If you missed The National at Berbati's Pan this past summer, trust us on this: you really missed them. The by-way-of-Ohio Brooklynites put on what is for them a typically impassioned live show to a sold-out house. But here's the good part: The National returns to Portland tomorrow night, playing the Crystal Ballroom as part of a seemingly never-ending tour in support of this year's Boxer release, an effort marked by its literate edge and quiet intensity. Sure, it's a Monday night (and it looks to be a rainy one at that), but its no stretch when we tell you that your life needs this band. Oh, and when you go, you'll want to get there early so as not to miss opener Annie Clark, the one-woman band known as St. Vincent. After graduating from ensemble casts in the Polyphonic Spree and Sufjan Stevens' collective, Clark released her impressively-assured debut Marry Me this summer on the Beggar's label. After a string of solo dates opening for John Vanderslice earlier this year, she's assembled a band behind her to allow for more fleshed out, true to the recording live versions of her songs. Alternately coy and quirky, fiery and subdued, Clark's music delivers on complexity that is belied by her innocent looks. Also this week, Charles Thompson IV aka Frank Black has reverted to his Pixies incarnation for his latest, Bluefinger. The album is easily his most straight-forward rock effort since mid-90's output like Teenager of the Year and follows a string of rootsy, dusty road releases in recent years with his band The Catholics. Black Francis plays TWO nights at the Doug Fir in Portland beginning tomorrow night, before going on to Eugene's WOW Hall this coming Friday. Also this week: Holly Golightly & the Brokeoffs with Sea Wolf (Doug Fir, Thursday); The Weakerthans (Hawthorne Theater, Thursday); John Butler Trio (Andina, Friday); Jose Gonzalez with Tiny Vipers (Aladdin Theater, Friday); and Nellie McKay (Shedd Institute in Eugene, Friday). Plus new releases this Tuesday from Bruce Springsteen, P.J. Harvey, J.J. Cale, The Sadies, and more. MP3: Rogue Wave, from Asleep at Heaven's Gate- "Lake Michigan" MP3: The National, from Boxer- "Fake Empire" MP3: St. Vincent, from Marry Me- "Now. Now" MP3: A.A. Bondy, from American Hearts- "There's a Reason" PLAYLIST

Posted by jpetersen on Sunday, September 30 at 9:06pm

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Nyles Lannon's music is one of those sonic concoctions that routinely inspires critics and fans alike to invent entirely new descriptors. "Folktronica" and "lap-top pop" are just a couple of the labels that have been offered in attempts at defining his art, which might be said to combine the hushed, autumnal tones of Elliott Smith and Simon & Garfunkel with the 21st century-leaning blips and beeps of Grandaddy and Sparklehorse. Throw in some latter-era Beatles and you might have something close to Lannon's stew, the latest manifestation of which is Pressure, recently released by the Portland-based Badman Recording Co. Now touring with a full band playing his one-man bedroom creations, Lannon stops by our studios tonight for a performance and interview. Also tonight, unlikely Texans Midlake play at the Doug Fir in Portland with opener Maria Taylor. Their Trials of Van Occupanther was easily one of the more interesting releases of 2006, what with its warm textures and groovy retro-tinged nods. Plus, we'll hear new, recent and upcoming releases from Eddie Vedder, Iron & Wine, Toots & the Maytals, Loch Lomond, and more. PLAYLIST MP3s: Nyles Lannon, from Pressure- "Hesitation" and "Next Obsession" Stream: Nyles Lannon Live for OPB- Full Session (songs+interview)

