contents
ELEVEN PDX MAGAZINE ISSUE NO. 6
THE USUAL 3 Letter from the Editor 3 Staff Credits Columns
VOLUME 3
FEATURES Local Feature 13 Sama Dams
Cover Feature 15 Blitzen Trapper
5 Aural Fix Gothic Tropic Toro Y Moi Waxahatchee
FILM Watch Me Now 19
new music
Film Editorial: TV Takeover Film Events
7 Short List 7 Album Reviews Midlake Cate Le Bon Norman Luscious Jackson
COMMUNITY Neighborhood of the Month 21 East Burnside
The Local Biz 22 LIVE MUSIC 9 Musicalendar An encompassing overview of concerts in PDX for the upcoming month. But that’s not all - the Musicalendar is complete with a venue map to help get you around town.
11 Previews
ELEVEN’s favorite local business directory
Visual Arts 23 Portland artist Jason Greene
more online at elevenpdx.com
HELLO PORTLAND! Last month in my letter to y'all, I declared the Summer season “gone and the rainy Fall officially upon us.” Instead, we had the most sunny, warm, beautiful Portland October ever. Uh, yeah, let’s try this again: Summer-is-gone-andrainy-time-is-NOW! Ok, good, that prediction’s a win/win. Moving on. For some reason, concert season actually tends to ramp up in the Fall, so let’s party! There’s plenty to help guide you to some of our favorites [MusicCalendar and Previews pp.9-13]. Also, local homies Blitzen Trapper are touring their seventh studio album right now, (appropriately titled VII) and they’ll have a homecoming show at the end of the month. A question for you, reader, is there anything we missed this time around? Any killer album reviews [New Music pp.78] that we omitted, or maybe you think the This Month’s Best award should have gone to someone else? Maybe we even need a new section (Comedy? Literature? Cartoons? Cute animal video reviews?!) We love feedback. Speak your mind to our editors at getinvolved@elevenpdx.com or if you want to chew me out directly, it’s ryan@elevenpdx.com. We also accept praise. Really, we’re just lonely, sitting inside cubicles made of repurposed empty magazine boxes, and we would love to hear from you! @elevenpdx »
- Ryan Dornfeld, Editor in Chief
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EXECUTIVE STAFF EDITOR IN CHIEF Ryan Dornfeld CREATIVE DIRECTOR Dustin Mills SENIOR STAFF SENIOR WRITER Wendy Worzalla FILM SECTION Bex Silver VISUAL ARTS Mercy McNab graphic DESIGN Dustin Mills COPY EDITING Megan Freshley COVER PHOTO Mercy McNab CONTRIBUTORS Brandy Crowe, Billy Dye, Elizabeth Elder, Eric Evans, Gabriel Granach, Ashley Jocz, Kelly Kovl, Scott McHale, Rachel Milbauer, Aaron Mills, Kela Parker, Rob de la Teja, Charles Trowbridge photographers Justin Cate, Michael Herman, Amy Kettenburg, Mercy McNab, Aa Mills research assistant Katherine Benedict DISTRIBUTION / PROMO The Redcoats
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P.O. Box 16488 Portland, OR. 97292 get involved getinvolved@elevenpdx.com
GENERAL INQUIRIES info@elevenpdx.com ADVERTISING sales@elevenpdx.com online www.elevenpdx.com twitter.com/elevenpdx facebook.com/elevenmagpdx online editor Kim Lawson kim@elevenpdx.com eleven west media group, llc Ryan Dornfeld Dustin Mills SPECIAL THANKS Kev, Jim, Steph, Matt, Tali, Vargas fam, EastBurn fam, M.W., Tixie fam, Meeses, PLA, Vince, Skot and Karla, Phil and Corrie, PH+BG, Will+Opie, Treefort, our partners, families and friends!
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columns
AURAL FIX
(Every month, our expert team seeks out the newest and most exciting musicians in the world. After searching high and low, we’re proud to bring you the result of our concentrated efforts.)
1
GOTHIC TROPIC
Surmised by Cecilia Della Peruti and formed in LA in 2011 Gothic Tropic wasted no time getting right to it. They hit the lab almost immediately and released their first EP Awesome Problems that September. Shortly there after they began receiving several festival invites and some rather positive media attention. The band boasts psyche-pop and delightful, slightly surfy sensibilities in their music. Their sound is beautifully grimy and tight with nicely distorted vocals and a sporadic and distracting rhythm section. Reportedly, they utilize a jazz-like creative process in the construction of their songs which seems to work well for keeping their individual parts distinct while maintaining a solidly jelled whole. Some have compared them to '70s punk rock and also to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, which sounds like an odd combination to me but ultimately an accurate comparison. Their live show has been described as having a playful energy with a spontaneous vibe and highly entertaining. They are currently working on their first full length album and if their EP is any indication it should be a great one. This band is a rocket ship and I would be surprised if they didn't pop up on your radar some time in the very very near future. Keep your ears open for new singles and look for them on tour soon. » - Aaron Mills
2
TORO Y MOI Chillwave isn't dead, but it is evolving. Take Toro Y Moi,
one of the architects of the sound. He didn't wait for time to pass him by. The little scratches and other hip-hop touches are still there, as are the smooth vocals. But the new record Anything In Return has a much more house feel, and tracks like "So Many Details" and "Studies"—all bass funk and falsetto vocals—hint at an R&B sexiness without the cookiecutter feel typical of the genre. It's a progression that feels natural for Chaz Bundick, the producer/voice behind the Toro alter ego. Like his other project, Les Sins (check out the excellent "Lina," a 7" release from the Carpark label), his work as Toro Y Moi bridges the gap between the personal record and the dance floor. Everything he does has a warmth that elevates it from the pack. Much like Portland's own Natasha Kmeto, he uses organic sounds as percussive accents—but not to the extent of her 2013 Crisis. Toro's finger-snaps augment the beats and analogue synth washes. These are grooves as comfortable on the couch as they are on the dance floor. And, one would imagine, the bedroom. » - Eric Evans
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columns
3
WAXAHATCHEE Waxahatchee sounds sweet. The acoustic croon that drips
going on at a friends wedding and deals with her own insecurities
like honey in tea and simple acoustic chord progressions of Katie
about the institution of marriage. She hums “escape yells both
Crutchfield’s Waxahatchee project sound delicate compared to
our names out loud / we run like hell, I'll write a tragic epilogue
her past projects (P.S. Eliot, Bad Banana, the Ackley’s). However,
and you'll act it out.” Her descriptions, of what traditionally
don’t get too cozy with Waxahatchee’s gentle defiance. Lyrically,
would be considered sanctimonious, are heavy and pejorative, as
her pop punk roots show through. She’s got that intense tenacity
she describes the bride’s makeup “like tar” and champagne flutes
that the DIY-punk movement embodies, which sets her apart
as “poorly engineered.” Her ability to capture a wedding with a
from the rest of the “indie girl with guitar” phenomena that
stormy perspective showboats her abilities as songwriter.
continues to sweep the music world. Her abundant emotion and art of storytelling makes her music extremely resonant. Cerulean Salt is Crutchfield’s most recent effort, an album
Waxahatchee became a glimmer in Crutchfield’s eyes when snow fell a little too heavily at her parents cabin in the backwoods of Alabama. Since the snow-in, she’s recorded at a
full of emerging adult wisdom, healthy apathy and heartbreaking
plethora of basements and studios. However, her sound still
whispers. She writes about her friends getting married,
resembles a snow-in, a sort of “soaking” that can happen when
lukewarm love and despondent relationships. Her sensitive and
trapped inside your own head for too long. Sensitive and gutting,
gutting rambles don’t cut too deeply until the third or fourth
Cerulean Salt is a beautiful testimony to growing up and falling
listen, when the lyrics really resonate. In her arguably darkest
down. » - Ashley Jocz
track, “Swan Dive," she croons “won't you sleep with me every night for a week / won't you just let me pretend this is the love I need,” working through an internal debacle with her own apathy, she then sings, regretfully, “and I will grow out of all the empty words I often speak /and you will be depleted, but much better off
Waxahatchee performs live November 30 @ Holocene
without me.” In “Dixie Cups and Jars,” Crutchfield laments the celebrations
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reviews
NEW MUSIC This Month’s best R Reissue
L Local release
Short List
Midlake Antiphon ATO Records
The Melvins Tres Cabrones Cut Copy Free Your Mind James Blunt Moon Landing M.I.A. Matangi Grandhorse L Portraiturefolio Sebastien Tellier Confection
Unlike their earlier albums, which sound like Radiohead-lite, this new album is more rock than anything else—and many tones darker. The term ‘antiphon’ is the kind of singing used in Gregorian chants, and Midlake makes use of the sinister style coupled with fierce bass lines. Longtime lead Tim
Eminem The Marshall Mathers LP 2
Smith has left the band, and with new frontman Eric Pulido, they have clearly taken a new direction. This album could easily be mistaken for something you would find in your uncle’s vinyl collection. Feeling much like a two-sided concept album, Antiphon starts off with the strong title track, followed by “It’s Going down” and “Vale,” which meander into psychedelic places and crash back down with heavy guitar riffs and razor-sharp drums. The second half of the album is mostly melodic, with songs like “Aura Gone” and “Corruption,” which never quite come back from la-la land. It's apparent that the band haven't completely shed their old skin, and could lull you into a peaceful sleep at times. With Antiphon, Midlake has reinvented themselves, partially. It would have been nice to hear some more of the heavier stuff throughout, however, the album is still worth acquiring because of the powerful songs on side one. » - Scott McHale
Bassist Sweet Baboo still showcases
Lady Gaga Artpop
intense groove on “No God” and “Are You With Me Now,” but guitarist H.
