Wednesday, March 31, 2010

tobacco, washed out, small black + more collide at holocene

Tobacco warned Portland, “I wouldn’t recommend being on any psychedelic drugs for some of the visuals” before he brought his grit-hop to Holocene on Monday night. Immediately logging onto Chatroulette and pointing the camera into the crowd, Tobacco (the mastermind behind Black Moth Super Rainbow) and friends kicked into a wildly crunchy, chunky, electro-hip-hop set. But most eyes were transfixed on the projections abrasively staining the wall behind the three-piece. Some internet fans rocked out, others queried “WFT?!” and spun again while the loudest cheers of the night were for Chatroulette masturbator #1… there were at least two more.

Chatroulette was an added bonus, the real optic stimulation came from Tobacco’s prepared footage. Easing Portland into his twisted, sensory set, 8-bit visual psychedelia floated alongside 8-bit analog synths and samples as sailing Magic Eye sailboats coasted through willows and neon geometric patterns. A cult film aficionado, Tobacco took his name from Redneck Zombies and has a soft spot for ’80s awkwardness. His rhinestone encrusted beats chomped along with clips of early ’80s Fat Boys music videos, but entertaining hilarity quickly turned downright disturbing as head after head after head crashed through glass table tops.

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Read the rest on OMN plus hear a track from Tobacco's new album Maniac Meat.

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

new song from stephanie schneiderman

Delicate trip-hopper Stephanie Schneiderman is in the studio working on her upcoming album, the follow-up to 2009’s genre-changing Dangerous Fruit, but just couldn’t wait to share her new, unreleased track “Wide Open” with her fans.

Schneiderman’s last album broke her personal mold and creative boundaries with the help of producer and beat-smith Keith Schreiner (Auditory Sculpture), and she’s back in the studio with him.

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Read a few words from Stephanie and get the track on OMN.

Monday, March 29, 2010

last stop : explode into colors + quasi at the doug fir

Welcome home Quasi and Explode Into Colors. The last stop on a tour that took them from PDX to SXSW and back was thankfully at home. While Explode Into Colors left their rougher times on the road, Quasi may have experienced their roughest right at home on Saturday at the Doug Fir. Shredding and screaming since the early ’90s, you are bound to have an off night–at least it happened in front of your most loyal fans and friends… or does that make it all the more frustrating?

The set started off smooth for Quasi as guitarist Sam Coomes’ sandpapered vocals burst with fervency as he perched atop a speaker and flicked licks across the cheering crowd on “Repulsion” off their latest release, American Gong. Complemented by drummer Janet Weiss’ vox from behind her kit, Quasi’s mid-90s sound could almost be called vintage these days. The rebellious, indie rock’n'roll trio from Portland played songs from their last 15 years with rapid, punky instrumentalization and surging folky electricity...

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Read the rest on OMN.

Friday, March 26, 2010

q/a : the end of black moth super rainbow? tobacco relishes the idea of making ‘party’ music with beck

The creative force behind Black Moth Super Rainbow may be moving on. After churning out a BMSR album according to a “formula” in 2009, Tobacco was not satisfied with the product simply declaring, “Eating Us is probably not my best work.”

Everything that didn’t fit that formula, “and there was a lot that didn’t fit into that formula,” Tobacco put aside but let it live its own life, just for fun. Not intending to make a record, songs developed organically in the dark, grinding grit that is Tobacco’s signature fuzzed out, mucky crunch.

BIG hip-hop beats, sinisterly microwaved to meticulous perfection, this collection of BMSR rejects accidentally became Maniac Meat, the second “solo” album, well, his second under the name Tobacco–the antithesis to Eating Us. In the recesses of Tobacco’s core, his essence for pop remains–a sensibility that is damnably tantalizing to all ears it pricks. “Party music” is a deceiving term, but Tobacco’s new cuts are decidedly bright and walk with a swagger.

And who else to strut around the indie kingdom with but Beck? By fate or circumstance, he is the only guest on Maniac Meat...

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Read the rest of the inteview on OMN.

