Eleven PDX Magazine - May 2019 by Eleven PDX

ISSUE 95 | MAY 2019

ELEVEN PDX ISSUE 11 ELEVEN PDXMAGAZINE MAGAZINE--VOLUME VOLUME 8, 8, ISSUE 5

COMPLIMENTARY COMPLIMENTARY

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ELEVEN PDX MAGAZINE VOLUME 8 ◊ ISSUE No. 11

May 2019

THE USUAL 4 Letter from the Editor 4 Staff Credits

COLUMNS

FEATURES Local Feature 12

Maxwell Cabana

Cover Feature 16

5 Aural Fix

Wild Belle Helado Negro Omar Apollo CHAI

COMMUNITY Meet Your Maker 24

NEW MUSIC 8 Short List 8 Album Reviews Sinkane Faye Webster Drahla Big Thief

Independent Publishing Resource Center

Literary Arts 26

Hajara Quinn

Visual Arts 28

AWAKE

LIVE MUSIC 12 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.

MORE ONLINE AT ELEVENPDX.COM SOCIALS @ELEVENPDX

HELLO PORTLAND! It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for: springtime! I certainly feel like this floral atmosphere pairs nicely with Portland’s budding new bands, albums, and fresh singles. Soul’d Out Music Festival had another good year, featuring some incredible soul, hip hop, and blues artists; Blossom and Mic Capes just released some fire singles, and there are some new dreamy bands on the horizon: Choking Kind and Strawberry Basil. Before we head into the hot heat of summer, in constant reminder that we’re all burning up together, let’s all take a dip in some cool tracks, hit the patio at Rontoms Sunday Sessions, and hold hands in the rose gardens and tulip patches.

Be kind, rewind,

- Eirinn Gragson, Managing Editor

EXECUTIVE STAFF EDITOR IN CHIEF Ryan Dornfeld (ryan@elevenpdx.com)

ONLINE Michael Reiersgaard Kim Lawson

MANAGING EDITOR Eirinn Gragson (eirinn@elevenpdx.com)

FIND US ONLINE www.elevenpdx.com social channels: @elevenpdx

COPY EDITOR Chance Solem-Pfeifer SECTION EDITORS LITERARY ARTS: Scott McHale VISUAL ARTS: Mercy McNab MAKERS: Brandy Crowe CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Charles Trowbridge, Eric Swanson, Anthony King, Nathan Royster, Matthew Weatherman, Liz Garcia, Matthew Sweeney, Henry WhittierFerguson, Richard Lime, Laurel Bonfiglio PHOTOGRAPHERS Mathieu Lewis-Rolland, Molly Macapline, Katie Summer, Todd Walberg

GENERAL INQUIRIES getinvolved@elevenpdx.com ADVERTISING sales@elevenpdx.com ELEVEN WEST MEDIA GROUP, LLC SPECIAL THANKS To all of our friends and family that make this project possible, and to those that champion tolerance, equality, generosity and kindness in the world. We love you best.

COVER DESIGN Ryan Dornfeld COVER PHOTO Mercy McNab

BELLS ATLAS

the mystic

Y LA BAM BA

OUT NOW!

Catch them at DOUG FIR May 16

Out now—at all our locations! Bridgeport Village · Hawthorne NW 23rd · Portland Airport · West End tlerecords.com

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columns aural fix

AURAL FIX

Photo by Leslie Kirchhoff

up and coming music from the national scene

1 WILD BELLE MAY 03 | REVOLUTION HALL The term “world music” is a bit of a First World misnomer: regional songs from around the world existing outside of mainstream music genres that can be neatly shuffled onto a Starbuck compilation CD or your parents’ iTunes playlist. But damn if it isn’t difficult to describe the songs Chicago’s Wild Belle create as not being internationally influenced. The brainchild of siblings Natalie and Elliot Bergman, Wild Belle mines the tropical elements of reggae, ska, funk, and jazz to create laidback songs with an island vibe that pair well with beachside spliffs hits. Two of four children born to musician parents, Natalie and Elliot grew up in a home filled with John Coltrane, Aretha Franklin, and Sun Ra. The early influence of roots, soul, and folk would eventually form the framework of multi-instrumentalist Elliot’s Afrobeat group, NOMO. At age 16, Natalie joined NOMO, playing tambourine and contributing backup vocals. Around this time, London-based musician and producer Shawn Lee requested one of Elliot’s kalimba-infused instrumental tracks for use on an upcoming album. Upon hearing Lee’s resulting steel-drum and bass remix, Natalie was inspired to re-write and record vocals for the tune, which resulted in one of NOMO’s few vocal-fronted tracks,

Photo by Anna Groth-Shive

2 HELADO NEGRO MAY 06 | DOUG FIR LOUNGE Roberto Carlos Lange makes incredibly inviting music as Helado Negro (Spanish for “black ice cream”). Playing Coachella last year and being named a 2019 United States Artists fellow have shot him into a different type of spotlight, attracting new fans to his warm, familiar sounding vocals and electronic rifts. Despite the recent uptick in attention, Helado Negro has been

“Upside Down.” Thus, in 2011, Wild Belle was formed. Wild Belle’s 2012 Columbia Records debut, Isles, features 11 songs, each representing tiny islands full of stories all their own, with Natalie’s seductive, lilting vocals winding around Wild Belle’s bevy of neo-dancehall tracks, punctuated by Elliot’s baritone saxophone. In 2016 the band released its moodier, emotion-packed Dreamland. This year’s Everybody One of a Kind is the third outing on their Love Tone imprint, featuring more freewheeling pep in the band’s step and highlights Natalie’s commanding vocals and provocative lyrics. Wild Belle may take musical inspiration from the world over (collaborating with Major Lazer, appearing on Conan, and contributing to various film and television soundtracks along the way), but the talented Bergman siblings create a smooth, mellow sound distinctly their own. » – Anthony King busy making art and music for a long time (six albums and four EPs), and his perspective is unique. Born to Ecuadorian parents, growing up in Florida, graduating from Savannah College of Art and Design, and eventually landing in Brooklyn, Lange now carries an almost fatherly aura that draws people into his message. If Lange is black ice cream himself, then his music is Neapolitan. Blending indie electronica, English and Spanish lyrics, and swirling in creamy synths, the end results are six highly listenable and tonally versatile albums. Part of the RVNG Intl. family, Lange released new album, This Is How You Smile, earlier this year. Considered by many to be his best yet, Lange’s well paced songs immediately draw you in. While his vocal style is often compared to Devendra Banhart’s, there’s also style akin to Tunde Adebimpe of TV on the Radio. While his past work has explored issues of identity, his recent music has been more reflective and nostalgic. Lange frequently works with other artists, including Sufjan Stevens, and has produced non-musical art that is just as noteworthy as his music. Those who’ve been say his live shows aren’t to be missed, as seen on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert featuring Lange with live instrumentation. If you’re searching for simple, yet refined fresh soundscapes, keep Helado Negro in your regular music rotation! » – Kelly Kovl

