Portland Mercury

One Fluoride Post to Rule Them All

Anonymous — Tue, 21 May 2013 22:19:00 -0700

Let the "We failed teh childrenz" or "suck it drug pushers" rants begin!

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Neighborhoods, or Neighbors?

Anonymous — Tue, 21 May 2013 21:12:00 -0700

"Tall grass and weeds downgrade the appearance of our neighborhood. Please keep those places trimmed around your trees and shrubs. Also, please remove the unsightly pile of boards which have been in your driveway for months. Thank you. Let's take pride in our neighborhood."

I don't know who wrote this note (in cursive, if that matters), and slipped it under my front door at 10:30 PM last Sunday. I also don't know why that person didn't sign the note, nor why they scuttled away so quickly when I got off the couch and drew back the front curtain.

Neighbors talk. Neighborhoods, not so much. As a neighbor, I could offer you grammar and composition lessons in exchange for the use of your weed-eater, but I don't know which property to entirely scrutinize...

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Scenes from the the No on Fluoride Party. Which Is Winning

Denis C. Theriault — Tue, 21 May 2013 20:06:27 -0700

9:42 PM: A very excited fellow in a baseball hat is saying "this is what it sounds like when an avalanche rains down on city hall." He's a self described "anti-fluoride nerd." And a "socialist." And he can't believe he's been working side by side with conservatives.

"This is how Portland comes together."

He's leading a chant about water. He's also reminding people to tip their servers and bartenders even though they're paying with drink tokens.

No one's pushed any drink tokens into my hands. So maybe that's not a victory after all. It's all over but for the shouting. And the second-hand pot smoking.

9:36 PM: An impossible applause just went up at the news that Healthy Kids, Healthy Portland conceded, announced by KC Hanson.

"I love you guys," she says.

People have talking about text messages of congratulations and love coming from relatives all around the country. That affection went on display on stage right after Kristen Robison, campaign manager, got on stage.

"Portland has spoken and sent a message," said Robison, basking after a victory over some of the most high-powered Democratic campaign consultants in the state. "Thank you, every last one of you."

Kim Kaminski, director of Clean Water Portland, then got up to offer thanks and to bask in the crowd's adoration.

"I'm so grateful to everyone who came forward," she said, "and did this and helped to protect our water."

Clifford Walker of the NAACP and former city commissioner Mike Lindberg also took their bows. Lindberg, who wrote an Oregonian op-ed about his health problems and doctor's urging not to drink fluoridation, called our water "sacred."

"No victory has been as sweet as this one," he said. "We also feel a good public process should be just."

Rick North, another fluoride fighter, actually compared this to the United States beating the Russians in hockey in 1980. Soviet Russia. He called tonight "the biggest upset" since then, never mind Portland's predilection for voting against fluoride. Hell, Oregon couldn't even fluoridate water, losing the battle in the Legislature 40 years ago.

AND BONUS! I've only been mocked once by someone over the paper's fluoride endorsement. So that's also a victory.

9:07 PM: Fluoridation did a little bit worse with the next round of updates, trailing 61 percent to 39 percent.

"61 percent," KC Hanson shouted. "You do the math." The PA system still isn't working so well.

The crowd here has swollen up a bit. And we've just been treated to our first musical interlude. Rick North, a longtime fluoride fighter, earlier told TV cameras that he thought the message that real people would be harmed by fluoride, the stuff of testimonials shown by opponents, was what put things over the top.

It's been festive. What I thought was a skunk out on NW 14th might not actually be. But there's still some anger. When the TV cameras showed the other party, people booed. And when the results at 9 were shouted out, one guy replied with: "Get the fuckers out of office."

Original post: "What do you think? Is it going to be a close vote?"

This is the question I get from Mike Bluehair, devoted fluoridation foe and Occupy Portland mainstay, at the Clean Water Portland party over at On Deck Sports Bar. He's being rather gracious, remembering that the Mercury has endorsed in favor of fluoridation.

I confess that, no, I don't think it will be close. He laughs. "We'll kill them, right?" I nod. We're waiting for the first wave of results to spill in from Multnomah County, in a crowd of maybe 75 or so supporters. He's telling me about the volunteers who've been coming out of the woodwork. And he says he'll be glad when he doesn't have to talk about it anymore.

"I'm gonna look forward to not having to argue," says Mike. "It's been stressful."

The PA system isn't so good here. They've abandoned it.

It doesn't matter. Fluoride is ahead 60 percent to 40 percent in early returns. And the crowd erupts with hoot and claps.

"We are proud. We are Portland. We care about our community," says one woman, shouting over the din. "We are here tonight to celebrate with one another."

She went on to mention the rapprochement that's due next after months of heated infighting and odd political bedfellows. She wants people to be magnanimous. It's easier to say this because they're winning.

"There are good people who believe perfectly the opposite of what we did," she says. "As a community, as Portland, we need to come together. I know you guys will."