Thursday, March 25, 2010

home from sxsw : quasi + explode into colors at the doug fir

The showcases are over, the street corners are considerably less crowded, and the bands are on their way back home from SXSW. Using the time on the road before and after the jaunt to Austin, most bands make a few stops along the way. On Saturday, March 27th, our indie rock darlings return to Portland for their homecoming showcase… at least that was the plan.

Both trios, Quasi and Explode Into Colors, played official SXSW showcases on a tour that saw them hit 15+ cities planned around their time in Austin. With two decades of gusto behind them, NW indie-staple Quasi showed their “rebellious, anti-corporate, loud rock’n'roll, peppered with pop harmonies, shredding guitar solos, hum-able bass lines and long drum fills” (according to drummer Janet Weiss in an interview with Spinner before SXSW) to a crowd at the Gibson Guitar Showroom that was record by Seattle’s KEXP and is now streaming on NPR.

OMN spoke to the bombastic rhythm makers from EIC just after their gigs at SXSW and a trip into Monterrey, Mexico for the MtyMx Fest. But then Explode Into Colors blew a tranny somewhere in Oklahoma and got stuck in San Antonio…

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Read the rest on OMN along with tour notes from EIC.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

metric is full of frenzied vibrancy

An icy calm settled over the antsy Roseland crowd on Monday night as sighing space-synths floated through the flood of blue dimly lighting the stage. Head down, blonde locks dangling, Emily Haines puffed through the sedate lyrics of “Twilight Galaxy” while the rest of Metric caressed their instruments to the robotic beat. Anticipation thick, the room boiled as rough analog synths broke loose and white strobes percussed eyeballs with as much violence as the drums on stage. Breathy, sexy vocals exhaled gloomy profanities on “Satellite Mind” to the elation of the Portland audience.

During a concert that ran like their latest release, Fantasies, on random, Metric’s Emily Haines was an indie-synth diva, hooting and hopping, running end to end across the stage, stopping just long enough to give her keys some love.

Almost every song seemed to feature extended experimentation with rocking build-ups and breakdowns typified on “Empty” with Haines’ wild no-no-no head shakes...

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Read the rest on OMN.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

free, live music bonanza : mar 22-28 : portland cello project, mattress, chrome wings, neon trees, marv ellis

Issue No. 29 : March 22 – 28, 2010

This is all that's on my radar.

22 Monday
Fail.

23 Tuesday
Northwest Fresh hip hop fusion with Marv Ellis and his live band The Platform along with guest rappers, DJs, live painting, and more at McMenamins White Eagle Saloon, 9 PM. 21 and over.

24 Wednesday
Portland's folk queen Little Sue at Biddy McGraw's, 6 PM. 21 and over.

25 Thursday
The Portland Cello Project is making their rounds on McMenamins' Great Northwest Music Tour at McMenamins Edgefield, 7 PM. 21 and over.

Carpet Culture at Holocene with psych-jazz from Evolutionary Jass Band, indie-electro Mattress, and Golden Retriever, 8:30 PM. 21 and over.

26 Friday
Poppy Neon Trees at The Woods, 6 PM. 21 and over.

27 Saturday
The Portland Cello Project makes more rounds on McMenamins' Great Northwest Music Tour at McMenamins Grand Lodge, 7 PM. All ages.

28 Sunday
Electro-experimental with ASSS, Chrome Wings, Moonlandings, and Poltern at Rontoms, 9 PM. 21 and over.

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It is my mission to provide a comprehensive listing of free, local performances in Portland. Please help this compilation grow by contributing your favorite free shows and by spreading this list around.

For more free shows check out the Portland Concert Co-Op.

Too busy.

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Read this article on Examiner.com.

Friday, March 19, 2010

q/a : doubleplusgood concentrates on making music

Good + good = DoublePlusGood. And DoublePlusGood equals glitchy electropop that’s downright danceable.

DPG made their Dancipation Proclamation with their last EP, but the time has come for something fresh as Erik Carlson’s solo act has grown into two with the addition of drummer Andrew Nelson.

Twitching with poppy melodies and a maze of sequencing on the backing tracks, DoublePlusGood’s glistening synths run alongside the over-dubbed vocals and thick analog vibes.

