Sasha and the Children: [from
Portland OR] Back on task. It’s not that I haven’t been seeing music – well,
less … but mostly I haven’t been writing about it. The thing that keeps me up
at night is: Did I really see the music if I never wrote about it?
BrightShards, since November, was more BrightSlivers. ‘BrightShards’ was
definitely never an insult, but BrightSlivers, bless her heart, was willing to
spend more time with me. Our negotiations stalled, in heartbreaking ways. So,
for now, I’m back to outing & writing, and even back to doing my venues A
to Z.
[from Portland, OR] Thus, this otherwise random show – just a function of being at the Ks. And
Kelly’s Olympian is a strange place. I think I first heard it described it as a
punk bar and then showed up to find it covered in retro roadtrip décor, Route
66 style. And then it’s notorious lately for being the site of the gang warfare
between Portland’s Proud Boys & Antifa. I’d also been once before for a
comedy show, which I think they’re better known for than music. So I would
guess they book the strivers more than than those other musicians. The music
happens in this room off to the side, where the crowd was sparse and not intimidating.
So me, my giant one-shoulder work bag (trying to mature past backpacks), and my
shopping bag from Nordstrom Rack (hey WomanInCharge!!) didn’t stand out too
much. I located a inconspicuous stool at the far wall next to a fellow in an
IHopTrains hat. He knocked elbows with me and said something about me being
welcome to the space. I was appalled by his forwardness but reminded myself I’m
a freak who needs to mellow after work and speak to the people. And I liked the
look of him. Tall and thin with sharp features and smart kind eyes. He’d just
moved to Portland from Philadelphia a few months back and was obviously working
it, as an IHopTrains should. Overall, I was just happy to be able to chance
upon this show. The lead singer had this amazing operatic voice. Their music is
a blend of singer/songwriter and pop rock, semi-gospel, semi heartland rock. They
were quirky and earnest, with a wild assortment of band members, and a
dedicated fan base. The lead singer was also in a wheelchair which was great in
itself but I’d also been reading recently that music venues don’t do well at
being ADA compliant. So long live Sasha & the Children. (Photo courtesy of
https://www.facebook.com/sashaandthechildren/)
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