Merry Christmas, Blitzen Trapper fans! This year, the Portland folk-rock combo are giving you a free live album. Live in Portland came out today (December 17) on Bandcamp.
This is the band's first-ever live album. It was recorded over three hometown shows at the Doug Fir Lounge in November of 2013. It was part of the tour behind that year's VII, but the setlist isn't particularly heavy on material from that album; just three of the 16 songs are from VII, and there's also a version of "Jericho" by Marty Marquis (the original version of which featured Blitzen Trapper).
Frontman Eric Earley said in a statement, "As much as I love studio recording, the live show is where it's at these days. So much of what Blitzen Trapper means is contained in our live shows, in the energy we try to convey and the stories I'm telling. This is our first release of any live material and it's got everything I like about our live show, it's intimate, it's messy and it's grounded in our interaction on stage, just these guys that grew up together playing songs and messing around on a stage. This is for all the fans who've seen us and know that when we're performing we're trying to give as much as we possibly can. So it's also our gift to the fans, a free live thing for the Holidays. Hope you all enjoy it as much as we did playing it."
Hear it below. It can be downloaded for free, or in exchange for an optional donation.
This is the band's first-ever live album. It was recorded over three hometown shows at the Doug Fir Lounge in November of 2013. It was part of the tour behind that year's VII, but the setlist isn't particularly heavy on material from that album; just three of the 16 songs are from VII, and there's also a version of "Jericho" by Marty Marquis (the original version of which featured Blitzen Trapper).
Frontman Eric Earley said in a statement, "As much as I love studio recording, the live show is where it's at these days. So much of what Blitzen Trapper means is contained in our live shows, in the energy we try to convey and the stories I'm telling. This is our first release of any live material and it's got everything I like about our live show, it's intimate, it's messy and it's grounded in our interaction on stage, just these guys that grew up together playing songs and messing around on a stage. This is for all the fans who've seen us and know that when we're performing we're trying to give as much as we possibly can. So it's also our gift to the fans, a free live thing for the Holidays. Hope you all enjoy it as much as we did playing it."
Hear it below. It can be downloaded for free, or in exchange for an optional donation.