There's an inside joke here at The Banana Stand that goes something like, “Hey, I like your band.” We say it a lot, like all the time. It's funny because it's so nerdy and uncool to admit how much you like something in the artistic scene sometimes, but we're absolutely sincere about it. It's how we introduce ourselves to bands for the first time, it's what wish we could say to a thousand other musicans. 

One of those bands we've said it to before, and will probably say it to again, is Portugal. The Man.

The band is set to release In the Mountain, In the Cloud on July 19th, the group's sixth studio album, but first with Atlantic Records. So far, only a few songs have been released to the public, most in the form of a thirteen minute long music video that debuted at the band's show at the Roseland Theater in Portland, Oregon.

The attention to studio production is apparent in the new songs, no doubt due to Atlantic Records being able to boost the group's recording budget, which enabled them to hire top-talent producers and mastering artists. It's a beautiful thing. New tracks, like “Got It All (This Can't Be Living Now)” sing with layered harmonies and string accompanyment. 

As the album's release date approaches, band members took some time while on a brief rest from the tour to talk to fans and the media. We snagged a few minutes via video Skype with Portugal. The Man drummer Jason Sechrist, who talked about touring, the new album, recording, and his favorite live musicans.

Hey man, how's it going?

Not too bad. Where are you calling from?

Portland, Oregon.

Weeeeird.

Yeah, we actually work with your sound guy, Boone Howard, sometimes. We've recorded a couple of live albums with The We Shared Milk at this place called The Banana Stand.

Sure, man. I know that place. I've been inside that house!

Thanks for taking the time to talk about Portugal. The Man.

We're gonna hang out Division style, here! I actually lived in that house across the street from you. You know the party block there, the three houses. I lived there in 2007. Red Fang used to practice there all the time.

Are you guys still out on tour?

No, we're back in Portland.

You're playing Lollapolooza later this summer, but do you have any shows before that?

Next Wednesday we're going to do a small California run, San Diego, San Francisco, L.A., and then we'll come back home and do Seattle. And then we're going to do a Music Millennium thing on the 23rd, which will be pretty fun.

It seems like the Banana Stand project is working out, going well.

Thanks! We're excited to record Tengo Alpha Tengo later this summer, and we just finished recording Nick Delffs of The Shaky Hands with his Death Songs band.

Oh man, The Shaky Hands, I've been wanting to see them play live.

Was your recent secret show at The Beauty Bar in Portland something to get people excited about the new record?

The Beauty Bar thing was to let people in Portland know that we still exist on a small, friendly level. We like playing small clubs, where there isn't a bunch of monitors and stuff. I guess you could call it a house-party vibe. I've played so many parties and basements around Portland, and it's crazy that those make you feel just as wild as a big show.

I don't know if you know this, but you guys are big on the website Reddit.

Reddit? What's that?

It's like a big Internet forum where people share stuff and talk about what's going on online.

I'll have to check that out.

A lot of fans on there, and elsewhere, say you really have to see Portugal. The Man live to get the full experience, and that the live shows are sometimes better than the studio albums. Do you and the rest of the band feel the same way?

Yeah, basically 99%. That 1% is the album grace, in terms of reverb, in terms of overdubs, in terms of just the actual sound of what you captured. The live shows are cool, because that's when you can extend parts. So, getting to extend things, changing the song's tempo, intro and outros, things like that, and even down to the Elliot Smith level, where, if you mess up, it's front of everyone, it's how you deal with it as a person.

You've released an iTunes “Live from SoHo” album, as well as some downloads from shows earlier this year. Do you have plans to continue to put those shows online from the rest of the tour this year?

We tried to just input to the board from the tour, and we found out that several of the gigs, something happened on the software side, where it didn't record for 15 minutes or half-hour, some random shit. I think out of thirty shows, most were successful.

The Portland show at the Roseland is up for download, and it's great.

Yeah, that was a weird thing. Kicking-off a tour in your hometown is kinda stressful, to me. In my mind, you want to end the your tour in your home city. That way you're tight, the songs are figured out, the tour is figured out, you know? It seems the first couple of days on tour always feel a little shaky to the band. So, I would recommend ending a tour at home.

What's your favorite memory of a live show - either one you played or one you attended?

There's been a lot of moments. Basically, if you get to see your favorite song, whatever you're listening to at the time, and you get to capture the moment, it's pretty much the best time ever. I've had that experience with Red Fang at the Doug Fir, right up front, head-banging, having a great time. I really, really liked the Grizzly Bear record from a couple years ago. When we were doing festivals, I got to see them, and then, thanks to my backstage pass, I got to go meet them and say, “That was awesome.”

So it ranges from local club gigs, to big band with records out. It all depends. From our perspective, getting to play the Roseland is pretty fun. It's a big, loud rock and roll venue. But sometimes you play a place and think, “Man, this venue sucks.”

Do you have a least favorite live moment?

Whooo! Well, there are a lot of small mistakes and small accidents that can happen, but I would say, luckily, I haven't had very many of them. Not in this band. But, in my first band, I got a beer thrown at me, here in Portland. They chucked a pint of beer at us, and it landed on the keyboards, and a bit on my drums. But, it was more about the inner pain of having beer thrown on you while on stage. You're up there and it's like, “What the hell was that about?” Kinda makes you feel like, “Ah shit, maybe I should just hang this shit up.”

What are your favorite bands to see live?

I thought that Grizzy Bear was amazing. I like The Melvins a lot, I've seen them a lot. The Mars Volta is always fun to me, seeing this crazy instrumental stuff. I saw Fever Ray, that was wild, a really impressive lazer light show. I guess it ranges. If you have a favorite record, or favorite sound, it's just so cool to bring yourself to that live show just to feel being there. If it's something you like, unless it's totally sucking, which is really never the case, at least you're there, a part of it.

Do you think Portugal. The Man will ever put out another live record someday?

I think we'll always want to, but thing are moving so fast. It would probably have to come straight off the tour. It's something we were touching on earlier with releasing the live shows from this tour. But then it's like, “Are you going to be okay with mistakes.” I don't know if I'm entirely comfortable with a Phish style production, or Grateful Dead production. I like Grateful Dead records, but they were great, and you can't tell what was a mistake at the time.

Are you currently involved in any projects outside Portugal. The Man?

Nah. That's not to say those of us in the band wouldn't want to play with friends and have fun on something else. But, right now, this band and touring truly takes up all the time. Sometimes, I think it's good enough to just set down and play alone. I know most of the time, when I'm playing, I'm playing with the band. So, one of my favorite things is to play drums alone. It's a great feeling. 

 

Thanks to Jason Sechrist for the interview, which was conducted over the Internet even though we were down the street from each other. Be sure to check out the Jesuses EP from The We Shared Milk, which is rumored to feature Portugal. The Man's Zachary Carothers on bass. Look for the second live album from The We Shared Milk in the coming months, and be sure to pick up In the Mountain, In the Cloud once its out on July 19th.

-Aaron Colter