This Week in the Mercury
Monday, February 28, 2011
Let's Talk About... Mike Watt, Aging, and the Art of Hieronymus Bosch
Posted by Andrew R Tonry on Mon, Feb 28, 2011 at 9:26 PM
If you don't like Mike Watt I don't like you. It's that simple. Watt is a man of the people, earnest and giving.
I remember catching him in 2009 and it felt like a gift. It was the first time I'd seen him since some serious health problems threatened to shut the door. Between the thudding shred of his classic blue-color set Watt barked and mumbled a few singular lessons on music, like on the intricacies and interplay between the bass and kick drum. Watt then beckoned everyone in the audience to start their own band.
Indeed it was inspiring, to see a yeoman living the dream.
More recently, Watt had entered a new phase of his career, as explored in this terrific New York Times feature:
(Watt) has given middle age much thought. “I had this need to write about this period in my life,” he said. “You know, punk-rock guy confronting himself. But I didn’t have the talent to put it in one song.”So he wrote 30 short ones. The subtext of the resulting album, “Hyphenated-Man,” is a fragmented self-portrait: “a mirror busted up in 30 pieces,” as he put it. But on the surface it’s a detailed description of 30 different characters painted by Hieronymus Bosch. “You know,” he said, “the midlife thing, the nightmare thing.”
...
Mr. Watt decided to return to the way he wrote songs in the Minutemen: title first, then music, then words. (He wrote all the songs on D. Boon’s Fender Telecaster guitar.) He based each song on a different Bosch character, drawing from six paintings.
Bosch's works are wild, evocative, often painful orgies—certainly worth spending some time on in their own right. The Times piece features a breakdown of the Bosch characters that inspired Watt's songs.
Hyphenated-Man comes out March 1st, or basically this very moment. More info can be found at Watt's terrific site/blog Hoot Page. A preview track, "Hollowed-out-man" is up on his Myspace. It sounds fucking great.
Tonight! Tonight in Music: The Thermals with Lifesavas and Eric Clapton
Posted by Colleen Smyth on Mon, Feb 28, 2011 at 3:13 PM
THE THERMALS, LIFESAVAS(Oak Parks Skating Rink, 7805 SE Oaks Park) Fact: Adding the word "roller" to anything improves it tenfold. Disco becomes the roller disco of Xanadu. Derby goes from an old-timey hat to the magical experience of roller derby. So let's try it with Portland's favorite rockin' threesome, the Thermals. BLAM! Roller Thermals, the best roller-skating concert of the year. You'll need a wristband to get into the show, so follow Google's HotpotPDX Twitter account (@HotpotPDX) to find out when and where they're giving them away. COURTNEY FERGUSON
ERIC CLAPTON(Rose Garden, 1 Center Court) Read our (kinda mean) article on Eric Clapton.
A complete listing of this week's shows can be viewed here.
Video Fuse TV on Portland Music
Posted by Ezra Ace Caraeff on Mon, Feb 28, 2011 at 2:29 PM
"Welcome to Portland Oregon, where people come to enjoy the great outdoors and the sound of nature. SCREW THAT, LET'S ROCK!"
Gulp. To be honest, that introduction from photographer Ray Gordon had me a little concerned about the quality of this Fuse segment on Portland music that premiered last week on their Hoppus on Music program (which is no Pants-Off Dance-Off, but it does air every Friday at 8pm).
Turns out that Gordon knows his local music, and he conducts brief-yet-candid interviews with Justin Harris from Menomena, Trevor Solomon from MusicFest NW, the Thermals (who lovingly describe our city as being "for lazy people"), and the Decemberists' Colin Meloy. While the segment didn't cover any new ground for us Oregonians who are well aware that it rains here and we all have basements, it does do a superior job than similar clips that have aired in previous years, or any episode Portlandia. Anything is better than Portlandia.
Tonight! Portugal. The Man to Play a "Secret" Show in Portland Tonight
Posted by Ezra Ace Caraeff on Mon, Feb 28, 2011 at 1:34 PM
Well, it was secret for a little awhile at least. Before they embark for SXSW, Bonnaroo, and complete global domination, the Portugal. The Man crew is giving us Portlanders a chance to see them play a "secret" show at the Beauty Bar. They will be sharing a bill with local acts The We Shared Milk and Hello Electric, the fun starts at 9pm, and it's a totally free show.