With the simple love songs of The Postal Service plus retro-Erasure synths, DPG complicates with sampled vocals and a bevy of loops creating a cohesive, electronic dance party that kicks it up a frenzied gear with their new drums.

That addition is the biggest adjustment as the duo continues to work on...

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Read the rest of the interview on OMN.

Monday, March 15, 2010

red fang ravages + leaves dante’s for dead

On the night before daylight saving time pulled Oregon out of the dark, drizzly abyss that is winter, Red Fang slayed with a midnight set of gloomy metal that could only be exemplified through ferocious profanities collectively bellowed from the beer soaked jungle of Dante’s.

“This beats my day job,” muttered singer and guitarist Bryan Giles as he traded gutteral, growling vocals with bassist Aaron Beam. The Pabst-swilling crowd gritted and gnashed teeth as the aforementioned tall boys were crushed under moshing feet and pummeled the black stage curtain.

Red Fang toed a delicate line, staying just this side of out of control, a feat the audience could not begin to dream of accomplishing. Animalistic and tightly packed, they expelled energy through their pores, picking one another off the floor. As the set built momentum, more and more drinks plumed the air like breaching killer whales...

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Read the rest on OMN.

free, live music bonanza : mar 15-21 : portland cello project, disc jockey gregarious, the new americans, bombs into you, st. patty's day, marv ellis

Issue No. 28 : March 15 – 21, 2010

Get high on PCP.

15 Monday
Portland Cello Project's Skip vonKuske hosts his weekly The Guest List at McMenamins Edgefield featuring folky accompaniment from Seth Bernard and Daisy May, 7 PM. 21 and over.

Loud rock from A Place To Bury Strangers at The Woods, 6 PM. 21 and over.

16 Tuesday
Country rock with Huge Sally in the lounge at the Hawthorne Theatre, 8 PM. 21 and over.

Northwest Fresh hip hop fusion with Marv Ellis and his live band The Platform along with guest rappers, DJs, live painting, and more at McMenamins White Eagle Saloon, 9 PM. 21 and over.

17 Wednesday : St. Patrick's Day
So much St. Patty's Day action at all the McMenamins locales. Try Edgefield, Grand Lodge, Hotel Oregon, and Kennedy School for big parties or general consumption and music at Rock Creek Tavern or White Eagle Saloon. Starting as early as 4 PM, mostly 21 and over.

Punky, pop, rock with The Middle Ages, Therapists, and The Chemicals at Kelly's Olympian, 10 PM. 21 and over.

18 Thursday
The Portland Cello Projects starts making their rounds on McMenamins' Great Northwest Music Tour with the gymnasium at the Kennedy School, 7 PM. All ages.

Someday Lounge presents The Fix with DJs Lifesavas' Rev. Shines, DJ Kez, and DJ Dundiggy, 9 PM. 21 and over.

Lotta electro dance beats at the Afterlife Dance Party with DJ Deafchild, Quillan, Miss Margo, and Mortal Grey at The Woods, 9 PM. 21 and over.

19 Friday
Quirky rock with Miss Massive Snowflake at Music Millennium, 6 PM. All ages.

Bluesy rock with The New Americans and Stuck Runnin' at Sana's Bar and Grill, 7 PM. All ages.

20 Saturday
Pure, unadulterated 80's with Disc Jockey Gregarious at Berbati's Back to the Future, 10 PM. 21 and over.

Funky rock with Break As We Fall at Jolly Roger, 10 PM. 21 and over.

Folky acoustics with James Faretheewell at East Burn, 10 PM. 21 and over.

21 Sunday
Indie stuffs with Bombs Into You, Iretsu, and Grey Anne at Rontoms, 9 PM. 21 and over.

Wrapping up an Irish week, McMenamins Rock Creek Tavern brings you Irish Music Sunday with Hanz Araki and Cary Novotny at 6 PM. All ages. Followed by the same duo at Biddy McGraw's, 8:30 PM. 21 and over.

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It is my mission to provide a comprehensive listing of free, local performances in Portland. Please help this compilation grow by contributing your favorite free shows and by spreading this list around.

