A certain amount of respect should automatically be awarded to any Portland band that possess the huevos to use the all-encompassing blanket phrase “folk-rock” as a self-descriptor AND adorns the cover of their debut album with hand-drawn rainbows. It’s only after acknowledging this fact that one can truly appreciate the soaring, solid genius of duo Israel Nebeker and Ryan Dobrowski’s Blind Pilot. The band’s success is coming on much like the crawling smoke that frames the video for “Go On Say It,” the single from their debut album 3 Rounds and a Sound that was recently chosen for the iTunes “Single of the Week” after indie-chanteuse Aimee Mann personally placed it in the hands of an Apple Music executive. But how do you argue with the earnest quell of Nebeker’s voice, or the gentle swish of the brushed drums? Featuring a rotating circus of violinists, percussionists and even horns on occasion, Blind Pilot’s live shows produce a sound that’s organic without lacking refinement and calculated without sounding rehearsed. Beginning August 16th, they’ll be embarking on their first large-scale tour of the West Coast – completely by bicycle. If Blind Pilot’s current combination of legitimate talent, dumb luck and general whimsy are any indication of their future as a band, their success is all but guaranteed– and you’re just going to have to deal with that album artwork.

Tue., Aug. 19, 9 p.m., 2008