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It’s been a busy week for music around Portland! In fact, it’s showing no signs of stopping for the foreseeable future, as we’ve got a handful of great national acts coming through in the coming weeks.
Last Thursday, November 12, saw Amanda Palmer (of Dresden Dolls fame) bringing a new opening/backing band in the form of Nervous Cabaret here to Portland, Maine with a show at Port City Music Hall. There’s a full gallery of my photos from the concert up now at Brooklynvegan, but here are a few more shots, beginning with some exclusive backstage and soundecheck views! Read on for photos… Read on… review by Biscuit Wakefield – please read “Biscuit On Cookies“ Big Sky Bakery However, in my mind, there is a clear distinction between a chocolate-chip cookie and an oatmeal chocolate-chip cookie. Oats lend sturdiness, texture, and yes – flavor. Oats in a CCC aren’t an ‘add-in.’ They’re a revision (OCCC). Mind you, it can be a tasty revision, as this OCCC from Big Sky proves. Butter fans, take note! Real creamery taste shines in this cookie, and there’s just enough salt to cut the rich sweetness. Big Sky is, of course, known for its breads – the Honey Whole Wheat is a staple of the Wakefield household – and while it seems odd to say this, it’s possible to detect the quality flour in Big Sky’s cookie. It’s oaty, yes, but wheaty too; I’d be curious to taste a version of this cookie sans oats, just for comparison’s sake. Walnut fans, also take note! I do not, for the record, prefer walnuts in my cookies. But these are fresh and flavorful, lacking the bitter tang that plagues cheap (or aged) nuts. As for the chocolate, it’s dark and assertive enough to mingle with all these other flavors, though I wish there’d been more of it. I say that, though. What really grabbed me about this cookie, and what I’m remembering now as I write about it, is the phenomenal, comforting, homey taste and mouthfeel of the grains surrounding said chocolate. I guess this is the only cookie that’s ever made me crave a bowl of oatmeal. I mean this as a great compliment. They paired up for one track on his Portland-based Anticon labelmate Alias’ last album, Resurgam, and now Alias has returned the favor and remixed the track “One Rose” off Why?’s new Eskimo Snow album. Check it out (along with more Why? goodies) over at RCRD LBL. Wesley Hartley, of Dead End Armory (who are, I believe, on hiatus), has quietly released a free, 10-song solo acoustic album through his art website. The album, Quiver Spoked Largely Eyed, can be downloaded (one track at a time unless you upgrade your account) from here. Catch him live at SPACE Gallery in December opening for AA Bondy or at the Dog and Pony Show DVD release show!
For all my talk about the Apohadion, last night was the first time I actually made it down to a show there. The space is great, and reminds me of other diy venues I’ve seen, especially Death By Audio in Brooklyn (but that might be the checkered floor more than anything else – though both spaces also serve as practice rooms, recording studios, and FX pedal workshops…). Read on… It was just yesterday that Peapod Recordings officially released Brown Bird‘s excellent new (and more upbeat than some may have expected) album, The Devil Dancing, which our friends at Dog And Pony featured with this interview at the Friendly Toast in Portsmouth. Just in from the PMF, a meeting tonight regarding a report related to sound that could potentially result in a new city ordinance. Worth checking out (see the pdf linked for details), for those interested (read: club owners, etc.)
The PMF are also having a (members only) talk tomorrow at SPACE Gallery, focusing on home recording techniques. |
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