I’m a last.fm junkie. Two weeks ago while listening to Trans Am radio or something similar, a Shellac song came on and I clicked on the “loved” button. I also noticed that there was a small “on tour” flag next to their name. Curiosity caused me to click on the link and I was pleased to find that they were in Portland for 2 nights only 2 weeks from that day. And tickets were only $12. Suck on that, Ticketmaster.
I started listening to Shellac in high school when the band leader for a band I was in gave me a tape of stuff he was inspired by. Shellac has released a few albums in the decade since, but I kind of expected I’d never see them; they’re famously picky about where they tour and have no need to make more money. So I jumped on the opportunity.
The show was at Berbati’s, which isn’t my favorite, but it’s been really good to me the last couple years. I’ve seen several really great shows there, and frankly, the sound and venue beats the bigger venues any day. At Berbati’s, the furthest you can be from an artist is roughly the same as the closest you can be to an artist at an arena or concert hall. And now that there’s no smoking, you come home only smelling like sweat and whatever drink someone spilled on you.
Suffice to say, the band was fantastic. I went alone because the only person I know that listens to Shellac was some distance away. It was actually quite nice except when I came to some realization about the band, and instrument, or something, there was no one to share it with. Not that anyone would have cared.
Regardless, it was a terrific and unexpected show. I’m actually surprised so few people know about the band since it’s such a cornerstone of post-rock, post-punk movement. I don’t exactly know how to describe it other than economical driving rock. There’s none of the drama or overzealousness of metal, none of the insipidness of punk, and none of the sad-sack business in most indie rock. I guess there’s last.fm if you’re curious.