MUSIC, COMMUNITY, AND CULTURE IN PORTLAND
ISSUE 89 | OCT 2018
ELEVEN PDX MAGAZINE - VOLUME 8, ISSUE 5
COMPLIMENTARY
contents
ELEVEN PDX MAGAZINE VOLUME 8
THE USUAL 4 Letter from the Editor 4 Staff Credits
ISSUE NO. 5
FEATURES Local Feature 12 Mini Blinds
Cover Feature 16 NEW MUSIC
Ural Thomas & The Pain
5 Aural Fix Cut Worms Ulrika Spacek Jessie Reyez Nnamdi Ogbonnaya
COMMUNITY Meet Your Maker 24 Misplaced Screenprinting
8 Short List 8 Album Reviews Broncho The Dodos Connan Mockasin Kurt Vile
Literary Arts 26 Portland Book Festival
Visual Arts 28 Fay Woods Design's Brittany Oliver
LIVE MUSIC 10 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
HELLO PORTLAND!
EXECUTIVE STAFF EDITOR IN CHIEF Ryan Dornfeld (ryan@elevenpdx.com) CREATIVE DIRECTOR Dustin Mills (dustin@elevenpdx.com)
Dear readers, In September, the Portland music community lost a unicorn. Heather Hanson was a unique individual who always rode her own groovy, cosmic wave, and who was always a champion for local music. If you didn’t know her personally, you may have seen her concert photography (or portraits of musicians posing with her iconic yellow toy VW bus) around the web or in local print media, or at least likely attended a show where she was up front dancing or taking photos. In this month’s cover feature, Ural Thomas opines that the purpose of music is to help people get through the day. With a similar, unyielding passion for music let us all be good to one another and to ourselves, and help each other get through each day. Don’t hesitate to check in on those around you; we’re all in this together. Sincerely,
- Travis Leipzig, Managing Editor
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MANAGING EDITOR Travis Leipzig (travis@elevenpdx.com)
SECTION EDITORS LITERARY ARTS: Scott McHale, Morgan Nicholson VISUAL ARTS: Mercy McNab
GRAPHIC DESIGN Dustin Mills
ONLINE Mark Dilson, Kim Lawson, Michael Reiersgaard
GET INVOLVED getinvolved@elevenpdx.com www.elevenpdx.com twitter.com/elevenpdx facebook.com/elevenmagpdx
GENERAL INQUIRIES info@elevenpdx.com
ADVERTISING sales@elevenpdx.com
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Laurel Bonfiglio, Brandy Crowe, Liz Garcia, Eirinn Gragson, Christopher Klarer, Ellis Samsara, Eric Swanson, Matthew Sweeney, Charles Trowbridge, Henry Whittier-Ferguson
PHOTOGRAPHERS Mathieu Lewis-Rolland, Molly Macalpine, Mercy McNab, Katie Summer, Todd Walberg COVER PHOTO Mercy McNab
ELEVEN WEST MEDIA GROUP, LLC Ryan Dornfeld Dustin Mills
SPECIAL THANKS Our local business partners who make this project possible. Our friends, families, associates, lovers, creators and haters. And of course, our city!
new music aural fix
AURAL FIX
up and coming music from the national scene
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CUT WORMS OCTOBER 9 | DOUG FIR
If you see a picture of Max Clarke (aka Cut Worms) and feel disoriented or confused, don’t worry, you’re not alone. Clarke just has that “je ne sais quoi” quality. To best describe it; it's like when you’re watching a scary movie and a close up shot zooms in on an old photograph to reveal that the protagonist is really from the past, and not the present. In short, he is really from another time. Cut Worms perfectly captures modern day emotions with conviction from another generation. The stage name Cut Worms comes from a William Blake poem. Stylistically, Clarke jumps around from surf-rock to folk to country rock circa 1970. If you’re like me you were probably thrown off by the fact that Cut Worms is a New York-based project and feel the need for an explanation, look no further. The man behind Cut Worms is Midwestern raised. Yup. There’s that “Ah Ha” moment. The music video for “Cash For Gold” is like a snapshot of a day in the life of a serial people-watcher through a kaleidoscope. “Don’t Want to Say Good-bye” contains a perfect, semi-sweet amount of sentiment for all the nostalgic-for-atime-they-never-knew, romantics out there. The harmony in the track sounds akin to Blue Oyster Cult.
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ULRIKA SPACEK OCTOBER 10 | DOUG FIR
Ulrika Spacek are an experimental rock band based in London, England with an affable, low-key sound. The band, formed around 2014, has in the past followed something of a DIY-ethic, working on their 2016 debut The Album Paranoia and the 2017 follow-up Modern English Decoration in their house in East London. Since that second album, the quintet (Rhys Edwards on guitar/vocals, Rhys Williams on guitar, Callum Brown on drums, Joseph Stone on guitar/keys and Syd Kemp on bass) remains a relatively straightforward rock
Photo by Joyce Lee
Last year Cut Worms joined the roster of Jagjaguwar, alongside acts like Bon Iver, Jamila Woods, Foxygen, Unknown Mortal Orchestra and Angel Olsen. The release of his Alien Sunset EP followed shortly after, produced by label-mate and Foxygen member Jonathan Rado (who Billboard calls “one of indie rock’s most in-demand producers”). Earlier this year they released their debut full-length, Hollow Ground, also produced by Rado at his home studio in Woodland Hills. Cut Worms have played in support of notable acts such as Woods, Frightened Rabbit, The Lemon Twigs, Foxygen and more. If you missed them at Pickathon this summer, now is your chance for redemption as they take over the Doug Fir’s stage on October 9 along with Michael Rault and support from local favorites Charts. » - Liz Garcia
band with muscle, but they’ve introduced a world of more relaxing, krautrock-esque sound on their latest EP, Suggestive Listening. The EP has a comfy intimacy to it, reflective of the band’s origin in the close friendship between Edwards and Williams. On Suggestive Listening, Edwards’s half-mumbled vocals fit well with the plodding pulse of their music, like his voice is reaching you from under a pile of blankets or through memory’s thick fog. Even when harrassed by the neurasthenic troubles they describe in songs like “Black Mould,” Ulrika Spacek keep things relatively downtempo and calming. In a way, these are sleepwalking songs with an ambience not unlike those of half-forgotten ‘90s eclectic English popexperimentalists like Stereolab and Pram. Perhaps, however, the band would be quicker to name Pavement or Sonic Youth as influences; indeed, on their earlier efforts a bit more of fuzzy, snarling guitar came through, though there are but traces of that sensibility on the new EP. A song like “Lord Luck” seems to itself be the panacea to the worry and fatigue that it describes. Make what you will of the cheeky title and album artwork, made up to look like vintage documentation from the French association of amateur radio enthusiasts... I think of this collection as a good fix for a tension headache, or oddly ideal listening material for a rainy day. » - Matthew Sweeney
