This is getting to be a habit. There's another diverse bunch of choices ahead for your musical/holiday weekend, though if you think this is busy just wait until next week. This includes something for nearly everyone tonight with neo-gypsy (Gogol Bordello at the Crystal Ballroom), neo-honky tonk (Jesse Dayton at Dante's), and neo-flamenco guitar duo with a rock & roll heart (Rodrigo y Gabriela at the Oregon Zoo) all on display, not to mention the return of the Avett Brothers (who themselves are several varieties of neo) to the area with a performance at Eugene's WOW Hall. Tonight also sees the beginning of the 2nd Annual Halleluwah Festival at Holocene in Portland. Billed as a "festival of enthused arts," Halleluwah features a full schedule of film screenings and other visual arts, readings, and music (oh, the music!) through Sunday. There are plenty of musical highlights to be had, and you should check the full line-up for more, but highest on my list is an appearance from the North Carolina-based trio Bowerbirds. The band released their debut full-length, Hymns For a Dark Horse, a while back and have been getting a lot of attention for it. The album's an unabashedly romantic collection of songs, all choral vocals and accordion, described by their promo as "about being hopeful and in love and in a world that's kind of crazy." RAWK! The night's bill also includes Califone, Plants, and Whip, among others. Sunday night Jason Molina brings his (sort of) country- (kind of) rock Magnolia Electric Co. to town for a performance at the Someday Lounge. The band recently issued the mammoth Sojourner box set, a 4-disc, 34-song collection featuring contributions from Andrew Bird, David Lowery and others. Despite its size, Sojourner is the prolific Molina's fourth release since forming the band from the guts of songs:ohia in 2005. The new act tends to rock a bit more than its predecessor, but it still keeps to careful to rock lonely when it does. Finally, the crowded weekend comes fittingly to a close that same night with the return of Crowded House. The band reconvened following the death of drummer Paul Hester in 2005 and ended up recording their first album in fourteen years. Time On Earth finds them, not surprisingly, in mostly introspective mode as the celebration of their return is tempered by the circumstances that surround it, both personal and political. Neil Finn still knows his way around a pop song and sounds great in the process on serious, measured efforts like "Nobody Wants To," and "Don't Stop Now." The New Zealanders' first U.S. tour in over a decade hits Portland's Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall Sunday night with opener Pete Yorn. This weekend's In House is no less busy with in-studio sessions featuring singer-songwriter Rocky Votolato (Saturday) and Portland band John Weinland (Sunday).

Posted by jpetersen on Friday, August 31 at 4:28pm

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This weekend is the 11th Art in the Pearl festival in downtown Portland. Over 100 artists are scheduled to set up in the North Park blocks, showing painting, printmaking, photography, glass, ceramics, sculpture and more. (Barry Kite's work to the right, and Greg Wilbur's below)

 

 

But that isn't the whole, uh, picture.

The colorful musical spread includes world music acts from around the community -- including Cuban, Brazilian, Irish and Balkan music, and American roots music, played by Portland fingerstyle blues guitarist Mary Flower.

 

Mary Flower's intricate blues guitar has often been heard on Eclecticity on OPB Radio, including songs from her latest CD, Bywater Dance.

She's also been featured on OPB-TV's Oregon Art Beat. Check out an Art Beat video of Mary Flower playing "Salt of My Tears."

And speaking of Oregon Art Beat, the show's hosts, Jeff Douglas and KC Cowan, will introduce the bands at the world music stage Saturday and Sunday. Mary Flower plays Monday afternoon from 1-2. The complete festival music schedule is here.

The holiday weekend is (almost) here. Go enjoy it.

