Hello Dear Readers,
What's up? I am still in California straight up chillin'. I have not seen a show in ages. It is starting to feel weird. How is Portland doing? Is it still cool? I bet it is. Anyways, here are the Portland shows that look good tonight:
Mississippi Studios is having a benefit show for Village Free School featuring Kimya Dawson and White Lighter. Village Free School sounds like an amazing place. The kind of school that I wish I went to when I was a kid. Check out their mission statements, "Our mission is to empower tomorrow’s leaders to become independent, creative, and conscientious citizens capable of thinking for themselves and collaborating with others to create a better world.
Our learning environments honor freedom, promote responsibility, and nurture the well-being of each student and the community. Students are supported and challenged to find meaning in their lives, adapt to the world as it is, and prepare for the world in which they want to live. Our School operates democratically, with the student body exercising considerable power over their daily life, and with parents and staff working together democratically to build the community we want to have. Our School is committed to restorative justice, honesty, self direction, and promoting and practicing values of life, liberty, and happiness." Sounds pretty cool right? Plus the musical acts are top notch. Kimya Dawson got her start as a member of The Moldy Peachers. Her songs are cute. Her voice is cute. They sound like kids songs. But man, there are some parts that are poignant, some parts that are not for kids, and homeports that are just plain dark. She has put out seven solo records and a split EP. So she has no shortage of material. It is usually performed solo on an acoustic guitar and it is usually a storytelling platform. I like it. White Lighter is the moniker Kyle Morton of Typhoon plays under when he plays solo. He is just as good in this incarnation. He maintains incredible dynamics and still has his signature voice. I just think he can do no wrong. Also I should note that the new Typhoon EP A New Kind of House is out today on Tender Loving Empire. It is an amazing companion to last years Hunger and Thirst. Hopefully Kyle has some for sale tonight. This ALL AGES show is a sliding scale between $10-$20 and starts at 7 PM.
Valentine's is having a show with Karen, Forbidden Friends, and Erastz. Karen is band. A good band. They have not seen them in a long while. But I hope to change that soon. They have really catchy guitar and bass lines that sit well over the steady drums. Add some great vocal melodies atop and ta daa! Music that I like. That is not to say it is an easy task to make music I like, but rather a task that is made to look easy. I just found a live performance and interview from Frawg Pound from Karens' blog. From that interview I learned that there is another tape in the work and perhaps a 7" too. Also that two of the members are from Sacramento. That's where I am right now. Anyway, Forbidden Friends is the new project of Hutch Harris from The Thermals. This is actually the release of the 7" out on Kill Rock Stars. I downloaded the title track and really liked it. It sounds like a less electric Thermals. But it is every bit as catchy as that band. I read a review of Forbidden Friends first show from OPB Music right here. It seems like it will be a fun show to see. Erastz used to play under the name Glacier Park. I can't find much information about her. I was almost positive that I have written about her before, but I can't find it. She seems to write pop music with spacey guitars. The show is FREE and starts at 9 PM.
Holocene is having The Rumble with Orca Team, The Harvey Girls, and The Tellers (Belgium). Orca Team are great. They are pop perfection. They sound like they are the band in a 60s beach party movie. But better. I love them and think you just should check them out. They have a tape out on Eggy Records and are working on one for the indie pop label Happy Birthday to Me label (Marshmallow Coast, Fishboy and more). I suggest you check them out for sure. It will not be hard. They play all the time. The Harvey Girls, Melissa Rodenbeek and Hiram Lucke (married but not cutesy about it like Mates of State), are doing their own thing. That is to say they are really following any trends or cannot really be tied down to one sound. Where a lot of bands do this and sounds disoriented and awful, The Harvey Girls sounds interesting and awesome. You can check out a FREE EP right here. They also have lots of stuff you can download from their website or their latest I've Been Watching a Lot of Horror Movies Lately from Circle Into Square. The Tellers are a band that got really famous really quickly in Europe broke up and now are not so broken up (though a founding member is absent). After listening to some of their songs, I can see why they were famous. It is catchy as hell. Poppy indie rock at it's finest. The albums sound well produced and ready to take over the world, which I suppose is the plan. The show is FREE and starts at 9 PM.
If you see me at any of these shows, then you are mistaken. There are several dark haired and bearded guys in Portland. I am currently not one of them.
-Ben
Orca Team plays tonight at Holocene!
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