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Bunkered Down: Pro-fluoride Edition

Dirk VanderHart — Tue, 21 May 2013 20:00:17 -0700

7:51 pm - The party for Healthy Kids, Healthy Portland and their affiliated fluoride supporters is slowly building to a buzz here at Curious Comedy Theater. The bar is well-patronized, the hors d'oeuvres look delightful, and everyone I've spoken with is holding out hope for a positive result, despite bleak polling data.

The polls could be wrong, they say. And who knows who will turn out for the election?

One sizable critique: No music! We're listening to the tabloid show Extra, which is playing on a large screen. The bustle of the fast-filling room is drowning it out now, thank god.

8:02 pm - Sounds of concern, as the first glimpse we get at the results shows fluoride opponents with a sizable lead—more than 20,000 votes at the moment.

"Not as bad as they thought," one woman says, referring to polls.

8:10 pm - The line for the bar is running deep, most of the snacks have been devoured and the effort is well-behind, but there's an air of joviality, still, among pro-fluoride folks.

I'm talking with Alejandro Queral, a program officer with major fluoride supporter Northwest Health Foundation, about a hypothetical loss. "If fluoride loses tonight," I ask, "is it a lost cause in Portland?"

Queral says no. Even if Healthy Kids, Healthy Portland, with it's sizable war chest, loses, Queral tells me it's only a matter of time before Portlanders approve fluoridation.

Some potential factors he offers for fluoride's underdog status: He says voters might have been put off by the way a fluoride ordinance came before council without much discussion. And fluoride opponents, Queral says, had an easy message to get across: "Don't mess it our water."

"They did a good job," he says.

Commissioner Steve Novick is in the house!

8:29 pm - Novick, sipping on a cocktail, blames fluoride's potential downfall on Lyndon Johnson.

Since the Vietnam War, he says, public trust of experts and government has waned considerably. And, he notes, "I don't think it's all that hard to get people to doubt. People got the idea that this was an assault on their way of life."

Novick, who was not yet a commissioner when the fight over fluoride began, appears to be the only denizen of city hall here. And there's no sign of former Commissioner Randy Leonard, who helped begin the fluoride push. Sam Adams, too, is missing.

Novick's got enough wry quotes to go around, though.

"I want this to make me realize that Republicans are not bad people," he says, noting that many friends disagreed with him on the fluoride issue. "That people who don't believe in global warming aren't bad people."

8:57 pm - The stage lights go up, and Queral addresses a cheering crowd.

“We really took it to them,” he says. “Obviously we will leave here a bit dissatisfied, and I hope we do. Because the work is not done yet.”

The event is clearly winding down, and NOW they turn on the music?! Shaking. My. Head.

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City Finds Extra Money; Hales Saves Mounted Patrol, Buckman Pool

Denis C. Theriault — Tue, 21 May 2013 18:07:00 -0700

Portland's still closing a $21.5 million budget hole. But Mayor Charlie Hales has found a way to take the sting out of some of the more unpopular cuts he'd put on the table when he unveiled his budget late last month.

Under a revised plan previewed for a "scrum" of reporters and city hall staffers this afternoon, Hales announced he'd be keeping around a smaller police Mounted Patrol Unit, using unspent levy money to keep alive Buckman Pool and the Sellwood Community Center, partially funding human trafficking and youth shelter services, and finding new money for parks maintenance. He's also keeping tree planting inside the Bureau of Environmental Services, a nod to environmentalists worried BES was backtracking into a mere sewers bureau.

Hales said he's been listening at public hearings, where residents have lined up to demand reprieves for their favored programs. He's taking advantage of new money scared up after the city won a lawsuit over its landline phone tax last year and new savings captured from state pension reform and a reduction in planned raises for some city employees. And, also important, he's relying on heavy offers of community donations and reserves from funds outside the city's operating budget.

"Public hearings matter," Hales said. "And when people show up in the city of Portland and have something to say about the community, this city council listens. And we endeavor to take that into account."

Hales has been entertaining a series of changes in the days before his revised proposal becomes official. He struck a deal with Multnomah County Chairman Jeff Cogen last Thursday that preserves other safety net programs meant for the chopping block, including the county's Crisis Assessment and Treatment Center.

And Monday, the fire bureau announced a deal with Hales that will tweak his plan to swap out engines and/or trucks at four stations with lighter-staffed rapid-response vehicles. Hales says the bureau will use the RRVs to augment staffing at busy bureaus and achieve cuts by deploying hybrid firetrucks called "quints." Hales said the city will mothball old trucks in case of an emergency.

The deal for the mounted patrol, though, was perhaps the most perplexing in city hall. Friends of Portland's Mounted Patrol have led a full-court press to save the unit, but even with that pressure, sources say Hales had more than enough votes in hand to do away with the unit. Instead, he's embracing an offer by the Friends boosters to raise $200,000 this year and next to pay for upkeep.

"We're gonna make a little hay here," Hales joked.

The unit's hay provider, Maxson, will pay for a year of hay (the source of Hales' joke). And Chief Mike Reese, despite putting the horse unit on his cut list, is shifting officers around to keep it staffed, but with two fewer riders. Curiously, the bureau will take someone from the training division, even though the bureau is in the midst of teaching to new use of force standards mandated by a federal settlement.

