The Year in Review: End Hits, Portland Mercury

Still Even More of the Best Songs, Shows, and Musical Moments of 2012

Ned Lannamann — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 08:59:09 -0800

Last day! Over the past few days, I've been posting more responses to the question I posed to dozens of people in the Portland music scene—musicians, bookers, writers, more: What was your favorite song, show, or musical moment of 2012? As the year finally comes to its end (it's ending! Like, tonight!), I've got the last installment of the many great responses I received. If you'd like to read more of these—and if you get as much a kick out of these as I do, you will want to—some appeared in the paper here, and more appeared on the blog here, here, and here.

But I'll assume if you're checking this out, you've checked the others out as well, and here is the last group of great moments in music for 2012. I would like to thank everyone who responded, as well as invite you to add your personal favorite shows, songs, etc. in the comments. While the end-of-year reflection can get to be a little much, especially with music writing, I look at it as a chance to stop my blathering and let other people share what music mattered to them. So! Enough blathering! Before the clock on 2012 runs out, here's the last installment on what other people had to say about the things that made this year in music so great.

So many good ones, here are some: (1) Hot Chip & YACHT at the Crystal Ballroom in September; (2) The Walkmen at Sasquatch at sunset; (3) Thee Oh Sees and White Denim in the Galaxy Barn at Pickathon; (4) Loch Lomond closing their "final" Portland show joined by Black Prairie for a take on Damien Jurado's "Yuma, AZ."

—Jeremy Petersen (OPBmusic.org)

The Afghan Whigs at the Wonder Ballroom.

—Greg Glover (94/7 FM)

Seeing Basque rock group Barricada at Sala Razzmatazz in Barcelona. The place was packed and sweaty (interesting fact: Spaniards use index fingers and point rather than flashing devil horns), and everyone there knew all the words. Except for my wife and me, but we quickly caught on to the chorus of "Esta es Una Noche de Rock & Roll," which was rock 'n' roll magic.

—Mark Lore (Mercury contributor, thedaysoflore.com)

My new bandmates and I played the Chickfactor 20-year anniversary shows in LA and SF in September. They were our first shows as a band and the first time I played my new solo songs live. We had a blast playing with such awesome bands and musicians. It felt so great to be playing shows again!

—Kim Baxter (All Girl Summer Fun Band, The Tale of Me and You)

Teamwork crowdfunding healthcare for musicians. On October 19 our longtime friend and musical compatriot, Stefon Alexander, who is more widely know as the punk-influenced rap powerhouse P.O.S., gave a shocking announcement to the world via YouTube. He explained that his fall release tour for the album We Don't Even Live Here would have to be cancelled due to the fact that he was suffering from a severe medical condition and needed a kidney transplant. Shortly after the announcement, his friends from the Minneapolis-based hiphop collective Doomtree started a crowd funding page, giving fans, friends, and fellow musicians the opportunity to lend a hand in raising the daunting $25,000 for the medical and recovery expenses, through a website called youcaring.com. So far, the fund raising has been a great success, reaching well beyond it's goal and going strong into February. This outpouring of support has proven, that together, we can help each other accomplish seemingly unreachable goals. Especially, the goals that matter most, in those areas where our country's current infrastructure may severely lacking, like affordable healthcare.

We're all looking forward to our friend getting fixed up and back at his work.

—Jacy McIntosh, Kelsey Crawford (Themes)

Hard to say due to so much happening, but I would have to say seeing Refused live was up there for favorite moment/show. That, and seeing Converge and Torche on the same bill.

—Jeff Urquhart (King Banana, Branx, Rotture)

I went with Spit Stix to the two-year anniversary party for the Hicksville Trailer Palace and Artist Retreat in Joshua Tree, California. With a crowd of about 40 other people, we watched an intimate acoustic set by John Doe and Exene Cervenka. They made jokes and sang their hearts out to us in a living room. It was magical.

—Jeffrey "Chairman" Couch (Nasalrod, Drats!!!, The Chair Project)

My favorite song of 2012 is Con Brio’s song from their live CD The Bay is Burning. The lead off track, "Weigh on Me," brings together all of the different genres and elements that this band plays and puts them all into this one song. It’s a rock song, it’s a hiphop song, it’s soul, R&B, jazz, and pop, and it all somehow flows together seamlessly. Xandra Corpora is an amazing singer and she is a powerhouse on this song. "Weigh on Me" is full of energy, emotion, rhythm, great organ and saxophone solos, excellent lyrics, and it's catchy as hell, which is what a favorite song should be.

My favorite musical experience if 2012 was a show at the Aladdin by the Flatlanders. The unannounced opener was Sarah Gwen and Scott Weddle. The mostly aging baby boomer crowd was surprised when a female acoustic guitarist and singer and a male electric guitarist suddenly appeared on stage and started to perform. But, during the first song and subsequent tunes and with their charming introductions, the crowd was won over. Sarah Gwen’s unique voice and powerful lyrics to her original songs and Weddle’s guitar playing blew everyone away. During each song, Scott would play subtle sympathetic parts that drew out the various rootsy styles of the songs, then he would accent them with clever and intricate solos. The duo played a tight, 30-minute set and received very enthusiastic applause and audience members rushed the lobby to buy their debut disc. The show showed me how open people still are to new music and it was inspiring to see how a new artist can excite a crowd so much that they will purchase a CD on the spot. Take that, iTunes!

—Dan Eichler (Mississippi Pizza Pub/Atlantis Lounge)

Pierced Arrows shredding at the new Mississippi Records location opening party this past summer in the park next to Cherry Sprout.

—Katie Bernstein, John Gnorski (Houndstooth)

Black Dice at the YU. So much space. So many squonks.

—Josh Fulfs (Palmas, Shwood)

Song: "Milk-Heavy, Pollen-Eyed" by Laura Gibson
Show: Hot Snakes at Doug Fir
Moment: Bill Callahan at Hollywood Theater

—Aaron Robert Miller (Deer or the Doe, wantstogiveyou.com)

One of my favorite shows of 2012 was Shy Girls at Bunk Bar. Too bad that yacht party never happened, Dan. There's always next year.

—Sean Flinn (Sean Flinn and the Royal We)

Golden Retriever at Valentine's in the spring with Matt as Eno and Jonathan as Mick Ronson.

—Scott Simmons (Exiled Records)

Song: Angel Olsen, "Acrobat." This one just hurts so good. I can't stop pressing repeat to let it break my heart over and over again.

—Vincent Bancheri (Mama Bird Recording Co.)

For me 2012 was all about the dense singles game Panjabi music had going on, with shout outs to Honey Singh, Gupsy Aujla, Saini Surinder & Violinder, DJ Sanj & Jay Status, Banger & Jaswinder Jassi, Hargo Boparai & Arpan, Garry Sandhu, Sudesh Kumari, Cloud 9 Music, DJ Sat Singh & newcomers like Dara Singh.

—The Incredible Kid (DJ Anjali and the Incredible Kid)

World Champion Dholi (Panjabi drummer) Rayman Bhuller from Vancouver, BC, was one of the special guests at our ANDAZ 10-year anniversary party at Branx this summer. He played mad dhol during my set, then his student jumped on stage and started to sing bhangra. Nothing was rehearsed, it was completely spontaneous and pretty much brilliant!! I love it when that happens here cause, you know, Portland's pretty much a white guy on stage kinda town.

—DJ Anjali (DJ Anjali and the Incredible Kid)

Sarcastic Dharma Society, Zoo Girl, and Your Rival in a tiny NE basement... on my birthday. Sorry if picking my own birthday show makes me an ***hole. Honorable mention goes to Twelve Hour Turn's reunion show at the Know.

—Maya Stoner (Forest Park, F.O.C. Fest)

Taking tequila shots with Dale Watson and his band after watching them tear it up at the Broken Spoke in Austin.

—Kurt Foster, Jeremy Dietz (Mission Spotlight)

Thee Oh Sees in the Galaxy Barn at Pickathon.

—W.C. Beck (Portland Country Underground)

Trust at MFNW.

—Lex Chase (Mercury contributor)

Sometimes the best moments in the warehouse only a small few were lucky enough to experience, like the night Chicago-based artist Brent Coughenour performed his piece "Mysterium Cosmographicum." His heart-wrenching comedy and indescribable performance was filled with mashups, data mosh, and DSP brilliance triggered with Wii controllers. It was a bittersweet night, as we wished that the rest of Portland could have experienced such a rare performance like this. Oh! And anytime Like a Villain performed; she is brilliant and has graced our stage more than anyone. Such a beautiful and hard working musician.

—Derek and Kristen Larson (Boom Bap!)

The best live band I saw this year was Tenement, at the Know. Straight up.

—Harrison Rapp (Divers)

My favorite musical moment was certainly Patrick Watson in a church at SXSW.

—Matt Sheehy (Lost Lander)

I went to college with a few members of a bluegrass outfit called the Steep Canyon Rangers back in North Carolina. They happen to be the current touring band for Steve Martin! We scored a couple of fantastic seats to see them with Steve and Emmylou Harris last summer at the Edgefield Winery. It was really cool to see a couple of fellas that I knew from late-night-drunken-bluegrass-jams, having fun and rockin' the big stage. They sounded great.

