Interesting story in today's NY Times re: Girl Talk and copyright law. Because his samples are short, GT asserts his usage falls under "fair use," just like someone quoting a newspaper article or passage from a book in another media outlet.

Strangely enough GT's congressman, Pennsylvania's Mike Doyle, has weighed in on issue, backing the argument:

"You have to look at the length of those samples," Mr. Doyle said in a phone interview. "Case law gets built as cases are brought to court, and I think that more case law is going to fall on his side as this becomes more mainstream."

And of course, if you read End Hits regularly, you know I think Girl Talk is an absolute hack, so I got a chuckle out of this passage from a lawyer on the other side of the issue:

"Fair use is a means to allow people to comment on a pre-existing work, not a means to allow someone to take a pre-existing work and recreate it into their own work," said Barry Slotnick, head of the intellectual property litigation group at the law firm Loeb & Loeb. "What you can't do is substitute someone else's creativity for your own."

The article goes on to mention that some of those sampled may be fearful of bringing the lawsuit against GT because, if he wins, it could set dangerous precedent.

This is possible, but I think there might be something more to it: Perhaps artists are simply happy to be appearing in these mashups. It's good press, right? And how far is GT's application away from simply having one's songs spun in a club? How could it be, in any way, bad publicity?

As much as I loathe Girl Talk, I'd rather he get away with the whole "fair use" argument. I think he does "substitute someone else's creativity for (his) own," but the judgement on creativity, in the end, rests in the ears of the listener.

That being the case, I loved it when GT says: "I want to be a musician and not just a party DJ" (emphasis mine). Read in to that what you will...

(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) Taking cues straight from the Fela Kuti handbook, Nomo create their own brand of modern Afrobeat that is stylistically all their own: one part Brazilian funk, one part avant-garde jazz, one part krautrock, and a whole hell of a lot of percussion signaling the way to both their remarkable albums and even more raucous live show. As a nine-piece, the band rips through their songs with a nearly unparalleled kinetic energy that is sure to whip even the most cynical hipster into a bottom-shaking frenzy. Not only that—your parents will probably love them, too, so now you can finally, without embarrassment, talk to your folks about funk music that isn't "Play That Funky Music." Hey, everybody wins!

Enjoy.

SKREAM, DJ MONKEYTEK, RYAN ORGAN
(Crown Room, 205 NW 4th) If you know anything at all about dubstep, it's probably because of Skream (Ollie Jones). Just as UK garage was shedding some of its layers to make way for a more stripped-down bass sound, Skream's "Midnight Request Line" became an instant anthem, quickly crossing over genre lines and netting the attention of the mainstream who had to hear more. Jones was steeped in the culture of sub-bass before it went big, working at Big Apple Records in South London, the epicenter of the yet-to-be-discovered dubstep world. He made a quick transition to internationally known producer, DJ, remixer, collaborator, and radio show host on London's popular Rinse FM, all while still a teenager. Now just 21 years old, Skream is the number one name in dubstep. That he is playing in Portland goes to show the scene has exploded-not only across the UK, but here in the Northwest, too. AVA HEGEDUS

LISTEN:

Skream - "Midnight Request Line"

Jon Ragel, the drum machine chowing lone member of Boy Eats Drum Machine, is taking part in the Wonder Ballroom's "The Cure vs Talking Heads Tribute Night" on August 16th. But instead of just wearing a giant suit (David Byrne) or dressing up like a menopausal woman with bad makeup and hair (Robert Smith), Ragel has formed an all-star band to create what he calls "Live Mashups."

Myself (vox/turntable), Dave Allen (bass), Benjy Rickard (guitar/synth), and Paul Alcott (drums) will be tweaking Talking Heads and Cure songs over the grooves of Aaliyah, Michael Jackson, and Gang Of Four.

This sounds like a great idea and a welcome change from the usual tribute night. In fact, it sounds better than anything on No Talking, Just Head from the Heads. Have a listen.

