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Portland
Posted inMusic Issue 2026

Justin Townes Earle’s Portland Years

The late singer-songwriter’s time in town was pivotal and painful.
Avatar photo by Jonathan Bernstein

What follows is one of the many articles in the Mercury‘s 2026 Music Issue. Find a print copy here, subscribe to get a copy mailed to you here, and if you’re feeling generous and want to keep these types of articles coming, support us here.—eds. On November 6, 2016, Justin Townes Earle made an important proclamation: He was moving […]

Posted inMusic Issue 2026

Get Into the Groove

How Discogs evolved from a Portland vinyl collector’s dream to a worldwide phenomenon.
Avatar photo by Ryan J. Prado

What follows is one of the many articles in the Mercury‘s 2026 Music Issue. Find a print copy here, subscribe to get a copy mailed to you here, and if you’re feeling generous and want to keep these types of articles coming, support us here.—eds. Like many dot-com era ideas ushered into use just below the radar in the […]

Posted inMusic

Curbside Serenade Makes Portland’s Street Corners More Musical

The nonprofit offers several free, weekly outdoor music performances in Laurelhurst Park, Director Park, and more.
Avatar photo by Cody Tracey

“Hey there!” David Pollack hollers into the microphone in the direction of a passing cyclist, halfway through his acoustic set. “Nice day for a ride!” he shouts before slipping back into an Elvis Costello cover.  The moment unfolds in front of a laid-back crowd on Rainbow Road at SE 28th and Ankeny where the nonprofit […]

Posted inThe Trail Blazers

Blazers Sink the Clippers Battleship for All the 8th Seed Marbles

Matisse Thybulle and Donovan Clingan now sharpen their guillotine for Sunday against the Sacramento Kings.
Avatar photo by Cameron Crowell

With the 8th seed in the Western Conference on the line, the Portland Trail Blazers bested their Los Angeles Clippers conference rivals for a second time in two weeks, beating them 116-97. The Blazer win brings their record to 41-40 on the season, tied with the Clippers with only one game remaining in the regular […]

Posted inMusic

PDX Pop Now! (More Than Ever)

Portland’s free, all-ages, volunteer-run music festival celebrated its 21st birthday!
Avatar photo Cody Tracey

Festival coordinators faced a big, silly problem the first night of PDX Pop Now! 2025: They were already running low on silly straws. “The Jurassic Sunset” and “DinoSour”—custom cocktails for  this year’s dinosaur theme—were hitting.  By the time tropical dream pop group Caicedo hit the stage at 6:30 pm, nearly every complimentary squiggly straw had […]

Posted inPortland

SAY NICE THINGS ABOUT PORTLAND: Broken and Beloved

82nd Ave is full of flavor and contradictions. That’s what makes it Portland’s most iconic street.
Avatar photo Blair Stenvick

[Find more of our excellent and good vibes-filled “Say Nice Things About Portland” guide here.—eds.] Portland’s 82nd Avenue is a little busted, and a little brilliant.  It’s a state highway and a main street. It’s a commerce epicenter more varied and useful than downtown Portland, and the site of two recently shuttered Walmarts. It’s home […]

Posted inPortland

SAY NICE THINGS ABOUT PORTLAND: Come As You Are

From our “Say Nice Things About Portland” guide: A transplant’s unexpected first year in Portland.
Avatar photo Rose Wong

[Find more of our excellent and good vibes-filled “Say Nice Things About Portland” guide here.—eds.] Portland has resemblances to St. Pete: street-side murals, tattoos, vegan options, sexy queers. A coastal city south of Tampa, “The Sunshine City” still holds a Guinness World Record for drenching Floridians in the most consecutive days of sunshine—768 days—starting in […]

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