—Will West (Will West and the Friendly Strangers)

Dancing until 5 am in Gothenburg, Sweden, to the best DJ I've ever heard. When I complimented him on his set and offered him a night at Valentine's should he ever travel to Portland, his first words were, "Portland? Do you know Dave Depper?"

—Shelley Bowers (Someday Lounge)

The KPSU Kruise with Unknown Mortal Orchestra and Radiation City.

—Keegan Meyer (KPSU)

Song: Major Lazer ft. Amber (of Dirty Projectors), "Get Free"

—Brandon and Rico Laws (Hosannas)

The show took place on a First Thursday. July 5 to be exact, in an art gallery on SW Washington that required the cumbersome task of climbing up 10 flights of stairs. Upon entering the venue I encountered the jovial atmosphere of a basement house-party show, transposed many flights up into the hot summer sky. The first surprise I encountered was an old-school freestyle cypher, an ever evolving hurricane-shaped oval replete with backpacks and playful braggadocio with the odd camera and/or phone attempting to capture lyrical off-the-dome improvs that don't translate well to posterity. Soon they will all be destined for deletion. Much like how Instagrammed pictures of the ocean or the seemingly infinite clouds at dusk or the solemn quiet after a fresh snowfall can never replicate the experience and majesty of actually being there in the moment.

The second surprise was that Luck-One, the highest billed act in the press release, humbly opened up the evening just as the sun set. That gesture alone signaled that I was in a space where the music performed, and the shared camaraderie contained within those walls, were more important than the often alienating industry of music. The industry that, despite its best intentions, can't help but judge artists by tickets sold and drinks downed. I quickly realized that this night was the antithesis to that mindset. Cloudy October was next, accompanied by Hostile Tapeover who stepped out front from his production duties to be Dre on the mic to Cloudy's Snoop, as they finished their set with a cover of "Nothing But a G Thang." Cloudy's live performance also prominently featured Portland-via-Alabama emcee Rasheed Jamal, who stepped onstage next with partners Mic Capes and Glenn Waco as the then newly formed trio the Resistance. That alone would've been enough to make my moment of the year. But ultimately, a surprise appearance from North Portland native and Chicago resident Vinnie Dwayne closed out the evening and elevated my already blown mind to the next level.

I walked home across the Burnside bridge that night with my ears ringing, a permagrin on my face, and a swelling feeling of gratitude in my heart. Invigorated and inspired by the past, present, and future of Portland hiphop.

—Ryan Feigh (Mercury contributor)

Favorite song: "Be Nice" by Charles Boyer and the Voyeurs, flipside to their single "I Watch You" from Heavenly recordings.

Show: seeing the Horrors, supported by Bo Ningen and Toy, in Manchester at the Ritz while on vacation with my wife. Amazing happy chance that our visit to that city coincided with a show by three bands I love and wanted to see perform.

Musical moment of 2012: the reissues of the remastered albums by My Bloody Valentine, with the additional release of the singles and EPs anthology, and the promise of new material some time soon!

—Jeff Ross (recordsbymail.com, Portland Radio Authority)

Thanks for including me on this list. That's mighty nice. I'm not going to be much good to you this year. I sort of fell off the train and spent a ton of time listening to old vinyl and warped cassettes instead. However, I did see some incredible local shows this year. Shows that gave me faith. For instance:

Wooden Indian Burial Ground - October at Barlow Tavern
Old Light - September at Doug Fir
Edna Vazquez - November at The Piano Fort
y mucho mas

God bless Portland, Oregon.

—Mike Midlo (Midlo, Pancake Breakfast)

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Even More of the Best Songs, Shows, and Musical Moments of 2012

Ned Lannamann — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 08:59:40 -0800

2012 is almost over, but we've got lots more great musical moments for you, as remembered by musicians, bookers, writers, and more fine people from Portland's music scene. We put some in the paper this week (here), and over the past two days I've posted more of the submissions that we couldn't fit in (here and here). There's another full batch for today and we'll wrap this all up tomorrow, just in time to flip the calendar page on a brand new year.

More of the best moments in music from 2012 after the jump!

I got a press pass to Treefort Fest in Boise, Idaho. It was really cool to be a part of the first incarnation of such a diverse and exciting festival. I wasn't old enough to see Blitzen Trapper play at Neurolux, so I stood behind the venue by the stage door for the whole show. When it was all over the band came out and were all excited that I'd "made it" to the show. That was really fun—seeing a Portland band I've been following for years at this festival and having them appreciate my presence there.

—Zibby Pillote, Lewis & Clark College's The Pioneer Log)

Too many to remember! But St. Patrick's Day at Kelly's Olympian was pretty awesome, with the We Shared Milk, Talkative, and Grandparents. As well as the Federale release at the Doug Fir (November 30). Sold out! String Quartet, Man Choir, Accordion, camera crew, 32 channel multi-tracking, Point Juncture WA, and the Shivas!

—Nalin Silva (Revolver Studios, Kelly's Olympian, Mississippi Studios)

I first heard Damien Jurado's "Museum Of Flight" over the radio one night as I was driving. When the song finished I pressed the reverse playback button on my stereo to hear it again but the radio station just changed.

—Jarad Miles (Jarad Miles in Ancient Wave)

Favorite song of 2012, probably "212" by Azealia Banks (maybe came out in 2011, not sure), but ended up on most of my playlists for '12. That or Chvrches "The Mother We Share." Favorite moment is a toss up, either getting to see Pegasus Dream and Pure Bathing Culture step in and replace Youth Lagoon at the Doug Fir, and still sell the show out, or getting to hear all the new Typhoon jams at the Aladdin Theater for MusicfestNW. Both really awesome moments!

—Erik Carlson (SoHiTek Records, DoublePlusGood)

Favorite musical moment was Birger Olsen (of Denver) at his bachelor party on Timothy Lake playing amazing mandolin solos in his drunken sleep then momentarily waking up and puking directly into a bottle of Old Overholt.

—Mike Elias (Denver, Tomahawk Portland)

Best musical moment of the year for all of us was on our East Coast tour last summer with Girls of Porn (AKA Silky Boys). They blew us away every night we played with them, and especially killed it at the Detroit show. They cleared the room, but we had a blast!

—Big Black Cloud

I really have too many favorite musical moments of 2012 to share, most of them being live shows, but one favorite was spending the weekend with members of Typhoon and Phil Ek as he mixed their 7-inch at Avast Studios in Seattle. Phil has engineered, produced, and mixed some of my favorite albums and artists, and having the opportunity to work with him, and hear anecdotes along the way, was about as good as it gets.

—Ingrid Renan (Exploding Green Management)

Walking onto a plane in Brisbane, Australia, only to find out that Jack White and At the Drive-In (and their entire crews) were sharing the same flight to Tokyo. I figured, well, if this plane goes down at least we'll all be on the cover of Rolling Stone. Oh! And Bob Mould playing Copper Blue at the Wonder Ballroom was exceptional.

—Rachel Demy (assistant tour manager & merchandise for the Shins)

That day we all watched the video of Solange's "Losing You" over and over again was a brief, heady moment of sun-soaked unity smack in the middle of election season. The song itself is immediately addicting and sounds like 1985, but in the good way. The video is even better! Directed by Melina Matsoukas, it features fancy South African gentlemen striking poses while Solange dances blithely, channeling Wanda Sykes in Pootie Tang. Azealia Banks makes an appearance. Perfection!

—Rebecca Wilson (Mercury contributor)

The generator show in the abandoned strip mall; the moment that everybody started jumping on the discarded mattresses and on top of the stripped-out car while lighting off fireworks!

—The Taxpayers

Denver at Kenton Club, covering The Dukes of Hazzard theme song.

—Robbie Augspurger (Ozarks)

John Cale, Mission Theater: Watching John Cale perform his emotional and challenging history of songs (even starting the show by playing the B-side to his 1977 Animal Justice EP) was not only the highlight of the year but one of the best shows I've ever seen. His voice is still so beautifully haunting, and the smattering of new songs mixed into the set sounded great live, too. That he had the reserved but fanatical audience dancing their asses off by the end of the show was a total joy—even Cale was grinning while screaming "Dirty Ass Rock 'n' Roll" at us.

—Chris Slusarenko (Clinton Street Video)

1. Otis Taylor, Waterfront Blues Festival.
2. Kid Congo Powers, Slabtown Bender.
3. Jonathan Richman, playing a few songs to the frozen (but grateful!) line of 10 people stuck waiting and ticketless outside one of his recent sold-out shows at the Know.
4. Krist Novoselic (Nirvana), sitting in with the Vaselines at Bumbershoot.
5. Edna Vasquez, anywhere and anytime she played anything in Portland!

—Peter Vaughan Shaver (Sound Advice)

Attending the Beach Boys' 50th Anniversary Tour at Summerfest in Milwaukee for my father's birthday and both of us going hoarse by the end whilst directly thereafter walking to the next stage to see Chicago. Damn son.

—Krist Krueger (Self Group, Yardsss, Sndtrkr, Southerly)

My Morning Jacket at Kennedy School performing for You Who.

