Seeing Autolux live is like being placed on a conveyor belt at an android factory. Bit by bit, song by song, they replace the eyes, ears, limbs, and hearts of everyone in the crowd. Converting the faithful followers into a small militia of mechanical automatons. The guitars are aluminum silver, the drummer makes her own clothes, all awesome and partly from space. Funky beats and feedback. Everyone sings. Everything is distorted and distressed, without losing melodies or precision. The allure of Autolux is their ability to create dark and desolate soundscapes that still convey undertones of sensuality. Their music is immensely moving and dramatic, but also colorful. They rebel against norms without ever being impish or contemptuous. If ever there was a band deserving of comparisons to Caravaggio, Autolux is it.
The Los Angeles based trio has just recently signed to TBD Records in the US and ATP Recordings for the rest of the world, although their first record, Future Perfect, was released on T Bone Burnett's label, DMZ, under Columbia in 2004. Future Perfect began with "Turnstile Blues", featuring one of the most distinctive drumbeats and musical atmospheres of any album in recent memory. A Pitchfork review stated, "In the first 10 seconds of the album opener, Carla Azar shames most every beat-maker with her ridiculous Leibezeit-cum-Bonham percussion." The song created a vacuum of precise tumult that pulled you in, stretched you out, and spit your altered shape through a flawless cycle of songs. The album's otherworldly moods and eclectic makeup of songs made it difficult to categorize and gained the band much-deserved respect. Four and half years have passed since the band stopped touring on Future Perfect. But the space since then has been filled with activity in spite of any obstacles thrown their way, including the process of freeing themselves from Columbia and escaping with full ownership of Future Perfect.
As part of the long build up to the release of their new album, Transit Transit, they made the song "Audience No.2" available as a 'pay what you will' track on their website. Soon after, they joined PJ Harvey for a tour of Russia. During this time they also continued to play their own shows, trying out new songs live, and in some cases revisiting the recorded versions to make necessary alterations or, in some cases, total deletions. In the summer of 2009, they collaborated with the painter Kill Pixie (Mark Whalen) for 'Future Spa', an art exhibition/sound installation in Los Angeles. In more recent months, the band has toured extensively, including an appearance at All Tomorrow's Parties in upstate New York and an opening spot with Thom Yorke's Atoms For Peace.
Now, the much-awaited follow-up, Transit Transit is finally here. It begins no less uniquely than its predecessor, although this time the subtler concussion of rhythm that starts the title track is an announcement of change, and the following mood and vocal—a metaphysical sorbet. If you have been waiting, somewhat impatiently, for this record, Transit Transit has yielded an unexpected mix of material, but has everything you had hoped for. And if Autolux is a band you are just discovering, here is a deep and profound world of noise and emotion to immerse yourself in.
The band produced Transit Transit themselves with guitarist/vocalist Greg Edwards serving as engineer. Most of the record was recorded at Space 23, the band's makeshift studio in their rehearsal room near downtown Los Angeles. A few drum tracks – "Highchair," "Spots," and "The Science of Imaginary Solutions" – came from an earlier session with producer/engineer John Goodmanson. The title track "Transit Transit" (the last song to be recorded) was started in Denmark by Edwards, using a virtually unplayable upright piano and a sample of a coffin-style freezer found in a nearby basement, and then finished back in Los Angeles. There is a notable sonic progression to Transit Transit: samples, vintage synthesizers, and manipulated ambience glue central song components together. There are a lot more vocal harmonies and piano driven songs, even a bit of trumpet. Vocal duties are shared by all three members throughout the album – their voices strangely similar – but each having a definite emotional character. Bassist/ singer, Eugene Goreshter continues to innovate his bass style, effortlessly modernizing the instrument's melodic role on songs like "Census" and "Supertoys," while still providing an on-edge rawness and groove-filled momentum. Edwards' guitars serve to modulate the moods throughout the record, constantly evoking feelings found in the space between emotions. And Carla Azar's sturdy, creative drumming (a phenomenon to behold on stage) continues on record with plenty of hook beats – ferocious and orchestral, at once.
The majority of the album was mixed by Kennie Takahashi, three of the tracks being mixed by Dave Sardy, and then mastered by Bob Ludwig. Artist Kill Pixie and Carla created the artwork for Transit Transit.
