Eskimo and Sons, all of whose members’ ages fall below 21, is making the most ballsy folk music to come out of this city in a long while. The band is pushing its “quiet and pretty” aesthetic into some exciting new territory, and Portland is abuzz. And rightly so: What were you doing when you were that age?
Young folk
Eskimo and Sons, all of whose members’ ages fall below 21, is making the most ballsy folk music to come out of this city in a long while. The band is pushing its “quiet and pretty” aesthetic into some exciting new territory, and Portland is abuzz. And rightly so: What were you doing when you were that age?
Eskimo and Sons was originally conceived as the brainchild of high school buddies Dhani Rosa and Thomas Himes. The pair hatched the idea while Rosa was enjoying a three-year stopover in Portland before finishing his stay in the public school system of Colorado. After he “was done failing high school,” Rosa returned to Portland with the intention of living with his friend and maybe making some music on the side. However, as situations would transpire, their musical project collected several more members and a momentum that neither Rosa nor Himes had predicted.
As Rosa tells it, the pivotal event in the formation of Eskimo and Sons was the discovery of Danielle Sullivan, whose beautifully articulate voice instantly charmed Rosa and Himes. After much arm wringing and passionate persuasion, Sullivan was convinced to front the band. From then on, what might have been a competent yet unremarkable indie-folk act was set on a creative path that has led them to their current heights.
Rosa, still the band’s principal songwriter, used the opportunity to write for Sullivan’s voice to maximum effect, producing lyrics that gave him the chance to “look at [himself] through the eyes of someone else.” Sullivan then took his words and stretched them over the spare frame of her captivating melodies to produce arrangements practically boiling with reserved grandeur.
Perhaps due to the epic underpinnings of their songs, Eskimo and Sons soon expanded to well beyond its original three members. Piano, drums, brass and electronics were all brought in to bolster its arrangements.
At present, the band weighs in with five permanent members and a rotating cast of almost twice that. As a result, its songs sound like they were perpetrated by a group of high school kids who have raided the school band closet and are too excited about playing music to be bothered with any self-conscious reserve. This free-flowing energy and sense of mutual enthusiasm is what distinguishes Eskimo and Sons both as a live act and on its much sought-after recordings.
Keeping with its communal leanings, Eskimo and Sons has joined with local label Boygorilla to produce the imprint’s first sold-out release. While this debut 7-inch is still currently unavailable, Rosa and company are mentally preparing themselves for the “intimidating task” of writing and recording their first full length as well as producing a four-way split EP with Boygorilla compatriots Starfucker, Dirty Mittens and Typhoon.
While the possibility of an Eskimo and Sons LP in the near future is good news for anyone who loves music, it will also mean the band won’t play live until early 2008. Luckily, they have a couple shows lined up in October, giving us all a chance to enjoy their sweet, sweet noise before they settle down for the winter.
On Saturday, Oct. 6, the Green House, located at 612 N.E. Jarrett St., will host Eskimo and Sons, as well as just about every other cool band in Portland. On Saturday, Oct. 12, the band will take part in the Boygorilla showcase at the Ike Box, located in Salem at 299 Cottage St.