LISTEN:

"Live Mash 1" (feat. Aaliyah, Talking Heads, Van Halen, Cure)

Another week, another Mercury music section to read while you are dialing 9-1-1 to complain about your poorly made lunch. Sandwich artist, my ass. Where's Jared at?

Dolly Parton--or as I like to think of her, Doralee Rhodes--represents everything that is great about this country of ours, for better or for worse. Plus she has an amusement park and cares very deeply about Knoxville road closures. God, I could watch that video all day.
LISTEN:

Dolly Parton - "Jolene"

Much to the dismay of the less popular Gresham Tuba Commission, the acclaimed Portland Cello Project successfully merges classical and pop music. Cello rulez, Tuba droolz! ROTFL!!
LISTEN:

Portland Cello Project & Nick Jaina - "Power"

Not really a small snake (I know, right?), Tiny Vipers talks songwriting and how her new songs are "weird." In a good way, I think.
LISTEN:

Tiny Vipers - "Aron"

Don't confuse King Louie with the animated monkey who dances to Louis Prima songs. This Louie is a dirty rock and roll whirlwind from deep in the Bayou who also used to play in the Exploding Hearts for a brief time as well.
LISTEN:

King Louie and the Loose Diamonds - "Gypsy Switch"

In our music columns, I write about StumpClub's plans to open a brand new all-age venue and Cary talks about the charming kalimba playing Eliot Rose.
LISTEN:

Eliot Rose - "Brightness And The Blood"

Last night I was turned onto quite possibly the greatest invention of the texting age: Cha Cha. You have a question? Text it to 242-242 and some magical person on the other end will send you back an answer. Sounds simple enough, right? But why is this any better than, say, Google on an iPhone? Well, just look how last night's drunken texting went down:

Q: How can I be a total badass like Batman?
A: To be like Batman you should eat right and work to gain more muscle mass. Use exercises that use the whole body. Swimming is good.

Q: How can I get a girlfriend?
A: Show the prospective female that you're fascinated with her intellect, in addition to her sexual or physical desirable traits.

Q: How can I get two girlfriends?
A: Ask two women out separately. If they both say yes you have two girlfriends.

Q: Who is the most wicked sweet guitar player of all time?
A: Rolling Stone considers Jimi Hendrix to be the best guitar player of all time.

Q: How can I get Bruce Springsteen to be my friend?
A: You could write him a nicely worded letter!

See?! Next time you're at the bar and want to know why Morrissey is so sad all the time, why Jim Morrison was such a turd, or why Frank Black got so fat, Cha Cha will have an answer! Amazing!

If anybody needs me, I'm going to be off writing a nicely worded letter.

We haven't written too much about sorta local, sorta famous, duo She & Him. Made up of M.Ward (him) and Zooey Deschanel (she), the duo released Volume One, a surprisingly strong debut that proved that Ward has a bit of a golden touch and Deschanel can actually sing, and not in that way Scarlett Johansson can kind of sing. She brings it.

The duo performed at the Newport Folk Festival (they went electric, despite Pete Seeger threatening to hack them to death with an axe) this past Friday and their excellent performance was documented by NPR for the streaming and Aquarium Drunkard for the downloading. Now all Deschanel needs to do is write a song apologizing for The Happening.

LISTEN:

She & Him - "I Was Made For You"

Photo courtesy of NPR. Link courtesy of Aquarium Drunkard. I'm courtesy of my parent's love.

At last night's Tu Fawning show talk turned to Shia LaBeouf (as it often does at shows) and how the douchebag who is seemingly in every movie these days talented actor is trying to make a movie based on backpack hiphop artist Cage. Much like many a bad-dad-emo-band, Cage is a bit of a one trick pony--that "trick" being his ridiculous tales of his junkie dad and his painful upbringing--but evidently this steez works for LaBeouf, who, as of last update, was delayed on the project due to the writer's strike. And this probably doesn't help things as well.

