Wasilla, AK · psych-pop · indie rock

Portugal. The Man

2 upcoming festivals ↓

Alaskan psych-rockers who backed into a global pop hit and kept the weirdness in the live set anyway — 'Feel It Still' plus deep-catalog detours.

John Gourley and Zach Carothers met at Wasilla High School in 2001 and first played together in Anatomy of a Ghost, a band Gourley fronted despite having no previous singing experience. When that group split, Gourley started Portugal. The Man as a side project with Carothers on bass before the pair relocated the band to Portland.

The name nods to David Bowie's idea of larger-than-life fame: Gourley has said Portugal was simply the first country that came to mind, with the period marking a group and "The Man" standing for a single person. He has also tied it to a planned book about his father's life.

The band released two albums on Fearless Records, Waiter: "You Vultures!" (2006) and Church Mouth (2007), both produced by Casey Bates, before moving to its own label, Approaching AIRballoons, in partnership with Equal Vision Records for three further releases. A move to Atlantic Records in 2010 produced four more full-length albums.

Their early records were prolific and psychedelic, leaning on falsetto vocals, layered guitars and concept-minded album structures, and they built an audience through near-constant touring long before radio noticed them.

"Feel It Still" changed that, becoming a mainstream hit and winning Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at the 60th Grammy Awards. The band has kept the psych-rock elements in its live show, often stretching or splicing songs with covers, and has been vocal on political and social causes, including advocacy tied to Alaska Native communities.

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psych-popindie rock