3/15/08, The Annandale Hotel in Sydney.
Ahhh, a light at the end of our proverbial tunnel. After the amazing show in New-Asshole, we were all ready for a final blowout in the Drugs hometown of Sydney. This was going to be HUGE. The venue itself was very spacious with a great sound system and Thai restaurant [...]

…is this guy right here. You know him, you love him and he’s on the inside track to win WW’s Best New Band Poll for 2008 (more on that soon). Who’d a thought? You can catch dude up and down Hawthorne St. pretty much all summer long.

A copy of the new Snoop Dogg album, [...]

Put this one into the “Portland: Indie Rock Mecca” file. A short but interesting profile in today’s Sydney Morning Herald (that’s Australia!) encapsulates Modest Mouse frontman Isaac Brock’s personal story—albeit with some rather wide brush strokes—and reveals his love of fishing with his neighbor, James Mercer.
So sayeth the Herald, using many commas:

Today, Brock, 33, engaged, [...]

Bark Hide and Horn does a lot of things well, and though quite a few of the tracks on its debut full-length, National Road, favor simplicity and time-trusted folk rock melodies, “Grandfather” coalesces everything that’s great about the band—Andy Fergeson’s National Geographic inspired songwriting, Brian Garvey’s impassioned horn bursts, perfectly placed backing harmonies—into what might [...]

(AS TOLD TO JAY HORTON)
Just back from Scandinavian tour supporting new old-Nashville album DANGEROUS MEs & POISONOUS YOUs with ragtag crew of acoustic all-stars, Caleb Klauder (Colobo, Foghorn Stringband, self-titled – and Bobby Flay approved – bluegrass project) sat down with bassist Jesse Emerson (formerly Decemberists and Flatirons; currently Amelia and From Words To [...]

As Portland’s musician-studded masses know all too well, it can be hard to stand out in our ever-growing talent pool. Getting yourself listed in a local publication’s calendar section isn’t too rough, but having someone take the time to listen to your music and pen some words about it—be they complimentary or otherwise—takes a little [...]

Point Juncture, WA, sent us a leak from the band’s upcoming Heart To Elk album back in January, and it was rad. Remember that? Well, I was kicking it on the YouTube (what can I say, I love kittens!) the other day and noticed that the Portland stalwarts of Sonic Youth-influenced soundtrack-rock had a [...]

Recently showing SXSW what’s up, Magic Johnson has hit its stride since forming this past summer. Migrating to PDX from L.A., the duo (Ana Rodriguez and Mando Blanco, BFFs since grade-school) peddle dancey punk overlaid with catchy lyrics moving fluidly through both English and Spanish. In many ways, they remind me of a distinctively L.A. [...]

It’s that time again! This Sunday, LocalCut, Portland Radio Authority, Blackbird Presents, Pabst Blue Ribbon and yours truly are offering up a free, rad and acoustastic (TM) evening of conversation and music from Ben Meyercord of AristeiA, Anne Adams of Per Se and the great Laura Gibson.
I’m biased, of course, but I think [...]