Thursday’s Port O’Brien show at Spaceland was a fun showcase of two bands from up north.  Hailing from Portland, The Builders and the Butchers took opening duties and put on an interesting set.  I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that they garner a lot of low-fi Decemberists comparisons (specifically for their instrumentation and lyrical musings.)  I found their songwriting and overall presentation to be quite enjoyable.  The quick stage setup allowed for a couple chain-smoked cigarettes and before we knew it Port O’Brien was on.  This Oakland five piece has gotten a lot attention lately for lead singer Van Pierszalowski’s commercial-fishing-off-the-coast-of-Alaska upbringing (this is the first summer he hasn’t spent on a boat in a decade – I guess it makes for a cool story.)  Spaceland wasn’t packed – not too shabby for a weeknight - but Van had to keep pleading for people to fill up the front.  Their set was much livelier than a lot of their recorded material and they brought up a couple extraneous musicians for various songs.  They saved their single “I Woke Up Today” for the very end and passed out an array of percussive instruments for people to play along.  This song alone was worth my evening’s time spent at Spaceland.  I know it’s lame to plug the single, but if you haven’t heard this band yet, go find this song – you’ll be singing it all day.

– James Cartwright