For more free shows check out the Portland Concert Co-Op.

Go green.

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Read this article on Examiner.com.

Friday, March 12, 2010

q/a : dj prashant brings india’s biggest bollywood dj to pdx

India is the world’s most populous country and home to Bollywood, which produces more movies per year than the rest of the world combined–that’s over 800 each year. And integral to the Indian film narrative is music.

Music once composed by musical directors, actors, and other artists is now the game of India’s DJs, producers, and remixers. On Friday, March 12th, India’s biggest Bollywood DJ comes straight from Mumbai to the Roseland.

Drawing crowds of 7,000 or greater when he tours India, DJ Suketu has been remixing Bollywood music for over a decade, infusing traditional Indian melodies with electronic and house beats and establishing the sound that the world hears in today’s Bollywood films.

But the man who brings one of India’s most famous artists to Portland came to Oregon in 2006 for a job at Intel. That lasted three years when Prashant Kakad “realized that my passion was in performing arts and educating people.”

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Read the rest of the interview on OMN.

Thursday, March 11, 2010

movits! interview : sxsw 2010

Swedish trio Movits! made their first trip to the US for an appearance on 'The Colbert Report' in 2009. Now they've completed their first US tour, traveling 8,000 miles and selling out several gigs thanks to their apple stealing jazz--a fusion of swing and hip-hop. Spinner recently spoke with saxophone player Joakim Nilsson via phone from Sweden about their next whirlwind adventure in the USA, five gigs in Austin, Texas at SXSW.

How did the band form?

Johan, the singer, and Anders, the producer/DJ, are brothers, and they started playing acoustic-based hip-hop with just guitar and vocals back in 2002. I met these guys around 2003 or 2004 and I started playing the saxophone with them. We formed Movits! in 2005 because our musical direction had changed. We found our style of music pretty much at an after party when we were dancing to "Sing, Sing, Sing" by Benny Goodman and we thought, "Why isn't anybody who's doing hip-hop, doing this kind of hip-hop?" That's when we thought, "Okay, we need a new name, this is something else than we were doing before."

Describe your sound in your own words.
It's hip-hop music mixed up with a lot of genres especially swing music. There's a little bit of gypsy Balkan music and jango. Mostly it's swing music-based hip-hop.

What are your musical influences?
Benny Goodman type of swing is a big influence. There's a Swedish rapper called Timbuktu. He's an influence because he's uses a lot of organic and real instruments in his music. Outkast, André. In Johan's way of writing his lyrics, old folk singers from Sweden, especially Cornelis Vreeswijk is a big influence.

How did you choose your band name?
The band name comes from Cornelis and even older folk music artists from Sweden like Michael Bellman. He sings about this Fader Movitz who is an old fiddle player and he's a character in a lot of these old folk music songs. It's actually spelled with a Z on the end but there's a lot of really tacky Swedish dansbands [dance bands] that write their names with Z's instead of S's so chose to use the S.

I know the name of the album (Ă„ppelknyckarjazz) roughly translates to "Apple Stealing Jazz." Where did that title come from?
There were street kids back in the '30s or '40s in Sweden and they had these apple stealing pants. These were street kids stealing apples and having fun. Our music is kind of flirting with the '30s, '40s, '50 swing music.

You just finished your first US tour, how did that go?
It was way above our expectations. We didn't know what to hope. We knew that we were on The Colbert Report and there was some big buzz when we did that, but we didn't know how many people would still remember that. We sold out six places out of fifteen.

Can you share some stories from the road?
It was a long, long drive. It was 8,000 miles in an RV with seven guys. There were flat tires, power generators that broke down. We ran out of propane around Minneapolis where it was hella cold so we had to find after parties where we could actually sleep and not freeze to death. It was too cold to sleep in the RV.

Now you're playing a few gigs in Sweden before heading back to SXSW. What's in your festival survival kit?
A lot of water. Good shoes. We're playing pretty much every day we're at SXSW, so we'll just try to keep the momentum going.