-DC

Posted by dchristensen on Friday, August 31 at 11:45am

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There's a scene in the movie High Fidelity in which Jack Black's character, Barry, serves up the following query: "Top five musical crimes perpetuated by Stevie Wonder in the '80s and '90s. Go." He goes on to wonder whether or not it is unfair "to criticize a formerly great artist for his latter day sins-- is it better to burn out or fade away?" It's a legitimate question, one we can even debate here if you're up for it. But before you consider "I Just Called to Say I Love You," consider that beginning with 1971's Where I'm Coming From, Stevie enjoyed a run of brilliance (six stellar releases in six years) few have matched. The period includes albums like Fulfillingness' First Finale, Songs In the Key of Life, and (my personal favorite) Music of My Mind. These releases announced his arrival as much more than a Motown prodigy, and revolutionized R&B in the process. Hard to argue with that legacy (and besides, he wasn't the only '70s musical visionary to struggle through the '80s-- I'm looking at you Bob Dylan, Neil Young, and Joni Mitchell). Stevie Wonder plays a sold out Edgefield tonight. Higher ground? Well, this is Oregon.

Posted by jpetersen on Thursday, August 30 at 11:29am

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No shortage of opportunities to catch a live show or three in the area this week-- quite the opposite, in fact. An impressive array of flavors on display, too, with everyone from Modest Mouse to Bert Jansch, Rodrigo y Gabriela to the Avett Brothers (oh, and Hall & Oates) passing through the region this week. For a change, the riches are spread around a bit with oft ignored locales like Salem (Holmes Brothers), Bend (The Shins with the Shaky Hands), and Eugene (Avett Brothers with Alela Diane) hosting high profile gigs this week. And what a week.

Things begin with Modest Mouse's sold out show at Edgefield. The band's 2007 release We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank boasts a few more studio tricks than we've heard from them in the past but hardly suffers from it. Those who catch the live show get an even bigger bang for the buck since they'll also be seeing former Smiths guitarist and newest MM member Johnny Marr.

Speaking of Marr, he's just one of several artists ranging from Nick Drake to Beth Orton who have been influenced by the legendary guitarist-singer-songwriter Bert Jansch. From his days in British folk-rock act Pentangle to his solo output over the course of more than twenty albums, Jansch has been an inspiration for a generation of artists. His most recent album, The Black Swan came out last year and featured guest appearances from Beth Orton, Devendra Banhart and others. Jansch plays Lola's Room in Portland along with Meg Baird this Tuesday night.

Rodrigo y Gabriela close the weekday week out with a Friday performance at the Oregon Zoo. The unlikely duo met in a Mexico City metal band, but now keep it strictly acoustic. Their self-titled debut is full of celebratory instrumentals with a flamenco flair, but hardly classifiable as such, including readings of Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven," and Metallica's "Orion." To hear them is one thing, but the word on the street is that to see them is another entirely.

In the middle of it all, we re-visit our recent in-studio session with The Veils. OPB's David Christensen sits down with the band from New Zealand by the way of the UK to talk about life on the road, the American west, and a recent mini performance in a club bathroom.

Also tonight, new releases from Portland's Pseudosix, Manu Chao, Bat For Lashes, Iron and Wine, Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals, and more.

PLAYLIST

Stream: Pseudosix's self-titled release (out Tuesday) here

Posted by jpetersen on Sunday, August 26 at 8:16pm

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It's an in-studio visit tonight from the Avett Brothers and their rather unlikely blend of old and new forms of American music. The North Carolina-based trio released Emotionalism earlier this year to high praise and have been blazing trails all over the place delivering the goods with their manic live performances, including closing out this year's Pickathon festival in style. The new album continues the style the band has established over four previous full-lengths-- somewhere between Doc Watson and Nirvana, to be specific-- and adds a little extra pop flair ala Brian Wilson or Buddy Holly for good measure. We'll hear a high-energy trio of tunes from the band and talk to them about life on the road, their fascination with "pretty girls," and the (hidden?) goodness of Hall & Oates, among other things. The Avetts are currently touring with Langhorne Slim. Also tonight, new, recent, and upcoming releases from the New Pornographers, Oakley Hall, Rogue Wave, Rilo Kiley, Stars, Ferraby Lionheart, and more. PLAYLIST MP3: The Avett Brothers, from Emotionalism- "Will You Return?" Watch: The Avett Brothers' national TV debut on Late Night with Conan O'Brien Stream: The Avett Brothers Live @ OPB (Recording Engineer: Steven Kray)