Titus Andronicus
The Most Lamentable Tragedy [hereafter TMLT] is the fourth studio album by Titus Andronicus [hereafter +@] and the band's debut for Merge Records. A rock opera in five acts, it will see release on the 28th of July 2015 as a digital download, double CD, and triple vinyl LP. "[In July 2005] I turned 20 years old—I started the band and closed the door on my teenage years," says singer/songwriter Patrick Stickles, "and on July 28th this year, I'm turning 30. Putting out this record is my way of closing the door on my twenties—sharing what I have learned, sorrowing what I learned too late."
TMLT was produced by frequent collaborator Kevin McMahon and +@ lead guitarist Adam Reich. The core band is rounded out by the long-standing rhythm section of Eric Harm (drums) and Julian Veronesi (bass) plus hotshot rookie guitarist Jonah Maurer. Joining the lads throughout are veteran pianist Elio DeLuca and luminous Canadian violinist Owen Pallett, beside a colorful cast of special guests representing some of the New York scene's most exciting bands (The So So Glos, Baked, Bad Credit No Credit, Lost Boy?, etc.).
The central narrative of TMLT ("a work of fiction," Stickles says, looking away) concerns an unnamed protagonist whom we meet in the depths of his decrepit despair. Following an encounter with his own doppelgänger (an enigmatic stranger, identical in appearance though opposite in disposition), long held secrets are revealed, sending our protagonist on a transformative odyssey, through past lives and new loves, to the shocking revelation that the very thing that sustains him may be the very thing to destroy him.
Hardly the rambling mess its 29 tracks and 93:44 runtime might suggest, TMLT is a miracle of structural integrity and symmetry. The complete sequence of five "acts" will present a cohesive vision the likes of which few rock groups would have the self-esteem (let alone the chops) to even consider attempting, while the division of these acts, and the special care taken to give each its own sonic and thematic identity, will grant the listener the ability to ration or binge according to their pleasure. Across these five acts, we watch the passage of four seasons—the desolate desperation of winter melts away under the warm hope of approaching spring, just as the sticky fumes of the big city summer dissipate when autumn brings its comforting colors, and with them, the knowledge that they will fade, that all will fall and decay.
Still beyond the linear legibility of its seasonal motif, TMLT creates a universe that begs to be explored, an interlocking cycle of phases and recurrent events. "The first half is the second half in reverse—holding the first up to the mirror, we see the second," explains Stickles, feverishly. "Like our universe, it expands outward in every direction. It contains our most ornate arrangements and our most spare, our most uplifting music and our most bleak. With equal fervor we strive to show you +@ at our most beautiful and our most brutal, our most polished and our most raw." All these factors contribute to what Stickles identifies as "a certain bipolar quality."
"It should always be the dearest hope of the Artist that the Art they create could have been created by no one else," Stickles says suddenly, unprompted, "and that if it cannot be adored, it should be despised. Cast wide the poles! +@ is undaunted and TMLT will not be quietly abided."
Nor can it be denied—TMLT is the pinnacle and the missing piece, both the crown jewel of the band's discography and the legend that contextualizes their entire body of work. It reveals that +@ are what hardcore fans have said they are for years, and what the world must now recognize them to be: not merely the greatest rock and roll band of this era, but one of the greatest rock and roll bands of all time.
La Sera
You’ve worked yourself to the bone the whole month, so now it’s your time to have some fun! Come enjoy free beverages from Fat Head’s Brewery, Basecamp Brewing Co and Riunite wine all night long! Plus music, food carts, art collectives and much more! But, more importantly, come relax and leave the work for Monday.
ROI Friday is promoting on every last Friday of the month (May 27th, June 24th, July 29th and August 26th) at SE 2nd street between SE Taylor and SE Yamhill street.
Presented by Kin Living
Sponsors include:
Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI)
Fat Head's Portland
Base Camp Brewing Company
Riunite
Essentia Water
City Home
21+ / $5 suggested donation at entrance. All donations will benefit OMSI.