• Two officer positions are eliminated
• One sergeant position is transferred from property crimes to the Mounted Patrol Unit, or MPU
• Two officer positions transferred from personnel division to MPU
• One officer position transferred from training division to MPU
• One officer position transferred from complaint signer/detectives division to MPU
• 2.5 non-sworn positions transferred from non-sworn positions currently vacant to MPU

Other clever money is keeping alive Buckman Pool, a perennial target. Hales is tapping unspent revenue from a parks levy to keep the pool open until the city figures out how to build a community center at Washington High School. He's using the same source to keep Sellwood's community center open for another year. Grant money, meanwhile, is also being diverted to trafficking services.

Hales also announced that the city's voluntary retirement program has been successful, encouraging 73 city workers to leave early in exchange for health care payments. Seventeen of those seeking the package are from the police bureau, the most of any city bureau.

And he signaled that his deal with the county was only the start of a restructuring that's far more substantial. He held firm in not paying for a district attorney's post when the county is adding one, too.

"They're adding positions. We're subtracting them. We're not gonna pay for them."

He said there was a bigger picture in play.

"The negotiation over the budget emergences of the moment just highlight what a patchwork of shared funding we have between the city and the county," he said. "We're really interested in digging into those questions, who does what. Let's figure out what our lanes are and how to stay in them."

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Tweet Wars: Michael Ian Black vs. Marc Maron

Wm.™ Steven Humphrey — Tue, 21 May 2013 15:29:00 -0700

Whether this is an actual Twitter catfight or a fakey promotional stunt, few people do passive-aggressive MEOW PFFSST! PFFSST! tweet wars like the one Michael Ian Black and Marc Maron are currently engaged in. Here's just a sample. A SAMPLE!

Meeee-OW!! Read the entire war here.

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Foals Ticket Giveaway Coming Soon!

Alex Ross — Tue, 21 May 2013 15:05:00 -0700

Oxford's Foals return to Portland on Wednesday, May 29, bringing their sweaty, brilliant live show to the Crystal Ballroom. On their exhaustive jaunt around the US they've been striking their best Willy Wonka-meets-indie rock pose, hiding a pair of tickets and a CD of their brilliant album Holy Fire in every city for fans to track down on the day of the show.

We at End Hits have our very own ticket/CD package to give away like sweet, sweet musical candy. Check back here next Wednesday (the day of the show) and we'll give you a series of numbers that reveal its location. Tasty.

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Patton Oswalt's Star Wars Filibuster—Animated for Your Convenience

Wm.™ Steven Humphrey — Tue, 21 May 2013 14:14:58 -0700

As you clearly recall, one of comedian Patton Oswalt's most memorable appearances was last month's guest shot on Parks and Recreation where he pulled off a hilarious citizen filibuster in which he lovingly describes his dream Star Wars sequel. Happily, artist Isaac Moores has made an animated version of Oswalt's speech convincing me more than ever WE NEED THIS SEQUEL.

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Steven Spielberg Presents Halo: The Television Series

Bobby Roberts — Tue, 21 May 2013 13:44:00 -0700

Today saw the reveal of Microsoft's newest gaming console, the Xbox One. The console looks like a VCR from 1985, and in keeping with that motif, Microsoft spent about 2 hours telling you all the cool and interesting ways you can watch TV on it. Then there were 15 minutes of games you'll be able to play, and then there was a mocapped dog that everyone thought was cute, and that was the end. The TV stuff was a very, VERY big part of Microsoft's presentation today, and probably the largest of the TV-centric announcements came from Steven Spielberg, who told attendees via video that he will be producing a Halo TV series.

The series will be co-produced with 343 Industries, who inherited the game from Halo creators Bungie, and will premiere on Xbox Live. No word so far as to whether they'll license it out to other media providers (Netflix, Amazon, ~~actual television networks~~) or whether it will stay Xbox One exclusive.

Could this be awesome? Sure. Anything can be awesome if you get the right creative minds at the helm, and those minds hire more strong creative minds to collaborate with. If a legitimately fun adventure movie can be made out of Pirates of the Caribbean, or a decent comedy can be made out of Clue, I'm sure someone can take the collection of warmed over Aliens callbacks that constitutes 95 percent of Halo's DNA and turn it into something fresh and fun to watch. Forward Unto Dawn was a Halo webseries that many considered one of the better entries into the canon of video game adaptations. But considering the quality of adaptation in that canon....

Could this be mediocre? Sure. Steven Spielberg won't be writing anything but checks, so there's no guarantee it's going to be a good show. Terra Nova is probably the most recent example of that. Also, the overriding of appeal of Halo, tie-in books notwithstanding, is not in its story. People don't really buy Halo for its single-player. [Editor's note: I DO! :( —Erik] Nor did it become an entertainment juggernaut about 10 years ago because of that story. It became a pop-culture fixture because it looked really pretty and it had really fun multiplayer. So it's entirely possible this could become yet another example of game companies chasing a false legitimacy by trying to translate their bonafide success in gaming to a format it is not built for, and doesn't even need to maintain or increase cultural saturation.

