Catch the event livestreamed on XRAY's Youtube & our homepage!
- Rose Haven
- Sisters of the Road
- AfroVillage
- GroundScore Association
- Hygiene4All
- Milk Crate Kitchen
- Street Roots
(Rescheduled from January 15th due to snow & ice conditions)
In-Person Event: 12-4pm, XRAY On-Air Broadcast 12-2pm.
All Ages // Suggested donation of $5 or 5 cans of non-perishable food items
XRAY will continue our annual live broadcast from the event--more details to come!
World Arts Foundation’s presents the 39th annual tribute to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This family-friendly event celebrates Oregon’s African-American community, on stage and through community-building in the event’s Victory Village marketplace. Here’s a link to a historical film documenting the program’s legacy.
This year’s program features:
Speakers Dr. James Mason (Care Oregon), George Hocker (Community Activist), and Lifetime Achievement awardee Ken Boddie (KOIN News)
Performances by the MLK All-Star Band directed by Charlie Brown III ft. Andy Stokes, Tahirah Memory, Danielle Barker, and Eli Hardy; KairosPDX Learning Academy
RESCHEDULED FROM 1/19/23!
DJ Klyph Productions brings a Portland Music Month special, in partnership with XRAY & Music Portland.
Pigeon John
is an underground MC with a genre-fusing style and positive lyrics. He is sometimes labeled a Christian rapper because of his hopeful messages and references to God, but with easily relatable subject matter and musical influences drawing from across the spectrum of rock and pop music, he aims to reach as wide an audience as possible. Active since the early 1990s, he made an impact on the hip-hop world as a member of the L.A. Symphony collective, as well as acclaimed solo efforts like 2003's Pigeon John Is Dating Your Sister. Subsequent albums like 2010's Dragon Slayer incorporated more live instrumentation and sung vocal hooks, and he received mainstream exposure as several of his songs were featured in advertisements, including the 2011 single "The Bomb" and 2019's "They Don't Make Em Like Me." He continued delivering uplifting vibes with 2020's Gotta Good Feelin', drawing influence from Motown, reggae, alternative rock, and dance music.
VURSATYL
is an MC and Singer/Songwriter who came to international attention as a member of the Portland, Oregon based Hip Hop group Lifesavas. With the group and as a solo artist, Vursatyl has toured extensively with De La Soul, Talib Kweli, Slum Village and Little Brother to name just a few. As well as collaborating and recording music with George Clinton, Smif-N-Wessun, Digable Planets’ lead MC Ishmael, Camp Lo, Dead Prez and most recently Run The Jewels. After honing his craft for over 25 years in the music business VURSATYL is a seasoned veteran in his own right.
Donte Thomas
is known for his pristine penmanship, charismatic voice and unique take on life growing up in his hometown Portland, Oregon. Born May 17th, 1994, Thomas spent years embracing the culture of Hip-Hop. While in high school, he released 3 projects under the name "Don" which gave him a name and made him a familiar face amongst his peers and the local music scene. He is also the CEO of the independent music organization Success That's Recognized At Youth (STRAY).
Soop Dread
Having amassed a prolific catalogue of underground music dating back to 2008, the term ‘Humbled into Obscurity’ captures Soop Dreads DIY/ punk rock approach to making music left for listeners to discover on their own. The earliest recordings scattered about the internet have the lo-fi production quality of early reggae yet the charisma of DOOM and Jay Electronica. Originally from South Central LA, Soop has spent the last decade in Portland Oregon. While nomadically wandering on psychedelics and binge reading science fiction, his early roots in Rastafarianism and Hiduism have manifested into a perspective unlike any rapper of his caliber. On top of being self taught multi-instrumentalist, it’s his tongue in cheek approach that will resonate with listeners the most.
FREE // All Ages // Open to the Public
Come join us and hear more about the candidates running for Portland City Council in District 2! The forum will be hosted by Tim and Kip from Progress Portland and MC’d by DJ Ambush and Morgan Jones of XRAY's News with My Fiancé.
Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions and participate in the conversation, ensuring a comprehensive discussion that reflects the diverse interests of District 2 residents.
Wildflowers & Weeds + Hello Cruel World present a Portland Music Month special, in partnership with XRAY & Music Portland.
Laith & The Texas Birds
Laith is a Texas songbird. And songbirds don’t fly south for the winter, but they do fly low for the blues. Laith knows that to fly low is to feel high and to feel high is to get struck by lightning. And lightning is the heart of this record. Texas lightning.