www.elevenpdx.com | ELEVEN PORTLAND | 5
new music aural fix
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JESSIE REYEZ OCTOBER 17 | HOLOCENE
Jessie Reyez is catching a buzz. Hot off of several features on Eminem’s latest album, the Canadian singer has been releasing singles off her upcoming album, Being Human in Public, the second album after 2017’s Kiddo, which introduced her as one of the the most unique voices in pop– all swagger and vocal sizzle–and somehow able to fit just as easily on heavy EDM and reggaeton beats (“Blue Ribbon”) as she is on the slow, driving guitar of a classic rock ballad (“Figures”). The style isn’t without substance either–Reyez occupies the hyper-sexualized space of pop stardom with an undeniably strong presence, spitting in the face of the patriarchal power structure on “Gatekeepers,” probably the most intense song on Kiddo. “20 Million dollars in the car/ Girl tie your hair up if you wanna be a star,” she sings. “30 Million people want a shot/How much would it take for you to spread those legs apart?” It’s uncomfortable to listen to, and that’s the point. Her words repeated, swelling in a crescendo of rage against the systemic dehumanization of the women who would be our idols. In a deft move of track order, the tension is broken by “Colombian King & Queen,” an answering machine recording of Reyez’s parents singing her “Cumpleańos Feliz,” with Reyez
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laughing audibly as she listens. It’s a touching moment and a reminder that often the best defense against the evils of the world are family, love and laughter. Her recent singles deal with similar themes–love, loss, heritage and rage. ”Dear Yessie,” the latest of the bunch, finds her repeating a mantra: “This is the realest I’ve ever been,” and for the sake of music, we should hope it’s true. » - Henry Whittier-Ferguson
new music aural fix
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NNAMDI OGBONNAYA OCTOBER 30 | MISSISSIPPI STUDIOS
Nnamdi Ogbonnaya is all over the map. The Chicagoan rapper/multi-instrumentalist draws styles and genres about him like a cloak, moving from one to the next with a flourish, on a whim. His supremely weird 2013 debut, Bootie Noir, introduced him as an incredibly technical rhymer with a penchant for hectic electronic beats in weird time signatures, an aesthetic developed through 2014’s FECKIN WEIRDO and honed to a fine point on last year’s DROOL. With layered, rhythmic vocals echoing the musical tradition of Ogbonnaya’s Nigerian heritage, flipped schizophrenically into something decidedly American, DROOL reads somewhere between love-letter and interior monologue, incredibly self-conscious, but at the same time confident in its unique voice. “Don’t need your shit/I’ve got blueprints for clothes/I’ll survive on my own,” he sings on “HWT // nO nEeD.” “I don’t need your lip/I’ve got drool of my own/I’ll get rid of it though.”
The album’s titular image signifies Ogbonnaya’s freeflowing approach to spitting rhymes, and lives wrapped up in desire, consumption, stupidity and the human condition in ways that are often surprisingly close to home. » - Henry Whittier-Ferguson
QUICK TRACKS A “NO DROOL” One of the more conventionally approachable tracks on DROOL Ogbonnaya s most focused project to date featuring a sampling of his various vocal styles packaged in an easy entrance point to the majority of his catalogue.
B “LOVE TO SEE” Ogbonnaya s most recent single takes his sound in a whole new direction, trading the frantic synths and strange raps for for heavy funk drums and guitar, with vocals reminiscent of George Clinton if he had a math rocker doing the arrangements.
www.elevenpdx.com | ELEVEN PORTLAND | 7
new music album reviews
ALBUM REVIEWS THIS MONTH’S BEST R REISSUE
L LOCAL RELEASE
Short List Small Million Young Fools
L
Atmosphere Mi Vida Local KT Tunstall Wax Cat Power Wanderer Echo & The Bunnymen The Stars, The Oceans & The Moon Tokyo Police Club TPC Matthew Dear Bunny
Broncho Bad Behavior Park The Van Records Wispy vocals that seethe an emotional sensitivity team up with simple punchy riffs and rhythm to color the pages of Broncho’s new full-length Bad Behavior. The dancy, smooth tracks jump out into fruition almost as fast as they jump out of the ether of groove, as the recognition that each song barely hits the three-minute mark leaves the listener grasping for
Cloud Nothings Last Building Burning
the songs stem just from Meric Long and Logan Kroeber.
Julia Holter Aviary
While some tracks on the album, like “Center Of,” feel very folk-
How To Dress Well The Anteroom
influenced, repping slow melodic acoustic guitar and smooth vocals,
Ty Segall Fudge Sandwich
other songs like “Ono Fashion,” “IF” and “Forum” feature a heavier influence,
Twenty One Pilots Trench Stream it
The energy incorporated on each track of Bad Behavior and the short film has the ability to tractor beam the earpiece into a foot-tapping catchiness and face-altering grin that is difficult to deny and immediately enjoyed. Definitely worth getting into. » - Ellis Samsara
cacophony of sound, it’s hard to believe
Empress Of Us
Buy it
more. The longest song on the new collection, “Get In My Car,” reaches a mere three minutes and thirty four seconds and still seems as if it were only a bright flash in the music sphere. The longing sentiment expressed with the lyrics, “Won’t you open my door get into my car” animates the need that comes with attraction and infatuation. A unique artistic offering has been brought forth from Bad Behavior in the form of a twelve-minute short film/rock opera/music video for tracks “Sandman” and “Boys Got to Go,” following an older gentleman through the depths of depravity and regret to the lighter side of life. This short film proves to be quite an enjoyable addition to an already fun and energetic album.
electronic elements and chaotic drum beats. Kroeber’s drumming is magnetic,
Toss it
utilizing stronger beats on the toms
The Dodos Certainty Waves Polyvinyl Records
and rimshots for a loud, clattering effect. While Long is known primarily for his acoustic guitar playing, there appears to be an electric emergence paired with discordant and heavy riffs.
