Posts from — June 2010

Just after the ongoing Deep Water Horizon oil spill began, Stacy DeHart and Jim Friscia discussed the need to provide themselves and others in the Oregon music community a positive outlet for the feelings of frustration and helplessness caused by this disaster. What could be done in Oregon to help those most directly affected?

Time and again when there’s a need, musicians are always among the first to respond to provide support. As a music community with numerous ties to Louisiana, it seemed appropriate to reach out and see who was interested in helping. The response was overwhelming. Initially conceived as a small benefit project involving one or two music events,it quickly grew. Multiple events (15+) are being scheduled with 8-12 venues that span the musical genres of Folk/Americana,Jazz,Blues, Punk/Indie and Rock. Fans of performers in each genre will find an event to attend or in which they would want to be involved. The suggested donation at the door for each club event is $10. There will also be donation stations set up for direct contributions to the selected relief organizations.

Gulfsongs Oregon is a three-month series of music performance events to benefit selected non-profit organizations actively involved in oil spill recovery and assistance efforts along the U.S. Gulf Coast.

Currently, shows are scheduled at venues in Portland and Eugene from July 15 through the end of September.

Kickoff Shows: July 15-17

Thursday,July 15:McMenamin ’s White Eagle
Performers: Rollie Tussing III,Miriams Well,and Rob Stroup and The Blame

Friday,July 16:The Laurelthirst Public House
Performers: Miss Michael Jodell and The James Low Western Front

Saturday,July 17:Biddy McGraw ’s
Performers:Little Sue Band and Lisa &Her; Kin

Beneficiary Organizations:
Gulf Aid Acadiana
Second Harvest Food Bank of New Orleans/Acadiana

Other Series Dates (more TBA):
*July 30 Duff ’s Garage
*August 4 Sam Bonds Garage (Eugene)
*September 3 at Doug Fir
*August 18 The Woods
*August 19 The White Eagle
*September 3 Biddy McGraw ’s
*September 10 Slabtown
*September 16 The White Eagle
*Vergnetti ’s Coffee (date TBA)

Mississippi Summer Sessions lineup announced! To break in our fancy new double-wide PARTIO PATIO we will host a sweet and FREE summertime live music series featuring an incredible mix of some of our fave PDX talents….Check out the lineup below and tell your friends. Mississippi Summer Sessions are FREE and run from 3-7pm EVERY SUNDAY and are open to ALL AGES! Damn Gina!

FREE and FANCY Summertime Outdoor Acoustic Music Series!

Sunday July 11 – PANCAKE BREAKFAST / ADAM SHEARER
Sunday July 18 – MBILLY / RACHEL ROBINSON
Sunday July 25 – TIMMY STRAW / SOUTHERLY
Sunday August 1 – SEAN FLINN / RUN ON SENTENCE
Sunday August 8 – BROTHERS YOUNG / RYAN SOLLEE (of The Builders & The Butchers)
Sunday August 15 – CASEY NEILL / LEONARD MYNX
Sunday August 22 – MARTY MARQUIS (of Blitzen Trapper) / CHRIS ROBLEY
Sunday August 29* – THE DIMES / LEWI LONGMIRE / QUIET LIFE

Showtime 3pm – 7pm (*Sunday August 29 showtime 2pm – 8pm)
ALWAYS FREE – DRINK SPECIALS! ALL AGES PATIO / 21+ PATIO

Mississippi Studios
http://www.mississippistudios.com/

2009 was a breakout year for Brooklyn-based Marco Benevento. Benevento is best known for his work in the Benevento-Russo Duo with his cohort Sir Joe Russo. In February, he released Me Not Me, an album featuring interpretations of songs by My Morning Jacket, Leonard Cohen and Deerhoof among others. Touring across the U.S., Benevento and his trio that includes bassist Reed Mathis (Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey) and drummer Andrew Barr (The Slip), have made a number of high profile performances, including San Francisco Jazz Festival, Earshot Festival and Carnegie Hall.
At the end of ‘09, Benevento released his first ever DVD, Live In NYC: The Sullivan Hall Residency, a two hour-plus documentary with performances and interviews from his historical five week 2008 engagement at the downtown New York City venue Sullivan Hall, featuring special guests like Brad Barr, Kaki King, Billy Martin, Stanton Moore and Steven Bernstein. He also toured and recorded with post jazz cognoscenti Garage A Trois, (who will be returning to Doug Fir this fall) and became a full time member of indie pop experimentalists Surprise Me Mr. Davis (who will open the show) and welcomed his second daughter into the world.