—Tucker Martine (Flora Recording and Playback)

Favorite Song: Mike Coykendall, "Where the Wind Don't Blow"

—Justin Ready (Pigeons)

Destroyer at the Aladdin. A crowd and stage full of nerds not dancing to disco music. Dan Bejar said "we were the music lovers" and he was right.

—Bret Vogel (Incredible Yacht Control)

Frank Ocean takes the stage at Lollapalloza after a near cataclysmal thunderstorm torrential downpour and potential tornado force, a never in the history of the festival, [forcing] 100,000 attendees into the streets of Chicago. His set was just what you wanted to hear after an ordeal like that.

—Connie Wohn, First Lady of Hustle

Favorite music moment: I have to say our NYE with Nurses and Radiation City last year. The show didn't start until late, so most of it was technically 2012. But for any band [Radiation City] to learn the entire The Love Below album—and kill it—well, that was awesome. Nurses played until curfew and Rad City played a second set due to the openers having to cancel. It was a great night. Shows like this elevate us all and help define PDX as a world-class music town.

I must declare, I also became addicted to all of the old Cookie Monster videos on Youtube in 2012. When is the last time you watched "C Is for Cookie"? It's one of the greatest recordings EVER. So this would be my second favorite music moment: the rediscovery of Cookie Monster's genius or lack thereof.

—Kevin Cradock (Mississippi Studios)

My favorite song of 2012: "White Walls" by Psychic Feline. This band had a minimalist vision that found the middle-ground of garage, punk and psych, which is ultimately the ur-Portland sound of the Wipers and Dead Moon. The "White Walls" 7-imch will be remembered as a classic in this city's musical history. RIP Psychic Feline.

—Raf Spielman (The Woolen Men)

A Place to Bury Strangers at the Doug Fir, June 10. My birthday struck at midnight and I was surrounded by white noise. It ruled.

—Scott Flaster (Seventh Rule)

Seeing good ol' Jake Morris reinvigorate the Jicks at the Crystal!

—Matt Dabrowiak (Gallons!, Dat'r, Menomena, Parenthetical Girls)

So many to chose from, but Springsteen was my favorite and most awe-inspiring show of 2012.

—Andy Holland (Mike Thrasher Presents)

Hungover, in the van on your way to your next show, you need MORNING JAMS. And nothing fits more perfectly than Steve Hauschildt's blissed out stoner synth record Tragedy and Geometry.

—Kevin O'Connor (Talkdemonic)

Watching Yours Truly film an acoustic session with Daughter. Fifteen people on an old boat, rocking softly on the Hudson River, with New York City shimmering in the background. Incredible.

—Brooke Parrott (Loch Lomond, Songkick)

Favorite Show (hands down): Pulp, April 17, Warfield, San Francisco
Runner up: Hazel, September 8, MFNW/Star Theater, Portland
Runner up: Rodriguez, October 12, Showbox, Seattle
Runner up: Big Freedia and Miracles Club, September 8, Search Party Party, MFNW
—Mike Jones, A to Z Media

My favorite song of 2012: "Pope Will Roll" by Light Asylum.

—Fogatron

My favorite musical moment of 2012 was stumbling into PDX Pop! this year and catching Holland Andrews perform her Like a Villain set. She gave me goose bumps and performed amazingly, despite the sound of a roaring train 10 feet away.

—Charlie Salas Humara (Grapefruit, Sun Angle)

As a Canadian citizen living in the US for all of my adult life, the political climate leading prior to this year's election has always left me feeling like I would never fit in amongst my adopted homeland, but the sweeping victories that came on Election Day this year in favor of sanity, love, compassion, and human rights gave me hope. Hope that the majority of us are good people with love in the hearts who want to see our neighbors have the freedom to flourish. The following morning, I heard Sufjan Stevens' version of "The Star Spangled Banner" and it brought me to tears... I truly will never forget hearing that song for the first time and the emotions it brought to the surface.

—Nathan Walker (Riot Act Media)

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More of the Best Songs, Shows, and Musical Moments of 2012

Ned Lannamann — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 08:59:29 -0800

In this week's issue, a number of people in the Portland music scene chimed in on their favorite shows, songs, and musical moments of the past year. However, we got far too many great responses to fit into the measly little paper, so before the clock on 2012 runs out, I'm posting the rest of those favorite moments in music here on End Hits: It includes concerts, songs, funny anecdotes, and more, all of which add up to, hopefully, a shared account of the past 12 months in music.

I kicked it off yesterday, and have a bunch more today (with more to come!). Click the jump for more of what made 2012 a year worth remembering.

My favorite live experience of 2012 was definitely discovering Janka Nabay and the Bubu Gang at SXSW. A truly ferocious take on polyrhythmic and multicultural musical possibilities, Sierra Leonean powerhouse vocalist Janka Nabay plays a frenetic type of dance music from his home country called Bubu, and has assembled a backing band of American art-rockers (culled from groups in the upper experimental pop echelon like Gang Gang Dance, Chairlift and Zs) to flesh out the sound. Highlife meets psychedelia meets Afrobeat, all wrapped together with a pervasive warmth and notably inviting energy. I caught them at a True Panther day party, and in that glorious Austin sunshine I was immediately compelled to dance to this extraordinarily joyful and exuberant music. Better still, we were able to bring them out to Holocene in July, for what proved to be one of our most memorable shows of the year.

—Gina Altamura (Holocene)

It wasn't much past the noon hour and I found myself taking in the inescapable fresh air, sun and beauty of Orcas Island (in the San Juans) at the Doe Bay Music Fest, watching Radiation City perform on a tiny stage tucked up under some tall pine trees, only a stone's throw from ice cold Pacific Ocean water spraying up on some rocks. About half of the crowd of around 300 people were standing, while the others lounged on picnic blankets or sat in camping chairs, while applying sunblock and sipping on a cup of coffee or maybe a beer. I held my coffee in one hand and my one-year-old little girl, Eleanor, in the other, standing up towards the front, in awe of the five artists on stage and the way they were making that little, open-air PA sound so damned good. I occasionally looked around, watching people gradually stand up and move in closer as the set went on, knowing that most of them were probably hearing the Portland band for the first time. The setting couldn't have been better. It was a moment.

—Ryan Wines (Marmoset Music)

Rihanna's performance of "Diamonds" on SNL, and Rob Walmart's Everybody Hurts 3-lp... AMAZING.

—R. Jared White (Clinton Street Record & Stereo, 2510 Records, DJ Maxx Bass)

Watching White Denim in the Galaxy Barn at Pickathon.

—Julie Vitells (What Hearts)

Eminem guesting with 50 Cent at SXSW.

—Arya Imig (OPBmusic, Backspace, Someday Lounge)

A$AP Rocky with A$AP Mob, Schoolboy Q, Danny Brown, Roseland Theater, October 22.

—Nathan Detroit (Booty Bassment)

Musical Moments that changed who I am:
Thee Oh Sees - Galaxy Barn at 2012 Pickathon
Leonard Cohen - Fox Theater in Detroit

Random question for the universe: Will we ever hear from Tom Heinl again? [I sure hope so—Ed.]

—Terry Groves (Pickathon)

Last September Eric D. Johnson played an intimate set of Fruit Bats originals and folk/country covers for a crowd at digital ad agency, Instrument's Teepee Sessions. I think I actually reached a level of folk pop-induced euphoria in that airplane hanger at Instrument.

—Brandon Day (Marmoset Music)

Fav song: Dark Time Sunshine, "Can't Wait"
Fav local song: Radiation City, "Winter Blind"
Fav show: Kid Koala at Holocene
Fav musical moment of 2012: Discovering Spotify Premium

—Jon Ragel (Boy Eats Drum Machine)

An unforgettable day would certainly be this summer's incarnation of Anarchy Beach, an annual generator show on the banks of the Willamette. Things were looking precarious as rain clouds moved their way down the river and threatened to cancel the show. Bands were scrambling to hoist their gear further up the beach and get it under tree-cover. The showers passed, however, and once things were reassembled, the outrageousness that is Anarchy Beach commenced, eventually concluding with a ridiculously volatile performance from Bi-Marks that featured a 'sand war' and acrobatics only possible at beach! Check it out.

—David Rose (the Know, Bulkhead Records)

My Morning Jacket's You Who kid's show at the Kennedy School.

—Laura Veirs

Getting my socks blown off by one of the baby boomers' most jaded rockers: Roger Fucking Waters played The Wall at the Rose Garden. Best arena show I have ever seen.

—Jonathan Kreitler (Mustard Revolution)

My favorite musical moment lasted two days, actually, when I got to see Psychic TV play with a bunch of my friends' bands in Seattle and the next day in Portland.

My favorite song of the year is this hilarious dubstep remix of an Enya song. I don't know or care who does it, but it is like the second thing on Youtube that pops up if you search "enya dubstep." It's a remix of "Only Time." It's amazing.

—Arian Jalali (Concrete Floor, Onuinu, Dubais)

NOT the Portland Police's Gang Task Force profiling and shutting down all hiphop parties in Chinatown, I know that much!!!

