Portland Mercury: Music

Flat Earth Society

news@portlandmercury.com (Ezra Ace Caraeff) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 04:00:00 -0800

The world belongs to Rainbow Arabia. by Ezra Ace Caraeff Spin a globe, extend your finger, and let it fall where it may. Chances are—unless your digit landed in the ocean—your finger will rest on a swath of land that influences Rainbow Arabia. The musical kaleidoscopic fronted by Los Angeles married couple Danny and Tiffany Preston is a truly limitless endeavor that best captures the digital free-for-all of internet culture with the insatiable appetite of modern musical obsessives. Lightly tethered to the Day-Glo indie dance scene, the duo piles on…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Brave New World

news@portlandmercury.com (Mark Lore) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 04:00:00 -0800

The Strange Boys Party like it's 1964. by Mark Lore Something was noticeably different when the Strange Boys took the stage during the Scion Garage Fest in October—there was a strange girl among the baby-faced lads. The Austin, Texas band—whose In the Red debut, And Girls Club, has been receiving a relatively steady stream of fanfare—has gone through some changes in recent months. Drummer and founding member Matt Hammer left the fold, making way for some new strange folk in drummer Seth Densham and vocalist/saxist Jenna Thornhill DeWitt, both formerly…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

The Most Hated Musician in Portland

news@portlandmercury.com (Ezra Ace Caraeff) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 04:00:00 -0800

An Everclear interview in the Mercury? by Ezra Ace Caraeff Art Alexakis is a dick. Or, so I've been told. While having never met the man in person—by his own admittance Alexakis seldom leaves his Forest Hills home and hasn't gone to a local show in close to two decades—I've heard plenty of stories. His backbiting ascent to the peaks of pop music success, the West Hills home, the foreclosure of the West Hills home, the well-publicized divorces, the revolving door of disgruntled band members... for Alexakis, it never really…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Our Town Could Be Your Life

news@portlandmercury.com — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 04:00:00 -0800

Portland local music news. If Meth Teeth sound like a Northeast Portland house show-weaned noise punk band that listened to a lot of those Mississippi Records cassette compilations of American folk music arcane, it's because they are and they did. Originally a rebound solo project for guitarist and vocalist Mattey Hunter to explore his earthy side following the breakup of a few neo-no-wave bands he was playing in, Meth Teeth soon grew to include wunderkind drummer, designer, and audio engineer Kyle Raquipiso. At the…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Accidents Will Happen

news@portlandmercury.com (Ned Lannamann) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 04:00:00 -0800

The Dutchess and the Duke accidentally make great music. by Ned Lannamann The way Jesse Lortz tells it, the Dutchess and the Duke aren't in it for the long haul. "I never planned on being a professional musician," claims the singer/guitarist for the Seattle group. "I know that this will end at some point. People are going to get sick of listening to the songs, or it will dry up—eventually, I mean. Hopefully we'll have a couple more records, but I don't want to be holding onto something just because." Lortz formed…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Up & Coming

news@portlandmercury.com — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 04:00:00 -0800

THURSDAY 11/19 MARCHFOURTH MARCHING BAND (Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell) See My, What a Busy Week!. ST. FRANCIS DINING HALL BENEFIT: EVERCLEAR, CLAYTON SENNE, THROWBACK SUBURBIA (Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside) See Music. WOLFMOTHER, HEARTLESS BASTARDS, THENEWNO2 (Roseland, 8 NW 6th) Wolfmother sound so much like Led Zeppelin that they should be forced to break out the checkbook (memo: "Cover Band Dues") and mail off monthly payments to Headley Grange. Thankfully Heartless Bastards can save their pennies for cigarettes and…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Truth Faith

news@portlandmercury.com (Raquel Nasser) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 04:00:00 -0800

Friendly Fires are for real. by Raquel Nasser As Ed Macfarlane, the boyish frontman of Friendly Fires, dances around my computer screen with little constraint, I can't help but wonder if my kindergarten-style crush is still eating paste. That statement, though seemingly discrediting, is actually laudatory. There is something painstakingly earnest about this British boy from St. Albans, and in his band something reminiscent of the good old days of post-punk and electro-pop. Much like their porch-sitting predecessors New Order, Friendly Fires has assumed command over the dance…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Radical Dudes

news@portlandmercury.com (Andrew R Tonry) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 04:00:00 -0800

Mean Jeans party 'til they puke. by Andrew R Tonry "What if we just sent the bill from our coke dealer to the Mercury?" asks Christian, tipping back another plastic cup of vodka and soda. The financial pains of the print industry come as some disappointment. "I thought the fuckin' Portland Mercury was gonna be buying us filet mignons." Quickly he comes with a solution: "Don't even write an article—there'll just be a blank page and we'll go get high." And that blank page—or perhaps a picture of some coke…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

New Day Rising

news@portlandmercury.com (Ezra Ace Caraeff) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 04:00:00 -0800