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The Dodos, having started as an indie duo in 2005, have explored many acoustic realms and wild beats. This newest album Certainty Waves is no different. Starting with a splash, first track “Forum” shows remnants of the indie folk heyday of the mid-2000s, with a fresh drop of dissonance and color. With an Animal Collective-esque
Dreamy, catchy and wildly symphonic, Long and Kroeber have created a whirlwind of an album. An indie-rock must have, Certainty Waves debuts October 12, followed by a US tour kicking off in San Francisco and stopping in Portland at the Star Theater on October 26. » - Eirinn Gragson
new music album reviews
Connan Mockasin Jassbusters Mexican Summer Dreamy kiwi Connan Mockasin has always seemed a bit uncomfortable with the label “musician.” Despite releasing two critically acclaimed albums, Mockasin has always spoken candidly about his less-than-favorable views of the music industry, and his desire to explore more non-musical passions in the coming years. Therefore, the fact that Jassbusters isn’t a record that most
Kurt Vile Bottle It In Matador Records It’s been nearly three years since Kurt Vile released b’lieve i’m goin down… Despite the break, he’s managed to seem ubiquitous and relevant–partially due to the success of the album (as a single, “Pretty Pimpin’” is about all you could ever ask for), and partially due to popping up with a remarkable and understated collaboration with Courtney Barnett, Lotta Sea Lice, in 2017, to split the difference.
of his career-minded contemporaries would ever dream—or dare—of releasing, isn’t all that surprising. While technically album three, Jassbusters wasn’t conceived to be consumed as a standalone entity. It’s actually a musical companion to the five-part melodramatic film Bostyn ‘n Dobsyn—the story of high school music teacher Mr. Bostyn (played by Mockasin) and his band, the Jassbusters, of whom all the members are also high school music teachers. Recorded in just seven days with his touring band, every song on Jassbusters sounds as if it were completed in a single take. This fast and furious approach to the songwriting mirrors the overall slapdash aesthetic of the film (shot in just ten days the previous month), but one can’t help but wonder if the band would have benefitted from a few more days in the studio. Groovy and sultry opener “Charlotte’s Thong” gives listeners a good idea of what to expect from the eight-track effort. The almost nineminute song feels a bit like Steely Dan
scoring a late-night drive to Roswell, New Mexico. More atmospheric jam than fully fleshed out song (a trend throughout the album), by the end of this first cut you’ll have a pretty good idea if you still want to enroll in Mr. Bostyn’s class. There’s a definite thread of continuity between Jassbusters and Mockasin’s previous works, but the lack of studio trickery means that the syrupy and ethereal sounds of yesteryear have been replaced with virtuoso guitar chops and one-take vocals. Clearly Mockasin has great chemistry with his new band, but given the number of repetitive songs on the album it seems as if the rushed recording approach was more creatively handcuffing rather than liberating. Like Purple Rain or Pink Floyd–The Wall, you can’t separate Jassbusters from its companion film. There’s a lot to like for established fans, but newcomers might be better served visiting Mockasin’s earlier discography first. » - Eric Swanson
Vile, markedly, pursues projects with people and sounds that adhere to a clear, sonic ethos. Uncompromising instrumental lushness and a patient, lilting singing style give the impression that he could be just as at home on a porch as a stage. With October’s Bottle It In, Vile packages up a veteran’s bag of licks and lyrics and trains a longtoothed eyeball on the world. Bottle It In isn’t so much a statement as it is an assessment. Vile’s long been known for his ability to wrangle tones from a guitar that are distinctly his, and the album finds him moving deftly between acoustic plucking–like on the title track–or the fuzzy (but subtly clean) “Check Baby.” On each track, you can feel him taking stock of his myriad musical capabilities, picking up tones, sliding them across his fingertips and moving on to the next. It’s methodical but unlabored. The album is anchored by the lead single, “Bassackwards,” an opus of feedback clocking in at nearly ten minutes. The background of the song is the feedback from a reverbed guitar recorded and played in reverse, and it
follows a repetitive lyrical structure, during which Vile ruminates on the backwards nature of the world through self-contained anecdotes. It’s not a condemnation; rather, it’s gently directed conversation–like driving at night, with the world contained between beaming headlights, and wondering why everything outside the fringed shadows gets so convoluted and complicated. Bottle It In is musically eloquent. That is not to say indulgent, but at times Vile lets the music sprawl like a Western landscape–riffs gust through, and pointed interjections sprinkle spare surroundings. At others, he cinches it up tight, deftly directing and reining in. It never feels like he’s run out of things to say. In fact, it feels as if he could pick up mid-sentence and you’d cling to each syllable, bearing the broken pauses and settling into the space. Vile envelops. He dictates tone, pace and sentiment. Bottle It In makes a case for being the most complete work, intellectually and musically, by an artist already known for over-delivering. » - Charles Trowbridge
www.elevenpdx.com | ELEVEN PORTLAND | 9
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Want to have your show listed? E-mail listings@elevenpdx.com
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The Beths | Mere Mention | Olivia Awbrey Van William | Allie Crow Buckley The Weeks | H.A.R.D. Hyukoh | Inner Wave Idles | Bambara Elliott Brood | The Royal Oui Dream Wife | Russo | Dirty Princess Sons Of Kemet | Omari Jazz Cut Worms | Michael Rault | Charts Ulrika Spacek | Mint Field Tennis | Matt Costa Shame | Goon Wayne " The Train" Hancock | Dale Watson Israel Nash | Kyle Emerson Agent Orange | UK Subs | Guttermouth Good Old War | Beta Radio | Danny Black The Twilight Sad 18-19 Hillstomp | Cedar Teeth (18th) McDougall (19th) 20 Saintseneca | Trace Mountains 21 Gruff Rhys 23 Four Fists | Shiftee | Angel Davanport 24 Joshua Hedley | Kelsey Waldon 25-26 The Joy Formidable | Tancred 27 Great Lake Swimmers | Joshua Hyslop 29 The Sadies 30 Peach Pit | Sun Seeker | Ponytails 31 Tall Heights | Old Sea Brigade | Frances Cone
