Po' Girl and the small, small world

Po’ Girl are one of those bands that is constantly touring. They’re officially based in Vancouver, but I’m not sure they even have a real residence there.

Their travels bring them down the West Coast on a semi-regular basis, and I had the chance to make some portraits of the two central members, Allison Russell (above, at left) and Awna Teixeira, when they were in Portland for a taping of Livewire.

Alli had to run off somewhere while I set up my lights in front of a convenient wall across the street from their hotel. As Awna and I chatted, it came up that I grew up (partly) in Timmins, Ont.

Timmins is an isolated city of about 45,000 in Northern Ontario, a long way from either Vancouver or Portland. But Awna immediately perked up when I mentioned the “city with a heart of gold.”

“I know someone who grew up there,” she said. Oh really? Yep, turns out one of her best friends (now living in B.C.) was just a year behind me in high school, and we even were in one class together. Small world indeed.

While I didn’t get to see them play that time, I tried to see the band’s concert in a park this summer. Unfortunately, a timing mistake had me arriving just in time to see them breaking down their kit. And they were back in Portland last weekend, when I was out of town. But I know they’ll be back.