Washington D.C. – based surf-sludge-punk garage rockers Teen Mortgage are taking the American rock club scene by storm, with a slew of sold-out shows across the nation. Fueled by the April 11 release of their first LP, Devil Ultrasonic Dream (Roadrunner Records), the duo, consisting of James Guile on guitar and vocals and Edward Barakauskas on drums, offers up a no-holds-barred rock n’ roll experience that’s hard-driving and dirty but catchy enough to encourage anthemic sing-alongs from the thrashing throng of fans.
On April 28th, Teen Mortgage took the stage at Portland, Oregon’s Polaris Hall to rowdy things up and flog everyone’s case of the Mondays into sweet submission. Directly confronting what Guile has called “the era of late stage capitalism and tech feudalism,” the duo kicked things off with “Doctor’ from 2019 EP Life/Death, and charged through about 16 songs in a set that lasted around an hour. At mid-set, the sound guy put on some lounge music, so the band and audience could have a short breather, and Guile and Barakauskas could drink some water, then it was full steam ahead for the second half of the show.
Teen Mortgage is out to turn some heads. After finishing up the North American tour on the East Coast in May, they will be heading to Europe to spread the anarchist gospel far and wide. Get a ticket if you can find one.
Spoon Benders opened up the show on Monday in fine fashion. Founded in Portland by guitarist/vocalist Katy Black, Spoon Benders always receive a warm reception in the Rose City. Their sound has evolved, leaning into more King Crimson-era prog rock, yet still firmly planted in their solid garage-psych punk roots. Along with sure-fire favorites, like “Nation,” Spoon Benders offered up new material, somewhat more expansive, and giving lead guitarist Leo some room to shred, which is a good thing.