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Siren & The Sea | Rebekah Garibay | Weezy Ford Holiday Friends | Plastic Picnic A Place To Bury Strangers | Kraus Adult. | Plack Blague Future Generations Duckwrth Chanti Darling | Bells Atlas | Club Tropicana DJs Transgenre w/Nick Jaina & Anna Tivel The Score | The Orphan | The Poet | Birthday Jessie Ryez Tove Styrke | AU/RA Yoke Lore SG Lewis Banners | The Brummies The Magic Numbers Boy Azooga Surfer Rosie | Shannon Entropy | Mira Death | Anothernight
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Giants In The Trees | Lenore. Kyle Morton | Kasey Anderson | Casey Neill | Jared Mees Saint Sister | Sammy Brue Shellac | Bluke & Gase Screaming Females | Kitten Forever | Piss Test Dead Sara | Welles Glorietta Anna Von Hausswolff | John Haughm (solo) Natasha Kmeto | Small Million | Siren & The Sea The Deer | Lynx & The Servants Of Song Mystic Braves | The Creation Factory | The Upsidedown Old Time Relijun | Oh Rose Michael Nau & The Mighty Thread | Erin Rae Esmé Patterson | Laura Palmer's Death Parade Richard Reed Parry's Quiet River Mercury Rev | Marissa Nadler Kuinka | The Ballroom Thieves | Brooke Annibale The Weather Station | Jennifer Castle Ian Sweet | Young Jesus Active Bird Community | Shannen Moser Lindsay Lou Y La Bamba fea/Resonate Choir | Marinero Dirty Revival | Mbrascatu Welshly Arms | The Glorious Sons | Charming Liars Parker Millsap Exploded View | Lost Under Heaven Nnamdi Ogbonnaya| Sen Morimoto CT-X w/Lina Tullgren | Wax Chattels | Drahla
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features OCTOBER KELLY'S OLYMPIAN
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The Thesis The Wild Jumps | Gnarsh Mellow | Radion Death Hags Fells Acres | Gabby Holt | Val Bauer Art Music Vol. 2 fea/Randall Wyatt | Kev Whisper Hiss | When Particles Collide | Veradas GLMG Presents: NW Selects Sea Caves | Cascades | Peaceful Valley Decker. | Louder Oceans | Leo London | Stargasm Caleb & The Monsters | Nice Legs | Jordan Hull
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DK Stewart Quartet Rides Again Cary Miga Quartet Kyle Watson Amtrac 90s Dance Party Oliver Nelson Karen Maria Capo Weiss Sugaray Rayford Galen Clarke & Dan Balmer Dusky Her - Under Her Spell DJ Anjali & The Incredible Kid
Photo by Molly Macalpine
LOCAL FEATURE Mini Blinds
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he members of Mini Blinds are charming, to say the least. An introduction to band founders Beth Ann Dear REVOLUTION HALL and Devin Welch was followed with 1300 SE STARK smiles and pleasant conversation. The She Wants Revenge | Soft Kill | Tessa Rae dream-team pop duo now become fourTy Segall & White Fence | The Lavender Flu piece “double-couple double-trouble” Lindsey Buckingham | J.S. Ondara Los Straitjackets | PI Power Trio band are just as genuine and honest as Pat Metheny | Antonio Sanchez | Linda May Han Oh their latest EP, Dust. Sabrina Claudio Growing up listening to shoegaze, Brian Fallon | Craig Finn Call Your Girlfriend pop punk and ‘60s /‘70s punk and psych Hoobastank rock, Dear and Welch are well versed in Wild Nothing | Men I Trust the language of music. Having played for Digable Planets much of their lives, the two met in 2011 TOFFEE CLUB and started playing in bands locally. 1006 SE HAWTHORNE After leaving their first band together, ALBERTA STREET PUB Appendixes, they went out into the scene 1036 NE ALBERTA as Mini Blinds and founded local vintage/ Local Roots Live Series consignment shop (and record label) Zero Ron Rogers & The Walking Wind Julie & The WaVes Wave on north Killingsworth. The James Low Irregulars Graye Guidotti and Maxwell William Wallace joined the band in 2016, adding a J. Moses & The Ragged Sunday fresh new dynamic and turning the THE SECRET SOCIETY minimalist ‘60s dream pop vibe up a 116 NE RUSSELL notch to something fuller with a new Honky Tonk (Tuesdays) range of feeling. Guidotti crushes it on Zydeco (Wednesdays) Swing (Thursdays) keys, adding ethereal backing vocals Pacific Latitudes | One Zero Street and sometimes stepping in on bass or The Blue Cranes | Subtle Degrees guitar, and William adds a range of fills Derek Sheen | Marcus Colman | Kayla Ruth The Resolectics | Kendall Core | Anna Hoone and crashes that no drum machine could
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match. Guidotti is also a notable karaoke wizard and a kickass KJ queen. They are seriously a phenomenal bunch, inspired by a David Lynchian darkness, brought into light by ‘90s poppunk and hardcore, the team behind the scenes is just what you’d hope for them to be. ELEVEN: Tell me how you got started? Beth Ann Dear: It started just the two of us, I’d say like late 2015? Devin Welch: Our first show was November 2015. We didn’t even have a name yet. BD: We were in a band called Appendixes before this, together, and we got asked to play a show and Appendixes couldn’t do it so we formed our own band to do it. DW: We’d already been writing some stuff that wasn’t in the vein of the other band. 11: What kind of music was it? BD: It was somewhat similar, I feel like what Mini Blinds is doing is slightly more minimal and more pop-influenced and less shoegaze I feel.
DW: Yeah, Appendixes was slow and doomy and a little big dark. There were definitely some pop moments. But originally, Mini Blinds was more twee and sort of lo-fi. BD: Even pop punk influenced. 11: I’m sure adding two more members has changed the feel of it, no? BD: It feels a lot fuller. DW: We were previously doing this stuff with old drum machines, and one of the drum machines I have you can actually program, but the ones we use the most are totally preset-based, so really aside from just adding some delays, the rhythms just are what they are. Maybe you have a shift on the chorus or whatever, but they’re generally pretty metronomic. That kind of informs the feel. BD: It doesn’t give any room for building up, as much. It’s harder to have that feeling of a climax and a fall when you have something that’s constant, you know? It’s really a more minimal thing, like a ‘60s rock beat where it’s pretty steady the whole way. But something happened with psych rock in the late ‘60s, early ‘70s where things started to become more dynamic. Where there could be rises and falls in one song.