Posted by jpetersen on Saturday, September 29 at 8:55pm

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The first week of the new season brings with it another busy week for live and new music, including an appearance from the veteran cerebral popsters They Might Be Giants. It's been over two decades since John Flansburgh and John Linnell first unleashed their quirky, skewed musical vision upon the world, and a solid case can be made for their responsibility in altering the pop landscape during that time. These days the duo has lately been alternating between children's albums (2005's Here Come the ABCs and next year's Here Come the 123s) and proper rock releases, the recent The Else being the latest. The new effort finds them paired with the production of the Dust Brothers, which updates their sound a bit, though song titles like "Bee of the Bird of the Moth," "Feign Amnesia," and "The Mesopotamians," suggest the kind of unlikely and arcane subject matter we all loved them for in the first place. They Might Be Giants play Portland's Roseland Theater this Thursday night. Also at the Roseland this week, an interesting pairing featuring the Brooklyn-based Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and singer-songwriter Elvis Perkins and his band. Offspring of the famous, Perkins has more or less made people forget his familial connections with the rather stunning debut release, Ash Wednesday. The album in fact draws much of its intensity from the deaths of Perkins' parents, actor Anthony Perkins and photographer Berry Berenson (who was a passenger on one of the hijacked 9/11 planes), and while this was obviously a lot of negative to process, the results couldn't be more positive. Elvis Perkins In Dearland opens for Clap Your Hands Say Yeah at the Roseland Theater this Friday night. Also this week: Oakley Hall plays with local openers John Weinland (Monday, Doug Fir), Josh Rouse and Jason Collett form an interesting bill (Tuesday, Aladdin Theater), underrated Australians The Lucksmiths come to town (Tuesday, Holocene) and Voxtrot joins the Arctic Monkeys (Friday, McDonald Theater in Eugene). We'll also hear from several releases due out this week on a busy new release Tuesday, including new efforts from Georgie James, Nellie McKay, Jose Gonzalez, Steve Earle, and more. PLAYLIST MP3s: Georgie James, from Places (out Tuesday)- "Need Your Needs" and "Cake Parade" MP3: Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, from their debut- "On This Tidal Wave of Young Blood"

Posted by jpetersen on Sunday, September 23 at 8:44pm

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We introduce a new twist tonight, with the debut of an occasional segment that will see guests many of you may know joining us in the studio and introducing five-song sets of music culled from their own hearts and minds (okay, their own iPods). We're calling it (wait for it) Five Songs, a title which will ultimately send us back to the segment title drawing board, but I digress. Joining us for installment number one is none other than Courtenay Hameister, aptly named since, as head writer and host, she's one of those that help to bring the funny on LiveWire! radio, heard the first and last Saturdays of every month on OPB. She plays DJ for us tonight with a set of tunes that cover perfect love, blase break-ups, and appeals for the return of one's own sanity, among other things. Also tonight, plenty to focus on going down around the area, including Imperial Teen at Lola's Room in Portland. The San Francisco-based quartet returned recently after a five-year hiatus with The Hair The TV The Baby & The Band, another wonderfully quirky set of indie-pop from former Faith No More keyboardist Roddy Bottum and company. Even the cool kids should be dancing at this one. Elsewhere, singer-songwriter-traveler David Dondero continues his all-out assault on Oregon with a show at Iovino's in Corvallis before moving onto Portland's Roseland Theater tomorrow night. His new album Simple Love was recently issued on Conor Oberst's Team Love label to much praise, continuing a string of road-weary releases that cut deep and connect with many. Listen for an in-studio session with Dondero on an upcoming edition of In House. Meanwhile, Low plays the second of two nights at the Doug Fir in Portland, and singer-songwriter Loren Depping plays a CD release show for his new album Go By Train at the Blue Pepper Gallery in Salem. All of that, plus new music from Beirut, Jesca Hoop, Devendra Banhart, Jose Gonzalez, The Waterboys, and more. PLAYLIST

