Newport update: Blitzen Trapper

With dark clouds looming and an introduction by WERS’ own Lily Jeong, Blitzen Trapper took the Newport Folk Festival’s Harbor Stage by storm. The Portland, Oregon sextet began with “Black River Killer.” Next, the band jumped into the fuzz-filled “God & Suicide” from 2008′s acclaimed Furr album. Trapper’s Christmas bells and desert swing sound packed Harbor’s tented area and overpopulated the standing room to the point where the emergency fire lane that once existed no longer served its purpose.

The boys’ tight, ricocheting chemistry saw them transition from fuzz-filled tunes like “Suicide” to more full range group harmonies and an almost entirely acoustic-driven performance. But then the band left the stage.

Frontman Eric Earley stood alone. Fellow guitarist/keyboardman Erik Menteer was visibly standing on the side of their set up. Earley performed two solo songs and surprised the crowd with a non-album track saying, “I’m going to play it because I like this song.”

In under ten minutes, the Blitzen boys became whole once again. Menteer began an audience handclap and the band burst into “Big Black Bird,” off of their Black River Killer EP. Bringing electric guitars back into the equation, Blitzen Trapper led cheers of “Heave ho, heave ho!” and jammed on “Bird” until the end of the 57 minute show.

Having received a standing ovation (more impressively from those actually in seats), the six members walked off the stage after thanking everyone for coming out. A festival worker pleaded with the fading audience to please leave the emergency fire lane open during performances. Maybe next time Blitzen will be playing the main stage for the rest of Newport’s safety.

-David Padula