Grant Hart emerges from the past. by Ezra Ace Caraeff It's been nearly 22 years since, as legend has it, Hüsker Dü split up one night in Columbia, Missouri. And it's been about a decade since former Hüsker drummer Grant Hart released a solo recording—even longer if you're looking for one with any staying power. In all that time Hart's body has been decimated by countless bottles of methadone, and a seemingly endless war of words with former bandmate Bob Mould that's been far more destructive than any substance that's…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Girls, Cults, Rock 'n' Roll

news@portlandmercury.com (Ned Lannamann) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 04:00:00 -0800

Girls is the sound of a rock redemption of a cult upbringing. by Ned Lannamann Tell me if you've heard this one before: Rock 'n' roll can save your life. It's an escape—a way to break free from constraints, whether in your background, your upbringing, or whatever circumstances you might be stuck in. That sentiment has been expressed to the point of cliché, but in the case of Christopher Owens, the cliché is absolutely true. Owens was raised in the Children of God, an insular Christian religious cult that came out of the free-love era…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Up & Coming

news@portlandmercury.com — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 04:00:00 -0800

THURSDAY 11/12 IMMORTAL TECHNIQUE, DIABOLIC, POISON PEN, SWAVE SEVAH, CHINO XL, MIC CRENSHAW (Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell) See My, What a Busy Week. FUN WORLD: THE MEAN JEANS, WHITE FANG, DJ KEN DIRTNAP (Ground Kontrol, 511 NW Couch) See Music. NEPTUNE SKYLINE, LITTLE CZAR AND THE PSALMIST, BOOM! (Mississippi Pizza Pub, 3552 N Mississippi) Secret Fields is the debut from Neptune Skyline, and Empowerment Initiatives, a nonprofit group dedicated to helping those with mental health problems, funded the vinyl…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Beyond Bleeps and Bloops

news@portlandmercury.com (Erik Henriksen) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 04:00:00 -0800

I'm sorry Mario, but the princess is in another symphony. by Erik Henriksen "If you ask any young person to hum you the Mario Bros. theme, I bet nine times out of 10 they'll hum it in a second," Tommy Tallarico says. "It's just as known or noticeable as any film score like Star Wars or Raiders of the Lost Ark!" True, but Tallarico—who has been composing music for videogames for two decades—is well aware that not everyone respects videogames and their music. That's one of the reasons why, four years ago, he…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Goat Stories

news@portlandmercury.com (Mark Lore) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 04:00:00 -0800

The Bible according to the Mountain Goats by Mark Lore Mountain Goats frontman John Darnielle has taken on plenty of heady topics—death, drug abuse, loneliness. Not necessarily happy themes, but very real ones nonetheless. Well, some of them. Darnielle spins yarns that—especially in recent years—blur the line between fact and fiction. And he has an uncanny ability to make you care about a character, no matter their background, over the course of a three-minute pop song. On the Mountain Goats' latest, The Life of the World to Come, Darnielle tackles…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Up & Coming

news@portlandmercury.com — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 04:00:00 -0800

THURSDAY 11/5 BROTHERS YOUNG, BOAT (The Woods, 6637 SE Milwaukie) Presented as a limited-edition CD run complete with hand-screened covers, The Sun Says He's God is the first proper offering from the Brothers Young. While the band's boots are muddied by the murky waters of traditional folk—with enough down-home bluegrass to justify your bourbon intake during their live performances—the Brothers' intertwined melodies can occasionally fall into Pinback territory, especially on the dark and sprawling "Waterman." But The Sun Says is…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Our Town Could Be Your Life

news@portlandmercury.com — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 04:00:00 -0800

Portland local music news. When asked how her relationship to music has changed over the nearly two years since she released her little-heard debut EP, Portland singer/songwriter Kelli Schaefer replies: "I used to worry about writing in a specific genre, but now I don't feel that pressure, as long as what I'm coming up with is good. If I let my voice be the thing that is constant, sooner or later a common thread will appear." Schaefer's newfound comfort with following her voice to…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

God Is in the Ground

news@portlandmercury.com (Ezra Ace Caraeff) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 04:00:00 -0800

David Bazan and God don't speak much anymore. by Ezra Ace Caraeff I have followed David Bazan for the past 12 years. From Pedro the Lion, to his electronic detour as Headphones, back to Pedro the Lion, and finally as a solo artist under his birth name. For these dozen years the only constants have been that Bazan wrote good songs, and that he wrote good songs about Jesus. And while his narration viewed life through countless pairs of sad eyes—offering perspectives seldom associated with the creatively impoverished spiritual music community—those were…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

The Funnest Band in the Universe

news@portlandmercury.com (Ned Lannamann) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 04:00:00 -0800

Seattle's BOAT will put a dopey grin on your face. by Ned Lannamann It doesn't take D. Crane long to write a song. "I have this room attached to the laundry room," says the singer/guitarist for Seattle band BOAT. "It's pretty small, but I have all the instruments that no one would want to play. Bad drums, bad guitar, everything that we don't keep in the practice space. I have the recorder there, and I just record bad versions of songs." "He'll flesh out a song really quickly. It almost frustrates me," says…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

True Stories?

news@portlandmercury.com (Matt Davis) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 04:00:00 -0700

