After that slow-moving trainwreck that was the Portland Music Awards, it was decided that we should probably cease making fun of Craig Marquardo and his narcissistic voyage into insanity (and bad musical choices), Music Spectator magazine (“The Magazine for the Portland Music Scene”). Now that the magazine has returned from its extended hiatus, Marquardo is […]
Ezra Ace Caraeff
Ezra Ace Caraeff is the former Music Editor for the Mercury, and spent nearly a third of his life working at the paper. More importantly, he is the owner of Olive, the Mercury’s unofficial office dog. His writing has appeared in The Fader, The Stranger, The Onion's A.V. Club, ESPN's TrueHoop network, and countless fanzines that are thankfully long out of print. He makes a mean tofu scramble and yes, Ace is really his middle name.
Posted inMusic
Mt. Tabor Legacy Closing?
Word on the street is that the Mt. Tabor Legacy will be shutting their doors on the 17th of July. We put a line out to the venue and if/when we hear back, we’ll let you know. ***UPDATE***We just spoke to Kate Atkins at Mt. Tabor Legacy and she reports that the club is not […]
Posted inMedia
Blazer Blog Wars
For a paper whose recent restructuring promised a more web-friendly presence (and a weekly print addition, sorta like us but we have the better escort ads), it’s odd that Portland Tribune sports reporter (and excellent Blazers writer) Kerry Eggers would drop these bat-shit crazy illogical comments about blogs in a recent interview: I don’t like […]
Posted inMusic
Lackthereof – “Last November”
Much like last year when Menomena’s Friend And Foe became a year-long (longer, actually) obsession of mine, Lackthereof‘s Your Anchor has taken over my stereo these past few months. The band is barely a band, instead it’s just a complete solo project from Menomena drummer (and the tallest man in Portland who is not named […]
Posted inMusic
This Week’s Mercury Music Section
Another week, another Mercury music section to read while you save your pennies for a very special special potato. The Chromatics change their lineup, their sound, but not their name. Now that everyone loves the band, they go and change their name. I am so confused right now. LISTEN: <param name="FlashVars" value="autostart=no&bg=0xCCCCCC&leftbg=0x0056A5&lefticon=0xFFFFFF&rightbg=0x0056A5& ‘rightbghover=0xE87217&righticon=0xEEEEEE&righticonhover=0xffffff&text=0x666666&slider=0x666666& ‘track=0xFFFFFF&border=0x666666&loader=0x6CB112&soundFile=http://www.portlandmercury.com/images/blogimages/2008/07/02/1215063365_0703-ch.mp3″ /> […]
Posted inMusic
It Gets Loneliest at Night
Chromatics After Dark
Feel the Euro-Pop Chill of the Chromatics
Posted inMusic
Musicfest NW Annouces (Partial) Lineup
Everyone’s favorite non-Mercury sponsored music festival is bringing out the big guns this year. MusicFest NW–which runs September 3-6 at various Portland venues–has (partially) spilled the beans on this year’s stellar lineup. So far, here’s what we know…TV on the Radio, Vampire Weekend, Mogwai, the Murder City Devils, Menomena, Deerhunter, Dan Deacon, M. Ward, Polvo, […]
Posted inVideo
Andy Barclay Has A New Playmate Who’s In No Mood To Play
Everyone’s favorite stab-happy doll, Chucky, turns 20 this year. And to think, one more year until he can legally drink. Good for him. In case you forgot the complicated plot of the first Child’s Play (I’m not even going to get into all the sequels, like when Chucky goes into “tha hood” or outer space. […]
Posted inSports
Can I Get A Headband?
In honor of the newest member of the Red & Black, Jerryd Bayless (aka, Jerry D. Bayless), here are some more Blazers tunes from the vault. Way back when (pre-Oden) I wrote about the Blazers’ rapping skills on their promotional “No One’s Ready To Deal With Us” single. At the time the emcee skills of […]
Posted inSports
Blazers 2008 – Live from the Rose Garden
Live from the Rose Garden as the Portland Trail Blazers are preparing for an eventful draft night. If the last few years have taught us anything, it’s that the Blazers don’t go quietly on draft night. Not sure where the belle of the ball—GM Kevin Pritchard—is tonight, but it’s far far far away from here. […]
Posted inMovies & TV
Tom Waits on the Roof
Well, Tom Waits won’t be literally on the roof (he’d drunkenly fall off), but his 1988 concert film, Big Time, will be. It’s part of the NW Film Center’s “Top Down”series (far classier than my personal “Tops Off” film series), in which six different movies are projected on “the panoramic parking rooftop at the deluxe […]