As steward of the legendary community-oriented music venue Meow
Meow, Todd Fadel did more than anyone else in the early 2000s to keep
all-ages music alive in Portland. But after five years of tireless
involvement in local culture, Fadel bowed out of the business when his
volunteer-run, famously hospitable club closed in February of 2005. I
was therefore delighted to learn that he would be throwing his hat back
in the booking ring, organizing all-ages concert events at comfy
Northeast coffeehouse Urban Grind (2214 NE Oregon). The first, free
Meow Meow Presents show begins at 3 pm on Saturday, October 20 and
features Asthmatic Kitty’s Half-Handed Cloud, Olympia’s fantastic
feel-good collective LAKE, local songsmiths Upsidedown Cat and Kelli
Schaefer, as well as Fadel’s own glitch-soul dude-party, the Beauty. We
discussed his new curatorial endeavor:

How is booking for someone
else’s place different from booking for your own?

I’m treating it like my own place. In fact, even at Meow Meow I had to defer to rental
nights and outside promoters, which made it feel like the venue “wasn’t
mine.” So, I’m trying to be more “hands on,” like I was able to be
at the beginning years of Meow Meow, hoping to pick up where I left
off.

How do you feel the world of Portland music has changed
since Meow Meow?

I’m so proud of those that have gotten famous,
because I think they represent our community perfectly. What Portland
has is charm and personality. If you look at all of the artists here,
that’s what seems to “stick” as our community identity. I spent a lot
of time trying to get everyone to “get along,” but that just is an
impossible task to try to undertake. 2000-2004 was a fun time in
Portland, since then I think things have settled down, but people are
friendlier, community is stronger, and we’re all a bit more
appreciative.

What kind of atmosphere and booking aesthetic are
you looking to build at Urban Grind?

Urban Grind Eastside is a
great place to hang out. I want to experiment with different show
approaches to see what would make folks feel the most like it was a
house party. Boy Gorilla and Marriage Records bands (and their
respective label heads) are totally in sync with that idea. I want to
start out stuff with label showcases, cause we did that in the early
days of Meow Meow.

I’m tired of the model of show-going. It’s set
up to put the artists on a pedestal. My theory is that if that boundary
was gently but forcibly shoved aside everyone will get more from the
event. I’m going to do everything I can muster to ensure that the
events are set up to allow that to happen.