But if there is one Cage song that stands apart it's the morbid "Ballad of Worms" which puts to use a sprawling Built to Spill sample (from "I Would Hurt a Fly"), which somehow works in this barren tale of his lover's slow death from meningitis. It's quite graphic ("To numb to cum, sometimes she piss while I eat her"), but at its core the song does a fine job of balancing the heavy subject matter with a sample that utilizes Doug Martsch's trademark voice and guitar wankery.

"My crib's designed to keep the light out cause she can't lift the blinds/Drifting behind, I'll be outta friends soon/Nobody visits the guy that keeps the body in his bedroom"

LISTEN:

Cage - "Ballad of Worns"

Album opener "No Love" starts off simply, with the band vamping on a single chord, letting the song emerge. "Don't They Know" follows, with a similarly slowburning build-up, before staccato rapid-fire guitar notes, one after another, stack up against a simple synth embellishment. The sound is wiry, fully coiled, and ready to pounce, and over the course of the record, the Estranged indeed pounce. Again and again.

"Nothing to Say" is a personal highlight, where the guitar and bass start to fill up more space in their chordings, sounding like the Who after taking more leapers than they probably should have. "Apparition" is ominously moody, containing a completely legit snarling guitar solo, as does album closer "Valueless Properties," almost verging on becoming epic. As antithetical as it may be to the punk asthetic of no frills get-in, get-out, Static Thoughts is at its best when the band stretches out and just plays; they've stripped down the emo-hardcore of Remains of the Day, which at times got mushy and overly weighty. Now, the music is taut without an ounce of fat, and when this band gets going, it's not so much a cannonball as a ninja star that you never saw coming, but will kill you just as quickly.

LISTEN:

The Estranged - "Nothing to Say"

Currently, the Dirtnap Records website says the vinyl is out of stock, but the CD is still available. In the meantime, the Estranged have a couple local dates on the horizon: August 28 at the Know (that's an Alberta Last Thursday) and the bill still shows the Prids are also playing that show... In light of the Prids' recent accident, I don't know if that's right. The Estranged also play Friday August 29 at Backspace.

Oh crap, the secret is out. Those ace reporters at NME (Remember when they said Gay Dad would be the biggest band ever? That was fun.) have giving the thumbs up to the music of our country. Fucking finally! New Bands Editor (what kind of wanky title is that?) Alex Miller speaks:

"Right now I can barely go a day without coming across a new genius band from the States. While the art scene of Brooklyn or the punks of LA are keeping the underground fascinating, the ceaseless ambitions of Lil Wayne and the Kings Of Leon are making the Chili Pepper and Fiddy Cent cliches of the mainstream redundant. If only it wasn't so bloody hard to get a green card!"

Oh, hilarious. Of the Top 25 bands in America, naturally Vampire Weekend is number one (brilliant!), Lil Wayne is number two (he's no Vampire Weekend), and coming in third is Portland's very own Glass Candy. Hey, not bad. I kind of expected them to list Vampire Weekend as number three as well. They are just that good.

USA! USA!

It's no secret that I love Girls. Hey, wait, not like that. I mean, don't get me wrong, I like girls and all, but I'm talking San Francisco's Girls here. No, not girls from San Francisco. "God Damned," talking about this band is hard.

Way to make it always awkward, Girls.

Seriously though, this band rips. Not only did they put on one of my favorite shows in recent memory, their song "Morning Light" (check it via Myspace) is on my shortlist for song of the year. The above song "God Damned" is one of their more mellow affairs, but it is still fantastic, and the video is pretty gorgeous to boot.

(HT: Gorilla Vs. Bear)

Birthed in the confusing word of Boy Gorilla Records (to best understand this weird little community just assume that everyone involved is much younger than you and plays in about a dozen bands, all of which are pretty great) Doubledutch is made up of Dhani Rosa (Eskimo and Sons) and Jordan Bagnall (Typhoon). The downright adorable duo are prepping the release of their oddly-titled debut, Gungle Dungn, which will be celebrated by an August 21st release show at Holocene.

