This is the third installment in what is now most definitely a regular thing here at LocalCut (three counts as “most definitely regular,” right?). In the absence of much, err, music on this site, I thought it would be pretty rad if we asked local musicians and tastemakers to make us a mix every now and again—and thanks to the power of the internet (and my former high school classmate Justin Ouellette), the LocalCut Muxtape series was born.

Just click the first track below to start up this week’s edition–an official going-away mux by soon-to-be-ex-WW music editor Amy (her last name is too long to fit on Casey’s illustration) McCullough. In her own words, these songs were meant to fit under the common theme of “semi-chronological and anecdotal to my Portland- and/or WW-experiences.” In other words, sappy…and long-winded.

LISTEN (AND REMINISCE) WHILE YOU READ:

The Minders - Don’t You Stop
As soon as I moved to Portland (from Chicago via Eugene, oddly), I started working at the Bagdad Theater & Pub on Hawthorne. In fact, I had the job there locked down, as well as my WW internship, before I even had a place to live here. But I and my then-boyfriend eventually landed a Foster/Powell duplex, which led to my first true Portland music moment: Our upstairs neighbor was the first to play the Decemberists for me (while delivering a house-warming gift of ground weed in a little Tupperware container; he suggested we make brownies with it). Anywho, songs like “California One (Youth and Beauty Brigade)” and “July, July!” quickly gained heavy rotation in our household, which actually has nothing to do with the Minders….

My second big PDX music moment was seeing my boss, Minders keyboardist/vocalist/
sometime-drummer (and Bagdad manager) Rebecca Cole, open for the Shins at the Crystal Ballroom. I was all, “She tells me to take out the trash!” Her then-husband, singer/guitarist Martyn Leaper, worked upstairs in the kitchen (the kitchen at the Bagdad, for those who don’t know, is located directly above the box office area, up two flights of stairs and down a long hallway; man, did I have some calves back then!), and one lucky day he played a really early demo of this track for me, right there by the huge mixers, the cold table and the pizza ovens. I thought, my god, that’s good.

Besides being an awesome songwriter and all-around great guy to drink with, Leaper’s also forever raised the ranting-about-customers bar in my mind. His hilarious dismay at early-morning cheese quesadilla eaters—”Who orders a cheese quesadilla at 10 in the morning? Go ahead, break your butts!”—and McCobbler enthusiasts—”It’s just jam in crust!”—makes for some top notch humor (and the British accent and befuddled looks certainly don’t hurt, either). “Don’t You Stop” ended up on 2006’s It’s a Bright, Guilty World, my fave local album that year.

The Wrens - She Sends Kisses
Phew. That was a long one. This selection is slightly easier. I became completely obsessed with the Wrens’ Meadowlands (and specifically, perhaps unhealthily, this particular song) at some point during late summer ‘04. So the Wrens at the Roseland for that year’s MusicfestNW—during which I was working, not coincidentally, at the Bagdad—goes down as the show I’m most bummed about missing in Portland history. I did, however, get Charles Bissell (who’s currently moonlighting with Okkervil fucking River! Who designed that? God?!) to play the song solo two years later at South by Southwest. He asked me afterward if it “sounded okay.” What a guy.

Kissing Book - Superman vs. Lloyd
One of the first freelance assignments I had for WW was this story about Magic Marker Records’ Curt Kentner and the house venue he once ran that hosted a ridiculous amount of now-huge bands in (the Shins, Thermals, Decemberists, Mates of State; seriously, it’s stupid how many rad shows I missed at that house by not moving here sooner!). But that’s besides the point: Kentner put out a comp (aptly titled A House Full of Friends) commemorating the house and the artists who played there. That’s where I first heard Andrew Kaffer and, eventually, his older band Kissing Book. This, simply enough, is my favorite Kissing Book song. That “Sure, you don’t wanna hurt me/ But you do” just kills me. And it juxtaposes Lloyd freaking Dobler (John Cusack’s character from Say Anything) and Superman. That is just too much.

Love As Laughter - Idol Worship! Idol Worship!
This one goes out to Mr. Mark Baumgarten, my predecessor as WW music editor, good friend and esteemed whiskey-drinkin’ companion. It also, in what I’d like to call a dedication twofer, goes out to WW Arts & Culture editor Kelly Clarke, whose wedding (which, awesomely, took place alongside this super-cool wall of industrial ruins under the Morrison Bridge) inspired the merry-making that occurred to this song. Ohmigod, I just realized this can also go out to new music ed Casey Jarman, as he was my unofficial date to the wedding (I picked him up at after work at his old digs, the CD & Game Exchange. Aw). Dedication three-fer!

