Hey Portland bands/musicians! If you're interested in submitting a track for the next PDX Pop Now! compilation, you can do it right now at this web locale: http://pdxpopnow.com/submit
Music submissions can be made online, but you'll have to send in a hard copy of the submission form with signature to PDX Pop Now! Attn: Comp Coordinator PO Box 14828 Portland, OR 97293.
All songs must be uploaded by February 28, 2010. Signed release forms must be received by March 15, 2010.
Holy Crap Guys! My favorite weekend of the year has arrived. Glorious glorious PDX Pop NOW! 2009 will begin by the end of tonight. There are other shows happening this weekend, but I wouldn't bank on my being at them. However, in the spirit of this blog's usually decent coverage, I will list them.
Friday, July 24rd
Jack Pot Records (Downtown) i shaving an in-store with The Thermals! I do love me some Thermals. Yes they are three chord pop punk, but they some how manage to get me hooked every time. It is FREE and starts at 6 PM.
Rotture is having Day one of three of the PDX Pop Now! 2009 Festival. So I cannot write about every one of these bands for the festival, so I will just leave it up to you to click on the links I have provided. Today will feature performances by:
Though, I won't write about every band. I do want to say that Dirty Mittens and Peter Broderick are not to be missed. The show is ALL AGES and FREE. It starts at 6 PM.
Laurelthirst is having a show with The Physical Hearts, Run On Sentence, Black Heart Moon. I have not heard of the The Physical Hearts which surprises me because they sound pretty good. I have not seen Run On Sentence. But I have seen Black Heart Moon and I love them. They make warm and sad music.
The Woods is having it's first official show tonight. They will have Ages, Golden Holy, and Garrett Pierce (Davis, CA). Pretty good. I mean I personally might have waited a week and not gone up against PDX Pop. But Whatevs. I saw Ages play last Sunday at Rontom's and it was good. It is kind of Pseudosix, the band that preceded Ages, but less rock and with more vocal parts (it should be noted that Pseudosix already had a lot of vocal parts). I had not heart of Golden Holy before, but it seems pretty good. The recordings I heard sounded a bit like it was epic music on a lo-fi scale. I want to hear them live to see what their music sounds like in real life. Garret Pierce sounds like a indie crooner. I like crooning. I guess they are doing their best to compete, because the show is FREE and the doors open at 8 PM.
Doug Fir is having a show with Themselves (Oakland, CA), Cars & Trains and Hostile Tapeover. Themselves is two of the three guys responsible for the seminal anticon group Cloudead The show is $12 and starts at 9 PM.
East Burn is having Good Will River. They kind of make music that is like slowly going down a stream. But I kind of get that feeling from any music that features a full time harmonica player (Blues Traveler excluded). The show is FREE and starts at 10 PM.
I am looking forward to this day of the festival. I think that Inside Voices, Church, and Laura Gibson are not to be missed, but there ate loads of bands that I want to see Saturday. I am bummed because I am missing a large chunk of the day due to stupid stupid work. The ALL AGES show is FREE and starts at noon.
Mississippi Studios is having a DEMOCRACYLAB BENEFIT featuring musical performances by Dolorean, Celilo, and Dave McCraw and Crow Wing (Flagstaff, AZ). "DemocracyLab is an experiment in direct democracy, powered by open source software, and built on the idea that technology can empower us to harness freedom of speech and the power of the vote to solve today’s most challenging problems." Does this sound interesting to you? It does me. Plus, Dolorean and Celilo are both excellent Americana bands. I have not heard of Dave McGraw before but it seems to be in the same vein. The show is $10 in advance and $12 at the door. The music starts at 8 PM.
In my opinion the must see acts for Sunday include, Sallie Ford and the Outside Sound, Nurses, Thrones, The Shaky Hands and...well actually you should just show up before 9 and then stay because it is all amazing. Also Menomena is playing and good lord do I love that band. The ALL AGES show is FREE and starts at noon.
Valentine's is having show with Brave Priest, Dark Lingo (Pittsburgh) and Bird Costumes. This is all kind on the weirder side of things. I mostly write about the show because I want to see Bird Costumes. He incorporates two things that I very much enjoy. Experimental music and costumes (check out his pictures and see how rad his bird head thing is). The show is by donation and starts at 9 PM.
Ducketts Public House is having a show with Wah Wah Exit Wound (Seattle), Bury My Teeth (Chicago), and Air War. These bands are rock. Not light rock or indie rock or anything like that. They are for real. I have been meaning to catch Air War for a while. The show is FREE and starts at 9 PM.
Please say "Hi" to me if you see me at The PDX Pop Now! 2009 fest. I am going to be there a whole lot. You will have ample opportunity. I am just saying.
-Ben
Nurses will be one of the many must see's at PDX Pop Now! 2009. See you there?
PDX Pop Now! needs your help. We have received over 400 submissions for this year's 2-CD compilation, representing a fabulous cross-section of the Portland music scene. Now we need to listen to all this music. That's where you come in! We need people to listen to the music and help us decide what to include. As a Listener, you will be provided with a group of songs to listen to. You listen to the songs and vote "yes" or "no" on whether the track should be included in the comp. It's that simple!
We'll be doing listening starting next week, and the listening process will take no more than two weeks to complete. No meetings to come to; you can do this whenever you have time. The voting and the songs will be available on the web, so you can listen to them online or you can download them and listen to them wherever you want.
If you're interested please go to our compilation page and get the listener info form, and email it to me or to comp@pdxpopnow.com. Don't worry if you or someone you know has submitted a track for the comp, taken part in the festival, etc. As you'll see from the form, we'll work it out so you're not listening to your (or your roommate's/boyfriend's/girlfriend's) music.
Please pass this message on to all of your friends, family, coworkers, your dearest enemies, and anyone else you could possibly think of. We need all the ears we can get.
The good people of PDX Pop Now! have begun taking requests for bands you, the people, would like to see play this years festival. All you have to do is type in the band's name in the box here. Feel free to check out the CIMTB master list of Portland bands if you can't remember all the bands you wish to see play this year.
Also while on the PDX Pop Now! website you should go here to write a letter to the OLLC.
And if you are in a band, you still have some time to submit a track for consideration for the CD complition. Just download this form and send it in by Friday the 29th of February.
PDX Pop Now has reposted their awesome boilerplate email that you can send to the OLCC commissioners. Read more... I would like to strongly encourage you to email the OLCC and tell everyone you know to do so as well. -- Ste. Goldie
Just wanted to remind everyone that Tuesday, November 13 at 5pm is the deadline for submitting feedback to the OLCC about their proposed rule changes that would allow music venues and other art spaces to admit minors and still sell alcohol (i.e. stay in business). Send your emails in support of the changes to: jennifer.huntsman@state.or.us
Opening more music and cultural events to people under 21 is the right thing to do for young people, local musicians, venues, and our community as a whole.
These emails will play an absolutely critical role in the OLCC's ultimate decision to adopt or reject the proposed changes, so take a minute to write in today.
Best,
Cary Clarke PDX Pop Now! www.pdxpopnow.com olcc@pdxpopnow.com
