Seu Jorge, one of Brazil's most talented contemporary singers, rose to international fame in the Wes Anderson film A Life Aquatic. In his acclaimed role as Pelé dos Santos, a singing sailor, Seu Jorge performed several of David Bowie's songs in the film. But in a twist, he did it in Portuguese, accompanying himself simply on acoustic guitar. Seu Jorge's adaptations in Portuguese of David Bowie's music underscore the breadth and depth of his compositions and have gone on to have a significant cultural impact.
In commemoration of David Bowie's recent passing, Seu Jorge performs a special tribute to him while recreating the set to the film A Life Aquatic on stage alongside screens crafted as boat sails that will be displaying images from the film.
"Had Seu Jorge not recorded my songs in Portuguese, I would never have heard this new level of beauty which he has imbued them with." — David Bowie
This event is all ages.
The documentary I Called Him Morgan is about a great jazz trumpet player, Lee Morgan, his common-law wife, Helen, and the events leading up to the early morning hours of February 19, 1972, when Helen shot her husband in the gut (with a gun he had given her) between sets at the aptly named Slug’s Saloon in NYC’s East Village. A more comprehensive biography of Lee Morgan’s life and career would make a great documentary, but that is not this documentary. I Called Him Morgan is smaller than that and much bigger at the same time. It is about Lee and Helen and a love gone wrong; it is about how men use women; it is about genius and those who want a piece of it; and it is about what can and cannot be forgiven. Shot simply, delivered clearly, and accompanied by one hell of a soundtrack.
Honey Bucket is packed with woozy DIY spirit and wily hooks, somehow disheveled and charming, urgent and easygoing.
Social Justice Benefit Party!
Featuring:
Máscaras
Blue Cranes
Hungry Ghost
Ritchie Young (of Loch Lomond)
The Ghost Ease
DJ Michael Bruce (Gran Ritmos)
DJ E*Rock (Dreem Street/Audio Dregs)
Hosted by kooky commie-dians Shawn Fleek and Pat Janowski!
In support of:
IRCO (Immigrants and Refugees Community Organization)
SMYRC (Sexual & Gender Minority Youth Resource Center)
Ecotrust
ACLU-OR
Dance. Connect. Rage. Party. Give. Repeat.
What is the Liberty Ball?
It’s a night of resistance, music, and community.
It’s an opportunity to take all of the anger, sadness, and helplessness we’ve been feeling since the election and turn it into real, concrete support for marginalized populations here in Portland.
Come party—and fight for social justice—with these amazing musicians:
Plus:
Hosted by:
The Anniversary isn’t necessarily a band you could describe as sadly forgotten or criminally overlooked or something like that. The Lawrence, Kansas, quintet had a good run in the early ’00s, earning some national attention and building a decent fan base as part of the Midwest’s emo-meets-pop-rock scene. But one thing the Anniversary probably doesn’t get enough credit for is making one of the great records of the era, 2000’s Designing a Nervous Breakdown. An effusive amalgam of twinkling guitars, sugary new wave synths, and hyper-catchy shout-along choruses, it’s a perfect balance of hooky and heart-on-sleeve. The Anniversary made another, more classic rock-influenced album and then split up for several years. But now they’re back, and they roll through Portland tonight. Who knows when—or if—they’ll ever come this way again?
Sonic Cinema presents a brand new digital restoration, on the 50th anniversary of the Monterey Pop Festival!
On a beautiful June weekend in 1967, at the height of the Summer of Love, the first and only Monterey Pop Festival roared forward, capturing a decade’s spirit and ushering in a new era of rock and roll. Monterey would launch the careers of Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and Otis Redding , but they were just a few among a wildly diverse cast that included The Who, the Byrds, Simon and Garfunkel, Jefferson Airplane and Ravi Shankar. With his characteristic vérité style, D. A. Pennebaker captured it all, immortalizing moments that have become legend: Pete Townshend destroying his guitar, Jimi Hendrix burning his.
Sponsored by XRAY FM, Music Millennium and Lagunitas Brewing.
Passes accepted: Guest Pass and Member Guest Pass.
