After taking a couple months off for this freelance columnist’s [self-forged, unpaid] maternity leave, Hear In Portland is back, baby! For the last couple months I’ve been hard at work at home, focusing on keeping a newborn infant alive, healing from pregnancy and a c-section, breastfeeding on demand, potty training a toddler, and not sleeping nearly enough. Somehow, I've managed to pay a teensy bit of attention to the news (ew), and found time to bask in the glory of Justin Bieber’s musical comeback. Now that I’m playing catch-up, here is a small smattering of cool Portland-related music updates and events I’m digging on.
MUST SEE:
Upcoming local event(s) featuring local artist(s).
Kenton Street Fair
For over a decade the annual Kenton Street Fair has been bringing music, food, crafts, and fun to Kenton, giving residents and visitors of the charming North Portland neighborhood a reason to gather and support the array of small businesses in the quaint shopping district. This year marks Kenton Street Fair’s 13th annual event, going down Sunday, August 17 in Kenton’s downtown core on North Denver, between Watts and Interstate. There will be two stages bumping live music all day from a slew of Portland-based artists; one stage curated by Speck’s Records & Tapes on North Denver, with the other stage featuring local talent curated by youth music nonprofit Friends of Noise—founders of The Off Beat, an alcohol-free, all-ages venue located in the former Dancin' Bare strip club. Billed artists include Portland hip-hop group Burbya, cosmic rapper (and my husband) Bryson the Alien, emcee Dobleon, the duo Paint Soup (AKA Old Grape God and Slick Devious), and DJ/producer, Spinitch. Portland space and drone-rock band Cape Meares, indie rockers Izy Kactus, Los Angeles jazz multi-instrumentalist Logan Hone, and more! (Downtown Kenton, Sun Aug 17, 10 am - 6 pm, more info here, all ages FREE)
The Kidz Outside 4
North Portland’s family-friendly The Kidz Outside (TKO) festival returns for its fourth year, once again bringing laid back vibes and complimentary services in the form of a two-hour kick-back in George Park. Founded in 2019 by two Portland-based fathers—hip-hop artist Mat Randol, and writer Donovan Scribes of Ignorant/Reflections, Gentrification Is Weird, and the mind behind the Mercury's BlackOut Issue. TKO is a free, all-ages event created as an effort to improve George Park, ultimately rebranding it as a safe, family-friendly destination in St. Johns. After many conversations and multiple annual TKO festivals, the team made major strides toward that goal in 2024, when the festival celebrated securing more than $4 million for the park’s redevelopment in a first-of-its-kind deal between the City of Portland and Portland Parks Foundation. TKO 2025 is also one of the sanctioned events included in the 10th Annual Portland Hip-Hop Week. This year, the entertainment includes rappers Northside Tego and headliner Jordan Fletcher, as well as the Roosevelt High School Dance Team, with DJ Dom Cruz on the 1s and 2s. TKO Fest will be accepting donations for their annual back-to-school supply and personal hygiene drive. There will also be food, kids activities, and family-friendly games (hello bounce house!) provided by Kam Customz. (George Park, Sat Aug. 23, 6:30 pm, more info here, all ages, FREE)
MUST LISTEN:
New release(s) from Portland-relevant artist(s).
“Automatic” by Zyah Belle
If you’re at all familiar with this column, you know that I’m a well-documented fan of Portland-based R&B singer-songwriter and DJ, Zyah Belle. We recently praised her new-ish, ’80s-tinged sultry single “1-800-Heartbreak,” and her single “Lyin’,” garnering a co-sign from the one-and-only Rihanna. Even while submerged in a bubble of maternal chaos, I am beyond pleased to see there is new (and forthcoming) material from the singer for us to sink our teeth into. In addition to her uptempo dance track “About Time,” there’s also the romantically infectious new single “Automatic,” on which the recently engaged singer sounds head-over-heels in love: “We go together like 3000 on the hardest beat / Smoother than the Isley Brothers / In between the sheets / Got me blushing, blood rushing / When you close to me / I feel like I can breathe / It's how it's supposed to be.” We also adore that the artist has been putting out a series of intimate live-performance videos entitled, “A Black Girl Sings In A…” Lucky for us, there’s a fresh one for “Automatic.” Even more exciting: Via Instagram, the artist teased her next EP, Are You Still Listening?, that drops August 15. Belle is calling the project, “An ode to perseverance. Nostalgic and futuristic all at once, it’s me in surround sound.” Needless to say, we are indeed still listening, waiting with bated breath for the next release.
