Dabbling in old timey music can be a slippery slope. Striving for authenticity can lead to sounding hokey and cliché, while trying to innovate can feel too contrived. Some artists can strike a perfect balance, and Pokey LaFarge is definitely one of them. St. Louis-based LaFarge throws together numerous old timey jazz, country, folk, rockabilly and roots music to create something that sounds like nothing else. Currently touring in support of his fantastic recent album Manic Revelations, LaFarge and his band capped off the second of two nights in Portland, OR at the Doug Fir Lounge on Tuesday, May 15.
Chicago troubadour Al Scorch kicked things off with a set of workingman’s folk-punk. Beyond a beaming smile that never goes away, Scorch’s appeal is in the way he translates his perspectives on the hardship and injustice of the lower class into raucous yet warming lyrics. Scorch was backed by Jess McIntosh (fiddle) and Hannah Fidler (bass), who added instrumental flourishes and sweeping, powerful harmonies. Most of the songs came from Scorch’s most recent album Circle Round the Signs. At the helm, Scorch showed his ability to jump from jubilance and defiance with “Pennsylvania Turnpike” and “Everybody Out” to more emotionally poignant fare like “City Lullaby” and “Love After Death”. Though some in the crowd seemed to be tuned into Al Scorch already, by the end of his set it was clear he had made a strong musical connection with everyone in the room.
Pokey LaFarge and his dapper band were in fine spirits when they hit the stage, bringing the crowd immediately into the fold with a sing-a-long on the feel-good tune “Wanna Be Your Man”. Sing-a-longs would be a frequent occurrence of the night, with Pokey inviting the audience to participate in songs like the Spanish-meets-Irish drinking tune “Goodbye Barcelona”, the loose and fun “Central Time”, and the lively and bluesy gospel number “La La Blues”. Other moments showed off Pokey’s ability to cover all the genre bases, like the light-hearted and velvety rockabilly romp “Better Man Than Me”, the fun country ditty a la the Louvin Brothers “Carry On”, and the fiery, jazz-guitar tour de force “Pack It Up”. One of the most poignant moments of the night came with Pokey’s heartfelt rendition of Warren Zevon’s “Carmelita”, and later pay tribute to Willie Nelson and Oregon with his cover of “Lumber Jack”.
Pokey isn’t afraid to mix things up, which is not common for acts like him supporting an album. But on this night in Portland he was intent to give his fans a truly unique set of music filled with left field covers, original material, and plenty of sing-a-longs to keep spirits high. It helped that he was in a fine mood as he shared rowdy nostalgic stories about his fun times in Oregon, seeming to revel in being able to give Portland a one-of-a-kind show.
