Mindloop is moving!

Hello everyone!

This post is to let you know that Mindloop will be changing location to the Vanguard's new and improved blog.

Check us out!

http://vanguardblog-psu.blogspot.com/

Deep house with SNL

Everything about this video feels kind of wrong but so, so right at the same time:

Anna Ternheim at the Doug Fir

Swedish musician Anna Ternheim played the Doug Fir this past weekend to an eager crowd, instilling a sense of quiet reverence from her audience. Her delicate voice, coupled with a solid backing band comprised of members from Loney, Dear, balanced out into sheer perfection as Ternheim crooned into the dimly lit venue.
Her third studio album, Leaving On Mayday was released on Aug. 11 and showcases her talent not only as a musician and singer, but also as a lyricist. On “Damaged Ones,” she painfully draws out the lines “what keeps you from moving / are you afraid to be loved? / See how my hands shake / I was raised on it like a drug.”
Her expressive voice tugs at your heart, compelling the listener to stay riveted to the sound of her voice sings out over intricate baselines, delicate string parts and atmospheric percussion.

Lenny Kravitz made cooler with the power of Justice

So this is kind of cool. I'm not a huge fan of Lenn Kravitz and his work, but Justice seems to have jazzed this song up enough to make it more interesting. The video is pretty funny too Reminds me a little of Twin Peaks meets West Side Story. I couldn't embed the video, but you can find it here.

The hots for Romero

Forget about Zombieland. I'm excited for the Crazies. A remake of Romero's original 1973 flick, it takes several of my favorite things (infectious diseases, violence and zombie-like creatures) and wraps them all up into a bloody, messy package. The writing will probably be less than amazing (we can't all be 28 Days Later, now can we?), but man the trailer looks creepy:

Introducing Gwen the homeless doll

That’s right. In a move of art, er, toys, imitating life, Mattel has released it’s newest doll, Gwen Thompson, a homeless doll. I knew times in America were hard on a lot of folks, but now dolls too!

According to the book that comes with Gwen, her father lost his job and then left the family. Eventually Gwen and her mom were unfortunately evicted, and now have to sleep in a car.

I suppose this is a good thing. Since homeless populations are on the rise in the country, and unemployment hitting all-time highs, there should be a doll that speaks to the homeless children of our nation. Oh, wait … the Gwen Thompson homeless doll cost $95! I guess then, Gwen is a great tool for educating rich kids about those folks they see on the street, as they ride by in their stretched limos.

Hey, if rich kids can afford to buy a homeless doll, why not take it a step further, and just rent a homeless person to play with until they get tired of it.

OMG More about bikes!

So, in a crazy turn of events, the Flaming Lips are apparently filming a music video in Portland and they want YOU to be in it. BikePortland.org had this to say:

The plan for the shoot makes Portland’s annual naked bike events sound fairly run of the mill. “I’m having one of my giant space bubbles covered in fake fox fur,” [Wayne] Coyne said. “Its going to look like some giant fur egg, and the people on bicycles are gonna sort of be born and erupt out of this fur, vaginalistic thing.”
Coyne in a “giant space bubble.”

...The video is being made for the final song, called “Watching the Planets,” on the Flaming Lips’ upcoming album appropriately titled Embryonic. The song is “an epic…march, almost. It goes on this hypnotic groove,” Coyne said. The video’s concept is still emerging: “Maybe I’ll even get naked for the video, too. I don’t even know how it ends — maybe it ends with them all getting clothed and making me get naked and shoving me back into the giant fur egg. I just came up with that right now.”

The shoot is from 10am to 10pm on Wednesday, September 23rd. Participation is on a drop-in basis. The sign-in table will be the basketball courts near the top of Mount Tabor.

Giant fur egg? Simulated birth? I'm there...

I went to the naked bike ride. It was amazing. Getting the Flaming Lips and a camera involved could only make that kind of situation more epic.

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.

FAIL: blink 182

So what gave Blink 182 the idea that they could ever become relevant again? There is a reason that I haven't listened to this band since I still thought zip binders and skater shoes were a fashionable choice. This latest publicity stunt only furthers my belief that these guys are getting a little pathetic. As quoted from the press release I received:


"blink-182 has teamed with photographers Jered Martin and Lisa Johnson to create special limited edition t-shirts for each stop on the tour. The shirts will be limited to 182 pieces per night. Once they are gone they are gone. The screens and film will be destroyed and never printed again."

