I have a semi-secret purveyor of the most awesome youtube shit. This is her most recent gift to me. Enjoy!
Love,
Goldie
Monday, April 19, 2010
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Linkage: Commencement of Ladypalooza
Hey all! I'd like to share a link.
The consistently fantastic Tiger Beatdown has initiated a series of posts about women's experiences in the world of music called Ladypalooza. While even editor Sady Doyle admits it has a stupid title, it's a great platform for woman musicians to voice their experiences. And I also think the awesomeness of the blog's name cancels it the silly series title.
Tiger Beatdown: Awesome Blog Name (& much better than Tiger Beat)
Today, contributer Silvana started off the series with her post I Went To Your Concert and There Was Nothing Going On, or, A Meditation on Dude Music. A lot of her story rings true for me, and my own early experiences attempting to play in bands, and enter music-related discourse with male friends -especially the "I just don't like women's voices" part.
It's a great example of a thoughtful and justified rant, and I'm excited to follow this series and read more blog entries from different perspectives.
Read More >>
The consistently fantastic Tiger Beatdown has initiated a series of posts about women's experiences in the world of music called Ladypalooza. While even editor Sady Doyle admits it has a stupid title, it's a great platform for woman musicians to voice their experiences. And I also think the awesomeness of the blog's name cancels it the silly series title.
Tiger Beatdown: Awesome Blog Name (& much better than Tiger Beat)
Today, contributer Silvana started off the series with her post I Went To Your Concert and There Was Nothing Going On, or, A Meditation on Dude Music. A lot of her story rings true for me, and my own early experiences attempting to play in bands, and enter music-related discourse with male friends -especially the "I just don't like women's voices" part.
It's a great example of a thoughtful and justified rant, and I'm excited to follow this series and read more blog entries from different perspectives.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
I wrote a book
No, really. I did. It's out now from Australian publisher LegumeMan Books, who are so awesome they are actually running a contest in honor of it. Why did I write it? For the 3-Day Novel Contest, which I did not win. However, it was fun and life-changing and the great people who are now my publishers liked it ever so much.
What's this got to do with indie music, you ask? Well, the book is all up in your face with musical rhythms and musical references. In fact, that's what the contest hinges on. Matthew Revert, one of my publishers (designer of the cover and a kickass author in his own right) said to me that "your book is great for a music geek such as myself. When I was proofing it in the last week it really hit me. It should be read by anyone who really digs music."
So, I'm sorry for this general level of ridiculous self-promotion, but I'm flipping out! I hope that you will get a chance to check out my thrilling novel of autism, rock n' roll necromancy, and Lovecraftean horror. I am proud to present:
10 A BOOT STOMPING
20 A HUMAN FACE
30 GOTO 10
Ben Meyercord's Live Musics for Tuesday April 13th
Hello Dear Readers,
Last Night I practiced and then was not in the mood to see any music. Tonight I practice and then practice again. I will see if I am able to bring myself to see any of the awesome looking shows:
Holocene is having it's annual Minigolf Art Invitational. This year, the music will be provided by Rafter and May Ling. Holocene is really good at describing their special events and this sounds like a very special event: "Willkommen zu Zukünftspielplatz, crazy golfers! For those of you who don't sprechen sie Deutsch, "Zukünftspielplatz" is German for "future playground", and it's the inspiring and resplendent theme of this year's Minigolf Art Invitational! That's right Portland, Holocene's beloved annual event is back for a fifth year of synthetic microcosms, boundless artistic imagination, and putt-putt mayhem. Though it may seem hard to imagine what could top last year's Minigolf festivities, where holes encompassed Heaven, Hell, the Willamette River, and just about everything in between (cf: Pancakes!), just wait til you see what we have in store for you this time around!
Some of Portland's most talented visual artists have set their minds and hands to work on the subject of next-dimensional, intergalactic, avant-recreation, and the results range from defying convention to challenging the laws of physics! You and your besties will have to navigate your way through hungry robots, a forest towering at 15 feet, and even a black hole! You might sink an ace in the hole alongside live dancers, or go all MJ (R.I.P.) and moonwalk around some celestial bodies.