Posted by jpetersen on Saturday, September 22 at 8:29pm

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It's a bevy of live action! A bevy, I say! Stay with me here... Only the two bands responsible for three of the top five live shows I've ever seen begin a two-night run at Portland's Crystal Ballroom tonight. Built to Spill and Camper Van Beethoven, each semi-legendary in their own way, team up for a bill bound to include punkish takes on eastern European rhythms, the odd Cheap Trick, Status Quo or Fleetwood Mac cover, guitar hero antics, beards, and (lately) reggae, among other things. Pseudosix plays a hometown gig at Holocene for its CD release show, celebrating the recent issue of their self-titled album on Sonic Boom recordings. If this doesn't excite you, you probably missed their recent OPB in-studio. Elsewhere, San Francisco-based musician Nyles Lannon plays Tonic in support of Pressure, his latest out on the Portland-based Badman Recording Co. Lannon's sound is not easily labeled, provoking such invented terms as "folktronica" and "lap-top pop." Listen for an in-studio session with him on an upcoming edition of In House. Meanwhile, down Eugene way, singer-songwriter David Dondero plays WOW Hall as part of an apparent Oregon a go-go tour, with dates in Bend on Friday, Corvallis on Saturday, and Portland on Sunday. Dondero's latest, Simple Love, was recently issued on Conor Obert's Team Love label. MP3: Pseudosix- "Under the Waves" MP3: David Dondero- "When the Heart Breaks Deep" Take a breath... <!--more--> Duluth, Minnesota's Low begin a two-night residency at the Doug Fir tomorrow night. The married duo at the heart of the band, Mimi Parker and Alan Sparhawk, have been making music marked in its slow, steady beauty for over a decade now-- although their last couple of efforts have attempted to change the formula up a bit. Their latest, Drums & Guns, came out earlier this year on Sub Pop. MP3: Low- "Breaker" On the local front, A Cautionary Tale brings major chops to the table in creating an unlikely stew of flamenco-leaning, jazz-toned indie rock. The band plays the Someday Lounge Friday night as part of a bill that also includes the final 2007 show for varied locals Wooden Nickle. MP3: A Cautionary Tale- "Angola" MP3: Wooden Nickle- "Vintage" Elsewhere, the John Butler Trio plays Andina and The Donnas play the Hawthorne Theater. And we're not even talking about Saturday yet (we'll do that tomorrow)...

Posted by jpetersen on Thursday, September 20 at 5:33pm

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From the upcoming Magic, due out October 2nd. The album is his first in five years (and second in 23) with the E Street Band.

Posted by jpetersen on Tuesday, September 18 at 10:27pm

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In the midst of a busy show tonight, it's an in-studio visit from Pseudosix. The Portland-based band (who, yes, are a sextet-- though that has absolutely nothing to do with their name) recently issued their second full-length, a self-titled effort on Sonic Boom recordings. Tonight's session includes songs from the new release, as well as some new material, and in the process reveals that, as good as the recording is (and it is) the band is just beginning to gel in its current state, hinting at perhaps even better things to come. We'll talk to them about their supergroup status (members also play with The Joggers, Dolorean, The Standard, and seemingly scores of other acts), the new record, and their CD release show coming up this week at the Holocene. Also tonight, we preview an exciting week for live shows around the area, including everyone from Loudon Wainwright III (Monday, Aladdin Theater) to the Flaming Lips (Wednesday, Roseland Theater) to Built to Spill and Camper Van Beethoven (Wednesday, WOW Hall in Eugene; Thursday AND Friday, Crystal Ballroom). Those are just the beginning. Plus, we'll hear new music from Okkervil River, Film School, The Shout Out Louds, and more. PLAYLIST MP3: Pseudosix, from Pseudosix- "Apathy & Excess" Stream: Pseudosix Live @ OPB (Recording Engineer: Steven Kray)