On Laith’s debut record, ‘Lightning’, he carries us across state lines from LA to Arizona, Colorado to Espanola, Houston to New Orleans, Utah on to the Great Northwest, where he currently lays his head, dreaming of running these roads until the wheels don’t touch the ground. And his writing does just that. It burns along the asphalt until there’s none left. And that’s when Laith takes us beyond, on phantom track lines through the abstract geography of his mind. He flows seamlessly between railway signs and lost trains of thought. Like a true American surrealist.
‘Lightning’ was recorded in two pieces over about 6 months in Portland, Oregon. [sic] The result is a 12-track traveling companion for the wild-eyed western mystic drifting along the winding highway, pulling off for all the old haunts - love, money, and hysteria. It’s outsider country rooted in the Texas songwriting tradition; buzzing with the subtle hum of northwestern psychedelia. And with a voice that literally sounds like smokestacks and lightning, Laith takes the listener from bar room to bedroom and back again, cruising along the vibrant soundscapes of The Texas Birds. It’s a timeless sound laden with thundering pianos and padded with Rhodes and organ; dusty acoustic guitars and ghostly harmonies fade in and out of the ether; the spirited twang of the electric guitar and the raw wah thump of the clavinet squabble in the dark while the pedal steel takes to the sky; all held within the deep pocket of a dynamic rhythm section.
-Taylor Kingman
Silver Triplets of the Rio Hondo
The trio features the dreamy & toothsome embellishments of Haven Multz Matthews on skins and Christopher Cook wielding guitar leads that alternate between Bakersfield country & avant-noise in quick succession, & the samples dancing in and out of the periphery may leave an audience wondering how a sound at times so massive & strange can still feel somehow intimate.
(via Giant Rock Meeting Room)
RESCHEDULED FROM 1/19/23!
DJ Klyph Productions brings a Portland Music Month special, in partnership with XRAY & Music Portland.
Pigeon John
is an underground MC with a genre-fusing style and positive lyrics. He is sometimes labeled a Christian rapper because of his hopeful messages and references to God, but with easily relatable subject matter and musical influences drawing from across the spectrum of rock and pop music, he aims to reach as wide an audience as possible. Active since the early 1990s, he made an impact on the hip-hop world as a member of the L.A. Symphony collective, as well as acclaimed solo efforts like 2003's Pigeon John Is Dating Your Sister. Subsequent albums like 2010's Dragon Slayer incorporated more live instrumentation and sung vocal hooks, and he received mainstream exposure as several of his songs were featured in advertisements, including the 2011 single "The Bomb" and 2019's "They Don't Make Em Like Me." He continued delivering uplifting vibes with 2020's Gotta Good Feelin', drawing influence from Motown, reggae, alternative rock, and dance music.
VURSATYL
is an MC and Singer/Songwriter who came to international attention as a member of the Portland, Oregon based Hip Hop group Lifesavas. With the group and as a solo artist, Vursatyl has toured extensively with De La Soul, Talib Kweli, Slum Village and Little Brother to name just a few. As well as collaborating and recording music with George Clinton, Smif-N-Wessun, Digable Planets’ lead MC Ishmael, Camp Lo, Dead Prez and most recently Run The Jewels. After honing his craft for over 25 years in the music business VURSATYL is a seasoned veteran in his own right.
Donte Thomas
is known for his pristine penmanship, charismatic voice and unique take on life growing up in his hometown Portland, Oregon. Born May 17th, 1994, Thomas spent years embracing the culture of Hip-Hop. While in high school, he released 3 projects under the name "Don" which gave him a name and made him a familiar face amongst his peers and the local music scene. He is also the CEO of the independent music organization Success That's Recognized At Youth (STRAY).
Soop Dread
Having amassed a prolific catalogue of underground music dating back to 2008, the term ‘Humbled into Obscurity’ captures Soop Dreads DIY/ punk rock approach to making music left for listeners to discover on their own. The earliest recordings scattered about the internet have the lo-fi production quality of early reggae yet the charisma of DOOM and Jay Electronica. Originally from South Central LA, Soop has spent the last decade in Portland Oregon. While nomadically wandering on psychedelics and binge reading science fiction, his early roots in Rastafarianism and Hiduism have manifested into a perspective unlike any rapper of his caliber. On top of being self taught multi-instrumentalist, it’s his tongue in cheek approach that will resonate with listeners the most.
(Rescheduled from January 15th due to snow & ice conditions)
In-Person Event: 12-4pm, XRAY On-Air Broadcast 12-2pm.
All Ages // Suggested donation of $5 or 5 cans of non-perishable food items
XRAY will continue our annual live broadcast from the event--more details to come!
World Arts Foundation’s presents the 39th annual tribute to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This family-friendly event celebrates Oregon’s African-American community, on stage and through community-building in the event’s Victory Village marketplace. Here’s a link to a historical film documenting the program’s legacy.