On this playground of the future, anything and everything is possible -- time, space, perception, gravity, light, and movement all become objects of fancy, malleable instruments in a universe bent to the weird and wonderful will of the artist. Yet just as in any other kind of play, there's nothing like some healthy competition: so you--yes, YOU, the putt-putters--will be voting on the best holes, and the winning artists will go home with cash prizes! Speaking of prizes: look sharp, folks, as the best-dressed future-golfers among you will be showered with gifts! Also, for the snacky golfers, we'll have munchies galore! Spudnik, Potato Champion's new mobile french fry cart, will be rolling up streetside for your poutine fix. Inside the club, Lisa of Lulu's Confections will be walking around the course peddling some absolutely divine homemade cookies.
And if all this isn't tantalizing enough, we at Holocene also did a lil' bit of what we do best -- we booked some bands. April 13 will feature the clamoring mosaic-pop of Rafter, the Asthmatic Kitty signees and San Diego natives whose utter joviality and onstage antics put them right at home on the playground. The local love will be provided by May Ling, the sexy side project of Reporter's Alberta Poon and Dan Grazzini, whose breathy, pulsing synth pop gems are sure to have you tearin' up the astroturf. Both nights will also be graced with the dj stylings of many of Portland's finest, providing you the ultimate soundtrack for your golfing whimsy. All told, you've got no excuse for missing the aesthetic euphoria which will abound on this course!" The show is $5 before 7 PM and $8 after. The whole thing starts at 5 PM.
Doug Fir is having a show with Horse Feathers, Justin Power, and Dan Mangan (Vancouver, BC). Horse Feathers is a great band. There is no getting around it. Justin Ringle's voice is at the center of it all. It is at once rugged and raspy and beautiful. It is strong when it needs to be but also very delicate when the song requires it. You can make the same observation of the music that his band creates. He has hand picked a very good band consisting of Nathan Crockett on Violin, Catherine O'Dell on Cello, and Sam Cooper on all other instruments (banjo, glockenspiel, drums, violin, etc...). I have not heard the whole album yet, but I you can get your hands on a copy tonight at the show as it is a release show for the album "Thistle Spring". Justin Power makes pretty great indie folk pop . He has been doing so for a while now. I remember when I first heard him, I could not stop listening to his songs. Which was frustrating because at the time I did not know of anyway to listen to them other than myspace. Now you can listen to some songs that he has on a CD with The Portland Cello Project (Thao Nguyen of Thao and the Get Down Stay Down also is on that CD). Check him out for sure. I am not really familiar with Dan Mangan. But he's Canadian and they are a nice enough group of people. I know of several bands from Canada that are pretty good. Remember Sloan? He doesn't at all sound like Sloan. The show is $10-$12 and starts at 9 PM.
Valentine's is having a show with Holy Tentacles, Gavin Castleton, and Arman Bohn. I could not find anything in the way of an audio recording, but they describe their sound as "catchy math rock". I love catchy math rock. But the real reason The show is Gavin Castleton. I really dig what he does. What he does is combine many elements of various forms of pop music with a mastery of several instruments. His last full length "Home" is pretty good. His track "Coffeelocks" (hands down ine of my favorite jams of last year). Arman Bohn used to live in Bellingham and play in bands with members of Death Cab For Cutie. But then he stopped and they got famous and he moved to Portland. The show is FREE and starts at 9 PM.
If you see me at a show tonight, you must be mistaken. But if you really do think it is me, then please say "Hi".
-Ben
This was off the old album. You can look forward to the new stuff tonight.
Read More >>
Last Night I practiced and then was not in the mood to see any music. Tonight I practice and then practice again. I will see if I am able to bring myself to see any of the awesome looking shows:
Holocene is having it's annual Minigolf Art Invitational. This year, the music will be provided by Rafter and May Ling. Holocene is really good at describing their special events and this sounds like a very special event: "Willkommen zu Zukünftspielplatz, crazy golfers! For those of you who don't sprechen sie Deutsch, "Zukünftspielplatz" is German for "future playground", and it's the inspiring and resplendent theme of this year's Minigolf Art Invitational! That's right Portland, Holocene's beloved annual event is back for a fifth year of synthetic microcosms, boundless artistic imagination, and putt-putt mayhem. Though it may seem hard to imagine what could top last year's Minigolf festivities, where holes encompassed Heaven, Hell, the Willamette River, and just about everything in between (cf: Pancakes!), just wait til you see what we have in store for you this time around!
