New Music, Emerging from your Local Scene
Are you ready for Wolf in A Spacesuit? Algebra Huxley and Arthur Aircraft are currently working on their first full length LP, entitled Safari, to be released in two parts. Part one has a projected release date of September 2010, and part two is tentatively set to be released in March 2011.
The duo will be performing at Subterranean on September 2nd.
The time has come once again, boys and girls. After the success of our first local showcase back in June, we decided to join forces with good ole Mark Lore and his good ole blog, The Days of Lore, for another night of ingesting far too much whiskey and PBR, making far too many regrettable life choices, probably waking up face (and pants) down in an alley somewhere, oh yeah, and watching some good old-fashioned rock ‘n’ roll.
We are pleased to announce that the ever so kind Mississippi Studios will be hosting this alcohol-soaked Northwest rock extravaganza (It’s funny how far a little blackmail can getcha these days.), and equally as pleased about the bands who (foolishly) agreed to play a show with our name attached to it.
Portland-based lo-fi folk rockers Nucular Aminals will start the mood with their static saturated, tambourine slappin’ Sixties jam band vibe. Next to hit the stage will be fellow Rose City residents, Ravishers, to up the tempo just a tad with their guitar-driven indie-alternative-rock (that can be heard if you’re on hold to any city organization as part of Mayor Sam Adams’ ingenious Listen Local program). Seattleites Black Whales (I know this is breaking our “local music only” law, but every rule is made to be broken, right?) will end the night with their pleasantly calm Northwest indie-folk-rock.
Our glorious show starts at 9 pm and costs a measly $7, but we love you guys, and we want you, or at least two of you, to get in for free! That’s right, kids, we’re having a ticket give away! Share your most epically embarrassing Mississippi Studios drunken debauchery story in the comment box, along with your email address, and our panel of judges (Ryan and I) will determine what story is worthy of a pair of tickets and notify the winner via email August 9th. And remember, the more embarrassing, the better, because chances are Ryan’s probably done something much, much worse.
-Katrina Nattress
Few things get me hotter than a hen in Hades; even fewer set me to cluckin’ like a rooster in Riverside. Pickathon, happening this Friday August 6 – Sunday August 8 at Pendarvis Farms (16581 SE Hagen Rd. Happy Valley, OR), is one of those few things, and I’ve been sweating and squaking for over three months in anticipation of the 2010 version. Armed with an arsenal of under-the-radar bluegrass greenhorns, along with returning acts and Pickathon newbies, this year’s festival is poised to be perhaps the best yet.
Headlined this year by the enigmatic Bonnie "Prince" Billy and the Cairo Gang, Dr. Dog (now a festival hit after last year’s blistering mainstage set) and Heartless Bastards, and fortified with Portland-bred power from the likes of Richmond Fontaine, Typhoon, Sallie Ford, Black Prairie, and Weinland, Pickathon scintillates even the sourest of music connoisseurs (full lineup can be found here). Of course, there are many more bands to digest, to dosey-do to and so forth, and you probably won’t miss any of them due to Pickathon organizers’ ingenious method of rotating artists to play at different times of the day at different stages. So if you’re so unfortunate as to miss, say, Fruit Bats at the Galaxy Barn at 7 p.m. on Friday, August 6, you can catch them again when they play the main Mountain View Stage on Saturday at 6 p.m. They’ve got you covered, in more ways than one.
The Deli Portland will be there all weekend long, reporting the strange, the uplifting, the blasphemous, the smells of the hay from between our tired toes, and of course on the music – mostly of the Portland variety. We’ll even be there to report on how totally amazing the festival’s commitment to sustainability is!
If you haven’t purchased your tickets yet, time is running out! Advanced Weekend and Single Day tickets will be shut-off starting Thursday at Midnight. Weekend, Single Day Tickets, and Parking Passes will be available at the gate if capacity allows (depending on sales over the next 48 hours). Tickets are more at the gate ($15 more for weekend, $10 more for single days), so it would behoove you to purchase in advance and save yourself some bread for when you’re exhausted by rock. Tickets are only available online, and run thusly:
Weekend Tickets $155, Friday Only $80, Saturday Only $85, Sunday Only $85.
To push those indecisive digits into action, might we suggest checking out this amazing All-Night Mix provided by the good people at Pickathon?
Now you see it don’t you? This will be a weekend for the books.
Remember to check back daily for photo uploads, reviews, rants, insights, festival highlights and more at the Deli Portland!
– Ryan J. Prado
Catch the CD of the Month winners The Highway this Friday at Tommy Doyle’s in Harvard Square!
