I don’t think I’m exaggerating when I say that the fact Field Report is such an unrecognized band so far is a musical travesty. Seriously, let’s talk good music for a sec. A group led by Wisconsin native Chris Porterfield, this folk-inspired ensemble does more musically and emotionally in three pre-released songs than many artists are able to do in three albums.
It isn’t easy to find too much background information on a project so very much in its infancy. After successfully appearing with the Counting Crows during South by Southwest this year, the group was asked to join them on tour this summer, coinciding nicely with the anticipated new album in June.
Field Report’s music just sounds like the Midwest. Amazingly empathetic in nature, Porterfield’s lyrics are not only rich with character but are also chalk full of hope, despair, and the Everything that exists in between within the course of everyday life. This particularly reveals itself in “Fergus Falls,” a song told from the prospective of a pregnant woman desperate to get out of the Minnesota town. Layered with subtlety, it takes a few glorious listens to uncover everything going on here.
It is something bordering on insulting that in the course of a Google search of the group I was unable to find an article on Field Report without a reference to Bon Iver (Porterfield and Bon Iver frontman Justin Vernon were in DeYarmond Edison together until 2006, when they and the current Megafaun all separated to work on their own projects). The success of Porterfield’s ex-band mate is reflective of the crapshoot nature of the music industry. Plain and simple, Field Report is fantastic music, and they should not have to live in their shadow of Bon Iver (I realize I may have just added to the problem by writing about it here, but I can’t help but want to give Chris Porterfield a virtual high-five for breaking off and doing his own thing). The result was a project with the potential to be truly long lasting.
In short, hurry up and listen to these guys. It’s worth it, I promise.