Local Cut » News

Laura Gibson/Ethan Rose Collaboration Due in February

Michael Mannheimer — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:33:52 +0000

I’ve probably said this here before, but no album has more excited for 2010 than Laura Gibson’s collaboration with sound sculptor Ethan Rose. Though we still don’t have too much concrete information on the release, we do know this: the record is called Bridge Carols, and it’s out on February 9 via Holocene Music.

A few months ago I spoke to Gibson about Bridge Carols (at the time she couldn’t reveal the title), and she mentioned that the basis of the project was to make each other uncomfortable. Rose’s music, until this point, has mostly been wordless, while Gibson has often fought to escape her tag as a folky singer-songwriter. Gibson said that many of the compositions were created almost on the spot, as she improved and sang over Rose’s clanging, elliptical backdrops. And judging from the first thing we’ve heard from the pair—the floating, almost weightless “Sun”—it’s also going to be a record of understated beauty. I wrote about “Sun” when it was included on the 2009 PDX Pop Now! compilation, but here’s another peak.

Download audio file (Sun.mp3)

From the duo’s MySpace page:

It began as a conversation of mutual appreciation and curiosity – a shared desire to challenge old ways of working. Ethan had mostly distanced his music from words, while Laura had often felt bound by them.

They began experimenting with different methods of collaboration. Inspired by Laura’s voice, Ethan began building soundscapes, while Laura looked through piles of notebooks, coming across old phrases that never found home in verses or rhymes. They began recording Laura singing these unused writings.

As the project developed, Laura began improvising lyrics and wordless vocalizations, stream of consciousness singing that tumbled out of her in long trailing waves. They recorded in the basement, the forest, and the field – each session having its own unique mood as Laura reflected from subject to subject.

Ethan then took the recorded words and vocalizations from these sessions – cutting them into bits and pieces – rearranging and juxtaposing them against each other to stretch them into new musical poems. These reconstructed lyrical fragments maintained the tone of Laura’s original improvisations while allowing new themes and meanings to emerge. With these vocal collages in place, Ethan would reshape tones and sounds around Laura’s words. The resulting pieces developed into songs. The songs developed into a record.

Links:
Laura Gibson & Ethan RoseSpace
Holocene Music

Photo courtesy of LG & ER

Ethan Rose & Laura Gibson, “Sun,” 2009 PDX Pop Now! Compilation I love son
Alela Diane and Laura Gibson Hit the UK Big Time Whoa dudes
Laura Gibson Shares “Beast Of Seasons” From Lone Fir Cemetery Inspiratio

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

May Ling, Lion Tamer

Michael Mannheimer — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 01:01:00 +0000

UPDATE: No video for you! See comments section. You know what feature I’ve missed most on LocalCut the last, oh, six weeks since things haven’t been working properly? Random Video Tuesday. In honor of my favorite neglected weekly online column—and the fact that most of the LC kinks have been fixed—I’d like to share a little something with you: the (sorta) new video for May Ling’s bouncy “New Year,” which is way more AWESOME than it is random.

There’s really no use in describing this, other than saying “New Year” is over three minutes of singer Alberta Poon (you might know her from Wet Confetti and Reporter) dancing with a lion dance master from the Portland Lee’s Association Lion Dance Team. It’s colorful, it’s bright, and it’s got soul. The video premiered (I think) at the LABELMATES night at Holocene at the end of October, and now it’s available online:

NEW YEAR: May Ling from TheWhitemanBrothers on Vimeo.

Links:
May LingSpace
Portland Lee’s Association

Thanks to the Penny Jam for the tip

Photo Review: Mai Ling, Friday, Feb. 27 @ Camp Rainbow First gui
Random Video Tuesday: Panther In Moscow! Hello ther
New M. Ward Video Features The Aerial Tram Less than

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Tender Forever Cover “My Love” For Shoot the Player

Michael Mannheimer — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:33:59 +0000

Remember a few months ago when we mentioned that an Australian version of the Take Away Show was in town for two days? Back in July, I was lucky enough to randomly end up at Cartopia just as whimsical-pop trio Nurses were filming their take in front of Potato Champion. I later met producer Amelia Tovey and talked to her about her online video project, Shoot the Player. It’s a little later than they expected, but Shoot the Player has finally released the first few gems from the sessions: a series of clips with Tender Forever, including Melanie Valera’s cute cover of Justin Timberlake’s “My Love” filmed in the Ladd’s Addition rose garden.