—Kenny Fresh (FRSH SLCTS)

Hot Snakes at Doug Fir, April 1. In these times of sissy'esque, nincompoop pop meanderings, it was a fresh reminder that bad ass rock still rings true.

Tim Connolly (the Suicide Notes)

The final montage of "The Phantom" (Mad Men, Season 5, Episode 13): "You Only Live Twice" (the Nancy Sinatra Bond song) plays while Don Draper walks off a Beauty and the Beast set, Peggy Olson watches dogs hump, Roger Sterling stands spread eagle, naked and glassy eyed, and then Don drinks an old fashioned.

—Radiation City

Guilty pleasure song of the year: "Hell Yeah, I Like Beer" by Kevin Fowler. (It came out in 2011, oops, but I discovered it on tour in 2012.) Jon Neufeld, my bandmate in Black Prairie, discovered this song by putting in a random first name ("Kevin") into Spotify and playing whatever came up first. I kinda love this song and how completely Texas it is, but I couldn't even get through the rest of this guy's record. It was fun in the van, anyway.

—Nate Query (Black Prairie, the Decemberists)

Favorite Show: Watching Bombino and his crew delve into a trance as they played their drifty, desert blues beneath the green canopy at the Woods Stage at Pickathon. We couldn't really have been farther away from the climate, both political and earthly, than the one about which those songs were written. But it somehow seemed to fit out there in those peaceful woods.

Favorite Moments: What is a moment? For me, it's a happening. An experience that won't occur again in that same way. Little things, these moments, might last just a second, like the time Martha Sanlon smiled at my son while she was in the middle of song on the main stage at Pickathon. Or they might be little longer, like these listed below:
1. Seeing Kitty, Daisy and Lewis and their father enjoy the circus area, meant to entertain kids—or I guess the kids at heart—at Pickathon.
2. Listening to a spontaneous late night couple of tunes from the Cactus Blossoms singer at Pickathon.
3. Stumbling upon old-time guru Bruce Molsky leading a group of folks through a few tunes at Pickathon.

I could go on and on in this department. But I won't drag it out.

—Tim LaBarge (photographer)

April 1, being lifted into the air while playing a show in Sendai, Japan.

—Geoff Soule (Sad Horse)

Witnessing saxophone titan Timothy McAllister sitting in with the Oregon Symphony to deliver a fucking stunner: City Noir by American composer John Adams.

—Angry Symphony Guy

Jamie Stillway at Secret Society Ballroom. Maybe the most charming person in Portland. And a great fingerstyle guitarist w/ a lovely melodic sensibility.

—Rachel Taylor Brown

Touring the country for five months and then opening up for Dick Dale!!! IT'S BEEN A CRAZY YEAR Y'ALL!!!!

—Christopher Michael (Boom!)

It's a tie between Rigsketball Summer 2012 and the We Shared Milk's Portland-produced record The History of Voyager and Legend Tripping. Both brought the music scene together and had that classic DIY feel all over it.

—Michael Rowan, Andrew Clyde, and Josh Smith (Charts)

We rang in this year with a fantastic midnight show at the Kenton Club, where the members of Blood Beach and my wife (and bandmate) Rachael Renee' and I all raised a glass to the year to come, which has actually turned out to be one of the best we've ever had, musically. Blood Beach melted minds that night and it has stuck with me, prodding me to push harder, feel more, and keep rocking like it's all going to catch fire any minute.

—Michael G. Levasseur (Michael the Blind and the Els)

My mom’s dissection of "Call Me Maybe": “I really like the part where there’s a lot of words, right before the ‘call me maybe’ part.”

—Heather Larimer (Eux Autres)

It was terribly disappointing to see the Woods go at the beginning of 2012, but it's been exciting to watch the Piano Fort rise up as an incredibly unique, underground, community-oriented venue.

—Chris Young (Oregon Music News)

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The Best Songs, Shows, and Musical Moments of 2012

Ned Lannamann — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 08:59:29 -0800

I recently asked a number of Portland music people—musicians, bookers, writers, more—for their top five albums of the year, and when I did so, I also asked for their favorite "song, show, or musical moment" of 2012. Plenty of the good folks indulged me and responded, some with their favorite song, many with their favorite show, some with all three.

We put as many responses as we could fit in this week's issue, but as with the Top Five lists, there were far too many to fit into the printed bounds of the paper. So over the next few days on End Hits, and as the year drips to its inevitable close, I'll be posting the rest of these great responses I received, summing up the year in music with a huge array of different memories, hopefully providing something like a 2012 yearbook by way of a catalog of everyone's different experiences.

Thank you to everyone who submitted their faves. And if a list like this is worth anything at all, the more the merrier: Please feel free to share your favorite song, show, or musical moment of the year in the comments to this, or any of the subsequent blog posts over the next few days.

Lots of 2012's best moments in music after the jump!

I went to Outside Lands in San Francisco, just as a fan, and it was fun not worrying about anything and just having a good time at an amazing festival.

—Matt King (Mississippi Studios)

Finally realizing how fucking awesome the band Drunk Dad is, at Club 21 on November 10, and seeing the video for "Cut the World" by Antony and the Johnsons.

—Jason Rivera (Gaytheist)

The Portland Party at SXSW, March 2012. Twenty-one Portland bands took over Austin, Texas, for the day. Epic turnout, fantastic bands, and a really amazing accomplishment.

—Brooklyn Baggett (Octopus Entertainment)

Reliving the glorious past on a nightly basis at Tony Starlight's Supperclub.

—Tony Starlight (Tony Starlight's Supperclub and Lounge)

Seeing Red Fang come back from a worldwide tour and play the Roseland at MusicfestNW was one of the best live music moments I've been able to enjoy. The band looked a little weary from having played songs from 2011's Murder the Mountain for almost a year, but, like true road warriors, they played the tracks in a flurry of near perfection that was on the same level of more well-know acts like Mastodon and Them Crooked Vultures. A rowdy, but not too dangerous, mosh pit opened up and it seemed Portland metal fans were just happy to have their favorite heavy band back home.

—Aaron Colter (Banana Stand Media)

My favorite show of 2012 was on September 6 at the Hawthorne Theater for MFNW—Lightning Bolt, Quasi, White Fang. It was magickal. I felt invigorated for days off of Lightning Bolt's performance.

—Chris Uehlein (Unkle Funkle, Gnar Tapes, White Fang)

I think my favorite musical moment of 2012 would have to be at SXSW this year. We were invited to be a part of the Big Star Third/Sister Lovers tribute performance, singing Chris Bell's beautiful song "There Was a Light." That alone was a HUGE moment for us—sharing the stage with Chris Stamey, Mitch Easter, Peter Buck, and Jody Stephens was something we'll never forget. A true honor. But what made that night even more special was being able to screen the Big Star documentary with a room full of people who were part of the bands legacy, or just life long, die-hard Big Star fans. Seeing a wonderful document of a legendary band, in a beautiful theater—it was really special. The songs never sounded better, and it was just great being able to share that experience with a room full of a few hundred other folks who care about that band as much as we do.

—Evan Way (The Parson Red Heads)

Favorite show was Tiny Knives at the Know on November 3. Jai [Milx] came so close to bringing tears into my eyes from their performance. It was hard to hold it all in. Similar to experiences I've had when watching Stag Bitten.

—Robert Comitz (Nucular Aminals, Record Room, Frawg Pound Studio, the Know)

Vaporwave and the Pop-Art of the Virtual Plaza.

—Chris Cantino (Into the Woods, 2ØXX, PDX Pop Now!)

Bruce Springsteen at the Rose Garden was a magical night! No other musician brings it like Bruce with his powerful performance, brilliant lyrics, and his intimate relationship with his fans. It’s a rock and roll revival and he is a riveting master of sweetness, sadness and bad-ass cheerful rock and roll! He really is something you have to see to understand, the power of his music and relationship with the audience. Some great stunts, but so freely given—and no gimmicks. No light shows, things falling on the crowd, floating pigs. When I saw Coldplay I thought, "Yeah, okay, confetti falling, flashing wrist bands, crazy lights." But with Bruce it's just all him, honest and on the line with no fear and the house lights up! That's greatness.

—Chris Mays (KINK FM)

My favorite musical moment of 2012? Holy god, how would I pick just one?! I could maybe get it down to 30. Maybe it was that night that Old Age threw a one-night festival on their property in Alsea, Oregon—being full of warm chocolate and cold, free beer. With fungals swimming laps in my guts, the We Shared Milk, Hustle and Drone, Animal Eyes, and Fanno Creek ripped on the porch/stage that was lit with lasers from in front, and behind, the most beautiful nature Oregon has to offer. Yeah, "the Thing in Alsea" was my favorite.

Fave song is a cruel question and I won't play.

—Bim Ditson (And And And, Rigsketball)

Favorite show of the year: The Black Lips in Paris, France, at Le Trabendo. It was an insane show as expected. The band toilet papered the audience and people were constantly stage diving. By the end of the night a bunch of people flooded the stage and a few of the band members were crowd surfing on stage.

