It's not like Portugal. The Man has a stated mission to change lives. In fact, the band's bio on Instagram declares: "Almost as good as PANTERA." That seems more on brand for a pop rock act that loves to shred, currently soundtracks Taco Bell commercials, and clearly doesn't take itself too seriously.
Sure, any band that's played more than 1,600 shows while touring the world for two decades, that's released nine records beloved by legions of fans and scored an unlikely Grammy for the biggest song of 2017 has undoubtedly changed lives through its music. For the Portland-based and Alaska-born group, it all feels like it's happened organically. But that doesn't mean there haven't been speed bumps along the way. The journey has changed their lives, too.
In 2019, longtime friend of the band and tourmate Chris Black passed away due to a lifelong heart ailment. "Chris Black Changed My Life" was released a year ago in, "tribute to our friend Chris Black who inspired us and was one of our biggest supporters."
"Chris Black was so big, and so full of life, his energy was a constant reminder of how lucky we are and how grateful we should be for the people we get to share this life with," frontman John Gourley wrote on the album's website. "I feel it's really important to honor these people, and that's the point of this album: to honor these people that change our lives. And say it while they're here. We love these people. Acknowledge them."
Portugal. The Man has always sought to honor those in the band's community, and bring everyone along for the ride. When the guys graduated from van life to tour buses, they specifically made space for other creatives — photographers, street artists, musicians — who wanted to hop on. Photographer Maclay Heriot is a regular fixture and is currently on tour with the band, as is the Anchorage-based singer-songwriter Quinn Christopherson, who is of Ahtna Athabascan and Iñupiaq descent.
When the band headlines Hayden Homes Amphitheater on Memorial Day weekend with official openers Tegan and Sara and Reyna Tropical, Christopherson will also make an appearance, "performing a couple of songs each night kind of halfway through the set," vocalist Zoe Manville explains, "which is kind of a fun way to change up the shows, too."
Dubbed the Knik Country Tour, Portugal. The Man continues to consistently pay homage to the band's roots. Knik (pronounced kuh-nick) is a remote area outside of Wasilla, Alaska, where singer and guitarist John Gourley and bassist Zach Carothers met in high school.
It's "a place that he [Gourley] grew up that's dear to him," Manville tells. The name is also tattooed behind his ear and has come to represent his varied creative endeavors, as Gourley's also been responsible for a lot of the band's visual imagery over the years. "Everything John does is community-based or family-based. It's generally coming from his childhood and growing up in Alaska."
When the six members of Portugal. The Man were on the biggest stage of their lives accepting their 2018 Grammy for "Feel It Still," Carothers took the opportunity to show the band's true colors: "We grew up in a small town in Alaska, this is crazy for us. Our heroes were dog mushers," he humorously quipped from the Madison Square Garden microphone before celebrating their community. "We'd like to rep this for all the kids in the villages: Shishmaref, Barrow, Bethel. All the Indigenous people in Alaska and around the world. You're beautiful, your culture's beautiful. Thank you for inspiring us."
It was a touching moment of authenticity from a group who have consistently used their platform for good. Every PTM concert begins with a land acknowledgement, which "recognizes and respects Indigenous peoples as traditional stewards of this land," the band states on its PTM Foundation website. Founded in 2020, the foundation's advocacy has focused on issues related to human rights, community health and climate change, partnering with mental health, gun reform and environmental organizations. With the band's guitarist Eric Howk being a wheelchair user himself, they launched PTM's Night Out initiative, aiming to create a better fan experience for disabled concertgoers.
It's now time for us to support their family. In 2021, Gourley and Manville's daughter Frances was diagnosed with a one-in-a-billion neurodegenerative gene mutation called DHDDS. It's a disease with no cure, let alone solid treatment pathways, because it's so rare and unstudied.
At the group's Portland pop-up concert last June to celebrate the release of "Chris Black Changed My Life," crew members wore shirts emblazoned with "Frances Changed My Life." The band has since launched a line of merch designed by Frances, with proceeds supporting DHDDS research and treatment development.
What started as a GoFundMe page has grown into the Frances Changed My Life campaign and Cure DHDDS, charities established to fund research and raise awareness while supporting affected families — all spearheaded by Gourley and Manville. They've done all this "because we realized that nothing exists," Manville says. "When you don't have the backing of pharma you're starting at zero, and all that stuff is thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars. Obviously, we're trying to figure out a solution for Francis, but it's also helpful to the rest of the community that will get that diagnosis as well."
There are technologies and treatments out there that could be applicable but it's been so little studied, Manville explains.
For now, things are going pretty well for Frances. "She gets up every day and goes in the bathroom at 6am and blasts music and jumps around and sings and dances for like an hour before we get ready for school," Manville laughs. When summer hits, she'll get to spend some time on the road with her rock star parents where they'll take it all day by day.
"I count my blessings that Francis is pretty happy right now and she's comfortable," she says. "You know, I think we're fortunate in a lot of ways."
Whatever life throws at us, we can take comfort in Portugal. The Man's innate, unwavering ability to lift us all up. They're showing no signs of slowing down; come see for yourself.