Chris Brown X
Hawkline now plays smaller, edgier strums and solos. During quiet
Kelis Food
moments, it begins to make sense that this is an album in response to
Keane The Best Of Keane
the passing of her grandmother. The stand-out duet with Seattle-based artist Perfume Genius, “I Think I
Buy it
Steal it
Toss it
Knew,” comes off as a lovely countrytinged meeting between Neil Young
Cate Le Bon Mug Museum Wichita / The Elite Meat Supply This year, Cate Le Bon moved to Los Angeles, procuring the help of producers Noah Georgeson (Joanna Newsom, Devendra Banhart) and composer Josiah Steinbrick to release her third album, Mug Museum. She is still making neo-psychedelic
facebook.com/elevenmagpdx @elevenpdx
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folk, but with more experimentation. Piano and organ are still employed, as well as riffs on an unruly “Wild.”
and Bobbie Gentry—with clarinet. Part of Le Bon’s charm is that she is minimalist, enjoying craft and quirk. Take “Duke,” which has a lot of melodic vocal stepping. She climbs into a high finish, and doesn’t quite make it. But it still sounds right, because the work as a whole is pulpy and laid back. It’s jangly, sunny, and filtered. It could be a soundtrack to a kitschy film, or for a fringed ride through the bryns of Le Bon’s Welsh homeland. » - Brandy Crowe
reviews Most of the songs alternate between
and a riff straight out of a Neil
moments of soaring balladry and
Young tune, it builds to an extremely
organ-infused, grimy jams. The
satisfying crescendo. Norman can do
vocal work of Eric Nordby is even
whatever it wants, and do it well, and
sometimes a little too similar from
nowhere is that more evident than on
song to song, but his voice is a perfect
this track.
match for the band’s sound.
L Norman
Into The Eventyr Hey Amigo Records
musical influences into this project.
immediately digestible. It shifts
It is a musically versatile group that
quickly from the first verse into the
knows when to pluck a page from
chorus, and you’re hooked. With a
a genre notebook and when to flip
distorted keyboard-driven coda, it
everything on its head to capture
lacks that Southern tinge possessed
the unique blend of styles that is its
by many of the other tracks, but
hallmark. Into The Eventyr leaves
that is to its benefit rather than its
little else to be desired, and hey,
detriment.
they’ve teamed up with Calapooia
“Do As You Please” is both the With a taste of Southern grit, a
Norman clearly carries myriad
The opening track, “Hawk,” is
Brewing out of Albany to create a
longest track on the album (it runs
Northwest Pale Ale called “Norman
dash of polished pop, and a pinch
about 5:30) and the most sonically
Ale.” What else do you need to know?
of Dawes-and-Deer-Tickian elan,
diverse. Brian Mosher’s underlying
It’s all ass-kickery all the time. »
Norman manages to slip comfortably
keyboards give the song a sense of
from straight-ahead pop into the
urgency, and as it moves seamlessly
soulful realms of Into The Eventyr. It
back and forth between the
is accessible, at times a tad syrupy,
steady drive of electric guitars, an
and ultimately an enjoyable album.
acoustically-underpinned bridge,
Luscious Jackson got their start in the early '90s with the Beastie Boys, and was the first band signed to their
funky beats. Well, friends, fret no more. The wait is over. The women are back and are making their triumphant return with their new album Magic Hour.
As is typical with Luscious
three albums before announcing in
of influences. “We Go Back” dives
2000 that they would no longer tour
into a bluesy guitar solo, while “Aaw
and wanted to spend time with their
Turn It Up” has a powerful synth line,
families.
seductive hip-hop vocals and jazzy trumpets. It’s safe to say that Luscious
alternate route in releasing Magic
Jackson is back, and with a vengeance.
Hour. Instead of traditional label
They haven’t missed a beat since their
shopping, the ladies decided to turn
departure in 2000, and the album is a
to their fans and crowdsourced the
dense culmination of their time off.
album through PledgeMusic. The
While they retain their ‘Luscious’ '90s
album is being released on Luscious
sound, it is clear that these women
Jackson’s own label City Song.
have grown up. One listen to this
The women cover a lot of ground
Luscious Jackson graced us with their
and “Are You Ready.” Jackson, each track features a variety
Luscious Jackson has taken an
It’s been nearly 15 years since
tracks that are titled “We Go Back”
Grand Royal label. They released
Like many bands these days,
Luscious Jackson Magic Hour City Song
- Charles Trowbridge
on this album. It’s a careful blend
album and it is sure to be stuck in your head for weeks. » - Elizabeth Elder
of funk, reggae and early '90s hip-hop beats that create one hell of a dance party. Magic Hour is blatantly autobiographical, and often references the band’s hiatus. Just
More reviews online at www.elevenpdx.com
one look at the tracklist and you find
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live NOVEMBER crystal ballroom
1
2 3 8 9 12 20 24 29 30
Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks | Rose Windows | Sun Angle Atlas Genius | Family of the Year | Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.
SOJA | Common Kings Wire | Helmet | Chastity Belt Inspirational Beets | Closely Watched Trains Typhoon | Wild Ones | Lake Village People | Ancient Heat
2 6 9 12 13 14 16 20 21 22 23
8 nw 6th
Doug fir
830 e burnside
Jelly Bread | Ayron Jones & The Way RAC | MNDR Shabazz Palaces | Natasha Kmeto | Minden Ural Thomas & The Pain | Tiburones Cowboy Mouth | Good By Motel Fossil Collective | Jamestown Revival | Just Lions The Handsome Family | Wildewood Linda Hornbuckle's Old Time Gospel Hour The Besnard Lakes | Elephant Stone Alejandro Escovedo & The Sensitive Boys Casey Neill & The Norway Rats | Sassparilla Shoot To Thrill )AC/DC Tribute) Papa | Waters Big Freedia Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin | Army Navy Meat Puppets | The World Takes William Fitzsimmons | Denison Witmer Rock Out With Your Yacht Out Quasi | Blues Control Linda Hornbuckle's Old Time Gospel Hour Norfolk & Western | 1939 Ensemble Blitzen Trapper
4 1 2 3 6 7 8 9 10 12 13 14 15 16 17 19 21 22 23 24 25 27 29 30
Roseland Theater
Trivium/Devildriver | After The Burial Dan Reed Network | Rob Daiker | Bart Hafeman Rusko Toro Y Moi | Classixx Gramatik | heRobust | Ex Mag Jessie Ware | The Invisible Lupe Fiasco | Stalley James Blake | Nosaj Thing Morgan Page | Beltek | Topher Jones Neurosis | Atriach | Tragedy | The Body
3 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 27 30
1332 w burnside
Iron and Wine | Laura Mvula Mazzy Star | The Entrance Band | Mariee Sioux
mississippi studios 3939 n mississippi
Rubblebucket | Dana Buoy | Swahili Goldroom | Strange Talk Destroyer (solo) | Pink Mountaintops An Evening with Garland Jeffreys Cass McCombs | Michael Hurley Cymbals Eat Guitars | Hurry Up | Prism Tats Wesley Stace (Formerly John Wesley Harding) Sean Wagner (album release) | Bike Thief Jillette Johnson | Year Afar The Melodic | Those Willows The Deer Tracks | Fang Moon Sean Nelson | Eyelids | Herman Jolly Obits | Survival Knife | Paradise Hunters | Audacity | Lee Corey Oswald Vienna Teng | Barnaby Bright The Band of Heathens | Joe Fletcher Hillstomp | The Dept. of Gold | Trevor Jones Federale | Denver Still Caves | Night Mechanic Howe Gelb (of Giant Giant Sand) Houndstooth
Anna Gilbert | Chris Marshall & August Light | Star Anna
The Cave Singers | Pollens Tony Furtado Band | Ruth Moody Band
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live NOVEMBER wonder ballroom 128 ne russell
5
M. Doughty (of Soul Coughing) | Moon Hooch 3 Of Montreal | La Luze 7 The Fratellis | Ceremonies | Conway 8 Mayday Parade | Overboard | Cartel | Stages & Stereos 9
Latyrx | Vursatyl | Tope Cults | Sacco | Mood Rings The Polish Ambassador | DJ Vadim | Wildlight SAleigh'r-Bration w/Marv Ellis | We Tribe
Balkan Beatbox | Delhi 2 Dublin | Anjali & Incredible Kid
3OH!3 | Wallpaper | The Summer Set | New Beat Fund Polica | Marijuana Deathsquads Menomena | Brainstorm | Gallons
holocene
1001 se morrison
14 15 16 17 20 21 22 30
6
Maxx Bass | Nathan Detroit | Ryan & Dimitri Classical Revolution | PDX Dance Collective Desert Noises | Tiger Merritt | Animal Eyes Teen Daze | Camp Counselors | Philip Grass Newbody | Emotion II Emotion | Spencer D Trinitron | DJ Tracy | Monika Mhz | Tracy Why Natasha | Graintable | Danny Corn | Plumblyne DJ Beyondadoubt Matt Nelkin | DJ Kez Gaycation w/ Mr. Charming Adventure Galley | Minden | Exotic Club | Lassi Mountain Sounds | Golden Retriever | Billygoat Gossip Cat | Pocket Rock-it | Misti Miller DJ Izm | Dev From Above | Mr. Marcus Dr. Adam | Colin Jones | Freaky Outty Waxahatchee | Swearin (early show)