Gasp! Destroyed? After only 182 a night? How ever shall I continue to breath if I do not obtain one of these unique and original shirts? Oh wait, I forgot for a second that I don't really care. Get over yourselves guys, you are not a pivotal rock band and you never will be.

Yacht rock (and other types of rock as well)

This Thursday, July 16 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. to , there's going to be a pretty rad FREE concert outside city hall featuring YACHT, Point Juncture, WA and Y La Bamba. I'm fairly new to all of these bands, but I am currently in love with YACHT after seeing them live at Superfest a few weeks ago. Y La Bamba and PJW are pretty boss as well. The event is in connection to the up coming PDX Pop Now! festival, which will soon be upon us. Let's hope the weather stays lovely.

YACHT - Summer Song from Jona Bechtolt on Vimeo.

Dj Robo-Smurf

I was in the middle of trying to write a review of a recent show I covered and looking for info on local dj E*Rock. Along the road, I came across this gem of an interview. I especially love the part about building a two story robotic smurf to tour the country in. E*Rock, you are now not only my favorite dj, you are also my new personal hero:

Winy Wino

Neil Steinberg’s Drunkard: A Hard-Drinking Life is awful.

Steinberg comes across as self-absorbed, selfish, pathetic, melodramatic, self-depreciating, self-pitying and possibly a sociopath. He tells the reader what people are thinking and feeling rather than showing through events, making him an unreliable narrator.

On page 164 he admits that after likening his history to a Greek tragedy while regaling his tale to fellow addicts as they blankly stare at him, he adds that it was, “just Neil babbling nonsense.” It comes across as an insult to the less educated addicts’ intelligence, but “just Neil babbling nonsense” is actually a good description for the entire book.

It is not a Greek tragedy. There was no family curse (his parents didn’t drink) and no gods intervened in his life. He drank too much and one night he slapped his wife.

Even with his over-the-top praise for his wife Edie, at several times during the book he starts blaming the “bitch” for calling the cops on him when he slapped her, causing him to go to jail and then rehab.

Since the book’s written in present tense, it’s difficult to tell whether that was his opinion only when he was trying to sober up or if that’s still what he felt while writing the book. Seeing as he remains bitter toward her throughout the book and repeats how it’s her fault he has to go to rehab, my guess is the latter.

Memoirs are usually written in past tense, so that the author can relay events as well as reflect on how they’ve learned from time, maturity and distance. Without any intellectual interpretations and random tangents that lead nowhere, Steinberg’s book comes across as little more than a drunken ramble.

Just as I would not sit next to a drunk in a bar as he pours out his entire self-pitying story to me, I did not want to finish Steinberg’s stream of consciousness. However, I sledged through 270 pages to warn you readers to stay far, far away from this book. There are many superior addiction memoirs. Unless you prefer a drunken ramble by a man who hits his wife and isn’t able to show appropriate remorse.

-Sarah Hutchins

For the love of llamas

There's no question that llamas are probably one of the coolest animals out there. They spit at stuff, make noises like crying babies when they're frightened and you can use them as pack animals. Plus, they're all fluffy and goofy looking. I feel that they are a very underrepresented animal in the music industry. It is for this reason that I am thrilled to announce the arrival of the Dirty Projector's video for "Stillness is the Move." Go ahead, take in the llama goodness:

To Rent or not to Rent

Even though I spent much of my teenage-hood in hopeless drama nerdiness I still never quite became enamored with Rent. The musical always seemed like a hopelessly campy take on a complex and heartbreaking topic, sort of like "Angels in America" as adapted by the Muppets.

Add to that that I've always felt the show lacked truly standout musical numbers (the closest being "La Vie Boheme") and it just lacks appeal for me, someone who is in general fairly tolerant of musicals.



In any case I have elected not to see the touring production in Portland but would be interested to hear the take of anyone who did.

Thoughts? What's the mysterious attraction behind this thing?