For Tank and the Bangas, music is a vessel for unbridled joy and transcendent connection—forces as integral to their essence as their wildly original sound. On their new album, The Last Balloon, the New Orleans-bred outfit channels those impulses into something celebratory yet profoundly human, exploring themes of frustration, resilience, and self-realization with equal parts raw emotionality and playful exuberance. A shapeshifting collective helmed by lead singer Tarriona “Tank” Ball and multi-instrumentalist Norman Spence II, the globally beloved group completed the LP after winning a Grammy for 2024’s spoken-word powerhouse The Heart, The Mind, The Soul, moving from incendiary poetry to a euphoric collision of soul and hip-hop and forward-thinking R&B. As the final installment in a trilogy of albums that began with 2019’s Green Balloon (a critical triumph that earned them a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist), The Last Balloon ultimately solidifies Tank and the Bangas’ legacy as one of modern music’s most steadfast voices of sublime exhilaration.
With Ariel J., Zeus (DJ). All Ages
KMHD Jazz Radio Listening Lounge in Gallery 300, 12–4 p.m. KMHD's Alex and Rev Shines will be DJing at the museum on the 3rd floor from 12-4 pm. Come by, say hi, and enjoy the tunes! https://portlandartmuseum.org/event/portland-book-festival-at-pam/