Port O'Brien & Yeasayer

Last Thursday, I went to see Rogue Wave at the Bowery Ballroom. At the show, I discovered two great bands:

1. Port O'Brien



Rogue Wave's second opening act was Port O'Brien. Port O'Brien hails from Oakland, CA, also the home town of Rogue Wave. Confusingly enough, they spent the summer playing in Port O'Brien, Alaska. I'm sitting here right now, listening to a few of their songs and trying to find words to describe their sound. You have the raw, unapologetic energy of "I Woke Up Today." Then, you have the very Rogue Wave-esque "My Eyes Won't Shut." Finally, you have the folksy "Five and Dime." WHO THE HELL IS THIS BAND?? Find out for yourself.

I Woke Up Today


My Eyes Won't Shut


Five and Dime






2. Yeasayer



By far, Yeasayer is my favorite new discovery of this fall. They affirm the fact that amazing music continues to materialize out of Brooklyn, NY. I was turned onto Yeasayer by the most unexpected person that I met at the Rogue Wave concert. As a 40-something male from Corporate America, Jonathan may appear to be the least likely person you'd turn to for music suggestions. On the contrary, he frequents a lot of great shows (you can find him on blogspot as "Hipster Replacement") and, he highly recommended Yeasayer after seeing them during the CMJ 2007 Music Marathon.

When I got home after the concert, I immediately looked up Yeasayer's MySpace. And I was blown away. Some people say that Yeasayer channels bands such as TV on the Radio, Grizzly Bear, and Midlake. While I see some similarities, Yeasayer definitely holds its own and I would not be surprised by the emergence of a mass Yeasayer following.

2080


Final Path