One of the year’s most anticipated new Portland-bred albums is streaming right now over at NPR. You can check out The Thermals’ Personal Life there until its release on September 7. Get going! And let us know what you think!

– Ryan J. Prado

– Photo by Radmeister Alicia J. Rose

 

Upon coming home from a few-week-long West Coast tour and releasing its debut EP in July, which you can purchase here, Housefire has been making the Portland rounds. The next spot you can see Joseph Craig and his shoegazing crew create warbling, lucid, electro beats before your very eyes is The Artistery this Friday. The now quintet (keyboardist Christopher Cook recently left the City of Roses for Brooklyn), will be joined by fellow Portland-based shoegazers Anne and Caribou Canoe. Show starts at 8 pm, costs a measly $6, and is all ages, so bring the kids!

 

HOUSEFIRE // LA Ex from Wooden Lens on Vimeo.

 

-Katrina Nattress

 

Extra, extra, read all about it:

Starfucker (formally Pyramiddd, formally Starfucker) has signed to renowned Polyvinyl Records. In celebration of the new label, the quartet announced a fall tour, as well as the release of an alternate single version of the band’s track, "Julius," with the B-side, "Helium Muffin," available Oct 12 on 7" – first 500 limited edition blue vinyl – and out digitally Sept 14th on Polyvinyl. The single, which is just as infectious, lucid, and undeniably danceable as Starfucker’s earlier work, is a sneak peek off the electro-poppers’ upcoming full-length, which is scheduled for an early 2011 release. The single can be preordered here and downloaded here.

The extremely temporary name change was induced by voices in the band’s ear about not being able to get anywhere with a name like Starfucker. Explains bassist Shawn Glassford, "That was definitely the low point for the band, but we wised up and took the power back. We’re doing things our way again without anyone trying to pull our strings."

Founder Josh Hodges admits, "I like, and have always liked, the idea of seeing what we could do with a stupid name like Starfucker." Well, boys, the sky’s the limit, and it’s a big fucking sky.

Starfucker Tour Dates:

Sept. 23rd – Neurolux – Boise, ID

Sept. 24th – Kilby Court – Salt Lake City, UT

Sept. 24th – Urban Lounge – Salt Lake City, UT

Sept. 25th – Hi Dive – Denver, CO

Sept. 27th – Record Bar – Kansas City, MO

Sept. 29th – Juanita’s Cantina Ballroom – Little Rock, AK #

Sept. 30th – The Collective – Shreveport, LA #

Oct. 1st – Bottletree Cafe – Birmingham, AL #

Oct. 2nd – Drunken Unicorn – Atlanta, GA #

Oct. 5th – Local 506 – Chapel Hill, NC #

Oct. 6th – DC9 – Washington DC #

Oct. 7th – Kung Fu Necktie – Philadelphia, PA #

Oct. 8th – Music Hall of Williamsburg – Brooklyn, NY #

Oct. 9th – Cafe Nine – New Haven, CT #

Oct. 10th – TT The Bears – Cambridge, MA #

Oct. 11th – Casa Del Popolo – Montreal, Canada #

Oct. 12th – Wrongbar – Toronto, Canada #

Oct. 13th – Garfield Artworks – Pittsburgh, PA #

Oct. 14th – Grog Shop – Cleveland Heights, OH #

Oct. 15th – Bottom Lounge – Chicago, IL #

Oct. 16th – Triple Rock Social Club – Minneapolis, MN #

Oct. 19th – Neumos – Seattle, WA #

Oct. 20th – Roseland – Portland, OR #

Oct. 22nd – Great American Music Hall – San Francisco, CA #

Oct. 23rd – Echoplex – Los Angeles, CA #

Oct. 24th – Casbah – San Diego, CA #

Oct. 25th – Plush – Tucson, AZ #

# – w/ the Octopus Project

 

-Katrina Nattress

 

This will be a show review in reverse…

Doubleplusgood, a PDX two-piece, electronic dance band took the stage last on Saturday, August 21, during a triple bill at Backspace. Utilizing drums, pre-mixed samples and live vocals, the duo managed to work the crowd into a dancing frenzy, their high-energy set perfectly capping a show that had been, frankly, a mixed bag.

