It’s likely you’ve heard the smooth croon of Bryson Cone before. Be it as the frontman of Fog Father, an appearing face in Reptaliens or belting out all the slick R&B jams at your local karaoke spot, Bryson Cone has got a voice rich like butter and a knack for catchily hitting some keys. If his other projects weren’t proof enough, his first few solo singles sure are, especially the one coming off of his upcoming debut.

"Desire," which officially came out a few days ago, is a lush art-pop diddy with intriguing effects and a lyrical story centered around unrequited proclivity and the search for a resolution. The song digs deeper than its colorful tunage let’s off, layering airy synths with meaningful elements. 

Expect Bryson Cone’s debut album sometime this Spring.

Have the last few days got you blue? Do you find your emotions operating on a scale ranging from incredible anger to crying-into-your-whiskey sadness? Truth be told, YOU ARE NOT ALONE. It’s safe to say anyone with a brain likens the same frought conclusions as you, but with so much BLAH going around, what musical offering could possibly soothe our societal pain? A big dose of Gidrah just may be in order.

Sure, metal may not change the current political climate, but Gidrah’s crusty sludge is just as heavy as our hearts, serving as a close sonic alignment to our collective feelings. The most recent winners of our Artist of the Month poll dropped their demo no more than two years ago but the intensity of their at times bluesy riffs, seasoned with hints of breathy punk rawness and an overall atmospheric weightiness that encompasses the glum mysteriousness of existence, make for the best form of stoner doom metal to let your mind escape to.

From their Eh, Fuck It Dude, Let’s Go Destroy Cities (a message that is even more relevent now) demo to their most recent split release with doomy duo Urchin, we need more Gidrah and we need them now. 

Reptaliens really do rule the Earth.

Some of us probably DO feel like the lizard elite run everything, or at the very least, the Cheeto elite do. After the way the last few weeks have gone that seems more like an actual fact than an alternative one. But when it comes to who has taken hold of our local music scene, there are a few names we just can’t get out of our heads. One of them is Reptaliens.

Led by the lovely union of Cole and Bambi Browning (Sculpture Gardens, Wampire, Brainstorm), Reptaliens has included members from other talented acts like Fog Father, Cat Hoch Band and Lola Buzzkill over their course of their band-dom, but a constant enjoyment can always be found in their songs. A twee-like innocence presents itself amid the lo-fi instrumentation and angelically comforting vocals from Bambi, allowing their songs to easily sway from flirty bedroom pop songs to surrealistic dream daze productions.

As of right now, Reptaliens are scheduled to play their next show March 3rd with Skull Diver and King Black Acid at Mississippi Studios. Until then, congratulate Reptaliens for being your favorite Indie Pop act of 2016!

 Blending folk, neo-soul and hip hop in a broodingly mysterious yet openly raw manner, Rafael Vigilantics shares with us a new haunting and emotional track titled "Ramblin’ Bones." Co-written with Noah Harmon of Airborne Toxic Event, "Ramblin’ Bones" tells a tale of long living with the skeletons in our closet. Captured with relatable lyrics and captivating with its video visuals, "Ramblin’ Bones" shares a struggle we’ve all gone through – not being able to let our demons go.

On making the track, Rafael Vigilantics says "’Ramblin’ Bones’ is about never being able to quite go home or leave behind the things that haunt us, about how a fresh start seems to only come from the deepest and most brutal of fires."

Even though we can’t escape what ills us, we can at least escape into Rafael Vigilantics’ beautifully shot video. Watch it below.

Have yourself a hefty pour of some sensually funky soul syrup with Tribe Mars, who amid a lineup change still boast the same incredible output. Now featuring the talented Vaughn Kimmons (of POPgoji and as Brown Alice), the group’s interesting arrangements are only elevated by the ardent vocality of Kimmons.

Rescheduled from its original weather-postponed date and location, Tribe Mars will be joining Blossom tonight at new downtown nightclub NYX for some Sunday Sessions vibes, hosted by multitalented singer-songwriter-producer Fritzwa.

It’s free, so let your soul glow up in the city’s newest spot with music starting at 9pm.

 Proggressive metal mavens Burials have taken shredding to a whole new level since their self-titled debut back in 2009. Though we’ve only seen one other release from them so far, 2013’s The Tide, the boys are back with a new split with the black metal messiahs of Los Angeles, Exhausted Prayer. That split ever so appropriately dropped yesterday, on the first Friday the 13th of 2017, and its release show is tonight.

One of our favorite local doom bands Usnea will be playing, along with Chico, California’s Touch Fuzzy Get Dizzy and newer outfit Tithe, with this being their first show. Get in the mood and catch them all tonight at the High Water Mark. Proceeds from the $8 show are going to Planned Parenthood.

A much needed celebration of female power, Girl Fest is back with a showcase of some of Portland’s best female musicians of the moment. Hosted by the soulful Blossom, this year’s installation of GF touches on a few different genres, including jazz, folk and hip hop, to me enjoyed by all ages.