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Video New Lady Gaga Video- "Born This Way"
Posted by Raquel Nasser on Mon, Feb 28, 2011 at 10:35 AM
Oh, look; it's the video for Lady Gaga's new single, "Born This Way." I made the mistake of watching this while eating breakfast; apparently, kaleidoscopic vulva and Lady Gaga's head covered in gooey afterbirth don't go well with scrambled eggs. Consider that your warning.
That's just the beginning, though. Once the "Manifesto of Mother Monster"—the story which I think suggests Gaga was brought into this world as an evil alien, though I'm not entirely sure, so much placenta—has ceased, she mostly just references God's creation while dancing in chainy underwear and touching herself. Typical and relatively breakfast-safe, though questionably work-safe, much like most of what Lady Gaga puts out into the world. But as the Lady doth protest; she can't help it, she was born this way.
MP3 Menomena on Daytrotter
Posted by Ezra Ace Caraeff on Mon, Feb 28, 2011 at 10:32 AM
Before Brent Knopf took his ball and went home, the Menomena boys made a stopover at Daytrotter's cozy studios in downtown Rock Island, Ill. It was there that the band recorded three songs from last year's Mines LP, all of which are available for free download right this very second. Well, what are you waiting for? Start downloading.
LISTEN:
Menomena - "Killemall" (live at Daytrotter)
Video Tu Fawning - "Sad Story" Video
Posted by Ezra Ace Caraeff on Mon, Feb 28, 2011 at 7:29 AM
The kind-on-the-eyes boys and girls of Tu Fawning are currently traveling through Europe, sleeping in hostels, forgoing freshman year at Sarah Lawrence, eating Nutella from a jar, and discovering themselves.
Or maybe they're just on tour, playing fun-sounding destinations like Den Bosch, Netherlands (where they performed last night). Despite all that travel in support of last year's excellent Hearts On Hold LP, the band still found time to deliver this video for "Sad Story." Directed by Edward P. Davee, the haunting clip has the Fawnings surrounded by sinister trees and the unforgiving elements, plus there are some nifty projections in it as well.
Video Hives Inquiry Squad - "No Way Out" Video
Posted by Ezra Ace Caraeff on Mon, Feb 28, 2011 at 6:57 AM
Local hiphopheads are well aware of the slap-happy rhymes of Hives Inquiry Squad—as readers of this paper should be as well—and now the dizzying flow of Lucas Dix and Gavin Soen have a dizzying video to match. You might need a handful of dramamine to make it through it, but this clip for "No Way Out," from the Hives' debut album Edifice, is a lot of fun, especially if you like the sensation of spinning in circles.
MP3 Must-Have Mixtape: For the Weed Smokers
Posted by Andrew R Tonry on Mon, Feb 28, 2011 at 12:27 AM
For the longest time I was bummed about my lack of Gnar Tapes. There are a handful of releases I want like Unkle Funkle and The Mean Jeans. But I'm not a tape guy and I ain't becoming one.
Such small run cassette-only releases have become more common in recent years. Beyond a nostalgic association, the tape scene seems revolves around exclusivity. There are few to go around and only the cool, connected motherfuckers get them. The medium itself acts a purposeful roadblock—technophiles and posers need not apply.
As such, cassette-only releases don't often make it to the populist web. It's as if the tape-releases are designed to be coveted yet fleeting, like they're not supposed to last or be enjoyed by the masses. Self-aggrandizing in this self-imposed outsider status, sometimes I get the feeling that if some of the releases gained greater attention they'd somehow lose their allure inside the scene.
The dudes at Gnar Tapes, however, aren't into such nose-thumbing horse shit. They're putting out reliably sweet jams and not afraid to share.
Their most recent recent release I heard, had to have—and figured I never would—is For the Weed Smokers, a teeming salad of southern rap's stickiest greens. The collection is curated by Kid Slizzard, a mixtape machine behind the tremendous Twankle & Glisten.
