Oregon Music News

At 6 PM when the opening chords of “Queen Black Acid” reverberated through the brick wall of Music Millennium, there was still a line wrapped around the East Burnside block waiting to enter to see a live, in-store performance from Portland’s favorite indie, art-rockers Menomena.  Revealing just four tracks from their fourth album, Mines (also released July 27th), most fans were forced to sieve enjoyment from the faces of those could actually see the band in full as every alley, nook, and passageway of the already overcrowded store was filled with bodies.  With closed eyes and nodding heads, people continued to stream in throughout their short set, spilling into the recesses of the shop, and many of those bodies stayed after the music was finished, waiting in line to purchase the new album–Music Millennium sold more than 40 LPs after the set–and have it immediately autographed.  Portland is hungry for more Menomena… but you’ll have to wait until September 11th when Menomena headlines the Crystal’s stage as part of MFNW.

ROBERT RICH
Wednesday, 6/23 – 7 PM
Across three decades and over 30 albums, Robert Rich has helped define the genres of ambient music, dark-ambient, tribal and trance, yet his music remains hard to categorize. Part of his unique sound comes from using home-made acoustic and electronic instruments, microtonal harmonies, computer-based signal processing, chaotic systems and feedback networks. Ylang, Robert Rich’s first solo studio album in three years, seductively blends languid polyrhythms with influences as diverse as South Indian Karnatic music, post-rock, jazz, and minimalism.

I SEE HAWKS IN L.A.
Sunday, 6/27 – 5 PM
“I See Hawks In L.A. blend country and psychedelia with soaring three-part harmonies that leave the poseurs of alt-schmaltz dust choked. These guys are the house band for a revolution that isn’t over yet.”
- Michael Simmons, High Times
“Their songs are rife with mournful social commentary, environmental tragedy, wily humor, outsider guile, and political undercurrent. Seldom has there been an album with such joyous music-making, such corrosive, acid-etched lyrics.”
- WM Smith, No Depression

DUSTY 45s
Friday, 5/14 – 6 PM
The Dusty 45s deliver. Playing to a partying crowd at a packed club or for serious music fans in intimate cabarets, the Dusty 45s always put on a committed, exciting performance. Singer/songwriter Billy Joe Huels paints his illustrative and personal stories with a signature ‘65 Gibson steel string guitar, and combines elements ranging from honky-tonk and swing to pure rock. Enter in Seattle’s finest with top-notch vocal harmonies, twangy guitars, upright bass and drums, top it off with Huels’ fiery trumpet, and The Dusty 45s’ unique sound is complete.

Saturday, 5/8 – 5 PM
True funk and pure soul from one of the originators. With the success of his single, “Can U Dig It?”, Ural performed 44 times at the Apollo Theater in New York, opening for Otis Redding and James Brown. Now, Ural has released his latest album, Natural Motion, which contains his original compositions and arrangements that capture the feeling of vintage soul along with the sound of today. The funky tracks on this album all have their own distinct flavor, while the sweet soul ballads show the wide range of Ural’s musical talent.

Thursday, 5/6 – 6:30 PM
Laswell is as comfortable with just a piano as when he is with a full band. On his recordings, his arrangements have an orchestral sweep and epic feel which provide a beautiful backdrop to his resonant vocals and tasteful melody lines. It’s Laswell’s ability to convey raw emotion while retaining a certain dignity – even while visiting his darkest places – that makes his lyrics so compelling and moving. He has the rare ability to look outside himself and see his life as a viewer, and to set it to a soundtrack that is uniquely his own.

BOO FROG
Friday, 4/16 – 6 PM
Boo Frog is a Portland, Oregon two-guitar-and-drums garage rock trio featuring Chris Newman on guitar/vox, Erika Meyer on guitar/vox, and Paul Vega on drums. Chris and Erika share songwriting duties. Boo Frog perform simple original songs featuring fuzz- and reverb-laden guitars and creative, but classic percussion. Their musical set up is similar to the early Cramps, (vintage gear and no bass), but Boo Frog’s sound is also reminiscent of bands such as The Seeds, Velvet Underground, and Gun Club.

EXENE CERVENKA
Thursday, 4/15 – 7 PM
Exene Cervenka is a genuine icon and inspiration to a generation of music fans. In addition to her 30 year body of work with X, she was a guiding force in the music of Auntie Christ, the Original Sinners and the Knitters. Exene’s lyrics and immediately recognizable, simultaneously fragile and totemic vocals carry all the passion of X without all the loud.

BEN FULLER
Friday, 4/23 – 6 PM
With a laid-back philosophy and an engaging voice, Ben’s songs are intimate and distinctive, and his ability to create music that appeals to a broad audience is as unique as his sound. Each of these experiences is reflected in his new EP, Aquarian Son. From rock to bluegrass, pop to alternative country, Ben Fuller has found an original sound that feels familiar and true.

THE NORTHSTAR SESSION
Monday, 4/19 – 6 PM
The rootsy-folky rock band hails from Southern California, and has quickly amassed a multinational following. A seemingly perfect blend of new and old, The Northstar Session focuses on the value of the “song” first and foremost. Tight harmonies, incandescent instrumentation, and thoughtful lyrics embody The Northstar Session’s sound.

FRANZ NICOLAY
Saturday, 4/10 – 3 PM
Franz Nicolay is that dapper, mustachioed multi-instrumentalist and man-about-town you’ve seen with such groups as The Hold Steady and World/Inferno Friendship Society. Quick on the heels of his acclaimed solo debut, Major General, Nicolay has a new 4-song 10″ entitled St. Sebastian of the Short Stage. It includes another collaboration with the Dresden Dolls, the best mariachi-disco tribute to a retired superhero yet recorded, and couple bleeding-heart weepies.

Saturday, 4/10 – 4 PM

A Weather has gained a reputation as a gem of Portland’s thriving music scene, and their new CD, Everyday Balloons, is already earning serious praise in the local press again: the Portland Mercury’s End Hits blog recently glowed, “…the record is an absolute stunner, bound to be one of the finest albums you’ll hear all year.”

Friday, 4/9 – 6 PM
Man/Miracle was formed by childhood friends Tyler Corelitz and Dylan Travis in the winter of 2006 with Ian Benedetti and Brian Kennedy in Santa Cruz, California. The guitar-based four piece treads the fine line between pop and noise, gorgeous melody and abrasive, aggressive walls of sound, all tempered by Corelitz’s innate and eclectic rhythmic ear.

Miss Massive Snowflake is led by Shane de Leon who has been extremely active in a multitude of media throughout the USA and Europe for the last 15 years. For 10 years he was a member of Portland, OR weird rockers, Rollerball. He has recorded with Amsterdam based musician Solex, Italian artists Ovo , Ronin, and Vonneumann, as well as American bands, 31 Knots, Six Foot Sloth, and the Art of Flying. He has exhibited his visual arts in Portland, OR, San Diego, CA, Milan, and Varese, Italy. He also runs North Pole Records and Starbage Hands Press.

Miss Massive Snowflake included de Leon’s mother-in-law, nephew, and daughter on the first three eps and “Queen’s Headache”, MMS’ first full length release. Since 2008, Miss Massive Snowflake has included Jeanne Kennedy Crosby on bass, vocals, David Chaparro on lead guitar and trumpet along with his sister Caroline Chaparro on saxophone, bells, and vocals. Zacery Stanley (Dramady) plays drums and sings. This full band line up had it’s recording debut on the 10″ released on Phonometak Laboratories out of Italy. The new album “Songs about Music” will be out in Spring 2010.