Some of Portland's most talented visual artists have set their minds and hands to work on the subject of next-dimensional, intergalactic, avant-recreation, and the results range from defying convention to challenging the laws of physics! You and your besties will have to navigate your way through hungry robots, a forest towering at 15 feet, and even a black hole! You might sink an ace in the hole alongside live dancers, or go all MJ (R.I.P.) and moonwalk around some celestial bodies.
On this playground of the future, anything and everything is possible -- time, space, perception, gravity, light, and movement all become objects of fancy, malleable instruments in a universe bent to the weird and wonderful will of the artist. Yet just as in any other kind of play, there's nothing like some healthy competition: so you--yes, YOU, the putt-putters--will be voting on the best holes, and the winning artists will go home with cash prizes! Speaking of prizes: look sharp, folks, as the best-dressed future-golfers among you will be showered with gifts! Also, for the snacky golfers, we'll have munchies galore! Spudnik, Potato Champion's new mobile french fry cart, will be rolling up streetside for your poutine fix. Inside the club, Lisa of Lulu's Confections will be walking around the course peddling some absolutely divine homemade cookies.
And if all this isn't tantalizing enough, we at Holocene also did a lil' bit of what we do best -- we booked some bands. April 13 will feature the clamoring mosaic-pop of Rafter, the Asthmatic Kitty signees and San Diego natives whose utter joviality and onstage antics put them right at home on the playground. The local love will be provided by May Ling, the sexy side project of Reporter's Alberta Poon and Dan Grazzini, whose breathy, pulsing synth pop gems are sure to have you tearin' up the astroturf. Both nights will also be graced with the dj stylings of many of Portland's finest, providing you the ultimate soundtrack for your golfing whimsy. All told, you've got no excuse for missing the aesthetic euphoria which will abound on this course!" The show is $5 before 7 PM and $8 after. The whole thing starts at 5 PM.
Doug Fir is having a show with Horse Feathers, Justin Power, and Dan Mangan (Vancouver, BC). Horse Feathers is a great band. There is no getting around it. Justin Ringle's voice is at the center of it all. It is at once rugged and raspy and beautiful. It is strong when it needs to be but also very delicate when the song requires it. You can make the same observation of the music that his band creates. He has hand picked a very good band consisting of Nathan Crockett on Violin, Catherine O'Dell on Cello, and Sam Cooper on all other instruments (banjo, glockenspiel, drums, violin, etc...). I have not heard the whole album yet, but I you can get your hands on a copy tonight at the show as it is a release show for the album "Thistle Spring". Justin Power makes pretty great indie folk pop . He has been doing so for a while now. I remember when I first heard him, I could not stop listening to his songs. Which was frustrating because at the time I did not know of anyway to listen to them other than myspace. Now you can listen to some songs that he has on a CD with The Portland Cello Project (Thao Nguyen of Thao and the Get Down Stay Down also is on that CD). Check him out for sure. I am not really familiar with Dan Mangan. But he's Canadian and they are a nice enough group of people. I know of several bands from Canada that are pretty good. Remember Sloan? He doesn't at all sound like Sloan. The show is $10-$12 and starts at 9 PM.
Valentine's is having a show with Holy Tentacles, Gavin Castleton, and Arman Bohn. I could not find anything in the way of an audio recording, but they describe their sound as "catchy math rock". I love catchy math rock. But the real reason The show is Gavin Castleton. I really dig what he does. What he does is combine many elements of various forms of pop music with a mastery of several instruments. His last full length "Home" is pretty good. His track "Coffeelocks" (hands down ine of my favorite jams of last year). Arman Bohn used to live in Bellingham and play in bands with members of Death Cab For Cutie. But then he stopped and they got famous and he moved to Portland. The show is FREE and starts at 9 PM.
If you see me at a show tonight, you must be mistaken. But if you really do think it is me, then please say "Hi".
