Anyone looking for proof that rock and roll is alive and well need only attend a performance by the Country Westerns and Titus Andronicus. Hailing from Nashville and New Jersey, the two bands each have their own styles, with the Country Westerns drawing from the alt-country and barroom rock and Titus Andronicus embracing a grandiose, everyman style of punk. Somehow this makes for a perfect union for anyone looking for unfiltered rock and roll performances. With Titus Andronicus promoting their 2022 release The Will To Live and Country Westerns promoting their upcoming album Forgive The City, the two bands are on tour together bringing their guitar-driven goodness to the masses. On Saturday, March 11th, that tour hit Portland, Oregon’s Mississippi Studios.
Country Westerns have only been on the scene for a few years now, releasing their self-titled debut in 2020, but their members have serious cred having put in time with acts like the Silver Jews, The Weight and King Tuff to name a few. Onstage in Portland, the trio steamrolled their way through a set that was remarkably tight. Songs like “It’s Not Easy,” “I’m Not Ready” and “Slow Nights” showcased the band’s Uncle Tupelo-meets-Replacements style with Joseph Plunket’s gravel-throated vocals hitting like a shot of whiskey over the monster rhythm being laid down by drummer Brian Kotzur and bassist Jordan Jones. What sets Plunket apart from these influences is the decision to make a 12-string guitar his weapon of choice. It was clear watching him play that the 12-string allows the trio to wield even more power, having the effect of multiple guitarists while also lending a melodic, jangly quality to the music that was well-suited for catchier tunes like “Speaking Ill of the Blues.” Hard-hitting rock and strong lyricism without being too polished makes Country Westerns the kind of band that can blow minds in any bar, and they brought that same power to their opening set.
Riding the wave of their latest album The Will To Live – easily one of their best and certainly one of the best of 2022 as a whole – the members of Titus Andronicus hit the stage with the boisterous instrumental “My Mother Is Going To Kill Me.” The sheer level of guitar shredding in these first few minutes immediately set the tone for a rock show that never lost a single bit of momentum in its eighty-minute stretch. There is something patriotic about the way this band carries themselves with their combustible combination of chorus lines shouted in unison, upbeat piano that would make Billy Joel smile, and a never-ending stream of ascendent guitar solos. The lifeblood is Patrick “Patty Stacks” Stickles, who led the band through the sprawling rock and roll fever of songs like “(I’m Screwed),” the piano-driven “Above the Bodega,” and the jubilant “Fear and Loathing in Mahwah, NJ.” The latter caused the audience to erupt into a friendly mosh at the shout-out of “Fuck you.”
They mellowed out only a little for the straightforward rocker “Give Me Grief,” while the standout piano on “Baby’s Crazy” brought to mind their peers The Hold Steady albeit with the vibe of a sweaty punk club. Stickles is often unpredictable and delightfully unhinged onstage, but during this show he played the confident band leader. During the “classics section” as he coined it, Stickles injected songs like “Fatal Flaw,” “Fired Up,” and “Dimed Out” with precision and bravado. Taking up a harmonica solo on “Four Score and Seven,” he then led the band and crowd in the kind of group singalong that can only happen when there is a deep connection between a band and its fans. This song also featured the kind of heavy drum roll and bold shredding that feels distinctly American like an army marching into battle, and this feeling continued all the way into the raucous blowout of “Titus Andronicus Forever.”
It is not a stretch to draw comparisons between Titus Andronicus and Bruce Springsteen, with both acts waving the flag for the working class of New Jersey through big-hearted rock and roll. Some acts might shy away from Springsteen comparisons, but not this one. Returning to the stage for one last tune, Patty Stacks and co. busted out their proudest rendition of “Glory Days.” Their hard-edge punk take on this classic tune signaled to the audience that they are hellbent on keeping the glory of American rock and roll alive and also brought the show to a triumphant close.