Second favorite show was Ty Segall in Portland at Star Theater. He asked the crowd, "Do you wanna take rock 'n' roll home tonight?"

—Sallie Ford (Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside)

Top 5 songs:
1. Cat Power, "Manhattan"
2. AlunaGeorge, "Put Up Your Hands"
3. Gulls, "Running Times"
4. Miracles Club, "U & Me"
5. Bat For Lashes, "Rest Your Head"

Runners up: Four Tet "Lion (Jamie XX remix)" and Andy Stott "Luxury Problems." (Last time I DJ'ed this, I saw a man humping a pole. For real.)

—Andrew Neerman (Beacon Sound)

This was the year I got to attend my first live performances by a number of icons that changed my perception of the world through their music: Bill Frisell, Swans, Leonard Cohen, Bruce Springsteen, feedtime, Ed Kuepper, Omar Souleyman, Laurie Anderson, Matthew Shipp, and John Cale.

—Robert Ham (freelance writer, Good to Die Records)

I saw Tegan and Sara in Seattle in September, and it was only their second show with new songs and a new band. The highlight for me was seeing Jason McGerr from Death Cab (a band who I am admittedly not a fan of) constantly killing it on drums. Tegan and Sara are an extremely underrated band—as well as great songwriters—who I think we'll be hearing and seeing a lot of in 2013.

—Alex Arrowsmith

My Favorite Song of 2012: Emika, "Chemical Fever"
Favorite Music Show Moment: Seeing Hazel perform at Star Theater while their official dancer, Fred Nemo, did performance art and danced on stage.

—Christina Broussard, Mercury contributor, Sci Fi Sol Music

Song: Mike Coykendall, "Mr. Fly"

Show: Thee Oh Sees at Pickathon

Musical Moment: Colin Stetson (solo bass saxophone) at Mississippi Studios

—Garth Klippert (Old Light)

The Marked Men at Awesome Fest, San Diego!

—Ken Cheppaikode (Dirtnap Records, Green Noise Records)

I want to be really cool and say it was an obscure up and coming band I saw in a basement, but it was Roger Waters doing The Wall at the Rose Garden. That shit was insane. He sang with a massive image of himself, a blimp bombed us with corporate logos, and he drew all 15,000 fans into the narrative of the album. It's been more than six months and I still think about this show frequently. What's more, I wouldn't even say I liked this album going in to the show.

—Jason Simms (the Oregonian)

The Light in the Attic road trip was a fun time, and documented on their youtube page.

—Auggie Rebelo (Everyday Music)

All four days of Pickathon... is that cheating? If I were forced to be specific, I would choose the show that closed Pickathon 2012—Dr. Dog in the Galaxy Barn. It must have been 100 degrees, bodies were pressed together, sweat was dripping everywhere, and the energy in that room was explosive. I showed up late and somehow got right in front of the stage right when Frank McElroy (backup guitar and vocals) shouted out, "Who wants beer!" and held out his pitcher to the audience. It felt like I was the only one who heard or answered, and the pitcher was suddenly bestowed into my hands like a trophy, and I shared it with the crowd. It was an overwhelmingly awesome moment with one of my favorite bands.

—Rachel Milbauer (Mercury contributor)

When the layers of fuzz distortion kick in during the chorus of Ty Segall's "Thank God For Sinners."

—Jason Leivian (Floating World Comics, Arthur Magazine)

Song: Sic Alps, "Glyphs"

Show: (TIE) White Fang at Slim's/The Boss at the Rose Garden

—Jake Morris (Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, Street Nights, H∞kers)

Fave show: Battle Hymns and Gardens at the Waypost (Reed Wallsmith, Joe Cunningham, Jon Shaw, Tim Duroche)

Fave song: Bob Dylan's "Long and Wasted Years"

—Tyler Keene, Log Across the Washer

"The Greatest Autoharp Solo of All Time" is a song that Zammuto played at Doug Fir on November 6—My kind of fun!

—Lane Barrington (The Ocean Floor, Sprinkles)

Front row for the Boss. Sixty-three and he can still kill it for three-plus hours. Crowd surfing, guitar spins, and Clarence Clemons' nephew holdin' it down on the sax. Gawd Bless Uhmerica.

—Anthony Stassi (hÔnt)

The "Passing of the Torch" show when I took over Slabtown. February 24 with Chemicals, Defect Defect, Bloodtypes, and Giant Ruinous Monster Wrestling (folks dressed up as monsters and wrestling among cardboard cities on stage). I've seen hundreds of live bands this year—some of them jaw-droppingly good (I'm looking at you, Hot Victory, Akabane Vulgars, Bi-Marks, Walls, and Neon Piss!). But nothing beats the feeling of putting on your first show at your own club. It was like having my first taste of alcohol all over again.

—Doug Rogers (Slabtown)

I saw at least 150 shows this year. There were so many memorable, musical moments. In November I was enlisted to be YOB's drum tech at their show in Oakland with Neurosis and Voivod. As YOB were sharing their drums with the main support, I became Voivod's drum tech by proxy, which allowed me a lot of quality time with one of my favorite bands. It also led to Jason Newsted (ex-Metallica) passing me a joint in the green room after the show and telling me, "Nate, you are somebody." I got a good laugh out of that.

—Nathan Carson (Nanotear Booking, Witch Mountain, Willamette Week)

Favorite show of the year is a split between Homiefest and this other rad house fest called WOM (Word of Mouth). The WOM fest was the day after July 4 and everyone seemed hungover as fuck. The bill was Sun Angle, Death Songs, Grandparents, and And And And. It was outside and everyone was gettin' crunked! They both ruled...

—Papi Fimbres (Paper Upper Cuts, Sun Angle, Orquestra Pacifico Tropical)

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Portland's Favorite Songs, Shows, or Musical Moments of 2011: Day Five

Ned Lannamann — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 08:59:44 -0800

We asked dozens and dozens of folks from the Portland music scene about their favorite song, show, or musical moment of the year, and they came back with plenty of answers. So every day this week, we've been sharing those answers with you, in our look back on a busy year of great music. Today's the last day! (And if you haven't already done so, leave your favorite song, show, or musical moment in the comments!)

These final musical moments come from Jeremy Petersen, Blood Beach, Anna Jensen, Sarah Fennell, Scott McLean, Krist Krueger, Matt Sheehy, Ingrid Renan, Nathan Carson, Chris Cantino, Tope, Dylan Magierek, DJ Anjali, Ned Lannamann, Stephanie Ryan, Nilina Mason-Campbell, Dave Depper, Jeff Urquhart, Terry Groves, and Ezra Ace Caraeff. Click through the jump to read 'em all!

Top musical moment(s) of 2011:
Wilco closing out Sasquatch
Charles Bradley & His Extraordinaires at opbmusic
The Decemberists at opbmusic

Favorite songs:
AgesandAges: “No Nostalgia”
tUnE-yArdS: “Bizness”
YACHT: “Shangri-La”
—Jeremy Petersen (OPB Music)

The 20th Anniversary of the Moment Punk Broke.
—Blood Beach

I went on a beautiful tropical vacation with my family when I was 15, and the only two tapes I brought with me were Portishead's Dummy and Portishead. Teen angst much? I know. I remember the first time I heard them my freshman year of high school, and 15 years later I finally saw them live. I was sick as a dog, but nothing was going to keep me from the mediocre setting of the WaMu Theater. The show was amazing. The production was phenomenal and hearing those songs live for the first time was pretty incredible.

Either that, or daydreaming of driving away with Ryan Gosling with only our love, his scorpion jacket and M83's "Midnight City" to protect us.

Nope, nope, gonna stick with Portishead.
—Anna Jensen (Doug Fir)

Dave Depper performed The Ram Project at the Doug Fir and everyone lost their shit. It was soooooo rad.

The other was Givers at the Doug Fir for MFNW. They had so much energy, it was infectious.
—Sarah Fennell (Lost Lander/What Hearts)

R. Steve Moore at Holocene August 31, 2011. Revelatory!!!!
—Scott McLean (Holocene/Rough Trade)

Ein—Getting a number of artists from the Self Group family together on the same stage at CMJ. Zwei—hearing women still cat-calling Kris Kristofferson (young and mature alike, some that he may have actually been with according to their statements?). And drei—seeing Willie Nelson again at Edgefield.
—Krist Krueger (Self Group/Southerly)

Givers at Doug Fir for MFNW. Face = melted.
—Matt Sheehy (Lost Lander)

I had too many favorite musical moments, so I'll just stick with some songs I really love below....