2 5 6 7 8 9 13 14 15 16 20 21 22 23 29 30 Soft Metals | Nathan Detroit | Natural Magic(late show) 30
rontoms
600 e burnside
7
Old Kingdom | Ape Machine Sama Dams | Grammies Summer Cannibals | Jay Arner | Fault Lines Hurry Up | The Ghost Ease
eastburn
1800 e burnside
8
Supper Club (Wednesdays) Eat Off Your Banjo Dinner & Bluegrass (Thursdays) Down Home Music Ojos Feos The 78 Griots Edewaard The Keplers Side Street Reny Down Home Music Amorus
bossanova ballroom 722 E Burnside
3 10 17 24
8 9 15 16 22 23 29 30
9
Swing DJ (every Wed) Tragic Evolution 15
kelly’s olympian 426 sw washington
10
Eye Candy VJ’s (every Monday) Bubble Cats | Moon Debris | Fen Wik Ren DJ Flight Risk A Night of Comedy and Music, PDX Style The Pinehurst Kids | The Choices The Subterranean Howl | Brakemouth Sunset Valley | Miracle Falls | Mark Pickerel Future Historians | Young Blood Mercy Graves Baby Ketten Karaoke The Soil & The Sun A Happy Death | Cadaver Dogs Leigh Marble "Pony" Music Video Premiere Pheasant | Johnny & The Bells | Us On Roofs
2 5 6 7 8 9 15 16 17 19 20 21 22
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live NOVEMBER KELLY's olympian
10 426 SW Washington
PREVIEWS Death Valley High - Photo by Jen Cash
23 Andisheh | Jermaine Malone | Slim Pickens Experiment 29 The Ecstatics | Ryan Stively 30 Kinked
WITH
Both locally produced and locally loved, Desert Noises is a indie rock band that blends mellow vocal harmonies and twangy blues-inspired guitar riffs that are so smooth on the aural palette it’s like chasing down a slice of key lime with a short glass of buttermilk. Reference a spectrum of somewhere between Band of Horses and My Morning Jacket (or if you are inclined to cheat, you can find a free listen on their Bandcamp site). Fresh off their magical appearance at Austin City Limits Music Festival in October, this is the time to catch this special band while they
11 1028 se water White Lung | Antwon And And And | The Shivas | Scatter Gather The Lonely Forest | Cumulus Crystal Antlers Crocodiles Aan | Gothic Tropic | Neal Morgan Thundercat Those Darlins | Diane Coffee Nightlands Zorch | Luke Wyland Paws The Hugs
the know 12 2026 NE Alberta 2 6 7 8 9 10 12 13 14 15 16 17 20 21 22 23 29 30
Blowfly | NighTrain | Ancient Heat Autistic Youth | Freedom Club | Piss Test Dirtbag Dance Night Tarantuja | Piss Piss Piss Dead Cvlt | MGK Ultra | Bone Spells Rovsvett Diemonds | Black Magik Dragon | Satyress Vaz | Rabbits | Prize Hog Memories | Cool Ghouls | San Onofre Lizards Pop. 1280 | Vice Device | Smoke Rings Screaming Females | Upset | The Ghost Ease U.S. Girls | Ether Island | Tunnels Egadz | Tough Fuzz The Cut 45 | Victory & Associates | Beach Party Bear & Moose | Charts Fireballs of Freedom | Sex Crime | Piss Test Sun Angle | Week of Wonders | Fine Pets See You In Hell
knock back 13 the 2315 ne alberta 1 Break Mode | Rap Class | Ghost Dub 6 Vago | Mr. Moo 14 Double Plus Good
14 115 nw 5th white eagle 15 836 n russell backspace
3 6 7 8 9 12 13 14 15 16 17 19 20 21 22 23 24 26 27 29 30
Alameda (Every Monday in Nov.) Science! Zach Bellas | Perry Gerber Lil' Smokies Better Than Street Racket | The Ubuntu Project Diego Garcia | Kan Wakan Last Home | Magic Punches | The Crash Engine Black Lillies | The Blackberry Bushes Duet Novosti | Dedere | The Empty Volifonix | Marca Luna Lindi Ortega | Brett Detar | The Stubborn Lovers Aireene & The Hobos | Lone Madrone | Teri Untalan Mary Gauthier Brad Parsons Josh Berwanger Band | Ryan Traster James London | Robb Benson & The Shelk Lesser Bangs | Like Years Jim Creek | Dryland Farmers Hunter Paye | Paleo | Will West | The Druthers Mimi Naja Trois | CyberCamel | Dunnoy Violent Psalms | Coastlands | Hart & Hare Foxy Lemon | Cambrian Explosion
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TIGER MERRITT, ANIMAL EYES
NOVEMBER 5 | HOLOCENE
bunk bar
2 7 8 9 11 12 14 16 17 19 22 26
1. DESERT NOISES
are ascending the peak. » - Billy Dye
2. DEATH VALLEY HIGH
NOVEMBER 7 | ALHAMBRA THEATRE
It confronts bullies and things that go bump in the night. It celebrates the macabre. It's zombie music! Death Valley High plays a combination of what is called doom-pop and undead rock. Frontman Reyka Osburn has written with the Deftones, and sometimes channels the lurid mood of STP and Queens of the Stone Age. They shred heavy, fervent guitar, but there is still an underlying pop quality with bouncing percussion and melodic elements, meaning this is a high-energy modern rock set that you can dance and shake your ass to. » - Brandy Crowe
3. THE LONELY FOREST WITH
CUMULUS
NOVEMBER 8 | BUNK BAR The Lonely Forest was the first band signed by Death Cab for Cutie’s Chris Walla, and have toured with him. This makes perfect sense because their sound is very close to Death Cab—derivative, even. Sure, they have some nice ballads, but most of the songs have that familiar whiny indie pop sound, canned for the latest teen soap opera. One exception would be “Coyote,” with its hard driving guitars and solid vocals. The new album, Adding Up the Wasted Hours, has a more synthy production, and it will be interesting to see how well it’s delivered live. » - Scott McHale
4. SUNSET VALLEY
5. GRAMMIES
NOVEMBER 9 | KELLY'S OLYMPIAN
NOVEMBER 10 | RON TOMS
Sunset Valley, a band that rose to fame during the dirty-pop Dinosaur Jr. movement America was going through, is continuing to reign their grunge-like power of Portland. Even if the band's trunk is rooted in '90s lo-fi, each record the band produces is increasingly modern. With tightly woven instrumentals and witty lyricism, Sunset Valley has no plans of fading out anytime soon. Psychedelia is no stranger to the SV boys, they find balance between the experimental and traditional Northwestern basement rock. Get weird with them this month at Kelly's Olympian! » - Ashley Jocz
Grammies is a heady duo who, wielding a saxophone, drum kit and sampler, make some tripped out, experimental songs. Noah Bernstein and Dan Sutherland make jazz and soul-inspired tracks that wriggle their way into the crevasses of your brain and stick there. This is not another R&B revival band. Grammies are more technical, mathematical and noisy; their music is made up of bizarre time signatures. Certain tracks will elicit getting down and dirty, while others feel like they move in slow motion. » - Rachel Milbauer
WITH
MIRACLE FALLS, MARK PICKEREL
WITH
SAMA DAMS
live
6. JESSIE WARE WITH
THE INVISIBLE
NOVEMBER 16 | ROSELAND THEATER One of Britain’s breakout artists is making her way across the pond this month. The Mercury Prize-nominated Jessie Ware combines soulful R&B vocals and sexy synth beats. You might be familiar with her vocals on SBTRKT’s single “Nervous.” Her songs are powerful ballads that highlight her rich voice and wide range. The seductive songstress writes commanding romance songs that will silence even the loudest room. Jessie Ware resembles the sexiness of Little Dragon and the heart of Whitney Houston. It’s bound to be a compelling evening. » - Elizabeth Elder
8. WIRE WITH
HELMET, CHASTITY BELT
NOVEMBER 20 | CRYSTAL BALLROOM
7. HUNTERS
WITH
PREVIEWS
AUDACITY, LEE COREY OSWALD
NOVEMBER 17 | MISSISSIPPI STUDIOS Hunters could be another noise rock band that prefers the thrash of a fuzzy guitar over the combination of sound and form, but they’re not. Sure, you know what to expect when you throw on their record—some loud vocals, drums that will knock you off your feet, and fierceness enough for three bands—but they’re not just another bash. If you’re looking for a show that demands the same level of energetic input from the band as output from the audience, there are few better options. » - Charles Trowbridge
NOVEMBER SLABTOWN
1033 NW 16TH
Skelator | Alpha Viper | Tanagra | Revolution Overdue Year of the Raven | Mursa | Slaugh | Doomsower Johnny 7" Release Show | The Bloodtypes
Mike & The Flintettes | The Cry! | Loud Eyes Kazumis | Lahontan Cutthroat | taint misbehavin
alhambra theatre 4118 se hawthorne
WITH
CHARTS
NOVEMBER 22 | THE KNOW
1507 se 39th
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Jerry Garcia Band Death Valley High Grant Farm | The Giraffe Dodgers Vanessa Carlton | Birdcloud The Back Alley Barbers | Washers | Boo Frog
hawthorne theatre 9. BEAR & MOOSE