DW: I think we probably listen to a lot of similar stuff now, but when we were younger... BD: When we were teens–this’ll be a reference to the age difference that we have–when I was a teenager I was listening to like Green Day and Blink 182, and later teens I was really into Modest Mouse, Bright Eyes. DW: In my early teens… well, the point where I started listening to music that made me want to play music was probably more like 6th or 7th grade, and for me that was like Nirvana and Sonic Youth. And obviously in the ‘90s–pop punk, hardcore, early emo and underground northwest music. K Records, Sub Pop. BD: Definitely that more what we’re influenced by now, we’re just influenced by our friends and what’s happening. I’m also influenced by some older ‘60s stuff too. And weird kind of shoegaze stuff of the ‘90s. Mazzy Star is a big influence, always has been. I want to start delving into the slide guitar aspect. 11: So Beth, you play guitar, Devin you play bass–but you also switch sometimes, right?
11: What kind of music were you listening to growing up? And what influenced the kind of music you’re making now?
BD: We do! We switch, and now that Graye’s in the band, sometimes she plays guitar or bass and we both play guitar, or they both play guitar and I play bass. Which is kind of amazing. DW: It makes it sometimes tricky live. We just organize the sets according to it.
DW: We have a little bit of an age difference. BD: Yeah, we do – but not that much!
11: I think that’s great, I love when bands can do that, it adds this whole other dynamic level to the performance!
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DW: Well, it’s nice to feel like everyone gets to challenge themselves and they’re not pigeon-holed into one certain role. Although ultimately, you’re (Beth) still the lead singer all the time. BD: And Max is always the drummer. He’s good at drums! 11: Are you two from Portland? BD: I grew up in eastern Oregon, I went to high school in eastern Washington, in Richland which is TriCity, like southeastern Washington. DW: The atomic city. BD: The atomic city, by the nuclear Hanford site where they buried all the rockets and stuff after World War II! I’ve heard that the Simpsons three-eyed fish is based off of that location, because there were three-eyed fish apparently! I guess they treat the water for it but… 11: Well, I’m glad that you don’t have three eyes! Where are you from, Devin? DW: I’m also from Washington, I was born in Seattle and grew up in Kirkland, which is a suburb of Seattle. And then I lived in Seattle for over 10 years and then moved here in 2011. And then, maybe about a year or so after I moved here, started playing in a band with Beth and Eric Sabatino, Appendixes. BD: I moved here in 2005. I went to college here, I studied abroad in Germany for a year, but since then I’ve been living here.
11: What school did you go to? BD: I went to PSU. 11: What were you studying? BD: I studied sociology. Actually, when I was in college I took this class that was called Youth Subcultures and wasn’t playing music at the time– I’d always played guitar and piano, but I wasn’t actually writing music–but I took this class, and I had a bunch of friends who were in bands from the Tri-Cities, where I grew up, and they were all living here playing music in punk bands, playing house shows around 2008. So, I started writing my research project on the DIY subculture and that’s what got me into playing music and got me to know everyone I know now, and lead me to know Eric, who I started playing in a band with. I kind of want to go back and read that paper! 11: Where are Graye and Max from? BD: Graye is from Corvallis. Max is from here. We had a drummer before Max named Hannah, and then she left. Then we played with Kyle Roboquiso, he was my roommate. He was a fill in, and then Graye showed interest and Max started playing with us and Graye was like, “I can play too.” DW: We were actually talking with Graye first about joining the band, but then Max is her partner and we needed a drummer, so he jumped in.
BD: Yeah, so it’s a double-couple double-trouble band! 11: I don’t think I’ve ever known of a band that was a double-couple, that’s amazing. BD: There was a double-couple in Fleetwood Mac! DW: Well, they were rotating.
Bandcamp because I was going to use the name for my solo project and then at our first show, we did a pass the hat and people could put in submissions for our band name. And then all the submissions we got were really bad. BD: Almost all of them were about cats or vaginas! Which is fine, we love both of those things, but I don’t want to have either of those things in our
11: I hate to ask, but where does the name Mini Blinds come from? Is that a style of blinds? DW: Yeah, they’re the style in studio apartments. BD: Those white vinyl ones. You know when people have photographs of cats getting stuck in blinds, those kinds of blinds! We have mini blinds in our apartment, which is actually really exciting. DW: The reason for Mini Blinds, I already had the name, I reserved the
name! DW: But yeah, the thing about mini blinds, I think the attraction was in old noir movies, you get people peering through blinds and stuff, and in the ‘80s there were a lot of photo shoots and album covers where there’s light filtering through the blinds and you see the shadows across the face. Something voyeuristic, mysterious. » - Eirinn Gragson
The 4 track, 14 minute long EP is a conversation between Dear and the instrumentation. Perhaps one of the best things about Mini Blinds is how their songs don’t revolve around vocals and lyrics alone, they give each component of a track a moment in the spotlight. Take the mid-track guitar solo on “Let It Fade,” for example. Melodramatic “Ashes” closes out the EP. Definitely the most
L Mini Blinds
Dust Zero Wave Records
percussion-intricate track on the record, every second of the song has a satisfying and haunting element to it. Dear’s vocals reach
The title track starts the EP off with a dark synthy pulse that is soon joined by a slightly sunnier guitar riff and Beth Ann Dear’s vocals. The track builds up from an ominous flat line to a full breath of life at around the 1:45 minute mark. Subdued by the soundwaves of the guitar melody again, Dear’s vocals resurface for a gasp of air towards the end of the track, leading perfectly into the drone-y guitar hook on the next track, “Rude Life.”
an eerie, childlike tone which only emphasizes and intensifies the ritualistic rhythm. The end of the track is sugar coated with a cryptic fingerpicking solo. Following 2016 debut Air Signs, the addition of keyboardist/backup vocalist Graye Guidotti and drummer Maxwell William extends the band's overall sound. It's something more like early Yeah Yeah Yeahs, only with a dreamier gleam to it, which will please new and old fans alike. »
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- Eric Swanson
www.elevenpdx.com | ELEVEN PORTLAND | 15
ral Thomas has performed alongside some of the greatest soul singers in
ELEVEN: This is a cozy little place, how long have you been in this house?
the golden era of rhythm and blues. Back then, he laid the foundation for
Ural Thomas: I’ve been here in this house since about '82.
a promising career, playing dozens
But before that, I've been on this lot since '62. The old house
of shows with the greats at Harlem’s
burnt down and the city knocked it down while I was up in
Apollo Theater and cutting some
Seattle working. They didn’t think I was coming back, but I
fantastic 45’s that still stand the test of time today. But
came back.
before he could fully realize his own potential, Portland's “Pillar of Soul” walked away from the business, coming back
11: Looks like you did a lot of this work yourself.
