We’re also super excited to be able to share the tour diaries from Adam Selzer as Norfolk & Western hits the road with Mirah. Check back for more updates soon!
Band: Rachel Blumberg, Dave Depper, Cory Gray, Adam Selzer
10-29-09
We have 2 1/2 days to get to our first show in Fargo, ND. We decided to [...]

Panther’s now a ’70s soft-rock hero. What’re you going to do about it?
by Rebecca Raber
For such an affable guy, Charlie Salas-Humara sure gets off on alienating people. The Panther frontman is always subverting his audience’s expectations, and last year he drew ire from fans who felt his second album, 14 Kt. God, went too far [...]

High fives and free drinksObviously, I want everyone to know it’s my birthday on Thursday, Oct. 1. I’ll be 29 years old. I’m also celebrating my first year or so as WW’s music editor.
A new Kickball albumI love Explode Into Colors as much as anyone, but that doesn’t mean drummer Lisa Schonberg is relieved of [...]

[ROCK REBIRTH] When the Shaky Hands won WW’s Best New Band poll in 2007, a packed house came out to see them play the celebratory show. The Shakies had just released their summery, hook-filled debut. It seemed like all of Portland was in their corner, singing along.
But behind the scenes, the Shaky Hands were already [...]

Mattress Low Blows
(Malt Duck Records)

[DAMAGED CROON] It’s hard to avoid the dreaded second-album slump, especially when many of the faults often associated with it—added band members, an expanded instrumental palette—are in play. And on Low Blows, Rex Marshall’s sequel of sorts to 2008’s bleak, beat-centric Heavy Duty, things have changed. Marshall, who used to perform [...]

Also see this LocalCut post for Nick Lowe’s excellent Huey Lewis story.
Nick Lowe’s place in pop history is cemented from a handful of hits he penned—“Cruel to Be Kind” and Elvis Costello hit “What’s So Funny About Peace, Love and Understanding?” being the best-known—but whether historians will get the full picture is another question entirely. [...]

“Hello Oregonians. Hello Washingtonians. Hello Port—where the fuck are we?”
Eddie Vedder wasn’t drunk. He’s just done this so many damn times he honestly could be anywhere and talking to anybody. In stadiums and clubs, on football fields and in recording booths. Pearl Jam has been doing this whole rock band thing for 19 years and [...]

It’s a big day for Portland-via-Olympia superlabel Kill Rock Stars. The imprint is dropping both the new Shaky Hands (see review in tomorrow’s WW) and the new Panther (see profile in tomorrow’s WW). To celebrate, they’ve dropped an adorable wrath-o-God-themed Shakies video (see below), and dropped the price of the digital version of Panther’s Empathy [...]

We are super-stoked to have one of our favorite Portland bands, Church, keeping a tour diary. Huzzah!

Wed September 23rd – Olympia, Wa – The Northern
First day of the tour starts off well at The Northern, a new all-ages showspace in Olympia. This place is rad and efficient – all volunteer run, good sound, nice people! [...]