Sweaty palms, spiked punch, and losing your virginity can only mean one overwhelmingly pubescent thing. No, it’s not your wedding day. It’s time for prom. So grab your sweetheart and ready to get dancin’. It’s free and the night before Valentine’s Day, so you can get your best lines warmed up with the help of Portland’s newest old band (and second runner up in The Deli’s Year End Poll), Monarques, Dirty Mittens, and Rocky and (the aptly named) Proms. Joining MONARQUES on stage will be Y La Bamba and Loch Lomond multi-instrumentalist, Scott Magee, YOURS frontman Matthan Minster, Loch Lomond’s Dave Depper and Oh Captain, My Captain’s Jesse Bettis, as well as many more surprise guests. The “Tunnel of Love” Rock N Roll Prom goes down for free this Sunday at Rontoms, starting at 9pm!

Monarques – Cold Cold Heart

If you are as penniless as I am and need as many free shows as you can get, check out what’s coming up from Future Sounds at Holocene tomorrow: rumbliest rumble you can tumble upon: THE RUMBLE PDX. The name always makes it sound pretty intense, but you won’t get hurt, I promise. Tomorrow’s installment pits the cautious cooing of Harlowe and The Great North Woods against the not-quite cooing of Pigeons, and tosses in the relentless Letting Up Despite Great Faults. And all for three easy payments of zero dollars!

Letting Up Despite Great Faults – In Steps
Harlowe & The Great North Woods – Roses
Pigeons – Dance It All Away

It’s finally here: The Sasquatch Music Festival 2011 lineup. I might say this year around looks much better than certain other festivals, not to mention it’s ten times closer to Portland. From our illustrious streets we have Modest Mouse and The Thermals, to say the least — two of many on a list of certain musical titans. What do think, dear Portlanders: is it worth the drive to the Gorge and $285?

John Heart Jackie – Nevada City from Ben Moon on Vimeo.

The soothing folk trio John Heart Jackie are heading out to grace the West coast with the calmest tones of warm Americana. California’s got a good thing coming. Check out the tour dates below:

February 12, 2011 – San Diego, CA – San Diego Women’s Club w/ The Tree Ring (Record Release)

February 13, 2011 – Redlands, CA – University of Redlands

February 14, 2011 – Los Angeles, CA – Hotel Cafe

February 15, 2011 – San Luis Obispo, CA – Steynberg Gallery

February 16, 2011 – San Francisco, CA – Hotel Utah

February 18, 2011 – Cottage Grove, OR – Axe & Fiddle

February 19, 2011 – Seattle, WA – University of Washington, Rainy Dawg Radio

February 20, 2011 – Seattle, WA – The Sunset

Part of me wants to wait to wait for Summer to making the more obvious puns about the season and the band, and the "oh no!", but it’s a tough one, because you needn’t wait for the sunshine to listen to Summer Ono. Much more than a fine tuned garage band, Summer Ono springs a certainly perfect wave of chilloutedness (that’s a properly fictitious mouthful) across the room for your daydreaming pleasure. The subdued pop of their self-titled album fuses the simplicity of whispery vocals with mellowing riffs, rounding out an album of upbeat tunes that could pass for  forgotten B-sides of Badly Drawn Boy. Summer Ono, OH YES! (I had to!). Get the track "Meant To Be" for free, here! – Mike Harper

Precious Readers of The Deli Portland,

The results in their total grandeur have landed (see list at the bottom), fans, jurors, writers, and all! Congratulations to the fine fellows of And And And for winning Best Portland Emerging Artist of 2010!

1. And And And

If we base it simply on number of albums produced, it’s no surprise that &&& raked in the title of Best Emerging Artist. It doesn’t hurt that they’re amazing either. Self-releasing four EPs and/or albums in the past year, And And And has that old fashioned tenacity wrapped up with a sound that is unbearably Portland. Cacophonous and somehow precise, a scream-along-sing-along ride that you can kick up some dust to while still kicking back, they walk the line (or run down it, rather) of garage band or perhaps the next big thing to escape from our fair city. They’ve new album(s) in the works (surprise, surprise), so keep your eyes and ears open lest you miss an album or two

2. The Angry Orts

I’m not completely sure what an ort is, but The Angry Orts bring to mind anything but anger. Channeling something a little more serious than your average pop band, The Angry Orts are definitely something to keep an eye on, their music swinging from the grungiest you can get behind the precise vocals of Sara Hernandez, down to sentimental moments that speak something in the tune of She & Him. 

3. Monarques

The new old sound of Monarques is something to be reckoned with. You might think to find it spinning from an old 45, but it’s brand new and ready for your dancing pleasure. I stick to my most recent words: the new seven-piece bounces out irrefutable pop from a bygone era that sure as all get out shouldn’t be gone. It’s part sock hop, part garage band, picking up echoes of all your favourite Motown and hints of The Beach Boys. Songs like “Angel Eyes” bring to mind the golden age of dancing grandparents (when they were still young, that is).

