The Deli Portland - All about the Portland Indie Rock, Folk and Other Music Scenes! + Online Music Charts
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It's been four long years since the synth-disco trio, Strength, self-released its debut LP, the swanky collection of love jams entitled, Going Strong, but this Friday us Portlanders who have been pining over the über-confident threesome will have to wait no more. September 3rd marks the album release party for the baby-makin'-music-makers highly anticipated sophomore effort, Mind-Reader.
If you've ever seen Strength perform, you know that Bailey Winters' sassy, sex-saturated vocals accompanied by catchy Euro-disco hooks and pelvic gyrations aplenty can get even the most tight-laced prick shakin' his groove thang. With Fake Drugs, DJ Copy and DJ Patricia Furpurse warming up the Holocene crowd, this will, without a doubt, be the sweaty dance party of the summer (or is it fall now?). If you're yet to be convinced about Strength's pure sex appeal, check out the mp3 below for the first track off Mind-Reader, "Metal".
If you're still not convinced, how about the fact that the show only costs $5? I thought that'd hook ya! See you sexy bitches on the dance floor. Show starts at 9 pm. 21+.
Two years of research and execution have gone by and finally the wait is over for Alexis Gideon’s new “Video Opera."
The one hour film, Video Musics: Sun Wu-Kong, centers on the character Sun Wu-Kong and is based on the 16th-century Chinese novel The Journey to the West. The event starts at 8 p.m., September 3, costs $5 and is open to all ages.
The film is also accompanied by an art show of “stills and fabricated characters," which started August 18, and will run through September 6. The Disjecta website questions the definition of the art and appeal of Gideon’s work with two sets of dichotomies, saying, “Is it film or music? Is it high art or pop?” We say, don’t worry about it 'cause it’s cool and engaging and fun. More info here from previous Deli blog http://portland.thedelimagazine.com/node/2127
Portland’s electro-pop due Starlight and Magic have just released their version of a perfect summer jam mixtape - the hope being that after listening to the first couple of tracks, you'll glide into a room with (way too short) short-shorts and a lime green tube-top with ruby-colored sparkling sequin lettering that reads "First Dibs on Hottie" like a flashing marquee.
This is might not be for you rock ’n’rollers with long beards, sleeveless Ts, and armpit hair so copious one might mistake it for a dude with a Wookie in a headlock. This tape sounds more like hot, sweaty summer nights, American Apparel body suits and flexible dance moves. Check out the stream over @ Disco Workout or download here.
Track Listing:
1. Slingshot – You Shook Me All Night Long
2. Love & Lust f/ Aisha – Love & Lust (Club of Cairo)
One of the year's most anticipated new Portland-bred albums is streaming right now over at NPR. You can check out The Thermals' Personal Life there until its release on September 7. Get going! And let us know what you think!
Upon coming home from a few-week-long West Coast tour and releasing its debut EP in July, which you can purchase here, Housefire has been making the Portland rounds. The next spot you can see Joseph Craig and his shoegazing crew create warbling, lucid, electro beats before your very eyes is The Artistery this Friday. The now quintet (keyboardist Christopher Cook recently left the City of Roses for Brooklyn), will be joined by fellow Portland-based shoegazers Anne and Caribou Canoe. Show starts at 8 pm, costs a measly $6, and is all ages, so bring the kids!
Starfucker (formally Pyramiddd, formally Starfucker) has signed to renowned Polyvinyl Records. In celebration of the new label, the quartet announced a fall tour, as well as the release of an alternate single version of the band's track, "Julius," with the B-side, "Helium Muffin," available Oct 12 on 7" - first 500 limited edition blue vinyl - and out digitally Sept 14th on Polyvinyl. The single, which is just as infectious, lucid, and undeniably danceable as Starfucker's earlier work, is a sneak peek off the electro-poppers' upcoming full-length, which is scheduled for an early 2011 release. The single can be preordered here and downloaded here.
The extremely temporary name change was induced by voices in the band's ear about not being able to get anywhere with a name like Starfucker. Explains bassist Shawn Glassford, "That was definitely the low point for the band, but we wised up and took the power back. We're doing things our way again without anyone trying to pull our strings."
Founder Josh Hodges admits, "I like, and have always liked, the idea of seeing what we could do with a stupid name like Starfucker." Well, boys, the sky's the limit, and it's a big fucking sky.