Drinks were consumed (doi, it was a wedding), and, en route to Casey’s basement for a post-wedding impromptu Morals show, we dropped the rag-top on my Cabrio and blasted ourselves some Love As Laughter. I’d been trying to convince Mark B. that Laughter’s Fifth is freakin’ brilliant (it is!), and I used “Idol Worship! Idol Worship!” to make my point. As I recall, he was standing in the back seat clutching the roll bar by the time we hit the Steel Bridge (which he is far too tall and waifish to do), so I think it’s safe to say, “I win!”

The Promise Ring - Tell Everyone We’re Dead
Oh lordy, do I love me some Davey von Bohlen. One of my all-time fave bandleaders ever—in all his perfect pop songwriter forms: Promise Ring, Vermont, Maritime and anything in-between (have you heard that Centro-matic split? G-zus!)—von Bohlen’s been a part of my musical life ever since I first played “Is This Thing On?” as a freshman college radio DJ. I actually got to interview him because of my super-rad job at WW, which was a shining moment of my career, for sure.

And, in keeping with the anecdotal mission of this mix, it’s got a li’l story attached to it, as well. A few autumns ago, I was hosting a sort of “transplants and orphans Thanksgiving,” and Mark B. stopped by for a bit of pre-dinner mingling. I was a wee bit drunk, of course (isn’t that the point of holidays?), and balancing a kitchen full of green bean casserole and yams and homemade pie and a giant turkey and all sorts of various buttery items when Mark let the cat out of the bag: He wasn’t that familiar with the Promise Ring. Well, you can bet your ass I laid right into him, and promptly brought every von Bohlen-related disc I own to work post-holiday, forcing him to import, import, import.

If I had to pick a favorite Davey tune, it might be “Stop Playing Guitar” off ’02’s epic last-stand, Wood/Water. Hmmm, or maybe “Red & Blue Jeans” from Nothing Feels Good. Or, uh…you get the picture: It’s a tough call that I will never officially make. “Tell Everyone We’re Dead” would certainly be in the running, though, if not my numero uno. Those “yeah, alright” and “sugar and water” refrains at the end are tits (Is it okay for a girl to say that? Well, I just did).

Tractor Operator - A.M. Sale
Boy oh boy, do old Tractor Op songs take me back. The first time I saw Mr. Eric Jensen play live, it was back in the late-fall/early-winter of ‘05 at Valentine’s. I was having some tough times personally, and was sort of estranged from my home at the time. As such, I got completely hammered with Mark B., Kelly C .and her hubby Dave and a few other folks after work at the VC (as WWers were wont to do back in the SW 10th Ave. days).

We eventually stumbled over to Valentine’s, ordered a bottle of wine and cozied our group into the venue’s upstairs loft space. We’d been rocking Tractor Operator’s self-titled debut quite a bit around the office, and I sure was jazzed about its opening track, “A.M. Sale.” Jensen was graciously taking requests, and I shouted that one out by name (I think we fumbled around at a few other requests by reciting lyrics). He delivered, and I remember it being one of the only times during that era of my life that I felt alright, or that it felt alright to feel like shit, anyway. That spacey guitar line bouncing around in the background paired with Jensen’s “Up side/ Down side/ Left side/ Right side” vocal pile-on at the end made chaos catchy—which was exactly what I needed to hear.

Soltero - The Moment You Said Yes
The next day, I walked from Southeast across the Hawthorne Bridge and back to WW’s office. I had a load of music calendar data entry to do and nowhere to go, really. I bought a breakfast sandwich and an OJ from 7-Eleven, and sat in the office with the lights turned off, listening to this song on repeat and doing nothing.

Super XX Man - I’m Alive Again
A few months later, I was in the WW parking lot—our office had since moved over to the Northwest side; in fact, we moved on Superbowl Sunday; I still remember that—minding my own business, burning the 2006 Jazz Fest calendar in Byron Beck’s metal garbage can (those festival calendars can be a bitch and burning’s, you know, cathartic). Mark B. and Kelly C. approached me and said I ought to go to SXSW that year. I was beyond stoked.

I pitched a story on Austin-to-Portland transplants Super XX Man, who were going back to play three very different sets at the fest (one at an art gallery, one at a day-party BBQ, and one at a noisy rock club) with members of its predecessor, Silver Scooter. At the time, I was really stuck on a song called “Hey Louise,” from Vol. VII, My Usual Way, but “I’m Alive Again,” from Vol. VI: Collecting Rocks, has since displaced it as my fave (for now). I’ve always been drawn to the simplicity of Scott Garred’s songwriting. It’s the kind of approach that calls attention to subtle, poignant transitions like the yearning statement, “I’d be alive again,” changing, without warning, to the affirmative: “I’m alive again.” Beautiful.