Tender Forever: My Love (Justin Timberlake) + Boyz II Men outro. from shoottheplayer.com on Vimeo.

Here’s what Tovey says about the project:

I was in Portland for 48 hours. On our first night there Tender Forever happened to be playing a gig in a square downtown along with Nurses & some other bands. Her passionate Wii drumming & offstage unplugged ukulele playing had us hooked. We arranged to meet up the next day & shoot a couple of tracks – when we arrived at her place she suggested we drive to a pretty location she knew, and 20 minutes later deep in the suburbs of Portland, we found ourselves in the aptly romantic setting of an enormous rose garden.

Southeast Portland’s not quite the suburbs, but still. This footage is great, and I can’t wait to see what see did with Lovers and Nurses. Here are two more videos from Ladd’s Addition.

Tender Forever: Every Monday & Boy Life In America from shoottheplayer.com on Vimeo.

Tender Forever: Take It Off from shoottheplayer.com on Vimeo.

Links:
Tender ForeverSpace
Shoot the Player

Screen cap taken from the video

Q&A with Shoot The Player’s Amelia Tovey Last Satur
Live Review: Tender Forever, Tuesday, Feb. 24th @ Holocene Amid the
Alan Singley and Ben Barnett Cover Alicia Keys For The Holidays Awwwww shi

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

The Robinsons Want You to Feel the Holiday Spirit

Michael Mannheimer — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:27:11 +0000

The holidays are just around the corner. No, really, I’m not messing with you. It’s Thanksgiving in just nine days! (please don’t try to email me on Black Friday, I’ll be passed out in a pile of gravy). So that also means it’s time to bust out all your favorite Xmas and Hanukkah sweaters and get ready to rock out with your cello out.

For the second straight year, the Portland Cello Project—you might have seen its lively tour blog around these parts—is hosting a big ol’ holiday bash. Only instead of an awkward gathering of relatives, this party consists of a bunch of friends (Panther, Leviethan, the Portland Ukulele Project, and Kevin and Anita Robinson of Viva Voce and Blue Giant) getting trashed off eggnog and playing you all their favorite holiday hits. Plus some Justin Timberlake.

The only downside? The thing costs $13, or $15 if you’re cheap and wait to buy your tickets at the door. But here come Kevin and Anita to the rescue, because they want you to get your holiday cheer on. They also know that it’s been a tough year for the pocketbook. The remedy? The couple is giving away five spots on its guestlist, and all you have to do is email them (therobinsonsmusic@gmail.com, be sure to put “Cello show Dec. 4″ in the subject field) with a good reason why you should bust out your favorite Xmas sweater and join the rocking cellos. Just don’t hit on Anita, ’cause that’s so not cool. Shit, how do you unsend an email?

Man, I’d look really good in this vest:

Links:
The Robinsons blog
Portland Cello ProjectSpace
Ugly Sweater Store

Photo by Alicia J. Rose

Let’s Go Outside Shares His Holiday Mix In lieu of
Viva Voce Embrace Its Local Roots on Rose City Last Thurs
Thao, Horse Feathers Play Surprise Show at The Woods Okay, so I

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Blind Pilot Plays on CNN

Michael Mannheimer — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 21:19:06 +0000

The signs that local indie-folk outfit Blind Pilot have officially made it are everywhere. The band has opened for the Decemberists and Counting Crows. It has toured stadiums. It finished tied for second place in our 2009 Best New Band poll. And single “Story I Heard” has been downloaded over 2 million times on iTunes—yeah, it was a free download, but still, that’s mighty impressive. A lot of people actually give a damn. So I’m not really surprised at this point when I get an email from my friend and college roommate with a link to a clip of Israel Nebeker and Luke Ydstie performing “Two Towns From Me” on CNN.

Yes, that CNN. The whole thing is super awkward, from the introduction (do Blind Pilot really sound like Death Cab For Cutie?) to the few points where the microphones seem to cut out and you can barely hear Nebeker’s voice. Both players look a little uncomfortable sitting down to play in a newsroom. Still, it’s rad to see any band from Portland getting this kind of major media attention.

So, CNN, when when are you going to invite Explode Into Colors to your set?

Links:
Blind PilotSpace
CNN

Screen cap taken from the video. Yes, this really happened.