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It's Happening Tonight!

Alison Hallett — Tue, 21 May 2013 13:28:00 -0700

BOOKS—Contemporary science-fiction authors don't get much bigger than John Scalzi, and for good reason: His books are exciting, clever, and speed by in a blur of emotion and laser blasts. Tonight he's in town to talk about his latest, The Human Division—and if past readings are any indication, Scalzi will be as engaging and charming as ever. EH
Powell's Books at Cedar Hills Crossing, 3415 SW Cedar Hills, Beaverton, 7 pm, FREE

ONE-MAN SHOW—Ever since Mike Daisey's whole "lying to everyone" scandal regarding his research of Apple product factories in China, his standing with former devotees has been shaky, and we've heard him speak of little other than justifying himself since, which his new show Journalism does formally. Could he win us back? We're not certain, but we're curious. MS
Tiffany Center, 1410 SW Morrison, 7 pm, $20-45

MUSIC—Enigmatic Pittsburgh oddballs Black Moth Super Rainbow's hushed, synth-led experiments with psychedelic electro-pop are engrossing, sinister, and strangely accessible on their most recent effort Cobra Juicy. If you can fight your way through their die-hard fans to see them at the Hawthorne, there's every chance you'll get an unsettling yet blissful contact high. AR
w/the Hood Internet, Oscillator Bug; Hawthorne Theatre, 1507 SE César E. Chávez, 8 pm, $15-18, all ages

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Rightwing Anti-Gay French Activist Commits Suicide at Notre Dame Cathedral

Dan Savage — Tue, 21 May 2013 13:14:12 -0700

This is unfortunate:

According to multiple sources, the iconic cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris was evacuated today after a far-right Catholic activist shot himself in the mouth in front of the altar in front of hundreds of tourists, in what appears to have been a protest against same-sex marriage.... Dominique Venner, age 78, was a well-known essayist and a former member of a paramilitary group known as the Secret Army Organization (OAS), which waged a bombing and assassination campaign in the early 1960s to protest France giving Algeria its independence. Mr. Venner was also close to the anti-marriage equality movement and an outspoken critic of France’s new marriage equality law, which President François Hollande signed on Saturday. He made no verbal statement before he shot himself, but a letter was found on his person. The contents of Mr. Venner’s letter have not yet been released.

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Tonight in Music

Courtney Ferguson — Tue, 21 May 2013 12:59:37 -0700

Holocene–White Rainbow, Jordan Dykstra, Caspar Sonnet, Spectral Boogie Voyages, 9:30 pm, $5
Aladdin Theater–Shout Out Louds, Haerts, 8 pm, $16, all ages
Bunk Bar–And And And, Sama Dams, 9 pm
Dante's–The Detroit Cobras, Pangea, No Good Lovers, 9:30 pm, $13
Hawthorne Theatre–Black Moth Super Rainbow, The Hood Internet, Oscillator Bug, 7 pm, $15-18, all ages
Keller Auditorium–Pink Floyd Tribute: Brit Floyd, 8 pm, $39.50
Mississippi Studios–Corb Lund, Michael Hurley, 8 pm, $12-15
Valentine's–Pwrhaus, 9 pm

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Damon Lindelof Can't Win

Erik Henriksen — Tue, 21 May 2013 12:29:27 -0700

Okay, he can win, in that he's an incredibly successful screenwriter and producer who, I'm guessing, has been richly rewarded for his efforts. HOWEVER. Lindelof is also a guy who gets an incredible amount of shit online—not only because big parts of his projects like Lost, Prometheus, and Star Trek lend themselves to being obsessively critiqued, but because the amateur critics offering those critiques are usually the relentless, furious sort of fanboys who dig away at movies and TV like the meth heads on the 15 bus dig away at scabs.

In an entirely excellent interview with Alex Pappademas at Grantland, Lindelof talks about that—and Star Trek Into Darkness, his TV adaptation of Tom Perrotta's The Leftovers, the upcoming Brad Bird film Tomorrowland, and stuff like this:

It doesn't come naturally to have a work ethic. Maybe it does, but not to our generation, certainly, and for me, my work ethic is largely derived from a competitive spirit of people telling me what I can't do. I was never the guy who looked at myself in the mirror and said, "I feel special, and I'm going to achieve great things." I always felt like, "Man, I love writing so much that it would be a real sick joke if I can't make a living doing it, but in order to accomplish that, I'm going to have to really work my ass off, long and hard, and face a tremendous amount of rejection, and then once I break through, I'm still going to face a tremendous amount of adversity. And when I'm not feeling the adversity, I need to go and find it."

... When I take the blame for something, when I fall on my sword and I say, "Hey, I made a mistake; I wish it could've been better"—that feels good. Like, it feels good for me to say it, and I think it feels good for people to hear it. Because I love hearing it from filmmakers that I love and respect, or even sports figures, who are basically saying, like, "I friggin' missed the shot. I shouldn't have even taken the shot." I have so much more respect for them than the guys who basically say, "I just knew if they gave me the rock that it was going in." It's like, no you didn't! What are you, Nostradamus? There's no way you did!