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columns aural fix

Photo by Aidan Cullen

3 OMAR APOLLO MAY 10 | HAWTHORNE THEATRE Omar Apollo is on the rise. His new EP, Friends, invites you to come with him. The ride is sure to be funky and fun. Friends is Apollo’s second seven-track EP, a form that fits him well — long enough to sketch out a trajectory, but short enough to keep you coming back for more. The project is a follow up to last year’s breakout Stereo, which draws on Apollo’s Mexican heritage alongside classic R&B, soul, funk, and psychedelic pop. Friends seems more solidly in the pop vein, though it maintains the same lo-fi crunchiness while upping the ante in grooviness. Apollo, born Omar Velasco, grew up the son of immigrant parents in South Haven, Indiana, and the experience of his upbringing has clearly left an impression on him. Largely selftaught, he produced his first EP in a friend’s attic, drawing inspiration and motivation from the work ethic of his parents, who, like most immigrants, have sacrificed much to give their children a better life. It seems fitting then that Apollo, who has recently relocated to L.A., should see his hard work come to fruition. His downtempo single “Ugotme” gained traction last year when a friend encouraged him to upload it to Spotify. Since then, he’s released a string of singles and videos, showing a kid who’s hard not to like: a little goofy, subtleley ambitious, but mostly just stoked to be playing music and taking the first steps into a life that seems in many ways to be the quintessential American dream. Whether or not that dream really exists is up for debate, but for now we can be content to enjoy Omar Apollo’s ascent toward the stars. » – Henry Whittier-Ferguson

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columns aural fix

SOLD OUT!

5/1 THE CACTUS BLOSSOMS JACK KLATT

5/16 BELLS ATLAS BROWN CALCULUS DJ MAMI MIAMI

5/2 PETER BJORN AND JOHN JONATHAN SOMETHING

5/17 PICTURE THIS FUTURE FEATS

5/3 HENRY JAMISON SAINT SISTER

SOLD OUT!

5/4 BAYONNE PALM DAZE SOLD OUT!

4 CHAI Japanese four-piece CHAI is living, breathing, and dancing proof that rebellion and revolution can be a joyful occasion. Synchronized dance moves? Check. Kumbaya-campfire singalong choruses? Double check. 120 bpm jams about body hair and redefining what it means to be a homemaker? Triple check. Needless to say, CHAI is not your typical punk band. Comprised of twins Mana (keys, vocals) and Kana (guitar), and friends Yuna (bass) and Yuuki (drums), CHAI was formed as a protest against the rigid gender expectations of Japan’s “kawaii” culture. Self-dubbing their music—and raison d’etre—as “Neokawaii” the band has embarked on a “Born This Way”-caliber mission of spreading self-acceptance and love to the world. Just as it’s easier to catch flies with honey than with vinegar, it’s easier to spread the gospel of “Neo-kawaii” with a barrage of dopamine-inducing pop hooks and Bob Ross levels of positivity than with venom and rage. Needless to say, most recent LP PUNK is pretty much a 33-minute pep-talk on how you’re perfect just the way you are — disguised as a mix of disco, R&B, and J-pop jams. Equal parts catchy and subversive, CHAI’s music also has a mischievous side. For every top-40 inspired cut like “Fashionista” there’s a industrial, chant-filled song like “THIS IS CHAI” that could serve as the theme music for a Boston Dynamics-led robot revolution. For better or weird, CHAI isn’t afraid to be themselves, and what’s more punk than that? » – Eric Swanson

QUICK TRACKS

SOLD OUT!

5/18 WEYES BLOOD JACKIE COHEN 5/19 THE LEMONHEADS TOMMY STINSON 5/20 TUNIC MARRIAGE + CANCER SAD HORSE

5/5 THE DIP MOOREA MASA & THE MOOD

5/21 ALLAN RAYMAN

5/6 HELADO NEGRO TASHA

5/22 COMBO CHIMBITA SÁVILA

5/7 HARRY MACK DONTE THOMAS 5/9 & 5/10 EMILY WELLS AMENTA ABIOTO (NIGHT 1) SHEERS (NIGHT 2) SOLD OUT!

SOLD OUT!

5/10 STEPHEN MALKMUS 5/11 JESSE GOODY GRACE HEARTS <3

5/23 KIRIN J CALLINAN RINSE & REPEAT 5/24 HALEY JOHNSEN THE WEATHER MACHINE NOSILA 5/25 & 5/26 EARTH HELMS ALEE 5/27 THE TWILIGHT SAD KATHRYN JOSEPH

5/12 LAURA STEVENSON COMPLETIONS

5/28 RYAN VANDORDRECHT DEEPEST DARKEST THE LOVED

5/13 SUGAR CANDY MOUNTAIN + FLAURAL CANDACE 5/14 LIZ COOPER & THE STAMPEDE BRISTON MARONEY

5/29 SONREAL EARLY ALL AGES SHOW! 5/30 BLACK MARBLE FROTH + DYED

5/15 JARED & THE MILL WILDERMISS SOLD OUT!

5/31 SEBADOH FLOWER

“I’m Me”

“Family Member”

Pool noodle-inspired guitar licks feel like driving to the ocean of self acceptance with your convertible top down. “Everybody’s wonderful/All right!”

The musical equivalent of your high school yearbook (senior year). Equal parts nostalgic, heartfelt, cheesy, and belt-along-able. “Hugging before we exchange words/Expressing with body temperature/That is FAMILY MEMBER”

(503) 231-WOOD ALL SHOWS 21+ 830 E. BURNSIDE SERVING BREAKFAST, LUNCH, DINNER & LATE NIGHT HAPPY HOUR 3-6 EVERYDAY & 10PM-12AM SUN-THURS TICKETS AND MORE INFO AT DOUGFIRLOUNGE.COM

elevenpdx.com | 7

new music album reviews

ALBUM REVIEWS THIS MONTH’S BEST

R REISSUE

L LOCAL RELEASE

Short List

Barrie Happy To Be Here Jamila Woods Legacy! Legacy! Tacocat This Mess Is A Place Vampire Weekend Father Of The Bride Charly Bliss Young Enough Ciara Beauty Marks Mac DeMarco Here Comes The Cowboy Nots 3 The National I Am Easy To Find Flying Lotus Flamagra Lil Kim 9 Carly Rae Jepsen Dedicated

Buy it

Stream it

Sinkane Dépaysé City Slang

Sinkane’s new record, Dépaysé, speaks in voices that demand to be heard. The album’s title is a French word with no clear English definition, rather a feeling in unfamiliar surroundings: out of one’s element: displaced. As a Sudanese-American and an immigrant