You speak perfect English, but all your songs are in Swedish. Can you give me a flavor of what your songs are about?
A lot of the songs are about social matters, about being an outsider [like "Fel Del Av Garden"]. A lot of the lyrics focus on injustices and "Ă„ppelknyckarjazz," the title track, is about "Why are you complaining about me stealing apples when there are big companies doing worse stuff?" But it's all written in a way that is not obvious, up in your face trying to condemn stuff but written in a way so you can listen to it and think "This is a cool story," and actually get a message too.

Do you have any plans to record or perform in English?
No. Right now we're sticking with Swedish but when we play live we try to incorporate some English. We have a couple of new songs that we sing a chorus in English. We do understand that it's not that common to go tour and play in the States if you don't sing in English.

What's your musical guilty pleasure?
I actually like the sound of a couple of Britney Spears songs and that's a big no no... especially the ones produced by Bloodshy & Avant, Swedish producer duo.

Beatles or Stones?
The Beatles.

Who was your first celeb crush?
I remember having a poster when I was really young of the girl from Wayne's World. I can't remember her name though…

Cassandra?
Yeah, exactly!

Sweden has a lengthy tradition of pumping out hot, catchy pop groups and rock stars. Who's next?
I'm really excited about a hip-hop band called Maskinen, which translates to The Machine. They sing in Swedish too and they make some kind of electro-based hip-hop. Robyn is coming out with a new album that's probably gonna be very huge. And the guy that came with us on the tour, Zacke just put out his record here in Sweden.

Before your appearance on The Colbert Report in July 2009, did you actually know who he was?
Yeah, I had watched quite a lot of The Daily Show and I knew about him. We had no idea that he was as big as he actually was. We thought that his show was really under the radar. We realized that it was kinda big for them to actually ask us but we thought it was some really underground show, way smaller than The Daily Show. It's kinda good that we actually thought that until we saw our show on TV 'cause I think we wouldn't have been able to play if we knew it was that big.

The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Movits! - Fel Del Av Garden
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full EpisodesPolitical HumorSkate Expectations

Have you heard about the phenomena called "The Colbert Bump" (an increase in popularity as a result of being a guest on the show)? Do you feel like you experienced this in the US since your TV performance?
We had an import record in the States and the day after we played on the show the record sale had gone up 85,000%. [Laughs] Yeah, it was like in place 90,000 the day before the show and the day after it was #72 on Amazon. And we went up to #2 on the iTunes hip-hop charts above Kanye and Eminem. We had heard about "The Colbert Bump" but this was more like The Colbert Earthquake.

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Read this article on Spinner.

meet the movits!

Movits! may reside in icy lands–LuleĂĄ, Sweden, just south of the Arctic Circle–but their apple stealing jazz is a fusion of swing and hip-hop that bursts with fiery energy, saxophone blasts, and frenetic pacing... all in unintelligible Swedish.

Brothers Johan and Anders Rensfeldt along with friend Joakim Nilsson were making acoustic hip-hop when the divine Benny Goodman blessed them with a new musical vision and sound that melded the drums and the beats of old swing music with Swedish spittin'. They asked, "Why isn't anybody who's doing hip-hop, doing this kind of hip-hop?"

Deciding it was time for a change, the trio absorbed themselves in recording a new noise with a dozen different musicians over the course of more than three years, finally releasing their first album under a new moniker in November 2008. Magically the Movits! were featured on The Colbert Report when Stephen Colbert discovered the video for their single "Fel Del Av GĂĄrden" on reddit.com. Zip, bang, boom, they were performing their Swedish hip-hop, swing blend on US national TV for an American audience.

The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Movits!
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full EpisodesPolitical HumorSkate Expectations

Contracts came from at home and abroad while their debut Ă„ppelknyckarjazz (which translates to "Apple Stealing Jazz") reached #2 on the iTunes hip-hop charts and #18 overall, and the band finished their first, 15-date US tour in February just in time to jump back on a plane to hit five dates at this year's SXSW.

Even with all the international interest, the boys are sticking to their Swedish roots and have no plans to record in English. Without knowing their native tongue, you'd never know their lyrics tell stories centered on social matters while spreading a message, but you can still bop and rock if your linguistics are lacking because their swingin' beats move beyond borders.