"Sugar" definitely has an early Mates of State feel to it--with the humming keyboard line and soft vocals--but with a bit less pep. The album is loaded with inventive pop music, proof that this city's pop exports are boundless in both ambition and energy. It's enough to forgive Bagnall Rosa for rocking that ridiculous thin headband in their promo photos. You can pour all the milk you want, buddy, but get that goddamn thing off your head. History will not be kind to the headband. Unless you are Sitting Bull. Or Jim McMahon.

LISTEN:

Doubledutch - "Sugar"

So in honor of the heat, and since I'm about to go swimming, I bring you a concert from an empty pool. It looks sweltering there too.

The band, one of my absolute favorites, Les Savy Fav, played McClaren Pool in Brooklyn back in 2006. It was, I believe, the inaugural show at the pool which has since produced a torrent steady goodness. Sad too say I've never been, and it seems I'll never go. At the end of summer McClaren is undergoing renovations and the pool will be once again be filled with water, as opposed to hipster Brooklynites.

Les Savy Fav, on the other hand, continues trucking. And thank my lucky beans, they're playing this year's MusicFest NW (because goddamn, they skipped Portland on the tour for Let's Stay Friends, playing Seattle, then they returned to our crappy, bloated, sister city to the north a second time for the Capitol Hill Block Party). Thank God we're finally getting a taste--it's been a few years.

Here they are, doing "The Sweat Descends," which is shot pretty damn well.

Maybe you're tired of hearing about the Pickathon roots music festival. Or, maybe you just can't get enough. In that case, you're in luck: There's an unofficial after-party happening tonight at the Alberta Street Public House. They've been keeping the lineup under wraps, but here's the bill if you're interested:

- Woody Pines & the Lonesome Two
- Sassparilla
- Kit Stovepipe
- Ian Thomas
- Pokey LaFarge

I remember last year they had a similar kind of after-show at Alberta St, and Langhorne Slim did a set. By the time I got down there, the place was stuffed to capacity. Anyway, that's what's goin' down tonight. It's six smackers to get in, and PBRs are only buck apiece.

Alberta Street Public House, 1036 NE Alberta, 7 pm, $6

Do I really need to say anything else?! Mission of Burma! One of the greatest records of all time! In its entirety! September 29th at the Doug Fir.

Pitchfork, I could kiss you right now.

Some days, you just want it in the ear. Today, we give you just that. This episode of Your Radio Sucks features music by the likes of Correcto, David Vandervelde, White Denim, Jared Mees & the Grown Children, the Weight, Starfucker, Conor Oberst, Apollo Sunshine, and Blitzen Trapper (pictured). Give your ear some love.

If you know anything about our booming all-age scene you know StumpClub.

The local "collective of greater Portland music lovers dedicated to building community and ensuring live music is available to everyone of all ages" has just released their latest compilation, StumpClub Vol. 2, which features 19 tracks of local goodness from the likes of 31knots, Panther, Dirty Mittens, Ghost to Falco, Magic Johnson, and tons more. To celebrate such a release, the Stumpers (that sounds terrible, sorry) are throwing a release show this Saturday at The Coop (3535 N Lombard) with Reporter, Experimental Dental School, and Teeath (all three of which are also represented on the compilation).

Yes, bands named Experimental Dental School and Teeath on the same bill. Perhaps the Dental School can extract the extra "a" from Teeath's name.

Anyway, another treat on StumpClub Vol. 2 is a brand new tune from the All Girl Summer Fun Band's upcoming full-length Looking Into It, due out this September on their own label. Fittingly, the song is called "Something New."

LISTEN:

All Girl Summer Fun Band - "Something New"

Musically speaking, it's been pretty crazy here in Grumptown these last few weeks. There was the phenomenal PDX Pop Now festival, along with Pickathon (which, thanks to Ned's reviews, I'm totally checking out next year), not to mention a slew of awesome shows like The Hold Steady, Sharon Jones at the Zoo (unfuckingbelieveable), Boris, Ray Davies, The Zombies, No Age, and probably a whole lot more I'm forgetting because they happened more than two weeks ago. Not bad, eh?