The Afghan Whigs - When We Two Parted
This is just one of the best songs ever, and I’d have a really hard time making a super-rad mix without it. The lyrics, the delivery (oh, that old-school, slightly off-key, droney Dulli delivery!), the emotion it translates—it all just feels so fucking raw and right on and real. This song speaks the truth, I tell ya…. And, in a related note, I saw the New Amsterdams play their cover of it at the same SXSW to which I tagged along with Super XX Man—right after a set by Dulli’s post-Whigs band the Twilight Singers. I mean, Dulli was in the same room! Now that’s pressure. New Amsterdams frontman Matt Pryor (also of the Get Up Kids) said it was supposed to be in homage, and in no way insulting. Both versions are pretty fantastic, if you ask me. It’s an unstoppable song! As in, its excellence cannot be stopped! Try to defeat it; I dare you. It can’t be done.

Aqueduct - Lying In the Bed I’ve Made
Around the time of last year’s MusicfestNW, I got really, really into Seattle-based keyboard-pop guru Aqueduct. His nostalgic lyrics and insane hooks—beware! perhaps more addictive than Mates of State’s Bring It Back, no joke!—burrowed deep into my brain, and I don’t think they’re leaving anytime soon. This is one of his more subdued numbers, the lead track to 2007’s Or Give Me Death. I like joining in on both the deadpan “sorrys” that pop up during the chorus and the shout-along “made!” of the title line. This particular tune also starts with some spoken words from frontman David Terry about “singing while driving down the highway,” which is always fun…even though this song is pretty sad.

Oh, and while we’re on the topic, did I mention that I asked Aqueduct—as well as Seattle sloppy-popsters BOAT and laidback locals Graves—to play my going-away show, July 30th at the Towne Lounge? Well, I did…AND THEY ALL SAID “YES!” Can you flippin’ believe that? I can’t, but it’s true. If I’m just drunk enough, I might request R. Kelly’s “Ignition.” Aqueduct, it would seem, likes to throw in the occasional R. Kelly cover (YouTube it and you’ll see what I mean). I might even want to sing along…like I said, if I’m just drunk enough.

Madonna - Cherish
An oldie but a goodie, I’m including this one because it’s the song that—along with Rumor Karaoke Studio in Beaverton—got me over my long-standing fear of karaoke. I was always super shy about it and way too concerned with how good a job I was or wasn’t doing. But Rumor is one of those private “karaoke box” places, where you rent a room all to yourself and just belt it out. Removing the audience aspect got me to come out of my shell a bit, and, because I’ve got a kind of low voice like Madge, “Cherish” turned out to be a perfect fit.

I also have a fun memory of singing this for a bunch of co-workers while decked out in totally ’80s garb after a recent WWholiday party (it was ’80s prom”themed). We post-partied at NE MLK sometime-karaoke bar the Kiknbaque Lounge, and we all looked ridiculous. Kelly C. said after my performance that she could tell I was actually singing to Jimmie (my guy). Aw.

Okkervil River - Lost Coastlines
I get kind of weird sometimes about listening to new material by bands I really love a whole lot. Such is the case with this new (er, forthcoming) Okkervil River record. I want to spend some alone time with it. You know, get a bottle of wine, put something comfortable on, give us some time to get to know each other. WW received an advance copy of the disc—a sequel, if you will, to The Stage Names (titled The Stand-Ins)—a week or so ago (I’m assuming it’s okay to post this particular track since it’s all over the ‘net already), and this is the only song I’ve been able to listen to so far. I’m going on a SAILING TRIP, for crissakes. And it’s called “LOST COASTLINES.” And it’s SOOO GOOD: It has Will Sheff singing all deep down in his low register for a verse; it has jangly rhythm guitar and a bouncy, “Lust for Life”-ish beat; it has a belted-out “la la la” refrain. Honestly, I don’t know if I can take it. For now, I’m planning to save the rest of the album for the open sea. It’ll take some willpower, but I think the payoff will be worth it. I think the payoff for all this will be really, really worth it.

Thanks, y’all. It’s been grand. It really has.

Links:
Amy’s first column
Amy’s last column
Amy’s sailing story for WW’s Summer Guide

Photo: taken by Jimmie Buchanan, ITM art by Casey Jarman.