Posted by jpetersen on Saturday, August 25 at 8:54pm

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In case you haven't heard, there's a little band called WILCO playing Edgefield tonight. It's sold out, but a little web homework reveals plenty of opportunities for tickets outside of price-gouging websites (just keep in mind that the band doesn't actually make more money if you cave and pay over face value, but then again neither does TicketMaster so maybe it evens out). The band released Sky Blue Sky earlier this year to the apparent chagrin of hipsters and delight of dads everywhere. Personally, I like it. I mean it's no Being There or yankee hotel foxtrot, but Wilco could announce a Nickelback covers album and I'd be on board (you know it would probably be pretty good). Then again, I'm getting a bit long in the tooth. If you go, get there early, opening act Richard Swift is no slouch either (plus, dads famously bogart lawn space with their blankets). Wilco: "What Light" from Sky Blue Sky

Posted by jpetersen on Wednesday, August 22 at 12:02pm

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On the release day of their fourth album of the decade, we're once again reminded of the sheer pop brilliance of the New Pornographers. The Vancouver-based Canadian supergroup released Challengers today on Matador and it's yet another wonderful set of easy/complex, sad/happy tunes from A.C. Newman, Dan "Destroyer" Bejar, Neko Case, and the gang. Whether it's the more classic pop angle of Newman's songs or the obtuse weirdness (in a good way) of Bejar, from where I sit the band rarely fails to satisfy. The latest is perhaps a bit more subdued than its predecessors (Newman's a married man now, after all), but what Challengers forsakes in power-pop, it more than makes up for in transcendent moments like Case's vocal turn on the title track, the return of Bejar's eccentric narrator, and the vocal debut of Kathryn Calder on "Failsafe," and the stunning "Adventures in Solitude." All of this is well and good, of course, but it becomes downright remarkable when one considers that with this release the New Pornographer family can lay reasonable claim to no less than five of the very best ten releases of the past three years (for those of you who care to get into such asides, this also includes A.C. Newman's The Slow Wonder, Destroyer's Rubies, Neko Case's Fox Confessor Brings the Flood, and the NewPo's previous effort, Twin Cinema). The band plays the Crystal Ballroom in Portland with Lavender Diamond on September 16th. Here's hoping Neko makes the trip. MP3s: New Pornographers, from Challengers-
"Myriad Harbour" and "My Rights Versus Yours"

Posted by jpetersen on Tuesday, August 21 at 5:06pm

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You're forgiven if you expect a lot from the latest offering from Jesse Sykes & the Sweet Hereafter. The Seattle-based quartet titled their third release (out earlier this year on Barsuk) Like, Love, Lust & the Open Halls of the Soul, after all, but even more impressive than the guts to do that is the fact that it actually lives up to its elevated label. Led by Jesse Sykes' haunting voice, the band doesn't shy away from the heavy and the heady, delving into the physical and metaphysical alike with a subdued intensity few can pull off with success. Tonight on In House, it's an in-studio set from the band, as they strip a couple of more layers from songs that already seem comprised of nothing more than bare essentials. We'll talk to Sykes about the advantages and difficulties of maintaining a dual relationship in the band (guitarist Phil Wandscher doubles as her significant other), the new direction of the latest album, and how she cultivates what is perhaps her music's most important ingredient: her voice. Also tonight, plenty to highlight in the week ahead, including local performances from Peter Case, Wilco, and the Minus 5. Plus, new releases from Rilo Kiley, the New Pornographers, Josh Ritter, Imperial Teen, and more. MP3: Jesse Sykes & the Sweet Hereafter, from Like, Love, Lust & the Open Halls of the Soul- "LLL" PLAYLIST Stream: Jesse Sykes & the Sweet Hereafter Live @ OPB (Recording Engineer: Steven Kray)