Posted by jpetersen on Sunday, September 16 at 8:42pm

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As usual, plenty of live action of the musical persuasion in the area this weekend (not that it gets routine)-- some of the best of which will make for an uncharacteristically busy Sunday night. First, the folks over at LiveWire! feature music from two of Portland's own, Stars of Track & Field and The Sort Ofs, for tonight's taping at the Aladdin Theatre. Of course, if you can't make the show you can always hear what it sounded like, at least, the first and last Saturdays of the month at 7pm on OPB. Also tonight, Cincinnati's Over the Rhine takes to the stage at the Doug Fir in support of their new release, The Trumpet Child, a moody mix of female vocal driven jazz, pop, and Americana. This, before going coastal with a rare performance for the folks in Bandon tomorrow night. Things get especially interesting tomorrow night with separate appearances in Portland from two bands generating more than their fair share of buzz as of late. Both the New Pornographers and Animal Collective are touring in support of well-received new releases following past efforts that put them solidly on the map. The New Pornographers, in case you don't know, are the Canadian supergroup made up of singing-songwriting (A.C. Newman, Destroyer's Dan Bejar) and singing (Neko Case) powers that manage to be even more than the sum of their parts. Their new album Challengers is a bit more subdued and mature than its predecessor, though it still brings the pop bliss in droves. The band plays the Crystal Ballroom with opener Lavender Diamond tomorrow night. Animal Collective, meanwhile, plays the Roseland Theater in support of their recent fourth full-length, Strawberry Jam. Call them psychedelic pop, free folk, just plain experimental, or whatever, but Avey Tare and Panda Bear manage to create complex, occasionally difficult music that nevertheless beats with the pure pop heart of Brian Wilson. Just don't look at the album cover while eating. As if that were not plenty for one Sunday evening, the night also features the return of Rebecca Gates to the northwest. The former Spinanes frontwoman plays at the Doug Fir as part of a bill benefiting the Project Keep Warm Blanket Drive that also features Tu Fawning and Eux Autres. The last we heard from Gates, 2001's The Ruby Series, was also her lone solo release, although she's kept busy helping a host of others out on releases since then, including Willie Nelson for last year's Songbird. Also tonight, we'll hear a sneak preview of tomorrow night's OPB in-studio session with Portland's Pseudosix, as well as new music from Rogue Wave, Jose Gonzalez, PJ Harvey, Ben Lee, Ani DiFranco, Loch Lomond, and more. PLAYLIST

Posted by jpetersen on Saturday, September 15 at 8:39pm

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First off, it's animal night at the Portland Zoo Crystal Ballroom, as indie forefathers Dinosaur Jr. come to town with Band of Horses as part of a show sponsored (bizarrely) by Camel. In any case, D-Jr. released their first album featuring the original trio (J Mascis, Low Barlow, Murph) earlier this year with Beyond, an effort that showed that the band has hardly missed a step. Volumes are loud, guitars are crunchy, and J Mascis' familiar and weary vocals transport those of us old enough to remember to the pre-grunge days. Hardly a sidenote (though in this company it kind of feels that way), Band of Horses open as they prepare for the release of their second album, Cease to Begin, out on Sub Pop on October 9th. MP3: Dinosaur Jr., from Beyond- "Almost Ready" MP3: Band of Horses, from Cease to Begin- "Is There a Ghost" It might be said that both bands exhibit the influence of one Neil Young (SEGUE!)... The man most middle-aged dudes simply call "NEIL!" is coming to Portland! Neil Young recently announced a series of fall tour dates in support of his upcoming release, Chrome Dreams II (which is "more like After the Goldrush or Freedom" according to Young), including Portland's Keller Auditorium on October 22nd. Mensch that he is, Young's throwing in a copy of the new release with every ticket purchase (and for those TicketMaster prices, he ought to). Tickets for the Portland show go on sale soon, but I'm not going to tell you when here in the interest of not creating competition for myself. Because moms and their 20-somethings need more in common: Norah Jones recently covered the Arcade Fire. In Portland music news, Blitzen Trapper is newly featured on the excellent Daytrotter website. The session features an interview and four songs (offered as downloadable mp3s). Of course, we had 'em first. BT joins recent Daytrotter sessions from Portland's Laura Gibson, Menomena, and Horse Feathers, all featured within the past month. Elsewhere, Portland "chamber-folk ensemble" Loch Lomond are prepping for the release of their third full-length. Paper the Walls comes out October 9th on Hush records, "Carl Sagan" (MP3) and "Stripe II" (MP3) are from it. Finally, Ryland Bouchard aka The Robot Ate Me has called it a day, at least as far as his band name is concerned. Pitchfork points to a recent MySpace entry made by Bouchard in which he states that the "project has reached its logical end," among other things. His most recent effort was last year's Good World. MP3: The Robot Ate Me, from On Vacation- "On Vacation" MP3: The Robot Ate Me, from Carousel Waltz- "Bad Feelings"

Posted by jpetersen on Wednesday, September 12 at 4:31pm

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"Apartment Story" from this year's outstanding Boxer release. As National frontman Matt Berninger tells it, they were going for "something between John Hughes and Krzysztof Kieslowski." The National returns to Portland soon, playing the Crystal Ballroom with St. Vincent on October 1st.