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Read an interview with Movits! Joakim Nilsson on Spinner.

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

was elementary school this cool for you?


I remember listening to The Lion King soundtrack and then there was a stint with American Bandstand that featured "Rock Around The Clock" and "Hound Dog." A Beach Boy thrown in here and a Beatle there, we finally rounded out the Elton-education with "Crocodile Rock."

But no one was letting us sing "Lump" in school. Pearl Jam, Nirvana, The Smashing Pumpkins, no way. Besides we were more interested in the f-bombs of Tupac's gangsta rap and the dirty interludes on Doggystyle... but if someone would have just inspired us! We could have been singing choral renditions of "Nightswimming" or The Bends.

See more of the PS22 Choir including Lady Gaga, Empire of the Sun, the theme to The Jeffersons, and yeah, Styx.

Monday, March 8, 2010

free, live music bonanza : mar 8-14 : noah gundersen and the courage, p-lux, skip vonkuske, marv ellis, the fix djs

Issue No. 27 : March 8 – 14, 2010

Come inside, calm down, settle in.

08 Monday
Portland Cello Project's Skip vonKuske hosts his weekly The Guest List at McMenamins Edgefield featuring himself... aka Cellotronik... this week, 7 PM. 21 and over.

Latin rock with Caguama and psych rock Cloud of Suns at Kelly's Olympian, 9 PM. 21 and over.

09 Tuesday
Mixed Social with electro-folk and rock from Dead Peasant, Has-Been Corner, and William Carpenter’s Towering Trees at the Ash Street Saloon, 9:15 PM. 21 and over.

Northwest Fresh hip hop fusion with Marv Ellis and his live band The Platform along with guest rappers, DJs, live painting, and more at McMenamins White Eagle Saloon, 9 PM. 21 and over.

10 Wednesday
Swingin' rockabilly with Lisa and Her Kin at LaurelThirst Public House at 6 PM. Followed by freewheelin' americana from Piano Throwers at 9 PM. 21 and over.

Acoustic folk that rocks with Noah Gundersen and the Courage and Adam Sweeney at McMenamins White Eagle Saloon, 8:30 PM. 21 and over.

11 Thursday
Someday Lounge presents The Fix with DJs Lifesavas' Rev. Shines, DJ Kez, and DJ Dundiggy, 9 PM. 21 and over.

Formerly Poncho Luxurio, get your funky jam on with P-LUX and The Way Downs at McMenamins White Eagle Saloon, 8:30 PM. 21 and over.

12 Friday
Happy Endings to your week at Holocene with DJs Tyler Stone, Patrick Hinds (Sutro) and visuals from Briana Bononcini, 6 PM. 21 and over.

Scat, blues, roots, americana and The Reverb Brothers at McMenamins White Eagle Saloon, 5:30 PM. All ages.

13 Saturday
Rock, rock, rock at Ella St. Social Club's Rock and Roll Karaoke with Chariots of Rubber and Jeffrey Wonderful, 9 PM. 21 and over.

Country folk with Southern Skies at East Burn, 10 PM. 21 and over.

14 Sunday
Eye Candy with VJ Norto and The Phantom Hillbilly spinning classic MTV videos and dance at Beulahland, 9 PM. 21 and over.

Celtic folk with Nancy Conescu and Bonny Griffin at McMenamins Rock Creek Tavern, 6 PM. 21 and over.

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It is my mission to provide a comprehensive listing of free, local performances in Portland. Please help this compilation grow by contributing your favorite free shows and by spreading this list around.

For more free shows check out the Portland Concert Co-Op.

Unwind.

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Read this article on Examiner.com.

reporter

Oft rocking Portland basements and warehouses, art spaces and rooftops, Reporter is trio of cosmic groove makers, booty shakers, and bouncing rockers.

Crunchy electronics mesh with space-y smooth synths and Alberta Poon's airy, spectral vocals. Reporter is a hot, sweaty mess. Fervent dance parties roar, pony tails get mussed, and spandex gets stretched every time they pack Holocene or house venues.

