I’ve long found it curious that
Portland is home to more avowed garage-rock devotees and their bands
than anywhere I’ve ever been, yet so few of the local acts anointed by
major indie labels reflect that demographic fact. The relatively recent
renaissance of Philadelphia’s long-dormant Siltbreeze label, a
historical bastion of brazenly trashy homemade albums recorded entirely
in the red, seemed destined to bring at least one more set of our
city’s lo-fi, hi-dB champions to prominence. Lo and behold, Eat
Skull have signed to Siltbreeze, which will release their debut LP
Sick to Death by June. If you missed their sold-out 7-inch from
last year, imagine the sound of a beach-bound, Kingsmen-rockin’ woodie
slamming headlong into the suspended organ at Oaks Park Skating Rink in
the summertime.
Eat Skull may sound like a car wreck, but local one-man
grindcore band blowupnihilist was actually in one. To help replace the
gear destroyed in the tour accident, an all-ages blowupnihilist
benefit is being held at Satyricon on Friday, March 7, featuring
some of the Northwest’s most fearsome blast-beat-based metalcore
warriors and noisemongers. It’s irresistibly heartwarming when bands
with names like Oscillating Innards, Argumentix, and Blueprint for
Disaster come together to help their friend in blowupnihilist.
If that
doesn’t make you smile, I don’t know what will. Except this: The
Joggers have posted rough mixes of two new songs on their MySpace
page. It’s been more than two years since we’ve heard fresh tunes
from the one band that can consistently assuage any fears about the
continuing relevance and vibrancy of guitar-based indie rock, but these
slightly countrified numbers suggest the wait’s been worth it. The
tracks are a taste of the album’s worth of material the Joggers
recorded last year in various Portland basements and will release just
as soon as they find a label to partner with. Take note, record
executives: Show up early to Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks’ upcoming
West Coast tour dates, which the Joggers will be opening, and
listen well.
Speaking of openings, as you may have gleaned from the
review in this week’s Mercury film section, the new
documentary Girls Rock!, about the Rock ‘n’ Roll
Camp for Girls—one of Portland’s greatest local treasures and
cultural exports—premieres this Friday, March 7, at Cinema 21,
and will continue to show throughout the week. In spite of the fact
that dropping off flyers in the lobby is the closest I have come to
seeing the actual camp in session, the place radiates fun and
inspiration so strongly that I can safely say that, based on that
limited proximity alone, there are few places in the world I would
rather see a film about.
As the weekend inevitably draws to a close,
and the spectre of the work week begins to haunt your thoughts, seek
succor at rontoms (600 E Burnside) on Sunday night at 9:30 pm
when Oh Captain, My Captain take to the stage. In conjunction with
local radio promotion company SPECTRE, the pleasant and comfortable
East Burnside bar is now hosting a free concert of local music every
Sunday night.