
State Theatre Portland Presents: Monophonics w/ Canyon Lights
Portland House of Music
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Portland
Saturday, October 11 at 8 pm EDT
Concert Venue
Saturday, October 11 at 8 pm EDT
Concert Venue
Entry Options
Details
Description
MONOPHONICS
Since 2012, Monophonics has steadily built a reputation as a consistent band with a unique sound. Well-crafted songs and records are matched by an energetic live performance. A heavenly signature style: pure, timeless heavy soul and warm textures of psychedelic rock.
This is a band that revels in the past, taking you back to the stylings of the late ’60s and early ’70s, while always keeping its feet positioned in the present—looking ahead to the future.
Frontman, vocalist, and keyboardist Kelly Finnigan always leads with power. The renowned rhythm section starts with drummer Austin Bohlman, along with Max Ramey on bass and Aquilles Magaña on guitar. A dynamic horn section led by Ryan Scott on trumpet with Jason Cressey playing trombone always elevates the show and sound. This core group drips in cosmic fashion.
As a touring band, Monophonics has taken their act to dozens of countries, selling out venues all over the States, UK, and Europe—including London, NYC, Athens, LA, Istanbul, San Francisco, Amsterdam, and Paris. They are known for putting on an infectious performance which places their intimate songwriting and soulful musicianship on full display.
It’s the kind of concert that delivers gifts to the mind, body, and soul of every crowd in each city they travel to. Monophonics brings a musical experience that is unforgettable, which has earned the group a global fanbase and loyal following.
Sage Motel, Monophonics' fifth studio album released in 2022 on Colemine Records, once again captures the band’s timeless psychedelic soul sound that they are known to produce. Met with an outstanding reception—including nods from NPR Music, KCRW, BBC, and Shindig—the record has thrived in multiple scenes.
Since its release, Sage Motel has found its way to millions of listeners online and seen thousands of records distributed and sold in record shops around the world.
CANYON LIGHTS
Fronted by Tim Carman and Pat Faherty, formerly of GA-20, Canyon Lights are a blend of throwback rock n’ roll, swampy Americana, and heavy blues.
Friends and bandmates since 2018, Pat and Tim have racked up thousands of hours performing on stages all over the world. Their love of blues music fueled their explosive performances with GA-20, a three-time #1 charting blues band from Boston, MA.
In 2023, Pat and Tim began connecting over their mutual love of 70s rock n’ roll bands like Mountain, Thin Lizzy, and James Gang. Inspired by this era, Pat proposed the two work out some song ideas he had been playing with. At the same time, Tim revealed to Pat some personal lyrics he had held onto for years. The songwriting connection was instant and unique. Pat and Tim realized that this was a new venture, not strictly blues and not confined to any lane of creativity. The two flew to Denver in early 2024 to put these sounds on tape with friend Dylan Brown at the helm as engineer and co-producer. From this session, Canyon Lights was born.
“The songs on this album are among the most personal we’ve ever written and recorded. Spending 200 days a year on the road, struggling with separation and loss, the thrill and loneliness of living out of a suitcase... a lot of blood, sweat, and tears went into this album. We held nothing back and we can’t wait for you all to experience these stories with us...”
-Pat and Tim
After finishing the album, which featured bass guitar (played by Pat) on every track, the pair realized they needed a third member to cover the low end live. They reached out to friends in the music community for suggestions and one name kept turning up: Heather Gillis.
Pat and Tim flew to Nashville, TN to meet and jam with Heather, and the connection was instant. Gillis, a talented multi-instrumentalist, has extensive touring experience with artists like Butch Trucks and Lindsay Lou and also leads her own group called Wolf Twin. While in Nashville, the trio recorded a live version of their original song “Seventh Son,” which they released December 5, 2024.
Since then, things have moved fast for the trio. After the release of “Seventh Son,” they signed with Burning House Management and Madison House Booking Agency and booked a slew of national tour dates including a stretch of shows opening up for the legendary George Thorogood & The Destroyers.
The word is out on this new trio. And they’re only getting started…