Family Force Five brings crunk to P-Town

 

It seems as if when Family Force Five, an Atlanta-based band, got together Nov. 17 at Portland’s Hawthorne Theatre, they decided to mash up every type of popular music today.

After a confusing karaoke session hosted by the band when they came out as their hip-hop alter egos, the show started. A flash of lights and an explosion of guitars woke up the stirring crowd.

The influence of the hip-hop dominated Southern music scene was evident in the lyrics of Jacob, Solomon and Joshua Olds. With an Anthony Kiedis-like rhythm to the lyrics, the band seemed to be heading down a road reminiscent of the Red Hot Chili Peppers or Linkin Park.

As the songs rolled on, so did the blinding lights and the change in music directions. It was a show that could’ve warranted a warning to crowd members who’ve had a history of seizures. Whether the crowd was suffering from seizures or just enjoying themselves was unclear.

The band spent a lot of time mimicking the styles of other musicians and laughing at their own awesomeness.

But it hasn’t always been self-deprecating jokes backed with bravado. It’s been a long road of failed attempts to sell their style.

The Olds brothers were initially a boy band named “The Brothers.” Their father, a popular Christian artist in the late 1980s, managed the group. After striking out at everything imaginable, the band found the right combination of punk, dance, hardcore and hip-hop and had immediate success with their album “Business in the Front/ Party in the Back.”

The show had no clear direction or story for a listener to follow, at least not one that was easily understandable. Nor did they have a defined sound.

The band leapt from genre to genre, sometimes straddling two lily pads at once. There were songs that would’ve made a hardcore fan sick to their stomach, a gutter punk spit on themselves, a hip-hop head to take a smoke break, and a metal head to cut their hair.

The crowd that showed up for Family Force Five loved the music, though.

They danced, cheered and partied their bangs off. The band has an audience that loves the mash-up of popular music and is selling reams of tickets and that’s what’s important.

If you like to dance or are just looking for some music to party to, give Family Force Five a listen. It may be confusing what type of music they are loyal to but one thing is for sure — they like to have a good time.