It's a great interview, and a great look at the gears of Lindelof's brain. If you watch TV or movies—or have ever written anything, or commented on the internet, or, like me, have harped on Prometheus' flaws a few too many times—you should read it.

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Wild Ones' Debut Album Due on Party Damage Records; Hear the Single

Ned Lannamann — Tue, 21 May 2013 11:59:26 -0700

Wild Ones have announced the details of their long-awaited debut album, Keep It Safe, which will come out on July 9 on Party Damage Records. It's the inaugural release for Party Damage, the new local label started by Casey Jarman and Ben Hubbird of the Morals (Jarman is also former music editor of the Willamette Week.) And it's a great record to start on.

That's the album cover up there, and here's the album's first single, "Curse Over Me," a bouncing, midtempo dazzler that meshes the band's many elements: synth-laden electro-pop, laidback R&B, forceful post-punk via a growling bass, and a tweeish sweater-pop element as well. The result is a tropically tinged track that's a great introduction to the new album. (You can check out the previously posted video for Keep It Safe's opening track, "Golden Twin," over here.)

Here's a bit more about the album, from Party Damage's press release:

Dream-pop outfit Wild Ones, one of the most talked-about acts in their native Portland, OR, have completed their debut album Keep It Safe after over a year of intense recording and mixing sessions. The band, which faced lineup changes, hospital visits and financial drama en route to finishing its debut, took a deeply collaborative approach to crafting the record. Keep It Safe was largely self-recorded and produced, and each sonic puzzle piece has been carefully selected by the band. (Even the album artwork was created by the band’s Thomas Himes.) The resulting record is staggering: A swirling, deep concoction of electronic and analog elements that features both huge pop hooks and obsessive attention to detail. Keep It Safe is a Rubik’s Cube of a record that will appeal to fans of everything from Can to Beach House to Brian Eno.

The new album can be pre-ordered on Bandcamp, and Wild Ones play a record release show on July 5 at Mississippi Studios. They're also playing the "Cancer Sucks!" benefit with Typhoon on Saturday, June 1, also at Mississippi Studios, which I am certain is gonna hella sell out.

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Association at Union/Pine

Marjorie Skinner — Tue, 21 May 2013 11:42:00 -0700

On Sunday I attended the third installment of Association, a monthly dinner/discussion event launched by UNION/PINE, Merit Badge, and Ned Ludd. At each event, a different food/booze/dessert purveyor caters and a local person of interest gives a brief, casual talk. Discussion is encouraged, networking and introductions are easy in the intimate atmosphere, and dinner is served at communal tables that are conducive to such things.

This month featured paella from Crown Paella—we were greeted, on approaching the venue, to the dish being cooked under a tent on the sidewalk in one of those massive pans for the purpose. Inside we were given the first of a series of included drinks, this time from the soon-to-be-opened Union House Bottle Shop moving into the SE Grand space next to Dig A Pony, while Marushka Chocolates was on dessert duty.

The food was awesome, and was a nice opportunity to be introduced to Crown, which is a catering business rather than a brick 'n' mortar. Run by husband and wife team Scott and Emily Ketterman, Scott also took to the mic to give an introduction to the dish and to describe the Socarrat, the crust of rice that forms of the bottom of the pan, AKA the best part. Likewise, Marushka describes itself as "an online pop-up shop," which seems like a counter-intuitive way to market foodstuffs, but they're worth seeking out. I'm not a dessert person at all, but the chocolate mousse in dainty chocolate cups was undeniably delicious, as was a marzipan-infused slice of baked goodness.

The night's speaker was Jelly Helm, the former Executive Creative Director at Wieden+Kennedy who currently runs his own studio, with campaigns for Portland Timbers, Starbucks, and Nike under his belt, among others. Operating under the theme "purpose," his talk (I hesitate to use the word "speech" given the casual air) was a little rambling and unfocused. (I sympathize with the vagueness of the task, but it turned me off when he began by musing that sometimes a person's name is indicative of their purpose, which is a conveniently flattering idea if your last name is "Helm" and you're a hotshit sailor of the good ship advertising, but somewhat less applicable if you're most people. He followed that up with mentioning that there have been 100 generations of humans, which... seems like a low-ball estimate. The fatal blow was referring to Washington Park as Washington Square Park: Aaaaand... you lost me.)

But the event is built around the hope of generating discussion, and you are encouraged, once dessert is served, to leave your place setting and rove the room to talk about your thoughts and reactions—or anything really, through which I realized that while I thought the talk had lacked substance, it had charmed the pants off a delighted Kelly Roy of ADX, who I respect greatly, for example.

Tickets for these events are in the $65-70 range inclusive of drinks, food, a lovely atmosphere, and the opportunity to hobnob with some pretty interesting and creative people around town (also in attendance were fashion designer/musician Liza Rietz and OMFGCO's Jeremy Pelley. There's no point in pretending that's a pricing that's going to work for anyone who doesn't have a little dough to throw around, but if you're accustomed to splurging on—truly excellent—food and drinks, this is a quirky, intellectual twist on a special night out.

