ARTIST: Portugal The Man
TITLE: Waiter: "You Vultures!"
LABEL: Fearless Records
GENRE: Indie
BITRATE: 209kbps avg
PLAYTIME: 0h 52m total
RELEASE DATE: 2006-01-24
RIP DATE: 2006-01-07
Track List
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1. How The Leopard Got Its Spots 3:59
2. Gold Fronts 3:27
3. Stables & Chairs 3:16
4. AKA M80 The Wolf 3:56
5. Marching With 6 3:02
6. Elephants 4:03
7. Waiter 3:23
8. Chicago 4:13
9. Bad, Bad Levi Brown 3:30
10. Kill Me. The King 3:05
11. Tommy 4:27
12. Horse Warming Party 3:45
13. Guns. Guns...Guns 8:30
Release Notes:
What is Portugal. The Man? Portugal is a country, not a man. Can a country
consider itself a man? Are you confused yet? To clarify, Portugal. The Man is a
band and no, they are not from Portugal; theyÆre a devastatingly handsome and
talented group of guys hailing from the arctic wastelands of Wasilla, Alaska.
The bandÆs name is based on the idea of David BowieÆs ôbigger than lifeö fame.
They wanted the band to have a bigger than life feel but didnÆt want to name it
after one of their members. ôA country is group of people,ö guitar player and
vocalist John Gourley explains.ôWith Portugal, it just ended up being the first
country that came to mind. The bandÆs name is Portugal. The period is stating
that and The Man states that itÆs just one person.ö The name has more personal
meaning as well. Portugal. The Man was also going to be the name of a book that
Gourley had planned to write about his father and his many adventures.
The members of Portugal. The Man (with the exception of Jason Sechrist who was
born in Portland, OR) were all born and raised in Alaska. Gourley grew up in
various parts of Alaska, even spending a year in the woods, living in a cabin
his parents had built that was powered by a generator and had no phone. An
unconventional upbringing to say the least, Gourley was surrounded by wilderness
and A LOT of dogs. His parents ran the Iditarod (the biggest of all dog races,
which his father had run four times.) Around the 8th grade JohnÆs dad bought him
a guitar. He played a little here and there but mostly wrote. ôI started playing
mainly because of Zach, who was in this awful cover band and they played at our
high school from time to time. It was like Rage Against the Machine covers,
which I loved!ö
Around August of 2002, the band Anatomy of a Ghost was formed. Anatomy of A
Ghost quickly gained notoriety and had a huge following, but before long, each
of the members found themselves yearning for a different kind of creativity and
musical expression. Through the demise of that band, Gourley and Zach Carothers
teamed up with Wesley Hubbard (of Mash Potato Mitch and the Jet Puff Marshmellow
Men) and formed Portugal. The Man. The band left Alaska and went to Portland
with the intent of recording and touring. Breaking down any boundaries &
limitations set up previously, Portugal. The Man set out to create a musical
tundra unlike anything anyone had ever heard.
Gourley, Hubbard and Carothers had saved all of their money for their record and
when they came back from Alaska they were spent and had no way to live. The
three found themselves homeless for the next year and a half. ôWe wouldnÆt spend
money on anything,ö Gourley said, ôit was horrible; rough times for sure.ö While
struggles ensued in Portland, the band continued writing music & being creative
despite the circumstances. ôDuring that time I was mainly writing and we were
just waiting for the opportunity to record,ö John said. Sechrist (of the band
Konmai Defense System) then joined the band and things started to come together.
Portugal. The ManÆs musically and visually stimulating debut record Waiter: You
Vultures! will be released by Fearless Records on January 24th, 2006. ItÆs an
eclectic mix of songs that defies simple genre constraints and manages to
contain political & social commentary. The record, along with the band, is sure
to take over the world in 2006. Waiter: You Vultures! was produced by Casey
Bates (Gatsbys American Dream) who comes from a different place musically but
ôhad a good handle on this sound,ö as described by John.
Pushing the boundaries of contemporary music while wearing the heart of Alaska
on their sleeves, this band is going places. Portugal. The Man wants to take you
with them. Portugal. The Man will leave you loving, questioning, crying,
dancing, smiling, but above all else, Portugal. The Man leaves you wanting more.