thoughtcrumbs

Teitur and Erin McKeown at Lola's Room

Teitur ("tighter," not like the tots) opened for Erin McKeown last night at Lola's Room, and maybe it's just my predilection for unkempt boys who sing lovelorn ballads on acoustic guitars, but I enjoyed him more than Erin. His voice is a bit like Paul Simon's, his melodies like Matt Nathanson's. He commented on the folk festival feel of Portland, going so far as to borrow a pick from someone in the audience. Teitur's from the faro Islands, with which no one in the U.S. is familiar, except nerdy Scrabble players (who, me?) who memorize all of the two-letter words, including "oe," a kind of wind from the Faroes. Erin clearly likes Portland, especially how we refer to ourselves by our airport code (PDX). She played all of her better-known songs, including "Blackbirds" and "Born to Hum" with her intoxicating elixir of a voice. I wish she'd done more of the acoustic folk she used to be known for instead of all the spacey electric pieces, but I guess becoming an indie rock goddess requires a little sacrifice.