Family Worship Center Celebrate New LP ‘Only Visiting’ with Psyched Out Rock and Soul Dance Party at Portland, OR’s Polaris Hall (SHOW REVIEW)

Among the bustling indie music scene in Portland, Oregon, Family Worship Center has carved out a niche and steadily built a following for their big-band take on Southern rock and roll. With a visual and musical aesthetic that falls somewhere between the cult-like technicolor of the Polyphonic Spree and the piano-driven rock of Leon Russell, Family Warship Center stands out like a sore thumb in the Pacific Northwest landscape, and this is a welcome burst of color. On Friday, May 22nd, the band celebrated the release of their new album Only Visiting with a boisterous show at Portland’s Polaris Hall. 

Following sets from local favorites Federale and smilepile, the members of Family Worship Center took the stage donning flashy jumpsuits and gold sequined dresses like a Las Vegas lounge act ready to bring the pizazz. Seated behind his keyboard as if leading a gospel choir, frontman and visionary Andy Krissberg kicked off the opening notes of “Reason to Live” before dropping into “The South.” These two older tunes saw the band leaning into their psyched-out Southern rock before letting the triple threat of their vocalists take the vocal spotlight on the disco groover “Malibu By Midnight.” “Buggin’ Out” pushed things into even more psychedelic, winding, and washed-out territory with funky keys and horns to complement the deep harmonies. “Strange” was a fiery work of stomping, greasy soul, while the vocalists stepped back into the lead with playful, slowly churning boogie of “Big Head.” The band continued riding high with tunes like the bittersweet R&B number “Total Monet,” the bombastic, dramatic rock and roll of “Snake Dance,” fueled by rapid tempo changes and plenty of action from the horn section, and the pure Memphis soul of “Red Mustang.” The high point of the set and perhaps the most indicative of the band’s newer sound was during the sprawling “Night Ride,” a tune driven by a sharp 80s-style guitar riff that sounds like it was created by U2’s The Edge before morphing into a My Morning Jacket-esque work of tripped-out psych-pop.       

Closing out in proper fashion with the aptly titled “Touch ‘Em With Love,” the band succeeded once again in stirring up quite the party for the local fans. Their heady dose of Southern-fried rock and roll, soul, R&B, disco, and plenty of stops in between felt like a perfect antidote to a messed-up world. Seeing the band’s older material performed alongside the tunes off Only Visiting showcased how they continue to evolve their sound into something more groove-laden and dance-centric while tightening up. While we likely can’t expect a full-fledged tour with a band that regularly exceeds ten people, Family Worship Center only continues to get better and is a must-see act if you get the opportunity.