Toss it

Faye Webster Atlanta Millionaires Club Secretly Canadian

Disagree? Scold us: @ELEVENPDX

8 | ELEVEN PDX

Dreamy melodies, folksy instrumentals, and Southern twang are at the heart of Faye Webster’s newest album, Atlanta Millionaires Club. With slight graininess, Webster’s husky voice sounds both familiar and nostalgic, her lyrics worn and cautionary. The music conjures the warmth of a hazy afternoon—a sentiment likely reminiscent of Webster’s summers in Georgia.

to the states, Sinkane — born Ahmed Gallab — has been forced to wrestle with this feeling. On Dépaysé, Sinkane speaks for the countless others who make up the true fabric of America, yet whose existence here is constantly challenged by a regime that refuses to acknowledge their basic humanity. The album is, like much of Sinkane’s discography, a homogenized blend of international rock, funk, and soul, orchestrated here in some of his largest arrangements yet. The choir and horn sections lend an energy to the album that often eclipses Sinkane’s own voice, which tends to feel thin in comparison, taking a back-seat to the music. Still, there’s a frankness to his lyrics, more straightforward than poetic, which carries such an overwhelming positivity that it’s hard not to stand up and dance with him. » – Henry Whittier-Ferguson

While Webster undoubtedly bears Southern influences, she is too often and too easily viewed as a country singer; however, limiting the artist to one genre does not quite do her soulful tunes justice. The Atlanta-native dips into numerous musical styles, emphasizing her pop capabilities in “Flowers” and referencing classic surf-rock riffs in first track, “Room Temperature.” Webster’s singsong cadence and melancholic lyricism in “Jonny (Reprise)” appear to be a nod to ‘60s French pop music. While Webster offers nuance with her album, she remains authentic to her sound. In fact, her experimentation with genres seem to highlight her folksy roots even more so—the rawness in her voice is most evident in her softer, more romantic tunes, and her country lilt is clearest in a more pop-emphasized song, “Pigeon.” Unafraid to experiment, Webster creates an authentic work that’s true to form. » – Nebraska Lucas

new music album reviews

Drahla Useless Coordinates Captured Tracks Formed near Leeds in 2015, Drahla is a post-punk group whose full-length debut for Captured Tracks, Useless Coordinates, gestated for quite some time. The now London-based three piece — Luciel Brown (lead vocal and guitar), Rob Riggs (bass), and Mike Ainsley (drums) — hit its stride in pretty great form. “Fictional Decisions,” originally off

Big Thief U.F.O.F. 4AD Understanding the recording process deepens the appreciation for Big Thief’s latest album. Bear Creek Studio isn’t only a cabin on a 10-acre farm outside Seattle; it is an immersive experience. The studio has produced some classic neo-folk albums; from The Lumineers’ Grammy award-winning self-titled debut to local darlings Shook Twins’ What We Do and Fleet Foxes Sun Giant EP. Towering icons

their 2017 Third Article EP opens with an arresting line: “I am… the evan-…the evan-…-gelical…-gelical… counterfeit.” A strong sense of lyrical imagination propels this band forward, breathing new life into the tradition of DIY-ethos bands from the UK. As such, there has been much anticipation for their first LP, featuring guest contributions from saxophonist Christopher Duffin. Useless Coordinates certainly delivers the goods with a damaged, artsy take on post-punk. Brown’s rapid-fire poetics, delivered in nonchalant voice, mirror her and Riggs’ jagged guitar tones and Ainsley’s pounding, minimal pulse. What’s more, her lyrics hearken back to the incisive bite of the whole British pantheon of artists like Wire, The Fall, and Magazine. Yet they are rooted very firmly in this time and place, evoking social media voyeurism, political polarization, and the struggle to make sense of endlessly-multiplied and distorted images. In particular, Brown hits a nerve on “Invisible Sex”, touching on the hidden fears and desires of the

digital world in a verbal avalanche. And Duffin (who apparently influenced the band to check out more experimental Japanese jazz), for his part, adds that crucial final ingredient of gritty absurdity with his squawking sax on tracks like the punishing “React/Revolt.” No track ever seems to linger for too long, but an impressive amount of poetic imagination manages to squeeze its way into each song. The metaphors always seem to draw attention to the gap between grim reality and plush unreality. Likewise, the imagery comes across fractured, cold, and grey, the industrial detritus of a conspicuously consumptive society. These sounds would be perfectly at home as the soundtrack to an Adam Curtis documentary, in other words. Overall, Drahla’s talent is for making a good hook work for uncompromisingly provocative lyrical content. It adds up to a solid LP of outsider rock and roll indebted to the past but fresh and engaging all the same. »

such as James Brown and Eric Clapton have also recorded there. Artists live on the farm while recording their albums, giving each production a cohesive narrative.

been living with on the road during their frequent world touring — as well as songs like “Cattails,” which was written mere hours before being recorded and captured on the first take (vocals and all). Set-up in that large farmhouse in rural Washington, they were able to live-track the album as an ensemble, adding to the interdependence of their sound. Given the time they had to explore off-tour and not quite at home, Big Thief experimented, playing with what they call, “dynamic feedback and spiritual, rhythmic togetherness.” The result is a coherent and meaningful exploration of the known and unknown by a close-knit group of friends. Each song is like a short story that, when taken together, weaves a tale where not all the characters or plot-points are illuminated but the feeling is understood. Ultimately, the result is an incredible album that deepens with each revisit. »

U.F.O.F. is no exception. The title of the third album from New York-based indie heavyweights (their first on 4AD) can be expanded to “Unidentified Flying Object Friend” as seen in some of frontwoman Adrianne Lenker’s lyrics: “To my UFO friend / Goodbye, goodbye / Like a seed in the wind / She’s taking up root in the sky.” As if being sung to a visitor that arrives at the beginning of the album and departs by the end, Lenker, with Buck Meek on guitar, Max Oleartchik on bass, and James Krivchenia on drums, have co-created an interconnected album that is at once haunting and familiar. “Making friends with the unknown… All my songs are about this,” says Lenker; “If the nature of life is change and impermanence, I’d rather be uncomfortably awake in that truth than lost in denial.” Together, with engineer Dom Monks and producer Andrew Sarlo, the band set out to capture some songs that they had

– Matthew Sweeney

– Matthew Weatherman

elevenpdx.com | 9

live music

MAY

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CRYSTAL BALLROOM 1332 W BURNSIDE

THEATER 2 ROSELAND 8 NW 6TH

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FIR 3 DOUG 830 E BURNSIDE

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MISSISSIPPI STUDIOS

3939 N MISSISSIPPI 3 JD McPhearson | JP Harris

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live music

MISSISSIPPI STUDIOS 3939 N MISSISSIPPI

MAY

WONDER BALLROOM 128 NE RUSSELL

HOLOCENE

1001 SE MORRISON

RONTOMS

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600 E BURNSIDE

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Dan Dan (Release) | Wet Dream 7 Dead Leaf Echo | Souvenir Driver 14 Loch Lomond | Merō 28

