Chasing the Raw Take: An Interview with Porcelain Ahead of Their San Diego Debut
When Porcelain tracked their latest record, Today’s Minor Victories, they bypassed sterile perfection in favor of visceral, live-room friction. The result is a sound that hits with raw physical weight—a sonic blueprint that thrives on collective instinct rather than studio polish. Between filming ranchside visuals with acclaimed photographer Pooneh Ghana and logging relentless miles across border crossings, the band channels the quiet triumphs that cut through the grind of touring and everyday heaviness. Ahead of their upcoming show at South Park’s Whistle Stop, we caught up with Jordan and Steve to discuss capturing chaotic studio energy, paying homage to San Diego post-hardcore royalty, and their quest for local record shops (and burritos).
ListenSD: We are huge admirers of Pooneh Ghana’s work—she has such an incredible eye for capturing raw, authentic energy. What was the vibe like collaborating with her for the ‘Apocalypse’ video on the Texas ranch?
Jordan: The vibes were high! It was fun to run off to a ranch for a couple days to make a video with Pooneh and hang out with some cows. We all enjoyed getting to shoot out there and just kicking it for a bit. As you mentioned, Pooneh does have quite a knack for capturing raw, authentic energy, so we figured that we’d keep it simple for the video, basically just having the band perform the song in an interesting setting and just be ourselves. We also figured that a ranch would be plenty interesting and offer some striking visuals. Given that Pooneh’s amazing at all that she does, the video turned out amazing, but beyond that, we all had a lot of fun making it.
ListenSD: Today’s Minor Victories was tracked live with minimal layering, which gives the music this intense, visceral weight. When you’re in the studio tracking like that, how do you know when a take hits that sweet spot of chaotic energy?
Steve: It’s very hard to describe, but you collectively feel it.
Jordan: Yeah, what Steve said, definitely an innate feel thing. We tracked in a big live room together as a band, so for most of the tracks on this record, when we played the take of a song that ended up being “the one”, we all had a pretty good sense of that. If anything, once a take was done, we could just look around the room at one another and see if we were stoked on that take or not, which seemed to be a pretty good indicator.
ListenSD: The album digs into heavy themes of loss, grief, and navigating a pretty grim world, but the title zeroes in on the small things that keep us going. Touring can be rough, what’s a specific minor victory that turned a rough day around for the band recently?
Jordan: On our past couple of tours, any time that we successfully navigated a border crossing without getting overly hassled, those were minor victories that quite literally kept us going. We’ll take those every damn time. Beyond that, whether its grabbing Cook Out in Memphis after driving non-stop from Austin, or throwing on some Longmont Potion Castle to laugh a bit on a long, late night drive after a show, there’s usually a way to create those minor victories when you need ’em.
ListenSD: Every city has those underground (or mainstream!) local heroes. Is there a San Diego artist—active or defunct—that you all hold a deep respect for, or anyone in the current local scene you’d like to catch or play with?
Steve: For me it’s Drive Like Jehu. Anything that Rick Froberg was involved in I hold in very high regards.
Jordan: Also a big fan of anything Froberg. Eli made me reconsider my long held opinions of STP, and now wish I’d have been able to catch the original lineup back in their heyday. I guess given that we’re talking San Diego, I’d be remiss not to mention Jewel, and I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t absolutely wear out my Dude Ranch and Enema of the State CDs back in the day.
ListenSD: When bands roll through San Diego, everyone has their own specific faves like a tacoshop or a record store. Is there anything on your checklist for this upcoming San Diego stop?
Steve: I’ve never spent time in San Diego, but I’ve heard the burritos rip. Would also like to see a seal.
Jordan: I’ve also never been to San Diego, but I’m excited to roll through. I heard that Vinyl Junkies is cool, but am open for any and all recs. I would also like to see a seal, and feed it a burrito.