It wasn’t mentioned in the CD of the Month review, but you can stream their entire album over at their Myspace page. So check out the review, and then go catch up on their music so you can sing along with them. Furthermore, it should be noted that the band does not disappoint live. Their recorded music is represented brilliantly in their performances (they nail those oft-complex vocal harmonies, which can be such a trouble spot for even technically adept musicians), their sets are sometimes laced with impromptu soloing and jams, and their good nature and humor shine through and warm the room.
They play with Portland, Oregon’s Archeology. Archeology’s earthy, rolling folk is full of peaks and valleys, by turns exciting and quietly captivating. They hit sweet pockets of melody and mood and sound like a grounded foil for The Highway’s psychedelia, while still sharing much of the same ground. A great bill.
9pm / 21+
The Interiors are back with a brand new drummer and will be performing at Lincoln Hall on August 19th.
It’s a particularly busy few days coming up in this week’s show highlights.
Start off tomorrow night at 111 Mina where Yours Truly and Blood Drank Magazine will be presenting Pure Ecstasy, Sleep Over, Young Prisms and oOoOO, 9pm.
Alternatively, previous Artist of the Month winners My First Earthquake will be rocking out Bottom of the Hill also at 9pm.
On Friday, East Bay Express will be putting on the massive event Best of the East Bay at Jack London Square. Free and all ages, Best of the East Bay will feature a long list of great East Bay acts including Stone Foxes and previous Album of the Month winners Birds and Batteries.
On Saturday at the Rickshaw, for what looks to be an amazing show, Social Studies will be celebrating their album release party with Maus Haus, 60-Watt Kid and Montra, 8pm.
Of course if still hanging out in the East Bay, head over to the Uptown for Hunx and his Punx, Tropical Sleep and Wrong Words, 9pm.
Lastly, if you still haven’t cemented your Saturday plans, Thee Oh Sees will be playing with Yellow Fever and Bare Wires at the Independent, 9pm.
Lots to choose from this weekend. Head out and see some music, friends.
–Ada Lann
Yes, they did, although no one really got that memo. Besides that, PS1’s daytime series was a success: the weather was great, the art exhibition was open to concertgoers, and the beautifully groomed hipsters were out to play. We got there early, sat on the hot pavement and watched some great DJ’s (Babe Rainbow, CFCF, Prince Rama) do their thing. It was a chill environment: people drinking and chatting, a couple drifters dancing by themselves. The day went on and the dancing got a little crazier and semi-creepy. Then these two dudes came on: their set was really good, not too overwhelming but very enjoyable. They incorporated an eclectic mix of electronica, ranging from Boards of Canada compositions to some rap and oldies remixes to deeper, heavier house. Brooklyn-based Blondes (pictured) followed this duo: another set with good beats and head-bobbing audience reactions. But where was Animal Collective? Did they show up? Oh…it was those two dudes (a.k.a. Deakin and Avey Tare) we really liked. Oops! Although we didn’t get to hear the 2009 hyped up hit, “My Girls,” or any other tracks from Merriweather (or other albums for that matter), the Warm Up experience, overall, still rocked. So hit it up, next Saturday, August 7th. – Alex Daly
We continue our "Best of NYC Countdown", covering every day one of the artists that made our Year End Best of NYC list (a chart compiled by a jury comprised of local bloggers, music writers, promoters, record store personnel, DJs, and our writers and readers).
Sounding anything but decrepit old flesh baking in the sand, Beach Fossils‘ music is more likely to soundtrack the Frisbee tossing fun at the seaside. Their "jpy jpy" attitude can’t be hidden underneath the music’s rusty, lo-fi exterior. These are happy riffs for happy people. Take the song "Vacation" (how much more summertime do you want?) The band somehow turns a twisted, slightly out of tune riff and heavily manipulated vocals into pure sunshine. A sure sign that Beach Fossils couldn’t do dark and dreary even if they wanted to. – Dean Van Nguyen
aria Photo, alias photo sans nom (roughly translated: photo without a name) will be the first to tell you that she is not a singer-songwriter. Though the French bent is an inspiration of the 60’s YeYe movement – and a pun on her surname – this girl is unfamiliar in any archetypal sense. Actually turning down gigs that would perpetuate stereotypes, Maria has spent over a year and a half crafting a layered mini-lp of songs, for which she overdubs a majority of the tracks.
At once it is a tongue-in-cheek nod to the electronic music that has romantically captured her by night and at the next turn it is the sobering alarm of garage rock that wakes the day. A thread of authenticity holds this genre-less masterwork together. Miss Photo makes no apologies for her style-hopping ways. At the end of the day you will discover her faithful voice through many lenses. This is not a mix-tape. Her name may be pseudo, but rest assured she is nothing short of genuine and she’s only just begun.
