This is the one in which I told you about - Field Report

Have you ever become completely enthralled with a band after hearing only one song? I have. And after hearing a few more songs, I fell in love with this band. And after seeing them live, well, lets just say I still love this band. What band is this you ask?  Field Report. Field Report is another band discovered through the Outlaw Roadshow; they played at the showcase at SXSW and toured with Counting Crows on the second leg of the touring Outlaw Roadshow. I really hadn't listened to Field Report when I was discovering the bands from the SXSW showcase in March, but when they were announced as one of the bands on the second leg of the tour, which I would be seeing, I figured I should check them out.



The first song of their's I heard was Fergus Falls.
After listening to it, my only response was "Good gourd" I couldn't really come up with words to describe just how beautiful the song is. The words, the music, the feel of the song. It's truly brilliant (So brilliant in fact, that Fergus Falls is currently the top played song on my iPod. Sure, I've only had this ipod for a couple months, but still, that's an amazing feat for a new song.) I then listened to the other songs that at that point (in late June) were available for download from their website: Taking Alcatraz and I Am Not Waiting Anymore. I also downloaded the session they did for Daytrotter earlier this year. Same feeling. These songs were amazing. There truly must be something in the water in Wisconsin.

Field Report's self titled debut record, released September 11, 2012 is an epic masterpiece of musical goodness. It's one of those records that will make you happy no matter your mood, one of those records that you can listen to over and over and never tire of, one of those records that you will attempt to get all of your friends/coworkers/strangers on the street corner to listen to. This record is probably my #3 pick for record of the year (#1: Counting Crows' Underwater Sunshine, #2: Foreign Fields' Anywhere But Where I Am) These songs are more than just songs, they are stories, tales of life in the Midwest, Chris Porterfield a sort of troubadour, the lyrics extremely wordy, but good wordy. He paints a picture as he's singing, it's like you can not only hear the songs, but see them as well. Porterfield, a former bandmate of Justin Vernon of Bon Iver, takes his knowledge and experiences of Midwest living (Wisconsin and Minnesota) and turns them into these lyrical masterpieces. I used the phrase "soliloquy of the soul" to describe Little Brave's songwriting, I'm gonna apply that to Porterfield as well, I think it may even apply to him more. Every time you listen to a song you discover something new about it, something makes more sense, something jumps out at you, something clicks. Chris Porterfield is backed by the musical talents of Nick Berg, Ben Lester, Jeff Mitchell, Damian Strigens and Travis Whitty. After Fergus Falls, Taking Alcatraz is probably my second favorite track on the record, my favorite lines from the song:

"And if we die here, at least we'll make the choice
And if we're fine here, we can tell the boys
That a line in the sand don't matter if you don't care;
That a bird in the hand is worthless if you're too scared"

I also love Incommunicado and I Am Not Waiting Anymore, but the whole record really is quite stellar. This is another one of those records where it's hard for me to come up with the right words to describe it. All I know is that it's amazing and defiantly worth checking out, worth the $9.99 from Amazon to buy it.

I had the pleasure, nay, honor of seeing Field Report live at the Outlaw Roadshow in Sandpoint, Idaho. They were fantastic; more than fantastic. Sadly, not everyone in the crowd around me was as excited about seeing them, most people hadn't even heard of them, some of them complaining that their music wasn't music you could dance to. I didn't care, I loved it. I'm fairly certain I was one of the only people singing along to them, the only other person I saw singing along was Adam Duritz of Counting Crows, as he stood at the side of the stage watching them perform. I enjoyed their whole set, and wished they would have played more. After the show I met Chris Porterfield and told him how much I enjoyed the band and was excited for their record to be released.

This fall Field Report is touring with Aimee Mann. You should go see them. For reals. They are playing in Seattle on October 3, but sadly I can't go, as it's mid week and I have classes and such. But all my Seattle-area friends should go. You can find info on that tour on their web site: www.field-report.org/ While you're there you can listen to a few tracks of the album, then you will for sure want to buy it. Just kidding, what am I saying, you'll only need to listen to one song, then you'll want to buy it. Or just buy it without listening to it, it'll be the greatest surprise ever when you put it in your CD player (or whatever) and press play. Seriously, this band have been given praise by Rolling Stone, Time Magazine,  Esquire Magazine, and Billboard. Get on this.