Hard Working Americans- Crystal Ballroom, Portland, OR 11/12/14 (SHOW REVIEW/PHOTOS)

On paper, Hard Working Americans is a band that is very much a mutual admiration society. The band is comprised of Todd Snider on lead vocals, Widespread Panic’s Dave Schools on bass, Chris Robinson Brotherhood’s Neal Casal on guitar, Great American Taxi’s Chad Staehly on keys, Jesse Aycock on lap steel and electric guitars, and Duane Trucks (who filled in for Todd Nance on Widespread Panic’s last run) on drums. Thinking about the careers of these musicians, it’s hard to imagine how many hours, collectively, they’ve spent on stage.

When Hard Working Americans came to be, they took their name to heart and hit the ground running. In less than a year, they’ve released their self-titled debut, released a rockumentary DVD, The First Waltz, gone on tour and played festivals, all while keeping their “day jobs.” The music consists of songs Snider has compiled from friends and colleagues over the years. These songs were recreated as the band was created, all of it taking form together.

On Wednesday night, as winter weather descended into Portland, Oregon, hearty music fans found their way to the Crystal Ballroom to find out for themselves what Hard Working Americans is all about.

After a short but spirited set from Denver’s The Congress, Hard Working Americans took to the sparsely equipped stage and opened with a rendition of Gillian Welch’s “Wrecking Ball.” Snider’s delivery was, as Dave Schools comments after hearing it in The First Waltz, “fucking mesmerizing.” After that sonic massage loosened everyone up, Snider gave a mission statement about working hard so the crowd would appreciate them, and the more they were appreciated, the harder they’d work. Then they busted into Jerry Jeff Walker’s “Don’t It Make You Wanna Dance?” From there, the band worked through one long set of material, incorporating a large portion of songs from their album.

At times it looked as if Snider didn’t quite know what to do with his hands, but he seems to have made an otherwise natural transition from folk musician to rock band front man. During the longer instrumental segments, he seemed perfectly satisfied to just be up there among them dancing around. Schools literally stayed out of the spotlight, holding down the low end from back in the shadows near the drum riser, coming forward mostly to deliver harmony vocals. Neal Casal’s guitar work never feels rushed, but is served up in a way that lets you savor each note as he pulls you along on a path toward the edge of psychedelia. There was no showboating, just musicians working to serve the songs, whether on anthems like Blackland Farmer (Frankie Miller), heart-wrenchers like Straight To Hell (Drivin’ N’ Cryin’), or rockers like Stomp and Holler (Hayes Carll).

As the set ebbed and flowed, and the famous Crystal Ballroom floor began bouncing, it became clear that the six guys on stage have done more than form a band of mutual admirers. They’ve created a real, live, breathing rock n’ roll band. It’s relevant. It’s soulful. This music not only feels good — it feels important. Like other American music that has stood the test of time, the music and message of Hard Working Americans is, to a great degree, both timely and timeless. The natural groove of their live performance was both soothing, and stirring.