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Small in numbers, large in auditory impact. (Promotional Photo / December 14, 2012) |
It’s easy to get into the habit of only paying attention to live music nights at live-music friendly bars when there’s a big, national act coming through. And even then, we typically only look out for names we’re familiar with or are already fans of. But New Haven’s local musicians, especially the young set who play around the Elm City often, are worth experiencing live not only once, but as many times as they care to play for us. Ports of Spain are one of those bands.
Ports of Spain are Sam Carlson on drums and vocals, and Ilya Gitelman on guitar. Consisting solely as a two-piece not only shapes their sound but also their practical applications of that sound. “There’s really no room for error or superfluity,” says Carlson. “Every component of the song has to work to push the song forward, or else we can’t afford to keep it,” he says. Luckily technology has advanced to the point where a duo can play more than one role at once without sacrificing much. Gitelman utilizes loop pedals in order to comfortably manage the roles of lead, rhythm and bass guitar. Carlson somehow manages to be the band’s keyboardist as well as singer/drummer. “We’re constantly posturing ourselves to give the illusion of size, but in the end it’s just us,” Carlson says.
But while the nature of the band requires attention to detail and careful execution, the two musicians met and bonded over experimentation. Having met at college, the two played in the same Pink Floyd cover band and spent time writing their own stuff while practicing with the rest of that band. Eventually they stepped out on their own under a variety of names before becoming Ports of Spain for good. Carlson describes their writing process as “slow and strange,” adding that their writing has become more and more structured over time, while still sticking to their inventive roots. “We certainly wouldnt’ consider ourselves a pop band, but there’s a lot to be said for a good, crafted song,” he says.
Ports of Spain currently have two EPs available on Bandcamp, the Winters Teeth EP, released in late 2010, and March 2012’s Oh, Surrender. Plans for more EPs are in the works, says Carlson. “The consumption of music is very much singles-based right now. You can put out a 12-15 [song] effort, and people might only really latch on to one or two of those songs,” he says. “By putting out smaller batches more frequently, we’re trying to give people something more immediate,” he says. Carlson and Gitelman plan to head into the studio this winter to record a four- or five-track EP. They choose the songs they record based on what they feel stands out live.
You can catch Ports of Spain on Wednesday, Dec. 19 on an all Connecticut bill at Cafe Nine. The $5 cover, which also lets you see Ovlov, Wess Meets West and Head With Wings, will help Carlson and Gitelman produce their next record.
Ports of Spain are Sam Carlson on drums and vocals, and Ilya Gitelman on guitar. Consisting solely as a two-piece not only shapes their sound but also their practical applications of that sound. “There’s really no room for error or superfluity,” says Carlson. “Every component of the song has to work to push the song forward, or else we can’t afford to keep it,” he says. Luckily technology has advanced to the point where a duo can play more than one role at once without sacrificing much. Gitelman utilizes loop pedals in order to comfortably manage the roles of lead, rhythm and bass guitar. Carlson somehow manages to be the band’s keyboardist as well as singer/drummer. “We’re constantly posturing ourselves to give the illusion of size, but in the end it’s just us,” Carlson says.
But while the nature of the band requires attention to detail and careful execution, the two musicians met and bonded over experimentation. Having met at college, the two played in the same Pink Floyd cover band and spent time writing their own stuff while practicing with the rest of that band. Eventually they stepped out on their own under a variety of names before becoming Ports of Spain for good. Carlson describes their writing process as “slow and strange,” adding that their writing has become more and more structured over time, while still sticking to their inventive roots. “We certainly wouldnt’ consider ourselves a pop band, but there’s a lot to be said for a good, crafted song,” he says.
Ports of Spain currently have two EPs available on Bandcamp, the Winters Teeth EP, released in late 2010, and March 2012’s Oh, Surrender. Plans for more EPs are in the works, says Carlson. “The consumption of music is very much singles-based right now. You can put out a 12-15 [song] effort, and people might only really latch on to one or two of those songs,” he says. “By putting out smaller batches more frequently, we’re trying to give people something more immediate,” he says. Carlson and Gitelman plan to head into the studio this winter to record a four- or five-track EP. They choose the songs they record based on what they feel stands out live.
You can catch Ports of Spain on Wednesday, Dec. 19 on an all Connecticut bill at Cafe Nine. The $5 cover, which also lets you see Ovlov, Wess Meets West and Head With Wings, will help Carlson and Gitelman produce their next record.
