Original image by There Stands the Glass.
I was momentarily startled when I spotted Will Oldham, aka Bonnie "Prince" Billy, at the 2018 edition of the Cropped Out festival. The singer-songwriter wasn’t on the bill of the sorely missed Louisville festival, but he took in a magical set by Michael Hurley on the bank of the Ohio River.
Five years later, I was once again in the presence of both men at Portland’s Aladdin Theater on Monday, May 15. I seemed to enjoy Hurley’s opening set more than any of the other 500 people in the audience.
My loud guffaws during the wildly tasteless "Ms. Petty Blues" elicited stares. A subtle environmental protest song caused tears to well in my eyes. Allusions to back doors and fresh pies were frequent.
Hurley’s wry humor invoked Furry Lewis while his devil-may-care nature caused him to resemble Mississippi John Hurt. In spite of the slightly intrusive and entirely unnecessary accompaniment of a second musician, Hurley, 81, is a dynamic force in peak form. I was bowled over.
Oldham made a gracious concession during his headlining performance: “The elephant in the room is Michael Hurley.” It takes nothing away from Oldham to acknowledge that Hurley owned the evening.