Thursday, February 20th, a half hour before the show started, the mood was relaxed and welcoming as I walked into the McMenamins Mission Theater. The bar was open, and the other early arrivals were mingling on or around the dance floor. Looking over to the side, I saw the merchandise tables for the night’s artists: Pretty Jane and Night Cap. I was especially drawn to the interesting and, fittingly, pretty table set up by Pretty Jane, with the adorable beflowered corduroy caps, signed drum sticks, shirts with their tagline of “kiss your friends”, and condoms in on-brand packaging in case of extra… friendliness. When I approached the table, one of the members was signing a shirt for a fan, then eagerly looking for other members to sign it for them. They were also welcoming to me when I introduced myself to chat and ask questions. I had not heard either band performing that night before, but I felt at ease as I absorbed the atmosphere in the room.
Well, except for the fog machine effects. I may have coughed a bit from those, but the impact was perfect for the hazy mood of the lyrics of their songs like “under your tongue” and “Too Few Tattoos”. The members of Detroit-born and Nashville-based trio Pretty Jane: Trevor Dalrymple, Luca DiVergilio, and Ethan Strain, are all credited as lyricists in their discography. They bring to their works their carefree experimenting with this thing called life, with realistic experiences as their subject and an unseriousness about the consequences of trying something new. As they say, they “may not be role models, but they’re not missing out”.
Their rapport with the audience was built with playful banter between songs and charisma during their performance. Everyone wanted to have a good night, and they were doing so. They took us on a party-hopping ride through their repertoire, each song a fun stop along the way. I enjoyed the balance of dreamy and energized youthfulness of their style. As they wrapped up their set, they had one more surprise for us, when Luca impressed the crowd by setting aside the bass and pulling out his saxophone for the finale.
While the smoke effect ended up working like a filter with my camera, there are some photos I took that I feel captured the energy of the performance.
During the transition between the bands, I went over to the table again to say hello to the members I had missed before. I was struck again by how nice these guys were, and I may have left the venue with a green corduroy cap.
Though I was not able to stay for all of the concert, I did stay long enough to hear how Night Cap sounded, and they sounded great. Since I knew I wanted to hear more of their sound, I followed them on Instagram, and one of the members actually messaged me from the account to share their new follower message that has their upcoming schedule. When I told them I had come, but had to leave early (because of a backache from having had bronchitis – stay well, folks!), we had a brief friendly chat, with my promise that I would definitely check out their discography soon. I also told them I had taken one of the stickers they had on their merch table, and that it would join the multitude of stickers given the honor of adorning one of the KPSU doors. If they’re ever back in Oregon, I hope they can coordinate with the station to do a live set and see it themselves.
Also, a shout-out to the sound engineer at the venue. I am a sensitive person and a producer that wants to protect her hearing. The levels were not overwhelming, yet each part was intelligibly clear and balanced. I was thrilled! This might seem like a little thing to some, but it is a big accessibility and user experience factor for many like me. You have a fan, whoever you are.
If you want to learn more about Pretty Jane, they can be found at https://www.prettyjaneband.com/
If you want to learn more about Night Cap, you can find them at https://www.nightcapatx.com/