Blind Pilot Visit Daytrotter It’s
Blind Pilot to Tour with Decemberists Being Blin
LocalCut Video Theater: Nurses, Archeology, BOAT, Blind Pilot, Parks & Recreation, Dead Moon Videos! He

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

New Ghost To Falco Vinyl Out This Month (With Guest Appearances Galore! MP3s here!)

Casey Jarman — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:24:46 +0000

Whoah, this was unexpected. We knew Portland experimental rock/folk/etc. trio Ghost to Falco had been touring a lot, but we didn’t know there was a record coming out so soon. The band, currently in Europe, will release third full-length Exotic Believers as a ~~vinyl-only~~ (I’ve been informed that there will also be a CD version) release before the month is out.

If you haven’t checked out Ghost to Falco, you really should. Eric Crespo’s group plays a lyrically conscious experimental folk-pop with nods to post-punk acts like Fugazi and Cursive. Just when one anticipates Crespo’s next twist or turn, he injects a jazzy departure or wall of noise into the mix. And while Crespo has played with a handful of musicians under the GtF monker, the band’s recent local lineup—with AAN’s Bud Wilson and Ohioan’s Ryne Warner—is quite a formidable one.

Even more exciting, this new release features appearances from an impressive list of local contributors (highlighted below). Fans of Portland’s experimental music and pop scenes should have their jaws drop a bit at it.

Here are two of the disc’s tracks, “Secrets of the Free” and “Comfort Series #2.”
Download audio file (secretsofthefree.mp3)
Download audio file (comfortseries2.mp3)

Unfortunately, Crespo and his crew won’t be home to celebrate the record’s release until the aforementioned Infinite Front label debut and Exotic Believers release show on Jan. 16 at Artistery. But holy cow is that going to be a show. Here’s a chunk of the press release:

Ghost to Falco’s long awaited, highly anticipated follow-up to 2007’s Like This Forever is finally being released on vinyl. Exotic Believers is an achievement in forward-thinking/ancestor-respecting experimental music. It was recorded over a year between tours onto an analog 1/2″ 8 track machine in a giant warehouse. In addition to songwriter Eric Crespo and GtF mainstays Ryne Warner and Bud Wilson, Exotic Beleivers features performances from musical acts such as Dragging an Ox through Water, Evolutionary Jass Band, Horse Feathers, Shaky Hands, Argumentix, Parenthetical Girls, Reporter, Au, and many more. This is a split release with Portland’s Infinite Front collective.

You’ll be able to order the disc shortly at Cape & Chalice Records (or pick it up, presumably, from finer local retailers). If you’re hungry for more info on GtF and the new disc, here’s the band’s new bio, which explains how the new disc and its many collaborations came about:

Ghost to Falco strives. It strives to reach the unattainable—the perfect chord progression, the combination of tones that unlock secret passages and long forgotten dreams, the unknowable, the unanswerable, the mystery tied into existence. And it does so with a level of honesty that is more in line with the void-probing writers of bygone eras, than with the plethora of modern freak folkers or neon-clad, technology-addled trend setters.

Ghost to Falco is essentially the brain child of one, Eric Crespo. Starting in 2001 as a one man guitar symphony of sorts, he set out on a solitary path onto the highways of America, crisscrossing it more times than he could count, playing any ramshackle living room or dwindling institution of live music he could find. As long as there was anyone who cared to listen, he was happy to share his unique quest to bridge the gap between his two loves; avant-garde weird America and the more tuneful turf of the enlightened songwriter. Eventually he added Europe to his touring repertoire and released two fantastic, but under the radar full lengths, on fledgling labels—2004’s torn or broken, shadowed or dark, cast off all doubts and ride the flames to freedom and 2007’s Like This Forever.

In 2007, after returning from a month and a half of solid touring in Italy and Germany, Crespo came back to his adopted home of Portland, OR and got to work on the recordings that would become the third Ghost to Falco album, Exotic Believers. Recording took place in a makeshift studio housed in a former Oriental rug warehouse downtown, two blocks from Powell’s Book Store—all of it recorded on a ½ inch analog 8 track machine—an old fashioned recording device made for amateur hobbyists, being used here to its full capacity by an obsessive auteur to create a magnum opus that he couldn’t be sure would ever see the light of day. No labels hassling about the release date. It simply had to get made for the sake of getting this stuff out of a brain and into the world. There was no choice and he worked with what he had. Between continuing to tour, the schedules of the 30 collaborators, and the perfectionism of the mastermind, the project was two years in the making. But good god it was worth it.

