Photos by inger klekacz [T]he first year I went to Pickathon, I accidentally disturbed a bee nest while pitching my tent, and was stung three times while getting chased out of the area. The second year I went to Pickathon, I pitched my tent on a hill, neglecting to put up the rain fly. I was awakened by rain around 2am on day 3, and as I rushed to put the rainfly up, I tripped on the tent’s threshold and took a tumble down the hill, in the dark, in the rain, in my underwear, onto the world’s unluckiest fern.…
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Photos by Colin McLaughlin [B]y now it’s no secret: Portland is a place unlike any other. From a certain over-saturated television show to the New York Times’ ongoing love affair, there’s no denying we live in a quirky little paradise. Sometimes, though, a reminder is necessary to regain perspective – to make lifelong residents and recent transplants appreciate the city’s charm. The Portland Cello Project’s Extreme Cello Dance Party is that reminder. Tales of this not-to-be-missed event’s gleeful atmosphere have spread across the city, and the fifth annual Extreme Dance Party has been sold out for weeks. The Portland Cello…
6 CommentsPhotos by Carrie Johnston The Black Angels’ spin on 60’s psych-rock is nothing short of monumental. Jim Morrisson died too soon, but thank goodness people like Alex Maas are alive now to channel his voice and break through the haunting spectrum of sound that The Doors (Pink Floyd, Jefferson Airplane, et al) established. Their newest album, Indigo Meadows at once guides and disorients. Stephanie Baliey’s drumming leads a stampede of soldiers onward through a dizzying maze of fuzz, wobbles, and foreboding lyrics while the crushing power of it opens the mind and forces meditation. This is to say that it…
1 CommentPhotos by Carrie Johnston In his fourteen-year career as a rapper, Sage Francis has garnered fans through clever navigation of language around topics ranging from personal anguish and societal distrust, to being awkward around girls. His DIY approach has kept those fans loyal since making his first recordings out of his apartment in Providence, Rhode Island in 1999. After working with the big labels for the middle section of his career, he has gone back to his homemade label, Strange Famous. Thankfully, Sage’s success has not catapulted him through the roof of fame and fortune. He is still essentially on…
8 CommentsPhotos by Carrie Johnston [A] prominent downtown venue on a warm Saturday attracts all species of night crawlers. Due to this, nothing exclusive or particular about VietNam playing at Dante’s on such a night struck me. The noncommittal crowd was thin to begin with, then fattened when VietNam started, and mostly disappeared before the end. Save for the second opener, Small Arms, the whole experience– the crowd, the music, the low red lights, the air… was like the low hum of a car engine on a three-hour highway jaunt. The most desolate moments were during Daydream Machine’s set with their…
2 CommentsPhotos by Colin McLaughlin [O]n a night where I had to make myself go out, Efterklang impressed. It takes quite a bit of skill to turn someone’s whole mood around, but that’s exactly what Efterklang did with their slightly operatic and frequently creative arrangements. Maybe the lush instrumentation and gorgeous harmonies that guide “The Klang” — as Dave Hartley (of Nightlands) jokingly called them — is sourced from the same stuff that makes them such thoughtful crowd pleasers. Or maybe indie rock doesn’t give us many opportunities to see bands let down their hair and show how much fun they are…
3 CommentsPhotos by Bobby Lilly Think back to your first concert. Odds are it was a grand production; you waited in line to buy tickets, and spent hours choosing the perfect outfit. Maybe you caught a ride with an older friend, maybe you got dropped off by your mom, maybe you had the cool parent who bought a ticket and hung out on the other side of the venue until the show was over. Regardless of logistics, it was exhilarating. That’s the atmosphere clouding the air at Wonder Ballroom tonight. As soon as the doors open, dozens of teenagers race inside. Most are wearing head-to-toe neon, though…
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