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Mondays - 8pm - BINGO Wednesdays - Queer Night Sundays - 8pm - Portland Poetry Slam Ten Foot Mouse | Sweeping Exits | Hooded Hags Shroud Of The Heretic | Dilapidation Nekrofilth | Cemetery Lust | Weregoat The Estranged | Chemicals | Sex Crime | Arctic Flowers Megaton Leviathan | The Low 12
5 7 8 9 15
18
Kill Devil Hill | Eyes Set To Kill | Girl On Fire Dead Remedy | Ultra Goat | The Hoons Minor Alps | The Upsidedown Turquoise Jeep | Epp | Stewart Villain Kreator | Overkill | Warbringer
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Like their cunningly hypnotic guitar Tonight Alive | The Downtown Fiction | For The Foxes riff in "Days Of The Week," Bear & Moose Alestorm | Trollfest | Gypsyhawk Anthony Green | Dave Davison | Brick + Mortar weasel their way into your psyche. A Aaron Carter single listen was all it took that track to Mellowhigh | Rustlah insinuate itself into my brain, complete Finntroll | Blackguard | Metasatoll Albert Hammond, Jr. with frog chirps and just-shy-of-TomMonster Magnet | Royal Thunder | ZODIAC Waits croak vocals. But don't be fooled; Morbid Angel | Season of Suffering this isn't some kind of swamp-rock Less Than Jake | Anti-Flag | Masked Intruder Big B | The Sindicate | Smash Bandits hillbilly jam. Just as you're lulled into the groove, the keyboards kick in, the VALENTINES tempo feels like it accelerates, and the 232 SW ANKENY duo—guitarist/vocalist Eric Mueller and ALADDIN THEATER percussionist Simon Lucas—has you right 3017 SE MILWAUKIE where they want you. » - Eric Evans Parson Red Heads | Mimicking Birds | Alialujah Choir 2 Gaelic Storm 7 Live! w/ Jonathan Richman ft. Tommy Larkins 8 11. PEARL JAM Bill Frisell's Big Sur Quintet 9 NOVEMBER 29 | MODA CENTER 10. QUASI 20 Voices: A Community Benefit for Ethos 10 WITH BLUES CONTROL Graham Nash 11 NOVEMBER 23 | DOUG FIR Kids, way back in the early '90s, believe Over The Rhine 15 Fruit Bats: "Mouthfuls" Anniversary Tour 16 '90s power pop Gods Quasi are back in it or not, popular music didn't include 2Cellos 18 anywhere near the diversity that we enjoy action after a short hibernation, touring Bill Callahan 19 today. Your choices were limited to basically Nick Kroll 20 their brand new album Mole City that Frank Vignola & Vinny Raniolo 21 rap, punk, and hair metal. Then a movement dropped this fall. Quasi has been active Brett Dennen 22 started in the Pacific Northwest to create on and off for the last twenty years, Portland Soundcheck 23 The Storm Large Holiday Ordeal 29-30 firmly grasping their legacy as distorted music that more accurately expressed the angst of the day. There were a number of and goofy pop icons. Although the EAST END bands included in this movement, and Pearl most recent album follows a somewhat 203 SE GRAND Jam was a major player. Fast forward some Maniak | Lucifer's Child | Torture Rack | Witchvomit 1 familiar pattern to their earlier work, Rio Grands | Charts | Woodwinds | Hosemobile 2 twenty-odd years, and these bros are still why mess with something this catchy? The Goddamned Animals | Thunder Goat | The Punctuals 8 coming out with new sounds. And if I have If you’re keen on tenacious but poppy Psycho Magic | Dottie Attie | Honey Bucket 13 I Am Clergic | Beringia | LB 14 lyrics, and can’t resist that fuzz petal, get one rule, it's that new is always better. Even though they may be getting a little long in out your grungiest garb and check them Want to have your show listed? the tooth, they can still rock out with the E-mail listings@elevenpdx.com out. » - Ashley Jocz best of them. » - Aaron Mills
It’s been 37 years since London punk rock legends Wire released debut album, Pink Flag. With all that history/experience behind them it’s no wonder their latest album, Change Becomes Us (released earlier this year), is a winner. The album’s jackhammer sound is so reminiscent of earlier work, many suggest it’s a lost album, the missing puzzle piece, found. Helmet (a name I haven’t heard in a very, very long time, but was pleased to) opens for them. Catch this stellar show, before one of them decides they don’t want to make music anymore. » - Kelly Kovl
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features NOVEMBER THE GOODFOOT
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Sonic Forum Open Mic (Mondays) Soul Stew w/ DJ Aquaman (Fridays) Drink & Draw (Sundays) McTuff w/ Skerik | Crack Sabbath The Family Funktion (Free) The Student Loan | Twisted Whistle | A Mile to Go Yo Mama's Big Fat Booty Band Dead Winter Carpenters The Family Funktion (Free) Redwood Son and The Forestry | 11 Eyes Asher Fulero Band | Yak Attack Garcia Birthday Band | Blue Lotus Roseland Hunters (Free) Grizzly Adams Family | Trio Subtonic Dusu Mali (CD Release) Skerik's Bandalabra Roseland Hunters (Free) Scott Law Electric Band | Big E
LOCAL FEATURE
SAMA DAMS
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Groovy Movie Triple Feature (Tuesdays) Karaoke From Hell (Thursdays)
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Church of Hive BOYEURISM The Eric Andre Show Live! Project: Neurotica KMFDM | Chant The Fleshtones w/ Special Guests INCUBATOR DELTRON 30/30 ft. Del The Funky Homosapien Hot Buttered Rum
street saloon 25 ash 225 sw ash Featured DJ Night (Mondays) PHREAK: Electronic Mutations (Tuesdays) 3 Goddamned Animals | The Fail Safe Project
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Digital Bloodline | The Lesser Three | Mangled Bohemians Stochastic Mettle Union | Sister Mamie Foreskin
Scale The Summit | The Reign of Kindo | Jolly Akkadia | Riverpool | Stillstand | Stoning Giants Analog Mistress | False Metal | Martinibomb Aisle Of View | Justin James Bridges | Crescendo Show
Honduran | Biipiigwan | Drunk Dad | twohands The Israelites | The Rising Buffalo Tribe | Cool Smoke Broken Bodies | The Dee Dees | Kinked The Deep Wile | Cutbank NW Harvest: Bibster Beats | Ewok | S!lent Fake Beach | Two Visions | Violent Psalms | The Debts DJ Ambush | Al-One | Big Shell Knox Harrington Raise The Bridges
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The Chariot | Glass Cloud | Birds in a Row Death | P.R.O.B.L.E.M.S. | Vultures in the Sky Claude Vonstroke | J.Phlip | The Perfect Cyn A$ap Ferg | A$ap Mob | Joey Fatts | more Fallstar | The Ongoing Concept | Prestige Agrimonia | Take Over and Destroy The Casualties | Negative Approach | MDC Protest the Hero | Architects | The Kindred The Ghost Inside | We Rise The Tides Walter and the Conquerer | Symptoms Blowpony Polar Bear Club | Citizen | Defeat the LowRa the Rugged Man & Potluck | Black Pegasus
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Photo by Mercy McNab
Star Anna | Lewi Longmire | Pete Stein & Michael Damron
ELEVEN: What’s on the table for Sama Dams at the moment? Sam Adams: We’re in the process of writing a new album. We’re also going on tour in the first week of November, and we’re planning another tour in February so we can go to South By Southwest. 11: Anything you can tell us about the new album? SA: It’s not done. Lisa Adams: The first album that we wrote was a pretty big deal for us in terms of the way that we recorded it and the process, it was our first full band effort. The EP that we released before was pretty much all Sam. He played most of the instruments, I think aside from drums, which a friend of ours Brady Swan played. So this is kind of that second album where you don’t want to screw stuff up. You want to make sure that it still does represent who you are, so I think we’re just trying to feel it out. What comes up, the style of songs that are coming. SA: We’re trying not to plan it too much. Chris Hermsen: Now it feels like we have time, we’re approaching the
half-way point with finishing the record right now. We just have to knock out a few more songs and polish everything up. 11: Tell me about your history as a band. SA: I’ve been writing and recording music on my own since I was 12. But then this is the first time we’ve ever really successfully formed and kept as a creative unit. We’ve been around as a three-piece since last November. LA: But the three of us have been playing together for about a year and a half. SA: Lisa and I are married. LA: Brother and sister, actually. We’ve told some people that before. SA: And we met Chris through our producer, Sebastian, who put an ad up on Craigslist for an audition for a roommate in a musicians house. Chris flew in from Iowa and Sebastian introduced us, he met me that Sunday. We played our first show on Thursday. CH: It’s just been developing ever since then. 11: Judging by your latest album, you guys are all classically trained musicians, right?