The drums kick, the guitars swing and soar while the samples are triggered. Rumbling, reverb lows and glittering, starry highs make Reporter's rife, extended dance jams float endlessly into the nether universe and beyond.

Formerly the indie-punk Wet Confetti, the trio has spawned some amazing spin-offs including the dreary-dreamy May Ling (featuring singer Alberta Poon and Italian Stallion, beatmaster Dan Grazzini).

But the most important thing you need to know about Reporter: Drummer Mike McKinnon is your Potato Champion!



You can catch them on Friday, March 12th at Dance Class with Copy, Push-n-Play, and DJ Maxx Bass.

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Read this article on The Deli Portland, and vote for Reporter in the Band of the Month poll.

Sunday, March 7, 2010

snoop dogg blazes the roseland

Snoop Dogg is a living, breathing character in his own life. A live action, situation comedy where Calvin Broadus plays Snoop Dogg aka Snoop Doggy Dogg aka Bigg Snoop Dogg aka Snoop D.O. Double G aka Tha Doggfather. A man who is cartoonish but hard. Cock-and-bull but real.

Sneering beneath his skull-cap and Stormtrooper-embossed, Adidas track jacket, Snoop peered down on the sold out Roseland crowd on Thursday night and asked, “What’s my muthafuckin’ name?”

The audience was all too ready to oblige. And Snoop followed the script.

The conventional Snoop Dogg themes were addressed: weed, bling, titties, weed, gin, juice, hoes, tributes to your rest in peace peers (Tupac, Biggie), weed, sex, pimpin’, 187, titties, respect for your elders (Marvin Gaye, Rick James), and weed.

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Read the rest and see some brilliant photos on OMN.

free, sunday gig: the pack a.d. + sex life at rontoms

Put two loud girls in a small space like Rontoms and let ‘er rip.

A female Black Keys pulsing with crude bluesy energy and endlessly crashing cymbals, drummer Maya Miller puts Meg White to shame while singer, guitarist Becky Black drawls and hauls with the best male garage rockers.

The blues stompin’, rhythm rockin’ Vancouver-duo The Pack A.D. comes to Portland on Sunday, March 7th rocking a free gig at Rontoms alongside dance-makers Sex Life and a disco DJ set from Maxx Bass at 9 PM.

There’s no reason to spar with words here, just one quick listen and you’ll understand. (Download their single “Crazy” here.)

Three guys, a girl, and percussionary dance vibes...

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Read the rest on OMN.

Saturday, March 6, 2010

mississippi studios’ one year anniversary: a chat with performers yeltsin, dirty mittens, and holcombe waller

Unorthodox, revolutionary, bizarre rock’n'roll has always been a part of life on Mississippi Ave. But until Jim Brunberg and Alicia Rose came along, North Portland’s indie rockers, folk strummers, roots whiskey guzzlers, electro-dance party-goers, and neo-bohemian, post-vaudvillian eccentrics didn’t have a proper home in the neighborhood–a suitable space for the cornucopia of talent that graces our city.

The guitarist, songwriter, record producer, entrepeneur Brunberg had an idea to create such a home, and he enlisted the talent booker, photographer, accordion-extraordinare Rose. And on Saturday evening, this home–to artists and concert-goers alike–turns one year old… with a celebration of course!

Actually, a Swellebration… as the line up swells with some of Portland’s and Oregon’s best indie, folky, rocky, soulful talent. “We wanted to thank PDX for supporting us and the local music scene through one hell of a recession year by offering a pileup of some of our favorite artists" including :

Sallie Ford & the Sound Outside
Dirty Mittens
Yeltsin
Matt Sheehy & The Menders
Run On Sentence
Tahoe Jackson
Sean Flinn & The Royal We
Holcombe Waller
Adam Shearer (of Weinland)
Justin Power
Laura Gibson

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Read the interviews on OMN.

Friday, March 5, 2010

album: dr. dollywood’s soundtrack to your fantasies

Having visions of grandeur? Dreaming of cruising the Boulevard in your drop top convertible, strutting the red carpet, wining and dining celebs and models?