to his family in North Portland. Limelight or not, music is in Ural’s bones, so naturally he’s
UT: Yeah, a lot of this stuff I pulled out of the river years
been hosting revolving jam sessions for decades since he left
ago. There used to be a lumber mill right down at the bottom
the business. A few years back, with some gentle poking and
of Mississippi Avenue there. The concrete place was right
prodding from drummer Scott Magee–AKA DJ Cooky Parker,
next door. But now things are scattered all over. It's not as
one of Portland’s preeminent crate diggers and purveyors of
easy. I used to walk down there and get four or five ten-foot
obscure soul jams–Ural decided to put together a proper band
two-by-fours at a time and walk up the hill with them.
and start getting back to it in a serious way. In the beginning, his new band, Ural Thomas & The Pain, mined gems for live shows from Magee’s collection of B-Sides as well as Ural’s
11: What’s it been like seeing the city change over all these years?
own back-catalog. Since then, they’ve come into their own, collaborating on a wealth of new material, some of which
UT: I was born in Louisiana in a little-bitty town, but I’ve
will appear on what is the crooner’s first proper full-length
been in Portland since I was four years old, so I've been here
album, The Right Time, out September 28 on Portland’s own
for it all. It has its good and its bad. I've never complained
Tender Loving Empire.
because change just happens, there’s nothing I can do about
ELEVEN sat down with Ural in his house’s hand-built
it. This area used to be a warzone. It was infested with drugs,
practice space off of Mississippi Avenue to get the latest from
and there were just a lot of young kids with nothing better
Portland’s most celebrated soul man.
to do. We got so many people here now though, it's just
16 | ELEVEN PORTLAND | www.elevenpdx.com
Photo by Mercy McNab
www.elevenpdx.com | ELEVEN PORTLAND | 17
features
Photo by Jodane Christoffersen/Treefort Music Fest
overwhelming. You see the traffic now? You got people on
11: Fast-forwarding to now, tell me about The Right Time.
bicycles and all those scooters. People love to cluster together. They feel better when there's a whole bunch of them and they
UT: Everybody has something to say, so the name, The
can just bump into each other. I guess it's kind of magical to
Right Time, is trying to express that this is the only time to say
know that you're not alone in the world, you know? It’s like at
it. Tomorrow isn't promised to any of us. We're not kids. But at
the beginning of a gig, when there's maybe only two or three
the same time, we're all kinda kids inside, I guess. “The Right
people there. Somebody might come in and be like, "Ain't
Time” is all about saying, “Hey, if you got something to say, you
nobody here!" They leave cause they want to be where the
better say it. If you're going to do it, you better do it, man. You
people are, but then when they come back they can't get in!
got support, you got love, you got a shot at the world, and you know the world is in need right now.” Everybody has a part to
11: How far back does your interest in music go? Do you come from a musical family?
play. I think we've all been given a part, and I think, the guys that I'm with now, we were put together for a reason. They've all put in extensive time to get where they are in their minds
UT: Yeah, I've been in it forever; I was born into it. My mom played guitar in the church choir. I'd be sitting under
and in their music. Playing together is a real blessing for all of us; we all really care about each other a lot.
the bench listening while she played. I've always loved music, and I've always loved people. From the beginning, it's always been that I already had the two most important things for me
11: Is it pretty exciting to be releasing your first proper full-length after all these years?
in this life. The purpose of music is to help people get through the day. You know? I’ve had people walk up after a gig and say,
UT: Oh sure, but we’ve got a lot of original material that
"I feel so much better, Ural. I didn't even know I was going to
isn't on this or any other album, so we got a lot in the can for
enjoy the show tonight, but I feel great.”
later. By the time we get this album out, if it works, fine, if it
18 | ELEVEN PORTLAND | www.elevenpdx.com
features don't, that’s fine too because we've got something else for you.
them to the table. That's what the first show we played was
We’re moving. Nobody's really worried about trying to get rich,
supposed to be about. He always wanted to do some of that live
we're just trying to share with everybody what we've shared
stuff with what he was finding in those records. He's younger,
with each other. You know what I mean? It’s the right time,
so he missed a lot of the real thing from the musicians and
man: Hey, let's dance! The right time: come on, sing with us.
records he loved. He was saying, "Man, I wish I could have been
The right time: bring your kids! I've always loved the mixture
a part of that." So Eric told him about me, because I was doing
of parents and kids out there together. We were always taught
the same thing: taking my ideals from old music.
it takes more than just mom and dad to raise the kids. You
You know, I've played for audiences where there were
learn from your friends, you learn from other parents, you
maybe about 10 people, but we played like it was 10,000. And
learn from experience. You even learn from getting knocked
when we had 10,000 people, we played like it was 20,000. We
down. You learn how to get back up–or maybe just stay on
always put our best foot forward. Sure, you can't get blood
down and just do it from the bottom.
from a turnip, but we still try to give it as much as we can to make it good for the people and good for us too.
11: How'd you get hooked up with The Pain? 11: How do you keep that fire going that allows you to UT: Eric Isaacson from Mississippi Records found some
perform the same, no matter what?
old 45’s I’d forgotten about that I did when I was younger and bringing up the kids. We made this record called Smile
UT: When the guys first met me, they said, "Man, we've
back then. He found a copy of it–I don't know where, I didn't
been playing these songs over and over again, Ural, and
even have a copy of it. I just gave mine to my kids. Anyway,
we haven't done anything," and I said, "That's because you
he connected me with Scottie Magee. Scottie’s a DJ, goes by
didn't really put yourself into it." Once you learn the song,
Cooky Parker. He picks up a lot of old 45's for his DJ nights.
you can sing it identically, but there's always got to be some
The A-Sides were supposed to have all the hits, but he found a
inspiration that's still there to make it real, and that's up to
bunch of B-Sides that should have been the hits, so he brings
you. I can't make you feel it unless you want to feel it. With
making waves at Portland State since 1994
KPSU
Portland’s College Radio broadcasting 24/7 at kpsu.org
www.elevenpdx.com | ELEVEN PORTLAND | 19
features me, every time I hit the stage it's like the first time. That's
UT: I really do.That's real. My momma told me, whatever
how I keep myself going. I try to do it like we just finished
you do, be sure you don't lie to yourself. If you lie to yourself
rehearsing all these songs last week. Maybe we've been on the
you can never be real with no one. You can fake, but you can't
road for a long time, but I tell them, "Hey, this is our first night
fool yourself in the end. If you be real to yourself you can't
guys!”
miss.