No joke. Art Brut is serious. Sort of. by Matt Davis I SORT OF WANT TO PUNCH Eddie Argos. For a man named after a catalog store from our home country, his insistence that the group's songs aren't ironic is... well, it's frustrating. "They're true stories," he says. "I think the songs are quite sincere." This is the tension that runs through all of Art Brut's work. You can loathe them for being so emotionally conflicted, or give up on being pissed off and dance like a maniac. Or both: My…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

The Family Way

news@portlandmercury.com (Ned Lannamann) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 04:00:00 -0700

The strength of the World's Greatest Ghosts' music comes from its interlocking, familial parts. by Ned Lannamann IT'S A RECIPE for certain disaster: a five-member band that includes three songwriters—two of whom are brothers, one of which is married to the bass player. But World's Greatest Ghosts have made the closeness of their relationships work for them; the strength of their music comes from its interlocking, familial parts. Naturally, it isn't easy. Of the band's songwriting process, guitarist Brandon Anderson deadpans, "It's mostly an argument over different calibers of bullets, which one can penetrate the temple first."…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Down South Sallie

news@portlandmercury.com (Ezra Ace Caraeff) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 04:00:00 -0700

When Sallie Ford sings, you listen. by Ezra Ace Caraeff OF ALL THE NAMES mercilessly slung about when attempting to describe the pitch and character of Sallie Ford's wondrously unique voice—Joanna Newsom, Billie Holiday, Patsy Cline, and bafflingly enough, Amy Winehouse—none of them come close to her true vocal equal: Olive Oyl. Not necessarily the cartoon beanpole muse of a certain spinach-craving sailor, but more the Shelley Duvall character from the ill-fated 1980 Popeye film and her contribution to the underappreciated Harry Nilsson-penned soundtrack. In numbers like the bubbly pop…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Up & Coming

news@portlandmercury.com — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 04:00:00 -0700

THURSDAY 10/29 PDX POP NOW! BENEFIT: BRITT DANIEL, THE ROBINSONS, IOA (Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) See My, What a Busy Week, and go here for our interview with Britt Daniel. SALON D'MERDE: DEATH BY DOLL, THE MOONSHRINERS, JUDSON CLAIBORNE, JOSH AND CHARLOTTE (The Woods, 6637 SE Milwaukie) See My, What a Busy Week. FALL INTO DARKNESS: EARTH, SUBARACHNOID SPACE, KAWABATA MAKOTO, ?ALOS (Berbati's Pan, 10 SW 3rd) Kawabata Makoto leads prolific psych-rock behemoths Acid Mothers Temple, but on his…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Step Away from the Light

news@portlandmercury.com (Philip Gaudette) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 04:00:00 -0700

Your totally evil and haunted guide to the Fall into Darkness festival of evil and haunted metal bands. by Philip Gaudette WHAT BETTER WAY to prepare for Halloween than with three days of scorching, demon-slaying metal at Berbati's Pan? Curated by Nanotear Booking, Fall into Darkness highlights some of the best Portland metal, as well as some of the more obscure bands that have slipped through the cracks into weird sub-sub-genres (psychedelic/neoclassic/folk metal, anyone?). Thankfully, Fall into Darkness does the scene a favor by reeling in diverse talent; from the truly bizarre experimental noise of Kawabata Makoto, to the comforting sludge…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

A Conversation with Britt Daniel

news@portlandmercury.com (Ned Lannamann) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 04:00:00 -0700

Spoon's frontman talks about the upcoming Spoon record and his solo set for PDX Pop Now! by Ned Lannamann WE TALKED with Britt Daniel of Spoon, who's playing a solo set on Thursday, October 29, as part of a PDX Pop Now! benefit. He told us about his interaction with the festival, about living in Portland, and a few shadowy details about the upcoming Spoon record. MERCURY: First off, what made you want to get involved with PDX Pop Now! and do the fundraiser? BRITT DANIEL: Well, they asked me to do the [Make it Pop! fundraiser in April…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Once Is Never Enough

news@portlandmercury.com (Mike Meyer) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 04:00:00 -0700

Hide your loved ones, the Jesus Lizard have returned. by Mike Meyer It is 1994 and I am 20 years old. Chicago noise-rock icons the Jesus Lizard have begun a four-month tour in support of their latest Touch and Go Records full-length, Down. Next year, they will sign to Capitol Records, which will lessen their impact and lead to their 1999 breakup. But tonight, they will bludgeon us. Diminutive ex-Texan David Yow mumbles about the "coeds" in attendance. In a flash, he hurls two cans of Budweiser at no one, anyone—hard. His…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Up & Coming

news@portlandmercury.com — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 04:00:00 -0700

THURSDAY 10/22 DAN DEACON, NUCLEAR POWER PANTS, ALEXIS GIDEON (Worksound, 820 SE Alder) See My, What a Busy Week. THE JESUS LIZARD, BLACK ELK (Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside) See Music. ALELA DIANE, MARISSA NADLER (Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) Marissa Nadler's fourth album, the tremendous Little Hells, finds the luminous-voiced songwriter expanding her palette beyond stark acoustic-and-voice arrangements. "Mary Come Alive" features a drum machine and thumping tom-toms, with Nadler sounding a little like Kate Bush amid the spiky…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]