KELLY'S OLYMPIAN 426 SW WASHINGTON

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features MAY

5 8 10 19 20 24 25

POLARIS HALL

635 N KILLINGSWORTH CT

Photo by Jacob Dysinger

REVOLUTION HALL 10 1300 SE STARK

Steel Pulse Damien Jurado | Corrina Repp Shook Twins | Catherine Feeny | Chris Johnedis Alan Parsons Live Project: The Secret Tour 11-13 Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour 16 Masego 19 Ural Thomas and the Pain | Federale | OPT 21 Micahel Schenker Fest 25 The Little Smokies | Michigan Rattlers 26 Terrible, Thanks for Asking 27 Justin Willian: Magic In Real Life Tour

3 5 6 10

CLUB 11 TOFFEE 1006 SE HAWTHORNE ALBERTA STREET PUB 12 115 NW 5TH 4 12 13 17 20

The Alliance Comedy Showcase (Sundays 9pm) Britnee Kellogg | Jaycob Van Auken M. Lockwood Porter | The Angry Lisas | Marcus Logan Robin Jackson and the Caravan | Acoustic Minds A Diamond in the Rough Don Bonsai (Release)

LOCAL FEATURE

by Eirinn Gragson

Maxwell Cabana

t’s the age old question: if you’re stranded on an island and can only bring three movies, three books, three albums, what do you bring? Well, Maxwell Cabana’s ready to bring the island to you. With dreamy guitar tones and slow, soulful jams with a psychedelic twist, the Cabana Boys have found a way to bring the perfect sunny beach day anywhere — and they’ll do it with a smile.

THE SECRET SOCIETY 13 116 NE RUSSELL

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Honky Tonk (Tuesdays) Zydeco (Wednesdays) Swing (Thursdays) Cloud Six | Motus | Josephine Antoinette The Libertie Belles The Fourth Wall | The Monegreens |The Slick and Dead Dear Drummer | Soul Progression Melao de Cuba Salsa Orchestra Fatai Pete Krebs and his Portand Playboys

WHITE EAGLE

14 836 N RUSSELL 6 7 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

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Maxwell Cabana is made up of brothers Jamie (drums) and Sean Higgins (bass and guitar), Murray McCulloch (guitar and vocals), and Noah Puggarana (keys), with an occasional appearance by Henry Whittier-Ferguson (horns and rap vocals). “The Cabana Boys”, as they call themselves in jest, are as passionate as they are fun-loving. They take on songwriting in unique ways, writing collaboratively and jamming frequently, often improvisationally. Their smooth new album, Tone Baby, drops the day of their release show on May 25 at The Fixin’ To. ELEVEN got the inside scoop on what makes Maxwell Cabana tick. ELEVEN: Let’s start with the basics — where are ya’ll from?

Jamie and Sean Higgins: We’re from Naperville, Illinois outside of Chicago. 11: And you two are brothers! SH: Yes, from the same house. Same Ma, same Pa. Noah Puggarana: I am from Portland, Oregon. Northeast. Murray McCulloch: And I’m from Seattle. 11: When did you two move to Portland; how did you all meet? SH: So I moved here… I think 2013? And then I moved back for a couple months and came back out with Jamie. I think it was 2014.

features JH: They needed a drummer. Or not “they.” Sean was just like, “There’s no drummers in Portland.” Which isn’t true. SH: Well, just among my friends, there were a lot of people who played guitar — actually, like everybody just played guitar, that was pretty much it! There wasn’t anything else. And then I met Murray. MM: We met that year, basically. We met in the summer. Then, you moved to Portland. We met on San Juan. 11: Oh, we should hear that story! Why were you both in San Juan? MM: I was living on San Juan just working on boats for a summer, and I got linked into all these Portland folks cause my my best friend then, and now, she lived in Portland. So I was like, “Yo, Fourth of July,” and she came up, brought a bunch of people, including Sean. And then I moved in with her in Portland the following year. JH: And that’s when I met Murray. SH: But even that night, that was the first time I met you and we were partying and stuff. We jammed that night — super fucked up — and I broke every one of Murray’s guitars. Literally, broke every single one trying to tune it fucked up. And he still wanted to play with me! JH: Sean’ll do that, but he’s a lovable guy. NP: I think I met Murray through Portland State. You were going there for a couple terms, and we were both in the honors college. JH: We were also neighbors, which we didn’t know about. NP: One time, I see him stalking outside of my house and I think he’s following me but no, he invites me in and we just have a big old jam. And they’re like, “You’re in the band!” JH: Noah picks up everything just like that! 11: So it’s the four of you, and sometimes Henry [WhittierFerguson]?

SH: We’ve been playing with Henry since the very beginning. He’s not on this album, but he plays with us all the time. He’s on the first album. JH: The first album, he plays horns. And live shows he’ll rap with us too. 11: Do you collab with any other artists locally, or jam with other bands? SH: Noah does! JH: We’re kinda hermits, but Noah gets around. NP: I have a side project right now called Brother Lucy, soon to be producing our first single, and the guy who’s producing it is named Alex Ochoa. His band is Muero, they’re really grungy. I play keys, organ, and synth. 11: Do any of you play other instruments outside Maxwell Cabana? JH: I play keyboard when I’m not playing with these guys. When I’m bored, I just make music by myself. They’re just keyboard drum beats, which is just fun for me. MM: And Sean’s a shredding guitar player. JH: Sean plays lead on half the tracks, and Murray plays lead [on the other half]. SH: For this album, me and Murray switched a lot. On our first album it was more like, “OK, Sean’s playing lead on this; Murray’s on this.” On this one, we did a lot of stuff where we both just did takes and we mixed them in together. MM: We have so many different styles song to song. JH: Sean’s a little more — it sounds more Hendrix-y, more sloppy, loose, jazzy, bluesy kinda scales. And Murray has more rock ‘n roll leads and chunky riffs. SH: While we were recording, we did some stuff where one of us would play guitar, and the other one would be messing with the pedals at the same time. Murray will play, and I’ll be messing with his dials and vice versa. JH: The process through the whole album was extremely loose. The whole house was empty for 3

WHITE EAGLE 836 N RUSSELL

MAY

“Left Of Center” Rhythym DeLucco | Dallas David Ochoa

TURN! TURN! TURN! 8 NE KILLINGSWORTH

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Eddie Hazel (Funkadelic) Bday Celebration w/Trujillo 10 Street Hassle | Veradas | High Spiral 11

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24 25 27 Grand Style Orchestra 28 Mordecai | Stephanie Mae | Rain Ezra 29

HAWTHORNE THEATRE 1507 SE 39TH

Mortiis | Mors Certa 5

6 7 8 10 12 14 18 20 22 23 Texas Hippie Coalition 24 The 69 Eyes | MXMS and The Nocturnal Affair | Die Robot 27 Roy Blair’s Cat Heaven USA Tour 28

VALENTINES

232 SW ANKENY

Karaoke with Atlas (Mondays) Flip Chuck | Whales Whaling | David Motocross David Devil’s Pie Hungry Clocks Ponte Vedra Signal Holloway | Fossa Club Tiny Tigers

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features MAY

ALADDIN THEATER 18 3017 SE MILWAUKIE 6 10 16 17 18 19 20 27 30

The Tannahill Weavers Al Stewart with The Empty Pockets | Marc Macisso Drag Race Superstars The Expendables | Pacific Roots Ex Hex | Feels Hillstomp | Eric Early (Blitzen Trapper) Woodstock 50th Anniversary Gungor | The Brilliance | Propaganda Hayes Carll | Ben Dickey HOLLYWOOD THEATRE 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.

