Another week, another Mercury music section that’s so lovey-dovey, our hearts are just about bursting.
PDX Pop Now! holds its 10th festival this weekend! We love PDX Pop Now! and you do too. It’s a free weekend of great local bands, for all ages. What’s not to love? That’s right, nothing!
I first fell in love with Houndstooth after seeing ’em live, and loved them even more once I heard their terrific debut album Ride Out the Dark. But my love turned into lurrrve once I met the band for an interview—they are all super rad, awesome, cool, nice, excellent people. Loveliest of all, drummer Graeme Gibson showed me a whole bunch of pictures of monkeys that he has saved on his phone. Sigh.
LISTEN: Houndstooth – “Canary Island”
Portugal. The Man got all lovey-dovey with super-producer Danger Mouse. The result? The mother-lovin’ jam of Evil Friends.
LISTEN: Portugal. The Man – “Creep in a T-Shirt”
We’re not gonna hide it: We straight-up LOVE “Weird Al” Yankovic. The man is a hero. A comic genius. A cultural icon. A musical chameleon. And a smart, friendly guy to boot. Love ya, Al!
LISTEN: “Weird Al” Yankovic – “White and Nerdy”
Okay, Black Flag and “love” are rarely used in the same sentence, even by their most die-hard fans. Which sort of Black Flag fan are you, lovely?
LISTEN: Black Flag – “Rise Above”
Plus a lover’s den of Up & Coming shows.