For the Weed Smokers is 90 minutes of uptempo, paranoia free, hazy bliss. Every song is about and powered by weed—and surely the tape is best enjoyed with a head full of it. As I learned from from one track, hit it for ten seconds and hold it for twenty.
You can grab For the Weed Smokers as free download at the Gnar Tapes store or place and order and get the cassette and the killer art. They're also offering downloads of a couple other recent releases, including Memories (featuing members of White Fang and BOOM!), White Rainbow and more (but sadly not Unkle Funkle).
Twankle & Glisten is also worth a good look. Slizzard's got a ton of downloadable mixes featuring of all kinds of obscure, hilarious, and long-lost rap.
Since it's a tape release, For the Weed Smokers is only broken out into two fat mp3 files, sides 'A' and 'B.' As such there's no easy way to share a sample. So just take my word for it—this is one sweet, slippery mix you've just got to have. So go on, get it.
H/T: Christian from The Mean Jeans
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Sunday, February 27, 2011
Tonight! Tonight in Music: Maceo Parker at PDX Jazz Fest, Swans, How to Dress Well and more
Posted by Colleen Smyth on Sun, Feb 27, 2011 at 3:12 PM
PDX JAZZ FEST: MACEO PARKER(Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside) Now in its eighth year, the Portland Jazz Festival wraps up a week and a half of concerts, events, and panels with a show from the fantastic saxophone legend Maceo Parker, who's played with everyone from James Brown and Bootsy Collins to Prince and Ani DiFranco. ERIK HENRIKSEN
SWANS, WOODEN WAND(Roseland, 8 NW 6th) It's been a long time coming, but the decade-plus wait has been worth it. Swans, the legendary masters of noir, released My Father Will Guide Me Up a Rope to the Sky, one of the 2010's coolest, creepiest records, not to mention one of the strongest comeback albums any band has ever done. My Father... is a testament to the band's power and energy, clamoring with heavy percussive accents, doomsayer riffs from a world beyond, and Michael Gira's damning lyrical imagery. Few things could force a man to face and fight his innermost demons and beat them down to a pulp, but Gira's words are one of those things, and his band's music acts as the foot soldiers who will ultimately bury all known evils that stand in the way, deep in the ground. His troubled troubadour bleakness as Angels of Light has tided Swans fans over for the last decade, but now it's time for his punishing, desperado, post-punk band to take us down that fateful path with him. TRAVIS RITTER
HOW TO DRESS WELL, GROUPER, GOLDEN RETRIEVER(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) Liz Harris, better known as Grouper, has two new albums in the works. Dream Loss and Alien Observer were both recorded over the past four years, with Dream Loss collecting some of Harris' older songs and Alien Observer focusing on the aftermath of a difficult time in Harris' life. The two records are meant to be of a piece, halves of the same whole, and they'll be out on vinyl and MP3 in April. Tonight she shares a bill with How to Dress Well, the strange project of Brooklyn's Tom Krell, who records washed-out, blurry pop songs that echo with R&B's yearning, often delivered in keening falsetto. The music of How to Dress Well is lumpy, elusive, broken-sounding, and—more often than not—staggeringly gorgeous. It's a perfect counterpart to the similarly waterlogged sounds of Grouper, whose chilly flicker might be beamed in from the same ethereal plane as the hot bath of How to Dress Well. NED LANNAMANN
JARED MEES AND THE GROWN CHILDREN, MONARQUES, ROCKY AND THE PROMS(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) If you got stood up for last week's Rock and Roll Prom at Rontoms (how could your sister do that to you? I'm telling Mom), then you need to be front and center at Mississippi Studios tonight. Compiled of a similar lineup to the Prom, but without the dress code or pressure to get all the way to second base, this is an evening of true local talent. The giddy rock numbers of Rocky and the Proms fittingly kick things off, followed by the finely tuned popsmiths of Monarques, and finally, Jared Mees and his band of Grown Children. The Mees kiddies have a new record under their belts in Only Good Thoughts Can Stay, but since it's not out until May we won't spoil the surprise now. Okay, fine, we will. It's really, really good. EZRA ACE CARAEFF
A complete listing of this week's shows can be viewed here.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Tonight! Tonight in Music: Deerhoof, Loch Lomond with Ramona Falls, Ted Leo, and much more
Posted by Colleen Smyth on Sat, Feb 26, 2011 at 3:04 PM
DEERHOOF, NEAL MORGAN (6 PM); DEERHOOF, BEN BUTLER AND MOUSEPAD (9:30 PM)(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) The swirling art-pop sounds of Deerhoof are no stranger to Portlanders; that's why the charismatic San Francisco band is pulling a double shift tonight in support of their new Deerhoof vs. Evil recording. The first show is for the kiddies, then things get boozy for a 21-plus performance. EZRA ACE CARAEFF
LOCH LOMOND, RAMONA FALLS(Alberta Rose Theatre, 3000 NE Alberta) Read our article about Loch Lomond.
