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Julianne Shepherd
Posted inNews

Interview with the Interviewer

NPR’s Ira Glass on Fame, American Idol, and Being a Less Accomplished Interviewer than Julianne Shepherd
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This American Life, the much-loved public radio show [KOPB 91.5 FM on Wednesdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 10 am], chronicles the lives of real people in an intimate narrative. Host Ira Glass, who will be in Portland this Friday with This American Life Live, has interviewed approximately 40,000 people, give or take a […]

Posted inMusic

Leave a Message at the Bleep

The Graceful Glitch-Hop of Prefuse 73
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Prefuse 73 Sat May 17 B Complex At varying points on Prefuse 73’s new record, One Word Extinguisher (Warp), the cassette containing his answering machine messages is allowed to roll. Barring a couple tracks with guest rappers–Mr. Lif, Diverse–these are the only parts where breathy voices aren’t cut-up and halved into a mere hint of […]

Posted inMusic

Revelation Rock

The Gossip’s New CD, Possessed by Soul
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The Gossip Fri May 9 Blackbird & Sat May 10 Meow Meow “We hate our other records. We all hate ’em and think they’re shitty,” says Nathan Howdeshell, of soon-to-be-Portland-based, The Gossip. Self-criticism notwithstanding, give one listen to Movement, the soul-punk band’s second full-length on Kill Rock Stars, and you can’t deny the bar has […]

Posted inMusic

Who U Rep Wit?

Fiddy’s Complex Identity
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50 Cent Wed May 14Salem Armory SOLD OUT 50 Cent wants us to love him like they loved ‘Pac, as he un-self-consciously declares on “In Da Club.” Considering that hit’s maddening ubiquity, he doesn’t have anything to worry about. Fiddy’s fifth album, Get Rich or Die Tryin, has sold something like four bajillion copies, making […]

Posted inMusic

House of Dancing Punkers

The Rapture: Disco Rules, Rock Drools!
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The Rapture Sun May 11 Berbati’s Pan Two years ago, all the mainstream music mags were calling for a “return to rock,” but what nobody could have predicted was the forthcoming explosion of bands fusing dance and punk. From Hot Hot Heat to !!!, every new-rock band was filching a disco beat–bass melodies, high-hats at […]

Posted inMusic

The Hague = Funky?

Dutch Label Tour Freaks Us Nasty
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Bunker Team/Crème Organization Tour Thur May 1 Blackbird Bangkok Impact, Legowelt, Orgue Electronique, and DJ TLR might not be the most common household names, but they bring it in the most familiar of ways: with the combined sensibilities of Detroit electro and Chicago house, plus a dash of their own scorching Dutch flava. Four electronic […]

Posted inMusic

Implode! Explode!

PLP: Portland’s Sexiest Nerds
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Point Line Plane CD Release Sat May 3, Ozone Phase 3, 5 pm & Satyricon, 10 pm The artwork on Point Line Plane’s new CD belies the duo’s roots in D&D, Philip K. Dick books, and general high-grade obsessive music nerdiness. Drawn by local art multitasker E*Rock, it depicts a giant skeleton made of crystals […]

Posted inMovies & TV

Race War

A Mutant-Human Face-Off in X2
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X2 dir. Singer Opens Fri May 2 Various Theaters By mining the X-Men comics, Hollywood has carved an unlikely yet necessary niche: action films with equal amounts estrogen and testosterone. X-Men presents lady heroes with motivations just as complicated as those of their male peers. Every mutant is developed with an emotional flaw to counteract […]

Posted inMovies & TV

A Dark Horse

Identity Creeps It Right
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Identity dir. Mangold Opens Fri April 25 Various Theaters If you’re well versed in the art of cheesy horror films, you’ll recognize every cinematic element of Identity, the new flick from director James Mangold (Heavy, Cop Land). There’s the dramatically presented psychological profile of the cold-blooded murderer, complete with files and audio-taped statement. There are […]

Posted inMusic

I Need A Freak!

Starbass Records’ Inaugural Cuts
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Starbass Records on Burnside has long stocked a wide assortment of dance records. But recently, the owners have decided to take the plunge and start their own boutique label, Starbass Records. Their debut 12″ release features three super-minimal, fun, techy house tracks from local DJ/producers CNS Engineering. “Drip,” centers around a gloopy dollop of sub-bass […]

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Hiphop Lives!

Portland’s All-Ages Scene Gets a Jumpstart
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Resurrection of Local Hiphop/ Meow Meow Third Birthday Party Sat April 26 Meow Meow Aside from Meow Meow proprietor Todd Fadel, Illaj Da Soul Heala is quite possibly one of the most optimistic people in the Portland music scene. The former emcee for Black Scienz Tribe, now a solo performer, has organized a night entitled […]

Posted inMovies & TV

Gerstein’s Pleas

Amen’s Moral Tale
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Amen. dir. Costa-Gavras Opens Fri April 25 Hollywood Theater After directing The Pianist, Roman Polanski noted that he refrained from making a Holocaust film for so long because he didn’t want to be heavy-handed in dealing with a topic already brimming with drama. Director Costa-Gavras, a Greek Marxist, could have taken a cue from Polanski […]

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