Today, and the next few days, however, feel a little slow (relatively speaking). Maybe it's just me. But you know what? I'm fine with it. I, along with my swollen, embattled liver, need a moment to breathe.

So, in the hopes of starting a dialogue, I thought I'd take this time to YOU how YOU'RE feeling about the state of Portland music. What are you happy to see? What are you missing? What rules/times/venues are putting the clamps down on an otherwise good time? Who's doing the best job? Which bouncers are the most blood-thirsty? Best show of the year so far? Biggest letdown? Who's the craziest live band around? What's a band not getting coverage here on End Hits that ought to be?

And so on...

You get the drift. It's like a "listening tour" that are all the rage in politics these days. Seriously though, I'd like to hear what y'all are thinking.

Come with it!

Okay, so Pickathon ended up being a ridiculously good time: Basically, a three-day party in the woods with some great live music. And unlike music festivals of a louder nature, the ear doesn't get fatigued listening to the roots music for three days straight. Did it turn me into a hippie? Well, no. But I had a blast, and I can't wait until next year.

I admit that my memory is kind of shoddy right now (doing anything at all is remarkably difficult today--eating a bowl of pho for lunch took a VERY concerted effort), but here are some things that I won't likely forget soon:

• Jessica Lea Mayfield's guitar player's tone; cool janky distortion with real class.
• Lying on my back in the field listening to Red Stick Ramblers, looking at the stars peeking through the incredible kite/canopy stretched out overhead. Telling my friend, "this is awesome," and meaning it.
• Weaving along the pathways to the woods stage set up in the middle of the forest. (We found it!)
• Langhorne Slim's Saturday late night set in the barn, where he killed it. Tore the roof off it. Brought it. However you want to put it. And on Sunday, chatting with videographer extraordinaire Dave Allen about Slim's potential to blow the fuck up. He's playing two shows during MusicfestNW in September so you are running out of excuses if you haven't seen him yet.
• Loch Lomond's graceful, powerful late-afternoon set in the barn on Sunday. Unfortunately, I missed their main stage set that morning; apparently the PA went out and they asked people to come up close to the stage and played unamplified. By all accounts, it was incredible.
• Hanging out with degenerate musicians backstage. I won't say much more about this. Let's just say that whiskey and coffee were mixed, a game of badminton was played with a paper cup, and at one point my nose was bitten. Oh, and apparently my eyes appear really creepy under a blacklight.

I'm not too sure what to think about this trailer for Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. On the one hand, I'm pretty sure I can watch Michael Cera be a bumbling indie rocker all day long. On the other hand, not even Michael Cera could save me from wanting to claw my eyeballs out while watching the shit-fest that was Juno.

That being said, it looks like this thing has some serious indie rock promise, with songs from both the Shout Out Louds and Bishop Allen popping up in the trailer. Hell, there's even a brief clip of Bishop Allen performing live, and if the director has any sense, he'd give those guys some serious screen time, since lead man Justin Rice absolutely shined in wholly under-appreciated Mutual Appreciation and Christian Rudder wasn't so bad either in Funny Ha Ha.

Then again, according to IMDB, Michael Cera plays in a queercore band called The Jerk Offs, which sounds completely ridiculous and gag-ready. But hey, I'm a music guy, not a film guy, so I could be completely off here.

Since the Portland beat ain't got a thing on the Astoria beat, it's time to head west for Catch That Beat #4. The lineup was announced early this morning for the Jona Bechtolt-curated event which goes down this Saturday at Shively Hall (in Shively Park) in Astoria. Got that? Good. Here's the kickass lineup:

YACHT / Thanksgiving / Fleshtone / Valet / Rob Walmart / Grouper / White Rainbow / Rich Jensen / Flaspar / White Fang / Dennis Driscoll / Juice Team DJs / Kites At Night

We don't want you getting lost and ending up at the Goonies house, so here are directions to the event. Need more info? Okay, go here.