Lera Lynn | Live At HiFi Farms

It was a warm summer day in Portland, Oregon when old and dear friend Lera Lynn came to town to kick off the Live At HiFi Farms concert series at the McCormick Mansion in SE Portland.

She and her mate, the multi-talented Josh Grange, took the stage following a powerful opening set by Portland duo Major Love Event (the drummer of which, it turns out, is HiFi Farms Master Grower Ck Koch) and quickly captivated the sold-out room with her sultry voice and unique style. The two played a soulful set comprised of newer material from her sophomore album, The Avenues, as well as favorites from her debut, Have You Met Lera Lynn?, a handful of covers (Bruce Springsteen, Johnny Cash), and songs recorded for the messy 2nd season of HBO’s True Detective (which featured Lera in a small but standout role).

The aforementioned Grange is a consummate musician, though he probably hates being labeled as such, backing Lera up on baby grand piano, pedal steel, baritone guitar, and harmony vocals. (Motherfucker can really play.) Capping off the evening found both members of MLE joining Lera and Josh for Avenues single “La Di Da,” their voices all harmonizing the wordless chorus. It was a sublime moment.

The invite-only crowd left the McCormick and went off into the summer night with bellies full of Zinfindel, heads full of HiFi, and Lera Lynn tunes on their lips. Which is to say, they all left satisfied.