Bladen Country showcase at MFNW!

I love Bladen County. They put out good music by good people like Y La Bamba and Alan Singley. For this reason, I am pretty excited for their ginormous showcase at Musicfest NW this Saturday. It's taking place at Rontom's at 2:30 and won't be over till late into the night. Sixteen bands, zines, and a whole lot of love. In preparation for the showcase, Bladen County has put together this dandy little compilation album for free. I suggest you go here and download it immediately.

Biking and beer? Yup, welcome to Portland...

In typical fashion for a city filled with bike enthusiasts and brewers, Hopworks Urban Brewery is hosting a free, all-day bike-in Oktoberfest on September 19. The March Fourth Marching band will be playing some sick jams and the Sprockettes, a bike dance troupe, will be there too. I have no idea what a bike dance troupe is, but it sounds both entertaining and dangerous (two things that generally make for a good performance).There will also be a plethora of other bike related activities for the whole family, some more live bands on a "keg-supported stage" and two new organic beers being unveiled. It's a little overwhelming just typing all of that. Bring your bike, grab a beer and try not to crash on your way home.

Ride Oregon has more information here.

Um, if you like art you really should go see this

One of the best displays of innovative art that also has a broad appeal is Daniel Barrow's Everytime I See Your Picture I Cry currently at the TBA festival and being performed at the Art Museum. A story told by the artist with projections of comic-book like depictions, Everytime employs some really amazing imagery, full of symbolism, a little gore, and deep emotions.

The story does become a little stormy, especially by the last chapters, which is full of generalizations and simplistic understandings about love, death, suffering and art. However, overall it is a compelling narrative through the eyes of a janitor and art-school drop out while he creates a phonebook complete with visual representations of those included by sneakily drawing them in their homes.

The vocal story-telling by the Winnipeg artist is supplemented with Barrow's projections, gorgeously drawn with a little bit of peek-of-boo mixed in, complete with movement and symbolism of instances that are more abstract.

This is the LAST NIGHT to check it out. Highly recommended.

Northwest Film Center

Whitsell Auditorium at the Portland Art Museum

6:30 pm

$15

Miguel Gutierrez and the Powerful People- a study in dichotomy

Last night at the Winningstad Theatre marked the world premiere of Miguel Gutierrez and the Powerful People's Last Meadow. Some parts were rich with energy and subtext, others were downright atrocious. The best was about three-quarters of the way through when the three main players disrobe and break out into dance moves only seen in the most homosexual and best techno clubs, with a little ballet mixed it.

With trite statements from a mike/amp combination on stage such as "America is a disaster" and a break midway through, literally, the three performers stopped, commented that a moth was disrupting their stage presence during the performance, drinking water, and talking about pooping, it was mostly a discombobulated mess.

Some statements, such as "I wish my parents loved me the way I want to be loved"

(or something along those lines, and we can all relate, right?) showed hints of accessibility. Most did not. But I would be lying if the crazy dance moves to Madonna didn't make me smile.

TBA:09 is among us

Yes, it is that time of year again. Time for T:BA 09, with its experimental and questionable art and performance, it has become a premier art festival in the Northwest, harnessing talent from all over the world.

Tonight's docket includes Miguel Gutierrez and the Powerful People's world premiere of Last Meadow. Here is what PICA has to say about it:

Last Meadow is set to an original score created by first-time composer Neal Medlyn and lighting by longtime collaborator Lenore Doxsee. Mining movement and text from James Dean’s East of Eden, Rebel Without a Cause, and Giant, Last Meadow creates a non-narrative collage of sensorial confusion, aka an America where the jig is up and the dream has died. Last Meadow is about the space of waiting, when things don’t move forward, don’t happen as they should, and mixed messages are the only ones we get.

I won't be able to give you my thoughts on it until tomorrow morning, cause I am going to what will probably be one of the highlights of the festival, the Explode into Colors performance with Janet Pants & Chris Hackett later tonight after Last Meadow.

Here are the deets if you want to come join in on the arty fun.

Miguel Gutierrez and the Powerful People

Fri. Sept. 4th 6:30-8pm

Sat. Sept 5th 6:30-8pm

Sun. Sept. 6th 6:30-8pm

Mon. Sept. 7th 8:30-10pm

$15-20

Buy tix at the door.

Portland Center for the Performing Arts (PCPA)

Winningstad Theatre

111 SW Broadway

Explode into Colors with Janet Pants & Chris Hackett

TONIGHT! 10:30pm at THE WORKS- Washington High School

531 SE 14th Ave. Portland, OR 97214

All Ages, $8-10

Absolute bad breath kills...absolutely

The Thai people have it right on this one. Bad breath is a killer:


I especially love how her eyes kind of roll back and the sound that accompanies it (kind of a television static from Poltergeist type thing). Creepy, yet moving.

Ok seriously...just stop.

I don't even know what to say to this. Garageband and some shiny leggings from American Apparel does not make you artistic or musical. Nor does alliteration and deadpan rapping. It makes me hurt in ways I have never hurt before:



Thank you to Look at this Fucking Hipster... I think.