Pirates abound in north Portland

Ahoy mateys! At a venue few know to be a true wayward vessel, The Sea Shanty is hosting a show that is surely worth listenin’ to! Lee Corey Oswald, Sleeping in the Aviary, Archers and Blandina are tearing up north Portland this Saturday. Although this is not another exclusive group of just Portland bands, a few still happen to be.

Holding down a renowned reputation with Portland’s music microcosm, Archers has quickly become this city’s new obsession. A part of the highly regarded UK label Heavenly Records, this group offers a unique combination of pop-rock sounds sure to give you happy feet. In late 2010, the Portland-based, southern California-born five-piece had released a seven-inch that has no doubt been a huge factor in helping the group climb the popularity ladder quickly. The four-track record featured dueling guitars battling heavy bass licks. The string section was supported by head-banging drums, putting the cherry on top of this sundae. Their first track on the b-side, “Radical Opinion,” finds the band close to that one really popular Los Campesinos song “You! Me! Dancing!” which haunted sports networks and commercials for months (damn that catchiness). That said, this group deserves some respect for its hard work and the enthusiasm the members are known to carry with it, especially those guitar-savvy Cantino brothers.

Lee Corey Oswald is another local Portland favorite performing this Saturday. Said to be the voice of a lost generation of hipsters, the group hangs tight to its outspoken lyrics that touch a common thread for us all. Besides the lyrics, the group’s music is far from common—it ranges from genre to genre, but sticks mainly to folk and punk tunes. The songs—well-written harmonies accompanied by inviting vocals, sound much like Conor Oberst singing along with Against Me! on their classic song “Baby I’m an Anarchist.” Lee Corey Oswald definitely has something special going for itself—whether it be the lyrics or the badass musicianship.

Serving as the only non-Portland band playing this show, Sleeping in the Aviary is a long way from its home in Minneapolis. The group is only far from home physically, however, as the group lays down tracks that coincide with the theme of the show: folk-punk. This Midwest five-piece is another band that seems to have started out hitting power chords with great fervor, then traversing to a much more vulnerable and soft side of musical expression on an acoustic. Their debut album “Oh, This Old Thing?” gained them prestige as critics compared them to popular bands like The Violent Femmes, The Thermals, Buzzcocks and even Nirvana. Released in 2007, the band’s debut album consists of lo-fi pop-punk styled riffs and the group quickly followed it with the release of their second studio album only a year later, “Expensive Vomit in a Cheap Motel.” This is the record on which they changed up their punk style to fit more of a folk mold, which is more like a lo-fi Violent Femmes.

Whatever the choice of genre any of these groups decides to run with, chances are that you will be pleased. This selection of groups consists of some fine musicians and probably the best acts this town has to currently offer. That said—catch these guys this Saturday up in north Portland! It’s free, so there is no excuse for not showing up—no doubloons needed. ?