Hey Kids, I'm on Internet TV!

Yeah, I know it's been forever since I posted - extra hours at work, playing in two bands, and preparing for my birthday have kept me busy. But I wanted to stop by and belatedly let you know about an excellent website - portlandnoise.com. This site, inspired by and in league with the sanfrancisco-based pacificnoise.com and worked on by the super-awesome Jim Mulhearn of the musiquarium, a great performance\recording space on NE Weidler, features 15-minute "webisodes" (I have a distate for that sort of internet-speak, bu there you have it). This is partly a self-serving post, as my band, New Century Schoolbook, is on one of the most recent episodes. The episodes involve a short interview as well as three or so songs by the featured band, and I think there have been 8 to date (although by now the 9th has probably come out.) Jim is a friendly, busy jack-of-all trades who reminds me of my dad (in a good way, my dad's awesome) bearded, casual and good at what he does. As well as producing the portland noise episodes, he does audio recording and plays in a band called bongloard.

Through Portlandnoise.com, I also discovered Dr. Something and The Poppin Fresh Love Engines. Although I'm generally kind of wary of folk-with-a-twist, Dr. Something is evil, yet unabashedly nerdy, and you really can't go wrong with a song called "cheatin' on u with ur robot double". Here's to a rad lady &co doing something different in Portland music.

And while I'm here, I'd like to tell you all (well, portland ones anyway) to go see Chrome Wings at rererato tonight, and check out New Century Schoolbook's CD Release show (all ages! free!) at Chaos Cafe tomorrow (saturday the 12th) I'm not on the CD (it was all recorded before I joined the band) but I stand behind it fully, and I did help stamp and fold and glue the CD cases.

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Show and Fashion Review : Chrome Wings, Hornet Leg, Cex, and Ecstatic Sunshine

Saturday night I headed downtown to check out this show at Backspace.
Chrome Wings, Hornet Leg, Cex, and Ecstatic Sunshine.
Chrome Wings played a really good show, and actually filled up a whole half hour or forty minutes of time with their music. I've been waiting for that!
Hornet Leg was pretty good - straight-ahead simple rock stuff, a duo, main high point I think is the singer's voice, although I couldn't really tell what he was singing, as is common with shows in smallish venues, it is a nice voice.
Cex bored the crap out of me. I guess dance music just isn't my thing. Every time there's something on with a simple, repeating four beat and little to no melodic variation, I feel like a spaceman, other people are dancing and getting into it and I think, "this sucks, I am so bored. I hope it's over soon." That said, he's good at what he does, and did a hilarious spoken word intro that made the rest of it kind of a letdown for me. I apologize that I couldn't find his website, if you know it tell me and I'll drop in a link.
Ecstatic Sunshine kicked total ass, they were really, really good. And nice kids too. Beautiful music made by a guitar, a synthesizer, and a wacky old-fashioned drum pad. Their set was over much too soon.
One thing I was seriously disturbed by - there was a fellow at the show last night wearing just a one piece long underwear outfit, a hoodie, and a pair of sneakers with no socks. and I kept thinking - what the hell is your deal, dude? You think you are cool? You just look like you forgot to put on your clothes today.
I think Portland's fashion choices have gotten a little too ironic. Ok, a tiny dinosaur shirt or some bling can be kind of entertaining, but you don't need to dress in all neon, grow your hair and beard out so you look like a mountain man in mid-nineties fashion, or otherwise put on the ugliest clothes and haircut just to look "cool". Maybe I'm a snob, but I'm just tired of the wacky.
Tonight, I'm heading down to the East End to check out Glass Candy. They've gotten totally awesome since I saw them last in 2002, and I'm excited.

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Chrome Wings This Week

Hey there, faithful CIMTB readers - remember back in January when I told you about one of my favourite Portland bands, Chrome Wings? (You forgot?!? I forgive you. click here.) Anyhow, my story's short and sweet, and the moral is, you have no excuse not to see them, because they're playing tomorrow night at the Chaos Cafe, 2620 SE Division. (I'm pretty sure it's all ages, early show.) They're also playing a north Portland house party on Saturday, but I don't have the address. (It might be a small-scale affair) and have dates coming up in March and April. Come on down and show some love!

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