4122 NE Sandy Blvd, 97212 503.493.1128 hollywoodtheatre.org

THE GOODFOOT 19 2845 SE STARK 3 4 6 10 11 13 17 18 20 24 25 27

Lost Ox (Tuesdays) Soul Stew w/ DJ Aquaman & Friends (Fridays) Andy Coe Band Sweet n’ Juicy | A Hot Mess | Laryssa Birdseye Jujuba | Nojeem Lasisi Kellen Asebroek (Fruition) Sol Seed | Dubbest DJ Anjali & The Incredible Kid present Tropitaal Galen Clark’s Outer Orbit ft. Sarah Clarke Dodgy Mountain Men | Cedar Teeth Scott Pemberton Band Rainbow Electric | The Campfire Boys LDW (Talking Heads) Get On Up w/ Takimba & DJ Saurcy

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Wake The Town Mantis | Biltmore Dive | Small Million Lunch | Vacant Stares | Major Hex

STAR THEATER 20 13 NW 6TH

THE LIQUOR STORE 21 3341 SE BELMONT

Ancient Pools | Shadowgraphs | Laura Palmers Death Parade

DANTE'S 22 350 W BURNSIDE

10 Sabrina Benaim | Clementine Von Radics 11 Shane Smith & The Saints | The Pine Box Boys | more

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days; all our roommates left. So we just set up a recording studio in the house and brewed some mushroom tea and just hung out for three days. It was very loose. People were coming up with ideas like, “If it sounds cool, it sounds cool!” A lot of it was messing with pedals. Our producer, Joey Cox, was just chillin’. 11: Tell me more about Joey Cox. JH: He set up the whole studio in our house. SH: And basically just hung out with us. JH: It’s 13 tracks. We recorded all 13 — drums, guitar, bass, and keyboard — the first day, and then the next days just painted on top of them and just, “You play a lead, and I’ll do this.” It was creative and fun. SH: Murray did the vocals in the bathroom. 11: People always say your voice sounds the best in the bathroom! Is there a story behind the name “Tone Baby”? I’m curious, particularly because of the album art, which features a baby — well, many babies. JH: We actually got a friend, Nick “Nancy” Nedeau. He did all the artwork for all the singles and the main art. He does a lot of merch for

us. He has the coolest style. I’m so excited. 11: Did the album art or the name come first? JH: Because of all the pedals and the stuff that we were doing, we were obsessed with getting the tone perfect. Then we just started being like, “Oh, we’re having a tone baby with five daddies.” SH: I think it started as someone just saying, “Tone, baby” and that became, “No, we’re having a Tone Baby.” JH: And we just stuck with it. MM: It just felt right. JH: The physical copies of all the art that he made, they’re like 10x10 and we have them hung up in our house. SH: He does a lot of comic strip-style little cartoons. He has literally a file cabinet at his house of hundreds and hundreds of little cartoons. 11: Maxwell Cabana — to me, it either sounds like some touristy little shack on an island, or it sounds like some big dude who wears neon and is just like, “Hey, I’m Maxwell Cabana! The party guy!” Who is Maxwell Cabana? JH: Murray picked the band name. So we were originally in a

features

Photo by Jacob Dysinger

Maxwell Cabana Tone Baby Self-released Tone Baby is reflective of the cadence that carries out an average day. It starts off like a morning no more stressful than any other, and the next several songs are easy listening, ideal for island getaways or hanging poolside. But make sure to keep your head above water, as each song builds a rhythm that’ll take you out of the present and into the hyper present — a place that is otherwise unreachable. A shade of maturity has coated Maxwell Cabana since their last album, Nothing Changed. Frontman McCulloch has developed his vocal tone, while Portland native Noah Puggarana and the Chicago born Higgins Brothers have solidified an

band called Sack Lunch with Henry. It was Henry, Sean, and I, and Murray was playing guitar because our original guitar player moved to Pennsylvania. So we started doing a couple shows called Sack Lunch with Murray, and then Murray was like, “Hey, I have this project in mind called Maxwell Cabana that I’ve always wanted to do, and you and Jamie are perfect. I love your vibe. I just wanna have this kind of R&B, psych- rock band.” MM: I didn’t really have any friends growing up that played music, so I had only ever really thought of like… “Okay, I play guitar and I sing, so I’ll just make music as — [Maxwell Cabana]” There’s not really a cool origin story behind it., I was just smoking weed with one of my best friends in high school at this fried chicken restaurant and was just like, “Maxwell Cabana!” overall togetherness that appears sharpened on the early track “Deep Connection.” Maxwell Cabana sings to us from the depths of the heart that house the most intimate capacity. A smooth instrumental break is placed nicely in the middle of their cerebral retreat. Coming out of the abyss, the lovesick “Overexposed” sets the tone for the second half of the album. Whether you’re daydreaming about a different job or getting lost in some digital media fantasy, we are all looped back to the present at some point. Just when you think Maxwell Cabana has elevated to higher levels through the magic of love, a sadness takes wheel of this melodic ride. The second-to-last track, “Fade,” turns the lights down and surrenders to the grief that romance has snuck by. Harmonized cries call for the end of agony that comes along with a lost lover. Finally, “Curtis” alleviates the heaviness from the prior tune and opens with a jovial beat that’s sure to dry all tears. With one final push through the ups and downs, the album wraps with a jam that reminds us of the normalcy of life cycle. » – Kayleigh O’Malley

DANTE'S

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Taco Tuesdays w/ DJ Lamar Leroy & Dev From Above Rad Habits w/ DJ Rap Class (Thursdays)

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BY MATTHEW WEATHERMAN PHOTOS BY MATHIEU LEWIS-ROLLAND

FEATURES As the frontman for the sweepingly cinematic rock band Typhoon, Kyle Morton has shared his stories of loss and suffering by performing to sold-out crowds all over the world. When he’s not at home with his lovely wife Danielle Sullivan and their poodle, Archie, he’s managing shows at one of Portland’s well-regarded venues, Mississippi Studios. As a solo performer, he has captured his sense of dread for the future in a post-apocalyptic album, What Will Destroy You. Morton has also recorded covers of popular artists ranging from Frank Ocean to Bob Dylan to John Prine to Bruce Springsteen, and has scored short film soundtracks for local director, Matthew Thomas Ross. Whether in his role as band leader for Typhoon, working production at Mississippi Studios or as an independent artist, Kyle is a champion of the local scene. His passion for supporting his friends and fellow local musicians cannot be overstated. When booking their 2018 North American Tour to support the release of Offerings, their newest, darkest album, Typhoon chose to bring along local bands Mimicking Birds, Sunbathe, Wild Ones, Matt Dorrien, Amenta Abioto, and The Fourth Wall in lieu of picking up acts along the way that might have had more regional draw.

