Seattle – Field Report treated The Sunset Tavern to an intimate, folk-laden performance on Wednesday evening. Nearing the close of their fall tour (their first “West Coast headlining tour”), Chris Porterfield, Tom Wincek, and Shane Leonard played with stunning authenticity and emotion at the Ballard venue. “We’re just doing this together, alongside each other, us and you, and it’s a beautiful thing,” Porterfield humbly told the crowd.
The singer-songwriter/guitarist has led Field Report (an anagram of his last name) since 2011, with the lineup shifting over the years, from a quintet as on their self-titled debut album in 2012 to the current band. Hailing from Wisconsin, the members share connections to other notable acts from the region such as Bon Iver, Volcano Choir, and Megafaun, and, like these cohorts, Field Report’s music evokes the spirit of the upper Midwest – rustic and romantic imagery of the outdoors, textured folk soundscapes, and themes of home and longing. Porterfield’s lyrics are compelling and introspective, his turns of phrase poetic, and his voice delivering just the right punch of emotion. At the Sunset, the crowd couldn’t help but be captivated.
Kicking off the set with the title track off their new album Marigolden, which dropped in October on Partisan Records, Field Report delivered elegant guitar plucking, textured percussion by way of Leonard, and yearning, heartfelt vocals. Next, the pure opening vocals on “Michelle” were slowly enhanced by layering different musical elements, creating beautiful (if slightly lulling) sounds.
“It works really well when you work with other songwriters,” Porterfield announced to the crowd, describing Wincek’s and Leonard’s other projects (All Tiny Creatures and Kalispell, respectively). Their camaraderie and chemistry as a band is tangible, and Wincek’s and Leonard’s respect for Porterfield’s lyrics shine through on their abilities to make each word come to life. Bantering about how they each spent the day walking around the neighborhood, Porterfield recognized that the crowd was eager for more music. “We’re very verbose, we’ll try to keep that to a minimum,” he told the laughing audience.
Field Report then launched into “Decision Day,” the Marigolden album opener, before transitioning into the stellar percussion of “Cups and Cups.” “Yes!” a crowd member whispered when she recognized the song, which appeared to be a personal favorite as she sang along to every word. Wincek’s smart use of synths and electronics added a nice dimension to the performance.
Continuing to play songs off the new record, Field Report’s rendition of “Pale Rider” was a favorite; there was an emotion and gorgeous depth that Porterfield tapped into not yet felt on the other songs. He kept it up, however, as he moved to the keyboard to perform “Ambrosia,” a haunting solo ballad about quitting drinking. As his gritty voice caught on the line “I keep spinning my wheels/ Nothin’s gonna change,” the simple, brutal rawness and honesty was palpable. When the song ended, the room was heavy with silence as the audience took in the beautiful performance. Porterfield thanked the crowd, and then announced that they’d play a couple older songs as Leonard and Wincek came back onstage.
With Leonard on banjo and the two others on guitar, they looked at each other a moment, smiled, and Porterfield said, “Let’s go down there!” All three hopped down into the audience to loud cheers, and the crowd gathered around them. The strong unison vocals of “Taking Alcatraz” were accompanied by crowd members singing along, happy to be a part of the acoustic set. Next, Leonard took off on the banjo to lead the group into “Fergus Falls,” the first track from the 2012 album. Another crowd favorite, the group chorales were powerful, the banjo rollicking, and the harmonies beautiful.
Going back onstage, Porterfield went into the single from Marigolden, “Home (Leave the Lights On),” a lively folk-rock tune enhanced with subtle electronic sounds to keep it from going stale. “Wings” also used great electronics, and with instruments and vocals building throughout, it simply soared at the end. After “Summons,” Field Report closed the set with “Enchantment,” whose lyrics are filled with great imagery such as, “I miss you more than tongues miss pulled teeth.”
The crowd wasn’t done with Field Report after they left the stage, so Porterfield asked for a request for the encore. “Incommunicado!” came one shout, and he launched into the simple yet sweet tune from the debut album. It was a great finish to the beautiful set, and Porterfield’s humble smile and genuine gratitude at being able to perform for us was charming.
Opening the night were two local acts. First up was a solo acoustic set by Silver Torches, aka Erik Walters. Next was the impressively bearded quintet Cloud Person. With Cameron Arneson on bass and vocals, Michael Fisher on guitar, Pete Jordan on guitar and vocals, Steve Straney on drums, and Mikkel Lee Meyers (the lone female and un-bearded member), the Seattle five-piece had a full, folky sound reminiscent of The Head and the Heart, with touches of Neutral Milk Hotel and The Decemberists. With only a 2013 LP out, I’m looking forward to seeing what’s next from Cloud Person.
Caitlin Peterkin
With degrees in journalism and music, Caitlin’s written for Paste Magazine, The Chronicle of Higher Education, and MajoringinMusic.com. She loves cheese, laughing at GIFs of corgis, road trip sing-alongs, and connecting with people over good beer and good music.
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