Discogs and XRAY have joined forces to bring some of our favorite DJs together for one night at Dig a Pony. They'll take turns selecting from their crates (playing nothing but rare vinyl) all night long. Come hang out with Discogs and XRAY and hear sets that sound like no others:
Cuica (Missisippi Records)
DDDJJJ666 (Hipsters Suck, Crossroads Records)
Morning Remorse (Blind Dates with Morning Remorse)
Rev Shines (Lifesavas, Today's Good News)
Drink Specials for XRAY Members (Bring your Membership Keychain!)
FREE
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis kick off a 2-month European Arena tour on March 8 and today they announce their North American Spring tour including a headlining performance at Bonnaroo in Manchester, TN. Support by Raz Simone.
The duo is composed of Ben Haggerty, a singer who goes by the name of Macklemore, and Ryan Lewis, a record producer, DJ, and professional photographer, who met the former at a photo shoot and they have significantly collaborated ever since.
On Friday, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis self-released ‘This Unruly Mess I’ve Made,’ the follow up to their multi-PLATINUM, award winning 2012 album ‘The Heist.’ The thirteen track LP includes PLATINUM selling single “Downtown” (featuring Kool Moe Dee, Melle Mel, Grandmaster Caz, and Eric Nally), as well as previously unavailable “Growing Up” (featuring Ed Sheeran) and “Kevin” (featuring Leon Bridges).
Flutter has been on Mississippi Ave for ten whole years, and we want to celebrate our birthday with you.
There will be prizes, giveaways, drinks and surprises, plus DJs Strange Babes to help ring in the eleventh year in style.
Wear your dancing shoes!
Soundcontrol PDX presents PAPER: a night of dark electronics
Sean Pierce
Bloom Offering (SEA)
DJ Wax/Wane
This event is FREE, live electronic projects and dark techno.
An evening of experimental sound art.
RUST PROMOTER
[Hypnotic Disturbances]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8h94zjQhaWo
YOUNG HOUND
[Sound Collage]
https://younghound.bandcamp.com/track/sonic-subway
TALC
[Loose Form]
https://soundcloud.com/shane-mcdonell
https://soundcloud.com/bobdesaulniers
Visuals by Krystal Pérez
http://www.krystalperez.net/
$5-10 Sliding scale, no one turned away for lack of funds
8 PM
+21
Please join the Love Your Body Action Team, Gender Justice Action Team, Women of Color Action Team, Feminists for Environmental Justice, and the Bi-Feminist Alliance in welcoming Cory Lira in a discussion of fat liberation.
The event will focus on the often-ignored experiences and discourse of size, fatness, and fatidentity. In looking at the myths and beliefs surrounding fat people and the feared obesity crisis we will also explore how the pathologizing of fatness has prevented fat discrimination from being included in social justice work. By centering the conversation on the intersectional & decolonial identity/body politics that this identity holds for many queer and trans people of color, we will explore the ways in which fatness plays out in our privilege/oppression. The goal of this workshop is to break down stereotypes on fatness, develop an intersectional & decolonial approach and understanding of fat identity, and to create visibility for fat oppression and fat liberation.
Cory Lira is a fat femme of color xicana speaker, educator, and writer based in Portland, OR. In addition to body & fat liberation work, she is an organizer for Critical Resistance Portland, and helps run and write for the blog Fat People of Color.
The Women's Resource Center is accessible by elevator via Montgomery Hall. Please e-mail lybat@pdx.edu for any questions or concerns.
A coarsely-mixed blend of music from near and far.
TIG BITTY
tigbitty.bandcamp.com/
Jai Milx
OF* (OAKLAND)
oftheband.bandcamp.com
TALL GRASS (OAKLAND)
tallgrassmeow.com
Bobby Wasabi
MATTRESS
https://mattressmattress.bandcamp.com/
CHARLES B SALAS-HUMARA
(sun angle / grapefruit)
FREE
“My symphony will be unlike anything the world has ever heard!” Such was Mahler’s vision for this massive work, which waxes philosophical in a beautiful, haunting affirmation of a complex universe in which the ultimate form of being is love."
Mahler: Symphony No. 3
Carlos Kalmar, conductor
PSU and Pacific Youth Choirs
Susan Platts, mezzo-soprano
Learn about the interplay of pitch, intervals, harmony, tonality, and rhythm, in order to identify and manipulate these creative components in the music you are making or admire.
