Field Report: Marigolden Album Review and Interview with Christopher Porterfield

Originally published at Ozaukee Magazine and http://countyist.tumblr.com/

"Leave the Lights On: Field Report Triumphantly Returns for a Marigolden Show:"
by Will Piper; photos arranged by A. Ryan Thompson

In their sophomore release, Marigolden,  Milwaukee-based indie folk-rock band Field Report delivers a thoughtful, inspiring,  and above all, reflective album that recounts the essence of the human experience though a series of nine songs that work together wonderfully in isolation but fit together like a puzzle when put all together.

Lyrically enchanting, sonically both melodic and complex, and overall mesmerizing, Marigolden stands out as a stellar release of 2014, and a record-of-the-year contender for many music critics, myself included.  Simply put, if you like good singer-songwriter based music that will enchant you musically and challenge you lyrically; this is a must-have album for your collection. 

The record opens with a sense of hopeful exuberance with “Decision Day,” an uplifting track that encourages the listener to get out there and find something inspiring.  In a key line, singer-songwriter Christopher Porterfield (whose name as an anagram serves as Field Report’s name-sake) states, “you practiced your name in the margins of a 100,000 rough drafts, I heard they’ve roughed you up pretty bad,” showcasing the human need for work and revision.  Nobody is perfect after all.  The second track of the record, “Home (Leave the Lights On)” is the album’s first single and furthers the idea of the search for self though experience.  In what may be my favorite lyrical image of the entire record, Porterfield relays both the beauty and messiness of being human, “Downtown’s dolled up with tinsel and angels, seasons sneak like haircuts- teased apart and tangled, we were praying for a while and we took it all down, like Garland hanging off traffic signals.”

While considerably more of an uplifting record than Field Report’s self-titled 2012 debut, there are certainly some more somber tracks onMarigolden.  The potently spacey alt-country track “Pale Rider” recounts a tale of sadness over letting go of a relationship. The narrator in this track may be lamenting the loss of a person or an idea… and while ambiguous, Porterfield recounts that, “I don’t know that I can be the place to go or what you really need.”  “Ambrosia,” is another emotionally reflective number.  In it, Porterfield relays the tale of a character stuck in a depressive rut, who keeps “spinning his wheels,” that “nothing is going to change.”

As stated in his recent in-depth interview with deejay Steven Kallao of 88.9 Radio Milwaukee,  Marigolden was a record written for vinal format, and “Ambrosia” decidedly was placed as a marker between the first and second halves of the album.  The second half opens with a musically daring number, “Wings,” which sonically may be the most complex tune on the record, layered with synthesizers, percussion and subtle nuances both from a sonic and lyrical perspective.  This tune puts a fresh take on the classic Greek mythological story about Iccarus and his journey to the sun.  The album’s climatic moment, comes in the pen-ultimate tune, “Summons,” a song that revisits the reoccurring theme of movement and transition that runs across the nine songs on the album with a sweeping chorus where the narrator calls out, “I’ll be coming home to you.”

Marigolden, was released on New York based indie label Partisan records (home to other Wisconsin indie exports Slyvan Esso and Phox) on Tuesday, October 7th and has received rave reviews from local publications like the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel to national publications like Paste Magazine.   What makes Marigolden such an exceptional release is its humility, soundscapes, and lyrics which transplant the listener into the narrative of the characters described vividly in Porterfield’s songs.

As a teacher by trade, Porterfield’s lyrics anchor the record and stand out as exemplary models in modern storytelling.  I had the pleasure of catching up with Porterfield  this past Sunday via phone from Kansas City, Missouri to talk about how he learned his craft as a songwriter, the theme of travel and transformation in his record, how he considers Milwaukee his home and his upcoming show at the Pabst Theater on October 22.

When did you dedice you wanted to be a songwriter?

Being a songwriter just snuck up on me.  I played music for number of years and it just kind of grew.  I studied journalism at UW-Eau Claire, and then moved to Milwaukee to be with a girl who I met there.  We’ve been married now for 8 years.  I wasn’t doing writing at that time I first came to Milwaukee, and songwriting grew out of missing the act of writing.

What do you like about Milwaukee?It gives me energy and is my place to figure out who I am as a person and a writer. It’s an exciting time for Milwaukee. Milwaukee’s changed so much in the 8 years I’ve been there.  We talked about moving, but it comes down to, “Where would I go?” Nashville? Toronto? Minneapolis? Durahm?  Milwaukee is home, man, and I love it there, and I’m proud of it and we’re in it for the long haul.  Milwaukee is great because it’s small enough to develop your work quietly and big enough to find places to play when it’s time to do so.  It’s also centrally located, so you can route an east coast tour well from Milwaukee and a west coast tour from MKE.”

