Salem recap, in which we perform on a trampoline
Thankfully Salem was is just 45 minutes from Portland, as we have already started to loathe the van, as comfortable and well appointed as Flo is. We arrived on time at The Space, the only band to do so, which was a source of consternation for the promoter, kindly Andy, as The Space has been saddled with guff from the local police for noise ordinance violations…. the show had to end by 10pm. Maggie Morris’ new jam YOUTH opened the night, with some really great raw, noisy pop. As we were setting up, we realized The Space’s stage was somewhat bouncy - the microphones kept tottering back & forth like a drunken David Hasselhoff. Locals Kopath Bear barreled ahead after us, with a hard-workin’ set of folk rock. These guys are a new band, but they’ve already got a distinctive, earthen sound - each band member juggling guitar, piano, mandolin and god knows what else. La Playa wrapped up the night triumphantly on the floor of the bar, as evidenced here in their last song, Ti Pouce:
Many thanks to Andy at For the Youth for working tirelessly to pull the whole thing together. We crashed at Kopath Bear headquarters, a bright yellow fortress in the hills outside Salem. Chef Reuben treated us to some excellent italian sausage burritos. Fell asleep watching some show about black holes, intensely narrated by Morgan Freeman.