Wishyunu, another two-piece band from Portland, took the stage second. I’d like to give them the benefit of the doubt, and say this was simply the wrong show for their ambient sound to have been a part of. With the other two bands on the bill being so upbeat, and giving endless energy to the enthusiastic crowd, Wishyunu’s solemn demeanor seemed to be well-received by the audience, but I can’t claim to have fully enjoyed it. Again, though, I’d be willing to give them another listen if they were playing a show more suited to their particular brand of music.

Opening the show that night were Pocketknife, a young group comprised of four members, producing dance-worthy songs that immediately garnered favor from the crowd. With beats reminiscent of the Arctic Monkeys, prominent bass lines with the memorable nature of At The Drive In, and simple, yet likeable vocals, this band was the highlight of the evening. The real standout star of the night for me was drummer Karen D’Apice. This pint-sized percussionist was a dancing machine, making her beats look effortless. With boundless energy and an infectious attitude, I can’t wait to see this band live again.

– Arielle Mullen

In anticipation of the trio’s upcoming release, Personal Life, (out September 7th), The Thermals have released the first single off the new record, "I Don’t Believe You," on 7" and digitally through Kill Rock Stars. The track encompasses the same catchy riffs and "whoa oh ohs" of previous singles released by the delightfully dark power-pop-punk threesome.

And yes, that is Carrie Brownstein (Sleater-Kinney) thrashing her apartment throughout the video and Isaac Brock at the end rocking some striped jammies and matching nightcap.

-Katrina Nattress

 

Hey babes, come a little closer, I have some information you might find useful. There’s a place between SW 4th, 5th, Couch and Davis where you can go for completely free of charge to pick up a few thrills. Whatever poison fits your palate, they’ve got it. If you’re jonesin for a jolt, you can pick up some action starting at noon, Saturday, August 28 for the Second Annual Old Town Block Party. The party won’t be shut down till 10 p.m.

A cornucopia of delectable dishes can be acquired from local food carts mongering their eatables that might just pair perfectly with a (readily available) icy cold beer. The musical line-up is far beyond copacetic, featuring Deelay Ceelay, The Joggers, Mean Jeans and Lovers outside of DJs manning the faders all the live-long day. Ace Hotel will be featuring a rummage sale that just might yield the perfect artifact you were searching for all summer. And while you might start to feel like all this stimulation is border-line hedonistic indulgement, the whole block party is to benefit a list of local charities, including Sisters of the Road, Transition Projects, P:ear and Rosehaven. Live guilt free!

If you happened to attend last year, this year promises to be an even bigger and better way than before to close out that golden month of August (which is more like the month that summer began).

– Joel Sommer

It’s hot as FUCK out today. And we know that the PDX Soap Box Derby is happening right outside of Deli Portland headquarters on Mt. Tabor literally as we type. But why not throw caution into the wind and just ride this heat wave out to the break, eh? If passing out is your vibe – and really, whose vibe is it NOT? – then we recommend you head down to Plan B today to catch the Saturday leg of Smmr Bmmr 2010!

Check out today’s lineup:

 

There’s gonna be free Hammy’s Pizza on Sunday for those who show up early, too! Hot pizza! Hot tunes! Hot little club!

Each day requires a $12 entry, but it’s well worth it. All shows 21+.

– Ryan J. Prado

 

 

White Hinterland, aka Casey Dienel, has a nifty new video (which can be viewed here…sorry, no embed code!) directed by Solomon Chase for the single “No Logic” from her latest release, Karios. The video features high contrast black-and-white images, forest creatures and Dienel’s album collaborator, Shawn Creeden, drumming away on a log next to his Apple laptop.

The portable computer eventual combusts into flame, leaving the viewer with one of two conclusions: 1) The beats were really that hot; or 2) “No Logic” is actually a reference to the inferno Steve Jobs will cause to well up within your computer circuitry if you attempt to pirate his most precious of music production software. If the latter is the case, perhaps we can expect the next Hinterland album to be hewn from utilities available from Garage Band (most people would have to have their MacBooks explode twice before reverting to a PC).

You can check out the first two videos from Karios here and here.

– Joel Sommer

 

Didn’t this just happen yesterday? Not the same show, but the same last-minuteness of our alerts to you, our dear readers! Goddamn day jobs…

Anyway, check this out! Tonight at Mississippi Studios you can check out a special, unadvertised show featuring Blue Giant, and Dolorean for FREE!

That’s right, no catch. Get there early for a good spot. The show starts at 9 p.m.