Aan 7-inch "Somewhere Sunshine"
Radiation City "The Things You Tell Us"
— Ingrid Renan (Exploding Green)

I saw SO many amazing shows this year… and it’s always tempting to take the easy route and say RUSH! Also of great note was my own SXSW Nanotear showcase since it featured so many of my favorite bands on one stage (YOB, Agalloch, Wizard Rifle…). But the other two gigs that stand out in my mind were Judas Priest in Seattle (amazing song choice and energy), and every Lost Lockets performance I had the good fortune to witness—especially the nights when they played an entire a capella song on machetes with choreographed dancers in sexy burka. Ooh la la!
—Nathan Carson (Witch Mountain/Nanotear Booking/DJ Nate C)

My favorite musical moment of 2011 was witnessing firsthand my friend Michael Griffith play in front of the riot cops at Occupy Portland.
—Chris Cantino (Archers/Portland Mercury)

My favorite musical moment of 2011 was watching my friends Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' career absolutely blow and up then having the opportunity to open up for them at MusicfestNW.
—Tope (Living Proof/TxE)

Favorite song: Foster the People - "Pumped Up Kicks" (Nice to see an infectious song with macabre lyrics do so well.)
—Dylan Magierek (Badman/Type Foundry/Scenic Burrows)

Holy fk! Teaching thousands of Sasquatch kids how to Bhangra and Giddha (you know, Panjabi folk dance.) All three days in a row they put up with my speech about Partition (go look it up) and the land of five rivers. They got more geography in the dance tent than four years of high school. Oh, and they cheered for Pakistan.

I guess you kinda had to be there... [LINK]
—DJ Anjali

Impossible to pick just one moment. There are so many: Givers at the Doug Fir for MusicfestNW. Robyn and the Decemberists dominating Sasquatch. Devo going far above and beyond the call of duty at the Crystal in March. Teri Gender Bender of Le Butcherettes absolutely baffling the meathead crowd at the QOTSA show in July. And all of Pickathon. Oh, and learning that one of my favorite musicians, Heather Broderick, had joined the band of one of my other favorite musicians, Sharon Van Etten. I was excited about that for weeks. Still am.
—Ned Lannamann (Portland Mercury)

The weekend road trip through Eastern Washington for Sasquatch was a beauty. Seeing the Modest Mouse and Talkdemonic show at the Knitting Factory in Spokane was a one-of-a kind moment, followed by a plethora of awesome people and music at the festival the next day. Good times for sure.
—Stephanie Ryan (Mississippi Studios/Laura Veirs’ assistant)

My favorite song of 2011: "Aroused" by Tom Vek. The music video casts the song in a sexual light and that's often one's first guess based on the title alone, but it's all about detailing his girl getting turned on in terms of thought, her mind coming alive. It's really awesome and bombastically dancey.

And my favorite show/musical moment of 2011: Dancing on stage with Konkrete and Big Boi at SXSW.
—Nilina Mason-Campbell (photographer/Jill-of-all-trades)

As for my favorite musical moment, it's gonna have to be a tie, though both involved sets in the Galaxy Barn at Pickathon. Richard Swift moved me and half the crowd to tears during his flawless performance there. I felt like I was watching a master of his craft at the top of his game, and seeing his three adorable kids in the front row singing along was almost too much to take.

Sharing the top spot was Lee Fields and the Expressions' set there a couple of nights later. It felt like seeing James Brown in 1966 from five feet away. Pure soul, pure power, pure sweat. Amazing.
—Dave Depper (Fruit Bats/The Ram Project)

Seeing Retox at Tube was pretty great. Oh ya! The night D.R.I. played Branx and two hours before doors, their drummer had to go to the hospital, so we ended up finding like five drummers to fill in last minute. We were expecting a total trainwreck and it ended up working out and being a pretty memorable show.
—Jeff Urquhart (Branx/Rotture)

Richard Swift's triumphant display of talent in the Galaxy Barn at 2011 Pickathon.
—Terry Groves (Pickathon)

My favorite song of 2011: Young Galaxy "We Have Everything"

No song from this calendar year accurately sums up the woeful 1% vs. 99% society of ours like "We Have Everything," the deceptively bouncy single that is the focal point of the Canadian band's Shapeshifting LP. Singer Catherine McCandless passionate cry of "I wept when we parted/And wept when we united/In poverty, my love, we have everything" is the antithesis of the slumped-shoulder acceptance we've all grown too accustomed to. It's the "We may be hidden by rags/But we've something they'll never have" of our generation, the unofficial soundtrack of unrelenting optimism that scores an official movement and best captures the past 12 months.
—Ezra Ace Caraeff (The Old Gold/Portland Mercury)

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Portland's Favorite Songs, Shows, or Musical Moments of 2011: Day Four

Ned Lannamann — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 08:57:55 -0800

We asked dozens and dozens of folks from the Portland music scene about their favorite song, show, or musical moment of the year, and they came back with plenty of answers. So every day this week, we're sharing those answers with you, in our look back on a busy year of great music. (And hey, leave your favorite song, show, or musical moment in the comments!)

Today's musical moments come from Scott Flaster, Justin Ready, Natasha Kmeto, Ryan Hyaes, Dana Valatka, Greg Glover, Mark Lore, Jacy McIntosh, Ashia Grzesik, Corrina Repp, Sara Hernandez, Zack Osterlund, Beau Sorenson, Ryan J. Prado, Connie Wohn, Lana Rebel, and the Incredible Kid. Click through the jump to read 'em all!

Seeing the Swans at Roseland Theater / Feb 2011. The heaviest band I have ever witnessed.
—Scott Flaster (Seventh Rule)

My favorite musical moment of the last year: playing/attending the FXFU festival at the Eagles Lodge on Hawthorne. Great night with good friends and cheap beer.
—Justin Ready (Pigeons/Petoskey)

This is a really tough question because I saw and experienced so many great moments this year. The show that sticks out the most in my memory from this year at this moment in time is when AEP brought out Mount Kimbie from the UK. I was surrounded by friends, the vibe was perfect and the music was, of course, amazing. It was a very inspirational night!
—Natasha Kmeto

Favorite song of 2011: Shabazz Palaces: "Swerve the Reeping of All that is Worthwhile (Noir Not Withstanding)"
—Ryan Hyaes (Hurtbird)

SWAAAAANS!!
—Dana Valatka (AU)

Seeing the Cars play their first live show in nearly 25 years, May 10th in Seattle.
—Greg Glover (94.7 FM/Arena Rock Recording Company)

Wild Flag at the Doug Fir, Nov. 9. Windmills, leg kicks, noise, all done with a certain je ne sais quoi—these ladies renewed my faith in rock and roll.
—Mark Lore (Portland Mercury, thedaysoflore.com)

My Favorite Musical Moment of 2011 was the final show of the Minus the Bear/Velvet Teen 10-year anniversary tour of the US, at the Showbox Theater in Seattle on Nov 9, 2011. As a friend and fan of the people in both these bands for more than a decade, I have had the privilege to watch them change the approach, style and general technical ability of those involved in the musical world, thus it was a highly anticipated moment for me. A sold-out show at the Showbox is quite a site when nearly everyone in the room is singing along like a Fugazi show in '91, only larger, and with adult beverages. A night of nonstop favorites. The pinnacle of the evening being Minus the Bear's closer... the song: "Let's Play Guitar in a Five Guitar Band," joined on stage by the four members of the Velvet Teen, with two on vocals, and the other two on guitars. There was indeed five guitars on stage, shredding, for a long time. I guess the drummer, Erin Tate, who named the song, got his wish. I know I did. Thanks brothers.
—Jacy McIntosh (Themes)

It's a tie between Rachel Taylor Brown's CD release show and My Brightest Diamond's show for the Siren Nation Festival. In both I had a similar experience of being washed over with brilliance, beauteous sound, and emotion. I remembered or re-learned in those very moments what it means to be a performing, breathing work of art and sound and it brought me to tears and inspiration. A cycle felt completed as an audience member, and I felt that the next time I would step on stage those moments would give me the strength to renew the cycle.
—Ashia Grzesik (Ashia and the Bison Rouge/Vagabond Opera)

There are tour moments, and non tour moments. When you get to witness a great band you've never heard by playing a show with them. This is a stunning moment. Suuns did that for me this year—played a festival with them in the Netherlands.

Oh yeah—Janelle Monae at Roskilde. She is a force.

Also—seeing Blonde Redhead at the Roseland this year. A great band, and sexy as hell.
—Corrina Repp (Tu Fawning)

Definitely the Tender Loving Empire Birthday Party at the Wonder Ballroom. So many good bands and so much Portland love. I went with my sister and my mom and started the night by drinking a few of my favorite cocktails (the Bee's Knees) at the Secret Society. I ended the night half drunk, covered in confetti, sweat and happiness. It was pretty fucking rad.
—Sara Hernandez (The Angry Orts)

Favorite song: Pictureplane - "Real Is a Feeling" (Unicorn Kid Ecstasy Dream Mix)
—Zack Osterlund (Breakfast Mountain)

Watching Hans-Joachim Roedelius. He's a hero of mine, and his influence shows up in so much of my favorite music.
—Beau Sorenson (engineer/producer/musician)

My favorite musical moment of 2011 was discovering the totally amazing No Kind of Rider during a patio show at Rontom's over the summer. My least favorite musical moment was coming to terms with the fact that they'd been playing shows for over two years in Portland at that point, and I was the only one "discovering" them. You can't win 'em all.
—Ryan J. Prado (Just Out/Oregon Music News)

Best show: Devo, Crystal Ballroom April 2011
—Connie Wohn (Stylus 503)

Um, either Ming Donkey's one-man band, sweatin' it up at the Venice Cafe in Columbus, Mississippi, or the Black's David Longoria ripping guitar shreds atop the pool table for a truly epic set-ender at the Hole in the Wall, Austin.
—Lana Rebel

Headlining the dance tent on the opening night of the ten-year anniversary of Sasquatch! Festival with DJ Anjali for an absolutely insane audience of thousands of buck wild screaming kids going crazy for three-and-a-half hours.
—The Incredible Kid

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Portland's Favorite Songs, Shows, or Musical Moments of 2011: Day Three

Ned Lannamann — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 08:56:07 -0800

We asked dozens and dozens of folks from the Portland music scene about their favorite song, show, or musical moment of the year, and they came back with plenty of answers. So every day this week, we're sharing those answers with you, in our look back on a busy year of great music. (And hey, leave your favorite song, show, or musical moment in the comments!)

