George watsky is the recipient of the youth speaks and brave new voices poetry slam awards. PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIPEDIA

By Declan Hertel
 Staff Writer

I feel music on a spiritual level. My belief in the power of
music is the closest thing I have to a religion.

The philosopher Kant called music “the quickening art”; it changes moods and minds and brings life back to the lifeless.

Music is the one thing I believe in wholeheartedly, and as such it has become my religion in a way.

If music is my religion, then live performances are my church. And boy, do I love going to church. I had the privilege Dec. 1 of hearing a sermon delivered by the reverend Watsky, an alternative hip-hop artist from San Francisco.

I have been a fan of Watsky for a long while and tonight was the first time I had ever seen him live. He did not disappoint.

Watsky played the Wonder Ballroom, a great little Portland venue, on the final leg of his North American tour supporting his stellar new album “All You Can Do.”

After excellent opening performances by Anderson Paak and KYLE, both of whom have a new fan in me, Watsky stormed out of the gate with the raging anthem “Bet Against Me” from his new record. He immediately had the entire crowd screaming along with him, and they didn’t stop for the entirety of his hour-thirty set.

He blazed through old songs and new, occasionally offering some of his brilliant spoken word poetry, flawlessly and passionately delivering his intricate lyrics as his backing band tried their very best to match his energy (they succeeded).

When he stopped to talk to us about things he cared about, he was very genuine and kept wide of condescension. He closed the main show with “Whoa Whoa Whoa,” a song showcasing the incredible speed at which Watsky can rap with a chorus so catchy it ought to be criminal.

After a deafening chant of his name from the crowd, Watsky and his band returned to the stage to play the title track from “All You Can Do,” and ended the night with “IDGAF,” a song from his first album that once again had the crowd bellowing the profane chorus. It was reckless, joyful and immensely inspiring.

Folks, please, please go see live music. It is an experience like no other. You become part of something greater than yourself; at a show a community is born and then lives spectacularly and dies with an explosion all in the space of three hours. And it is beautiful.

The volume of the show made me near deaf. My throat hurt from screaming along. My entire body ached from jumping around all night. But I had the time of my life.