AltWeeklies Wire
Gil Scott-Heron Exits the Darknessnew
Gil Scott-Heron was never able to cash in on the hyperbolic and lofty praise he received in the 70's ("The black Bob Dylan," anyone?), instead he faded into the abyss during the mid-'90s and beyond, only to occasionally resurface not onstage, but on a police blotter.
The Portland Mercury |
Ezra Ace Caraeff |
04-15-2010 |
Concerts
Tags: Gil Scott-Heron
Cutting the Excess: Scout Niblett Raises the Temperaturenew
Scout Niblett recorded 100 different versions of The Calcination of Scout Niblett, the title track of her new album on Drag City. Not because she was looking for the perfect take—very near the opposite, in fact.
The Portland Mercury |
Ned Lannamann |
03-25-2010 |
Profiles & Interviews
Attempting to Make Sense of SXSW, America's Premier Music Festivalnew
There are close to 2,000 registered bands at SXSW, although the impossible-to-determine unofficial number is probably twice that. If you perform, you will do so opposite hundreds of other bands from all over the world.
The Portland Mercury |
Ezra Ace Caraeff |
03-25-2010 |
Music
The African Zeitgeist: Bassekou Kouyate, Tradition and Innovationnew
While hipster America's romance with West African music may not last long, a live look at the source is long overdue (in fairness, there aren't a lot of options). There's no better opportunity than with Malian Bassekou Kouyate.
The Portland Mercury |
Andrew R Tonry |
03-11-2010 |
Profiles & Interviews
The Last Frontier: Portugal. The Man Are Like No Othernew
In lieu of resting on the crutch of their regional association, the band turned the calendar pages of 2009 by recording a pair of albums—The Satanic Satanist, their most successful release to date, and American Ghetto, due out next spring.
The Portland Mercury |
Ezra Ace Caraeff |
12-17-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: American Ghetto, Portugal. The Man
Califone's Multimedia Funeralnew
There's always been something cinematic about Califone, but not in the traditional Hollywood widescreen sense.
The Portland Mercury |
Ned Lannamann |
12-07-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Girls is the Sound of a Rock Redemption of a Cult Upbringingnew
Thanks to the money he raised by playing songs he'd secretly learned off the radio, Christopher Owens was able to escape the insular Christian religious cult Children of God.
The Portland Mercury |
Ned Lannamann |
11-13-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Zen and the Art of Guitar Feedback: A Quarter Century of Yo La Tengonew
Yo La Tengo's artistic philosophy becomes clearer in Ira Kaplan's Zen-like calm. During our conversation he is relaxed, measured, and thoughtful, and appears almost wholly uninterested in the theoretical -- and the business surrounding the band.
The Portland Mercury |
Andrew R Tonry |
10-16-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
The Globe-Straddling Music of South Africa's BLK JKS Transcends Racenew
When a quartet of black South Africans reclaims that whitest of white genres -- progressive rock, long the bastion of pimply tech-heads and doughy shut-ins -- the predominately Caucasian world of indie rock sits up and takes notice.
The Portland Mercury |
Ned Lannamann |
10-16-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: After Robots, BLK JKS
TV on the Radio's Kyp Malone Finds Himself With Solo Projectnew
With a lion's mane of hair concealing his head and face, Kyp Malone is easily the most recognizable unrecognizable member of TV on the Radio. He also comes across as the most reserved of the five-piece, which isn't to imply that Malone has nothing to say. Quite the contrary.
The Portland Mercury |
Mark Lore |
09-25-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Langhorne Slim Comes to Portland and Makes an Excellent Recordnew
Be Set Free is an intoxicating listen, one that frames Langhorne Slim in a brand-new light and plainly makes the case for Scolnick as one of the best American songwriters currently active.
The Portland Mercury |
Ned Lannamann |
09-18-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Be Set Free, Langhorne Slim
Dear 'Diary': Sunny Day Real Estate Returnsnew
Judging from the band's beaming comments, this current reunion -- all original members, all old songs -- feels like a sincere gesture, and while it's hard to ignore the nostalgia and historical revisionism of it all, it's just nice to have Sunny Day Real Estate back in our lives.
The Portland Mercury |
Ezra Ace Caraeff |
09-18-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
The Secret Life of Cass McCombsnew
A whispered recluse content in the shadows, McCombs doesn't want to talk about himself. Ever. The roving folk singer politely requests that listeners focus less on his (alleged) prickly persona and more on his craft.
The Portland Mercury |
Ezra Ace Caraeff |
09-03-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Catacombs, Cass McCombs
Legendary Brazilian Psychedelic Group Os Mutantes Return With a New Albumnew
Haih or Amortecedor, the band's first new album in 35 years, is willfully weird, and one wouldn't expect anything less from Os Mutantes. But the youthful, wide-eyed psychedelia of the group's classic work has given way to a wiser -- if not older -- outlook.
The Portland Mercury |
Ned Lannamann |
08-28-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Haih or Amortecedor, Os Mutantes
Pissed Jeans Sound Hardcore but Have a Gooey Centernew
It's the sound of '80s hardcore punk all grown up, with a halfway decent job and maybe a kid or two; the anger is gone, but Pissed Jeans are still in love with hardcore's sound and energy, so instead of concocting rage for its own sake, the band sings about regular life without turning down any of the volume.
The Portland Mercury |
Ned Lannamann |
08-20-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: King of Jeans, Pissed Jeans
