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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 […]
A rocket ship shredding space on its way to the blazing sun; a charging bull free from confinement; or, the final scene in Fight Club where towering buildings all come tumbling down in fiery plumes—all good ways to visualize the massive rock sound of local blues group Hobbs the Band. It also doesn’t hurt to […]
Once upon a time there was a mugger in New York City who spent his time learning guitar at Julliard, rocking out on stage in front of a giant penis-shaped bird and making television show cameos on par with Clint Howard appearances in film. OK, that’s a slight exaggeration, but not a story without some […]
In the second installment of this year’s Jazz at the Oxford, the King Louie Portland Blues Review is presenting a sampling of some of the region’s most talented blues musicians. At the forefront is Lisa Mann. Singing self-effacing vignettes, Mann is delightful, a playful master of the blues. In her song “Someday,” she talks about […]
While secular music—tunes without a religious undercurrent—has its fair share of artists who exude beauty and sex appeal (Britney Spears, Beyonce, etc.) in its totality, pop stardom does not demand a chiseled jaw line and flawless skin. There’s room for imperfection. Sometimes a lot of it. Consider: Tom Waits. Bob Dylan. Even Lady Gaga. Underneath […]
Rod Napier is a Vietnam vet. He stands at the front of a small group, his white beard shaking with the rhythm as he strums a 12-bar blues song on his guitar with novice, but full hearted, accuracy. “Oh, Vietnam, what did you do to me?,” he sings. “You took my youth away from me.” […]
With only one founding member remaining, L.A. boogie band Little Feat has somehow survived—and actually thrived—for nearly 45 years. Today, the band's music sounds almost nothing like the classic rock initiated by legendary songwriter and guitarist Lowell George when he and his buddy Bill Payne—who is still with the band—formed Little Feat in 1969, after […]
Canadian Kyla LeBlanc—who goes by the stage name Kytami—is one of those rare innovative spirits who doubles down on experimentation. Rather than merely adding her instrument—a violin—to a particular genre, Kytami is inventing a new category of music by merging multiple sounds into a potpourri of creativity. Hip-hop, world, trance and punk all orbit the […]
Stephen Sondheim’s musical Company—about a man’s pre-emptive midlife crisis—landed Christopher Worth right in the middle of where he never thought he’d be: a career as a singer/songwriter rather than an actor. But in this case life did not imitate art: Unlike the production’s central character Bobby, who questions some decisions he’s made, Worth—who was cast […]
It takes the right music accompanying a scene to transform a movie from stirring to absolutely riveting, or to deepen the sentimentality or humor or serenity. Imagine the difference between Iron Man swooping into the scene with a full-stringed orchestra or a thumping heavy metal anthem. Different, right? Here are three examples from this year’s […]
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