Then, to show your appreciation for our hot tip, go to Mississippi Studios tomorrow night (Wednesday) for our second sponsored show along with our buddy Mark at The Days of Lore. This trio of mayhem will feature the soothing sounds of Black Whales, Nucular Aminals, and Ravishers. 9 p.m. $7.

– Ryan J. Prado

We could ramble on and on about how massively amazing Pickathon 2010 was, and we tried to facilitate said rambling by taking copious stage-side notes, by imbibing mind-altering elixirs and berries, by becoming one in spirit with the albino philly in the horse paddock (don’t read too far into that). Still, without some visual imagery for you, all the ranting in the barn would probably be pretty nebulous.

Luckily, San Francisco photographer Joseph Schell graced the hay-strewn farmland with his nimble eye for detail, and provided us with the following images from this year’s festival that make my words appear more like rabbit shit than they already do.

Bonnie "Prince" Billy

The Cave Singers

Fruit Bats

Langhorne Slim

Richmond Fontaine

Roadside Graves

These United States

Dr. Dog

Thanks a ton, Joseph! Check out more of Mr. Schell’s work here.

I know this is RIDICULOUSLY short notice, considering the show is in, oh, two hours, but ungodly short notice is better than no notice at all, right?

The piano-driven, Tori Amos-esque trio, The Ro Sham Bo’s, headed by the ever-so-talented Madeline Williams-Brownlee’s burlesque vocals and cabaret-style keys, are playing a FREE show at THE TUBE TONIGHT at 9 pm.

And what’s even cooler than a free show? Oh yeah, the fact that mother effing FUEL.tv will be videotaping the whole damn thing! So peel yourself off your couch, put on your dancing shoes, and for god’s sake, brush your hair so you can look halfway decent on camera.

See ya there!!

-Katrina Nattress

Backstage at a bluegrass festival at 10:00 a.m.on a Sunday morning – well, any festival really, and maybe any morning – is like treading through a zombie prom. The coffee line is long (Kleen Kanteen users are the salt of the earth), the fruit’s all gone and everyone’s still sporting the facepaint they raged warrior-like into the previous evening’s din, the stench of decay from two days into a three-day festival becomes ever more pungent. Such is the environ I send you, dear Deli Portland readers, my first update from Pickathon 2010 at Pendarvis Farms – gloomy, overcast, humid Happy Valley, OR.

Day 1 Highlights: Friday, August 6

 

The day began with Weinland on the Mountain View Stage, with most festival-goers still sulking in the campground looking for a spot to hang their hat. Despite the small crowd, John Shearer executed the same moody, plaintive rock, and tactfully crafted progressions, culled from the bowels of arena rock standards. The band sifted through honest, sometimes loud refrains, and emerged as a great example of the fence-sitting parameters of Pickathon’s bluegrass-meets-indie-rock milieu. Weinland ended their set with infestations of dance-folk, which consisted mostly of ingestible pellets of organ-oaked rock and gloom…maybe too dark for the very first mainstage band.

Casey McGill’s Blue 4 Trio took to the Galaxy Barn stage – literally a barn, with notoriously sweltering temperatures, and intimate performances late nights with mainstage acts – toting old-timey lullaby juke-joint ditties. McGill appeared a blue-eyed dreamer in a dapper cabana suit while strumming a lonely guitar. The trio was festooned with ’50s-era optimism, replete with stand-up bass and ukulele, all the while conjuring specters of crumple-sleeved working stiffs let loose for the night to get their kicks with boogie-woogie ballads.

 

North Carolina’s Megafaun took to the Galaxy Barn later in the evening, at first employing a somewhat tame, blues-singed rock with lots of crowd involvement. With very home-y dallops of fun-lovin’ rock ‘n’ rag, the band steadily eased into a trance-y hum, with snippets of jazz noir beginning to seep into their cacophany, like The Sea and Cake on speed. In the whip of Tibetan flags off stage-left, Megafaun slowly morphed into a psychedelic tangent, an ode to flippant sonic meandering. Shamanistic shivers were executed slip-sloppy by the shaky percussionist, like some goddamn hillbilly hypnotism. Every mouth gaped at its conclusion, and – as if they needed it – Megafaun hooked a slew of new listeners.

More updates, photos, etc. coming this week from the biggest little festival in the world.

– Ryan J. Prado