Celebrate the best music of 2013 by winning some of the best music of years past!
Ethan Maffey
Both a writer and a fan of vinyl records since age 5, it wasn't until nearly three decades later that Oregon Native Ethan Maffey derived a plan to marry the two passions by writing about music. From blogging on MySpace in 2007 and then Blogspot, to launching his own website, 83Music, and eventually freelancing for publications in the Pacific Northwest, like Spokane’s alt-weekly Inlander, Ethan’s aim has been to provide fans of music alternatives to the mundane and overplayed. This included a nearly two year stint as the music editor for the Source, where he scoured the Bend music scene drawing attention to local talent and notable touring acts as they passed through town. In addition to deep knowledge of the local music scene, Ethan has an uncanny ability to quote lines from the television show “Friends.” He also has an eye for women’s fashion and feels a kinship with Lucky Day, Steve Martin’s character in ¡Three Amigos!
Posted inMusic
Re-imagining Christmas
Naomi Hooley and Rob Stroup’s folksy take on holiday music
One is a smoky-voiced, piano-playing, 70’s-inspired vixen; the other a dusty blues guitarist and singer. Both longtime members of the Portland music scene, Naomi Hooley (of Moody Little Sister) and Rob Stroup (Baseboard Heaters, The Imprints) have teamed up to release the definitive Pacific Northwest Christmas album, Naomi Hooley and Rob Stroup’s Winter Wonderland. The […]
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Gifting Music 101
A step-by-step approach for giving music technology
No one wants to look like every other first-world teenager on the planet by sporting the exact same ear cans (apologies, Dr. Dre), nor does anyone want some toy that is more gimmick than practical (see: patio rock speaker). Read on for a few suggestions for giving tech gifts that will actually enhance your man’s […]
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Binding Two Continents
Portland folk artist Hanz Araki bridges his heritage with a flute
One tradition calls it a buinne, the other calls it a shakuhachi, but both regard the instrument more commonly known as the flute with extremely high esteem. Irish Japanese artist Hanz Araki honors that dual heritage by complimenting Gaelic folk music with the spiritual allure of masterful flute playing. It’s a sound that touches on […]
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Mimicking Heads
Arcata’s Naïve Melodies is the closest thing to seeing the Talking Heads
In the '70s and '80s, New York art pop group Talking Heads, led by iconic mastermind David Byrne, established themselves not only as one of the most innovative bands of their time, but one that would inspire the work of others for decades to come. Some more directly than others. Enter Arcata, California band, Naïve […]
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From the Desert
Reno’s Moondog Matinee brings the heat
Like a tattooed, grizzly, sunburnt Santa Claus, Reno’s Moondog Matinee travels from town to town—almost non-stop—gifting audiences with grungy classic rock as grimy as a lump of coal and just as good at conducting fire. As such, music writer Whitherby Sutton calls Moondog Matinee a group of “wandering heathens,” and bass guitarist Adam Carpenter—who will […]
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Portland’s Leigh Marble Has a New Music Video
A new music video from one of our favorite artists.
Posted inMusic
Giving Thanks for the Influence
Records that inspired today’s youthful bands
Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix Phoenix Glassnote Entertainment Group If they were American, this Thanksgiving, Swedish pop rockers The Royal Concept ought to be grateful for Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix (2009), the fourth studio release from French alt-pop band Phoenix. Why? Well, simply put, Royal Concept's 2013 EP Royal is more than just a doppelganger for that album, […]