The last time the Duke Spirit came to Portland, in April 2006, all their gear was stolen out of their tour van in the Jupiter Hotel parking lot. It was at the tail end of the English band’s first US tour, at a time when the band was exhausted and out of funds. “It was […]
Ned Lannamann
Ned Lannamann is a writer and editor in Portland, Oregon. He writes about film, music, TV, books, travel, tech, food, drink, outdoors, and other things.
Posted inUncategorized
Drinking Alfresco
Bye and Bye Says Hello
As summer slowly creeps into view, patio seating becomes a hot commodity. There’s something wholesome, almost healthy feeling, about getting drunk out of doors, as if exposure to sunlight and fresh air counteracts the ill effects of boozing. If that’s true, then NE Alberta’s Bye and Bye—a spacious, stylish bar with an entirely vegan menu—is […]
Posted inBooks
All the Sad Young Literary Men
Keith Gessen (Viking)
The title of Keith Gessen’s debut novel, All the Sad Young Literary Men, references the F. Scott Fitzgerald collection All the Sad Young Men. The reference is reflected in the book’s structure: Rather than flowing as a typical novel would, Gessen’s segmented narrative is split between three protagonists. They each possess literary ambitions that interfere […]
Posted inMusic
Scream, Cry, Pray, Confess
The Mae Shi’s Communal Testimony
“There’s an ongoing saying in the band that if someone doesn’t lay an idea out, someone else will end up forcing it out of them,” says the Mae Shi’s Jacob Cooper. This collaborative democracy, whether voluntary or not, is evident on the group’s latest record. HLLLYH is a splattered, tribal collection of shrieks, bangs, and […]
Posted inMusic
Cloud Drifts of Sound
Fleet Foxes Hit the Ground Running
A cluster of vocals moves in unison, like a group of white clouds drifting lazily across a blue sky. The unaccompanied harmony is soon joined by a clucking, ticking mandolin, and by the time the second track is underway, the music has fully evolved into momentous, widescreen rock. Neatly folded acoustic guitars sit side by […]
Posted inMusic
A Lick of Ice Cream
Sitting at the Big Kids’ Table
When Thao Nguyen’s parents split up, she picked up a guitar to deal with the frustration and turbulence. It came in handy when she had to do a book report. “One of the first songs I ever wrote was for an English project in eighth grade for Lord of the Flies. It was very intense, […]
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Won’t You Be My Neighbor?
Good Neighbor Is Exactly That
A good neighborhood pizza joint is invaluable. It’s the place to grab a quick slice when you don’t want to think about what’s for lunch. It’s the place to bring a group to share a casual dinner. It’s the place you have on your phone’s speed dial, so you can painlessly drop in and grab […]
Posted inMusic
Global Beach Party
The Ruby Suns’ Postcard Pop
The Ruby Suns—the project of California-born, New Zealand-residing Ryan McPhun—sound like a trans-Pacific beach party, complete with surfers, beatniks, misfits, and squares all happily mingling at the bonfire. Weenies are roasted, guitars are strummed, hands are clapped, kisses are exchanged, and only the gentlest, mildest drugs are swallowed. Originally a solo project for McPhun after […]
Posted inMusic
Second Language
Navigating the Solo Course
Over the course of two albums and a clutch of B-sides, Field Music made the most intelligent and enjoyable post-punk-pop music to surface in recent years. When the Sunderland, UK, band decided to go on hiatus last year, many were baffled by what seemed to be a prematurely short lifespan. Guitarist/drummer David Brewis, who founded […]
Posted inMusic
Cold Hands, Warm Heart
Siberian’s Fire and Ice
When listening to Siberian, it’s possible you might think to yourself for just a moment, “Have I heard this before?” The Seattle band makes comfortable, familiar indie rock, with reverb-ed, glacier-like guitars that fill up the vistas and valleys. Meanwhile, Finn Parnell’s impressionistic lyrics are drawn out over long, sustained vocal notes. It’s the Radiohead […]
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Everything to Everyone
East Burn Stretches Itself Thin
Located in the old Nocturnal space, East Burn has many things going for it— and a couple things that remain just out of its grasp. With an upscale dining room upstairs and a game-filled rec room in the basement, East Burn attempts to be all things to all people, and, to be fair, it hits […]
Posted inMusic
Caretakers of the Heart
Weinland’s Sorrowful Folk-Rock
When Weinland played “For Land, For Love, For Time” the first time, Adam Shearer told the audience it was written by his niece, Hannah. It wasn’t, of course, but people took him at his word. “I made that story up because the song is so blatant. It says, ‘I won’t help anyone who won’t help […]