You know how music is: it's magical! You never give the same performance. Even when you’re playing that same old song on stage and you've got charts sitting right in front of you, there's something special that's going to come out ‘cause every audience is different. And, man, you just can't get lazy. You gotta keep that groove and that drive and the interest. You can't let the music get old inside of you. Some nights I’ve maybe played five or six gigs at five or six different places, and use the same set. Before the night's over, there's two or three songs you'll change because of the audience. If you've got an audience that kinda wants to just sit and listen, you know, check it out, you gotta give them something interesting. A lot of folks don't like to dance, they come to get their minds filled, so we try to do that. You can tell if you're paying attention to your audience. But I always tell 'em to get up and dance either way. Even if you got your mind full, get your body full! Enjoy the whole thing, you know?
11: What's been inspiring you recently when you write new songs? UT: Some of the stuff we're doing is revamped from my earlier years, but most of it is supposed to bring happiness. I try not to talk too much about that "she did me wrong" stuff. When I was younger that's the kind of song I would write because you could fall on the floor and make the girls cry, you know? Now I try to focus on the lyrics instead of all that “scooby dooby wop, my baby is this or that, wham bam mam, I don't give a damn.” I try to make it more like, "I lost my love, sure would be nice to have her back." It makes more sense than trying to sound so hip just so somebody wants to buy the record. I like to make it all make sense. Also, if I was to say something about a love affair or heart break I would try to make it not so she's just at fault or I'm just at fault. I try to
11: You seem like you're still so young at heart. You’ve got a lot of passion for what you do.
20 | ELEVEN PORTLAND | www.elevenpdx.com
make it show that there's a two-way street. Even when I sing a happy song, it takes two people to really have a good time. One
features can think about it, but two can do it, you know? I always try to make it all universal. I try to make it so the woman is just as much a part of my life as I am a part of hers. And if it's about my friend, and how he's having some problems, I want him to know I'm with him. He don't have no problems all by himself. If you've got a problem, come on and I'll help you. Most music that’s really touching, it involves all people. I don't care where you're from. You may be from Spain or from Maine, but everyone falls in love. I don't care where you are, you'll find someone you're very compatible with and sometimes you might find someone who you're just attracted to momentarily. We can all relate to this stuff. Life is what we make it, no matter how it goes. 11: What’s your favorite part of playing live? UT: The live shows are just so touching. Each crowd is different. It's like painting a picture. You can have all these plans and think, “This is gonna be perfect! We're gonna kill!" Then, you get out there and someone yells "Get off the stage!" You never know what’s going to happen. There was a time back when I was staying with my manager in Cincinnati. He had connections; he was James Brown's road manager. He hooked me up with this gig in Covington, Kentucky. They hired me because of what they had heard about me. I went down there and it was a big club, probably held 500 people. When I walked in, the band was glad to see me, but I swear some of those people had never seen a black man before. The band was all country western players. I told em, "That's cool. Don't make no difference. I can sing country, I can sing rock 'n' roll, I can sing rhythm and blues, I can sing gospel, and I can make you enjoy it!" But when the boss, the guy who owned the place, came in the room and saw me up there, he said, "God dammit! I don't know he was a n*****! Get him out of here!" So, I grabbed the microphone and I said, "Yeah! Get that n***** out of here!" Everybody just screamed and they picked up the guy and passed him over the top of the crowd in rhythm. You know, like, “Huh, huh, huh!” They took him all the way to the back door, pushed him out and closed it. It was so wonderful though, because the next day he came up to my hotel room and he said, "God damn, you're the craziest mother fucker I know. I've never seen anything like that." He says, "Where you really from?" I said, "Hey I'm just here man, I'm from everywhere." He said, "Well let me tell you, the next time you come through here you're staying at my house." We became friends actually because I wouldn't let it be any other way. I saw he had a problem he didn't even know about. I tell people that if you have prejudice, that's your loss. You come with all that to me, I’m not gonna have it. I'm going to be myself, and I'm going to let you be yourself, and hopefully we’re going to be alright. »
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features national scene
www.elevenpdx.com | ELEVEN PORTLAND | 23
community meet your maker admits he was a bored bartender looking to change things up. When a mutual friend was selling an old press, the two were able to start a venture together. Playing in local bands themselves (The We Shared Milk, Charts), they knew that musicians make most of their money from the merch table. They got started with some Charts T-shirts and Sallie Ford Posters. “I kind of feel like we fell into it for the most part, and people kept coming back to us, and so we kind of had to keep doing it. And we love it. I wouldn’t have thought back then that we would be actually legitimate business owners with rent, and bills, insurance and clients.” says Clyde. Last year, they moved from their bodega style “Happy Market” shop in Southeast to a location in Slabtown, a place of bro-hugs and banter where you can find wearable art from lots of artists like Charles Ben Russell or Ursula Barton. And yes, you can share your own design for the Photos by Mathieu Lewis-Rolland
MEET YOUR MAKER Misplaced Screenprinting
Misplaced boys to press into soft cotton. Or just pick a mystery shirt packaged in a chinese takeout container (I snagged a sweet Shivas band tee with a Jodie Beechem design). They alos provide shipping in a pizza box because it's funny to get a pizza box in the mail with a shirt inside. A big part of the fun is the live printing with a mobile studio, where they’ve helped people make their own shirts at events in collaboration with Tender Loving Empire, Treefort Fest and Lose Yr Mind. They also use it
I
to teach youth how to make their own merchandise for f you follow Portland’s local music scene at
workshops with WomenCrush Music and Friends of Noise.
