Music on Main Street July 9, 2008

Music on Main Street
free!

This week:

"Fernando writes compelling pop songs with captivating melodies and lush vocal harmonies. Bouncy and charming guitars juggle the bass and drums into rhythmic waves of clever ballads… (with) instrumentation which belies a roots rock intention smartly wrapped in bubble wrap of indie pop.” – Smother

Argentina-born Fernando Vicivonte came of age musically in L.A. fronting the hard rock band Monkey Paw. He moved to Portland in 1994 and released Season in Hell, a downbeat collection of country rock, in 1996. His sophomore effort, Windows, saw a harder-edged approach that at times recalled his Southern California days. The Spanish language album Pacoima (1998) represented an abrupt shift as Fernando explored his So Cal barrio roots, swinging from border rock to Tex-Mex to Mexican R&B. Sure enough, he changed gears ayet again for Old Man Motel (1999) indulging in a powerful collection of relatively straight-ahead rock. In 2001 Fernando released Dreams of the Sun and Sky, a startling gorgeous collection of gauzy, narcotic tracks with Latin and country-folk accents. Fernando’s latest record, Exit to Enter, isn’t your average pop-rock album. Sure it’s full of sweet, somber vocals and catchy hooks, but the album’s got something you don’t hear very often on melodic pop/rock releases – and that’s raw emotion.

www.myspace.com/fernandoportland

Official Website: http://www.pcpa.com/events/event.php?run=1366