Portugal. The Man Unwind Back in Hometown
John Gourley (right) and Zach Carothers (left) on the boat that belonged to Joe Redington, founder of the Iditarod sled dog race, which covers more than 1,100 miles from Anchorage to Nome. The boat can be spotted in their "Sleep Forever" video, and is in the same area where they shot the video for "Evil Friends."
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Going to the Dogs
John and Zach visit with the sled dog team at John's dad's old house. Some of the dogs were in the music video for "Got It All," where John mushes a team of dogs across some of Alaska's striking scenery. John describes riding a sled as incredibly peaceful, saying, "It's so quiet, the only thing you hear is the dogs breathing and the sled sliding across the snow."
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Every Grain of Sand
John plays with his two-year-old daughter, Frances. He says it can be difficult taking care of a family while touring, but at the moment, it's great that Frances can be with her mom and dad on the road. However, John says, "She can't do it much longer. I just don’t want her thinking that it's normal, 'cause it's not. But it is fun to watch someone learning."
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Around the Table
John with Frances and girlfriend Zoe Manzille, who sang on Portugal's previous albums, Censored Colors, Satanic Satanist and American Ghetto. "She has an amazing voice," John says. Adds Zach, "It blends really well with John's too."
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Old Haunts
Zach and John sit outside the now-condemned Dead Dog, which was a bar in Wasilla. Pittman Road runs alongside the tavern, and both the bar and the street figured in the theme of American Ghetto. The local Pittman kids had a reputation for "not giving a fuck at all," as John puts it. He adds, "They always had punk bands, the hardest punk band you ever heard. They'd make masks and play super intense shows and it'd just be Pittman kids and they'd be beating each other up."
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Throwing Stones
Zach and John having a rock-throwing contest. "There's not a whole lot of things to do in Wasilla," Zach says when talking about how each of them would keep busy as kids. Mostly, they'd hang out, skate and explore the woods. While walking around the beach near Knik Arm, John says, "I use to live nearby. When you grow up here, this whole place is like your backyard."
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Ups and Downs
John swings from the rafters in the old cabin, trying to not pass out after hanging upside down for a portrait.
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Feeling Froggy
John comes across a frog on his way back from the cabin.
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At the Wheel
John driving his dad's VW microbus. "My dad just got this; he decided he doesn't want to work as much anymore," John says. "I've never known him to take time off work, except maybe when we'd go fishing or camping."
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Back to School
John and Zach standing outside their high school, where they first met. Later, they started playing music together at Zach's house. It wasn't until 2002, when Zach was attending school at Western Oregon University, that he first heard John singing on a recording. "I had no idea John could sing, and when I heard his voice I called him up and told him to get down to Portland."
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Take a Swing
Inside the abandoned cabin where Portugal filmed the "Evil Friends" music video. In the clip, in place of John testing Zach's ninja skills, is a group of people wearing ski-masks.
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Proud Parents
Zach and John with their moms, Judy (left) and Jennifer (right). Both say they're proud of their sons and happy to have them home for a little while. "We always had music on" when Zach was growing up, Judy says. "All their bands practiced downstairs, I loved it. The only thing I'd have to put the kibosh on would be if it got too late."
She credits Zach and his brother for leading her to new sounds. "I feel like I've always been a part of it and they introduced me to music that I never would've, probably – well, I know I never would've gotten into Rage Against the Machine, but I love them and it's because of my sons."
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Brotherly Love
John with his younger brother, Levi. This is the first time both John and Zach have been back in Alaska in the summer for six years and had time for a break.
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Skating Success
Zach overlooks the skate park in Wasilla that he raised more than $65,000 to build. He spent two and a half years making sure that Sarah Palin, who was mayor at the time, honored her word that the city would double whatever he raised to construct the park.
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Start Choppin’
John and Zach in front of John's dad's barn, which was on the cover of American Ghetto. "It's about places we used to go growing up – it's kind of a fun record in that way."