-Ben
This was off the old album. You can look forward to the new stuff tonight.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Ben Meyercord's Live Music Picks for Monday April 12th
Hello Dear Readers,
Been a while, no? I got stupid busy recently. Frustratingly so. I had most of the posts for Thursday and Friday done but then got pulled away by my actual life before I got to post them. Which is kinda dumb. Especially since I played in AristeiA on Thursday and wanted to tell you guys about it. Then Saturday and Sunday I spent all day (seriously 14 hours on Saturday and 16 hours yesterday) being part of a music video shoot for Y La Bamba. It was awesome and fun, but most places did not have a wireless network to blog on. I hope you guys got out to see some shows because there were some good ones. Like Hosannas, or Secret Codes or Oh Captain My Captain or like a million other shows. I saw none of them. Poop. It looks like I will not be able to see and shows tonight or any other Monday or Tuesday for the foreseeable future, but here are some shows that look good tonight:
Wonder Ballroom is having a show with La Roux (London) and Lovers. I have a confession to make... I really like synth pop. I know I know, most of it is disposable and trite. I just can't seem to help myself. Luckily, there a few groups that make music that fall into this category that are not so trite. Some actual songwriters who happen to team up with producers of electronic music or lean how to program a beats or whatever. Both of these acts have similar backgrounds of folk beginnings that have transformed into electro pop endings with out losing the focus of writing actual songs. Except one is from another continent hence the hefty price. I still have not seen Lovers but I am a huge fan of their last release "I am the West". The ALL AGES show is $ 15 and starts at 8 PM.
Backspace is having a show with March Forth Marching Band and Hungry March Band (Brooklyn). Is marching band music cool? No. Wait, I meant maybe? I mean it isn't but it can be? March Forth has mean confused on this subject matter. On the one hand I traditionally would not want to hear marching band music. On the other, their brand of marching band music is quite a spectacle and I have not been disappointed any time I have seen them. They are about 30 members strong including all the people on stilts and dancers and fire breathers and what have you. It is like when they don't know the difference between a band and a circus. Tonight they will be joined by a like minded type of band from NY. So break out your clown make up and head on down to the show. The ALL AGES show is $7 and starts at 9 PM.
Someday Lounge is having a Passion Pit after party with Shuttle (Massachusetts) and DoublePlusGood. I will admit I am not really a fan of Passion Pit. But I am a fan of DoublePlusGood. They have played a few shows in the past couple months that I really wanted see but have missed. They also make electro pop, but instead of a female lead group like say La Roux or Lovers, this is fronted by a dude. A dude who has made some pretty memorable melodies both vocally and on his synths. Shuttle is the moniker for the drummer of Passion Pit's laptop based music. It is a pretty good fit for DoublePlusGood and was also good enough to land on one of the bigger labels in electronic music, Ninja Tune. Like DoublePlusGood he likes to make remixes of songs and he is pretty good at it. The show is FREE and starts at 10 PM.
If you see me at any of these shows please say "Hi" and then kindly remind me that I should be getting back to band practice.
-Ben
DoublePlusGood will play the Passion Pit after party at Someday Lounge. 4 FREE
Read More >>
Been a while, no? I got stupid busy recently. Frustratingly so. I had most of the posts for Thursday and Friday done but then got pulled away by my actual life before I got to post them. Which is kinda dumb. Especially since I played in AristeiA on Thursday and wanted to tell you guys about it. Then Saturday and Sunday I spent all day (seriously 14 hours on Saturday and 16 hours yesterday) being part of a music video shoot for Y La Bamba. It was awesome and fun, but most places did not have a wireless network to blog on. I hope you guys got out to see some shows because there were some good ones. Like Hosannas, or Secret Codes or Oh Captain My Captain or like a million other shows. I saw none of them. Poop. It looks like I will not be able to see and shows tonight or any other Monday or Tuesday for the foreseeable future, but here are some shows that look good tonight:
Wonder Ballroom is having a show with La Roux (London) and Lovers. I have a confession to make... I really like synth pop. I know I know, most of it is disposable and trite. I just can't seem to help myself. Luckily, there a few groups that make music that fall into this category that are not so trite. Some actual songwriters who happen to team up with producers of electronic music or lean how to program a beats or whatever. Both of these acts have similar backgrounds of folk beginnings that have transformed into electro pop endings with out losing the focus of writing actual songs. Except one is from another continent hence the hefty price. I still have not seen Lovers but I am a huge fan of their last release "I am the West". The ALL AGES show is $ 15 and starts at 8 PM.