Starfucker Tour Dates:
Sept. 23rd - Neurolux - Boise, ID
Sept. 24th - Kilby Court - Salt Lake City, UT
Sept. 24th - Urban Lounge - Salt Lake City, UT
Sept. 25th - Hi Dive - Denver, CO
Sept. 27th - Record Bar - Kansas City, MO
Sept. 29th - Juanita's Cantina Ballroom - Little Rock, AK #
Sept. 30th - The Collective - Shreveport, LA #
Oct. 1st - Bottletree Cafe - Birmingham, AL #
Oct. 2nd - Drunken Unicorn - Atlanta, GA #
Oct. 5th - Local 506 - Chapel Hill, NC #
Oct. 6th - DC9 - Washington DC #
Oct. 7th - Kung Fu Necktie - Philadelphia, PA #
Oct. 8th - Music Hall of Williamsburg - Brooklyn, NY #
Oct. 9th - Cafe Nine - New Haven, CT #
Oct. 10th - TT The Bears - Cambridge, MA #
Oct. 11th - Casa Del Popolo - Montreal, Canada #
Oct. 12th - Wrongbar - Toronto, Canada #
Oct. 13th - Garfield Artworks - Pittsburgh, PA #
Oct. 14th - Grog Shop - Cleveland Heights, OH #
Oct. 15th - Bottom Lounge - Chicago, IL #
Oct. 16th - Triple Rock Social Club - Minneapolis, MN #
Oct. 19th - Neumos - Seattle, WA #
Oct. 20th - Roseland - Portland, OR #
Oct. 22nd - Great American Music Hall - San Francisco, CA #
Doubleplusgood, a PDX two-piece, electronic dance band took the stage last on Saturday, August 21, during a triple bill at Backspace. Utilizing drums, pre-mixed samples and live vocals, the duo managed to work the crowd into a dancing frenzy, their high-energy set perfectly capping a show that had been, frankly, a mixed bag.
Wishyunu, another two-piece band from Portland, took the stage second. I’d like to give them the benefit of the doubt, and say this was simply the wrong show for their ambient sound to have been a part of. With the other two bands on the bill being so upbeat, and giving endless energy to the enthusiastic crowd, Wishyunu’s solemn demeanor seemed to be well-received by the audience, but I can’t claim to have fully enjoyed it. Again, though, I’d be willing to give them another listen if they were playing a show more suited to their particular brand of music.
Opening the show that night were Pocketknife, a young group comprised of four members, producing dance-worthy songs that immediately garnered favor from the crowd. With beats reminiscent of the Arctic Monkeys, prominent bass lines with the memorable nature of At The Drive In, and simple, yet likeable vocals, this band was the highlight of the evening. The real standout star of the night for me was drummer Karen D’Apice. This pint-sized percussionist was a dancing machine, making her beats look effortless. With boundless energy and an infectious attitude, I can’t wait to see this band live again.
In anticipation of the trio's upcoming release, Personal Life, (out September 7th), The Thermals have released the first single off the new record, "I Don't Believe You," on 7" and digitally through Kill Rock Stars. The track encompasses the same catchy riffs and "whoa oh ohs" of previous singles released by the delightfully dark power-pop-punk threesome.
And yes, that is Carrie Brownstein (Sleater-Kinney) thrashing her apartment throughout the video and Isaac Brock at the end rocking some striped jammies and matching nightcap.
Hey babes, come a little closer, I have some information you might find useful. There’s a place between SW 4th, 5th, Couch and Davis where you can go for completely free of charge to pick up a few thrills. Whatever poison fits your palate, they’ve got it. If you’re jonesin for a jolt, you can pick up some action starting at noon, Saturday, August 28 for the Second Annual Old Town Block Party. The party won’t be shut down till 10 p.m.
A cornucopia of delectable dishes can be acquired from local food carts mongering their eatables that might just pair perfectly with a (readily available) icy cold beer. The musical line-up is far beyond copacetic, featuring Deelay Ceelay, The Joggers, Mean Jeans and Lovers outside of DJs manning the faders all the live-long day. Ace Hotel will be featuring a rummage sale that just might yield the perfect artifact you were searching for all summer. And while you might start to feel like all this stimulation is border-line hedonistic indulgement, the whole block party is to benefit a list of local charities, including Sisters of the Road, Transition Projects, P:ear and Rosehaven. Live guilt free!
If you happened to attend last year, this year promises to be an even bigger and better way than before to close out that golden month of August (which is more like the month that summer began).
It's hot as FUCK out today. And we know that the PDX Soap Box Derby is happening right outside of Deli Portland headquarters on Mt. Tabor literally as we type. But why not throw caution into the wind and just ride this heat wave out to the break, eh? If passing out is your vibe - and really, whose vibe is it NOT? - then we recommend you head down to Plan B today to catch the Saturday leg of Smmr Bmmr 2010!
Check out today's lineup:
There's gonna be free Hammy's Pizza on Sunday for those who show up early, too! Hot pizza! Hot tunes! Hot little club!
Each day requires a $12 entry, but it's well worth it. All shows 21+.