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Robert Ham
Robert Ham is the Mercury's former Copy Chief. He writes regularly about music, film, arts, sports, and tech. He lives semi-consciously in far SE Portland with his wife, child, and four ornery cats.
Posted inRecord Reviews
Record Review: Stephen Malkmus, Traditional Techniques
Stephen Malkmus goes full-on psych-folk on his latest solo album.
Posted inArts
John Sayles Interview: His New Novel Yellow Earth, the Boom and Bust of the Oil Industry, and How His Research Approach Has Changed
The mess Big Oil leaves behind.
Posted inBooks
John Sayles Interview: His New Novel Yellow Earth, the Boom and Bust of the Oil Industry, and How His Research Approach Has Changed
HAYMARKET BOOKS / AUTHOR PHOTO BY RIC KALLAHER Few fiction writers understand the ripple effect that big industry can have on a community with as much depth and empathy as John Sayles. That’s been evident throughout his work, from Matewan, his 1987 film about a miners’ strike, to 2002’s Sunshine State, about a Florida island’s […]
Posted inMusic
Aminé Gets High on the Burnside Bridge and Cruises Down the Willamette in His New Video
Aminé courtesy of the artist It’s like Aminé never left. So far as we know, the 25-year-old rapper is still living in LA, but he’s doing everything in his power to remind the world where he came from. Case in point: the video for his new track, “Shimmy.” The video for Aminé’s new track “Shimmy” […]
Posted inMovies & TV
Eritrean Filmmaker Sephora Woldu Talks About Her Joyous and Important Film Life Is Fare
courtesy of Abyssurdian Films As the 30th edition of the Cascade Festival of African Films winds down, the annual celebration of art from the world’s second-most populous continent is spending its final days showcasing female filmmakers. On deck for the last three days of the festival are recent films from Algerian director Mounia Meddour, Naziha […]
Posted inMusic
Live Review: Terry Riley, Branford Marsalis, and Archie Shepp Headlined the First Weekend of the 2020 PDX Jazz Festival
Terry & Gyan Riley RH With the 2020 PDX Jazz Festival in full swing, our indefatigable copy chief Robert Ham has been busy catching some of the 100+ events happening during this annual event and filed this report from the first full weekend of the fest. Terry Riley & Gyan Riley @ Winningstad TheatreHow often […]
Posted inMusic
Composer Carl Stone on Tweaking, Experimenting, and Making a Glorious Musical Rumpus
Carl Stone industrycottage.com The current hunger for vintage electronic sounds among record collectors and other music junkies has helped draw a number of important composers and producers closer to the pop cultural surface. One such figure is Carl Stone. His early electro-acoustic work in the ’70s and ’80s was informed by his studies at CalArts […]
Posted inMusic
The First Night of the PDX Jazz Fest Stirred Up Liquid Grooves and Lots of Opinions
Mark de Clive-Lowe and band RH With the departure of artistic director Don Lucoff, PDX Jazz and the PDX Jazz Festival received a long overdue shake up. During his decade-long tenure, the festival had settled into a comfortable groove of booking plenty of legacy acts alongside some young guns that rarely ruffled anyone’s feathers—many of […]
Posted inMusic
Pickathon Promises a Whole New Look and Feel For 2020
The organizers of Pickathon, the annual music fest that takes place every summer at Pendarvis Farm in Happy Valley, revealed a new logo for the 2020 installment of the event and dropped some juicy information about what is in store for attendees this year. No, that doesn’t mean any news about who is playing Pickathon […]
Posted inSports
Supporters Praise New MLS Fan Code of Conduct Prohibiting “Abusive or Discriminatory” Behavior
Craig Mitchelldyer/Portland Timbers On Tuesday, Major League Soccer (MLS) released their updated Fan Code of Conduct, the basic rules and regulations that the league wants all supporters to abide by when attending a soccer match this year. The new code bans discriminatory signs and clothing—but does not prohibit political symbols like the Iron Front, something […]
Posted inMusic
Drummer Jason Finn Talks New Vinyl, Old Albums, and 25 Years of the Presidents of the United States of America
Presidents of the United States of America Karen Moskowitz Around 25 years ago, as the Seattle rock scene was emerging from the shadows of a dark period following the death of Kurt Cobain, a humble pop-punk trio that called themselves the Presidents of the United States of America started to make waves with their oddly […]