The greatest bar named after a song on Let It Be, Dig a Pony is the fancy new watering hole launched by local men and women about town Aaron Hall, Jacob Carey and Page Finlay. Set in the completely remodeled building on the corner of SE Grand and Morrison (736 SE Grand, to be exact) […]
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 inSex
Get Blown Away by This Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks Contest
Leah Nash Stephen Malkmus has a problem. A blowjob problem. His latest single, “Senator,” mentions oral sex and Matador Records fears the track (which is really good) will be ignored by rock radio due to its controversial content. And yet they have no trouble playing Sublime every five minutes… Here’s how it works: Come up […]
Posted inMusic
Here is Your 2011 Pickathon Schedule
First we gave you the MusicFest schedule, now it’s time for you to map out the good times at Pickathon. Bill Callahan playing the (recently expanded) Woods stage! A breakfast show for the kiddies from Breathe Owl Breathe! Future Islands at 1am in the barn! August can’t get here soon enough. Since Pickathon is loaded […]
Posted inMusic
Ted’s (formerly Berbati’s Pan) to Officially Open
Much like Jesus, or Brett Favre, Berbati’s Pan just can’t stay away. First, the fabled downtown venue closed their doors, only to (somewhat) reopen a few months later. Now the venue has a new name, Ted’s, (named in honor of its late founder, Ted Pappaioanou) and they are hosting a grand reopening party on July […]
Posted inMusic
This Week’s Mercury Music Section
Jail Weddings Another week, another Mercury music section to ignore while you celebrate the launch of Spotify in the USA. But will it work on my Apple Newton? Jail Weddings are from Los Angeles. Know what else is from Los Angeles? Gangs. I’m hip, I’ve totally seen Colors. Twice. The 10-piece rock and roll band […]
Posted inMusic
Waiting is the Hardest Part
Pop and Patience with the Dirty Mittens
Pop and patience with the Dirty Mittens
Posted inMusic
Mimicking Birds Would Like You to Visit Bend, Oregon
There is more to Bend than beautiful sights and crippling unemployment. The folks behind Visit Bend want you to bring your family to their city, and they even made this neat little video that just so happens to feature a tune from Portland (not Bend) artists Mimicking Birds. “Burning Stars” is off the band’s self-titled […]
Posted inMusic
Here is the 2011 MusicFest NW Schedule
We spilled the beans on the MusicFest NW lineup in May, but the festival’s schedule was still a secret. Until now. Below you will find the entire MFNW lineup and schedule—plus their new corporately named stages (Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey Stage at Mississippi Studios!)—so now you can plan your evenings and face some tough questions. […]
Posted inMusic
The Big Busk Returns to the Streets of Portland
There is a Big Float, a Big Pun (R.I.P.). and of course the one and only The Big Busk. Now in its third year, this annual event seizes the street corners of downtown Portland for a series of busking sets from a vast selection of local musicians. Even you—yes, you—can play, just drop them a […]
Posted inVideo
Animal Farm – “What I Do” (Video)
Local rhyme collective Animal Farm are still basking in the glow from their critically-adored Culture Shock LP and now they have yet another video to share with us. Much like the “Pop Music” clip, this video for “What I Do” is a tongue-in-cheek look at aspiring emcees (I’m a big fan of this to-do list) […]
Posted inImbecile Parade
Seattle Music is Better Than Portland Music, Says Guy Who Knows Nothing About Music
Sister Psychic: Better than every Portland band ever In the wake of this weekend’s big footy match, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer‘s Chris Grygiel clumsily throws down the gauntlet and boldly declares that Seattle music rules and Portland music drools. Of course, these “my dad is bigger than your dad” arguments are totally useless, but since we […]
Posted inVideo
The Parson Red Heads – “Seven Years Ago” (Video)
The not-as-ginger-as-they-should-be guys and gals of The Parson Red Heads joined forces with local label Arena Rock way back in April of this year. The result of this union is Yearling, the band’s first LP as Portlanders (previous homes include Los Angeles and Eugene) which will be out on August 16. A new video usually […]