Events

The Portland Black Music Expo​ is a multi-day entertainment experience and cultural conversation which unifies and reflects the richness of Black people and their culture. This production combines live entertainment in a variety of Black-influenced genres, informative panel discussions, and a hub for community resources. The Expo highlights artistic elements of the Black experience in an inclusive space intended to promote, uplift, and empower patrons from diverse backgrounds both personally and professionally. ​This year’s event will use the platform of music to highlight the importance of voting in our upcoming presidential election.

You need a laugh. Put this one on your calendar. Space is limited, especially for VIP "No Mitch" ticket packages! Buy a ticket to see Portland's top comedians like Amanda Arnold, Nathan Brannan, Susan Rice, and Art Krug!

Tickets available here.

Friday, October 2nd at 7pm XRAY FM and Vortex Music Magazine Presents "the Maurice and The Stiff Sisters Vinyl Release Livestream" with Stoner Control, Maurice and the Stiff Sisters, Seven Year Sleep and Minda Lacy. Each band will host their own livestream on their own social media pages. A list of when and where to tune is available on the XRAY Facebook Events Page. 

2020 XRAY Awards!

Honoring audio achievements and outstanding activism in the greater Portland area. Join your community at the 2020 XRAY Awards for an evening celebrating the best makers and shakers among us. Featuring a live musical performance, dinner by Snackrilege, special desserts and more. 

Streaming on YouTube, live from Clinton Street Theater and hosted by Andy Lindberg, the XRAY Awards show features performances by Black Belt Eagle Scout and Brown Calculus!

The XRAY Awards is an annual celebration gala, honoring those whose work impacts our community in a positive way. More information on the Award winners and presenters will be unveiled on XRAY.FM’s social media pages in the coming weeks. This year, expect to see an emphasis on organizations and individuals promoting social justice and policy change, community aide, and advocacy.

The VIP Cocktail Hour starts at 6 pm, followed by the Awards show at 7. Headlining Music Performance at 8:30 pm. VIP tickets are $120 and include dinner and drinks delivered to your home, along with an exclusive VIP gift box. GA tickets are sliding scale, starting at just $5. 

Catering will be vegan this year, provided by Snackrilege and Shoofly Bakery. Drinks come from Migration Brewing and New Deal Distillery.

Reserve your tickets here.

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Taking place across Portland bedrooms and living rooms, the House Show series aims to bring people virtually together during this time of social distancing and separation. As a result of Covid-19 venues have remained closed and tours have been cancelled across the country. Artists who depend on performing have been hit particularly hard, our goal is to support artists in our community as long as we are staying safe and social distancing. 

Each house show begins at 7PM with two featured artists performing live from their home. Attendance is free and open to the public. Donations are encouraged, 100% of the funds raised goes towards directly supporting artists. Join us on the dates below! 

Support for this series comes from The Falcon Art Community, and our media sponsor Grapevine Outdoor. 

More information on how you can donate and support artists in our community HERE.

Unless otherwise noted all events begin at 7PM and are streamable through:
Youtube HERE  & Facebook Live HERE

Upcoming Events:

8/28 - Escare Album Release Show 8PM on YouTube 

09/04 - Kyle Craft from 4-6PM dual broadcast on XRAY.FM + YouTube

09/11 - Out From The Shadows Festival Showcase II

Past house show performances are available on the XRAY.FM Youtube channel here, featuring:

Fruit Bats/EDJ, AAN, Saintseneca, Faustina Masigat, Tim Perry of Ages & Ages, Black Belt Eagle Scout, Cay is Okay, Luz Elena Mendoza of Y La Bamba, Ryan Oxford, Mic Capes, Jordan Fletcher, Minority Retort Comedy Showcase, Sallie Ford, Mike Coykendall, Advance Base, Popular Music, KayelaJ, Mr. Wrong, Kassi Valazza, Nalani Proctor

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This year marks the 100th Anniversary of passing the 19th Amendment, which guaranteed and protected women’s right to vote in America.

While the 19th Amendment, which passed in August 1920, stated all women on paper, many states in our country introduced hurdles: poll taxes & literacy tests kept black voters disenfranchised, obstacles which weren’t outlawed until the passage of the Voting Rights Act in August 1965.