Posted by jpetersen on Sunday, August 19 at 7:46pm

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Tonight it's an in-studio visit with Portland's own James Low. The singer-songwriter has been a staple of the local scene over the past few years, and anyone who's spent time at venues like Imbibe, Laurelthirst, or the Doug Fir has likely come across his varying forms of roots music and fine storytelling. With two solid full-lengths to his credit thus far, Low looks forward during our session with a set of new material from his upcoming release, The Blackguard's Waltz. We'll talk to him about the new recording, the Portland music scene, and the changes he's seen it go through over the past decade or so. Also tonight, music from new, recent and upcoming releases from Okkervil River, Josh Ritter, Oakley Hall, The Real Tuesday Weld, and more. PLAYLIST Stream: James Low Live @ OPB  (Recording Engineer: Steven Kray)

Posted by jpetersen on Saturday, August 18 at 9:48pm

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Some random bits here late on a Friday afternoon. Full in-studio sessions (including some web-only content) are now posted for your streaming and listening enjoyment for several of our recent live guests, including Bishop Allen, Langhorne Slim, The Veils, Blitzen Trapper, Gill Landry, and the Shaky Hands. All feature exclusive performances and interviews recorded at our studios in Portland. We welcome the weekend in with a reasonably busy Friday night slate of live action. You might recall that we mentioned Cloud Cult in last Sunday's blog post, and the Minneapolis-based band brings their audio-visual extravaganza to the Doug Fir in Portland tonight. Their live shows feature not only an indie-pop concoction deserved of a label like "the American Beta Band," but also on-stage artistic creation with oil paint, all with a low carbon footprint. Tonight's show also features Brooklyn's Pela. Elsewhere, it's high-energy, down-home flavor at the Oregon Zoo with the Old Crow Medicine Show. With just two releases under their belts the Nashville by way of North Carolina by way of New York state quintet has already garnered plenty of attention for their sometimes untraditional takes on traditional forms. The band's most recent effort is last year's very fine Big Iron World. The no less stunning, Vancouver, BC-based Be Good Tanyas are also on the bill. It's also an exciting weekend of in-studio performances on In House. Saturday night features a visit with Portland's own James Low. The singer-songwriter has been a staple of the local scene over the past few years, releasing two full lengths, Mexiquita and Black Heart. Tomorrow's session features music from Low's upcoming release, The Blackguard's Waltz. Sunday night we welcome the sultry-voiced Jesse Sykes and her band, the Sweet Hereafter, in for a set of songs and an interview. Their 2007 release Like, Love, Lust & the Open Halls of the Soul came out on Barsuk in February. Finally, we send you off with the new video for a gem of a song we've been playing a bit. "Bookshop Casanova" comes from the recent release from The Clientele, God Save the Clientele. The Brits play the Crystal Ballroom with Peter Bjorn & John on September 19th.

Posted by jpetersen on Friday, August 17 at 6:43pm

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It's positively gruesome. You've been warned.

The Shins play their first U.S. show following a lengthy European tour August 30th at the Les Schwab Amphitheater in Bend.

