There they are, as the January 28, 2018 Grammy night gets underway, doing a red-carpet interview, Zach and John. Their song, “Feel It Still,” written during a 45-minute break from working on “Live in the Moment,” was a surprise nominee for best pop duo/group performance.
Zach does most of the media chatter, claiming to be wearing his first ever tuxedo. John listens and nods, and chimes in that they are most creative right after they finish a record. The hit song “just makes me want to work harder,” he said.
Two hours later, they hold the Grammy in their hands. There’s Eric, all smiles, in a tux. Again, Zach does the speechifying, saying it’s important to “Rep where you’re from,” and giving a shout out to villagers from “Shishmaref, Barrow, Bethel, all the Indigenous Peoples in Alaska and around the world. You’re beautiful, your culture’s beautiful…Rep where you’re from!”
When asked about being nominated for a Grammy on their eighth album, Zach said:
“There’s amazing artists that come out of nowhere that are just amazingly talented. We weren’t those people — we had to work for a while and get better… We had to play thousands of shows, we had to make those albums and keep getting better, and we’re all about hard work, and that’s what we’ve been doing.”
“We like the struggle,” he added. “We like sleeping in vans and eating rice at rest stops and it feels good to look back on the journey that we’ve done and all that it took to get there and get this nomination [for best pop duo/group performance] is huge for us.”
It will be fun to hear Eric’s take on the journey (he’s been with the band since 2015 and plays on ‘Feel It Still’) as we listen to this and other tunes, dissect some lyrics and hear tales from the tour.
So get ready. Watch the music video
HOST: Kathleen McCoy
GUESTS:
- Eric Howk, Alaskan, Valley guy, band member Portugal. The Man
LINKS:
- Portugal. The Man website
- “Erik Howk. The Man,” The New Mobility, 6.1.2018
- Guitar hero:Eric Howk of Portugal. The Man is a rock star with a cause, ADN, 8.28.2017
- Eric Howk and Zack Carothers interview, Part 1, Face Culture, 7.3.2017
- Eric Howk and Zack Carothers interview, Part 2, Face Culture 7.3.2017
- Eric Howk and Zack Carothers interview, NTI
- Erik Howk PSA for National Telecommuting Institute
- Links related to “Feel It Still,” the Grammy winner
- ‘Feel It Still’ lyrics explained, NME website, 10.31.17
- ‘Feel It Still’ lyrics explained, TIME magazine, 11.15.17
- ‘Feel It Still’ lyrics explained, Genius You Tube video, 5.16.17
- ‘Feel It Still’ lyrics explained, Songfacts
- American Music Awards 2017 performance ‘Feel It Still’
- Portugal.The Man on the new album Woodstock, Build series, 6.20.17
- Band with Local Roots Stays Grounded Amid Success, The Frontiersman, 12.2.2011
- Portugal. The Man singer tends to his Alaska roots, ADN, 2.22.12
- John Gourley: The Man Behind Portugal. The Man, Pigeons & Planes, 6.26.13
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- LIVE: Wednesday, June 13, 2018 at 2:00 p.m.
- REPEAT: Wednesday, June 13, 2018 at 8:00 p.m.