TED LEO, FORBIDDEN FRIENDS(Backspace, 115 NW 5th) Bon Jovi made $201 million last year. That astronomic number is solely from 80 dates on the road (it does not include their catalog sales, nor does it factor in the cost of Tico Torres' hair plugs). I mention this not because it's soul-crushingly unfair—it is, we all know this—but because Ted Leo recently implied that he's near the end of his run due to financial concerns. The Jersey rocker behind Chisel and an incredible string of releases—both solo and backed by the Pharmacists—Leo admitted in a 2010 interview that he was exhausted from sluggish record sales and the sheer financial insanity that comes with attempting to feed yourself after two decades of life as a touring indie musician. Leo isn't ready to hang up the denim jacket quite yet, but for the love of Christ, go see him. Tonight. Right fucking now. Leo's penchant for writing jittery rock and roll songs is criminally underappreciated. Let's break it down: if you like Thin Lizzy, you will like Ted Leo; if you like Fugazi, you will like Ted Leo; if you like Elvis Costello, you will love Ted Leo. If your musical interests are not covered in any of the aforementioned bands, then never mind, we could never be friends anyway. EAC
MARISA ANDERSON, LARRY YES AND THE TANGLED MESS(Eagles Lodge, 4904 SE Hawthorne) The Golden Hour, the second solo record from guitarist Marisa Anderson, is a collection of 12 solo improvised compositions that sound like transmissions from the dusty roads of America's past. Some songs rattle and groan with amplifier rust, while others dance nimbly from Anderson's fingerwork, embracing the physicality of country and blues music while inhabiting a more mystical headspace. It's music for the mind and the body, and Anderson's sure, steady hand (which has also done time with the Dolly Ranchers and the Evolutionary Jass Band) goes fearlessly into unknown territory, places that are rich with dirt and ghosts and loss—and also joy. Tonight's show celebrates the release of the record, pressed onto vinyl by Mississippi Records. NED LANNAMANN
A complete listing of this week's shows can be viewed here.
News Soul'd Out 2011 Brings Lauryn Hill, Mos Def, Ice Cube & More to Portland
Posted by Ezra Ace Caraeff on Sat, Feb 26, 2011 at 10:29 AM
Wow.
That was my reaction after reading the initial lineup of acts confirmed to play the second annual Soul'd Out Music Festival. You ready? Here we go...
Ms. Lauryn Hill, Mos Def, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Ice Cube, Ellis Marsalis, Black Joe Lewis, Raphael Saadiq, Donald Harrison, Afro Cuban All Stars, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Rusko, Francis & the Lights, The Motet, Louis Hayes, Trentemoller, Blackalicious, Holy Ghost, Das Racist, Jahdan Blakkamoore, Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad, Prezident Brown
I'll give you a minute to clean up the coffee you spit on your keyboard after reading the name "Lauryn Hill" on that list of performers.
Okay, all clean? Let's proceed. Compared to other festivals, Soul'd Out is a pretty casual event, as it takes place over a long stretch of dates (April 7-17) at various venues throughout Portland. Both individual show tickets and all-access passes will go on sale Friday, March 4. We'll post more details about that when they become available.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Video Starfucker - "Quality Time" Video
Posted by Ezra Ace Caraeff on Fri, Feb 25, 2011 at 1:41 PM
On March 8th Starfucker is all set to release Reptilians upon the world. It's the band's sophomore LP and first for Midwest indie imprint Polyvinyl, so let's celebrate this fact with a raging toga party!