Between the Needles & Nightfall was initially conceived at Trout Recording in Brooklyn, NY where engineer Bryce Goggin (Pavement, Akron/Family) tracked Benevento and his trio over three days. The material was drawn from fragments of melodies and song ideas that Benevento had been collecting over the last year. To achieve the colors he envisioned for these compositions, Benevento recorded on a baby grand piano bolstered by guitar pick-ups, amplifiers and a myriad of pedals and circuit bent toys, while overdubbing Moog, Optigan, Mellotron and Farfisa. He then transferred the tracks to his home studio, taking the next two months to cut, loop and shape the pieces into full-fledged songs. The results range from the day-glo electro-pop of “It Came From You” to the simply-stated lullaby “Ila Frost” to the shimmering Arcade Fire-meets-Brad Mehldau anthem “Two Of You.”

With the release of Between the Needles & Nightfall, Marco Benevento continues to define himself as one of the most prolific new voices of his era, blurring genres from song to song, and more often from measure to measure, with his own take on simple pop pleasures, dance party rave-ups and art jazz experimentation. He speaks in modern sonic tongues, all cut-and-pasted, tweaked-out and glitchy, but full of wide-eyed wonder that rejoices in the limitless horizons of sound and melody.

We are very excited to offer up a pair of tickets to Friday’s show at Doug Fir PLUS a copy of Between the Needles & Nightfall. Email us with the reason you deserve to go to the show and we will pick the best response and award the prize.

Info:

Marco Benevento Trio with Surprise Me Mr. Davis
Doug Fir Lounge
Friday, June 25th
Doors @ 8pm Show @ 9pm
$13/$15 at the Door
Buy Tickets HERE

The one & only Josh Ritter returns to PDX this weekend touring behind a new album, So Runs The World Away! Josh has been making waves around the country touring behind his new release and also gainingmomentum being part of the John Prine tribute album which is also out this week.

BIO: So Runs The World Away, the new album from renowned singer-songwriter Josh Ritter, was released May 4 on Pytheas Recordings. This is the fifth full-length recording from Ritter, who has been widely heralded by critics and fans alike. Of the Idaho-native, Paste magazine declares, “Put simply, Ritter is the most gifted interpreter of Americana, as an arranger and a lyricist, working today.”

Recorded over 15 months at the Great North Sound Society in Maine, with additional recording at Brooklyn’s Saltlands Studio, So Runs The World Away continues Ritter’s longtime collaboration with producer and keyboard player Sam Kassirer. Additionally, the album features the return of Ritter’s core line-up of touring bandmates: Zack Hickman, Austin Nevins and Liam Hurley.

JOSH RITTER
Music Millenium
Saturday, 6/26 – 3 PM
A guileless, boy-next-door voice belies the depth and ambition of Josh Ritter’s songs, whether he is confessing a simple crush or following his thoughts on a long, Whitmanesque incantation.
-Ben Sisario, The New York Times, April 2008

Friday, June 25
Josh Ritter & the Royal City Band
w/ Dawes
Wonder Ballroom
Ticket Price: $20.00 adv / $20.00 dos
All Ages Event
Doors at 7:00 PM, Show at 8:00 PM

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rcUsFatXw4]

Short on cash? Jacksons wants to help you see all the great music at this year’s MusicfestNW. Follow these simple steps to receive $10 off your 2010 MFNW wristband. Be sure to act fast because this offer is only good until July 6.

1. Go to any participating Jacksons food store (for location info go here).

2. Look for the Heineken display and get your $10-off coupon.

3. (optional) Grab a 12 pack of Heineken bottles on sale for $13.99.

4. Go to tinyurl.com/jacksons-coupon type “Jacksons” in the promotion-code box and purchase your discounted wristband.

MusicfestNW takes place September 8th to 12th in Portland, OR. This year’s performers include The Decemberists, The National, Panda Bear, Okkervil River, Sleep performing Holy Mountain, Major Lazer, Ra Ra Riot, and many many more. Check out the lineup here.