Live and up close

Back in the day I used to love being part of a big, sweaty crowd straining to get a closer look at the big-name rock bands. Typically, I'd be somewhere in the middle of the masses who'd turned out to see the Led Zeppelin, Santana, the Allman Brothers Band, etc.

These days I find myself gravitating to smaller venues with a more intimate connection between artist and audience. In the past year or so, I've seen independent label artists Joan Osborne, Susan Tedeschi, James Hunter, Kathleen Edwards and Patty Griffin at places like the Aladdin Theatre and the Crystal Ballroom that hold only a few hundred people.

Last night was the latest and best example of being able to get up close to a favorite band: Camera Obscura, the indie band from Glasgow, Scotland.

They played at Berbati's Pan downtown and I got in free, owing to Nathan (aka Nathan Detroit) being a regular DJ at the place. (Finally, a family connection that pays off!)

Anyway, I hung out at the back during the warm-up band's set but quickly moved up as the roadies were changing out equipment and tuning guitars. By the time Camera Obscura had finished its 75-minute, 15-song set, I'd moved up to about 25 feet of the stage, directly in line with lead singer/songwriter Tracyanne Campbell and with a great view of the whole band.

My iPhone wasn't up to the task of getting a decent photo so I've resorted to posting two from YouTube. If you can get past the smarmy Craig Ferguson, the band does a nice job on "French Navy," which is typical of their vaguely '60s-ish pop sound. The other, from a studio performance at Santa Monica College in L.A., captures their mellower side on a cover of Bruce Springsteen's"Tougher Than The Rest."



Last night was an all-ages show, which prompted Campbell to comment on the aisle dividing "the old people from the young people or, actually, the alcoholics from the non-drinkers." There were teenagers and hipsters in the 20s and 30s, but there were also lots of folks with gray hair or little hair nodding their heads and even dancing a little to the music.

Now I realize Camera Obscura is a hardly household name. I discovered them on eMusic.com and have come to own their four CDs. They're great musicians and Tracyanne Campbell has one of those voices that's instantly and unmistakably recognizable. They tour all over Europe and the United States, as well as Latin America, Asia and Australia.

On this current tour, promoting their newest CD, "My Maudlin Career," Portland was the sixth stop in as many nights. They played with a lot of energy and left the crowd pretty amped up. Sure am glad I saw them, live and up close.