Photo by Renée Lopez

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Part of his commitment to supporting the local scene comes from its support of him. Growing up in Salem, Oregon, Kyle played music with his friends in High School as The Mops. When they started a new band, it was with those same friends — one of whom was Tyler Ferrin, who would go on to become the first-ever intern at local record label, Tender Loving Empire. As Kyle describes it: “One evening in 2009, in a dark corner of Yur’s Bar & Grill in Northwest Portland, Tyler and I met a man with some strange ideas. In record label school, the first thing they teach you is to not sign the inactive 15-person orchestral-basement band. There’s a variety of practical and financial reasons for this. And yet, here was Jared Mees — one half of the husbandand-wife-operated record label, Tender Loving Empire — with a simple proposition: ‘If you make an album, we’ll release it.’” The resulting album was Typhoon’s 2010 release, Hunger and Thirst. On the final track of that album, the rest of the band pauses so that Kyle can share a song, “The Sickness Unto Death” without all the hubbub — no strings or horns, just a man and his guitar singing about vulnerability and morality while his friends quietly sing along.

Having been bitten by a lyme-carrying tick in his youth, Morton struggles with what he calls “a lifelong crescendo of health crises.” He has famously addressed these crises in his writing. Typhoon’s critically-acclaimed 2013 album, White Lighter, dug into a particular moment of being bit in the song “The Lake,” whereas “Common Sentiments” addresses the prolonged nature of a human relationship to hospitals and lingering sickness with the lyrics, “I have been patient for a long time now / I have been a patient for a long time now.” On Mother’s Day (5/12), Morton will be playing an intimate set at Holocene, dedicated to promoting awareness of Lyme Disease in the Northwest and a benefit show for volunteer-run non-profit Oregon Lyme Disease Network. ELEVEN: This upcoming show at Holocene is one of very few for you this year. What made you decide to do it? Kyle Morton: I had planned to take a break from shows for the rest of 2019, but changed my mind when asked to play a benefit for Oregon Lyme Disease Network. I had Lyme disease as a kid, it’s pretty well documented so I won’t go into detail, but for me a tick-bite was this small, accidental catalyst for what would become a lifelong crescendo of health crises. Although illness has its silver linings — the certainty of death is at least a form of certainty — I would never wish the experience on anyone. 11: You so often come out at the end of shows and engage with your fans. Is that an active choice that you’ve made? KM: For the first several years we were a band, we always talked to people after our shows because the only people at our shows were our friends. When complete strangers started showing up we just stayed in the habit. On tour, as exhausting as it can be to sit in a van for ten hours — load in, sound check, play a show, rinse, and repeat — there’s a feeling like, “When’s the next time I’m going to be in Minneapolis? I should probably meet some of these Minneapolans.” Our fans are generally lovely people. They’ve baked us pies, put all of us up for a night, and in some cases have become good friends. As a rule, always fraternize with the audience. 11: You’re no longer touring with a full dozen band members, but you still have two drum kits. How does that work? Can you all fit into one vehicle? KM: We’ve always travelled clown-car-style with everyone in a single vehicle. The only exception was one tour in 2011 that almost broke up the band. The sociological takeaway here is that solidarity beats creature comfort every time. 11: You spent a lot of last year out on the road. Any highlights from your North American Tour or European travels you’d care to share?

KM: A case of life imitating art, I’m afraid. I wrote an album about memory loss and now I can barely remember what happened from a year ago. Part of that is the nature of tour, every day is a repetition performed in new surroundings. Here are a few brief impressions: Riding around in a lobster boat in Deer Isle, Maine. Staying in a nineteenth century nunnery-turned-hotel in Montreal with a carpeted crypt in the basement. Playing one of our favorite shows for the fifteen people who managed to attend our Glasgow concert despite blizzard conditions. The Benihana at the Mall of America. Cedar Point amusement park in Ohio. Playing wall-ball across America with Typhoon fans (until one guy got seriously injured in Dallas,TX—a perilous sport, wall-ball. Thankfully he’s fine now). The couple that got engaged in John Cusack-style during our rainy outdoor set in Austin. Getting yelled at for being sexuallyrepressed Americans after wearing shorts into a nudes-only Swiss sauna. Touring with some of our favorite bands, like Mimicking Birds, Sunbathe, Wild Ones, Matt Dorrien, Amenta Abioto, The Fourth Wall. Memories! 11: The darker tones of the latest album have been remarked upon often, but revisiting it, the subtler, sweeter notes have really resonated with me. How did you end up naming a song “Chiaroscuro” and what does it mean? KM: “Chiaroscuro” is a lovely word for the use of light and dark in painting. In the song, we find our hero alone in a dark room, every now and then illuminated by the headlights of a

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Photo by Aaron Mills

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FEATURES

passing car. Incidentally, this is probably the closest I can came to a theory of my own mind. That is, a small beam of light shining into an abyss. Every once in a while, a thought emerges. 11: Typhoon has always used a multitude of instruments, but I think I heard a new one on that track. Is there a marimba or xylophone on that song? KM: Nothing gets by you, Matthew! What you’re hearing at the end of “Chiaroscuro” is the vibraphone setting of a Yamaha Clavinova — an early digital piano that has been in the Morton family since the 1990’s, when I was first bludgeoning my way through music lessons. It’s the perfect instrument for playing Bruce Hornsby (or Bon Iver’s ode to Hornsby, “Beth/Rest”) but not typically the kind of thing you hear on a Typhoon record. I use it primarily for writing, but in this instance, the fake vibes were really speaking to me. 11: Another one of the softer moments on the album is “Coverings”. Can you tell me a bit more about the writing process on that song. KM: When I started writing sketches for Offerings, I recorded a rough instrumental version of this song, dumped it in the band Dropbox, and kind of forgot about it. Shannon, who was living in Boston to study piano tuning at North Bennet Street School, dug it out of obscurity and recorded this beautiful vocal melody over it which we all promptly fell in love with. Up to that point, the song was firmly on the chopping block. 11: Your solo album What Will Destroy You is a favorite. Was that your first foray into production? Is it true you play all the instruments on that album? KM: It is true I played all the instruments on the record, though by no means did I do them all justice. I hadn’t touched a saxophone since the eighth grade, and it took me hours and hours to record what probably amounts to symphonic blasphemy. This was not my first foray into production, and it should be noted that Paul Laxer took the lead as engineer for the project. This record, as well as Book of Matches — a film project with Matthew Thomas Ross — prepared my attempt to record and produce Offerings on my own. 11: You have soundtracked quite a few of Matthew Thomas Ross’ short films. Any particular challenges that arise when making a soundtrack vs. an album? Any future soundtracks upcoming? KM: I’m currently working on the music for Matt’s new short film, West Winds. The film is beautiful and I hope I’m up to the task. I think scoring differs from songwriting, mainly in that one has to have a command over the filmic language of audiovisual cues; take the obvious example of string stabs in a horror scene, or muted piano to signal poignance. Music informs

