In many ways, our 2022 event was the odd one out — a one-night show versus a full weekend, at a new venue, and of course the fact that Covid was still with us in many ways. Still, we made the best of it, and there was some great music to be had for the small but enthusiastic crowd at Madame Lou’s in Belltown.
The evening began with Portland’s Rainbow Face.
This band was an unknown quantity to many attendees, though their debut album has been out since 2020. Their take on progressive rock is loud and aggressive, with more than a little punk attitude.
But we’re all about bringing the variety, and their music is complex enough for old prog-heads to get into.
Next up was a long-time favorite, Cheer-Accident. This was not their first time at one of our festivals, and as much as we hate to repeat ourselves, the fact that the musicians in Cheer-Accident are not the kind who repeat themselves!
This is a rather different lineup than we saw when they played our 2018 festival, and most of the musicians played more than one instrument.
But all of the instrument-switching was part of the show, and resulted in a great variety of sounds and textures.
This set was truly extraordinary, easily one of the best performances at any of our events. You just never knew what was going to happen next.
There were a few tracks recognizable to those familiar with Cheer-Accident’s albums, but much of the set seemed arranged just for us.
The evening finished with Bent Knee, though not exactly the Bent Knee we expected. Two of the members — guitar and bass — came down with Covid and were unable to make the journey from Boston, so the remaining four members did their best to adapt to the situation.
As it happens, Bent Knee was already in the process of changing to this new four-piece version, as the other two were already planning to leave. The timing of our event and the unexpected illnesses forced them to make the transition sooner than planned.
The performance had some of the magic the band is known for, though slanted more towards atmospheres and grooves. Some of the material came from new songs that the band was just working on.
Again, we’d like to offer our sincere thanks to all the brave music lovers who came out for this event. It would be dishonest to say that the turnout wasn’t a disappointment — but certainly no one who came was disappointed. Thanks to the staff and management at Madame Lou’s, our volunteers, and the good people at Shunpike and 4Culture who helped to make this possible