It has all built up to this, folks, even if it’s the only thing we’ve played all week that is currently available for purchase! Sandpeople’s brand new EP, Long Story Short…EP, just hit the shops and the shows on Tuesday, and it’s nine songs of classic postmodernist Sandpeeps. The beats are glitched-out like Robocop towards [...]

Every once in a while, if I listen, I’ll find myself taking in information that may prove to be very useful. Sitting in my friend Sean’s living room a while back, I was the recipient of such an opportunity. “You’ll be leaving early in morning?” asked his wife Anne. “Well, there are a lot of [...]

First I thought I had this jam set on 45 speed. But it’s just a chipmunk intro from (ugh, must I reference the credentials again? Two-time World Rap Champion and Scribble champ) Illmaculate. I believe he’s saying “Hey Sape you a fool for this one, man,” as in ‘you’re a fool for putting this silly [...]

Welcome to day three of LC’s Sandpeople leak week. Boy we’ve had fun this week, haven’t we? Catching up with old friends and listening to some new music? I wish every week could be Sandpeople leak week! Which brings us to day three, and a jam from Sapient’s forthcoming (June 13 at Rotture is the [...]

Badass. That was the word uttered by at least two different people to describe Black Joe Lewis & the Honey Bears after the band opened for Lucero last Thursday night at the Hawthorne Theater. One of the people with the reaction was my plus one for the evening, a friend who has been eager and [...]

Passion Pit just dropped its debut album of shimmering electronic soul last week to rave reviews, and the boys stopped by the Wonder Ballroom on Sunday night for one of its first shows as a full band. We sent photographer Ben Johnson to to see what all the hype is about. I saw ‘em at [...]

Casey Dienel said it, not us: French is just sexier than English.
[FRANCOPHONE POP] Last year, Portland singer-songwriter Casey Dienel was battling a serious case of writer’s block. Crafting a follow-up to her acclaimed debut, Phylactery Factory—a lovely album of jazzy compositions and lush arrangements—was proving immensely difficult. So instead of trying to break the curse [...]

Les Flaneurs Villain
(Self-Released)
[INBRED POPPY MATH PUNK] Six months ago, Les Flaneurs sent us a small care package including a CD of demos and what my assistant Michael Mannheimer and I deemed almost immediately to be the worst press photo of all time. The shot featured a puzzling scene of the band members waiting for a [...]

Untangling the roots of Portland’s Jaguar Love.
After emerging from the suburbs of Seattle in 1997, the Blood Brothers spent a solid decade at the forefront of Northwest hardcore. Before its implosion, the sextet had become a seemingly irrepressible institution with its maniacal song structures and strutting, fashion-conscious stage theatrics. By the time unnamed band drama [...]