Backspace is having a show with March Forth Marching Band and Hungry March Band (Brooklyn). Is marching band music cool? No. Wait, I meant maybe? I mean it isn't but it can be? March Forth has mean confused on this subject matter. On the one hand I traditionally would not want to hear marching band music. On the other, their brand of marching band music is quite a spectacle and I have not been disappointed any time I have seen them. They are about 30 members strong including all the people on stilts and dancers and fire breathers and what have you. It is like when they don't know the difference between a band and a circus. Tonight they will be joined by a like minded type of band from NY. So break out your clown make up and head on down to the show. The ALL AGES show is $7 and starts at 9 PM.
Someday Lounge is having a Passion Pit after party with Shuttle (Massachusetts) and DoublePlusGood. I will admit I am not really a fan of Passion Pit. But I am a fan of DoublePlusGood. They have played a few shows in the past couple months that I really wanted see but have missed. They also make electro pop, but instead of a female lead group like say La Roux or Lovers, this is fronted by a dude. A dude who has made some pretty memorable melodies both vocally and on his synths. Shuttle is the moniker for the drummer of Passion Pit's laptop based music. It is a pretty good fit for DoublePlusGood and was also good enough to land on one of the bigger labels in electronic music, Ninja Tune. Like DoublePlusGood he likes to make remixes of songs and he is pretty good at it. The show is FREE and starts at 10 PM.
If you see me at any of these shows please say "Hi" and then kindly remind me that I should be getting back to band practice.
-Ben
DoublePlusGood will play the Passion Pit after party at Someday Lounge. 4 FREE
Friday, April 9, 2010
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Ben Meyercord's Live Music Picks for Thursday
Hello Dear Readers,
Yesterday I pulled one of those I mostly finish a post and then run out of time or wifi or both before posting it. I could have told you about the Y La Bamba show I played. Or the amazing bill of Ah Holly Fam'ly, Ghost to Falco, Grey Anne, and Billygoat show at Holocene. But alas, you heard nothing from me. Here are some shows that look good to me:
The Knife Shop is having a show with Bruxing, AristeiA, and Design.Drift.Distance. Ha ha! I listed the show I am playing first. Check out what I learned from the Bruxing myspace, "brux [bruhks]:to clench and grind the teeth; gnash". I suppose that is a pretty fitting name for the band as their guitars will often gnash out and the music often gets very tight similar to clenched teeth. The music is made by a drums and guitar duo and is progressive instrumental rock. It makes sense for them to play with AristeiA because we too are a progressive instrumental rock band. But I think we sound a bit bigger because we are technically twice as many band members. We have narrative structures to our songs. If you have not seen us in a while, we have a set with mostly new songs. We are planning on recording this year. Design.Drift.Distance. is a band that I have been meaning to check out for quite some time. I have heard some pretty good things about them from pretty reliable friends. One thing you may notice right off the bat, is that they have vocals. But underneath them, you will find some pretty cool post rock type music. The show is $4 and starts at 9 PM.
Holocene is having Eat Yr Heart Out Culinary Music Fest. It will feature the music of St. Frankie Lee, Wampire, and DJ Brokenwindow. This is lazy, but I am going to straight up cut and paste directly from the Holocene website, "As Portland garners national and international praise for its vibrant music scene, it's also gaining an equally great reputation for its foodie sensibility. We are serious about great food. We love it. We live for it. Snacking, and snacking well, is a lifestyle in this town. We at Holocene are letting Portland's two favorite things, great food and great tunes, collide for an evening....and we expect delectable results! The tunes will be provided by synth poppers Wampire and utterly cuddly folk rockers St. Frankie Lee. DJ Brokenwindow of Community Library will be playing a set of 100% food-themed songs to set the mood for snacking. Come watch a live demo on making delicious vegan enchiladas by Guidance Counselor! Sign up with a partner for the DoubleDare-style poutine eating challenge, sponsored by that most beloved fry cart, Potato Champion! Experience cookies baked by your favorite local bands (The Angry Orts, White Fang, Breakfast Mountain, Reverse Dotty, Ocean Age, Blue Horns, DJs New Moon Poncho, Fleshtone, St. Frankie Lee and more), and see which cookie takes the prize....the epic panel of judges will be none other than your favorite orchestral pop ensemble: Typhoon! Throw in a screening of Brennan Novak/Potlach Presents' delightful song-and-a-recipe video series "Cooking with...", which will include the premiere of the Typhoon and Y La Bamba episodes (heads up, I am in the Y La Bamba one despite my inability to cook), and you've got a most enthralling evening." Pretty crazy, no? The show is $3 and starts at 8 PM.