Posted by jpetersen on Monday, September 10 at 9:59pm

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Got a musical hangover following the glut of live action over the past few days? Tough. After Wolf Parade closes out Musicfest NW tonight at the Crystal Ballroom, the week ahead barely offers a reprieve-- lighter in quantity, maybe, but no less so in quality as several high profile and/or hot ticket acts come to town. We'll look forward tonight to performances from Richard Thompson (Monday, Aladdin Theater), Bebel Gilberto with Forro In the Dark (Tuesday, Aladdin Theater), VHS or Beta (Wednesday, Doug Fir), and Dinosaur Jr. with Band of Horses (Wednesday, Crystal Ballroom). That last duo in particular is fairly epic, pairing the old indie rock guard with the new. As you may recall, Dinosaur Jr. returned earlier this year with Beyond, an album that marked the original trio's first recording together in almost twenty years. Despite reaching an age where they might be said to be living up to their prehistoric moniker, this dinosaur is of the spry variety, more raptor than brontosaurus. Band of Horses, meanwhile, is preparing for the release of the second full-length album in early October following the hugeish success of their debut, Everything All the Time, just a year and a half back. Also tonight, we revisit our recent in-studio session with the Brooklyn-based band Bishop Allen. The quartet has been touring non-stop this summer following the release of their second album, The Broken String, which itself followed a staggering EP per month project in 2006. We'll talk with the band about the scope of just such a project and how they dealt with it, the new luxury of being on a label, and their burgeoning if accidental acting careers. Bishop Allen returns to Portland soon, playing with John Vanderslice at the Doug Fir in mid-October. Stream their in-studio session here. Finally, we'll also get to a few releases due out this week on a fairly busy new music Tuesday, including new efforts from David Dondero, The Go! Team, Joe Henry, Oakley Hall, Ani DiFranco and more. PLAYLIST MP3: Bat for Lashes, from Fur & Gold- "Horse & I" MP3: Ani DiFranco, from Canon (out this week)- "Both Hands (New Version)" MP3: David Dondero, from Simple Love (out this week)- "When the Heart Breaks Deep"

Posted by jpetersen on Sunday, September 9 at 8:43pm

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Indeed, it's Portland's own version of SNL as the festival fest continues with more than twenty acts taking to various stages throughout the city. The Muddy Boot Organic Fest wraps up its first full day with nighttime sets from Freak Mountain Ramblers and March Fourth Marching Band, while Musicfest Northwest presses forward with a full-on musical orgy of activity, with bills tonight including Okkervil River, The Thermals, The Brunettes, Minus 5, Damien Jurado, Tim Seely, Pseudosix, and still more. Things wrap up with tomorrow night's Wolf Parade-headlined show at the Crystal Ballroom. Also tonight plenty of new and recent releases to hear from, including the first we've heard from former Delgados member Emma Pollock's upcoming solo effort, Watch the Fireworks. We'll also hear from The Mekons, Steve Earle, Jose Gonzalez, The Brunettes, Tim Finn, and more. We'd love to hear from you, particularly if you've anything to report back from one of tonight's festival shows. Anyone caught performances that were great, indifferent, or otherwise? PLAYLIST MP3: The Brunettes, from Structure & Cosmetics- "Small Town Crew" MP3: Elvis Perkins, from Ash Wednesday- "All the Night Without Love"