Dr. Hollywood presents the soundtrack to your fantasies of stardom, your sexcapades, your VIP dance parties.

Two new Hollywood playboys full of sexy, smooth charm, Louie and Lex are Chromeo combined with 90’s West Coast rap to a damnably sensational effect.

Cars and drugs, bling and designer booze, globe-trotting and exclusive soirees, Dr. Hollywood’s fresh, self-titled EP features appearances from classic LA rappers and consumers of high culture B Real (Cypress Hill), Kurupt (Tha Dogg Pound), and Ras Kass as well as San Fran rapper...

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Read the rest and hear the love on OMN.

Monday, March 1, 2010

free, live music bonanza : mar 1-7 : pegasus dream, the pack a.d., sex life, danceahol, wide eye panic, michael hurley, mississippi studios

Issue No. 26 : March 1 – 7, 2010

March babies, spring ladies.

01 Monday
Jazz guitar with Dan Balmer at Jimmy Mak's, 8 PM. 21 and over.

Portland Cello Project's Skip vonKuske hosts his weekly The Guest List at McMenamins Edgefield featuring singer-songwriter Chris Kokesh, 7 PM. 21 and over.

02 Tuesday
Rock 'n metal at Mixed Social with Tool-esque, Olympians Wide Eye Panic and indie-alt, jammy Marca Luna at the Ash Street Saloon, 9:15 PM. 21 and over.

Northwest Fresh hip hop fusion with Marv Ellis and his live band The Platform along with guest rappers, DJs, live painting, and more at McMenamins White Eagle Saloon, 9 PM. 21 and over.

03 Wednesday
Legendary, songwritin' troubadour Michael Hurley at LaurelThirst Public House, 6 PM. 21 and over.

Holocene brings the second edition of FIN de Cinema with three short films by director Kenneth Anger paired with a live score composed and performed by Purple Rhinestone Eagle, Eternal Tapestry, and Wilderness. Be prepared for psychedelic tastiness, oddball nastiness, homoeroticism, and stunning sonics at 8:30 PM, $2 donation suggested. 21 and over.

04 Thursday
Someday Lounge presents The Fix with DJs Lifesavas' Rev. Shines, DJ Kez, and DJ Dundiggy, 9 PM. 21 and over.

Boot-stomping, mule-slapping bluegrass and old time with Whiskey Puppy at McMenamins Edgefield, 7 PM. 21 and over.

05 Friday
David Ornette Cherry lounges at East Burn, 10 PM. 21 and over.

Scat, blues, roots, americana and The Reverb Brothers at McMenamins White Eagle Saloon, 5:30 PM. All ages.

06 Saturday
Solid Gold 5 sir!!! With electro-dance-love at Berbati's with Nathan Detroit, Pegasus Dream, and DJ Danceahol, 9 PM. 21 and over.

Swellebration: Mississippi Studios One Year Anniversary with PDX indie, acoustic, rock love from :
Sallie Ford & the Sound Outside
Dirty Mittens
Yeltsin
Matt Sheehy & The Menders
Run On Sentence
Tahoe Jackson
Sean Flinn & The Royal We
Holcombe Waller
Adam Shearer
Justin Power
Laura Gibson
And many more special surprises and treats! Doors at 7 PM, show at 8 PM. 21 and over.

Portland's folk princess Little Sue with Lynn Conover at the LaurelThirst Public House, 6 PM. 21 and over.

07 Sunday
Sunday nights are for Vancouver, B.C. garage rock from The Pack A.D. and dancing in the Sex Life along with a disco DJ set from Maxx Bass at Rontoms, 9 PM. 21 and over.

Freak Mountain Ramblers jam at the LaurelThirst Public House at 6 PM. Followed by folk from Billy Kennedy with Tim Acott at 9:30 PM. 21 and over.

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It is my mission to provide a comprehensive listing of free, local performances in Portland. Please help this compilation grow by contributing your favorite free shows and by spreading this list around.

For more free shows check out the Portland Concert Co-Op.

Happy birthday Mississippi Studios.

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