Point Juncture, WA: Band brings eclectic Portland sound to The Pour House

I've spent a week relishing in the melancholic lullaby of Point Juncture, WA's latest release, "Heart to Elk." The band's keyboardist and vocalist, Victor Nash, joined me for a phone interview several days before the band's performance at the Pour House on Friday.

Nash was in New York City at the Bowery Ballroom, where he and his bandmates, including vocalist and drummer Amanda Spring, guitarist and vibraphonist Skyler Norwood and guitarist Wilson Vediner, were set to perform that evening as part of their first national tour.

"This has been our first chance to hit all of the great spots on the East Coast," Nash said. "We've played in Maine and Massachusetts. Now we're in New York and about to play Philadelphia, D.C., and then Charleston."

The band joined forces with fellow Portland, Ore.-based bands The Thermals and The Shakey Hands for the monthlong tour. Nash said that the collaboration grew out of The Thermal's fervent support of local musicians.

"They were looking for Portland bands to take on tour because they wanted to support their local music scene," Nash said. "So it's basically a big Portland party every night."

True to form, each evening of the tour culminates with a large dance party, according to Nash. "Kathy, The Thermals' bass player, gets on stage with the drum kit, and it turns into a funky stage dance party. Everyone has a couple of drinks and dances to an empty venue," he said.

The quartet joined the tour to promote "Heart to Elk," which was released by Mt. Fuji Records in February. Prior to the album's release, the band spent the past five years self-recording and releasing its own records. "Heart to Elk" marks the band's first big label release.

"It was really cool to find a record label that wanted to work with us on the album," Nash said.

He said that the label fostered the band's creative yearnings, particularly in regards to album art. Nash said that each CD or vinyl record has six layers of stenciling inside, a creative project that Mt. Fuji assisted with.

He stated that, while recording, the quartet approached the eclectic album as a work of art, focusing on each song individually rather than the album as a whole.

"We produced each song in a different way. We just kept overdubbing and overprocuding each one. In the end, everything is very cohesive yet stands alone as their own piece of art," he said.

The quartet formed five years ago, originally composed solely of Nash and Spring, his girlfriend. Since then, the group has gone on to perform with the likes of Stereolab, Britt Daniel of Spoon and Mates of State. Nash said that band owes much of its success to the Portland artists who had come before them, including their tourmates.

"Seeing some of my favorite Portland musicians perform each night is such a great experience," Nash said. "This tour has made me realize what a debt we owe to Portland in general."