At least that's the concept for the excellent video for "Quality Time," the final instrumental track on Reptilians. Everything is fine until the guy who looks like Syndrome from The Incredibles shows up and totally ruins the toga party. That's it, I don't care who his dad is, that dude is totally out of the frat.
Now where did I put my Natty Ice?
Tonight! Tonight in Music: Esperanza Spalding, The Builders and the Butchers, Malaikat Dan Singa, and much more
Posted by Colleen Smyth on Fri, Feb 25, 2011 at 12:18 PM
PDX JAZZ FEST: ESPERANZA SPALDING(Newmark Theatre, 1111 SW Broadway) Read our article about Esperanza Spalding.
THE BUILDERS AND THE BUTCHERS(Everywhere in Portland) Today the Builders and the Butchers will become the Builders and the Buskers. In support of their excellent new album, Dead Reckoning, the band is about to play to every single soul in Portland, like it or not. The Butchers are hitting the streets for eight shows in as many hours. From the Rebuilding Center to Powell's—no location is safe from the Butchers today. Take a long lunch and catch them at the carts, or knock back a couple domestic beers and watch them at the Doug Fir patio. Or, if you see them all eight times, they'll probably let you join the band—I hope you can play the tambourine and really like touring. Here's a list of their performances: noon at Trade Up Music (1834 NE Alberta); 1 pm at the Rebuilding Center (3265 N Mississippi); 2 pm at Mississippi Marketplace Food Carts (4233 N Mississippi); 3 pm at Jackpot Records (3574 SE Hawthorne); 4 pm at Powell's City of Books (1005 W Burnside); 5 pm at Voodoo Doughnuts (22 SW 3rd); 6 pm at the Doug Fir Patio (830 E Burnside); 7:30 pm at Music Millennium (3158 E Burnside). EZRA ACE CARAEFF
MALAIKAT DAN SINGA, OZARKS, SHAPES, ANGELO SPENCER ET LES HAUTS SOMMETS, MEDIA THEM(The Artistery, 4315 SE Division) Tonight marks the release of Portland band Ozarks' split 7-inch single with singer/songwriter Davis Hooker, out on local imprint Wil-Ru Records. Both sides are equally strong: Ozarks' "Pyramids of Love" is a woozy, winding post-psychedelic comedown, with a hushed vocal and staccato organ building to a carefully lush chorus. It's a song that gets progressively better with each listen. Meanwhile, Davis Hooker—formerly of A John Henry Memorial—might even be more subdued on his side of the 7-inch. A slow, folky number in three, "Amis" sounds like Hooker whispering right up against the speaker, were it not for the rowdy chorus of singers off in the distance. It's an excellent split single, with the promise of further releases to come on Wil-Ru. NED LANNAMANN
BOATS, WH WALKER, BLOODTYPES, MIDNIGHT CALLERS(Plan B, 1305 SE 8th) It always seemed like the bubblegum pop-punksters in the Soda Pop Kids were just one recording away from breaking through to the masses, but sadly the band called it day back in 2007 (although their final show came in 2009). While the Pop Kids were dissolving, a pair of its members—Devin Clark and Alan Torres—were teaming up to form Welcome Home Walker (now known as WH Walker). While they might have been raised by punk rock, WH Walker's seven-song Suds! is Spector-obsessed and unafraid to dip into classic '50s pop. While the title track sounds like a detergent jingle—in a good way—the ragged garage pop of "Second Hand Store" could make any guitar romantic weak in the knees. EAC
A complete listing of this week's shows can be viewed here.
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They Live Here / Let's Talk About... Name Change! Billygoat Is Now Good Night Billygoat
Posted by Travis Ritter on Fri, Feb 25, 2011 at 12:14 PM
Recent Portland transplants Billygoat just underwent a name change, out of the fear of a potential lawsuit respect for Dallas' Billygoat, and are now going as Good Night Billygoat. The duo also recently became a trio, adding drummer Corey Nelson into the fold, who replaces the the drum samples the drummer-less band once used. Although Good Night Billygoat doesn't have any Portland dates booked in the near future, they'll stay plenty busy over the next month, returning to their native California to play a few shows and work on the finishing touches to the music for the animated art film Dioscuri they're producing. Stay tuned, a/v geeks!
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