AltWeeklies Wire
The Conundrum of Cool Nutznew
With his next record scheduled to drop in the summer of 2008 on a nationally known label, and his recent work the best of his career, why is Cool Nutz still fighting to gain a reputation as a legitimate artist in his hometown?
The Portland Mercury |
Graham Barey |
01-24-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Cool Nutz
The Return of the Frog Kingnew
The enigmatic Jeremy Enigk.
The Portland Mercury |
Ezra Ace Caraeff |
01-17-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Our Town Could be Your Lifenew
In a move to match January's sun-less gloom, Swan Island -- Portland's preeminent practitioners of post-punk, pre-apocalyptic proto-metal -- announced this week they are going on "indefinite hiatus."
The Portland Mercury |
Cary Clarke |
01-17-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Swan Island
He Real Coolnew
Lupe Fiasco, a hiphop ascetic who reportedly eschews groupies and alcohol in his personal life -- which matches their absence in his videos -- is also a begrudged backpacker.
The Portland Mercury |
Jalylah Burrell |
01-10-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Lupe Fiasco, The Cool
Hatchet: The Bay Area Thrash Boy Bandnew
In San Francisco, the original home of American thrash, a new movement is forming a daisy chain of Levi's-clad warriors and Flying V commandoes, and none of these groups are more poised to break out of the wolf pack than the barely legal act Hatchet.
The Portland Mercury |
Nathan Carson |
12-27-2007 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Hachet
Wu-Tang Forever and a Day!new
All that stuff about Wu-Tang's genius and influence aside, they are a notoriously dismal live act.
The Portland Mercury |
Chas Bowie |
12-27-2007 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: 8 Diagrams, The Wu-Tang Clan
Blitzen Trapper's Sonic Conquestnew
In a year full of Portland bands breaking through to the national level, no one else captured the hearts—and iPod playlists—of rock fans quite like Blitzen Trapper.
The Portland Mercury |
John Motley |
12-20-2007 |
Profiles & Interviews
A Moment with This Moment in Black Historynew
It's easy to assume that a band name like This Moment in Black History is the work of a few trust-funded white hipster kids, tongues firmly planted in their cheeks, fishing for some desperately craved attention. They aren't.
The Portland Mercury |
Ezra Ace Caraeff |
12-13-2007 |
Profiles & Interviews
The Soda Pop Kids' Perfect Popnew
The Kids aren't a party band; the Kids are a party.
The Portland Mercury |
Viva Las Vegas |
12-13-2007 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Teen Bop Dream, The Soda Pop Kids
Eux Autres on Christmans Songs and Old Timey Baseballnew
It's pronounced ooz-oh-tra, by the way.
The Portland Mercury |
Ezra Ace Caraeff |
12-06-2007 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Cold City, Eux Autres
Wet Confetti Becomes Reporter -- Kind ofnew
Back in May, when Wet Confetti ended its six-year run, the members decided that breaking up the band didn't mean an end to their relationship. So they changed their name, their sound, and started the whole thing back up again under the moniker Reporter.
The Portland Mercury |
Ezra Ace Caraeff |
12-06-2007 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: reporter
Buck 65 is Totally Original. Totally.new
Hey, there are rappers in Nova Scotia. Who knew?
The Portland Mercury |
Graham Barey |
11-29-2007 |
Profiles & Interviews
Sam Beam Expands His Horizonsnew
Throughout The Shepherd's Dog, Beam uses religious symbolism (wings, smoke), raw elements (bones, ashes), and of course the unspeakable power of sound to beautifully contemplate human existence and beyond.
The Portland Mercury |
Jenny Tatone |
11-29-2007 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Iron & Wine, The Shepherd's Dog
Tu Fawning Aren't Fooling Aroundnew
Tu Fawning, a brand-new outfit pairing 31Knots' Joe Haege with solo artist Corrina Repp, hit the ground running. Well, jet setting really.
The Portland Mercury |
Andrew R. Tonry |
11-26-2007 |
Profiles & Interviews
Billy Joel: Best Before Puberty Hitsnew
The un-ironic indie embrace of '70s and '80s pop icons extends to Bruce Springsteen and Elton John, but shirks Billy Joel.
The Portland Mercury |
Jonathan Zwickel |
11-26-2007 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Billy Joel
