[ROCK ’N’ MAYHEM] Alberta Street’s Last Thursday is a circus of people, art and oddities. Most folks wander aimlessly, taking in the local color and perusing goods for sale. But toward the east end of the art walk, where the restaurants and galleries begin to peter out, throngs of people gather on the small lawn at 2827 NE Alberta St. for a different sort of art—a louder sort.

For years, Rob Weston has used his front porch as a party oasis. But in the past two years, Rob and his wife, Emily, have taken advantage of the increasing Last Thursday crowds, transforming the yard into an entity all its own. “The Porch,” as it’s called, has become a makeshift venue, a BYOB party within the party. “I revel in the fact that we can be loud,” says Rob, bassist for house band Party Country. “The bands love it because there’s a shitload of drunk people just having a great time.”

Each Last Thursday, the Porch is packed with people mesmerized by an assortment of musical acts, from the progressive weirdness of Benjamin Franklin Freeman to the whiskey-soaked twang-rawk of Party Country. Passersby of all ages stop in their tracks to gawk at the spectacle. “It’s growing every single time,” says Emily. “At the end of last summer it seemed nuts. Then, the first [Last Thursday] this year, it was more insane.”

The Westons—who also operate Government Records and Great Magnet Recording Concerns—run a tight ship. Emily’s staunch about bands finishing by 10 pm, the proper cutoff time according to noise ordinances. And while anybody of age can drink on the Westons’ lawn, people aren’t permitted into the house. These precautions have kept the shows running legally and cemented the Porch as a integral part of Last Thursday. Last April, though, the place grabbed some buzz when a bunch of dipshit kids rumored to be torqued up on Ecstasy and Jack Daniel’s wandered away and started chucking bottles at cops in what is being dubbed a “riot.”

The Westons’ website now appeals to attendees: “Please help keep the Porch going by abiding by open container laws.” Emily adds that the incident made them “a little paranoid.” But regardless of any negative association, Rob says, “I love that people are talking about it. Bands sound amazing here,” he adds. “It’s sort of like a weird, square amphitheater.” Though the scene on Alberta is ever-changing, the Westons say people can always expect to see shows and enjoy beers in their yard.

“We’re lucky to live on a street where we can have a free audience, but we don’t consider ourselves part of Last Thursday,” says Emily. “If we were to start thinking of how we fit into that, we’d change what we do. We have no interest in changing.”

The Porch is located at 2827 NE Alberta St. Don’t and Triplet, Motor Chuckx (featuring members of Party Country), The Headliners and DRATS!!! play Thursday, June 28, at 6 pm. Free. All ages. Visit governmentproductions.com for more info. Photo: by Tom Oliver.