June's event (they are on the third Sunday of every month) features writer and director of Wieden+Kennedy 12 Andrew Dickson, and food by Olympic Provisions (lest you think only W+K affiliates are involved, past events have featured Sam Adams and New York Times contributor William Deresiewicz).

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Wild Ones' Debut Album Due on Party Damage Records; Hear the Single

Ned Lannamann — Tue, 21 May 2013 11:41:42 -0700

Here's a bit more about the album, from Party Damage's press release:

Dream-pop outfit Wild Ones, one of the most talked-about acts in their native Portland, OR, have completed their debut album Keep It Safe after over a year of intense recording and mixing sessions. The band, which faced lineup changes, hospital visits and financial drama en route to finishing its debut, took a deeply collaborative approach to crafting the record. Keep It Safe was largely self-recorded and produced, and each sonic puzzle piece has been carefully selected by the band. (Even the album artwork was created by the band’s Thomas Himes.) The resulting record is staggering: A swirling, deep concoction of electronic and analog elements that features both huge pop hooks and obsessive attention to detail. Keep It Safe is a Rubik’s Cube of a record that will appeal to fans of everything from Can to Beach House to Brian Eno.

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Pete Holmes Promises a "Treehouse Fun Night" in Portland

Alison Hallett — Tue, 21 May 2013 11:14:00 -0700

I love Pete Holmes. I love his Nerdist-network podcast You Made It Weird, I love his standup, and I'm sure I will love his new Conan-produced talk show when it premieres on TBS in the fall.

Holmes is in the Craig Ferguson school of standups: Goofy, excitable, and capable of high-wire riffs that you kinda can't believe he pulls off. Holmes is coming to the Aladdin Theater at the end of June; it probably would not hurt to get tickets early for this one, because it's going to be a great show and it's going to sell out. (This is for you babies who whined we didn't give you enough notice on the Professor Blastoff show.)

I interviewed Holmes yesterday (he was super fucking nice), and while I haven't transcribed the whole thing yet, here's what he had to say about his Portland show:

"I love Portland, it's one of my absolute favorite cities in the world, it's such a great comedy town, and I'm very, very excited to come up. Chris Thayer's gonna be there, Ian Karmel is gonna be there, and I promise a silly, sleepover-esque treehouse fun night of nonthreatening comedy that's surprisingly dirty but won't offend you."

"The search continues for a feeling." <3 <3 <3

And for more time-wastery, here's Thayer interviewing Holmes on the local Spicy News Network after eating super spicy peppers, 'cause that's a thing. (The phrase "I wanna blow Mr. Freeze" has never been said before in all of human history.)

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Win Tickets to Blue Cranes

Ned Lannamann — Tue, 21 May 2013 10:59:25 -0700

Portland post-jazz ensemble Blue Cranes have a fine new album titled Swim due out on June 4, and they're playing a record release show this Friday, May 24, at Mississippi Studios. Kick off your Memorial Day weekend with their songs and improvisations, some of which could be called jazz, and some of which could not. Who cares? Throw your music-genre-labeling compulsions to the wind and enjoy their passionate, adventurous, instrumental music, safe in the knowledge that music writers like me will never be able to adequately define it. (For more on this, check this week's upcoming issue of the Portland Mercury.)

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Best Day in Science Class EVARRRR!

Wm.™ Steven Humphrey — Tue, 21 May 2013 10:44:00 -0700

Look, science teachers! I GET IT. You want to really involve your students by showing them science in action. But don't forget—sometimes science turns around and bites you in the ass... as was the case in this high school class, which goes hilariously wrong and turns into the best science experiment EVARRRRR!

via

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SL Letter of the Day: Did You Think I Was Going To Tell You Not To Come Out? (PLUS: Help Free Kate!)

Dan Savage — Tue, 21 May 2013 10:28:03 -0700

Should one come out as bisexual if 1. One has never actually had a same-sex sexual experience and 2. Is a woman married to a straight man BUT 1. Is 90% sure she would enjoy sexual experience with (particular) women and 2. Has had some same-sex fantasies and crushes (if not quite as many as on men) since 12 years old, and 3. HAS had some sexual experience with more effeminite men, one of which was partly on account of his cross-dressing (I know, I know, not the same thing, but...)

There are several reasons (if not excuses) I've not yet had a sexual experience with another woman, including 1. UBER-Catholic upbringing, 2. Internalized homophobia, which I'm now getting over, 3. getting married young(er), a few days after I turned 25, before I fully self-realized my sexual preferences, 4. complicated living/financial situation with spouse, and 5. Spouse less sexually adventurous, but *possibly* open to my having a same-sex sexual experience if he is involved (how to make that happen in upstate South Carolina is possibly another story, and the fact that I'm not sure I want him involved is another story, too...).

I have always felt somewhat genderqueer/bisexual/possibly pan-sexual, but didn't have names for these things (besides bi-sexuality) until graduate school. Naming these things has been a powerful step in my becoming more self-actualized, but I'm not sure what the next step(s) should be for me. Thanks,

Bi/Curious?

My response after the jump...