Posted by jpetersen on Monday, August 13 at 8:01am

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It's our weekly Sunday night look forward tonight, and while Tuesday's new release schedule is fairly sparse, there's plenty of live action to be had throughout the week. A founding member of The Jayhawks, Mark Olson left the band in the mid-90's to release a handful of albums with The Creekdippers, who included his wife at the time, Victoria Williams. Olson's first true solo effort, The Salvation Blues, comes after his divorce from Williams and is self-described as "a two-year journey through the heart of loss and redemption." It's also a good listen, even evoking shades of vintage Jayhawks thanks to a guest appearance from former bandmate Gary Louris. Olson plays the Doug Fir in Portland this Tuesday night. Friday sees Minneapolis-based audio-visualists Cloud Cult hit the Doug Fir with Brooklyn up-and-comers Pela. Led by eccentric frontman Craig Minowa, Cloud Cult has been adventurously mining the outer reaches of pop music for over a decade now, with many of those excursions originating from their geothermally-powered recording studio located on Minowa's Minnesota farm. Their shows are said to be multimedia events, with the music serving as a backdrop for on-stage painting, off-stage environmental pamphleteering, and whatever else happens to happen. The Meaning of 8 is the band's oustanding 2007 release. Finally, tonight we revisit our recent in-studio session with singer-songwriter Gill Landry. He returns to Portland for a pair of shows next Saturday and Sunday at the (you guessed it) Doug Fir, opening things up for the Yard Dogs Roadshow. Landry's 2007 debut, The Ballad of Lawless Soirez, is an intriguing combination of Southern Gothic and urban noir that has drawn positive comparisons to the likes of Dylan, Waits, and Prine. Landry plays live for us and talks about busking in the streets of New Orleans, learning banjo by fire with the Old Crow Medicine Show, and the story behind this Lawless Soirez character. Listen to Gill's in-studio set here. Also this week: Toad the Wet Sprocket and the Verve Pipe (Monday, Crystal Ballroom); The Comas and the Great Northern (Monday, Doug Fir); Minnie Driver and Laura Gibson (Wed., Doug Fir); Fountains of Wayne and Sean Nelson (Thurs., Wonder Ballroom); Yard Dogs Roadshow and Nick Jaina (Fri., LiveWire! Radio taping, Aladdin Theater); and Old Crow Medicine Show and the Be Good Tanyas (Fri., Oregon Zoo). PLAYLIST

Posted by jpetersen on Sunday, August 12 at 10:23pm

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Last year was a marathon and then some for Bishop Allen. The Brooklyn-based quartet self-released twelve EPs in 2006, one every month, and still found time to tour. Their second full length, The Broken String, was released at the end of July and features several re-worked, re-imagined and generally improved upon songs that originally saw the light of day on those EPs. It's also their first effort on a label (Dead Oceans) besides their own, deservedly increasing the band's visibility while also lightening the administrative load a bit. Tonight we feature an in-studio session with Bishop Allen, who discuss the running of last year's musical marathon, the comparative luxury of a label, and their burgeoning, if accidental, acting careers. Also tonight, plenty of new music to go around as we'll hear from recent, new, and upcoming releases from Augie March, John Vanderslice, Josh Ritter, Grace Potter & the Nocturnals, and more. PLAYLIST MP3s: Bishop Allen, from The Broken String- "Click Click Click Click" and "Rain" Stream: Bishop Allen Live @ OPB (Recording Engineer: Steven Kray)

Posted by jpetersen on Saturday, August 11 at 9:03pm

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Oh Portland, sometimes it's like you are the proverbial multi-flavored ice cream shop and I am the sugar-addicted eight year old swarmed by heated internal debate! Only, you're a city, ice cream in this case is music, and I'm....yeah, you get the tired analogy. Seriously though, plenty of musical flavors to go around in the Rose City tonight, whether your thing is chocolate-chocolate chip, wise-cracking insurgent country, or whipsmart indie-pop. I'm new here so I wasn't fully aware of this until very recently, but it turns out this Bite of Oregon thing offers a truly holy trinity: food, drink, and music, for one low price (okay, a series of prices, but at least the music is more than worth the admission). Maybe you knew this-- someone should have told me. Add to this the fact that tonight's music features the generally irreverent, occasionally wise-cracking, always outstanding countrypolitaneer Robbie Fulks (on a bill that also includes Todd Snider and Robert Earl Keen), and it's more or less a no-brainer. Fulks has been one putting the surge into insurgent country for over a decade now and his most recent offering, the double album Revenge!, was released this past spring on yep roc. If you're lucky, really lucky, he just might whip out his stunning cover of Cher's "Believe." (5:45pm, Bite Main Stage) Stream: Robbie Fulks, from Georgia Hard- "Georgia Hard" Watch: Robbie Fulks performing "Cigarette State" on Corporate County Sucks Elsewhere finds Portland's finest purveyors of married duo psyched out indie pop, Viva Voce, playing an all ages show at the Wonder Ballroom. Fresh off a performance at this year's Lollapalooza, Kevin and Anita Robinson return to their adopted home (they're originally from Alabama) for a bill that also includes 31 Knots and (my own personal favorite new local discovery) Pseudosix. The Robinsons' latest, get yr blood sucked out, dropped last year on Barsuk (and if you're lucky, really lucky, they just might whip out their redefining version of the Alan Parsons Project's "Eye In the Sky.") (9pm) MP3: Viva Voce, from get yr blood sucked out- "When Planets Collide" Watch: Viva Voce's video for "The Devil Himself" MP3: 31 Knots, from The Days & Nights of Everything- "Man Become Me" MP3: Pseudosix, from Days of Delay- "Run Rebel" While we're at it, don't miss tomorrow night's edition of In House, as we'll feature an in-studio session with Bishop Allen.