Even now we continue to face obstructions to the right to vote. In 2020 alone we’ve seen polling places closed in disproportionately poor and urban neighborhoods, an attack on the Postal Service to fight Vote by Mail and continued Gerrymandering of districts to marginalize voting groups.

In Suffragette City we’ll look at the history of Women and the right to vote, from the start of the Suffragette movement in 1848 to the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and into today. We also hope to entertain as we educate, tonight’s program will feature empowered female musicians from Portland and beyond, as well as a digital vendor showcase. 

So please stay tuned, we hope that you’ll enjoy the performances, support some local businesses and please REMEMBER TO VOTE!

Join us on August 18th at 6PM on the XRAY.FM YouTube page.

Featuring female artists, DJs, musicians, writers, historians, and activists to contribute segments to our live broadcast House Show, Suffragette City, 6-9 pm on August 18th. 

Music from:

KayelaJ
Mr Wrong
Nalani Proctor 
Kassi Valazza 

Cinema Unbound Drive-In Movie Theater
Get tickets HERE! https://nwfilm.org/film-series/drive-in-at-zidell-yards/

AUGUST
Weekend 1 - Theme: ManKind
8/6 John Lewis: Good Trouble (NEW RELEASE!) dir. Dawn Porter (2020) w/ DJ Bad Wizard
8/7 John Lewis: Good Trouble (NEW RELEASE!) dir. Dawn Porter (2020) w/ DJ OG One
8/8 Moonlight dir. Barry Jenkins (2016) w/ DJ KM Fizzy 

Weekend 2 - Theme: Ch, Ch, Changes
8/13 Milk dir. Gus Van Sant (2008) - w/ DJ Elizabeth Elder 
8/14 Fast Times at Ridgemont High dir. Amy Heckerling (1982) w/ DJ Sundae Shoes
8/15 Do the Right Thing dir. Spike Lee (1989) w/ DJ OG One 

Weekend 3 - Theme: Black Lagoons, Bowie & Badass Women
8/20 Creature From the Black Lagoon dir. Jack Arnold (1954) w/ DJ Sundae Shoes
8/21 Labyrinth dir. Jim Henson (1986) w/ DJ KM Fizzy 
8/22 Knives and Skin dir. Jennifer Reeder (2019) w/ DJ Kittybot

Weekend 4 - Theme: Living, Loving & Phoning Home
8/27 Sword of Trust dir. Lynn Shelton (2019) w/ DJ Elizabeth Elder
8/28 E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial dir. Steven Spielberg (1982) w/ DJ Bobby D 
8/29 The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert dir. Stephan Elliott (1994) w/ DJ Shi Shi 

SEPTEMBER
Weekend 5 - Theme: Suntory and Sports Time
9/10 Lost in Translation dir. Sofia Coppola (2003) w/ DJ Bad Wizard 
9/11 Love and Basketball dir. Gina Prince-Bythewood (2000) w/ DJ OG ONE
9/12 A League of Their Own dir. Penny Marshall (1992) w/DJ Bad Wizard 

Weekend 6 - Theme: Escape & Roll Bounce
9/17 The Birds dir. Alfred Hitchcock (1963) - DJ KM Fizzy 
9/18 The Great Outdoors dir. Howard Deutch (1988). DJ Elizabeth Elder
9/19 Xanadu dir. Robert Greenwald (1980) DJ Nate C 

Weekend 7 - Theme: There’s No Place Like Home
9/24 House Party dir. Reginald Hudlin (1990) w/ DJ OG ONE
9/25 Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure (pending) dir. Tim Burton (1985) w/ DJ Kittybot
9/26 The Shining dir. Stanley Kubrick (1980) w/ DJ Nate C 

*Films Subject to change

Get tickets HERE! https://nwfilm.org/film-series/drive-in-at-zidell-yards/

For up-to-date event information regarding weather and the Drive-In at Zidell Yards, please visit the event’s website. Please assume the show is on unless otherwise noted.

About the Northwest Film Center: Established in 1971, the Northwest Film Center is a Portland, Oregon-based year-round organization, an extension of the Museum and space where artists and audiences explore our region and the world through cinema and cinematic storytelling in all its forms.

About PAM: Founded in late 1892, the Portland Art Museum is the seventh oldest museum in the United States and the oldest in the Pacific Northwest. The Museum is internationally recognized for its permanent collection and ambitious special exhibitions, drawn from the Museum’s holdings and the world’s finest public and private collections.