Today's musical moments come from Jon AD, Gabe Vodicka, Matthew McLean, Nathan Walker, Zac Jacobson, Ross Beach, Neal Morgan, Saxon Baird, Zachary King, David Hutchinson, Sean Spellman, Jason Leonard, Nathan Jr., Mo Troper, Tracie Davis, Jason Leivian, Gavin Castleton, and Gina Altamura. Click through the jump to read 'em all!

Arkona at Hawthorne Theatre—I'm sure things would have been even better has it not been at the Hawthorne Theatre, and had been headlining, and thus not had to keep to a single short set. Masha, the vocalist, is like the female, Wolf Skin-wearing, pagan metal version of Bruce Dickinson at his greatest, and they didn't let the tiny (by metal standards) room or dodgy, feedback-generating PA get in the way one bit. I imagine there are a pile of Youtube videos up, if anyone maintained their composure enough to shoot one.
—Jon AD (Losonofono/LoDubs/Anthem Records)

Pickathon helped this southern boy fall in love with music—and mother nature—all over again.
—Gabe Vodicka (Portland Mercury)

The Shins at Doug Fir Lounge on August 10, 2011.
—Matthew McLean (Monqui)

Favorite moment of 2011 was hearing the haunting and gorgeous song "Tonight" by Sibylle Baier, thanks to my friends the Lightman twins from Tasseomancy. Either that or finally looking stubborn or old enough that when I say I'm supposed to on the list, door folks tend to believe me.
—Nathan Walker (Riot Act Media)

Favorite moment in TV in 2011:

The last few minutes of the last episode of Season 4 of Breaking Bad. The reveal is devastating. Oh, also the music video for Duck Sauce's song "Big Bad Wolf" is brilliant. Sorry, had to put that in there too.
—Zac Jacobson (Wax Fingers)

Favorite show: Man or Astroman? at Doug Fir, February 23rd, 2011.
—Ross Beach (PDX Pop Now!/Ross and the Hellpets)

It's a tie. My favorite new Portland artist Tonality Star was astonishingly good at the Alberta Street Pub in October. The Nurses record release performance in September was that rare treat when you see a band in truly top form.
—Neal Morgan (solo artist/Joanna Newsom/Bill Callahan)

Barrington Levy killin' it in NYC (I was really wasted).
—Saxon Baird (Prefix/Afropop Worldwide)

All of the Therapists' blacked out performances. Hard to just pick one. I expect that whole pigeon carcasses will make a return in 2012. Don't let me down boys.
—Zachary King (Garageland/Zach’s Books/Burning Yellows)

Harry K's Love Is Blind, Lingerie Is Braille .
—David Hutchinson (fuckbadmusic.com)

Getting lost at Pickathon.
—Sean Spellman (Quiet Life)

My favorite musical moment of this year was actually seeing Mavis Staples speak in the workshop barn at Pickathon. It was crazy packed and hot, and a friend and I were standing in the doorway for an hour waiting for it to start because there were no seats left. The porch outside was literally caving in outside and a staff lady kept coming around telling everyone there was no room and that we had to leave. And I kept telling her I wasn't leaving, that I just wanted to hear Mavis talk and then we were leaving the festival. She talked about growing up in the Civil Rights movement, singing the Gospel, and being in love with Bobby Dylan. It was a magical moment, and we ended up staying the rest of the night to see her perform. How could you not? She's a legend and lives up to the name.
—Jason Leonard (Loch Lomond)

Lewi Longmire album release, at The Woods. Not only is Lewi's record one of the best of the year, his live show is consistently fantastic. No one in town works harder or sounds better, and there are a bunch of us trying. He and Ned and Bill destroyed, DESTROYED, my power trio belief system, and this new Holy Trinity reattached my face in their image. The Left Coast Roasters... I'm burning, I'm burning, I'm burning for you.
—Nathan Jr. (Duover/Fruit Bats)

Concert highlights include: Randy Newman, Saves The Day and Weezer. Absolutely most surreal musical moment of 2011 was watching Typhoon (who along with Starfucker have become an "I saw them when" band) and Sallie Ford (I've had sparkling cider in her kitchen!!) perform on Letterman.
—Mo Troper (Your Rival)

As with listening to new material I’ve had little time to catch live acts either so my pic is a televised show… and it might have been the tryptophan or cheap Cook’s champagne but I was genuinely glued to A Very Lady Gaga Thanksgiving. Maybe I just appreciated her not "wearing" any of the meal. And Tony Bennett is still a rockstar.
—Tracie Davis (Rockshields)

Pulp reunion show at Primavera Sound (Barcelona). [LINK]
—Jason Leivian (Oregon Rocks!/LaVa/Floating World Comics)

**The morning of December 19, Jason quickly wrote back to add:**

oh shit hold the press
the (2nd) best show of 2011: Muscle Beach @Tonic Lounge, c. 12/18/11

Mr. Bungle vs. you're at a bar there's a dude in a wheelchair, pump him full of heroin, he gets on stage and is the lead vocalist of jesus lizard
no memory after that except awesome

Finally getting to see Van Hunt play (live at the Doug Fir).
—Gavin Castleton

James Blake dominates my romantic memory of musical moments this year.

I was so captivated watching him play in a chapel in Austin during SXSW, this fragile, soulful voice rising up from this boy who seemed too petrified to look at any of us. Then, I got to see him again this Fall, where—after nonstop touring—he joked and charmed us and seemed, finally, totally confident in his skin. That night, he did an absolutely arresting performance of his Joni Mitchell cover, "A Case of You."

To borrow from Roland Barthes, James Blake reminds us of the "grain" of the voice: "The 'grain' is the body in the voice as it sings... what I shall attempt to say of the 'grain' will, of course, be the impossible account of an individual thrill that I constantly experience in listening to singing."
—Gina Altamura (Holocene)

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Portland's Favorite Songs, Shows, or Musical Moments of 2011: Day Two

Ned Lannamann — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 08:55:45 -0800

We asked dozens and dozens of folks from the Portland music scene about their favorite song, show, or musical moment of the year, and they came back with plenty of answers. So every day this week, we're sharing those answers with you, in our look back on a busy year of great music. (And hey, leave your favorite song, show, or musical moment in the comments!)

Today's musical moments come from Tyler Keene, Sara Lund, Matt Caldwell, Will West, Lisa Schonberg, Scoot Magee, Guantanamo Baywatch, Aris Wales, Luck-One, Erik Abel, Mary Brabec, Rachel Demy, Robert Ham, Peter Vaughan Shaver, Rob Taxpayer, Cloudy October, Mistina La Fave, Joan Hiller, and Jared Mees. Click through the jump to read 'em all!

Archers performing "Door to All Marvels" for Into the Woods’ Feels Like Home series. Watching the energy between those five incredibly talented guys is a thing of beauty.
—Tyler Keene (Log Across the Washer)

Group Doueh at Mississippi Studios—favorite moment: when the witchy lady got up on stage to dance with them and someone who I'm going to pretend is her son ran up to the stage to try to get her off.
—Sara Lund (Hungry Ghost, The Corin Tucker Band)

Seeing Paul Simon at the Santa Barbara Bowl.
—Matt Caldwell (End Hits)

Camping for three nights on Pendarvis Farm for Pickathon in August 2011. It was our third year volunteering and enjoying the vibes. The entire weekend was fantastic.