Turtlenecked
With Vulture, Turtlenecked's Harrison Smith has created a beautiful art punk album that envelops listeners in a world of manic romanticism. The first track, “Boys Club,” the apogee of Vulture, begins with delicate harp and harmonizing, building to staccato yelps that are ultimately interceded by the strained, but still melodic screams of Smith, decreeing his effeminacy and disgust with other bands’ toxic masculinity. A pseudo-self awareness that, coming from a 20 year old, should be insufferable. But, regardless of if it’s Smith’s prolific nature, his undeniable musical ability or the standalone catchiness of the songs themselves, there’s something about Turtlenecked that makes any lyric or musical composition nearing self-indulgence or bourgeoisie instead steer into charming and charismatic territory.
Even the hardest elements of the album (histrionic vocals, harsh guitars, images of death and despondence, cacophonous drums) are cut with sweetness and pop melodies, giving the impression that Smith is using hysteria to feign a much deeper melancholy and a multi-faceted emotional competency he may not even be aware of owning. “I like music that’s accessible and fun….” Smith says, in the same breath condemning “happy albums.” This dichotomy is ever present on Vulture, both sonically and thematically. Smith moves from Big Black-esque severity, singing of wanting to “black out and sleep in my vomit” while using another song, one twee and simple, to wonder “am I the only one who wants a movie romance?” The movement between Smith’s perpetual disgust and tender optimism is seamless, as is the change in sound track by track. Smith’s influences are genre spanning, but the album sounds holistic and jointed—even on more experimental tracks like the 6 minute long dance song sung from the perspective of a serial killer.
As Smith grows, so does Turtlenecked. Despite being recorded entirely in Smith’s living room, Vulture sounds big, theatrical and developed. Keeping the post-punk sensibility and texture heard on past releases, Smith has removed any blemish from his sound without losing his edge or delight in the abject. On “Boys Club” Smith sings of his “delusions of grandeur,” but the only thing diluted about Vulture and Turtlenecked is that statement itself. The album is an ambitious, compassionate work of baroque and roll that further asserts Turtlenecked as an ever growing entity, one very much deserving of attention.
Cool American
The cover of Cool American’s Better Luck Next Year is a grainy post-party photo: empty mixers and liquor bottles strewn amongst fallen tinsel. This visual and the album’s title evoke the universal feeling of cleaning up the remnants of a disappointing evening.
Maybe next weekend will be different.
Nathan Tucker, the singer/songwriter behind Cool American, specializes in communicating this end-of-the-night ennui. He has the insight of a pop troubadour; his songs reveal astute observations about himself and his peers (“And every couple months/she’s seeing someone new/seems to keep her/from something deeper”) with a transparency that makes his lyrics—which at first may seem world-weary—hopeful and comforting. Tucker’s throaty voice narrates familiar feelings, making it extremely difficult to avoid empathy or self-reflection as he sings about topics ranging from getting the news about a hospital-bound friend to seeing a band play an all ages spot that will be closed in a year.
In Cool American’s forthcoming release, Tucker seems to be at the end of his rope emotionally (“Smoke a lonely cigarette/same stupid fucking music/is playing in the background”)—but that may be because all of his energy is going towards the music. Moving away from a lone guitar and towards an electric configuration gives Cool American the chance to find strength in their emotive vulnerability. By the third song on the record I had underlined my note “Sun Kil Moon with an Adderall prescription” four times (which is a big, big compliment).
The marriage of indie and pop in which Cool American is nestled is the result of Tucker’s affinity for past stars like Elliott Smith and the current Portland music scene. “I think of the music my friends and peers (both in Portland and elsewhere) are making as just as influential to me as whatever ’90s or ’80s band people are likely to think our album sounds like,” says Tucker.
Cool American taps into age-old indie rock anguish with extremely catchy garage-rock melodies and a focus that makes their angst seems mature and polished—a refreshing take on a genre that occasionally soaks too long in its own sadness. The album rarely voices complaints, but instead thoughtfully identifies the melancholy in the mundane, exemplified by “Wanna Be a Dick”—a plaint composed of muted voicemails, pretty finger-picking and gentle harmonizing.
“For recording we basically wanted the record to sound like just the band playing in the room,” says Tucker. Tucker and his band have accomplished this mission perfectly, and the simple recording makes the album personal and easy to connect to. Cool American's new album You Can Win A Few highlights a marked evolution over Better Luck Next Year— but the group haven’t lost their ability to make songs about everyday happenings romantic and compelling.