Mary Sutton is a pianist and composer based in Portland, Or. She has a lifelong curiosity and passion for music theory. She has made this predilection into a career teaching as an accompanist at the Portland Waldorf School, as well as teaching students in private lessons. She plays synthesizer in the duo Cat Mummies at the Louvre with Caley Feeney, and is in the process of recording a set of solo synth compositions.
This class is not required for Synth Library membership, but strongly recommended for anyone who has little or no experience in basic music theory. This course is open to female and non-binary individuals only, but additional courses for all will be scheduled in the future.
$5-10 sliding scale
Register here: http://s1portland.com/workshops/musictheory/
http://womensbeatleague.com/
*photo from Neybuu's Introduction to Synthesis workshop
Susan Cianciolo (b. 1969) is an artist and fashion designer. From 1995 to 2001 she released eleven collections and a number of videos under the name RUN. She lives in Brooklyn and teaches at Pratt Institute.
In April 1985 Valerie Day, John Smith, and their band Nu Shooz, released the five-song EP ‘Tha’s Right!’. Acting on a dare from a local music writer, Gary Bryan of Portland Oregon’s KKRZ put the song “I Can’t Wait” on the air. Listener reaction was strong and immediate- the kind of response known in radio jargon as ‘Instant Phones.’
But this was no overnight sensation. By the time the whole world heard about the Soul band from Oregon, they’d spent seven years onstage, four hours a night, four or five nights a week. So, when their spotlight moment came, the Shooz could get up and play.
By the end of the year “I Can’t Wait” was a regional hit. But the song really took off when it was remixed by Dutch DJ Peter Slaghuis. Atlantic Records signed the band in January 1986. “I Can’t Wait” eventually reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. Other hits followed. Nu Shooz was nominated for a Best New Artist Grammy in 1987.
What a long, strange, beautiful trip it's been.
Fast forward to the present…
After a lengthy hiatus from the world of pop/funk and soul, (to raise a family and play other styles of music,) Valerie and John revive the Nu Shooz sound. The husband and wife team are back on the road as part of the Super Freestyle Explosion Tour and the live eight piece band, Shoo-Horns and all, are playing shows for the first time in 25 years.
$ 20.00 General Admission
$45 VIP Tickets: Limited quantity. Ticket includes band meet & greet at sound check, signed CD, drink ticket, and special VIP area seating. Only available on the Nu Shooz ‘Bagtown’ Pledgemusic page:
www.pledgemusic.com/projects/bagtown
Not in Portland but would like to see the show?
Nu Shooz is excited to be partnering with Portland's own local event streaming company Audioglobe.
$5 Livestream on Audioglobe:
http://www.audioglobe.com/event/254/1026
Age Limit:
21+
Young Thug is Atlanta based rapper who was given the birth name of Jeffrey Williams and gained notoriety in 2013 following the release of his mixtape 1017 Thug. He was signed by Gucci Mane's label 1017 Brick Squad Records after Mane listened to his first three mixtapes I Came From Nothing Parts 1, 2, and 3. He was a part of the 25 New Rappers to Watch Out For list put out by Complex in 2013.
Doors at 7:00PM
All Ages to Enter, 21 & Over to Drink
“My symphony will be unlike anything the world has ever heard!” Such was Mahler’s vision for this massive work, which waxes philosophical in a beautiful, haunting affirmation of a complex universe in which the ultimate form of being is love."
Mahler: Symphony No. 3
Carlos Kalmar, conductor
PSU and Pacific Youth Choirs
Susan Platts, mezzo-soprano
Celebration for Dolphin Midwives debut cassette release, Orchid Milk on the evening of the Full Moon in Sagittarius!
Hosted at the Kenton Masonic Temple!
Opening up will be avant/shamanic puppetry/experimental music project, Dead Death.
Featuring handmade puppets, multiple personalities, electronic and acoustic textural sonic landscapes, Dead Death will take you there and beyond.
https://www.facebook.com/deaddeathsound/?fref=ts
Second, the Venerable Showers of Beauty Gamelan Orchestra, directed by Mindy Johnston.
http://www.vsbgamelan.org/
Dolphin Midwives, closing it down, offers cyclic, avant harp environments, choral caverns, microtonal zither realms and jungular percussive textures from her debut, Orchid Milk.
http://dolphinmidwives.bandcamp.com/
A rare, beautiful and mystical evening of music and celebration.