Coco Columbia has been a local love we’ve grow to appreciate more and more, with her refreshingly modern and eclectic take on jazz. Her voice, along with her production, have become indicative of the variety of other music scenes the city provides.

Other upbeat offerings come from some of the only female rap artists in Portland’s market right now, including Karma Rivera. Taking a beat and fully making it her own, Karma’s rhymes give the best of relatable expression and fun quips. Building off of that, duo Neka & Kahlo mix angelic bedroom pop with hip hop that results in a trappy type R&B that we need much more of.

Courtney Noe could easily dominate the pop charts with her retro ballads and after the Fish Eye EP, we’ve been dying for more of Haley Heynderickx‘s acoustic folk.

Thankfully Girl Fest 2017 is still happening tonight at the Crystal Ballroom. It’s an all ages show, including some performances from young artists involved with local youth music nonprofit My Voice Music, so bring all your loved ones out for a night of true female empowerment.

Emo revivalists Radler have dropped their debut full length, Cool, today via Match and Tinder Records. The new foursome, who adamently denounce the traditonal macho culture, use their aggressive take on emo pop to convey a message of fluidity and unity, while still lyrically touching on other relatable subjects.

The icy streets have unfortunately postponed the album’s release show, which WAS supposed to occur tonight at Black Water. When it’s rescheduled for, we’re not sure.

As for now, give Cool a full listen below. It’s available to digital download for free for the first week it’s out, so nab it for the low cost of nothing while there’s still time. Tapes are available for purchase on Radler’s Bandcamp page or at their next show.

For damn near a decade, Pony Village have become one of the more household names in Portland, despite being named after a mall in North Bend. Lead singer and guitarist Ryan Barber has transposed his memories of growing up in the coastal southern Oregon town into the indie pop songwriting that’s gained Pony Village such a cult following. Sadly, fans won’t be getting much more from the band since tonight, Pony Village is being laid to rest.

Exactly why their Rontoms Sunday Sessions set tonight will be their last performance ever, we’re not sure. We were always able to count on Pony Village, no matter how many lineup changes or other random occurrences popped up. Needless to say, whether they play more shows, make more albums or not, they’ll always be a Portland favorite.

Weather permitting, you can catch Pony Village’s last show later this evening at Rontoms with Ali Muhareb. As always with their Sunday Sessions events, it’s free.

Enchanting in every sense, Spare Spells stirs a cauldron full of reverby psychedelic haunt rock and dark synth wave likened to that of a dream where My Bloody Valentine and the Kills are a joint effort. Playing shows somewhat sporadically for a little over two years, the group have but one six-song-long extended play that’s kept us under their spell since its 2015 release. It will continue to do so, at least until we see their slated sophomore release The Narrows.

We’re not sure when Spare Spells will be dropping The Narrows, though we did see some demoed previews of the album back in October of last year, with a live display of them played at their show with Murderbait and The Prids in November. For those that unfortunately missed the new tunes’ debut, Spare Spells will be playing their first show of 2017 on February 23 with Los Angeles acts The Great Sadness and Spirit in the Room at Valentines.

Until then, turn out the lights, like some candles and let Neon/Noir play throughout your spell casting.

The first few days of 2017 have already been, for the most part, much better than 2016 in its entirety. Now that the holiday slump of shows is seemingly over, let’s attempt not to fall into the valley of warmth our beds provide as an incredibly cold weekend draws near. We can say that we’ve got a bit of inspiration for this with tomorrow‘s show, featuring the attention grabbing 1939 Ensemble.

Drum connoisseur Jose Medeles fronts the group and if you know anything of his history (like owning Revival Drum Shop or, I don’t know, drumming for the Breeders) the particular output of the group should be obvious. Featuring a variety of instruments including vibraphone, trumpet, Moog and general noise among the drums, 1939 Ensemble’s instrumental post rock, post jazz fusion is enthralling and captivating, making for a very stimulating production.

Again, you can see 1939 Ensemble tomorrow with Ethiopian soul seven piece Tezeta Band and KMHD jazz DJ Derek Smith at Mississippi Studios.

With one of the most recognizable voices in the game right now, The Last Artful, Dodgr certainly knows how to turn something good into something incredibly great. Teaming up with producer Neill Von Tally has proved an even greater endeavor, as Von Tally’s beats make for the best presentation of Dodgr’s matchless take on R&B and hip hop.

Having already released their debut as a duo, the Fractures EP, last year and a collab EP with Myke Bogan earlier this year, the pair have shared with us the second single to come off their first full-length Bone Music.

"Caverns" as a video is just like it is as a track – incredibly smooth in its minimal execution in a way that allows Dodgr’s flow to really shine. Watch the glitchy video for "Caverns" below and be on the lookout for Bone Music, due out early 2017.