Ben Salmon

Bedouine’s debut was one of 2017’s hidden gems.

G PERICO Feelin’ good and influencing the neighborhood. Mar Snare When he picks up the phone on a Monday afternoon, LA rapper G Perico is positively glowing. “I’m at my coffee table, I got my portable studio set up, and I’m just about to knock out a gang of [recordings] right now,” he says, a […]

Talking street shit, songwriting, and dreams with G Perico.

KATY PERRY Fri 2/2 Moda Center Rony Alwin Katy Perry tops this bill, but the real focus should be on Carly Rae Jepsen, the reigning cool queen of pop. After all, Perry is sooooo 2010-to-2013, and her new album, Witness—its painfully “woke” promotional rollout, and its chart-allergic singles—has fueled speculation among the pixel-pushing class that […]

KYLE CRAFT Southern roots and Bowie glam, side by side. JEREMY KALEPADOT When Kyle Craft made his debut album—2016’s Dolls of Highland—he did so on a laptop in a laundry room in Shreveport, Louisiana. He played almost all the parts himself (except for some drum tracks), and recorded with the freedom that comes with being […]

Portland singer/songwriter Kyle Craft releases his swaggering sophomore album, Full Circle Nightmare.

JEN CLOHER Jangling guitars, taut rhythms, and plainspoken observations. TAJETTE O’HALLORAN Jen Cloher’s life changed significantly over the past few years as her partner, Courtney Barnett, became a world-renowned, in-demand rock ’n’ roll artist. On her new and appropriately self-titled album, Cloher wastes no time in painting an unflinchingly honest portrait of that life and […]

Jen Cloher discusses her new, self-titled album and her relationship with Courtney Barnett.

ST. VINCENT Sat 1/20 Keller Auditorium NEDDA AAFSARI For more than a decade, Annie Clark—AKA 23rd century guitar goddess St. Vincent—has stood at the forefront of avant-pop and -rock, her profile rising steadily all the while. Clark’s first five records (including her 2012 collaboration with likeminded oddball David Byrne) synthesize serrated guitars, fuzzy electronics, right-angled […]

The Prids Tell All Your Friends PR When the Prids’ David Frederickson is asked if there are any overarching themes connecting the 11 songs on his band’s new album, Do I Look Like I’m In Love?, he starts talking about coalescing vibes and collections of things that fit together. And then he pauses, and Mistina […]

Talking life, death, and dark pop with the Prids, one of Portland’s longest-running bands.

SO STRESSED Fri 1/5 The Know Julian Raya When So Stressed started teasing its new album, Please Let Me Know, vocalist Morgan Fox provided a key statement hinting at its direction: “We wanted the last one to be cold and digital-sounding and really harsh to listen to, which I think it is. This one is […]