By now, Portland being famed for it’s ‘indie cred’ is old hat – everyone knows about the smart growth initiatives, all the bike lanes, Portlandia, etc. One of the most sterling examples of this is Music Fest NW, when bands play across the city’s many venues, with big name acts and small up-and-comers, Pacific Northwest locals and acts from around the world.
So QRO headed (north)West, Tuesday to Sunday, September 3rd to 8th.
Pioneer Courthouse Square
The Head and the Heart
Photos of The Head and The Heart at 2013 Osheaga Music Festival in Montreal, PQ, Canada
Photos of The Head and The Heart at 2012 Fun Fun Fun Fest in Austin, TX
Photos of The Head and The Heart at Prospect Park Bandshell in Brooklyn, NY on July 27th, 2012
Photos of The Head and The Heart at Opti Park in Indianapolis, IN on June 30th, 2012
Photos of The Head and The Heart from 2012 Sasquatch! Music Festival in George, WA
QRO’s review of The Head and The Heart at The Vogue in Indianapolis, IN on March 9th, 2012
The Head and the Heart make touching music. Their songs are full of emotion and as cheesy as it might sound, it’s clear that the band’s members truly love what they do. They are also one of those groups you have to marvel at because of the size of the following they’ve attained in the short time they have existed. For having released only one album thus far, they sure drew a rather large crowd at Pioneer Courthouse Square as part of Saturday’s lineup for Music Fest NW.
They played many songs from their 2011 self-titled album such as “Rivers and Roads” and “Winter Song”, as well as “Shake” from their upcoming sophomore effort, Let’s Be Still. The band encouraged the crowd to sing along at many points because as lead singer Josiah Johnson put it, “The louder you sing, the closer you feel to us.” Sure, things like that might seem overused and cliché, but there’s an endearing quality to The Head and the Heart that’s hard to come by these days and they put on an enjoyable show.