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We've covered this before—we've covered this at length—so I'm going to make quick work of my response to you, B/C, before moving on to a more pressing matter: Yes, B/C, one should come out as bisexual—if one is, in fact, bisexual, as the coming out of the bisexual ones reduces bisexual invisibility specifically and increases the acceptance of LGBT people generally. The more out ones—gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans—the better. So come out already.

Okay, gang, I'm calling out the flying monkeys. Because this shit is appalling: a high-school-age girl in Florida was dating another high-school-age girl. Both were members of their school's varsity basketball team. The older girl was 17, the younger was 15. When the older girl turned 18, the younger girl's parents called the police and had their daughter's girlfriend arrested. HuffPo:

Kaitlyn Hunt, 18, faces two felony counts of "lewd and lascivious battery on a child 12 to 16" after the parents of her 15-year-old girlfriend pressed charges earlier this year, according to Examiner.... According to Hunt-Smith, police arrived at the family's home Feb. 16 and put her daughter in handcuffs. Local news website TCPalm.com listed Kaitlyn Hunt's arrest for "lewd and lascivious battery" on Feb. 18, and the girl's mug shot is still easily accessible on the Internet.

I told you this shit was appalling: homophobic parents are using the criminal justice system to persecute their daughter's girlfriend, whom they blame for "making" their daughter gay. But having Kaitlyn—or Kate—arrested wasn't good enough for these homophobes:

The other girl's parents repeatedly tried to have Kaitlyn, a senior, expelled from school. Despite the Sebastian River High School administration's denial of their request, and a judge's order allowing Kaitlyn to remain in school (so long as the girls had no contact), the 15-year-old's parents successfully petitioned the school board to have Hunt removed from school weeks prior to graduation.

Kate now faces 15 years in prison. But the state has offered her a deal—a terrible, no-good, rotten deal. Gawker sums it up:

Kate is now faced with a Sophie's Choice: Accept Assistant State Attorney Brian Workman's plea deal, which would require her to admit to a felony, spend two years under house arrest, and possibly end up on the sex offender registry for life—or go to trial. She has until this Friday to decide.

Kate has offered to plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge. The state isn't budging. If Kate goes to trial and loses she faces, again, 15 years in prison. Says Kate's dad:

My daughter Kaitlyn is a wonderful 18-year-old who is not guilty of anything other than a high school romance... Kaitlyn was a highly respected student at Florida’s Sebastian River High School with good grades and participation in cheerleading, basketball and chorus. She was even voted “most school spirit.” Now she’s been expelled from school and is facing serious felonies—all because she is in love. If convicted, she could end up in jail or live under house arrest, will have to register as a sex offender, and live her life as a convicted felon. Our family will do everything we can to stop these people from ruining our daughter’s promising life. This is unjust and unfair—and we need your help to stop it.

Here's how you can help: Kate's parents are asking people to show support for their daughter in the hope that finding himself in the national spotlight will bring Assistant State Attorney Brian Workman to his senses. They've created a "Free Kate" Facebook page: JOIN IT. There's a Change.org petition calling for the charges against Kate to be dropped: SIGN IT.

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Win Tickets to Blue Cranes!

Ned Lannamann — Tue, 21 May 2013 10:21:31 -0700

Here's the best part: We're giving away a pair of tickets to Friday's Mississippi Studios show to one lucky End Hits reader (cash value = $20, musical value = $Infinity-kabillion). Local musical explorers Billygoat and Golden Retriever are also on the jam-packed bill. Since you undoubtedly want a piece of this, send an email to this address with "Blue Cranes" in the subject line. Please include your first and last name. We'll select a winner at random and send them on their way. This contest closes Thursday at noon, so hop to it!

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Tonight at Powell's: John Scalzi

Erik Henriksen — Tue, 21 May 2013 10:14:00 -0700

Tonight at 7 at Powell's Cedar Hills (3415 SW Cedar Hills, Beaverton), sci-fi author John Scalzi is reading from his latest, The Human Division. I reviewed it this week. I really liked it! The short version:

The Human Division is all over the place: There's military sci-fi! There are Nazis in space! Jokes about how terrible the Chicago Cubs are, even centuries in the future! Dog-eating plants! Salinger-esque sibling squabbles! Brains in boxes! Rush Limbaugh, pretty much! A murder mystery? A very patient alien dealing very patiently with those Nazis! "Never a dull day in the lower reaches of the Colonial Union diplomatic corps," Wilson cracks, and he's right: The Human Division's episodes are great, and together, they demonstrate not only how clever Scalzi can be, but also how good he is at thrills, comedy, politics, and making jokes at the expense of the Chicago Cubs.

Today is stupid deadline day at the stupid paper which means I'm going to be stuck at stupid work until past stupid 7, so I won't be there—which means maybe you could go in my stead and get me a signed copy? Thanks, internet pals.