Thursday, June 8th Join us for a free show with Minden / Super Secret Guests @ 8pm. 21 +
Thursday, June 15th Join us for a free show with Surfs Drugs / Ah Gods @ 8pm. 21 +
Thursday, June 22nd Join us for a free show with Vinyl Williams / Wet Dream @ 8pm. 21 +
Thursday, June 29th Join us for a free show with Riley Geare Trio / Sama Dams Experimental Set @ 8pm. 21 +
Hailing from 4/20-friendly Washington state, Weeed is a stoner rock band for people who lover stoner rock. They’re jammers without borders, and aren’t subtle about their sources of musical inspiration (the closing track on 2015’s Our Guru Brings Us to the Black Master Sabbath is a 15-minute opus called “Nature’s Green Magic”). In a live setting, the group’s energy—which is largely driven by a pair of synchronized drummers—is incendiary, and their unabashed rocking is a sight to behold. Weeed’s new album, Meta, is still rich with psychedelic charm and a heartfelt appreciation for reefer.
The Old Church is pleased to welcome Middle Eastern/North African ensemble Nani (nanimusic.com), and soulful oud/flamenco guitar duo Seffarine. Join us on Wednesday, June 14th at 7:30pm for a night you will never forget!
Nani is a progressive Ladino ensemble, that brings together warm and diverse musical blends of North African music, Middle Eastern music and Jazz.This unique blend of Guitars, Oud, Ewi, Electronics and Noam's hypnotizing vocals envisions a new breath of life into the ancient Ladino language by creating a co-existence of past and present which makes it ever so relevant today.
"A must see show" -Volkskrant NL
"Brilliant & outstanding! Noam’s ballads go under your skin" -Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung DE
Seffarine is a duo formed by Moroccan singer Lamiae Naki and oud player/flamenco guitarist Nat Hulskamp. Their repertoire varies from classical Arabic and Andalusian music to original compositions influenced by the music of widely varying cultures, such as Spanish flamenco, classical Persian music, and American jazz.
Seffarine takes its name from the ancient metalworking square in Lamiae's home city of Fes, Morocco. Her family is well known in the Seffarine as master metalworkers continuing the tradition today. The square dates back to the 9th century and is famous for the complex rhythms that can be heard from the blacksmiths' hammers.
Lamiae Naki (vocals)
Lamiae was born in the city of Fes, the historic cultural capital of Morocco. Fes’ medina or old walled city is the biggest in the Arab world and is a UNESCO world heritage site. It is the only functioning medieval city and also the home of the oldest continuously running university in the world. As a center for learning in the Arab world, one can hear in Fes classical Arabic music as well as every kind of traditional Moroccan music, Sufi music, Andalusian music, pop, jazz and hip hop.
She was drawn to music from a young age and began singing, writing songs, and using every resource to find new music and influences from widely varying cultures. Lamiae studied Andalusian music and other forms of classical Arabic music in Fes, and has continued to creatively apply her expertise in Moroccan and Andalusi music to many other traditions. Lamiae has also been featured on recordings such as “Hora de Soñar” by Martín Zarzar of the world renowned group Pink Martini and the soundtrack for the film by Alissa Cramer “No Plorar Mai” (USA/Spain/Angola). In 2012 She was awarded a grant from the Regional Arts and Culture Council to travel to Istanbul, Turkey to study classical Turkish singing with master singer Aylin Sengun Tasci. Lamiae now resides in Portland, USA.
Nat Hulskamp (flamenco guitar and oud)
Nat was born in Portland, OR. He began studying guitar with guitarist/composer Paul Chasman at age seventeen. He was soon introduced to flamenco guitar by Jose Solano. His interest in the influence of Arabic music on flamenco led him to study oud in Morocco. After returning to the US, he moved to Seattle to study ethnomusicology at the University of Washington. There he worked with the groups Carmona Flamenco, The Rez Quartet and others ranging in style from Hungarian Csardas and Gypsy swing to flamenco.
In 2000 he co-founded the Vancouver, BC based Arabic/ flamenco group Aire with ney player and singer Emad Armoush. In 2004 he moved to Portland and formed the group Shabava with kamancheh/sehtar/violinist and singer Bobak Salehi. In 2010 he formed the trio Caminhos Cruzados with master jazz guitarist Dan Balmer and Ghanaian percussion virtuoso Israel Annoh. Nat has studied with the top flamenco guitarists of today including, Diego del Morao, Manuel Parrilla, Pepe del Morao, José Antonio Rodriguez and Dani de Morón. In 2012 Nat received a grant from the Regional Arts and Culture Council to travel to Jerez de la Frontera, Spain to continue studying flamenco guitar with the Morao family. He now resides in Portland, composing and performing with Shabava, Caminhos Cruzados and Seffarine.
