Dave Alvin’s Third Mind Kick Off First Ever Tour in Portland, OR with Mind-expanding Psych Jams (SHOW REVIEW/PHOTOS)

Did legendary guitarist Dave Alvin sit down one day and think, what would it be like to start a band in the vein of the 60s-era Grateful Dead and other jam-loving cohorts? Because this is essentially the premise of his current project, an all-star collective of sorts that finds Alvin teaming up with a handful of mega-talented musician friends to craft the kind of kaleidoscopic rock that lends itself to improvisation. The Third Mind’s mix of original tunes alongside covers of old folk, blues and psychedelic rock songs has now transpired over two acclaimed albums. Yet somehow, since first getting together in 2019 (or maybe even earlier), they have only played a single show, an odd feat since their style of music practically begs to be experienced live. Lucky for us, the band is finally embarking on their first tour and on Thursday, January 11th they officially kicked it off in Portland, Oregon at Mississippi Studios.   

Before The Third Mind took the stage, LA paisley pop outfit Rain Parade played an opening set that veered from the jangly guitars of “What She’s Done to Your Mind,” the early Pink Floyd mixed with dream pop of “Forgetfullness,” and a slow duet with folk harmonies and little touches of harmonica that veered right into the droning shoegaze rock of “No Easy Way Down” before climaxing with a blistering guitar solo. Their set was undoubedtly nostalgic for good chunk of the crowd, and their ability to transport the audience back in time served as a proper introduction before The Third Mind would go even deeper. 

With Dave Alvin looking dapper as always in his California cowboy getup, the band wasted little time in launching their set with a version of “Morning Dew” that would have made Jerry Garcia smile. Jesse Sykes set the mood with her hauntingly lonesome vocals while Alvin’s twang-laced guitar work set the stage for Mark Karan – subbing for David Immergluck – to enter the scene with some serious firepower, all rolling along to Michael Jerome’s rumbling thunder rhythm. Considering Karan’s credentials in the Grateful Dead world, his Garcia-esque stylings would come in handy throughout the night as a feisty counterpart to Alvin’s airier picking. He complemented Alvin’s guitar bliss on the Mike Bloomfield psych-blues tune “Groovin’ Is Easy,” while both kept it swampy and loose with plenty of guitar jousting on Paul Butterfield’s “In My Own Dream.”

While Sykes was a steady and calming presence throughout the night, she truly stepped into the spotlight with her original song “Tall Grass,” a crafty work of cosmic folk that ascended into guitar-soaked fury as Karan and Alvin gleefully traded licks. Victor Krummenacher’s bass grooves would also prove to be a steady force, propelling the jams further and allowing the guitarists to stretch out. The band’s take on the classic R&B tune “Sally Go ’round the Roses” saw the guitar opening up with sinister delight as Alvin injected frenzied bursts into the groove and Karan teased a flamenco-esque solo. In the home stretch of a nearly 90-minute set, the band guided the audience back down to earth with a twinkly, sun-washed take on Fred Neil’s gorgeous folk-soul tune “Little Bit of Rain” that bloomed into a wall of deliciously funky sound as the expansive “East West.” 

The Third Mind might scoff at calling themselves a jam band, but their mind-expanding set in Portland made it clear that they may just be the coolest jam band out there right now whether they like it or not. Alvin joked to the crowd about not rehearsing, and if this was true then you wouldn’t have noticed by their natural tightness. There was only one slip-up when, after encoring with another Fred Neil cover in “Dolphins” that featured Sykes and Alvin dueting, they decided to give the crowd even more with a rip-roaring blues cover of “Highway 61 Revisited” that saw Alvin whispering the lyrics to Sykes. Then again, it was this moment of spontaneity that captured the special chemistry that exists between these musicians and exactly what makes them such an exciting live act.

All photos by Greg Homolka.