Local guy Garett Strickland is up to some big things. His new series, Phase One: Words and Music brings together writers and musicians in hopes of birthing some new, beautiful, mutant art. Says Strickland, the intent of the monthly series, which debuts Sunday at Towne Lounge, is to "showcase a variety of musical and literary talent, drawing audiences for both and blurring whatever divisions might be said to exist between the two."
At Sunday's show Strickland, Matthew Stadler, Christopher Himes, and The Stranger's Charles Mudede read fiction, and Mise en Abyme, Metal, and These Days will play live. There will be collaborations and crossovers between the two, but Strickland says he wants to keep everything "pretty loose and informal."
According to Strickland, we can expect more of the same over the next few months, "writers reading, musicians performing, but hopefully with some kind of emphasis on cross-pollination. I'd like to marry the words and music aspects in an interesting way. Worusic? I'm not sure. It will inevitably become its own animal."
More good noise: On Friday, Dave Allen from Gang of Four will DJ at the Gotham Building Tavern. Dave promises, "You will be sure to hear me spin fine cuts from the likes of the Slits, the Pop Group, Steel Pulse, Buzzcocks, This Heat, and more."
If DJ nights and writing/music nexuses aren't your bag, there's also a great noise show happening Saturday at the Excommunicate House down on 3316 Grand in Vancouver. It's a bit of a drive, but Moth Drakula, Circuit Wound, Obstacle Corpse, Withdrawl Method, Blowupnihilist, and the Sunker with IDX1274 will be blaring out white plumes of flame to scorch away all your laziness.
An even further drive is the Gorge, but you have a couple months to get there for this year's Sasquatch Festival. The recently announced lineup features people like Nine Inch Nails, the Flaming Lips, the Shins, Iron and Wine, Sufjan Stevens, Architecture in Helsinki, Beck, Death Cab for Cutie, Queens of the Stone Age, and the Decemberists, playing May 26-28. Camping options are available for hippies and non-hippies alike. Check out sasquatchfestival.com for the full lineup.
Scorch your laziness: adam@portlandmercury.com