AltWeeklies Wire
Our Troubles Are Over: The Tender Punches of the Walkmennew
When you hear that your favorite band is using strings and horns on their new album, you can pretty much assume the salad days are over. But when the Walkmen employed strings and horns on last fall's remarkable You & Me, they did it in the most subtle way conceivable, and it seemed to open up a door to a warmer and fuller sound.
The Portland Mercury |
Nick Jaina |
01-22-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Portland Mayor's Sex Scandal Strikes Backnew
Two weeks to the day after taking his oath of office as Portland's first gay mayor, Sam Adams admitted that he'd lied about the nature of his sexual relationship with teenage legislative intern Beau Breedlove, and that he had coached Breedlove to lie about it on his behalf.
The Portland Mercury |
Matt Davis |
01-22-2009 |
Politics
Boozing Through the Ages: An Inebriated 'History' of Drinking in Portlandnew
Sure, we can drink. We can drink like champions. But that doesn't make us special. People have been drinking in Portland since it was little more than a hardscrabble tent town cut from the banks of the Willamette.
The Portland Mercury |
Patrick Alan Coleman |
01-22-2009 |
Food+Drink
'Prince of Persia' Might Be Dumb, but It Sure is Pretty!new
Ubisoft's newly released game is the perfect example of the emphasis on the pretty to the exclusion of the interesting. The gorgeous art style, Matrix-esque combat, and cinematic storytelling will definitely impress players -- but about 20 minutes into the game, PoP loses most of its luster.
The Portland Mercury |
Earnest 'Nex' Cavalli |
12-19-2008 |
Video Games
Veterans Against War; For Screenprintingnew
A former Guantanamo Bay guard hosts an anti-war screenprinting party.
The Portland Mercury |
John Motley |
12-19-2008 |
Art
Dame Darcy Plays with Her Dolls in 'Gasoline'new
Gasoline is essentially an illustrated novel: Drawings accompany the text, but they're not integral to the story, pushing Dame Darcy's prose into the spotlight in a way that Meatcake does not -- and unfortunately, the writing simply isn't sophisticated enough to take center stage.
The Portland Mercury |
Allison Hallett |
12-19-2008 |
Fiction
Weighty Matters Get Treated Carelessly in 'Seven Pounds'new
Pounds' moral preaching is kinda twisted, yet it's delivered up on the same kind of redemptive platter -- swelling music, tears, and all. You've gone too far, guys, with the angel act, and God's gonna smite you down.
The Portland Mercury |
Marjorie Skinner |
12-19-2008 |
Reviews
The Rise of Blind Pilotnew
To think, less than six months ago most of us were unaware of Blind Pilot. There was no 3 Rounds and a Sound (their staggeringly gorgeous debut, which is primed to top many a year-end best-of list), no bike lanes traversed by their peddle-powered tours, and no ensemble cast of musicians.
The Portland Mercury |
Ezra Ace Caraeff |
12-12-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: 3 Rounds and a Sound, Blind Pilot
This 'Almanac' is Less a Book, More a Shot Heard 'round the Sportswriting Worldnew
For all of those who absolutely love the sport of basketball, but have grown tired of the tired cliches that weigh the game down, then Macrophenomenal is your new bible -- proof that if there is any justice in this cruel world, sports writing as we know it is about to change for the better.
The Portland Mercury |
Ezra Ace Caraeff |
12-12-2008 |
Nonfiction
J.K. Rowling Raids the Hogwarts Library with 'Beedle'new
If the phrases "Translated from the ancient runes by Hermione Granger" and "Commentary by Albus Dumbledore" don't get your Hedwig-emblazoned Underoos in a twist, we might as well cut to the chase: The Tales of Beedle the Bard probably isn't for you (and you're also probably a joyless, dour ass, but that's beside the point).
The Portland Mercury |
Erik Henriksen |
12-12-2008 |
Fiction
Eating Outside the Box with the Oregon Culinary Institutenew
The Extreme Cuisine class gives the adventurous eater a very strange tour of they way the rest of the world eats.
The Portland Mercury |
Patrick Alan Coleman |
12-12-2008 |
Food+Drink
'Azur & Asmar' Restores Fantasy to Animationnew
In the age of infinite Shreks and perfectionist CGI, the French animated feature Azur & Asmar feels like a throwback in more ways than one.
The Portland Mercury |
Marjorie Skinner |
12-12-2008 |
Reviews
Blitzen Trapper Refines its Sound and Garners National Attentionnew
Furr is the most straightforward release yet from the Portland band that marries spindly Appalachian folk, blitzkrieg synth explosions, and riff-tastic Southern rock.
The Portland Mercury |
Ned Lannamann |
12-04-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Blitzen Trapper, Furr
Harmon Leon's Latest Book is an Error-Filled Report from America's Underbellynew
Thanks in no small part to the book's countless textual errors, Leon comes across more as a witless lunkhead than a loveable rapscallion. His complete disinterest in cultural analysis has the quality of a bad show on Comedy Central, and American Dream is ultimately about as entertaining and fulfilling as a couple hours of TV.
The Portland Mercury |
Justin W. Sanders |
12-04-2008 |
Nonfiction
Tags: Harmon Leon, The American Dream
Thom Hartmann's Latests Explains How to Think Like a Republicannew
Cracking the Code explains how the left wing can exploit the techniques of the right. While that sounds like a snoozy topic, Hartmann drops in enough anecdotes and ripped-from-the-headlines (or, from politicians' speeches and campaign ads) examples to keep it lively.
The Portland Mercury |
Amy J. Ruiz |
12-04-2008 |
Nonfiction