This year’s program features:
Speakers Dr. James Mason (Care Oregon), George Hocker (Community Activist), and Lifetime Achievement awardee Ken Boddie (KOIN News)
Performances by the MLK All-Star Band directed by Charlie Brown III ft. Andy Stokes, Tahirah Memory, Danielle Barker, and Eli Hardy; KairosPDX Learning Academy
8pm to Midnight
LIVE ON AIR!
Commodore Theodore will be spinning a very special heavy soul-themed show (with minimal talking) of Head East on NYE from the normal show time of 10pm extended to past midnight to help you dance your way into the new year and provide the perfect jams for your NYE party!
A LIVE holiday performance!
20 December 2023
Season 11, Episode 12L
Every year since 2013, Re-Imagined Radio has offered "A Radio Christmas Carol." It's become an annual community tradition, bringing joy and festivities to the seasonal holidays. This year, our 10th Anniversary, we are pleased to welcome the Willamette Radio Workshop, directed by Sam A. Mowry, and The Holly Jolly Singers, for a live performance of "A Radio Christmas Carol," in Vancouver's historic Kiggins Theatre. Yes, the holiday magic returns! Broadcast and live stream by KXRW.FM (Vancouver, WA) and KXRY.FM (XRAY.FM, Portland, OR).
All Ages until 8pm, 21+ after 8pm
Join XRAY DJs, staff and friends for a Holiday Happy Hour at Dream House on Beech Street!
Featuring a live DJ set from the Wayward Girls Soul Club (The 'IN' Crowd, Saturdays 2-3pm) from 6-9pm followed by Dream House's regularly scheduled programming with DJ Kyle Reese (VCR TV, Fridays 12-1am) from 9pm-1am.
All Ages // FREE
Complimentary wine and light fare will be served for the event. Please note: Studios are not ADA accessible and require going down a flight of stairs.
Come check out the wonderful community of artists we're apart of and see the XRAY studios firsthand! If you didn't know, we're housed in a community of creative studios that doubles as an art gallery of their creations, with magnificent creations from floor to ceiling through the entire area.
Our studios will be open for this annual tradition alongside the dozens of artists we call neighbors including sculptors, painters, multimedia artists, singers and musicians, screenprinters, and many more we share the space with.
DNA Bryant of Beautiful Music (Tuesdays 4-6pm) takes the decks at Dream House!
DJ Bad Wizard of Inside the Wizard's Hat (Sundays 4-5pm) takes the decks at Dream House!
DJ Barbarella of Flying Saucer Safari! (Tuesdays 2-3pm), takes the decks at Dream House!
DOORS 6:30 — SHOW 7:30
Listen to our on-air chat with BACKFENCE PDX about this very event! (Begins at the 30 min mark)
BACKFENCE PDX: ROULETTE, hosted by Frayn Masters and Mindy Nettifee, is a high-risk high-stakes night of storytelling. With the spin of a giant gameshow wheel of prompts, storytellers get just 5-minutes to conjure a true story based on the fickle fate of where the wheel stops.
MUSIC by XRAY's own DJ JOHN B. JONES (Hello Cruel World, Thu 3-4pm)
STORYTELLERS:
- KATIE NGUYEN
- CANDACE MOLATORE
- NARIKO OTT
- RENEE JENKINSON
- LEATHER STORRS
For ADA/Arts for all tix email: info@backfencepdx.com
Community Halloween Costume Party thrown by Jack Rudo of Stapled Sounds!
21+ // $5 per person
Prizes for best costumes!
Drink specials all night long!
21+ // Free // DJ Booth Upstairs
DJs DNA (Beautiful Music, Tue 4-6pm) and Jason Urick (formerly of Galaxy My Dear) are throwing down at ye olde Dream House for Halloween! There will be a costume contest, VHS vids playing throughout + plenty of italo jams and spooky sound drops.
All Ages // Free to Attend
- 4-6 pm, DJ Theo Craig with Take It To the Bridge!
- 6-8 pm, DJ Nate C (Heavy Metal Sewing Circle) & DJ Primitiva! (Last Schmaltz on the Left)
Join the XRAY crew as the community comes together to work towards our final goal for the Fall Drive!
21+ // DJ Booth Upstairs
Join John B Jones (Hello Cruel World, Thu 3-4pm) & Bob Ham (formerly of Double Bummer) as they join forces for a night of 12" singles on the Wheels of Steel. Guaranteed fun!
Come on down to hear New Wave favorites, Post-Punk, Industrial and more! Dream House is a new 2023 space rising from the ashes (figuratively) from Beech Street Parlor. Great food, drink, vibes, and MUSIC. Plus, it's JBJ's BIRTHDAY!