Tickets $12, available online at http://orchidmilk.brownpapertickets.com/
This is an all ages event.
DEEP SEA DIVER
In late 2013, Dobson put in her notice to former Shins boss, James Mercer, in order to give full attention to her own musical vision. Mercer agreed, saying “I’ll miss you, but I give you my full support. You’ve gotta pursue Deep Sea Diver”. While much was gleaned from the experiences in her many years spent playing with top tier musical outfits (Beck, the Shins, Spoon, Yeah Yeah Yeahs,) something was brewing that demanded a sort of dedication and alertness that couldn’t be fully engaged while moonlighting as a side-woman for those greats. “Good thing too," noted Stereogum, "because Jessica is an incredible front woman.”
Recorded with Darrell Thorpe (Radiohead, Beck) and Luke Vanderpol at the Bank in CA, Jessica and band (comprised of husband Peter Mansen on drums, Garrett Gue on bass, and Elliot Jackson on guitar and synth) have together created an album that is colorful, energetic, and varied—with an emotional depth and pulsating charge that demands the listeners full attention. As she and Mercer sing together on Creatures of Comfort, “I’m in my own world”, the listener is brought in, and very content that this is the world that she has chosen and invited others into. Secrets is an album you will not want to keep to yourself.
LOST LANDER
lyrics, either of which are all too easy to get lost in. What started out as a project founded by singer/songwriter Matt Sheehy and producer Brent Knopf of Menomena, has evolved into a strong four piece band, with a rich, rounded sound.” - KEXP
Portland, OR’s own Lost Lander is very happy to announce that Medallion, their second full length record, will be released on February 24th. A short run of Pacific Northwest dates in celebration of the announcement begins on Friday in Enterprise, OR. Seattle bastion of independent radio KEXP was gracious enough to premiere a cut from the record to coincide with the announcement. “Walking on a Wire” can now be heard via http://blog.kexp.org/2014/12/03/song-premiere-lost-lander-walking-on-a-wire/
If DRRT, Lost Lander’s first independently released album, was about the confluence of nature and technology, Medallion, its latest, concerns dualities - experiences of love and loss, impermanence and longevity, death and rebirth.The confrontation of these dualities resulted in a set of songs that explore “more human territory,” according to Matt Sheehy, a professional forester who spends his days in Oregon’s immense wooded expanse. The coming-apart of Sheehy’s marriage engagement and nearly concurrent loss of his mother, followed closely by the blooming of a relationship with longtime friend and bandmate Sarah Fennell, heavily influenced the lyrics on Medallion. “Nothing lasts forever,” Matt observes. “And the seeds are already planted for the change that’s inevitable.”
Sheehy took the seeds of the songs into “the idea factory/workshop that is (producer) Brent Knopf’s (Menomena) brain,” he relates, “where he spits out all the bells and whistles you can hang on those structures.”
Medallion is all about wrenching joy from despair, of finding the permanent within the temporary. “This record is an exclamation of love and loss,” Fennell declares. “It’s emotional, dealing with life in an exuberant way, even if it’s sad, hard, wonderful, and crazy. We’re all just lucky to be here to experience it.”
HOSANNAS
What people are saying about Hosannas:
"The best, most unfuckwithable avant-pop I've heard in a while..." – Portland Mercury
"Lush, melodic songs built upon echoing acoustics." – Willamette Week
"Soft, beautiful music that pulsates, drones and spikes." – Fuck Bad Music
Ryan Meagher’s Evil Twin is an exploration of spontaneous, collective composition using loose forms, basic sketches, and total abandon.
Evil Twin is a double trio of Ryan Meagher – guitar(s) Ryan Miller – guitar(s) John Gross – tenor sax Tim Willcox – tenor sax Scott Cutshall – drums Todd Bishop – drums RyanMeagher.com
The Ian Christensen Quartet plays original music by its members that aims to blend jazz, rock, and free improvisation and propel tasteful communication between members. Featuring local staples Noah Bernstein (alto saxophone), Andrew Jones (bass), and Jonas Oglesbee (drums), the quartet plays with passion and discretion, looking simultaneously towards the past and the future. ianchristensenmusic.com