On June 14th, we will come together for Voz’s 2017 Annual Dinner celebrating the lives of the diverse day laborers and immigrants who find employment through the MLK Jr. Workers Center and raising our voice in opposition to the many threats facing our community at this time. The event, which attracted over 250 supporters last year, is hosted by Voz staff, board, and volunteers, and attendees come from ally organizations, church groups, and the large community of individuals supporting Voz’s work. The dinner is catered by ¿Por Que No?, with live music, incredible raffle prizes, and a short program with community speakers sharing our recent successes and current efforts working with day laborers and immigrants in the Portland community. With this year’s goal of $30,000 we hope to continue our efforts to unite and support one of the most vital groups of Portland, the workers.
Another in the ever-continuous series of special multidisciplinary events of cross-creative mediums as is the Yardsss and Self Group tradition of combining as many expressive means as possible in each event. This special event features the Yardsss ∅∀‡ full band formation including Krist Krueger, Paul Michael Schaefer and Robin Levy on a special PNW record release for the brand new wrtch album 'Rabbit Holes [andotherexits]' (June 6th, Self Group) along with Coastal States, spoken word by Kelsey Whitman and visuals by analog film-collage projectionist Colin Manning.
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Tuesday, June 13th
Self Group & Black Water Present
Yardsss ∅∀‡
wrtch
Coastal States
@ Black Water (835 NE Broadway Ave PDX)
8:00 PM doors, 9:00 PM show
$8 suggested donation
All Ages
Spoken word by Kelsey Whitman
Visuals by Colin Manning
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Yardsss ∅∀‡
∅∀‡ full band performance featuring Krist Krueger, Paul Michael Schaefer and Robin Levy. Regarding Krist Krueger's Yardsss: If you read about it before listening, you'd likely mistake it for a liberal arts master's thesis. Where most bands play "shows," Yardsss puts on "performance case studies" and multimedia installations, including a collection of songs inspired by—not covers of!—avant-garde composer John Cage. All this could be completely obnoxious except for one thing: Yardsss is transcendentally, earth-shatteringly gorgeous. If you can make music like that, you get to call your show a case study.
wrtch
The multifaceted artworks of Ambrosia Bartošekulva are seemingly limitless in their imaginings and mediums. Her vast multistory (and multisensory) installations such as #PLANETS, textured mixed-media paintings including salt honey and menstrual blood, or the internal underworlds invoked in aria as wrtch all contain a common thread of innate wisdom and lead us on journeys not out but through. Despite deep DIY roots in Seattle’s underground, Ambrosia has recently moved to Chicago to pursue a BA of Fine Arts focusing on technology, biology, and sculpture at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago as the recipient of a full merit scholarship.
Coastal States
COASTAL STATES is the stage name for artist musician Sai Esquivel.
Kelsey Whitman (Spoken Word)
Portland writer and poet.
Colin Manning (Visuals)
Analog multi-projector film collage.
The Specials
When The Specials reformed in 2008 for a one off surprise performance at the Bestival Festival few would have banked on the band still playing to huge audiences around the world in 2016, but they are with a new tour booked for October and November and plans for the future. Following the terribly sad loss of drummer and founder member John Bradbury suddenly in December 2015 the band have decided to carry on and continue to fill dancehalls and inspire fans young and old.
With the first tour in 2009 selling out immediately and more dates hurriedly added it was obvious there was a massive demand to see this iconic band who only released two albums in their short career but were one of the most influential groups in UK musical history.
Hailing from the industrial city of Coventry, this multi-racial seven-piece combined the angry, disaffected voice of punk with the wind-your-waist sensibility of ska and reggae to re-define pop music and make Britain dance again. A mercurial two and a half years later and it was all over, leaving behind seven top ten singles (two of which went to No.1) and two top five genre-defining albums. Their first single, "Gangsters," released on their own 2tone label in 1979, was their calling card and "Ghost Town," their swan song, encapsulated the political mood in Britain. In between was a larger-than-life reputation for killer sweat-drenched live shows and an attitude that walked like it talked.
Since they reformed 30 years later, The Specials have performed at over 200 shows worldwide including (deep breath): Coachella / Live on the Letterman Show (US), Summersonic / Fuji Rocks (Japan), Benecassim (Spain), Lalapalooza Festival, (Chile), Montreal Jazz Festival (Canada), Bluesfest Byron Bay (Australia) as well as countless other worldwide events. In the Uk they closed the Olympic Games festival in Hyde Park, played Glastonbury, Isle of Wight Festival amongst others and had several sold out tours.