Another really cool moment was catching back to back appearance by local bands Typhoon and Sallie Ford & The Sound Outside on Late Show with David Letterman. Cheers to Portland Music!
—Will West (Will West and the Friendly Strangers)

My favorite musical moment of this year: Getting to perform a set with E*Rock and TJO in the middle of the desert in Joshua Tree in a structure built by local designers Von Tundra.
—Lisa Schonberg (The Secret Drum Band)

My favorite musical moment was the entire weekend I spent having my blown mind beyond all comprehension at Pickathon 2011. Lee Fields, Future Islands, Mavis Staples, Richard Swift, Bill Callahan, and many other bands/performers were absolutely incredible.
—Scott Magee (DJ Cooky Parker/Y La Bamba/Monarques/Nick Jaina)

Uh Jason had an epic fart on tour in March that no one can stop talking about.
—Guantanamo Baywatch

Metallica and Lou Reed jump the shark with their album Lulu, successfully alienating both of their fan bases and anyone who considers listening to music to be an enjoyable pastime. Thanks, guys!
—Aris Wales (Portland Mercury)

I gotta say my favorite moment would have to be when Rick Ross recreated the exact same song, three times (Tupac Back, 9 Piece, and BMF) sent them all to radio, and everybody called it creative. Genius.
—Luck-One

Stage diving while performing with Animal Farm at the Hawthorne Theater.
—Erik Abel (Gen.Erik/Animal Farm)

Bon Iver closing down McMenamins'/Monqui’s Edgefield summer 2011 series.
—Mary Brabec (Billions)

It's a tie between:
• catching Josh Freese's sweaty Devo t-shirt on a night when I couldn't afford merchandise.
• watching James Mercer & Co. cover Pink Floyd's "Breathe" on the Jimmy Fallon show with Nick Mason as the guest of honor.
—Rachel Demy (tour manager)

Shocking to think that this happened almost 12 months ago, but it was hard to beat watching the amazing Ethiopian vocalist Mahmoud Ahmed sing "Happy Birthday" to Tres Shannon. On that night, he was the luckiest man in the city.
—Robert Ham (freelance writer)

Show: Mavis Staples at Pickathon
Moment: Kelli Schaefer at PDX POP NOW (Shovel solo on a rock!)
Song: Decemberists doing R.E.M. better than R.E.M.
—Peter Vaughan Shaver (Sound Advice)

The moment the cops broke up the punk show at the Alpine II Laundromat by unplugging everyone's instruments, and everyone there broke into an impromptu a capella version of "We Are the Champions"!
—Rob Taxpayer (The Taxpayers/Useless State Records)

Edan at Someday Lounge was definitely the best show I seen this year. Great sound at this place, he's definitely one of the best in the opinion of myself and my colleagues.
—Cloudy October

My two favorite musical moments of 2011—seeing OMD and Wire live and being blown away by their energetic performances. I admire their sincerity and longevity, it was very inspiring.
—Mistina La Fave (The Prids)

Favorite musical moment of '11: Playing the three shows Dave Depper's Ram Project got to do—and hearing my voice on vinyl for the first time.
—Joan Hiller (Riot Act Media)

Favorite musical moment: 13 members of Typhoon in corpse paint and Druid robes playing a sold out Ike Box in Salem.
— Jared Mees (Tender Loving Empire/Jared Mees and the Grown Children)

[Immediately upon reading this, I shot Jared an email asking, "Whoa, did that happen?" His response: "Yup! I didn't add in the part where they had a 25 minute technical difficulty that they also had to figure out in the same corpse paint and druid robes... thought that kinda would ruin the effect... heh."]

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Portland's Favorite Songs, Shows, or Musical Moments of 2011: Day One

Ned Lannamann — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 08:54:55 -0800

We asked dozens and dozens of folks from the Portland music scene about their favorite song, show, or musical moment of the year, and they came back with plenty of answers. So every day this week, we're sharing those answers with you, in our look back on a busy year of great music. (And hey, leave your favorite song, show, or musical moment in the comments!)

Today's musical moments come from Alex Arrowsmith, Seth Montfort, Terry Currier, Aaron Beam, Benoît Pioulard, Jake Morris, Emil Amos, Ryan Northrop, Ken Cheppaikode, Jeremiah Hayden, Leif and Jessica from Orca Team, Anthony Stassi, Ryan Feigh, Skyler Norwood, Jim Brunberg, Trevor Solomon, Maggie Vail, Auggie Rebelo, and Christopher Michael. Click through the jump to read 'em all!

The Minders at Mississippi Studios for Musicfest NW.
—Alex Arrowsmith (The Shaky Hands/Alex Arrowsmith & His Pugs)

I’m going to list two and you're gonna have to deal with it because they were both amazing and both happened at Branx; seeing Floor for the first time and sharing the stage with Rorschach are two moments that I will never forget. Also sharing the stage with YOB back in February for our record release was pretty mind blowing. Or how about growing up and playing music and being part of this incredible scene. Portland Rules!
—Seth Montfort (Rabbits)

Favorite Song: Ralph Covert & The Bad Examples — “Big E Chord”
—Terry Currier (Music Millennium)

Seeing Nomeanso absolutely destroy at Bumbershoot. I had not seen them since the "Why do they call me Mr. Happy?" tour. It was a life changing experience, I tell you.
—Aaron Beam (Red Fang)

Having the good fortune to tour across the US with A Winged Victory for the Sullen and Ken Camden. We kidnapped a post-Halloween pumpkin in New Jersey that rode with us all the way to LA; his name was Pumpkinface. Ken Camden earned the nickname “Patron Saint of Salty Meats.” We drank a lot of bourbon.
—Benoît Pioulard

Too many great moments to remember, but I'll say Girls’ three backup singers they had in London. They rivaled Steely Dan's singers, who I saw at the Schnitz this summer, and totally made the show. Then we all went out dancing all night after the show.
—Jake Morris (The Jicks/Nightmoves/H∞kers)

Can one really choose a favorite moment from a harrowing nightmare?
—Emil Amos (Grails/Holy Sons)

Danzig being an asshat and asking for French onion soup at Fun Fun Fun Fest.
—Ryan Northrop, Drummer, Sons of Huns

Awesome Fest, San Diego!
—Ken Cheppaikode (Dirtnap Records/Green Noise Records)

I had the pleasure of touring with Wild Flag for a time this fall. Not a lot of bands freak me out to play with, but I was quite nervous to precede this band every night—knowing that they were all possibly watching our set. After seeing the shows night after night, it usually becomes easy to know what to expect and become less and less surprised by the show. After the first week and half or so I was getting a pretty good idea—though with this band there's always surprise moments. On the second night of our stop in San Francisco at the Great American Music Hall, something happened. I've never been one to say “best (insert ‘show,’ ‘band,’ ‘album,’ ‘song’)” but by the time this show was over I didn’t hesitate to say “that was the best show I’ve ever seen.” The energy on stage was insane. Everyone in the band was spot-on on a whole new level—and being five weeks into a tour that is saying something. The chaotic moments were more chaotic than ever, the dance songs really made you dance even if you're typically not interested in dancing, and the fun factor was through the ornate roof of the Great American. Not just my favorite moment of 2011, but my favorite musical moment I've ever been a part of.
—Jeremiah Hayden (Amigo Amiga Recordings)

10.31.2011 - Watching King Tuff play with Audacity as the backing band on Halloween Night. Everyone in the band wore black executioner head cloaks but continued to drink beers through non-existent holes. It was almost too perfect of a performance.

08.02.2011 - Be able to witness see Cafeteria Dance Fever play a show. Every performance by them is a rare performance.

10.12.2011 - Watching these lovely bands in Athens, Georgia, play right after one another: Sweater Girls, Grape Soda, Bird Names, Flash to Bang Time, Witches, Tunabunny, Throwing Muses.

Playing random shows in Astoria throughout the winter.
—Leif Anders and Jessica B. (Orca Team)

Turning 27 at Sun Angle's EP release show. That band is the best.
—Anthony Stassi (Haunt!)

It was just before midnight on a Monday night, November 28th. Word on the street was that Luck-One, coming off his triumphant sets opening for Wale in Seattle and Portland, was recording a track at Flatline Studios that he had written that day. The ensuing single, “Farewell,” was written and recorded in just a few hours and dropped that night. The immediacy and sheer power of the moment, which featured Hanif spitting over a Drake beat, was revelatory, heartfelt, and mind blowing. It began, "Sincerely, I want all of these other rappers to prosper, I could never call myself a dude who has seen anybody else's shine and got mad about it. I salute you even if you're a sucker. Get money. [chuckles]." What followed was talk of tentative travel plans, expanding horizons, and the subject of the internal conflicts that arise when considering what it means to be an artist in this day and age. The frustrations with the art/commerce paradigm were evident and laid bare in no uncertain terms. That said, the song was both an embrace to the culture of local hip hop (shout outs to Vinnie DeWayne and Blaze' included) as well as a dismissal to an industry that is ultimately superficial, one that doesn't necessarily reward the most talented in their own time.
—Ryan Feigh (Portland Mercury)

Seeing Calvin Johnson performing for and teaching the students at the Pendleton Rock Camp For Kids, and blowing their minds!
—Skyler Norwood (Point Juncture, WA/Miracle Lake Studios)

The all-star chorale at the end of the benefit for Jeremy Wilson Foundation concert, "The Next Waltz" at Alberta Rose.
—Jim Brunberg (Mississippi Studios, Live Wire!)

Archers of Loaf Crystal Ballroom MFNW.
—Trevor Solomon (MusicfestNW)

Grass Widow @ Mississippi Studios August 25th—the band completely transcended everything live that night. They executed their fascinating and original sound perfectly. I honestly felt transported to somewhere I had never been before (I promise I wasn't stoned).
—Maggie Vail (CASH Music/Hurry Up)

Song of the year: Ancient Heat—"Oh...You Bad" (Amazing song off their self released EP. Nothing beats their live shows! A must see band.)
—Auggie Rebelo (Everyday Music)

TOTAL TRASH FEST SAN FRANCISCO!
—Christopher Michael (BOOM!/Guantanamo Baywatch)

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