features SA: I went to school for piano. LA: I did vocal music education so I could be a music teacher. CH: I did music performance, with an emphasis in percussion. SA: But none of us are really doing the things that we went to school for, I’m not doing anything I studied. I teach piano, but I don’t play for Sama Dams. LA: I taught public school music for five years, so I’ve definitely used my degree and I still teach occasionally. We are kind of at a point where we wanted to focus on our band this year. We decided that we’re going to have a band member of the month, and only Sam and I can vote, and we can’t vote for ourselves, so we’re going to vote for Chris.
11:Where are you guys from and what’s your take on the Portland music scene? CH: I’m from Iowa. SA: I’m from Indiana. LA: I’m from Ohio. We’ve been in Portland for about three years, and Oregon for five. CH: I was getting really tired of Iowa because there was no music scene there, getting super bored because nothing was going on. New York was too big, LA was too big. I didn’t want to deal with a huge city like that because it’s competitive, and my sister had moved out to Portland a year or two before me. She talked about how much she loves it out there and I knew there was a lot of music going on here. SA: Same kind of things for us, I had grown up listening to a lot of music from the Northwest, a lot of stuff off K Records and Kill Rock Stars. It seemed like the pace would be casual enough, where we could have an artist's life that’s liveable. And then when we got out here we found out that everyone is really supportive, the plus of all pluses. LA: Portland has a creative scene that you just didn’t find in the midwest. » - Ashley Jocz
11:What bands are you guys into at the moment? SA: I really like the composer Robert Schumann. LA: I’ve been listening to a lot of Joni Mitchell, Sam got me a CD of Marnie Stern, she’s pretty abrasive. But she’s rock’n’roll. And our whole band always listens to Dirty Projectors. CH: I’ve gotten into Deerhoof in the last month, I really like Thee Oh Sees. One of my favorite artists for the last few years has been Martin Dosh, or “Dosh.” Sama Dams performs live `
NOVEMBER ROTTURE 315 SE 3RD
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Latrice Royale | The Sexbots (Record Release) Live and Direct Kissy Sellout Tecumseh | Threads | Prizehog Big Pooh | The Beat | Starchile and Doc Adam Bearracuda w/ DJ Matt Consola | DJ Matt Stands Dickslap! | Jake Shears | Sammy Jo | Trouble Hatchet | Exmortus | Raptor | Succor Nobunny Coven | Headless Pez | Agnozia | Schroeder Bomb Blowpony Jon Hopkins | Clark | Nathan Fake
tonic lounge 3100 ne sandy
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Doomsower | towers | Disenchanter | Solar Adept 2 Faster Pussycat 14 Blood Sweat & Rythym 15 The Dickies | Mean Jeans | The Decliners | Ruff Hausen
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Karaoke From Hell (Mondays) Elvis' Birthday w/ The Gnash | Advisory | more Scott Pemberton Trio (Yoga Union Fundraiser) Half Moon Run | MisterWives Har Mar Superstar | Fireballs of Freedom Guitar Wolf | The Coathangers | No Tomorrow Boys
King Khan & The Shrines | Hell Shovel | The Satin Chaps
Austin Lucas | Lee Bains & The Glory Fires Kylesa | Pinkish Black | Sierra Melt Banana | Winski | Nasalrod dBMonkey's 11th Anniversary ft. Rick Bain The Supersuckers | Hellbound Glory The Beards | The Gnash
FIRKIN TAVERN 1937 SE 11TH
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Karaoke w/ Suzanne (Mondays) Firkin Funny Stand-Up (Some Tuesdays) Eye Candy VJ's All-Request Videos (Wednesdays) November Residecy: Noble Firs (Saturdays) Mufassa | Stein Project | Bottom Shelf Autonomics Space Shark | Bombs Into You | The Frizz Matthew Heller & The Clever
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30 Laurelthirst pub 2958 ne glisan 31 the waypost
November 10 @ Rontoms
2120 n williams
Photo by Todd Walberg
Freak Mountain Ramblers (Sundays) Portland Country Underground | Kung Pow Chickens (Mondays)
Jackstraw (Tuesdays) Lewi & The Left Coast Roasters (Thursdays) Timberbound Project | The Fire Weeds 6 Tree Top Tribe | The Colin Trio | Cotton 7 Joe McMurrian & Woodbrain | Garcia Birthday Band 8
Redray Frazier | Alder St. Allstars | Inspirational Beets Ducky Pig | Don DiLego
analog cafe & Theater 720 se hawthorne
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S.Y.N.T. Weekly Dubstep Night (Tuesdays) Gothique Blend Burlesque (Mondays) Cloud City Circus (Thursdays) Tigran Hamasyan Jet Pack Missing | Smash Bandits Putrid Christ Speaker Minds Ego Likeness | Inertia | servitor | Myrrh Larsen Very Little Daylight | Cement Season Cloud City Circus Benefit ft. Lord Dying Dirty Bird Records | Christian Marten
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features national scene
Somewhere, in a Portland-weird corporate cafeteria, ELEVEN’s Richard Lime shared some time with four fifths of Portland-bySalem rockers Blitzen Trapper. ELEVEN: In listening to the new album, VII, it has a nostalgic quality. It’s your seventh album. Does it feel nostalgic to you? What vibe does it present? Eric Earley: I think all my music is nostalgic, every record. I’m telling stories and looking back at things in the past. I don’t know if I’m capable of writing music that’s not like that, really. 11: Is each song a different story, or how do they relate? EE: For the most part, they kind of are, yeah. Some are stories and some are love songs, tragic love songs, even those are kind of stories. Marty Marquis: "Shine On" is not really a story. EE: No, "Shine On" is just a really simple kind of thing. MM: It’s a feel good jam. EE: It’s just a jam. It’s mantric. But then, “Ever Loved [Once]” is
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Photo by Mercy McNab
obviously a story, it tells its narrative. “Feel The Chill” is a story. “Thirsty Man” is not either, it’s more of a mantric thing. MM: The first time I ever heard Eric’s demos in 2000, when we were starting the band, I smoked a big joint, I was cleaning the house, and I was like, “Oh, I’ll put on this disc that Eric gave me.” Then I forgot that it was Eric and it reminded me of all this stuff from the '70s or the '60s, it was kewpie-er, but it was still him singing, but I think Eric’s right that he’s got a gift for writing nostalgic stuff or stuff that activates some kind of cultural memory. 11: It’s been told a few times, but for anyone who doesn't know, most of the band is from Salem and then y’all moved up to Portland. How did it come together? MM: We all moved here in ‘98 or ‘99, Bryan was living in Salem, I think he was the last one to move up. He moved into a house with Eric and Drew, our old keyboardist. That was kind of the last piece to put together the band. Eric Menteer would come and jam with us on Moog and our bass player Mike [VanPelt] was an old friend. So, [in the] early 2000s we started playing.