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the experience of film in very elaborate and specific ways. For me, this has been the steepest learning curve. 11: You live in a lovely home with your wife and dog. I hear you are working on a recording studio there. How is that going? Any projects in the works? KM: I have been slowly building a studio in the basement of our home, however I recently decided it makes zero sense to pin my musical fate to my carpentry skills, the latter being almost non-existent. So, in the meantime I’ve set up a small recording space in the attic and have been chipping away at a collection of new songs and the aforementioned film score. 11: There are some songs that you guys have the ability to play live, like “Unusual,” but that don’t often make it into your live shows. KM: That one, as far as playing live, kind of became a victim of habit. We started touring for Offerings even before the record was out and performing 70 minutes of material no one has ever heard before is what some might call squandering the good will of your audience, even with as nice of fans as we have. We did play “Unusual” once in New York with moderate success. Some songs just don’t make the live cut. “Firewood,” “Body of Love”...

11: “100 Years”?

11: Are you playing bongo?!

KM: With the exception of the live album at Crystal Ballroom. It’s really fast. The careful listener can tell we’re a little nervous, as every song is 30 BPM faster than the studio version. In the end, I think I prefer “100 Years” at lightspeed. 11: That’s an incredible collection of music [Typhoon, Live at the Crystal Ballroom]. There is a bunch of stuff on it that doesn’t appear on any of the studio albums. There is “Caesar into Reed Road.” KM: That’s the only real recording of “Reed Road.”

KM: Nobody plays bongo. The bongo is implied. We’ve got Alex Fitch on drums and Max Stein on bass.

...this is probably “ the closest I can

came to a theory of my own mind. That is, a small beam of light shining into an abyss. Every once in a while, a thought emerges.

11: You’re doing this Portland show, and another in Seattle opening for Cataldo. The bassist for Danielle’s former band, Wild Ones, is going with you for this short-run of shows, as is one of the drummers for Typhoon. Tell me about this trio. KM: The Kyle Morton Bongo experience. Morty’s Bongo fury.

”

11: You’re playing guitar, mostly, or piano, too? KM: Just guitar and singing. Lean and mean. Alex and Max are so prodigiously talented that if there are any fuck-ups, chances are it’s me. They picked up the set after the first practice, so now we’re just having fun with it. 11: Any covers? KM: One cover. I don’t want to spill the beans.

11: Beans left unspilled. KM: I will say it is a Northwest artist. 11: Well, we won’t count our beans before they hatch. What are the chances that there will be a Danielle + Kyle collaboration in the future? KM: The chances are good. I won’t say more than that for fear of jinxing it. 11: See any good shows lately? KM: I caught Brown Calculus the other day for this design week show and they were incredible. 11: Any favorite pizza places around town? KM: I feel like it should be noted that I don’t actually eat that much pizza. For example, I’ve never been to Lovely’s 50/50 which everyone tells me is one of the best in town. That said, first place, tried and true: Apizza Scholls. Any of ‘em. Plus, the caesar salad with anchovies. Next, while not in city limits, Rack & Cloth in Mosier, OR. The pizza transcends geography. I’ve never seen the same menu twice. Following that, the places that are a problem for me due to close proximity to my house: Pizzeria Otto — Seasonal Mushroom and Brickhouse Pizza — The Combo. Finally, I feel like I have to mention the Clam Jam from Pizza Jerk, and I am partial to The Anchovy from Ken’s Artisan Pizza. 11: Finally, what is it about the banana that you find so repulsive? KM: The banana just happens to be a fruit that I don’t like on account of it tastes bad and smells bad. There’s nothing freudian about it. »

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MEET YOUR MAKER IPRC by Brandy Crowe Photos by Mathieu Lewis-Rolland

n this digital world, publishing industries are certainly facing challenges. In Portland, with our bookstores large and small, countless literary collectives, a thriving comic book culture, zines, weekly rags, and music mags (including yours truly), it is safe to say that print is not dead. 21 years ago was the beginning of Portland’s Independent Publishing Resource Center. Founded by Rebecca Gilbert of Stumptown Printers and Chloe Eudaly (bookstore owner and current City Commissioner), IPRC is a non-profit that is right to the point and was created as a space to assist all makers in the local literary arts, publishing, and print media communities.

The IPRC offers many of its services through accessible membership options ($10 or $25 per month, respectively). Basic memberships offer volunteer-led instruction with project design software in the digital lab, with access to equipment to cut, copy, and bind pages. Members can then graduate to a Studio Membership, gaining access to screen-printing equipment and the opportunity to indulge in more traditional artistic print methods, including a variety of tools and a myriad of fonts. Members can use the giant antique letterpress that a church donated to IPRC, or work with layers of ink using a risograph. There are also collage nights, workshops, and lectures. On top of that, all members receive 3 Make/Share classes: book binding, journal making, paper marbling, zine-making (members are able to explore the 8,000 plus collection of zines in the onsite Zine Library). As an alternative to more institutionalized education, the IPRC’s also provides an MFA style certificate program that focuses on poetry, prose, comics, and art books. “What we are really passionate about is having a space for creative writing,” says executive director Alley PezanoskiBrowne. “People will become members when they have a project in mind and need resources to bring it to life. IPRC is for publishing, it’s for visual media, it’s really about making your own voice and finishing your vision to a completed product. It’s been really exciting to see a number of people self publish.We see a lot of publications get made here and go into the community in a cool way,” When asked what the “independent” means to her in Independent Resource Center, Pezanoski-Browne says that it’s really the community that leads. Classes and workshops are led

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community meet your maker

by some of Portland’s most prominent writers, cartoonists, and publishers. Due to support from donations and other community organizations, more outreach is possible. This summer marks the first artists’ residency program at IPRC. While the world of print and modern publishing will change, the IPRC is still expanding and evolving into its next version. »

