At the same time that Menomena was flipping the nostalgia switch on a few hundred indie-rock fans at Revolution Hall, a smaller but no less impressive reunion was taking place across town at Turn! Turn! Turn! Thinking Fellers Union Local 282, a clattering noise-pop group from the Bay Area, played two shows at the more modest North Portland venue, the band’s first live performances in 13 years. Though the event was promoted mostly by word of mouth, both nights sold out last weekend, inspiring fans to fly in from as far away as Minnesota and attracting the likes of documentary filmmaker Lance Bangs, producer Larry Crane and members of various like-minded local bands.
In keeping with the venue and the tone of TFUL282’s music, the shows were raucous, loose and devilishly entertaining. The occasion may have been made possible by reissues of some of the band’s work released by Bulbous Monocle, a label overseen by Sublime Frequencies co-founder Hisham Mayet, but the spirit of the shows was more family reunion than promotional duties. So much so that on Sunday, August 10, the children of some of the band members jumped on stage to take over backing vocals for “My Pal the Tortoise,” a fan favorite from 1994. Strangers From the Universeand spent the rest of the show front and center, singing and dancing along.
I’m skeptical of most band reunions, as they’re motivated by profit rather than fan service. I saw none of that at the Fellers’ performances over the weekend. It was more like four old friends reuniting (original member Anne Eickelberg opted not to join) through the gangly, scruffy, and ultimately beautiful music they made together. If someone wanted to fly thousands of miles and squeeze into a sweatbox in early August to experience this noble experiment firsthand, who were they to stop them?
