One man band Mattress’s beat infested, broody jam, “Forbidden Fruit,” sounds like static electricity in the form of a song. Seemingly the definition of avant garde, that tag isn’t reserved only for Rex Marshall’s music, but his live shows, too. From the center of the stage (and often off of it, performing from inside the […]

While local quartet the Honus Huffhines—which Andy Giegerich now fronts—plays witty, Elvis Costello-ish jangle-pop that could easily be considered “mature,” the band’s 44-year-old songwriter isn’t bashful about that fact that he’s traversed some more juvenile songwriting phases. In fact, he called this very Cut of the Day (which he wrote when he was 21) […]

Slabtown’s 2007 opening party, the Bender, was an impromptu affair—an opportunity for the new owners to show thanks, and to mark the storied venue’s new, rawk-centric direction with a weekend-long, free music festival. It was never meant to attract bands from across the country. And, had the organizers any idea it’d become an annual event, […]

[THEATRICAL POP] Debut albums can often be hurried, sordid affairs. Rarely do they appear as fully realized visions. And most bands wouldn’t dare attempt a concept record from the get-go. Then again, most bands don’t have as much fun as the Maybe Happening.
Recorded at Type Foundry by local troubadour Nick Jaina and loosely based on […]

[FAUX WESTERN] It’s Friday night and there’s a line stretching around the corner of Southwest 4th Avenue and Washington Street. Luckily, it’s the line for the pounding dance party at the Greek Cusina—the crowd at Kelly’s Olympian, while still bustling, is slightly easier to breach.
The boy-girl duo of Growler is onstage in Kelly’s recently acquired […]

Whatever happened to Public Service urban music? TLC used to rock all those condoms, Salt-N-Pepa used to talk about sex, MC Hammer used to pray. Heck, even Tupac talked about the importance of respecting women. But locally, aside from Sandpeople’s PSA, “Don’t drive with drugs up in the front/ Keep ‘em in the trunk,” I […]

What a way to start the week! Here we find noise-pop trio the Maybe Happening slightly expanding their guitar-drum-violin base, adding triumphant horn bursts, muted bells and a very pretty opening to this exuberant sing-along ditty. “Hold your breath, cross your fingers, pick your feet up,” sings violinist/frontman Nathan Langston. “Cause we’re going to the […]

Wouldn’t KBOO have been a better fit? Even KNRK? The northwest’s signature burger chain (too spendy, perhaps, but eco-friendly and fond of the quirky seasonal offerings; its the Towne Lounge of fast food) hitched its wagon to KINK 101.9 for upcoming Plug In Portland—a Local music CD Sampler. Not that KINK hasn’t helped local artists […]

Ah, the benefits of the basement studio. Lael Alderman has promised to release one new song each week on his MySpace page, but few could compare to this bliss-drenched ballad. Setting his ever-restless muse to indie folk, he offers the lovely, affecting melody with minimal production—just a dusting of bells, acoustic strum and that marvelous […]

In preparation for their upcoming album as She & Him entitled Volume 1, Portlander M. Ward and actress/singer Zooey Deschanel went on KCRW recently and dropped some hot juice. By juice I mean music. Deschanel has a semi-piercing old country voice that contrasts nicely to M. Ward’s smoky “Tom Waits on ‘ludes” (somebody said that! […]