Springtime in the Pacific Northwest tends to feel like the scene in the film Pleasantville when everything goes from black and white to color. The months-long gloom is replaced by blossoming and new life, the feeling of fresh energy and awakening. Here in Portland, Oregon, the crowds were out on an absolutely stunning Saturday, April 4th, and what better way to welcome sunshine and warmer days than by packing into a sweaty nightclub in the basement of a pool hall to dance to one of the most exciting (if not the most exciting) bands currently in the funk scene. This was the setting as the Parlor Greens and their fans came primed and ready to Portland’s Jack London Revue.
Fronted by guitarist Jimmy James and backed by Hammond B-3 savant Adam Scone and drummer Tim Carman, Parlor Greens is like a rhythm section gone haywire in the best kind of way. Following the release of their debut album In Green We Dream in 2024, they are gearing up to release their sophomore effort, Emeralds, this coming week. On Saturday in Portland, they gave the people a taste of both with plenty of hijinks sandwiched in between. Dropping into the feisty groove of “In Green We Dream” right out of the gate, the trio wasted little time in getting down to business. “Eat Your Greens” was playful and funky before Scone injected it with a healthy dose of organ, and James laid down a stinging guitar solo with a medley of famous tunes teased in for good measure. This approach captured the signature style of Parlor Greens with their heady mix of funk, blues, R&B, soul, and rock and roll that feels more exploratory and feral compared to James’ work in the Delvon Lamarr Trio. You could hear this on the dreamy work of Memphis soul “Sugar Maple” contrasted with James inserting a powerful tease of Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir” into “Driptorch.” New tunes also hit hard, like “Red Dog” with its instrumental nod to “Susie Q” and “Mustard Sauce” spreading that driving Southern funk of the Meters on thick before the chugging, twangy blues of “200 Dollar Blues.”
Following a short break to let everyone cool down, the band returned for more. This set found them even more locked in, with standout moments like the slow-burning instrumental soul of “Droptop” and the organ-drenched take on Dolly Parton’s “Jolene,” surely one of the most creative renditions of the classic tune you will find. At some point in all of the fiery shenanigans, James teased Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love” while Carman pounded away on the drums with a vigor that showcased both control and ferocity simultaneously. Pushing forward into the final stretch and bringing the dancing crowd right along with them, the band leaned into lighter fare like the jittery guitar-funk of “Parlor Strut,” the bouncing cool of “Emeralds,” and their Parlor Greens treatment of George Harrison’s “My Sweet Lord.”
By the time the band reached the end of their two-set performance, the Jack London Revue had reached sauna-like temps that matched the boiling point intensity of the music. Onstage, the Parlor Greens delivered a masterclass in the fine art of being able to balance looseness with in-the-pocket precision all at once. For a trio, they also know how to make a lot of noise in the best kind of way, and their performance felt like the perfect soundtrack to welcoming warmer weather and sunny days. Classifying this music as funk feels like an oversimplification, as their Portland show was proof that the Parlor Greens are so much more.
All photos Greg Homolka
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