The role of the 30 Portland folks who played on this thing cannot be underestimated. Super hotshots like Brian Mumford (Dragging an Ox through Water), Jonathan Sielaf (Au), Heather Broderick (Efterklang, Horse Feathers), Nick Delffs (Shaky Hands), Bob Jones (Evolutionary Jass Band), Rachael Jensen (Parenthetical Girls), Nick Bindeman (Jackie O Motherfucker, Tunnels), Mike McKinnon (Reporter), and O Ryne Warner (Ohioan, Castanets) to name a few, appear to have roles written specifically for their talents in this vast soundscape. “It should have some Brian Mumford style gnarly electronics here,” or “This needs Mike Mckinnon hitting the drums really hard here” or “Bob Jones should be bowing super low notes on the double bass here.” Couple solid structure with the spontaneous combustion of mega talents feeding off one another in the same studio and the result is an inspired collaboration that showcases what the best of the best are bringing to the table these days.

Stylistically, there are familiar touchstones here and there. One could reference some early Neil Young, maybe a hint of SPK, some old Alan Lomax southern field recording there, some Steve Reich here, some Leonard Cohen there. Not in direct conscious influence from these artists, but rather the writer’s brain momentarily tuned into and taking direction from the same cosmic voices – shaping the transmissions into something both modern and timeless – something wholly his own.

This is an epic if there ever was one. Shadowy paths lead you out onto the wide open mesa, throw you over deep canyons, and finally submerge you in cleansing rivers. Exotic Believers leaves you sitting next to the warmth of the fire wondering what to make of all this—the existence of this world, having grown into what it is without your permission or even your agreement.

The record is over. What are you going to do now?

Image courtesy of Ghost to FalcoSpace.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

The Flaming Lips Make the Most NSFW Video of All Time

Michael Mannheimer — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:32:15 +0000

Of all the news stories we’ve ran on LocalCut in the past year, the one about Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips hitting up town to shoot a very NSFW video featuring naked bike riders, his trademark giant balloon ball, and a giant spherical vagina is probably the strangest. I mean, it’s not everyday that we send a writer to the set and he reports back with pictures of bare-chested women crawling out of a fur vag. Ever since then we’ve been eagerly anticipating the clip for “Watching the Planets,” and today NME (those Brits!) have the exclusive premiere. And I can tell you that it’s even dirtier than you ever imagined.

Yes, “Watching the Planets” features a lot of naked Portlanders. And I’d highly advise that you don’t watch this at work, or at least make sure none of your co-workers are standing directly behind you. I’m not going to give away too much, but Matthew Singer just emailed me to say this: “If you’re like me, you’ve been wondering what Wayne’s been packing for years. Now we know!” Um, yeah. Man that’s a lot of peen in six minutes. Hey, at least I warned you!

Link:
The Flaming LipSpace

Photo by Matthew Singer

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Introducing Superfresh!

Michael Mannheimer — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:42:20 +0000

Last summer, local electronic music connoisseur/party planner Manny Reyes threw what was then a first for Portland: an all-ages dance music festival. Dubbed Superfest!, the two-day festival featured some amazing performances (killer sets from Starfucker, Nice Nice, and Reyes’ band Atole) plus the first preview of YACHT’s trippy multimedia show. The kids danced, and it was rad. But now that it’s getting cold and rainy outside, the dance parties just haven’t been as, well, fresh. And that’s where Superfresh! comes in.

The winter cousin to Superfest!, Superfresh is another two-day, all-ages dance bash with a stacked lineup—Strength, DAT’R, Deelay Ceelay, Atole, and Glass Candy’s first all-ages show in years. What a fun way to ring in the new year. Here’s the scoop:

Superfresh! Nite 1, Saturday, Jan. 2nd, 6pm-midnite

Glass Candy
Atole
Miracles Club
Jeffrey Jerusalem
Breakfast Mountain
Wampire
+ Free Rob Walmart show out front b4 doors

21+ bar downstairs in Branx (Free, 7 pm – midnight):
Supernature w/ guest DJs Linger & Quiet

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Superfresh! Nite 2: Sunday, Jan. 3rd, 6 pm-midnite

Strength
DAT’R
Deelay Ceelay
May Ling
Hooliganship
Fake Drugs

21+ bar downstairs in Branx (Free, 7 pm – midnight):
SuperSNAP! w/ Freaky Outy & Colin Jones

$18 2-Day Bracelets available pre-sale @ Jackpot Records. Single day tickets available the night of the show. Saturday is $12, Sunday is $10.

