Posts from — August 2010

The BellRays are one of our favorite bands here in the Basement and we are excited to have them return to PDX for MusicfestNW ’10. Hailing from California, The BellRays have been on the circuit for almost 20 years. Led by the husband & wife team of Bob & Lisa “the intense, high-octane blend of soul and hard rock that has become the musical signature of The BellRays is so well-concocted that it seems as if it must’ve been intact from the beginning.” The BellRays plays at Ash St. during MusicfestNW on Thursday, Sept. 9, with Garotas Suecas, and Leaders. Entry with MusicfestNW wristband or $10 at the door. Doors open at 8:00 pm.

MP3/Download: The Bellrays – Have A Little Faith

Here in the Basement, we are fired up for People Under The Stairs to play the MFNW ’10. For those of you unfamiliar with the People Under The Stairs, they are the hip-hop duo of Double K and Thes One. Now over ten years and seven albums deep, People Under The Stairs have built a genre within hip hop of their own. Upbeat, crazy, balls to the wall and ridiculous “Carried Away” follows in true PUTS tradition. The new album was produced old school style in the same fashion as Rick Rubin (Def Jam Era) or Dust Brothers (Grand Royal, Pauls Boutique). Listen & download a few audio tracks & check out the videos below. People Under The Stairs will play MFNW ’10 at the Hawthorne Theatre on Saturday, Sept. 11, with Debaser, TxE and Grynch. Entry with MusicfestNW wristband or $15 at the door. Doors open at 7:00 pm.

MP3/Download: People Under The Stairs – Hit The Top
MP3/Download: People Under The Stairs – Youth Explosion

The Avett Brothers pull off a sneak attack at the Crystal Ballroom, in a special limited-capacity, one-night-only benefit performance. Proceeds for this event will be contributed to Terra Nova Community Farm, a Student-Run Entrepreneurial Venture and CSA located at Terra Nova High School.

Only 500 Tickets Available – This will sell out FAST!

Details:

Crystal Ballroom

1332 W Burnside, Portland OR 97209

Monday, August 30

7:30 p.m. doors, 8:30 p.m. show

$50 advance, $50 day of show

All ages

Tickets on sale now HERE

Alpha Broadcasting President/COO Bob Proffitt today announced a partnership with Bing at the grand opening of its new state-of-the-art Live Performance Lounge at the Pac West Center, now officially called The Bing Lounge. At a press conference from The Bing Lounge, Proffitt unveiled the new venue and line-up of artists for the debut week with Danielle Tiedt, General Manager of Marketing for Bing at Microsoft. First to take the stage today is Columbia Records recording artists, Five for Fighting. Following on, Wednesday (Aug. 25) will be Melissa Etheridge, Crowded House on Thursday (Aug. 26) and the Doobie Brothers on Friday (Aug. 27).

The Bing Lounge is a replacement for the KINK Live Performance Lounge, a popular and intimate venue at KINK-FM radio’s old offices. Alpha Broadcasting, which operates KINK and a number of other Rose City radio stations, recently moved to the downtown Pacwest Center, 1211 SW Fifth Ave., and hence is opening a new concert venue there.

“KINK-FM has been on the forefront of the Live Performance Lounge for the last 15 years and has solidified a reputation for getting everyone from the most established artists to those bands just emerging on the scene,” Bob Proffitt, president and COO of Alpha Broadcasting, said in an announcement. “The bar has been set high and when we saw the opportunity to build a state-of-the-art performance lounge in the Pacwest Center, we jumped at the chance.”

The concerts there will be invitation-only; the venue’s capacity is just 164 people. It’s essentially where KINK and other Alpha stations will host live radio sessions. But there’s a twist: Performances will be taped and uploaded a day later to Bing Entertainment’s video channel, where anyone can watch them.

This year, the Bing Lounge is expected to host about 80 performances from national acts, Danielle Tiedt, general manager for Bing marketing, wrote in a blog post Tuesday. It also will host a medical-speakers series with Oregon Health and Science University, a business decision-making speech series, and interviews with athletes and sports teams, Microsoft said.

In other Portland-related Bing news, today Microsoft also released a new Bing Maps application called “Food Cart Finder.” It locates and details more than 250 food carts in the Portland area

MFNW Free Ride: MusicfestNW on the cheap

One of the highlights of Pickathon 2010 was the amazing main stage set by Black Prairie. Black Prairie is comprised of 3/5 of the Decemberists (Funk/Conlee/Query) + Jon (Jackstraw) + Annalisa Tornfelt (fiddler extradonaire!) . At the end of the set the band welcomed out Steve Drizos on drums & Kevin/Anita Robinson or currently known as Blue Giant. This PDXC all-star ensemble rocked the Pickathon crowd and then duo from VivaVoce/Blue Giant was one of the coolest guest appearances of the weekend. TONIGHT Blue Giant will be playing a SECRET show @ Mississippi Studios to kick off their national tour with Bobby Bare Jr. They’ll be joined by Dolorean for the FREE 9pm show.

