by This past weekend, hundreds of bluegrass heads were taken back to school by the beloved Railroad Earth. No, there wasn’t a basketball game happening; I’m talking in the literal sense of school, one with classrooms and lockers.
The band concluded the northwest leg of their tour in Portland, and graced the stage of one of the city’s newest venues, Revolution Hall. This place is different, so if you haven’t been, a description is in order. Technically, it’s a high school auditorium. The hall is part of the big renovation project of the historic Washington High School. This building was recently converted into a multiuse building with offices, a bar, and most notably, a new high-grade music venue. The auditorium sits in the middle of the three story cubed structure and is surrounded by bars located in old classrooms offering a plethora of draft beers. The hall itself carries the rustic feel of an old auditorium, but blasts a sound crisp enough to sit in the big leagues of Portland’s scene.
Aside from a stellar venue, there was also one of the most notable bluegrass outfits working the today’s market. I made it for night two of the Portland stay, and am pleased to report that Railroad Earth is in top form on their current tour (not that you should expect anything different). The six-piece formed in 2001, and has been touring steadily since. This past Saturday, they brought out all the tricks. A steel guitar, saxophone, piano, exceptional vocals, and a drummer surround their traditional bluegrass arrangement.
The first set rolled through with a slow pace and highlighted their songwriting and folky roots. The show began with “420,” and was shortly followed by “Saddle of the Sun.” Railroad Earth jumped into “1759” mixed into “Grandfather Mountain” before letting the audience take a breather for an intermission. After another quick walk around the venue, I got a glimpse of the view from the balcony. The upper deck is close to the action in the intimate venue. The band came in fast with “Cold Water” then “Gold Rush.” Scott Pemberton, local guitarist of the opening band under his name, joined the stage to shred through “Warhead Boogie.” Set number two eventually slowed down with “Bird in a House,” and saved “Take a Bow” for the encore.
Lots of things were going right this past Saturday (for me, at least). Railroad Earth and Revolution Hall were two of them, and I hope they stick around.
