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Nolan Parker

Nolan Parker is the Mercury’s music and Blazers editor. They also run the Portland-area community resource, Government Palace. Follow them on Instagram and Letterboxd. Send pitches, releases, and collaboration ideas here.
Posted inMusic

Breaking: Portland Mercury to Host “Party of the Year” May 14

Celebrating their first Music Issue since pre-pandemic, the Mercury have Isabeau Waia’u Walker, the Barbaras, Keeks, and La Isla Electronica along for the ride at Turn! Turn! Turn!
Avatar photo by Nolan Parker

It’s been a long time since the Mercury dropped a Music Issue. So long, in fact, that we’re throwing a party about it and you’re invited!  On May 14, the Mercury ne’er-do-wells are taking over (THE NOT CLOSING) Turn! Turn! Turn! for a two-part concert featuring four of our favorite Portland artists. This here Music […]

Posted inMercury Music Picks

Mercury Music Picks: Hip-Hop Royalty the Pharcyde and Emo Heartthrobs AFI Are in Town

Plus, the first-ever Regional Woodwind Conference and Portland Panorama are happening!
Avatar photo by Nolan Parker

A beautifully potent message from Iceland’s biggest export, Björk, that Mercury Music Picks would like to echo and amplify: Wednesday, April 15  Oklou / Vickie Cherie  For fans of  QT, PC Music, Hannah Diamond French vocalist, producer, and composer Marylou Mayniel, aka Oklou, burst onto the experimental pop scene in 2020 with her debut mixtape […]

Posted inThe Trail Blazers

Off With Their Heads!

Portland officially declares April 12 No Kings Day after Blazers dethrone Sacramento Kings at Moda Center.
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After one of the rockiest season-starts imaginable, the Portland Trail Blazers, through incredible perseverance, earn themselves a postseason, the first game of which is at the Phoenix Suns tomorrow, April 14, at 7 PM PST.  First off, and let us say this loud and clear for those in the back, good fucking riddance, Chauncey Billups. […]

Posted inMercury Music Picks

Mercury Music Picks: Mix Master Mike Chops It Up and Forty Feet Tall Get Higher at High Limit Room

Plus Portland Music News and New Music Portland!
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Last weekend was kooky-beautiful outside. Or at least it looked that way while convalescing in my sickbed… That means that Darkswoon, FKA twigs, Only Fire, Six Sex, and more were missed by this lowly music editor. The absolute pits! But I suppose sickness can be framed as a reminder to be proactive about seeking joy.  […]

Posted inMusic News

Turn! Turn! Turn! Lives! Lives! Lives!

After months of uncertainty, new owners take over the venerated North Portland venue.
Avatar photo by Nolan Parker

Christmas came way early yesterday, April 1, when it was announced via Instagram that the longtime venue on the corner of North Killingsworth and Williams, Turn! Turn! Turn!, has found new owners to carry on the space’s storied legacy of providing Portland with a music living room.  The news comes at a pivotal juncture in […]

Posted inMercury Music Picks

Mercury Music Picks: Homos Rejoice—Cobrah, Only Fire, Darkswoon, FKA twigs, Six Sex, and HIRS Collective Are All in Town!

Plus Portland Music News and New Music Portland!
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This week is big time for the homosexuals… and it’s not even June! If you a gay and like dancing, Cobrah, Only Fire, and Six Sex are your best bets. If you gay but a more alternative gay, Darkswoon’s album release and FKA twigs will scratch all your itches. If you gay but really not […]

Posted inMercury Music Picks

Mercury Music Picks: Hardcore Shortiez Destroy HLR, Larry Brings His Flask to Showdown, and It’s Spring Break in Kenton

Plus, Portland Music News and New Music Portland!
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Okay, so who saw Sessa last night at Showdown? Was Sessa’s charming stage presence, irresistible Portuguese vocals, and the whole band’s groovy sunshine energy to blame for the entire room falling in love with the musicians from São Paulo? Yes. The originals Gal Costa and Marcos Valle would be proud knowing of the work Sessa […]

Posted inMercury Music Picks

Mercury Music Picks: Bijoux Cone’s Homecoming, and Canadian Piss and Brazil’s Sessa Are in Town

Plus Portland Music News and New Music Portland! 
Avatar photo Nolan Parker

Wow y’all, who was at Mavis Staples over the weekend? The diva—at 86 years young—is still a firecracker on stage, doing little dances and hitting her notes better than any imitators could ever dream. A heartfelt congratulations to the Portland Jazz Festival for holding it all the way down again in 2026. Looking forward to […]

Posted inSpring Arts 2026

Philip Glass Spreads His Wings on the First Complete Recording of 1000 Airplanes on the Roof

Portland’s Third Angle played the piece under an airplane in McMinnville, the subsequent recording is pure science-fiction. 
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The power of place and context are not lost on Third Angle New Music. Founded in 1985, the Portland nonprofit curates site-specific experiences featuring music by young composers and venerated 20th century legends, often commissioning brand new pieces for their performances. For example, in January, Third Angle tucked musicians into the nooks and crannies of […]

Posted inSpring Arts 2026

Do This, Do That: Spring Arts 2026

Take heed! Your spring arts and culture plans have arrived.
Avatar photoAvatar photoAvatar photoAvatar photoAvatar photo Bri Brey, Lindsay Costello, Wm. Steven Humphrey, Nolan Parker, and Suzette Smith

Seven Films by Kelly Reichardt THROUGH MARCH 22 (FILM) Clinton Street’s monthlong series for March centers the Pacific Northwest’s director supreme Kelly Reichardt, working near through her entire filmography. Novelist and Reichardt’s frequent artistic collaborator Jon Raymond will attend three screenings (Wendy and Lucy, Meek’s Cutoff, Showing Up) and offer post-viewing Q&As. If you missed […]

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