Ella Street Social Club is having a show with Gratitillium, Ocean Age, Yeah Great Fine, and Like a Villain. Gratitillium is a band that makes folk music with an attempt to make it a little more "wild". I have heard about animal costumes ala early Animal Collective. Ocean Age is a band that has made quite an impression on me. I have not heard their latest offering in the way of recordings, But I have their first ep and like it. Yeah Great Fine is a great progressive math pop band with some electronic elements (as well as several other elements). They have some great music. I believe they will be releasing an album sometime this year. I have heard really great things about it. They have a nice mix of acoustic and not acoustic instrumentation (like a lot of keyboard type things). Like a Villain is the solo project of Holland Andrews. Hollad is an awesome girl. She plays in Meyercord and has contributed to a number of bands including Svay Pak and many of the Bro Fam Collective. Her main instruments are clarinet and sax. She layers these along with her vocals to create very cool and often beautiful songs. The show is $5 and starts at 9 PM.
The Woods is having a show with On the Stairs, Ezza Rose, and Audie Darling. This show serves as the the release show for On The Stairs debut album "Beyond a Shadow of a Doubt." I did some backing vocals on the CD. Though this is the debut for this band, Nate Clark is no stranger to the Portland music. He also fronts another band called Les Flaneurs and plays in many other groups including Leonard Mynx. Ezza Rose has a very pretty voice which in addition to helping create her own wonderful music, she has lent to many other groups around town. She only has one song on her myspace right now, but it is a very impressive one in how well it builds and how well it ties all of the diverse elements of the song together. Check it out. Then there is Audie Darling who has been splitting her time between Portland and Nashville. In fact, I can't even remember the last she played in Portland. She too also has contributed vocals to many groups in Portland. The Americana or folk scene or whatever is very incestuous. The show is $7 and starts at 9 PM.
If you see me at the Knife Shop please say "Hi". Automatic high five. No questions asked.
-Ben
Read More >>
Yesterday I pulled one of those I mostly finish a post and then run out of time or wifi or both before posting it. I could have told you about the Y La Bamba show I played. Or the amazing bill of Ah Holly Fam'ly, Ghost to Falco, Grey Anne, and Billygoat show at Holocene. But alas, you heard nothing from me. Here are some shows that look good to me:
The Knife Shop is having a show with Bruxing, AristeiA, and Design.Drift.Distance. Ha ha! I listed the show I am playing first. Check out what I learned from the Bruxing myspace, "brux [bruhks]:to clench and grind the teeth; gnash". I suppose that is a pretty fitting name for the band as their guitars will often gnash out and the music often gets very tight similar to clenched teeth. The music is made by a drums and guitar duo and is progressive instrumental rock. It makes sense for them to play with AristeiA because we too are a progressive instrumental rock band. But I think we sound a bit bigger because we are technically twice as many band members. We have narrative structures to our songs. If you have not seen us in a while, we have a set with mostly new songs. We are planning on recording this year. Design.Drift.Distance. is a band that I have been meaning to check out for quite some time. I have heard some pretty good things about them from pretty reliable friends. One thing you may notice right off the bat, is that they have vocals. But underneath them, you will find some pretty cool post rock type music. The show is $4 and starts at 9 PM.
