Last Friday, Loch Lomond and Hush Records introduced that whole “sustainability” thing to music: They released a digital EP made entirely out of recycled content.
Loch Lomond’s new Trumpets For Paper Children EP, which is available for download on a “pay as you will” donation basis from Hush’s website, will sound very familiar for the band’s [...]

“There’s no other store like this,” writes Jose Medeles, and judging from early reports on his Revival Drum Shop, it’s hard to argue with him.
The Northeast Portland shop, brainchild of Medeles (who plays the drums for the Breeders) and fellow rhythm junkie Scott McPherson (who tours with She & Him and Beck, as well as [...]

Two weeks ago, in preparation for the next installment of Willamette Week’s Portland Makes Music series, I met disco-krautrock outfit Atole at the band’s downtown practice space. With the generous help of new all-local, all-awesome radio station KZME, we’re promoting the show (which is an extension of our old Portland Lounge Series started by former [...]

Lots of good stuff going on today, so I thought we’d run through this real quick.
- Three months ago, Super XX Man’s Scott Garred wrote us a tour diary (well, more like photo diary) documenting his afternoon spent with All Songs Condsidered host Bob Boilen on NPR. The performance was videotaped, and you can [...]

We put four new releases to the ultimate test of darkness.
Gavin Castleton Home
(five one inc.)
As goth as: Emily the Strange after a tough break-up.
Gothest line: “I take with me the only things I’ve learned/ Loves leave, fighters lose, all things burn.”
When recent Portland transplant Gavin Castleton had his heart broken, he did all the things [...]

Decontaminating the pop-music sandbox with Secrets in the Salt.
[SMARTPOP] Pop sometimes seems like the lazy little brother of the musical family—while big brother is mixing experimental time signatures with tricky guitar hooks, pop is peeing in the sandbox: finding a catchy riff, repeating it four times, maybe adding a bridge.
But there’s an art to writing [...]

How many hot licks does it take to get to the jazzy center of a sweet local rock band?
[WIND ROCK] A little over two weeks ago, local trio Inside Voices found itself on a bill with a lineup of experimental musicians making atonal drones. And though Inside Voices is technically a “rock” band, guitarist John [...]

1. Hostess Chloe Houser
Is hot.
2. Morgan Grace
Is also hot! And she’s a wilder breed than many of the evening’s musical acts.
3. Imaginary Awards
Among the evening’s nominees for Compilation of the Year is an as-of-yet non-existent Failing Records compilation. Mr. Failing has alerted us to his own confusion.
4. Head Counting
It’s unclear why this year’s event is [...]

Seth Lorinczi of Blue Giant was kind enough to keep a journal of the band’s most recent West Coast jaunt. We’ve included it here in its entirety.
Day 1: Portland 
I open my eyes at 4:05 am—an unpleasant foreshadowing of the days to follow. Half asleep, we load up the van, gulp coffee and hit the road. [...]