Posted by jpetersen on Saturday, September 8 at 8:33pm

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Not to be lost amongst all of the MFNW madness is this weekend's second annual Muddy Boot Organic Festival. Billed as a "soulful celebration of sustainable living," the three-day fest kicks off tonight with keynote speaker Jean-Michel Cousteau and continues through the weekend with a variety of activities, workshops, information booths, and more. Most relevant to our purposes here however is the diverse musical lineup of outstanding locals, who are each more than worth the small donation on their own, let alone sharing the same stage. Music gets underway tomorrow at noon with Little Sue and continues through to late evening with sets from Ashleigh Flynn, Casey Neill & the Norway Rats, Jackstraw, Freak Mountain Ramblers, and March Fourth Marching Band. Folks then get a chance to catch their breaths and presumably sleep off all of that organic beer before things fire back up on Sunday at noon with Dirty Martini, followed by Stolen Sweets, Cana Son, and Dr. Theopolis. In short, its a lot to be had for a little and you may even accidentally learn something in the process. You'll find the goings-on at the St. Philip Neri Parish, SE 16th & Division in Portland. See the website for a complete schedule of performances and other activities. MP3: Jackstraw- "Rubber Wheels" MP3: March Fourth Marching Band- "Crack Haus"

Posted by jpetersen on Friday, September 7 at 3pm

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Brace yourselves, Portland-- MusicFest NW begins tonight with a bevy of shows spread across various and sundry Rose City venues. It's the first of four days and nights of live musical goodness from the increasingly large festival-- kind of our own little South by Southwest. Although things technically began in earnest this afternoon with Bobby Bare, Jr. and Cat Power as part of an afternoon series sponsored by a big shoe company, co-headliners Spoon kick things off tonight at the Crystal Ballroom, on a bill that also includes Viva Voce and Black Joe Lewis. The (apparently still, despite the fact that frontman Britt Daniel has called Portland home for a while now) Austin, TX-based band reset their already high bar with this summer's Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga. Elsewhere, legendary artist as accidental madman Roky Erikson plays Berbati's Pan. The former 13th Floor Elevators frontman has battled demons inward and outward over the past 35+ years, a fascinating story in and of itself told well in the 2005 documentary You're Gonna Miss Me. Once the tragic tale of great promise derailed, Roky has rebounded in recent years, helped out by a new generation of interest in his music and a coterie that has helped sort out his mental health care and royalty payments alike. Tonight's performance marks a truly rare opportunity to see an artist who means it when he says he's been to hell and back. The rest of the weekend is filled out with a truly mind-boggling list of artists perhaps already on your radar: Rilo Kiley, Brian Jonestown Massacre, Grizzly Bear, Eric Bachmann, Wolf Parade, The Thermals, and more among them. MusicFest NW also happens to offer up plenty of opportunities to catch on the cusp locals and other newcomers. Tonight's show at the Doug Fir, for example, features two hometown acts who are also recent In House in-studio guests in the Shaky Hands and John Weinland. The Shaky Hands recently announced October tour dates with The Shins as well as a signing to the Memphis Industries label, while John Weinland will be releasing their next album early next year on Badman recordings. Needless to say, you could do worse than that, but the bill also includes Aqueduct, The New Trust, and others. A few others off the beaten path worth seeking out this weekend include Pseudosix, Anders Parker, Southerly, and, yes, still plenty more. Yeah, a lot to digest. Your best bet to get the most out of the festival? Buy a super-cheap $40 wristband, take a printed schedule with you, and show up early! MP3: Spoon- "The Underdog" MP3: Viva Voce- "When Planets Collide" MP3: Black Joe Lewis & Cool Breeze- "I Don't Mind" MP3: Aqueduct- "As You Wish" MP3: Pseudosix- "Under the Waves" MP3: The Thermals- "Pillar of Salt"

Posted by jpetersen on Thursday, September 6 at 5:20pm

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And this year's (formerly somewhat prestigious) Mercury Prize goes to...er....The Klaxons? Those crazy Brits, with their toast done on one side, and now this. The London-based band's Myths of the Near Future beat out heavily-favored releases like Amy Winehouse's Back to Black, not to mention more deserving efforts like Fionn Regan's The End of History and Bat For Lashes' Fur & Gold. Said NME editor and Mercury judge Conor McNicholas in the overstatement of the century thus far, “It is an album that could only have been made in the UK and could only have been made this year. But it is a record which will stand the test of time." No doubt. Portland's own Decemberists are the latest to put their own idiosyncratic stamp on the theme song to Showtime's Weeds, and what a stamp it is. Hear it here. Speaking of Portland's own, there's a new video out for Menomena's "Evil Bee" from this year's Friend & Foe release. Stunning work from Stefan Nadelman.