features national scene 11: What’s different for 2013 Blitzen Trapper vs 2000 Blitzen Trapper? EE: What’s the difference? Marty has kids *laughs* Well, there’s tons of records that were made from 2000-2006 that never [saw] the light of day; just us recording for many years and not touring, playing occasional shows. That stuff was all over the place, there was all kinds of music. I think Blitzen Trapper, starting in 2006-’07 is where I started to do that more storytelling kind of thing. Mostly with Furr. Wild Mountain Nation is just a weird punk-rock record. Eric Menteer: Yeah, there’s not a whole lot of story songs there. MM: You have a focus. Because when we started playing, the only thing that we were interested in was playing music. We didn't know or care about selling it. We used to just give away our recordings at shows we played. We would play all the time: three or four times a month, for nobody. That's changed a lot. Brian Koch: Touring also just makes better musicians. Playing every night for months and months and months, we can all play our instruments a lot better. EE: Also, you play for crowds and then you realize that you're entertainers. Whereas when we started, we were just like, "We're just drinking and playing music." So now we are more selfconscious about the fact that we are entertaining people and that's what we do. It's art, you know? 11: Do you feel like that performance aspect has evolved? MM: We never used to talk to the crowd. I mean, there wasn't any crowd, so… EM: We didn't move around very much. We would stand there and do our thing. MM: Our songs used to be a lot more complicated too. They had all kinds of weird changes and stuff. They weren't as 'pop', so we had to concentrate more. It was a lot different back then. It's more fun now, I think. 11: Is there anything you miss from those less-celebrated days? Playing at Satyricon, or Meow Meow? EM: No, because that time I was twenty, so they would shove me in the back closet of Satyricon which I like to call the room of broken dreams, because [it had] a million band names written all over the walls but you maybe recognized one out of the three hundred that were written in there. They would stick me in there with giant black X's on my hand and I would just have to wait and wait and wait and then come out and play sitar for ten minutes and then they would kick me out. 11: And when you were of age? Was your approach different? EM: You're definitely more excited in some ways because it's this brand new thing and so, you get really amped up the whole night before. It's like Christmas when you were a little kid where you picked out what you were gonna wear, like, "I can't believe this is gonna' happen!" MM: “They might give us some free PBR!” *laughs* EM: I did miss some of the randomness of the early days of touring, I'm sure none of us would want to go back to that stuff, but we always used to stay at people's houses or cram all six of us into one hotel room and make some bizarre sort of construction art out of the furniture just to get as much space on the floor
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features national scene as we possibly could. You just end up staying at random peoples houses and having these weird [experiences]. I liked the random adventures. MM: There's more mystery, you know? When you don’t know what you’re doing, it’s more mysterious. It's always a give and take. It was fun to play music when you weren't stressing about it being your career because really it didn't mean anything and you don't give a shit. It's great. EM: I think it's important to retain some of that attitude. You have to approach it almost as if you're doing something fresh every night. Music is such an emotional thing, based around emotions. EE: I'm going to start painting X's on your hands! 11: So there's more structure now. How is the touring energy on the road now, do you still get excited to play various places? Are there still new, exciting experiences? EE: It's nice to play new material. It’s definitely different. We play these towns so many times. MM: There's certain places I get excited about. Going to Bozeman, Montana, I always get excited. EE: These mountain towns, because of our music, we get to play and do well in. We play weird places like Jackson Hole, Telluride, and just sell [the shows] out. MM: People go crazy. And that's exciting. It's small and it hearkens back to the shows we used to play when we were starting except everyone knows the songs, everyone is excited, it's a beautiful place. It's real laid back, it's western, it's not some weird place in New Jersey or something.
11: How do you decide when to sprinkle a cover song into a set? MM: We spontaneously play Neil Young covers from time to time. EE: Having never rehearsed them *laughs* You don’t have to. BK: We did that with "Whole Lotta Love" at Doug Fir last time. Halfway through a song, somebody was like, “Led Zepplin - II” and I was like, “What, the whole record?” and he [responded gleefully], “Yeah!” *all laugh* So I just started playing it and everybody else picked up on it. 11: Technology is pretty pervasive these days, how do you feel it plays a part in your music, being traditional folk rock in a lot of ways? MM: Some lady had google glasses on today. That's a bit of a crossroads *laughs* EM: Our first big break came off of MySpace, you know? MM: At the beginning we bootstrapped through the internet. There was a lot of people writing about that happening at the time. It wasn't dramatic or anything, there was an A&R guy in New York who heard Wild Mountain Nation, and was like, "What is this?!" and they didn't sign us but he turned Sub Pop onto us and that's how we got signed by Sub Pop. When we started playing, I made a website for the band right away. We were like, "We're just going to give away all our music on the internet, and everybody is going to find out about us, it's going to be great!" But it doesn't happen like that. I think technology is great and everything, interconnectivity is great, but I think you still have to do these things where you have interviews with people and you play radio stations for real and you get on the road for real and you tour for real, and the technology can enhance it all. Just the fact that we were able to record on our own, that had a lot to do with the technology at the time. We just used Cool Edit *laughs* EE: It's made things more democratic. I don't know if it helps or hinders bands. It's easy to record and float your stuff. 11: Do you have any immediate aspirations for videos? If you had any technology at your disposal, with money as no object? BK: More than anyone else I want David Lynch to direct one of our videos. MM: Our original name was Garmonbozia which is a David Lynch reference. Because Twin Peaks helped us to imagine ourselves in the early '90s. Kyle McLaughlan is from my hometown of Yakima, so my dad turned on this thing, and he didn't know who David Lynch was, but he was just like, "Oh yeah, I trained this actor when he was a kid. Look, he made good." I was just blown away, I could not believe how cool this was, this was the Northwest. He was just involved in the community theater, so he did work with the kid, with Kyle. [Twin Peaks] feels like the Northwest, this feels like where I'm from, these people act the way I do, so it helped me to form a self image that was still Northwestern but outside of my little crappy town. 11: So David Lynch, if you're reading this, let’s make it happen. What song would the video be for?
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features national scene MM: Maybe “Earth” or “Valley of Death.” EE: Yeah, one of the stories. “Feel The Chill.” Something Dark. It doesn’t matter. We just need David Lynch. 11: Eric, you once said Wild Mountain Nation was the musical equivalent of getting knifed in an alley. What would you say the musical equivalent of VII is? EE: I did? It’s a pretty low-fire record *laughs* BK: Getting knifed in a Corolla? EE: It's like you're wandering around, outside of town... MM: On Robitussin... EE: On Robitussin, it's late at night, you're Robotrippin', you're like, "we gotta check this field, leave the headlights on," you get into the field, and sure enough, there's a big old crop circle. 11: That’s it! You just described the video for David Lynch to make! *laughs* What is the most important thing that you've learned? EE: Don't think too highly of yourself. EM: There's no black and white, there's no actual extremes. Everybody makes that shit up. BK: YOLO. *EM laughs* For real. Live it up. MM: I think there's a lot of reciprocity, like, if you get pissed off about somebody's behavior it's probably because you also exhibit that behavior and vice versa, if you really like someone it's probably because they have something in common with what you like above yourself. It's the beam in your own eye thing, you know? 11: Last question, best Portland memory? MM: Probably seeing my kids get born. BK: Portland is rife with a lot of really wonderful memories of my ex that I cherish, I can't pick one. EM: The short bus dance party at my birthday this year was pretty good. EE: Nothing funnier than the memory of Brian wasted, falling off the roof of our practice studio. *all laugh* BK: I was like howling at the moon on the roof, wasted. EM: We lived out at 69th and foster on the flats... BK: We had been at a party all night, and we drove, somehow got back, I was on mushroom chocolates and a lot of beer. I was in Beatle-boots and tried to negotiate off the garage roof and I just slipped and fell and hit the van on the side and hit the ground and got up and was like, "Did you see that?!" *laughs* EM: It was beautiful, he just popped up. EE: Some of his falls are amazing. Stunning. BK: And I wasn't even sore the next day, it was amazing. EE: You were young then. BK: I could have died; should have died! *laughs* 11: Well, stay resilient out there and we’ll see you guys soon. Safe travels! »