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LITERARY ARTS Hajara Quinn by Scott McHale

ne of the best things about the IPRC is the people who work there: professional artists with the knowledge and experience to help foster creative minds. One of those people is poet Hajara Quinn, who is the Program Director at the IPRC. She is also an editor with Octopus Books; her first book Coolth was published by Big Lucks Books in 2018. I caught up with Haji at the IPRC on a sunny Sunday afternoon to discuss her life as a poet, and her new collection of poems. ELEVEN: Can you tell me about yourself? How long have you been writing poetry? Haraja Quinn: I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t taken with the impulse to document. I also can’t remember a time when I wasn’t interested in the book as an object. I wrote stories from a young age, but I don’t think that it was until late middle school/early high school that I began to recognize my writing as more aligned with poetry than fiction. In high school, I encountered Virginia Woolf and realized that what I was looking for in a reading experience was more concentrated in her writing than anything I’d experienced up until that point. Her language cast a spell — as much as I cared about the characters, it was the language that the characters were cast in that kept me. It was around that time that I found myself pivoting somewhat intuitively to seeking out more poetry. 11: What is the genesis of this wonderful book of poetry? HQ: The poems were written between 2011 and 2017. I’d moved across the country in 2012 from Portland to Ithaca for an MFA at Cornell University, and while there, I had the opportunity to work in a sustained way on a thesis/ manuscript that would become Coolth. I’d been writing toward a manuscript in the years leading up to that time. I continued working on the manuscript in the years after graduating, but I don’t know that it would have materialized in that time frame without those two years in school. 11. You seem to have a lot of fun with language in this book, especially with the titular poem, Coolth. Do you enjoy coming up with new words to express an idea that had previously been limited by our language? HQ: Coolth is 100% a word! I don’t know if it’s in the OED but just last month it popped up on dictionary.com’s word of the day. I would say that it’s true that I am endlessly delighted by and impressed with the power of language — the possibility

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and wild elasticity of it. I feel in touch, being in awe of language when I encounter neologisms, or even words that feel like, but are not technically, new (like coolth or darkle) — or spoonerisms, puns, portmanteaus, or words that are changed or inflected to function as a different part of speech. But even seeing familiar words in new context has that ability to remind us of the latent electricity in the words that we use all day every day. 11: I picked up a musical quality to your poetry. Like you are using the instruments of language to create a scene, or relay a specific emotion. Can you talk about the musicality in your poetry? Do you think about rhythm in a formal way? HQ: Even though I don’t have as much experience writing in strict form — not a lot in the way of formal rhyme schemes or metrically formal poetry in this collection — I do love the music that lives in words, in overheard conversations, and found language. I love the rhythms that arise out of phrases or in idiomatic constructions. Alliteration, slant rhyme, the rhythm of particular strings of syntax — I do think that I’m attuned to those special effects. The way that the rhythm of how something is said can for sure contribute to the mood, or heighten an effect.

community

11: This month we are featuring the IPRC in the Meet Your Makers section. I read in your acknowledgements that the cover was inspired by a plate from the Letterpress Studio. Can you tell me about the process of making that cover image? HQ: The cover image was scanned from a print that Heather Lane had made for a Cinema Project flier. There’s a lot of texture from the paper in addition to the texture from the halftone letterpress cut that the impression was made from. To be clear, I didn’t make the impression, nor did I design what the cover became. I can say that one of the perks of being on staff at the IPRC is getting to see so much inspiring work in progress in the letterpress, risograph, and screenprinting studios on a daily basis. »

literary arts

CORN BELT One letdown follows on the heels of another—

me the serenity to accept the things I cannot

each pings me sharply, like pearls slipped gently

change, grant me the courage to change

off their strand and flushed individually

the things I can, and grant me the strength

down the toilet of the motel room in

to be less like an anchoress and more

Twin Falls, Idaho, where they were

like a field of corn, birthday-candling up

so regrettably left behind. Who am I indeed

into its rows— or like a tadpole, intuiting

to be making wishes off the top

what it must do in order to become. Either way,

of the dandelion’s tufted head? Dandelion, grant

pour me into the green lap of the corn belt.

CURATING THE BEST HANDMADE GOODS & LOCAL MUSIC FROM THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST AND BEYOND SINCE 2007

West End · Hawthorne NW 23rd · Portland Airport Bridgeport Village tenderlovingempire.com

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VISUAL ARTS AWAKE by Laurel Bonfiglio Photo by Mercy McNab

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community visual arts

ELEVEN: How did art come into your life? Did you receive formal training, or are you self-taught? AWAKE: My mother was always very crafty, sewing and crocheting constantly. She always had a project she was working on and taught me to do all of that. I got into skateboarding in middle school. I never got very good and didn’t love getting hurt but connected with the art, subscribing to multiple skate magazines. Mostly self taught, I took a few art classes in high school and dropped out after a year at a university. I took a couple entry level courses there.

and socially. I’ve always depicted facial features and hands in my work, but once I started rendering from life, things started to develop and become much more robust. They are all painted mostly in cafes and over conversation, so sometimes, depending on the person, there can be a lot of movement. It’s been incredible to feel the support of the people in Portland willing and excited to sit with me. It’s become one of the most important and impactful experiences of my life. 11: Can you tell us a little about your “hang tags” project? What inspired its inception? A: The hang tags. It sounds weird but I find — I kid you not — a lot of fortune cookie fortunes. Like dirty, stepped on, discarded fortunes. I find them in the wildest places, and sometimes the message on it is exactly what I’ve needed to hear at that particular time in my life. Like, little messages from the universe encouraging me and pointing me in the right direction. I just want more people to find that, so I make them. I’ve hung up and given away well over 3,000 at this point. All of them handwritten.

11: Are you originally from Portland or the PNW? How did you find yourself creating here? A: I’m not. Originally I’m from Utah. I’m in my fourth year living here and I love it. It’s my home now. During that second semester at college, I started posting my art online and started making friends who live here. I was hating school and thankfully realized I could drop out and spend my money pursuing art my own way and decided to to chase that. 11: Your style is eclectic, colorful and somewhat abstract – how did you develop your style and what inspires you? A: Thanks! Yeah I love colors and building color palettes. The style has been an evolution. Lots of experimentation, testing new mediums and trying out ideas. It’s always been very cathartic and motivated by self reflection. I paint most every day, and it’s become important for me to have a visual of my time. It also makes hours melt, which I really love too. 11: It seems that most of your focus is on portraits. When you see someone that inspires you, how does that process of interpreting their features make its way to paper? A: I’ve been painting portraits for just about a year and have done 133 of them so far. It’s been so rewarding both technically

11: Where can we find some of your most recent work? A: I don’t have any shows coming up that I can think of, but I’m always posting new work [on social media]. I’m sure I’ll have a few shows pop up, and I’ll post all that information there. I usually paint in public spaces, so if you ever see me, say hi! I’m friendly, just a little shy, and would be happy to meet you. » p.29 Rings, 2019 Paint pen and ink

See more on Instagram

@awake_pdx

p.30 Chris, 2019 Gouache, paint pen, and ink p.32 [Back Cover] Nikki, 2019 Gouache, paint pen, and ink

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