Infuse a folk band with tent revival music and some psychedelic rock and you’ll get something that sounds like Portland’s Ages and Ages. Bandleader Tim Perry formed the musical collective after his previous solo effort turned band Psuedosix broke up.
Drawing influences from his religious upbringing to a range of secular music, the band debuted in 2011 with an album of sing-along, clap-along, stomp-along pop rock that vaulted the band into elite company. Locally, they were named Portland’s best band.
After playing South by Southwest and gaining exposure on NPR, the band seemed ready to impress nationally, but a series of personal tragedies slowed the momentum. It took three years for the group to recover and produce a second album, and then they were ready to move on.
Ages and Ages integrated hardships into their 2nd and 3rd albums in 2014 and 2016. Despite the buoyancy of their sound there is a dark angle to it. The theme continues on the band’s most recent release We You They We.
Tim Perry delivers lyrics, sometimes in a near whisper that gives the band’s tunes a subtlety that makes songs with murkier subject matter flow easily. For example, it is hard to tell that the latest single release from the album Needle and Thread is a reminder to resist the urge to let day-drinking and lethargy dictate your disposition.