About Zidell Yards: Located in the heart of Portland’s south waterfront district, Zidell Yards sits at the meeting point of the Portland Aerial Tram, OHSU's rapidly expanding riverfront campus, South Waterfront's residential towers, streetcar, the coming light rail, and the river.

Using drive-in movie theaters as inspiration, audience members will drive to a secret location in Central Eastside sent to them only hours before the show. Then, they will park their cars and witness the spectacle from the safety of their vehicle. XRAY.FM’s team of sound engineers will relay the sound directly into audience cars as artists perform throughout the parking lot, just like at a drive-in movie. Food will be available on site for pick up. A select number of standing room spaces are available to those without vehicles. Masks are required for anyone not in an enclosed vehicle.

The show will feature short performances from a variety of local artists including dance artists: Suba Ganesan (Portland Creative Laureate), KT Kusmaul(Body Home Fat Dance), Oluyinka Akinjiola (Rejoice! Diaspora Dance Theater), Musicians: Kenji Bunch and Monica Ohuchi (Fear No Music), Portland Opera, and Amenta Abioto, theatre artist Gerrin Mitchell and spoken word by Anya Pearson.

RSVP HERE. 

On Friday, June 19th at 7pm, Minority Retort, Portland’s premier stand-up comedy series featuring comedians of color, hits the virtual stage for its first ever online showcase!

Join host Jason Lamb as he welcomes an amazing lineup of comedians from all across the country for a one-of-kind Juneteenth celebration!

All proceeds will go towards Self Enhancement, Inc. providing academic support and comprehensive wraparound services for African American students and their families.

Scheduled to appear:

- Co-host Curtis Cook (LA)
- Tawanda Gona (NYC)
- Reese Samuels (Boise)
- J. Jones (Seattle)
- Janae Burris (Denver)
- Nathan Brannon (Walla Walla)
- Maggie Maye (Austin)
- Shanna Christmas (Las Vegas)
- Dahlia Belle (Portland)

Streaming live on 6/19 at 7PM from the XRAY.FM YouTube Channel: https://tinyurl.com/xrayhouseshows


About Minority Retort:

Minority Retort has become one of Portland’s most popular and critically-acclaimed comedy shows. Hosted and produced by Jason Lamb (XRAYFM radio, Portland Podcast Festival), Julia Ramos (All Jane Comedy Festival) and some of the NW’s finest comedic talent, the show’s goal is to provide comedians of color with a platform to speak their minds and share their unique perspectives, as well as reach the diverse comedy audience that exists within the so-called "whitest city in America".

National touring comedians Baron Vaughn (Netflix’s Grace & Frankie), Nico Santos (NBC’s Superstore), Dulce Sloan (The Daily Show), Marcella Arguello (@midnight) Ahmed Bharoocha, Dino Archie, Yedoye Travis, David Gborie and Maggie Maye have performed on the show, as well as many POC comics frequently featured in Portland's Bridgetown Comedy Festival: Curtis Cook, Bri Pruett and Nathan Brannon. Minority Retort is also a part of XRAY.FM’s morning show Fridays at 8:40am.”

Andy & Ginkgo will be streaming live from Holocene with some soulful selections.

For those who wish to donate, all proceeds will be donated to Don't Shoot PDX to support their important efforts toward supporting BIPOC communities, and ending systemic racism and police brutality.

Donations:
Venmo - @HolocenePortland

Tune in on Twitch or Youtube

https://www.twitch.tv/holoceneportland

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsoKG1GHaJGVO2XPJpRBxpA

Join Don't Shoot PDX on YouTube for their second live organizing meet up on Zoom.

Face to Face meet up to organize community in support of families affected by police violence. #BlackLivesMatter

Black America is going through collective trauma and community organizers are not able to physically show up. This makes it hard to process everything that is happening. We need to connect. There are resources for the families and there is legal support for comrades. It’s time to organize our communities. Professional organizers against systemic violence will help to guide your access and issue call to action. There is something you can do to end the racist violence against black people. It’s time to step up and speak up.