Posted by jpetersen on Friday, August 10 at 4:57am

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Portland's Blitzen Trapper on Baeble Music

Watch the whole set here.

Posted by jpetersen on Wednesday, August 8 at 8:38am

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It's Sunday night, but the weekend festival schedule remains in full swing into the wee hours of Monday as things wrap up later on with arguably the strongest acts of the weekend. PDX Pop Now! closes things out at AudioCinema with a lineup that includes The Robot Ate Me, Laura Gibson, Shaky Hands, and Blitzen Trapper, among others. We'll revisit material from recent in-studio sessions from Shaky Hands and Blitzen Trapper tonight on the show, and finish our look at this year's festival with music from a few more participants. Likewise, Pickathon also comes to a crescendo tonight with closing performances from the Two Man Gentleman Band, the Hacienda Brothers, the Avett Brothers, and more. The Avetts are making an anticipated return to the festival after last year's much talked about triumph, and are doing so with the wonderful new Emotionalism release under their belts. Quick and dirty, it's a roots album with unlikely leanings toward the likes of the Beach Boys and Buddy Holly. Watch for them in an upcoming in-studio session we'll be featuring on the show. Also tonight, we remember the late, great Lee Hazlewood. The iconic singer-songwriter, composer-character passed away earlier today at the age of 78. Hazelwood's most recent effort, Cake or Death, came out earlier this year and was meant as a swan song-- he had been battling terminal cancer since 2005. Plus, new music from Josh Rouse, Bowerbirds, Peter Case, Southerly, and more. The thread is open: any thoughts/reviews/perceptions from this year's festivals? Anyone you saw who thoroughly impressed? PLAYLIST

Posted by jpetersen on Sunday, August 5 at 8:13pm

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Yes, it's another one of those weekends, not that we're complaining-- having to choose amongst a riches of musical events is a good thing we would contend. In case you don't already know, this year's Pickathon and PDX Pop Now! festivals are currently in full swing, with performances on-going well into tomorrow night. We'll highlight a few of the acts playing each, including an in-studio session with troubadoring nor'easter Langhorne Slim and his band. It's a high-energy set of tunes from Slim, whose most recent effort is last year's Engine EP. He plays the last of three performances at Pickathon later tonight. Also tonight, new music from John Vanderslice, Mick Harvey, Shivaree, Eilen Jewell, and more. Anyone been to either festival thus far? Better yet, anyone at one of the festivals right now? PLAYLIST Watch: Langhorne Slim's video for "In the Midnight" here. Stream: Langhorne Slim Live @ OPB (Recording Engineer: Steven Kray)

Posted by jpetersen on Saturday, August 4 at 8:48pm

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A graduate of both the Polyphonic Spree and Sufjan Stevens carnivals, one woman band St. Vincent plays the Doug Fir in Portland tonight. Her live recreations of songs from her recent debut release, Marry Me, are nothing short of remarkable. Be wary though, The Onion says that her music "seduces with one hand and stabs with the other." I'm smitten. Watch: Numerous St. Vincent in performance clips here MP3: St. Vincent, from Marry Me- "Now, Now"

Posted by jpetersen on Wednesday, August 1 at 3:10pm

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