The band have now confirmed that Gary Powell of The Libertines will be drumming on the 2016 dates following the tragic loss of founder member John (Brad) Bradbury who died at the end of 2015. Powell has said: "It is with deepest gratitude that I state what an honour it is to be asked to perform for The Specials in their up and coming US and UK tour dates. John (Brad) Bradbury was a unique performer and his style and ability was definitely one of the defining factors that helped to create The Specials sound, and it is with great humility that I will be doing these tours and carrying on his legacy.
"The Specials are one of the UK's most important bands so I am also very excited at the prospect of performing such a great catalogue of music with some of the most important characters in English music folklore.
"Again I cannot thank The Specials enough for believing in me to take on such a heady task and I look forward to the challenge!"
Keeper Keeper - https://www.facebook.com/keeperkeeperpdx
- https://keeperkeeper.bandcamp.com/
Phil Ajjarapu - https://www.facebook.com/philajjarapumusic/
- https://philajjarapu.bandcamp.com/
Go Fever - https://www.facebook.com/gofeverband/
- https://gooofever.bandcamp.com/releases
Free as a bird!
9pm
21+
Slim's
8635 N Lombard St, Portland, OR 97203
$8/21+
Long Hallways:
Eclectic and orchestral post-rock that takes you on a journey with a 6-piece multi-instrumental lineup
X SUNS:
Revered Seattle heavy-weights, X Suns are releasing a new 7 inch Vinyl, ‘Strawberry Mansion/Twelve Hours’, recorded with Seattle genius, Matt Bayles (Isis, Mastodon, Minus the Bear)
You May Die in the Desert (Seattle):
Highly energetic and powerful prog/post-rock trio
Violetera:
On Friday, June 9, Abbie Weisenbloom will present San Francisco-based Brazilian Jazz Vocalist Sandy Cressman with pianist Jasnam Daya Singh and trombonist Jeff Cressman in an intimate house concert setting.
Vocalist Cressman, who has recorded with such Latin Jazz fixtures as Ray Obiedo and Pete Escovedo, and has a natural affinity for Brazilian jazz that has been lauded by critics as well as Brazilian composers Filó Machado, Ivan Lins and Dori Caymmi, is on tour in support of her recently released CD "Entre Amigos”.
Cressman’s current tour began in Recife, Brazil, where she and her husband trombonist Jeff Cressman(longtime trombonist with Carlos Santana Band) performed at the Paço do Frevo cultural center, and at mainstage Carnaval events as part of a cultural exchange tour. As founder and leader of Homenagem Brasileira, Cressman has had many opportunities over the last 20-plus years to forge creative partnerships with like-minded musicians from the Bay to Brazil. Her entrancing new album, Entre Amigos, which was released on February 3, marks the culmination of these relationships and is a celebration of her own deep history with the music and the players.
"Entre Amigos" features all original compositions which Cressman wrote in collaboration with friends from the world of Brazilian Jazz, including Antonio Adolfo, Jovino Santos Neto, Spok, Ian Faquini, Ray Obiedo and more.
The Portland show will feature pianist Jasnam Daya Singh, who was born in Rio but has lived in the US since 1987 and is based in Portland. The Latin Grammy Award nominee has toured Europe and Japan playing his own compositions and collaborating with American, European and Brazilian Musicians.
In "World Music Report" (March 22, 2017) Raul da Gama describes "Entre Amigos" as:
"…extraordinary musicians from Brasil and the American West Coast music scene that bring a winning combination of genuine excitement and bustling virtuosity to Entre Amigos. However, it is the radiant lyricism in the voice of Sandy Cressman, complete with the affective whisperings and exhilarating resonances that combine with the poetry of her music that make this recording quite unforgettable."
Thursday, June 8th Join us for a free show with Minden / Super Secret Guests @ 8pm. 21 +
Thursday, June 15th Join us for a free show with Surfs Drugs / Ah Gods @ 8pm. 21 +
Thursday, June 22nd Join us for a free show with Vinyl Williams / Wet Dream @ 8pm. 21 +
Thursday, June 29th Join us for a free show with Riley Geare Trio / Sama Dams Experimental Set @ 8pm. 21 +
ABSTRACT EARTH PROJECT PRESENTS
Wed June 7, 2017 9:00 pm PDT (Doors: 8:00 pm )
Tickets are $18.