FULL RESULTS

Artist J F OS TOTAL   1 And And And 7 0.014 0.75 7.764 2 The Angry Orts 6 0.032   6.032 3 Monarques 5 0.021   5.021 4 Archers 2 2 0.5 4.5 5 Ages and Ages 3 0.004 0.75 3.754 6 Chervona   3 0.75 3.75 7 Wax Fingers 3 0.018 0.5 3.518 8 Redwood Son 3 0.5   3.5 9 Parson Red Heads 3 0.033   3.033 10 Ten Million Lights 3 0.005   3.005 11 Lara Michell 3 0   3 12 The Ascetic Junkies 1 1.5   2.5 13 Sallie Ford & The Sound Outside 2 0.031   2.031 14 Aan 2 0.024   2.024 15 The Upsidedown 2 0.013   2.013 16 Typhoon 2 0.011   2.011 17 Tyler Stenson 2 0.01   2.01 18  Soft Tags 2 0.006   2.006 19 Pancake Breakfast 2 0.004   2.004   Y La Bamba 2 0.004   2.004 21 Soft Metals 2 0.002   2.002 22 Radiation City   1 1 2 23 Housefire 1 0.031 0.5 1.531 24 Hello Electric 1 0.039   1.039 25 Quiet Life 1 0.015   1.015 26 Pegasus Dream 1 0.008   1.008 27 Jordan Harris 1 0.003   1.003   The Woodlands   0.003 1 1.003 29 Old Light 1 0.002   1.002 30 A Simple Colony 1 0.001   1.001   Lookbook 1 0.001   1.001   Nucular Aminals 1 0.001   1.001   Ohioan 1 0.001   1.001 34 Priory   0.5 0.5 1 35 Crown Point   0.043 0.75 0.793 36 Deklun and Pace   0.035 0.5 0.535 37 Guantanamo Baywatch   0.006 0.5 0.506 38 Black Prairie   0.003 0.5 0.503 39 Harlowe & the Great North   0 0.5 0.5   Reverse Dotty       0.5 0.5 Legend: J = Jury – OS = Open Submissions – F = Fans

The Deli’s Staff

The Woodlands premiere their latest Heavy Hands Remix gleened from their debut self-titled folk album. Get the first listen to "In The Dark On Monday" here! Folk turned electropop at it’s very finest from this immaculate duo. Pre-order the album today and get "In The Dark Monday" for free!

Alright, kiddos. The Best of Portland Emerging Artists Fan Poll is about to close. Time to rally your friends before we tally your votes. The fans poll ends February 1st (tonight around 9 pm!), and the artist from this list that will win the poll’s composite chart (i.e. jurors + Deli writers + fans’ votes) wins the illustrious title of Best Emerging Artist of 2010! Aaaaaand, BREAK! – The Deli’s Staff

Alameda‘s Seasons/Spectres carries tunes that swell like rainswept boughs beneath the trickling of guitar, heartfelt lyricism and carefully perched harmonies. Simple folk layers are woven to complements of sleight piano keys and softly bellowing cello, channeling something like Nick Drake or the Album Leaf. Seasons/Spectres is out now and ready for the picking!

New Leaf

Dueling guitar and keyboard couple, Your Canvas will melt your heart before they even start playing – and if anything’s left, the music will sweep it away. Jessy Boudreaux’s voice hangs in the air like a mysterious wind on your shoulder, weaving between the layered warmth of keys and towering riffs of guitars. Add the soft pummel of a smiling drum machine behind it all and you won’t know whether to dance or swoon. Febuary 1st brings YC to Ella St. Social Club with Charts for free. Free swooning, you seriously can’t beat it. –Mike Harper

You get a lot more than you bargain for from this three-piece folk act from just outside of Portland. Spotless folk-harmonies come out electrified and blaringly energetic, turning what would be plainer songs into sing-alongs, anthems and for all that it’s worth, an all out dance party. I haven’t seen these boys live yet without being surrounded by a gaggle of people with their dancin’ shoes on and their drinkin’ heels kickin’. It always seems like everyone at the venue knows all the words to "Oh I Don’t Know", bringing to mind old saloons filled with everyone singing the same old tunes, while still holding a certain folk precision that might make one think of Simon & Garfunkel. Fanno Creek is painting the Alberta Street Pub red on January 31st with the help of The Steelwells from Fullerton, California.

How could you beat the prevalent intimacy of a house show? Have a show in your apartment. Mississippi Studios has been doing just that with their Bar Bar Apartment Sessions, which take place just above the beautiful venue. Coming up January 30th, you can catch the soothing folk stylings of Shoeshine Blue and Ezza Rose. No amplification, just the genuine sound of what’s been written for your little ears. These kinds of folk bands can range from a solo singer to an orchestra of strings and things, so I’m excited to see what incarnation is built to fit in the Bar Bar Apartment this time around.

Ezza Rose – Blue Sheets from bar bar apartment sessions on Vimeo.