When it comes to entertainment for a backyard BBQ or a stylish evening get-together at home, a live band beats a shuffled iPod playlist every day of the week, and twice on Sundays. With little advertising to the general public, house concerts happen more often than most people know. Some shows end up impromptu rock […]
Sound Stories & Interviews
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Out of Town 7/3 – 7/11
portland thursday 4-sunday 7 Waterfront Blues Festival Bringing together rising talents (like young Seattle soul singer Allen Stone) and bona fide legends (Robert Plant presents the Sensational Shape Shifters, Mavis Staples) the Waterfront Blues Fest is a patriotic mini-week of blues and brews. Other artists to watch include Eric Burdon, the former frontman for The […]
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Stop Talking
Pacific Air | Republic Records
Much like their first single—the beach-y sounding “Float” released in 2012—Santa Ana, Calif. brother duo Pacific Air’s debut album, Stop Talking, has instant appeal. Ten seconds into the opening track, “Lose My Mind,” the song takes off with big-time summertime pop. And even though the song revolves around the serious topic of mastering one’s chaotic […]
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Home Sweet Home
Singer, fiddler Carrie Rodriguez returns to Austin
Austin, Texas: Live Music Capital of the World. At least that’s what Austin’s City Hall claims. Fiddle player and singer Carrie Rodriguez—who grew up there and moved back a couple of years ago after a stint in Brooklyn—agrees; it’s a special place. “I think in Brooklyn it’s virtually impossible to make a living out of […]
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Harvesting Fruit Borne of Harsh Times
Iconic folk singer John Prine
Sometimes it takes a messy life to make meaningful music. It would be hard to argue that folk singer John Prine doesn’t fit that bill. Though not one to suffer any of the self-inflicted and unnecessary difficulties typically associated with musicians—oh, say, the cliché alcohol or drug addiction—Prine has instead navigated the kind of trials […]
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Musical Opiate
The music of Portland’s Blind Pilot is habit-forming
Addiction is human nature. People return to the same pleasures over and over again. A favorite hiking trail, an enthralling novel or, in the case of Ryan Dobrowski (the drummer for Portland indie folk band Blind Pilot), a tasty food cart can hold sway over where we spend our time and our money. “Recently I’ve […]
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Out of Town 6/26 – 7/4
seattle Friday 28 Gender Blender As Central Oregon Pride rages on (our one-day event in Drake Park is really trying to be progressive! Hey, at least we have a Pride Day. Yeah, Klamath County, we’re looking at you!), our same-sex-marriage-supporting neighbors to the north will celebrate Seattle’s-own blown-out glitter-bombing pride festival. Events include the ever-fabulous […]
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No Bullies Allowed
Portland singer Sallie Ford lays down the law about gender roles
One kick to the groin, two faces smacked by serving trays, four jabs to the jaw, four beer bottles smashed over heads, an elbow to the chest and, for good measure, a punch to the gut; that’s how singer Sallie Ford handles a group of rowdy bullies in the video for “Party Kids” off her […]
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Coming (Back) to America
Oregon singer Ryan T. Jacobs ends self-imposed European exile
The cliché is that young Americans go to Europe to find themselves. Sometimes all they do is spend Mom and Dad’s hard-earned money partying and learning how to swear in new languages. But sometimes, the trip is a journey, and the time abroad produces a changed person (see Lost Generation of the 20s). For singer/songwriter […]
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I Like Big Lumps and I Cannot Lie
Presidents of the United States of America returns
Thirteen years ago, Seattle band The Presidents of the United States of America (PUSA)—known for the hits “Lump” and “Peaches”—was in Bend, and it wasn't alone. The band lit up the now-defunct Club 97 with a collaborative band featuring none other than rapper Sir Mix-A-Lot (best known for his 1992 hit, “Baby Got Back”). Apparently, […]
