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Wild Ones gentle pop melodies are a far cry from the gritty guitar-driven sound that put Portland, Or., on the musical map back in the 90s. Their songs are filled with simple melodies, spare synths and sparse drums layered into unconventional pop melodies with lilting, melancholy songs. It’s a winning combination. Danielle Sullivan’s voice is…
Kumail stops in at a strip club that caters to people with meat-free lifestyles.
When it comes to bringing the sound of Americana to life, it’s hard to top Portland, Oregon-based outfit Sassparilla. Whether you call them folk-punk or psychobilly or just rockabilly with a seriously Portland twist, Sassparilla makes modern music drenched in a vintage feel. Whatever you dub their sound, the band — Kevin Blackwell (vocals, lead…
It’s too bad the title “Walking on Sunshine” was already taken (and sorry for getting it stuck in your head now) because that title would be the perfect moniker for Jasmine Ash’s latest release. While the track is called “Starlight” the song itself is filled with sunshine. It’s unadulterated and unabashed bubblegum pop that plays…
When critics compare your group to such buzzy bands as Animal Collective and Dirty Projectors, it can be a lot to live up to. But Aan is getting used to it. In fact, the Portland, Ore.,-based band may actually be thriving under the pressure, because their music just keeps getting better and better. Led by…
As of June 5th, impossibly-trendy airline Virgin America will start routing flights out of impossibly-trendy PDX airport, allowing Portlandians cheap access to the Southland: 99 bucks for a twice-daily nonstop to Los Angeles, or a once-daily nonstop to San Francisco. This may not seem like a big deal, but Portland—despite its global reputation—is still a…
Sleater-Kinney to Wild Flag
It’s March, and you know what that means: Brackets! Lots and lots of brackets. Not just in college basketball, either. Why, over at Bill Simmons’ sports and culture Web site Grantland, they just finished up a tournament to crown the best character from HBO’s “The Wire” (to the surprise of no one, the winner was…
In Portland, public transportation is a culture unto itself. I suppose that’s true of all major cities, but it’s especially valid here, in a city considered to have one of the best transit systems in the country. Combine the ease of getting around with the other things that make Portland so Portlandian, and that makes…
Plus a chance to get Y La Bamba’s new album “Court the Storm” for free
Have we already come to the final installment of The Most Portland Thing Ever? Yes, but hasn’t it been so much fun? I wish we could have assigned our trusty illustrator Nicole Georges to tackle the hundreds of submissions you guys left in our comment fields, but no single human being can be in charge…
Good gracious.
A pony at a coffee shop? In Portland, truth is stranger than fiction.
OK, I don’t know if non-hardcore basketball fans will find this video as hilarious as I do, so maybe it requires some context: For years, the highlight of NBA All-Star Weekend was the annual Dunk Contest. It produced such memorable moments as Michael Jordan vs. Dominique Wilkins in 1988, 5-foot-7-inch Spud Webb dominating the field…
How many times have you heard Portland referred to as “the Paris of the Northwest”? Oh, never? Well, perhaps it makes sense, then, that the French appear to be nearly as fascinated with Portland as the New York media is. But even Brooklyn hasn’t had a Portland-themed cultural festival (yet, anyway). In April, the Paris-based…
Hey America, how was your Valentine’s Day? Did you buy your sweetheart a box of chocolates, have a nice dinner, and tuck into some DVDs on the couch? Sounds nice, but it doesn’t hold a candle(lit dinner) to this fantastically Portland act of love-gone-awry. On Valentine’s Day, Portland artist Sarah Johnson decided to deposit an…
Just a few weeks ago, Portland-via-New Zealand psyche-breakbeat three-piece Unknown Mortal Orchestra premiered the Lynchian video for “Thought Ballune,” a highlight off its great 2011 self-titled debut. Now, here’s yet another clip for a song off that album. This time around, instead of going in the kooky-creepy direction, the video nods toward ’70s spy films,…
YACHT member and my partner-in-blogging Claire Evans is much too modest to post this herself, so I’ll go ahead and do the honors. Typically, just leaving Portland for Los Angeles — let alone writing a song describing L.A. as utopia — is an offense to Stumptown punishable by death (or, y’know, a stern finger-wag), but…
(Photo by Todd Mecklem) Hey guys: So, I realize it is pretty late to change any Valentine’s Day plans, but it’s not too late. Especially if you’re planning on taking your date to any of the places I’ve listed below. It’s not that there’s anything wrong with these establishments 364 days out of the year.…
Yeah, yeah. I know I’m a couple days late with this. But Portland itself was disturbingly late jumping on the “Ish People Say” meme, anyway. Seriously, I thought we’d be one of the first cities to produce one of these videos. Now we’re about a month behind. I guess we’re not as hip as we…
It’s often said that English is the hardest language to learn. A classroom setting can only teach so much; Portland-based instructional Web site English, baby! goes beyond the typical curriculum, teaching non-native speakers the way Americans really converse. Among other methods, the site employs celebrities — particularly NBA players, but also musicians like Sheryl Crow…
Earlier today, Barack Obama’s reelection team unveiled the campaign’s official playlist — that is, the songs that will be used to (literally) drum up support for the president at rallies and other big events. It’s a predictable mix of new and old, rock and soul, country and pop, with a questionable abundance of Darius Rucker,…
In a city where bands should be considered on the census, for musicians, simply writing good songs isn’t enough. You need to have a Thing. Whether it’s playing toy instruments or making beats from the sound of crying babies or recruiting your cat as a full-fledged member (foreshadowing!), an extra level of ingenuity is required…
Thing you’ve witnessed the Most Portland Thing Ever? Tell us about it!
Oregonians don’t have a lot to complain about. With the notable exception of the six months of grey mono-cloud, the state of Oregon provides its residents with ample pleasures, from whale watching to craft beer festivals. In fact, sometimes there’s so much going on that you accidentally let some of the state’s definitive yearly delights…