1800 E BURNSIDE
MUSIC CALENDAR
11.1: Le Printemps 11.2: Chris Juhlin and The Collective 11.6: Wed. Night Supper Club at 7pm 11.7: “ Eat Off Your Banjo ” Dinner and Live Bluegrass at 8pm 11.8: Down Home Music 11.9: Ojos Feos 11.13: Wed. Night Supper Club at 7pm 11.14: “ Eat Off Your Banjo ” Dinner and Live Bluegrass at 8pm 11.15: The 78 Griots 11.16: Edewaard 11.20: Wed. Night Supper Club at 7pm 11.21: “ Eat Off Your Banjo ” Dinner and Live Bluegrass at 8pm 11.22: The Keplers 11.23: Side Street Reny 11.27: Wed. Night Supper Club at 7pm 11.29: Down Home Music 11.30: Amorus
DJs in the Tap Room
11.2: DJ Jesse Espinoza 11.9: TigernauT 11.16: DJ Zimmie 11.23: DJ Kenny 11.30: Impact Sound! Reggae DJs
ALL SHOWS ARE FREE
AND START AT 10PM (DJs 9PM) UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED FOR BOOKING PLEASE CONTACT PLAY@THEEASTBURN.COM Hours: Mon-Fri 4p-2a, Sat-Sun 10a-2a Happy Hr: Mon-Fri 4p-6p, Sat-Sun 3p-6p
Blitzen Trapper plays November 30 @ Doug Fir
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film
WATCH ME NOW FILM EDITORIAL TV TAKEOVER
In the past, the Academy Awards were the gold standard for awards shows; they had the most glamorous stars, the best outfits—it was representative of the entertainment industry's perception of film being a superior artform to television. Where advertisers had a tight grip on the content going over our airwaves, the film industry was more protected from censorship and content control. Now advertisers and viewers have begun to recognize the importance of television creators having stronger control over the content of their shows. The prime example, and it has been used to death, is Vince Gilligan. The Breaking Bad creator has, in the fashion of any great TV writer, maintained an iron grip on the outcome of characters' actions and fates—and that's why the show stayed great through its run. Now that it has ended and is already being called the best TV drama ever by television enthusiasts and critics alike, the conversation on the future of television has shifted. Television is no longer a platform for actors whose careers in film have begun to fade; it's a place for them to showcase their prime work—and to brandish their commitment to their
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roles by bringing them back after long breaks out of character. As Anthony Hopkins said in his now-viral fan letter to Bryan Cranston and the cast of Breaking Bad, “You and all the cast are the best actors I've ever seen.” That's a hell of an endorsement from an actor who has primarily been focused on his career in film since the early 80s. Television has always been a more steady (if less lucrative) method of income for actors, writers and other creatives in the field. For those on the more technical side of filmmaking, both paths have their ups and downs. A show like Breaking Bad drew the kind of talent into its production that could have been comfortable working on any film on the end-of-the-year Oscar shortlist. Before AMC and FX took the reigns of bringing high-quality TV to cable, the realm of premium television was synonymous with HBO and little else. Every year around Emmy season, HBO releases its yearin-summary ad bragging about how it received the most nominations of any channel (same as every year), flaunting the motto: “It's not TV. It's HBO.” The first threat to HBO's reign was the rebranding of Showtime. Weeds and Dexter brought serious award season attention to the network in both the drama and comedy categories. Homeland's first season shattered HBO's winning streak by doing what no network has been able to do: obliterate HBO in the dramatic competitions. While network television's accessibility and pandering to the lowest-common-denominator keeps its position at the top of the Nielsen ratings secure, when was the last time a network show created the kind of buzz a cable show did? Cable is the new standard for watercooler fare, while network's grip on the ratings is maintained by demographics like the elderly. If you ever see someone trying to start a watercooler conversation about the previous night's Big Bang Theory, consider finding them a nice retirement community to settle down in. They don't need to work anymore. Check their scalp for dye stains, as they're probably a secret old person. The traditional view on modern TV-watching habits, that the Nielsen corporation lobbies hard to keep as the standard, is indicative of why the shows that grandma watches stay on the air while Emmy-bait like 30 Rock can struggle in the ratings through its run. As monitoring of digital content is perfected and piracy is curtailed with methods that favor the viewer, the actual viewing habits of younger generations of viewers will be more accounted for. Cable companies are some of the worst money-sucking leeches in modern consumer life. They provide the best internet access, making dependence on them ubiquitous. At the same time, they're the single biggest hurdle in the future of online streaming, and their complicated cost structures make access to content from less common networks more difficult for the average viewer (an inconvenience that only harms the bottom line of these channels). For the time being, online streaming is much easier for consumers when it comes to network shows than it is with cable. Cable companies have a monopoly on broadcasting, but their respective relationships with networks are tenuous at best. If a major network can go to exclusive internet streaming, the ability of the cable companies to keep a grip on premium broadcasting will be tested.
film Yes, as it stands, an Emmy is still a pawn amongst statuettes. They're easier to hand out than Oscars because you can win for the same role twice. Their wins are soon forgotten, unlike the Academy Awards, where so much as a nomination is brandished above an actor's name in every movie trailer for the rest of their career. With the proliferation of premium television content, can the Emmys ever trump the Academy Awards in prestige— or will the restraints of a dying broadcasting structure drive content further into the web? » - Rob de la Teja
NOVEMBER FILM EVENTS 40TH NW FILMMAKERS' FESTIVAL NOVEMBER 8-16 | NORTHWEST FILM CENTER
At the festival for the media-makers of the Northwest, this milestone year will prove to be a fantastic opportunity to connect with the thriving film community in the Pacific Northwest. With a schedule jam-packed with independent films from Montana, Washington, Idaho, and Oregon, panel discussions with filmmakers, bar crawls, and workshops, you will find a wealth of information on the independent film biz, festival circuit, and how to get ahead in this tough industry. Filmmakers, screening and not, will come together to discuss, support, and strengthen our presence in the national film scene. For full details on panels and screenings, visit nwfilm.org/nwfest40.
THE LAST UNICORN
NOVEMBER 23-24 | HOLLYWOOD THEATER
Right up there with the likes of The Neverending Story and Watership Down, The Last Unicorn is a staple of any 1980s childhood memory. Presented by author and screenwriter Peter S. Beagle on a newly restored 2K digital print, the glittering, pastel world is filled with witches, peril, and a malicious foes. The lonely unicorn, the last of her kind, must face these dangers to search for someone, anyone, like her. Following the screening, make sure to have your 1982 VHS signed by the man himself (merchandise will be for sale if you can’t seem to find your copy in your parents’ basement).
SECRETARY
NOVEMBER 27 | HOLLYWOOD THEATER
Most tender workplace romances don’t begin with spankings and dead earthworms, yet that's the beginning for a liaison between secretary Lee Holloway (Maggie Gyllenhaal) and her boss, attorney E. Edward Grey (James Spader). Gyllenhaal brings a swagger to a young woman whose need for acceptance—at extreme levels—makes her stronger in the long run. A demonstration on BDSM will be presented by SHE BOP’s Annamarie and Wyatt, and audience members are encouraged to volunteer. So get ready to loosen your belts for Thanksgiving turkey, and tighten your leather straps for this screening and BDSM introduction presented by SHE BOP. $8 tickets include both SHE BOPS’s introduction and Secretary. Must be 18 or older. » - Bex Silver
NOVEMBER 2013
11.1-2 • MORTIFIED NATION (NR) 11.3 • BREAKFAST WITH POISON WATERS AND FRIENDS 11.4 • REMEMBERING MULUGETA SERAW 11.5 • OMAR SOSA AFRI-LECTRIC EXPERIENCE 11.7-8 • MORTIFIED PORTLAND! 11.9,10 & 13-16 • NORTHWEST FILM MAKERS FEST 11.10 • CRAFTY UNDERDOG Shop ‘til you drop, locally of course (11am - 5pm) 11.19 • OMSI SCIENCE PUB Cascadia Great Earthquakes: Riddle of the Sands 11.22 • BACK FENCE PDX: LIVE STORY TELLING DECEMBER 2013
12.8 • CRAFTY UNDERDOG Shop ‘til you drop, locally of course (11am - 5pm) 12.12 • PDX JAZZ George Colligan plays the music of Horace Silver 12.14 • DINNER WITH THE DANDY WARHOLS See mcmenamins.com for complete schedule of events
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community
NEIGHBORHOOD OF THE MONTH:
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Location photos by Mercy McNab
3. HEATED PATIO
East Burn - 1800 E. Burnside
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2. THE RECORD STORE
Music Millenium - 3158 E. Burnside
BEST OF E. BURNSIDE
1. MUSIC VENUE
Doug Fir Lounge - 830 E. Burnside
4. VINTAGE SWAG
Smut - 7 S.E. 28th
5. BRUNCH
Screen Door - 2337 E. Burnside
6. COFFEE ZONE
Green Beans - 2327 E. Burnside
7. LATE NIGHT SLICE
Sizzle Pie - 624 E. Burnside
8. WING-A-DING DING
Fire On The Mountain - 1706 E. Burnside
9. MOVIE THEATER
Laurelhurst Theater - 2735 E. Burnside
10. KARAOKE
Chopsticks Express II - 2651 E. Burnside
11. INSTRUMENTAL ESSENTIALS
Old Town Music - 55 S.E. 11th Ave
community
THE LOCAL BIZ ATELIER MERIDIAN
TENDER LOVING EMPIRE
Working print studio and artist community with 24 hour access to the presses and tools needed to create woodcuts, collographs, etchings, screenprints, letterpress and monotypes.
