Episode 113: Portugal. The Man

Since 2006, the Portland, Oregon-based Portugal.The Man have released ten full length studio albums and various EPs. Their 2017 song, “Feel it Still,” garnered them a Grammy Award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, but that might put them into a musical category in your mind that would be way off base. The band’s singer, frontman, and principal songwriter, John Gourley, is on what seems a mission to never rest on what he’s done before, continuing to push his music into new realms. Portugal.The Man’s latest album, Shish, is a wild-ride tapestry of pop music infused with metal, noise, punk, and electronica. His co-producer, engineer, and drummer on the project, Kane Richotte, holed-up with Gourley at the band’s studio outside of Portland, and made one of the most interesting records we have heard this year. Geoff Stanfield caught up with John and Kane while they were out on tour, to discuss the making of Shish, the band’s previous work with producers Jeff Bhasker [Tape Op #130], Danger Mouse, Mike D, and John Hill, and letting mixers like John Congleton [#81] and Andy Wallace [#25] do their thing. Enjoy!