Contra Party is Scott McLean and Luis Galdames
Contra Party is Scott McLean and Luis Galdames Courtesy Contra Party
What better time to "Press Play" on some ICYMI music news than after a long holiday weekend?

As my esteemed colleague Robert Ham pointed out to me last week, "legendary German band Einstürzende Neubauten are playing at the Crystal Ballroom." The experimental music band has been around for 40 solid years, but their new LP will be their first in 12. Now they'll embark on "The Year of the Rat" North American tour, stopping in Portland on Sunday, October 18. Tickets are on sale now.

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And fresh off the MLK holiday it was announced that singer/songwriter/musician/soul icon Alicia Keys, another bonafide legend, will also be coming to the Moda Center's Theater of the Clouds on Wednesday September 2 as part of her massive world tour in support of her just-announced album Alicia (due out March 20). For her first tour in seven years, in addition to playing fresh material (including singles "Underdog," "Time Machine," and "Show Me Love"), Keys is promising a celebration of all the classics. Talk about a hot ticket... Tickets go on sale to the general public next Monday, January 27.

In more "legends touring" news: Hall and Oates are embarking on a 32-date tour along with special guests Squeeze and KT Tunstall. (Swoon!) They'll all make a stop at the Moda Center on Wednesday, June 3. Tickets for that go on sale this Friday, January 24.


On Friday, indie rock band Contra Party released their debut album Over Your Shoulder, which explores ideas surrounding "radical subjective dimensionalism." The new outfit is reportedly split between its LA and Portland members: Scott McLean, co-founder of Portland indie club Holocene, and Luis Galdames, a sound-designer for a slew of popular film and TV. In a recent press release introducing the band and project, McLean responds to whether this album being a one-off: "Definitely not a one-off passion project. We have so many songs now and we want to keep releasing them. We’d love to play shows soon, but touring might be another thing.”

Right around the time we were releasing our last edition of "Press Play," Luz Elena Mendoza of Y La Bamba, released a visual for "Entre Los Dos" via Tender Loving Empire. Directed by Daniel Barreto and animated by Barreto and Paula Palomar, the colorful video portrays a couple sharing a prolonged smooch. Like the song, it's a vibrant delight. Check it out for yourself:

SXSW recently announced 354 more acts, including a few more from the Pacific Northwest: Portland's Soriah, as well as Great Grandpa, Melody Federer, and The Posies (all from Seattle). Other previously announced local acts on the SXSW 2020 bill include Casey Neill & the Norway Rats, Ings, Kiki Valera, Parisalexa. So if you're headed to the music/film/art festival in Austin, make sure you try to support these regional gems.

Last week OPB dropped a new kind of mini-doc/music video. Filmed entirely at the Suttle Lodge in Oregon, and directed/edited by Claudia Meza, folk artist Marisa Anderson gives a gorgeous lakeside performance of “Lament” on slide guitar. The rustic, rural scenery aligns nicely with the artist's voiceover content, which features her describing her upbringing in an Oregon country setting. Enjoy:

That's all for now folks!