Once the snow falls, I usually become illusive. Like the Ghost of Winter’s Past. But, Spokane welcomed If Not For Me, Archers, and The Funeral Portrait for what will probably be the last time seeing any of these bands on such a small and intimate stage as all three bands are taking off into the stratosphere. And I had to be there to witness it for myself.
This was the first time I’d been to The District Bar for a concert, so it was a whole new experience. It's always fun to see people staking out their places when it comes to smaller, more intimate shows. Once doors opened, people started piling in for merch and to mingle with the guys, which meant the lines were so long that once I got in line, I was afraid that there would be no merch left.
After talking to Cody from If not for Me, and the amazing tour manager Trevor Tressler, I made my way over to talk with Lee for a bit before staking my own spot in the pit. One of the things I love about shows like this with the small area is that you can’t help but to make friends. Everyone around me was so sweet and we got to know each other very well. We even made a safe nest for a signed poster.
Once the lights went down and the music started pumping, so did the heat. I never thought that in the dead of winter I’d get so hot that my makeup started melting off my face, but boy was I wrong. The pit was alive and I could see the edges of moshing bodies, and people singing so loud that you could see how happy it was making everyone, especially Patty.
First up was If Not For Me. They just released a brand new song “Say It To My Face” through Thriller Records. It features Taylor Barber of Left to Suffer. If you haven’t checked it out, do so immediately. The mixture of Patty’s vocals with Taylor’s is just euphoric to the ears. The two bands meld together so beautifully that I would be first in line for a tour that featured them both.
The crowd ate up every lyric that dropped and the energy of the room started amping up as people got more and more into it. They concluded their set with my favorite of their songs, “Feel Me Now”, which was the song I first found them with when I heard them live in August of last year.
Up next was Archers! This is a band that I hadn’t had the chance to sit down and listen to fully. That has now, however, changed, and my playlist is full of their songs. They came with another huge release that dropped in time for Valentine’s Day was Archer’s “Never Enough”. Touching on toxic relationships, “Never Enough” speaks on the side of toxicity that you don’t often see, and it’s a refreshing and addicting listen, and is very much not a love song. Hearing them perform this live was something I loved and could immediately relate to as I, unfortunately, have had my share of toxic relationships.
And for the main event was The Funeral Portrait! Coming off the wildly successful “Suffocate City” featuring the ever talented Spencer Charnas of Ice Nine Kills is The Funeral Portrait’s new music video release. It premiered February 7th and features Lilith Czar. “Hearse for Two” It’s a tragic tale of love and loss and is so hauntingly beautiful that it stuck with me for so long after I first listened.
Now I’ve followed The Funeral Portrait since the beginning and it’s been a wild ride watching them grow as a band and get so many amazing opportunities and yet still be small enough that they interact with their fans on such a personal level, and it was on display all night.
The interaction between the crowd and the guys during all three sets was something amazing to see. Especially the way Lee made sure everyone was included in the songs and he made sure that he brought everyone into the experience. Being able to be as close as I was is something that I think won’t be happening again as these guys will be hitting the big time before you know it.
This was the last show with If Not For Me and Archers opening for The Funeral Portrait. They will go on to support Catch Your Breath in a whole new tour, and I for one can’t wait to see everything that comes next.
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