The Barr Brothers at the Crystal Ballroom

I first saw Montreal's the Barr Brothers in a totally unexpected moment of pure magic—underneath the stars at my first Pickathon. I was in love. As anyone who has attended Portland's Best Summer Fest knows, it's hard to re-create the special something of those three days. Maybe you've seen that artist play before (or after), but something about that Pickathon set (or two) will always be different. If anyone's able to hold onto the magic outside of that weekend, they were part of Wednesday night's lineup of Shakey Graves and the Barr Brothers. The Barr Brothers released their second full length album, Sleeping Operator, last year and it was no shabby follow-up to their first. Maybe more mature, a little more polished; but no less adventurous, no less enthralling.

Shakey Graves at the Crystal Ballroom

Shakey Graves' set at the Crystal wavered back and forth between songs played solo, with guitar and signature suitcase-turned-kick-drum, and having the backing of a drummer and bassist. His charm and stage presence is undeniable, somewhat making up for some songwriting lulls that leave a little to be desired on his studio recordings. The clear crowd favorite, "Dearly Departed," is a song co-written with Esmé Patterson (formerly of Denver's Paper Bird), but it was preformed without the newly minted Portland resident, as she is currently away on her own tour. The sold-out crowd had visibly thinned by the time the encore rolled around, but the show as a whole—with two sets from two bands full of that something special—turned out to be a great night, as expected.

More photos after the jump!

The Barr Brothers

The Barr Brothers

The Barr Brothers

The Barr Brothers

The Barr Brothers

The Barr Brothers

The Barr Brothers

The Barr Brothers

The Barr Brothers

The Barr Brothers

Shakey Graves

Shakey Graves

Shakey Graves

Shakey Graves

Shakey Graves

Shakey Graves

Shakey Graves

Shakey Graves

Shakey Graves

Shakey Graves

Shakey Graves

Shakey Graves