Holocene is having Eat Yr Heart Out Culinary Music Fest. It will feature the music of St. Frankie Lee, Wampire, and DJ Brokenwindow. This is lazy, but I am going to straight up cut and paste directly from the Holocene website, "As Portland garners national and international praise for its vibrant music scene, it's also gaining an equally great reputation for its foodie sensibility. We are serious about great food. We love it. We live for it. Snacking, and snacking well, is a lifestyle in this town. We at Holocene are letting Portland's two favorite things, great food and great tunes, collide for an evening....and we expect delectable results! The tunes will be provided by synth poppers Wampire and utterly cuddly folk rockers St. Frankie Lee. DJ Brokenwindow of Community Library will be playing a set of 100% food-themed songs to set the mood for snacking. Come watch a live demo on making delicious vegan enchiladas by Guidance Counselor! Sign up with a partner for the DoubleDare-style poutine eating challenge, sponsored by that most beloved fry cart, Potato Champion! Experience cookies baked by your favorite local bands (The Angry Orts, White Fang, Breakfast Mountain, Reverse Dotty, Ocean Age, Blue Horns, DJs New Moon Poncho, Fleshtone, St. Frankie Lee and more), and see which cookie takes the prize....the epic panel of judges will be none other than your favorite orchestral pop ensemble: Typhoon! Throw in a screening of Brennan Novak/Potlach Presents' delightful song-and-a-recipe video series "Cooking with...", which will include the premiere of the Typhoon and Y La Bamba episodes (heads up, I am in the Y La Bamba one despite my inability to cook), and you've got a most enthralling evening." Pretty crazy, no? The show is $3 and starts at 8 PM.
Ella Street Social Club is having a show with Gratitillium, Ocean Age, Yeah Great Fine, and Like a Villain. Gratitillium is a band that makes folk music with an attempt to make it a little more "wild". I have heard about animal costumes ala early Animal Collective. Ocean Age is a band that has made quite an impression on me. I have not heard their latest offering in the way of recordings, But I have their first ep and like it. Yeah Great Fine is a great progressive math pop band with some electronic elements (as well as several other elements). They have some great music. I believe they will be releasing an album sometime this year. I have heard really great things about it. They have a nice mix of acoustic and not acoustic instrumentation (like a lot of keyboard type things). Like a Villain is the solo project of Holland Andrews. Hollad is an awesome girl. She plays in Meyercord and has contributed to a number of bands including Svay Pak and many of the Bro Fam Collective. Her main instruments are clarinet and sax. She layers these along with her vocals to create very cool and often beautiful songs. The show is $5 and starts at 9 PM.
The Woods is having a show with On the Stairs, Ezza Rose, and Audie Darling. This show serves as the the release show for On The Stairs debut album "Beyond a Shadow of a Doubt." I did some backing vocals on the CD. Though this is the debut for this band, Nate Clark is no stranger to the Portland music. He also fronts another band called Les Flaneurs and plays in many other groups including Leonard Mynx. Ezza Rose has a very pretty voice which in addition to helping create her own wonderful music, she has lent to many other groups around town. She only has one song on her myspace right now, but it is a very impressive one in how well it builds and how well it ties all of the diverse elements of the song together. Check it out. Then there is Audie Darling who has been splitting her time between Portland and Nashville. In fact, I can't even remember the last she played in Portland. She too also has contributed vocals to many groups in Portland. The Americana or folk scene or whatever is very incestuous. The show is $7 and starts at 9 PM.
If you see me at the Knife Shop please say "Hi". Automatic high five. No questions asked.
-Ben
Yeah Great Fine - Don't Wake Up (live @ Burgerville) from Matthew Ross on VimeoYeah Great Fine play at Ella Street tonight!
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Ben Meyercord's Live Music Picks for Tuesday, April 6th
Hello Dear Readers,
Last night I did not go to the show. I did however, get my wallet back. I am back in business. Which is good becuase there are some good shows happening tonight:
The Woods is having a show with DoublePlusGood and Cars & Trains. Okay, these two acts are terrific. I know that I tend tow say things like this all the time. But I mean it. You should see the amount of shows that I am am constantly not covering. Not to mention the shows that have some good bands but also some bad bands mixed in the bill (I will admit those sometimes make my picks). But whatever. These two are the real deal. I would love to see this show. DoublePlusGood (that's Newspeak, yo) plays catchy synth driven pop music. They will apparently be dropping eps every month until their album comes out, so check the Portland record shops (y'know where are all the fliers and free stuff is) and you might find their second in this series of eps. They will probably have them tonight at the show as well. Cars & Trains has impressed me a lot over the years. I have only seen him once but I have have two albums by him that I just love. Think kinda glitchy indie folk with some cool sounding beats. I am especially into his latest release, "The Roots, The Leaves". The show is $5 and starts at 9 PM.