DontShootPDX.org 

Youth Power PDX is taking over XRAY.fm and Instagram with Speak Up, Sing Out, a multiplatform teen summit that will focus on the issues that matter to them. We'll be making space for their voices and the music and poetry that they are listening to every Monday in June from 2-3 pm. Follow Youth Power PDX on Instagram and bookmark our website, https://youthpowerpdx.org/ to learn how you can contribute and participate in this month long event.

***

STAY HOME!
While all our physical dance parties are canceled for the time being, DJ Anjali and The Incredible Kid will host Global Bass/Bhangra dance parties every Saturday night from their Batcave at www.twitch.tv/anjaliandthekid

8-11PM /Pacific

Donations accepted @ venmo.com/therealDJAnjali

{Our debut livestream party on March 21st was our first livestream ever and drew in 3,300 viewers and had 1,800 engagements. Thank you for supporting us through this time. We've been overwhelmed by your love & kind words.}

"Whether it’s the Desi-Latino Soundclash: Tropitaal, the Bhangra Bollywood dance party: ANDAZ, or her annual NYE rager, Anjali is the premier Portland dance DJ." Eleven PDX 4/8/19

"DJ Anjali & The Kid have been a staple of Portland, Oregon’s club scene for almost two decades, creating spaces for DJs and dancers to enjoy an international mélange of music ranging from bhangra to reggaeton." Remezcla 12/26/18


DJ ANJALI AND THE INCREDIBLE KID

www.anjaliandthekid.comwww.facebook.com/Anjaliandthekid
www.soundcloud.com/djanjali
www.soundcloud.com/the-incredible-kid
www.instagram.com/anjaliandthekid
www.instagram.com/theincrediblekid

STAY HOME!
While all our physical dance parties are canceled for the time being, DJ Anjali and The Incredible Kid will host Global Bass/Bhangra dance parties every Saturday night from their Batcave at www.twitch.tv/anjaliandthekid

8-11PM /Pacific

Donations accepted @ venmo.com/therealDJAnjali

{Our debut livestream party on March 21st was our first livestream ever and drew in 3,300 viewers and had 1,800 engagements. Thank you for supporting us through this time. We've been overwhelmed by your love & kind words.}

"Whether it’s the Desi-Latino Soundclash: Tropitaal, the Bhangra Bollywood dance party: ANDAZ, or her annual NYE rager, Anjali is the premier Portland dance DJ." Eleven PDX 4/8/19

"DJ Anjali & The Kid have been a staple of Portland, Oregon’s club scene for almost two decades, creating spaces for DJs and dancers to enjoy an international mélange of music ranging from bhangra to reggaeton." Remezcla 12/26/18


DJ ANJALI AND THE INCREDIBLE KID

www.anjaliandthekid.comwww.facebook.com/Anjaliandthekid
www.soundcloud.com/djanjali
www.soundcloud.com/the-incredible-kid
www.instagram.com/anjaliandthekid
www.instagram.com/theincrediblekid

STAY HOME!
While all our physical dance parties are canceled for the time being, DJ Anjali and The Incredible Kid will host Global Bass/Bhangra dance parties every Saturday night from their Batcave at www.twitch.tv/anjaliandthekid

8-11PM /Pacific

Donations accepted @ venmo.com/therealDJAnjali

{Our debut livestream party on March 21st was our first livestream ever and drew in 3,300 viewers and had 1,800 engagements. Thank you for supporting us through this time. We've been overwhelmed by your love & kind words.}

"Whether it’s the Desi-Latino Soundclash: Tropitaal, the Bhangra Bollywood dance party: ANDAZ, or her annual NYE rager, Anjali is the premier Portland dance DJ." Eleven PDX 4/8/19

"DJ Anjali & The Kid have been a staple of Portland, Oregon’s club scene for almost two decades, creating spaces for DJs and dancers to enjoy an international mélange of music ranging from bhangra to reggaeton." Remezcla 12/26/18


DJ ANJALI AND THE INCREDIBLE KID

www.anjaliandthekid.comwww.facebook.com/Anjaliandthekid
www.soundcloud.com/djanjali
www.soundcloud.com/the-incredible-kid
www.instagram.com/anjaliandthekid
www.instagram.com/theincrediblekid

STAY HOME!
While all our physical dance parties are canceled for the time being, DJ Anjali and The Incredible Kid will host Global Bass/Bhangra dance parties every Saturday night from their Batcave at www.twitch.tv/anjaliandthekid