I hear from folks that you’re a Vikings fan.  How has moving to Milwaukee changed or altered your sports team allegiances?  
(laughing) I’m originally from Minnesota as you know.  I’ve adopted the Brewers as my National League team and love them and and the Bucks as my Eastern Conference team.  Old affiliations die hard, however and I’ll always be a Vikings fan.

Speaking of sports, you’re on tour right now in Missouri, is baseball fever rampant there?For sure.  We just did some shows in St. Louis and Hannibal, Missouri, and there was no blue to be seen.  I tried to find a Royals hat as I’m on the bandwagon, and there were none to be found in eastern Missouri.  I like them… they’re an underdog team like the Brewers and it’s fun seeing them do well.  Hopefully I can find a hat now that we’re in Kansas City.  I’m sure we’ll see some blue here!

On your recent record, Marigolden, you use lots of traveling images in album, referencing other places like Mobile, New Mexico, and Durham.  You also talk a lot about a sense of “home,” which can be both a physical and metaphorical image.  How does Milwaukee play into this?Honestly, I’m thinking about my wife as a sense of home.  The idea of home for me is not a physical place but it is returning to a state of balance; becoming centered again.  Travel and displacement is an element on the record for sure.  The first record for Field Report was written at home, mostly in my dining room.  It’s perhaps best listened to at home in a quiet environment.  This record was written while on the road promoting the first record.  This one might work best in the car. The environment where something is created can continue to impact record.

Clearly, crafting vivid lyrical images and striking similes is your strength. How did you learn to write like you do?
I’ve always been a reader and remain a reader.  On this record I just got better at working in this form.  One of the things I have figured out is to put in specific images, people or places, in the songs so that the listener can find a reference point, but also allow enough space for them to complete the story in their head.  Ernest Hemmingway is a good example of creating this negative space.  I also wanted to be honest and open with a lot of the songs.  The songs are places that I can live in comfortably, and I’ll have to be living in them a lot as we support the record over the next few years.  It’s good to leave holes to let others bring their thoughts to the table and allow them to be part of the conversation with the music. Good records require active participation.  If you’re willing to take time to put yourself into the experience, you’ll get more out of it.  We built this record to stand up for multiple listens.

What has been most satisfying about the making of Marigolden and the subsequent tour?Making the record was a culmination of playing hundreds of shows between the first record and this one.  Seeing the record come together as a real cohesive piece has been satisfying.  Listening back to the record I’m still really pleased with it.  We did good work and we stand behind it.

The people that we have in the band right now are working to recreate it (Marigolden) intentionally in a live setting.  It’s really exciting to present a live show with this body of work.  You can tell that people have lived with the record for a while and coming to the shows familiar with it.

There is a real sense of lushness and musical nuance on the record. How do you go about trying to translate that live?

The charm of the record is all of the subtext that we reference musically, and the colors within the narratives of the songs.  Live I’ve enlisted Tom Wincek from Madison of “All Tiny Creatures,” and “Volcano Choir.” He’s been working extensively with electronic music and I called him up and he’s helped us create all of the colors and subtexts.  On tour we have myself, Tom and Shane Leonard on  drums, singing, banjo, and triggering loops.  He was a big part of making the record too.  He had a lot to do with making the record.

So, all of that sound comes from just three people?(laughing) Yes!

Radio Milwaukee Music Awards

Recently, you did a really cool interview with Steven Kallao of 88.9 Radio Milwaukee where you sat down and trackedMarigolden, doing essentially a “director’s cut” of the record.  How did you connect with Kallao and come up with the “Tracking Marigolden” project?

I have been in the Radio Milwaukee studio to do promotion for “Alverno Presents: Marvin Gaye.”  I have known Kallo and am friends with him and get a lot of energy from Kallao and we started talking about doing something like this.  As we wrapped up the recording of this record, we started talking about things I could do with the station.  We came up with a project that got put off for now called, “What We Talk About When We Talk About Songs,” and created a show that would have me interviewing songwriters about their writing and life on the road.  We both got very busy so this didn’t take off, but then we started talking about things that would be cool for the 88.9 audience and he came up with the idea of doing an interview going through the album track by track.  It’s a cool thing to wave the flag for 88.9 and the record and was a win-win for everyone.  It was really fun to do.

What can we expect at the Pabst show on the 22nd?You can expect a band that is pretty tight, pretty excited to be in that room (the Pabst) with the hometown crowd, and hear the record created pretty accurately live.  We’ll probably do a few older songs with different arrangements and have a good light show going by then. We hope to put on a good show with a crowd that’s happy to be there and it’ll be a real nice time.

We look forward to checking out Field Report at the Pabst Theater on October 22nd and hope that you do too.

Article by Will Piper. Teacher, music fan. Ozaukee & Milwaukee County Enthusiast.