Tuesday, August 10, 2010 @ Mississippi Studios
BLUE GIANT / DOLOREAN
A no-longer secret tour kick-off show with 2 great bands

Doors 8pm, Show 9pm / 21+ FREE

Pickathon 2010: Artist Spotlight – These United States

The 1st day at Pickathon 2010 went off without a hitch. Perfect weather, a great vibe & some amazing music all resulted in a picture perfect day out at Pendarvis Farm. Day #2 looks to be even better with the music starting @ 11am and we welcome a bunch of cool bands today including T-Model Ford, Heartless Bastards, Prince Bonnie Billy, Roadside Graves & more!

These United States are a kick-ass band hailing from Lexington, KY. They have become press darlings after many laps around the country and putting in their dues the national live music circuit. We are excited to have them at this year’s Pickathon & they will be playing 3 sets over the next 2 days:

Aug. 7 – The Galaxy Barn – 7:00-8:00pm
Aug. 8 – Workshop Barn – 2:00-3:00pm
Aug. 8 – Fir Meadows Stage – 8:00-8:45pm

MP3/Download: These United States ‒ “Water & Wheat”
MP3/Download: These United States – The Great Rivers

BIO: Five dudes from Lexington, Ky., make up the scrappy-sounding, rootsy folk-pop group These United States. The band is already three albums into their career; A Picture of the Three of Us at the Gate to the Garden of Eden and its far more economically named follow-up, Crimes, both came out in 2008, and Everything Touches Everything was released last year. Their fourth album is being released this year. The quintet also has managed to pack in an astounding number of tour dates. Describing the band’s sound to AOL’s Spinner, singer and guitarist Jesse Elliott said, “It sort of takes it back a little more to some of the moodier, introspective bedroom bullshit, but then it’s still a decent amount of over-the-top, bombastic bullshit thrown in, too. So it’s the best of both bullshits, you know?” With positive press from Paste, Spin and The New York Times, it seems that listeners firmly agree.

“These United States’ intoxicating third album brilliantly captures the overwhelming jolt of simply being alive … swings between a sleazy leer and a dreamy purr … deftly blurring the line between carnal and cosmic. [8 of 10 stars]“ — SPIN –

“Superb … equally at home with quiet, morose tales and galloping punky-tonk adventures … a rambunctious alt-country band with story-songs that are both tangled and aphoristic.” — New York Times –

“One of indie-rock’s – no, make that American rock’s – best kept secrets.” — WXPN –

“Labyrinthine and grandiose … the 12-song cycle coils around itself in tales that rage and lull in turns. An impressive achievement … a rousing, communal affair befitting its epic and twisted ambition.” — Paste –

This is it, the final stab at info in order to help make the most of your Pickathon weekend. The definitive users guide, the answers to your questions, help where it matters most.

We’ve combed through and compiled everything imaginable, and away we go…

*2010 Pickathon Schedule

*2010 Pickathon Map

*2010 Pickathon Vendor Menu

*Pendarvis Farm is located at 16581 SE Hagen Rd. Happy Valley, Ore. 97086

*Gate Info and Times for admission can be found – HERE

*There is ample free drinking water available on site, so please plan ahead and bring your water bottles – or, purchase a Pickathon Klean Kanteen at the Merch Booth. There will be NO plastic or bottled water available at this years Pickathon.

*Make sure to bring shoes or boots in addition to your flip-flops. This is a farm with many hidden obstacles, and just to make sure you are covered it is wise to plan on bringing both. Pants, Sweatshirts, Rain Parkas, etc… are all encouraged to be included in your packing list, just in case.

*Camping Gear Shuttles are available to help folks who need to take their gear to campsites that they find in advance. The big thing to know in advance is that Camping Gear Shuttles are not helping you find your campsite. Camping Gear Shuttles are simply doing laps and helping deliver gear once sites have been located.

*There are two 21+ Beer Gardens located on site serving a variety of Widmer beers. In addition to beer we will also have Pickathon/Pendarvis Farm labeled wine that will find it’s way out to the public for the first time ever – Gris, Noir, Red Table and White Table. Also new in 2010 is the elimination of all plastic cups and bottles at Pickathon, this changes things a great deal in our Beer Gardens and for the full rundown of info on that we suggest this helpful post – Saying goodbye to plastic cups and bottles.

*The Galaxy Barn turns into a 21+ venue starting at 9pm each night.

*No outside alcohol is allowed at Pendarvis Farm at this years Pickathon.

*Weather for the weekend looks to be mild overall. Not too hot, not too cool. Plan for both warm and cool weather as night temps dip into the low 60′s.

*ATM’s are on site and located at both the Galaxy Barn and also at the Merch Booth. In addition to ATM’s we will be able to process Credit Card orders at the Merch Booth (new in 2010).

*No fires and no charcoal. Fire danger is a reality. Camping stoves are allowed with close supervision, so please be mindful.

*Ultimate Lost and Found is located at the Merch Booth. Lost something? Found something? Head to the Merch Booth and they will help you out.

*Showers are available through the Oasis Healing Center which will have Eight custom built shower stalls and the amazing Airstream converted Sauna. Visit Oasis early on Friday so you can get the drift early in the weekend. Possibly the best $5 you ever spend…

*Family Camping is available and marked on the 2010 Pickathon Map. Please be mindful of where you camp as this is a mixed bag and everyone has the right to a safe, comfortable, good time.

*Peacock Radio will broadcast the Mountain View and Fir Meadow stages on the 90.1 FM dial. Bring your portable radios if planning on spending time at camp but not wanting to miss the music.