Point Juncture, WA have established themselves as one of the best indie-rock bands in Portland. They’ve released two great CDs (with a third in the works), they’ve landed choice lineup spots in PDX POP NOW! and MusicFest NW, they’ve packed in crowds at the Doug Fir. But what would make PJWA really happy is if they could play in your basement.
“We won’t put a cap on the number of house shows that we do,” said drummer Amanda Spring. “You don’t get the really nice sound system, you don’t get a lot of that stuff, but it’s so much fun.”
“We could just play the Doug Fir once a month and have a big crowd there. I just think that’s kind of boring,” said baritone guitarist/bassist Jesse Studenberg. “We all started out playing parties and playing basement shows.”
Ask Jesse about the most memorable PJWA shows, and it’s not the bigger venues that come to mind, it’s the time they played for a bunch of high schoolers in Pendleton, Ore., or the time they had to haul their gear up to a house through cold winter rain and mud.
“We all ruined our shoes, and we had a great time. Everybody that was there is going to remember that show,” he said. “Those shows are so much more real and so much what it’s all about.”
Focus on any one element of PJWA’s sound and it’s hard to believe that it could all fit together. Amanda’s drum beats are always slightly off-kilter. Jesse produces complex melodies on baritone guitar and bass. The classically-trained Victor Paul Nash’s vibraphones are ethereal. Wilson Vediner and Skyler Norwood’s guitars range from poppy riffs to swirling howls.
Yet somehow, when it comes together, the result is catchy pop melodies that feel as if they are constantly on the verge of imploding into utter deconstruction – Sonic Youth style – yet they never quite do. They hover right on the beautiful, shiny edge, always keeping you on your toes.
“We really come together in this way where we take seemingly disparate elements and sort of try to incorporate them,” Wilson said. “Everyone plays really well together to try to bridge all of these different styles.”
They fuse those disparate elements together with such cohesiveness, it’s difficult to tell if they are five people who have melded into one mind or one person with multiple personality disorder who has split into five bodies.
Maybe it’s because they spend so much time together.
“We all hang out at least as much as we rehearse,” Jesse said.
Amanda, Jesse and Victor all live together. So do Skyler and Wilson. More than one of them usually turns up at shows for their friends’ bands. They can frequently be found together at various eastside watering holes as well. Then there are the tattoos. All five sport matching tattoos, an elk head surrounded by a heart, stemming from a dream Spring had, the inspiration behind the working title for their upcoming third disc, Heart to Elk.
It’s also hard to find a band more humble than PJWA. They are intensely conscious of the community of musicians that have supported them, many of whom are connected to the Portland record label Lucky Madison, which re-pressed their first EP, Juxtapony.
Point Juncture’s ascent to Portland’s indie-rock throne began with the now-defunct Nocturnal on East Burnside, where they became somewhat of an unofficial house band. Nocturnal became an incubator for the fledgling four-piece. Skyler, a recording whiz who has produced several albums for both current and former Lucky Madison bands, played his first shows with the band, eventually becoming the fifth member. Fellow Lucky Madison alum Sam Shauer (Modernstate) ran the sound at the club. Nocturnal booker Seann McKeel helped them make connections in the Portland music scene.
By the time Nocturnal stopped having music shows in April 2005, Point Juncture was starting to feel fully formed.
“Everything just fell into place at Nocturnal,” Jesse said. “When Nocturnal closed, it was like we were ready.”
The same month, Willamette Week ranked PJWA fourth in its annual “best new bands in Portland issue.” Then in August they were one of the top-billed bands at PDX POP NOW!. By the time their first self-produced full-length, Mama Auto Boss, came out in December, they were regularly headlining shows at Portland’s mid-size venues, and had secured their place as a fixture in Portland’s indie-pop scene. They even opened for Stereolab on their last stop in Portland. Still, if you go to more than a couple PJWA shows, you start to see a lot of familiar faces.
“We’ve always had this loyal fan base of our friends and their friends,” Amanda said. “When we play we’re really aware that many of the people who go are our friends, we want those shows to be really fun for them.”
“It’s all about the support of a community, like a family sort of. When you know that there’s going to be a certain amount of people at your shows it gives you confidence,” Jesse said. “It’s not like playing at the Doug Fir is making us a lot of money. It’s not about making a lot of money, it’s about supporting the community that supported us.”
It’s because of that community that PJWA wants to play your next house party, and probably bring their friends with them.
“When we play house shows we try to play with other bands and we love that when we get done playing we can just get in the audience,” Amanda said. “There’s no end to how many of those we can play.”
| Point Juncture, Wa. is:Amanda Spring Jesse Studenberg Victor Paul Nash Wilson Vediner Skyler Norwood |
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| Upcoming PJWA shows:TonightNorfolk & Western CD release party, with Super XX ManDoug Fir Lounge, 830 E. Burnside St.$7, 21+Saturday, April 29Alan Singley and Pants Machine CD release partyThe Artistery, 4315 S.E. Division St.Free, all agesAmanda isn’t kiddingPJWA really does want to play at your next house party. For more information, e-mail info@pointjuncturewa.com |