8-11PM /Pacific

Donations accepted @ venmo.com/therealDJAnjali

{Our debut livestream party on March 21st was our first livestream ever and drew in 3,300 viewers and had 1,800 engagements. Thank you for supporting us through this time. We've been overwhelmed by your love & kind words.}

"Whether it’s the Desi-Latino Soundclash: Tropitaal, the Bhangra Bollywood dance party: ANDAZ, or her annual NYE rager, Anjali is the premier Portland dance DJ." Eleven PDX 4/8/19

"DJ Anjali & The Kid have been a staple of Portland, Oregon’s club scene for almost two decades, creating spaces for DJs and dancers to enjoy an international mélange of music ranging from bhangra to reggaeton." Remezcla 12/26/18


DJ ANJALI AND THE INCREDIBLE KID

www.anjaliandthekid.comwww.facebook.com/Anjaliandthekid
www.soundcloud.com/djanjali
www.soundcloud.com/the-incredible-kid
www.instagram.com/anjaliandthekid
www.instagram.com/theincrediblekid

Taking place across Portland bedrooms and living rooms, the House Show series aims to bring people virtually together during this time of social distancing and separation. 100% of the funds raised will go towards directly supporting artists impacted by Covid-19. 

Join us on Friday May 8th at 7PM 
Featuring sets from Pure Bathing Culture and Altadore 
Stream it LIVE:

Youtube HERE 

Facebook Live HERE

About Pure Bathing Culture:
Website

The roots of Pure Bathing Culture stretch back to 1999, when Versprille and Hindman befriended one another on the first day of freshman orientation at William Patterson University in Wayne, New Jersey. A decade later, they became bandmates when they both joined Vetiver for their Sub-Pop albums Tight Knit and The Errant Charm. It was while playing in Vetiver that Pure Bathing Culture emerged as its own entity.

“Dan was working on some instrumentals that he would make on a looping pedal,” Sarah said. “One night he was out and I just listened to this loop and wrote some lyrics to it. He came home and I showed it to him. We laughed at first, as we didn’t have some grand plan to start a band. It just happened naturally.” That song “Lucky One,” wound up in the hands of Richard Swift, who encouraged the duo to keep writing. “Richard pushed us along and became an inspiration,” Dan said. Swift wound up producing the band’s first EP and dreamy full-length, 2013’s Moon Tides at his National Freedom studio.

From there, PBC evolved from simply being the product of Versprille and Hindman writing songs in their own home to hitting the road as a full touring band. “Sarah and I conceptualize music and then write so it’s a pretty fragile state,” Hindman said. “Playing live was a huge change for us.”

When it came time to write and record their follow-up to Moon Tides, the duo knew what they didn’t want. “We didn’t gravitate towards someone making indie dream-pop records,” Dan said. That was when producer John Congleton (St. Vincent, Swans, Angel Olsen, The Walkmen) reached out to the band and invited them to come record with him in his Dallas, TX studio.

“John pushed us to not make clichés, to not play into the style of other bands,” Dan said. The challenges came right away as Congleton pressed the group into unfamiliar and at times uncomfortable territory in the studio. “He tricked me with the guitars on the album,” Dan said. “We got the basic tracks down and he asked me to do scratch guitar and then John wouldn’t let me go back and do the guitars again. He refused to do any layering.”

As a result, everything on Pray for Rain is pretty much as Pure Bathing Culture actually sounds, all analog gear, with virtually no plug-ins or effects added afterwards, no hiding behind multiple layers. “There aren’t a lot of tricks; What you hear is naturally what’s there,” Dan said.

It was a taxing yet ultimately rewarding experience when the album was completed. “It was shocking to hear what the finished product was,” Sarah said. “It was like being in a vortex and then we came out with this record.” She adds with a laugh something John Congleton told her when all was said and done: “You were very brave.”

Sarah summarizes the Pray for Rain experience as one of “stepping into the realm of discovering who we are as a band and as songwriters,” echoing a theme of the album itself, the process of change and transition. “You can find the best version of yourself in those hardest moments,” she said. To which Dan adds: “You have to be backed up against the wall in order to really feel those feelings and respond to them.” Pray for Rain is the sound of Pure Bathing Culture transforming from who they were to who they will be, of finding their way, ready to take steps both small and momentous on their musical path.

About Altadore:
Bandcamp