New music MP3s: Super Furry Animals, from Hey Venus!: "Run Away" Jens Lekman, from Night Falls on Kortedala (due 10/9): "The Opposite of Hallelujah" Jose Gonzalez, from In Our Nature (due 9/25): "Teardrop" (Massive Attack cover) Oakley Hall, from I'll Follow You (due 9/11): "No Dreams" The Shout Out Louds, from Our Ill Wills (due 9/11): "Tonight I Have to Leave It" This is the calm before the storm! Musicfest NW begins tomorrow....

Posted by jpetersen on Wednesday, September 5 at 2:47pm

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First off, John Weinland is a band not a guy. There in fact is no "John" per se, although frontman Adam Shearer is probably the closest thing to it. He adopted the moniker, snatching it from his family history, and began writing and recording songs on his own a few years back after a move to Portland from Montana. It didn't take long for the locals to notice the gentle disarmament many of his songs accomplish and he was soon recording with a full band, resulting in last year's impressive full-length debut, demersville. "Haunting" and "quietly intense" were just a couple of the descriptors bandied about in the positive reviews that followed, and the Willamette Week proclaimed Shearer "one of the finest young songwriters in this city." JW is currently at work on a follow up due for an early '08 release on Badman records, and they join us in the studio tonight for an interview and performance that includes some of that new material. We'll talk to them about their new label, their evolving composing process, and the camaraderie they seem to enjoy as part of a vibrant young music scene in Portland. Also tonight, we attempt to get our heads around the week to come, which includes scores of live performances as part of Music Fest Northwest. Spoon, Cat Power, Rilo Kiley, Roky Erikson, and Okkervil River (among many others) playing various venues as part of the increasingly large festival. The end of the week features the Muddy Boot Organic Festival in Portland, featuring a diverse line-up of fine locals, including Little Sue, Casey Neill & the Norway Rats, Stolen Sweets, and more. We'll also hear music from some other acts making their way through, including Devendra Banhart and Joan As Policewoman, as well as music from new releases out this week from Manu Chao, Heavy Trash, and more. Stream: John Weinland Live @ OPB (Recording Engineer: Steven Kray)

Posted by jpetersen on Sunday, September 2 at 8:31pm

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Though you'd never know it from his current incarnation, Rocky Votolato once fronted the punk and emo-tinged Waxwing, a band that released three full-lengths ending in 2002. This fact alone makes his transformation into a rootsy troubadour unlikely, but how effortlessly he's made the switch seem is nothing short of remarkable. The Brag & Cuss, his latest out this summer on Barsuk features both the fullest band line up he's ever used, as well as the most country (as in classic) leaning batch of songs yet. The collection is full of references to the road, a lonely travelogue where mournful train whistles happen to fall into minor keys and the whiskey flows freely in places like Reno and Kentucky. We'll talk to Votolato about the childhood roots of his emerging sound (he grew up in Texas), the double-edged sword of life on the road (he's a husband and father), and more. Votolato returns to Portland on Halloween, playing the Hawthorne Theater with Jesse Sykes & the Sweet Hereafter. Also tonight, the first we've heard from Bruce Springsteen's upcoming Magic release (due out Ocotber 2nd), plus new music from Beck, Super Furry Animals, Manu Chao, Joe Henry, The Dimes, and more. PLAYLIST MP3: Rocky Votolato, from The Brag & Cuss: "Postcard From Kentucky" Stream: Rocky Votolato Live @ OPB (Recording Engineer: Steven Kray)

Posted by jpetersen on Saturday, September 1 at 10:22pm

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