all, chances are you’ve seen the work of the
Expect to see them set up at an end-of-year concert series
Misplaced boys, Henry Gibson and Andrew Clyde. The two have
become a go-to duo to print an array of merchandise for Portland’s bands and businesses; creating posters, shirts, hoodies, stickers, magnets, onesies, and well, noting the time a guy handed over his leather jacket, Clyde says “Literally whatever you can bring that will lay flat we can print on it.” They call themselves “Misplaced Screenprinting” as transplants from Alaska and Texas who found themselves as roomies in Portland. Gibson had experience in screenprinting and earned a degree in graphic design, while Clyde
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community meet your maker
(TBA) in collaboration with New Move Entertainment. They’ve worked and grown with the spectrum of Portland’s maker’s scene, especially bands. “What I love about this whole thing is that a lot of the people that we work with have been trying to get the Portland music scene to be a bit little more cohesive, more solid. Everyone working together,” says Clyde, “Not just indie kids and punk kids and metal kids. We’re trying to get all of the genres together. That’s one thing that we
CHAIN — M AILLE . c o m
love about our job, the fact that we work with so many different kinds of people.” » - Brandy Crowe
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community literary arts Another notable fiction writer this year is former Richmond Fontaine lead singer Willy Vlautin, presenting his new novel, Don’t Skip Out on Me. Nonfiction writers will also be well represented at The Portland Book Festival this year with Broad City cocreator Abbi Jacobson reading from her new book I Might Regret This. Dynamic writer Alexander Chee, who is still receiving accolades for his 2016 novel The Queen of the Night has just released a collection of essays called How to Write an Autobiographical Novel. His presentation should not be missed. Since poetry is such a tremendous part of the Portland literary scene, we would be remiss not to mention some of the local poets reading at the Book Festival this year. Alicia Jo Rabins is a writer, composer, musician, performer and Torah teacher. She won the 2015 American Poetry Review/Honickman First Book Prize for Divinity School. She will be reading from her second book, Fruit Geode, released this month. Former ELEVEN featured literary artist Stacey
LITERARY ARTS Portland Book Festival
F
Tran, who now lives in Providence Rhode Island, is another poet to find at the book fest. Soap for the Dogs is her first full-length collection of poetry. The Portland Book Festival will be held on Saturday, November 10 from 9am to 6pm at the Portland Art Museum. There are five partnering partner venues in the neighboring blocks, including the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, the Brunish Theater, the Winningstad Theater, the First Congregational Church of Christ, The Old Church, The Oregon Historical Society and the Northwest Film Center.
ormerly known as Wordstock, the premier literary festival in the Pacific Northwest now has a name simply more befitting of the the event–Portland Book Festival. Since taking
up the reins four years ago, the folks at Literary Arts have truly elevated the event. The Portland Art Museum and its surrounding venues in the Park Blocks is a magnificent location for book lovers to enjoy the event in the same way that music fans flock to a summer festival like Pickathon. This year there will be over 100 authors, 80 vendors and 13 writing workshops. Some of this year’s most anticipated writers are Nana Quami Adjei-Brenya, author of Friday Black, Jamel Brinkley, author of A Lucky Man, Adrienne Celt, author of Invitation to a Bonfire, Ingrid Rojas Contreras, author of Fruit of the Drunken Tree, Portland Writer Patrick deWitt, author of French Exit and Tom Hanks (yes,the one and only) reading from his new collection of short stories, An Uncommon Type.
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Advance tickets for adults are $15, and $20 day of. Tickets are free for attendees 17 or younger. This year wristbands are available to be picked up in advance at the Portland Art Museum on November 8 and 9. » - Scott McHale
community literary arts
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community visual arts Photo by Mercy McNab
Turquoise set in sterling silver with hand-fabricated copper feather
young to Indiana, where we didn't meet till we were in our twenties. We came here a few years ago and fell in love with the scenery and the way of life. After we got married last year, we decided to make the leap–we packed up our car and moved to this beautiful state!
VISUAL ARTS Brittany Oliver of Fay Woods Designs
11: Has moving to the PNW changed or inspired your designs or creative process? BA: You have no idea, I have always loved nature, and it has always been a huge inspiration in my work. Moving here has intensified my love for nature; I didn't think a place could be so green!
ELEVEN: Thank you for sitting with us! Can you tell us a little about how you made your journey into jewelry making? Did you have any formal training or schooling? Brittany Oliver: I started making beaded jewelry when I was very young. In high school, I took 4 semesters of a silversmithing class but it wasn't till around the age of 30 that I decided to make silversmithing a big part of my life. 11: You’re a Hoosier, originally from Indiana, what brought you to the Pacific Northwest? BA: Actually, funny story, my husband and I are originally from Virginia but moved when we were very
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"Midsummer Night's Dream" (Poseidon Variscite sterling silver ring)
community visual arts 11: Do the metaphysical/energetic qualities of stones play a role in the use of them in your work? BA: All stones have their own type of energy. I work with some stones more than others because their specific energy. I usually pick stones by the look and feelings I get from them, then I can just mix and match them however I want. 11: You also collaborate and partner with a lapidary by the name of Kristie Carlino who goes by the name _indianarocks_ on social media. She’s also a Hoosier! How did your collaboration begin and how does that collaboration process work? BA: A few years back, she found me on Instagram because she wanted to have jewelry commissioned for her wedding party. We would meet for coffee every few weeks to go over designs, and then we became close through our mutual obsession with stones. She had expressed to me that she wanted to start cutting and polishing her own cabochons and that's when it happened. We started talking about collaborating her "Indiana Pendant" (collaboration with Kristie Carlino)
unique stone shapes with my own twist on silver work, and just recently released our first collection together,
11: You like to collect “natural treasures” from places you visit in the area. How do these little pieces
with more to come this October!
of nature influence your designs or find their way into your creative processes?
Royston Ribbon Turquoise sterling silver earrings
BA: I like to take things I find in Mother Nature and make my own version of them out of silver. Sometimes I'll take a flower and draw it out, and then redraw the design till it becomes my own. 11: What is the process like for choosing the stones that you use? Do you build your pieces around the stone or the other way around? BA: I always build my pieces around my stones, it's like my outfits; I wear my clothes to go with my accessories.
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community visual arts
Sun shield ring with Royston Turquoise
11: Another piece that is quite captivating is a ring you made using a Poseidon Variscite. It seems to hold a special place in your heart. What is it about this stone that you find so captivating? BA: Poseidon Variscite is a close cousin to Turquoise. These stones–like in life–show that such beauty and chaos can come from even the smallest of things. 11: Do you have any pieces you’re currently working on? Where can we find more of your work? BA: I am currently working with a lot of moonstone and labradorite stones, and will be releasing my Halloween/Samhain collection by the middle of October! » - Laurel Bonfiglio
Out now—at all our locations! Bridgeport Village · Hawthorne NW 23rd · Portland Airport · West End tenderlovingempire.com
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FIND THIS ARTIST ONLINE INSTA: @FAY.WOODS.DESIGNS WEB: WWW.FAYWOODSDESIGNS.ETSY.COM
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Sterling Silver Khepri, Egyptian God of the Dawn (copper Scarab ring with 14k gold accent) by Portland artist Brittany Oliver