Valentine's is having a show with Ilyas Ahmed, Benoit Pioulard, Tara Jane o"Neil, and Marisa Anderson. Certain artists always play together. Sometimes because they are a natural fit. Sometimes because they are friends. Most of the time it is a combination of the two. I feel like I have seen Ilyas Ahmed play with TJO a few times. I know that I have never seen or heard of Marissa Anderson playing a show that TJO was not playing. They all are in the realm of softly pushing the boundaries of where folk music can go. I have not seen Benoit Pioulard, but his layered sounds over songs sound like it would mix well with this company of musicians. The show is FREE and starts at 9 PM.
Holocene is having a show with Pepper Rabbit (LA), The Globes, and The Golden Hours. This show is part of The Rumble which is a series put on by Future Sounds, Pamplemoose, and Cravedog. Basically these are some hip and happening bands playing a hip and happening venue at the hip price of FREE. I am not familiar with Pepper Rabbit, but I have seen The Globes and they are awesome. I saw them play with Oh Captain My Captain at Mississippi a while back. I was blown away with how good these guys were are writing catchy songs while also displaying how good they were are playing their instruments(they are really good at it). Then there is the Golden Hours, which is a band that I have not seen. I heard a lot about them last year, but not much lately. I know that on their myspace they have a cover of "Baby It's You" that made me an instant fan. The show is FREE and starts at 8:30 PM.
If you see me at any of these shows please say "Hi". I would love it.
-Ben
Cars & Trains are gonna do it right tonight at The Woods
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Last night I did not go to the show. I did however, get my wallet back. I am back in business. Which is good becuase there are some good shows happening tonight:
The Woods is having a show with DoublePlusGood and Cars & Trains. Okay, these two acts are terrific. I know that I tend tow say things like this all the time. But I mean it. You should see the amount of shows that I am am constantly not covering. Not to mention the shows that have some good bands but also some bad bands mixed in the bill (I will admit those sometimes make my picks). But whatever. These two are the real deal. I would love to see this show. DoublePlusGood (that's Newspeak, yo) plays catchy synth driven pop music. They will apparently be dropping eps every month until their album comes out, so check the Portland record shops (y'know where are all the fliers and free stuff is) and you might find their second in this series of eps. They will probably have them tonight at the show as well. Cars & Trains has impressed me a lot over the years. I have only seen him once but I have have two albums by him that I just love. Think kinda glitchy indie folk with some cool sounding beats. I am especially into his latest release, "The Roots, The Leaves". The show is $5 and starts at 9 PM.
Valentine's is having a show with Ilyas Ahmed, Benoit Pioulard, Tara Jane o"Neil, and Marisa Anderson. Certain artists always play together. Sometimes because they are a natural fit. Sometimes because they are friends. Most of the time it is a combination of the two. I feel like I have seen Ilyas Ahmed play with TJO a few times. I know that I have never seen or heard of Marissa Anderson playing a show that TJO was not playing. They all are in the realm of softly pushing the boundaries of where folk music can go. I have not seen Benoit Pioulard, but his layered sounds over songs sound like it would mix well with this company of musicians. The show is FREE and starts at 9 PM.
Holocene is having a show with Pepper Rabbit (LA), The Globes, and The Golden Hours. This show is part of The Rumble which is a series put on by Future Sounds, Pamplemoose, and Cravedog. Basically these are some hip and happening bands playing a hip and happening venue at the hip price of FREE. I am not familiar with Pepper Rabbit, but I have seen The Globes and they are awesome. I saw them play with Oh Captain My Captain at Mississippi a while back. I was blown away with how good these guys were are writing catchy songs while also displaying how good they were are playing their instruments(they are really good at it). Then there is the Golden Hours, which is a band that I have not seen. I heard a lot about them last year, but not much lately. I know that on their myspace they have a cover of "Baby It's You" that made me an instant fan. The show is FREE and starts at 8:30 PM.
If you see me at any of these shows please say "Hi". I would love it.
-Ben
Cars & Trains are gonna do it right tonight at The Woods
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