true Sean's life fashion, I even noticed and made eye contact with a girl across the packed venue, as we were both in the front on opposite sides, and as happenstance or serendipity would have it, we ended up crossing paths after the show at red light, waiting to cross the street, found out we were walking home in the same direction, so we talked and walked. (Update- we crossed paths again, Friday afternoon, at the gym of all places.)

A local musician, Hannah Daman and the Martelle Sisters opened the show, and (honestly) that's what drew my attention to the show in the first place, because a buddy of mine (who happens to be a great musician) mentioned that he would be playing with them on a couple of tunes. Hannah Daman was absolutely incredible and, if I had paid for a ticket, worth the price.

Company Man

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American Dream

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Revival

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Done Me Wrong

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Wandering Man

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Midnight Hour

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Fur Coat Blues

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Golden Age

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Medicine (fan request)
Back to Austin

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Love Is a Burden

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California (Cast Iron Soul)

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Poor Mans Gold

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Head On

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---Encore---
Harvest Moon

(Neil Young cover)
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Airliner

And Hannah Daman and the Martelle Sisters--

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And last night, another free ticket won the incredible The Dustbowl Revival. I hadn't heard about them, but once I looked them up, intrigued, I was blown away. This band is an 8-piece collective of musicians from California (think, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes mixed with Trombone Shorty). They consider themselves American roots, jazz-infused, orchestra. Yeah. Got that? Now, all you have to do is see them live and you will be absolutely blown away. They are one of those potential jam-band circuit live bands, one that grows and grows their fanbase from their amazing, energy-filled live shows. It may have helped a bit for this show because the singer, Liz Beebe actually has roots in Maine, having grown up in Exeter and graduated from Gould Academy (never heard of it? look it up, it's in Bethel, ME). Regardless, though, the girl has some incredible pipes and skills on the washboard (yup, you read that right). Included in the band, besides Liz Beebe's amazing, powerful voice, are trombone and trumpet players, mandolin and fiddler players, upright bass musician, guitar/singer, and drummer. If you get the chance to see them on this tour, do yourself a favor and go!

A really good, interesting group of three sisters whose namesake happens to be their shared last name, Von Grey, opened the night for Dustbowl Revival. And, even though their music had a self-described macabe vibe and would be considered gothic-pop, if that makes sense, they did a great job getting the crowd ready. Aside from their decent set of songs they played covers of Radiohead's "Creep" in a much much slower tone and made it very interesting with a female voice; and the other cover they played happened to be "Kiss the Girl" from the Disney film "The Little Mermaid," and it was pretty damn awesome. Seriously.

Haven't been able to find a setlist for The Dustbowl Revival that doesn't go back almost an entire year, which is disappointing because they're touring in preparation for their new album's release (re: June). But here's a look at some stuff they've been known to play.