San Francisco classic rock station KFOG is pretty good about introducing new music to the nostalgia crowd, and they actually play music during my morning commute. On a recent morning, they told the story of a Portland band that toured the west coast on bicycles, towing their gear behind them. No support vehicle. They pedaled highway 1 from Vancouver to San Francisco, playing in little towns along the way. Until their bikes were stolen in San Francisco. Way to go, SF.
KFOG played a track called Go On, Say It. It is a straightforward and catchy indie rock sound, the lyrics had that indistinct yearning that makes them haunting yet forgettable. But the melody gets stuck in your head immediately, and the guy has a great voice. So when I was still humming it an hour later at my desk, I decided to look up the band to hear a bit more, and check out the crazy biking thing.
The first song on the Blind Pilot website is called Oviedo. That surprised me - an indie-folk band from Portland singing about northern Spain? I must have played it three times in a row, I love this simple little song, the intriguing story, the vivid imagery, and the ache of the vocal. I immediately bought the album. Then I got back to work.