Besides the major score with Glass Candy, it will be Deeley Ceelay’s last performance for a while (the duo is off to record its debut full-length) and also one of the first previews of DAT’R’s new material. I’m so glad I’ll have a few days to recover after New Years, ’cause this looks pretty epic.

Photo courtesy of Glass Candy

Super Fest Wants You to Dance This Summer Have you e
UPDATED! Introducing PYRAMID (the Band Formerly Known as Starfucker) Update 2:
LEAK: Atole, “Satyricow,” Brainwaves EP (Audio Dregs) It’s

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Nice Nice Gets Warped

Michael Mannheimer — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:45:17 +0000

The wait is finally over. After years of speculation, Nice Nice—Jason Buehler and Mark Shirazi’s drums/guitar/loop duo—has announced that its long in the works and oft-delayed new record is coming out on Warp Records in April 2010. I know, that seems like a long wait, especially since the band’s last material dropped in 2006. But to tide us over until then, Nice Nice is releasing a 7-inch single for “One Hit” which you can download RIGHT NOW. Or stream below:

Nice Nice, “One Hit”
Download audio file (One Hit.mp3)

B-side “Ark Drum”
Download audio file (Ark Drum.mp3)

“One Hit,” which any Nice Nice fan will recognize as a staple of the band’s live set, is a nice consolidation of what the band does best: absolutely blew the minds of anyone who sees them. It’s one of the duo’s certified jams, like if Battles tried to cover something from the Nuggets comp or any local garage band decided to ditch three chords for a loop pedal. Buehler says that Nice Nice’s Warp debut, Extra Wow, attempts to capture the energy of the band’s live set, and this does a nice job of that. The b-side, “Drum Ark,” is more ambient and bloopy but no less awesome:

We really wanted to capture/reflect what we do live. We focused on trying to convey elements that we think have generally characterized our live show: high energy explosiveness, bright colorful textures, lots of rhythm, large dynamic movement, willingness to explore new directions.

The One Hit single is available for purchase on Nov. 23, and should coincide nicely (har har) with the band’s first tour across the pond. Yeah, my Tuesday just got a whole lot better.

Links:
Nice NiceSpace
Warp Records

Photo courtesy of Nice Nice

Super Fest Wants You to Dance This Summer Have you e
Grey Anne: We’re On a Frequency (with free mp3 download!) You super-
Hush Records Releases Loch Lomond Digital Sampler EP Last Frida

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

White Fang Hates Our City

Michael Mannheimer — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:31:38 +0000

Well, not really. But did you know that tonight is the record release show for White Fang’s new record, Whatever? Somehow it escaped my radar, and I feel pretty shitty about it. I know that White Fang (the band’s using vowels now, right?) likes to fly under the radar, and Casey’s got a tape of the album somewhere on his desk , but somewhere between the album’s announcement in September and last week I forgot that this thing was coming out. Marriage Records is officially releasing Whatever—on beautiful 12-inch vinyl—on Nov. 24, but copies will be available tonight at the Artistery. The first hundred copies even come with a thick zine of all the White Fang ephemera, so order up.

Judging from the songs I’ve heard, White Fang have two anthems on Whatever: “Portland Sucks,” a tribute to the city everybody loves to hate, and “We Came to Destroy You,” which is, like, totally the most gnarly self-aggrandizing song of all-time. Or maybe that’s the album’s penultimate song, “WHT FNG.” These guys love to talk about themselves, and for good reason. Missed the video for “Portland Sucks?” I got you covered:

White Fang -Portland Sucks from Terror Eyezzz on Vimeo.

Of course White Fang is a band best experienced live, in your face and in the crowd, yelling along to every word like it doesn’t know how to do anything else. If you can’t see the band tonight, it’s also playing twice later in the week: Thursday at Ground Kontrol with the Mean Jeans (see our music feature tomorrow for more about ‘em), and Friday at the Banana Stand with Why I Must Be Careful. Get yr fang on.

White Fang plays tonight at the Artistery with Sewn Leather and Million Brazillians. 7 pm. $5. All ages.

Links:
White FangSpace
Marriage Recs

Photo by Robbie Augspurger

White Fang Journey To Outer Space Resisting
Video: YACHT Get Religious for “Psychic City (Voodoo City)” Do you bel
Poutine + Reporter, White Fang and Mattress = Your Night Is there a

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.