The TLE shop houses handmade gifts from Portland’s thriving DIY scene. It is also the record label headquarters, a screen printing studio and art gallery—fostering TLE’s love of art and music through community exchange and good ol’ conversation.
N PORTLAND 665 N Tillamook Ave. | 503.729.9013 www.ateliermeridian.com
DOWNTOWN 412 SW 10th Ave (97205) 503.243.5859 | tenderlovingempire.com
I HEART RETRO
LOUNGE LIZARD
We are a vintage furniture and home decor store located in the Hollywood District of Portland, Oregon. We have 3000 square feet of vintage furniture, home decor, LP’s, jewelry, art and lighting. There is something for everyone!
We buy and sell VINTAGE FURNITURE, LIGHTING as well as OTHER COOL CONTEMPORARY furniture and lighting. We strive to keep our prices affordable and realistic for our local market. We love what we do!
NE HOLLYWOOD 1914 NE 42nd Ave (97232) 503.287.3764
SE PORTLAND 1310 SE Hawthorne Blvd 503.232.7575 | twitter.com/loungelizardpdx
BEACON SOUND
Carrying a broad spectrum of new and used vinyl including classical, folk, soul, jazz, indie rock, psych, as well as an excellent selection of contemporary electronic music. They pay well for your used vinyl (cash or trade), host in-stores, and generally rule. MAGIC CORNER 1465 NE Prescott (97211) 503.360.1268 | beconsound.net
MOLOKO
THE FIRKIN TAVERN
Located on the west side of Ladd’s, the Firkin Tavern features an astounding selection of craft beers to enjoy inside or on our patio. Art enthusiasts will enjoy a variety of local artwork on display and sold comission-free! SE LADD’S 1937 SE 11th Ave (97214) 503.206.7552 | thefirkintavern.com
HOVERCRAFT AMPS
Taste the nightlife of Mississippi. Over 40 house infused liquors. Specialty absinthe cocktails. Open until 2am every day.
Unused, unloved music gear with great potential, rebuilt into ICONS OF TONE. Available at Old Town Music for a lot less than you’d think! Each amp is uniquely tailored with components and cosmetics to make them very special. No two are alike!
N PORTLAND 3967 N Mississippi (97227) 503.288.6272 | molokopdx.com
SE PORTLAND hovercraftamps.com info@hovercraftamps.com
BEECH STREET PARLOR
HOLLYWOOD THEATRE
A neighborhood bar
A not-for-profit organization whose mission is to entertain, inspire, educate and connect the community through the art of film while preserving an historic Portland landmark.
NE PORTLAND 412 NE Beech St (97212) 503.946.8184 | beechstreetparlor.com
NE HOLLYWOOD 4122 NE Sandy Blvd (97212) 503.493.1128 | hollywoodtheatre.org Paid Advertising
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community visual arts
VISUAL ARTS Portland artist Jason Greene
ELEVEN: Who are you? Where do you come from? Jason Greene: I’m a transplant from Mississippi. It’s been, uh, thirteen years now. 11: What has it been like, being a transplant artist in Portland? JG: It’s pretty easy. Pretty much everyone else is a transplant, seems like. There are a few locals—a few natives I have met. I have found Portland to be a real comfortable place to be, especially as an artist. 11: Were you an artist before you moved to Portland? JG: Yeah, yeah. Mostly a painter. I spent a lot of time in North Carolina. Spent a lot of time doing art there, then moved out here with my wife. 11: Do you only paint, or has your art evolved into other mediums? JG: I mostly paint. I do some drawing too. Painting is just an extension of the drawing, I guess. 11: How have you found the hustle to be in Portland? JG: The hustle? You mean like how has it been to find work? You know it’s funny. People in Portland are real supportive of
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Photo by Mercy McNab
artists, but not with their wallets. So it is hard to make a living. It is encouraging, though, because everyone is like, “Right on,” you know? I piece things together. When I first moved here, I worked at the Children’s Museum. I was an exhibit designer there. Then I worked at the library, then odd jobs here and there. Right now I do painting and I do skateboard toys. I play in two different bands. And between it all, I find a way to get by. 11: Do you feel like it’s beneficial to be diverse in your art forms—doing art and music? Instead of pigeonholing yourself into one thing? JG: I don’t know. Sometimes I feel like I wish I could just find the pigeonhole. Right now I feel like I have one foot in a canoe and another foot in another boat, and they’re drifting apart. I am about to fall in the river. You know, before things fell apart a few years ago—the financial situation—I was doing a lot of public work. I was doing a lot of commission work for people. Then the economy went down and the public art scene just kinda disappeared, so I had to piece other things together to get by. 11: Do you find there is more money in the public/ commission work, or did you generate more money through your residencies? JG: I did a couple different residencies. One at the Children’s Museum and another at Rack through the Fire Bureau.
community visual arts culturally. I did a series on traffic cones, for example. Those were really fun, because everyone read into them. The meaning came from where they were coming from. That is really what I want. A lot of the objects I pick generally have some cultural representation in them. I want to spark something in someone, like, “I had one of those when I was a kid,” or, “That means something to me.” 11: As an artist who is painting these objects, do you feel it is more important to get a more honest representation of the object? Or is it more important to impose your own perception? JG: I think if it is done right, I am going to impose my impression of it—whether I like it or not. If it is a successful painting, it is going to have my hand in it. I don’t want to document, exactly; I don’t want to make a representation of it like I am cataloging it. I want to capture whatever it is about the thing that is drawing me into its space. I want to capture some of that spontaneity. I want to capture that moment.
"The Party" (oil, 2009) 11: How would you describe the content of your pieces to people who’ve never seen it? JG: For a fair amount of time it has been object-based and not so figurative. I have done a lot of figurative work, but I always kind of fall back on objects that catch my attention. I keep coming back to different kinds of ideas—maybe spurred by everyday, ordinary objects.
11: Have you ever done any grand scenarios or great schemes of an environment? JG: Yeah. I have done more great, larger landscape pieces. There are a couple pieces up down the street here on Lombard, right across from US Bank—the owner asked me for some pieces. But they are these landscapes of grand piles of rubble.
11: What forms your relationship with those particular objects? Or is it just intuition? JG: I don’t really know what it is. I spent several years in college drawing for these archeologists—drawing these little figurines. They were all busted up. They were from somewhere in Israel, but somehow ended up in Mississippi. I drew thousands of the things—thousands of these tiny little broken figures. I found it really meditative, especially when you’re looking at these things up close and see someone’s fingerprint in the clay. It really just makes you think about the story behind the object. And your brain just makes all these little connections up. I find it really interesting. 11: Do you have any special stories or relationships with certain objects? JG: Some of these hats, for example. Like this big green hat [points to a painting hanging on the wall of his studio] is from when I was in Boy Scouts. A couple of those are summer camp hats I had when I was thirteen. They were giant on my head because I was smaller. So when I think back, there is some nostalgia tied to them personally. 11: Would you say all the objects you paint are experienced externally, or are they more innately generated? JG: A little of both. Sometimes it is just the way the light falls on them. Some objects just contain a lot more meaning
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community visual arts
PORTLAND BASED TEXTILe PRINTING
11: Were those drawn from pictures, or was it rubble you witnessed? JG: Yeah, I was biking past these deconstruction sites, I guess, on my way to this job. I decided to just paint it. I became really interested in piles. It was a pretty basic theme, piles. I just did scenes of a bunch of different piles. Mostly rubble. Usually like a housing development that was getting demolished for a new housing development. I just really liked the idea that, you know, this pile used to be a house. It is a house in pile form. 11: Do you feel your pieces tell a more meaningful narrative than pieces that are more abstract? JG: I don’t know. I hope that people find narratives in them. But at the same time, if they just appreciate the form of them... The beauty of light falling is pretty cool.
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Slingshots made from recycled skateboards 11: What is this skateboard project about? JG: When my son was born—he is five now—I chose to leave my job and stay home with him. When he was just a little guy, he was learning how to sit. It is a big deal for a little kid—sitting in a chair. It seems pretty normal for us, but I decided I was going to make him a little chair. I got together a bunch of old skateboards and made this chair for him. I thought it was rad. Then other people saw it and told me they wanted one, so I started making more of those and selling them. Then I started making toys. It just kind of grew and grew. Now I am making all kinds of toys that I sell on Etsy. I make a lot of classic wooden toys like yo-yos, tops and slingshots. Little cars and planes and dinosaurs. Little puzzles. It is kind of funny how they are growing as my son is growing. As his abilities get better and better, my toys get more advanced. 11: Are these graphics on the toys something you put on there, or are they straight from the board they are made from? JG: No, no, they are straight from the board. It is kind of cool. Each one is an individual. Each one is unique and different. I have had a lot of fun doing it. » - Billy Dye
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Please enjoy Jason's piece entitled "Child Vest" (oil, 2009) decorating our back inside cover this month. View more of Jason's work at www.greenelbow.com