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Birth of a Killer Tornado

Wm.™ Steven Humphrey — Tue, 21 May 2013 09:59:00 -0700

Okay, so I just watched this video? And my PTSD from growing up in tornado alley Alabama just jumped into overdrive. This completely engrossing video was shot by a guy who witnessed the birth of the tornado that ravaged Oklahoma and took dozens of lives. At :50 you see it coming out of the sky, by 2:00 you're crapping your pants and by 3:00 your crap is crapping itself. Say what you will about the man who stuck around to shoot this, but you can't say he isn't brave. The man's son introduced this on Reddit thusly:

He was out that way for work today and just happened to be in the right place at the right time. He was worried it was going to come back at him and was searching for a way to scoot out it's way once he was able to gauge how insanely close it was to him. He hung in there, though. Unbelievable.

Unbelievable is an understatement.

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White People More Likely to See Anger in Obama's Expressions

Eli Sanders — Tue, 21 May 2013 09:44:00 -0700

You probably suspected it was true. Now a study says: It's true.

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Tonight in Music: Black Moth Super Rainbow, Shout Out Louds, And And And & More

Ned Lannamann — Tue, 21 May 2013 09:33:18 -0700

BLACK MOTH SUPER RAINBOW, THE HOOD INTERNET, OSCILLATOR BUG
(Hawthorne Theatre, 1507 SE César E. Chávez) Enigmatic Pittsburgh oddballs Black Moth Super Rainbow's hushed, synth-led experiments with psychedelic electro-pop are engrossing, sinister, and strangely accessible on their most recent effort Cobra Juicy. If you can fight your way through their die-hard fans to see them at the Hawthorne, there's every chance you'll get an unsettling yet blissful contact high. ALEX ROSS

SHOUT OUT LOUDS, HAERTS
(Aladdin Theater, 3017 SE Milwaukie) Daft Punk's much anticipated album Random Access Memories is physically released in the US today, and it's one of the biggest musical disappointments in recent memory, in which the French EDM pioneers opt for a lightly disco-tinged, incredibly repetitive album of soft rock that would send Christopher Cross into snoozes of boredom. While it seems obvious Daft Punk is reaching for the sort of jetstream adult-contempo that likely filled their parents' record collection (Serge Gainsbourg, Air Supply, Alan Parsons Project, possibly Floyd), they approach it like EDM, locking in their programmed, quantized sequences and letting them play for minutes on end with absolutely no development and no drama. For a completely successful, absolutely lovely version of the kind of airbrushed, slick, easy-listening Europop that Daft Punk has utterly bungled, turn your ears instead to Shout Out Louds. The Stockholm quintet's fourth album, Optica, is a gorgeous, wide-eyed, perfectly posed collection of gentle rock with not a single mussed hair or note out of place. Eighties-gazing singles like "Illusions" and "Walking in Your Footsteps" continue Shout Out Louds' string of wistful, highly processed pop songs, done with absolute mastery. NED LANNAMANN

AND AND AND, SAMA DAMS
(Bunk Bar, 1028 SE Water) Though some musicians sound undeniably better with the benefit of a production studio and engineers, And And And sound drastically different. This can be a good thing. For example, I sometimes enjoy hearing their songs played at a relatively soft level, and I think the arrangements on Lost glow with the warmth of 1,000 sunsets. The downside is that the recordings capture nothing of the depravity, the loudness, the punk-rock spirit of their live shows. Not until now. In a fortunate development for posterity, And And And are the latest installment of Live from the Banana Stand, that beloved local series of sonic time capsules in the form of live albums. Finally, I can fit the frenzied chaos of And And And right in my pocket. There are several new and unreleased songs here, but the real pleasure is the raw, unfiltered versions of songs that I've grown so used to hearing in their mixed-and-mastered state. REBECCA WILSON

Living Dummy by Pangea

THE DETROIT COBRAS, PANGEA, NO GOOD LOVERS
(Dante's, 350 W Burnside) One of the biggest surprises from last year's random show-going was a happenstance set I attended at Angelo's bar on SE Hawthorne. A packed room swayed with raised tallboys-in-fists to some raucous noise in the corner of the joint from a lineup curated by local punks White Fang. Los Angeles garage-punkers Pangea ended up being the perpetrators of said noise, and played a set that provoked me to run across the street back to my house to steal cash from a savings jar to buy every record they brought along to sell, which included the excellent Killer Dreams EP and the Living Dummy LP. The band has since steadily generated some serious buzz, culminating in a rumored recording collaboration with Ryan Adams. This is poppy, smart, sometimes fuzzy, always fun songwriting that has wiggled its way deeply into the folds of my favor, for whatever that's worth. RYAN J. PRADO

WHITE RAINBOW, JORDAN DYKSTRA, CASPAR SONNET, DJ MUSIQUE PLASTIQUE
(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) The latest project of über-talented experimental composer D. Reuben Snyder is Caspar Sonnet, who will be celebrating his full-length album release, Identify, for Portland's own Marriage Records. With a powerful, gorgeous tenor he articulates haunting melodies over unusual song structures that draw influence from baroque, lo-fi tribal, dark rhumba, and experimental kabuki. Snyder's dangerously alluring lullabies could easily draw you into a silky web of bygone-era romanticism, where you might forget reality for a moment in favor of a sunset voyage from which you very well may not want to return. CHRISTINA BROUSSARD

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