Show Review: J Tillman and Phosphorescent at Portland’s Doug Fir Lounge

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The mellow crowd at Portland’s Doug Fir on Friday night came to almost complete silence when folk singer-songwriter J Tillman sang his first words. Despite his relative fame as the drummer with the sweet voice from Fleet Foxes, Tillman has been churning out classic man-and-guitar folk songs for years. Tillman’s songs sound like the Pacific Northwest itself: quiet, beautiful, and occasionally gloomy. Live, Tillman’s rustic guitar is the perfect simple accompaniment to his remarkable voice, which is simultaneously tender and clear.

Friday, Tillman played almost entirely new material for the small but interested crowd at the Doug Fir. “The stars have really aligned,” he joked about the crowd’s pleasant nature. At the many Fleet Foxes shows I have seen, Tillman was always the one cracking jokes, from behind the drum kit no less. While his humor was more understated than usual, perhaps in accordance with the sparse and intimate music, Tillman still made the crowd laugh in between songs. Tillman’s set up is as pure and simple as it gets, and his songs (new and old) are beautifully-crafted songs of personal stories and nature’s vignettes.

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The crowd at the Doug Fir multiplied three-fold as Phosphorescent took to the small stage. I am less familiar with these indie-folksters, and while they didn’t win me over, they put on a solid show of Americana country-folk tunes, slide guitar and all. Matthew Huock charmed the crowd and the band played several songs from their recently released album “Here’s To Taking It Easy,” as well as older tracks like “A Picture Of Our Torn Up Praise.” After a full evening of indie-folk at the Doug Fir, I left with a pleasant smile and more than a few sweet songs in my head.

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