It's a local music news roundup, with a quartet of goodbyes:

• Goodbye, Tonic Lounge: Over the weekend, NE Sandy's Tonic Lounge, long a stronghold of local punk and metal shows, was visited by the crew at Spike TV reality show Bar Rescue and given a full makeover. The new spot is now called the Panic Room Bar, or if their new faux-stencil sign is to be read literally, PANIC ROOM CAUTION: HIGH VOLUME BAR. As of now, all the shows on their music calendar will still proceed as scheduled, and the venue will continue to put an emphasis on live music. After a "grand opening" party over the weekend, which also doubled as a TV shoot, the bar closed yesterday for the transition, but reopens tonight with a show—featuring the Last of Lucy, Apophis Theory, the Desolate, and more—carrying on as scheduled. The staff remains the same, although Panic Room will likely sell off the Tonic's old decor; drink pricing will not increase but the menu will be expanded. The episode of Bar Rescue featuring the rebranded Panic Room will air later this year. No word if Jared Leto or Dwight Yoakam make appearances.

crashdesigniquitposter.jpg
  • Mike King
Goodbye, Crash Design: The poster and design house of legendary local artist Mike King is shutting its doors. King has designed some phenomenal posters over the years, starting with local punk bands and going on to design images for international acts, as well as designing album covers for Elliott Smith, the Wipers, and Pink Martini. King is leaving the poster business after 25 years, and there will be a big sale of his work this Saturday, April 18 from noon to 6 pm at Tillamook Station (665 N Tillamook). He's liquidating all of Crash Design's remaining art and there will be some real steals to be had, with hand-printed concert posters starting for as low as a buck (!).

Goodbye, Blood Beach: The Portland surf-punk-horrorshow band, which has taken extended hiatuses in the past, is officially calling it a day. Two of the members are moving to Texas, and they've made their final recorded work, an EP called Neu Wave, available for free on Bandcamp. They're also playing their last-ever show on Sunday, April 26 at Beacon Sound with special guests Hornet Leg. Blood Beach tells me, "We plan to get very weird with this last one."

Goodbye, Doug Jenkins as head of Portland Cello Project: Jenkins, longtime director of the all-cello ensemble and the person who brought them a great amount of cultural visibility, will be stepping down at the end of the month, as changes at his day job prevents him from touring with the band. He's passing the torch to fellow PCP-er Skip vonKuske, who will take the reins. Jenkins' last show as artistic director will be Portland Cello Project's concert at Revolution Hall on Thursday, April 30.