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In a town where playing other people’s music is a career for so many (or at least a few extra bucks in the pockets of local musicians whose own original efforts probably don’t even pay for gas), somebody is taking a stand against it. Geno’s Rock Club (who have always had the tagline of “We are an ALL ORIGINAL MUSIC ROCK CLUB!!” on their Myspace page) put out this message today:
As of today Geno’s Rock Club has a NO TOLERANCE RULE when it comes to cover songs on our stage. We are and always have been an ALL ORIGINAL rock club and take that statement very seriously. If a band plays a cover song on our stage from today forward chances are they will not be asked back. Please respect mine [booker Knaughty Sarah] and Jr’s wishes and leave the cover songs at the door. Thanks so much for all your support!
A big part of the reasoning behind it is that the venue doesn’t pay ASCAP, so they technically can’t have covers performed (so break the rule and you’re potentially putting them in danger, as well as getting yourself blacklisted), but in general it is a sentiment we can get behind. Though sometimes it can be fun to see a different take on a song you know (when you’re not familiar with the local band’s own music), it’s a good challenge to musicians to step it up with their own work and keep it original. I hope bands keep it in mind even when it comes to ironic terrible one hit wonder covers (Gully, I’m looking at you) and I’m interested in hearing what other musicians in the local scene think about this policy. Maybe even Kurt Baker, who clearly will not be playing a show at Geno’s any time soon.
Seriously though, can we take this a step further and ban all Beatles (and offshoot bands) covers in Portland? I don’t want to hear anybody play that intro to “Come Together” again.
It must be the day of festival lineup announcements. Earlier we got the dirt on Picnic and just now word on Bangor’s KahBang Festival (August 6-14) came in. Last year we had an amazing time and took lots of photos at the festival’s first run, and we’ve already given away a couple of tickets to this year’s festivities, which includes both a film festival and expanded music festival. We’re particularly excited to see some locals (Jacob & The House Of Fire, Billy Libby, In The Audience, Grand Hotel, The Sea Captains, Good Kids Sprouting Horns, Holy Boys Danger Club to name a few) in the mix with national acts like The Gay Blads, OK Go, and FREE ENERGY! Read on for the full schedule. Continue reading Full KahBang Schedule Announced
If you’ve been keeping up, you’re probably already excited about the extensive list of great local vendors and artists, or perhaps the prospect of snacking on tasty goods from Skinny Cart BBQ and Verbena Cafe, but now there’s even more reason to get psyched: the music lineup has just been announced! Foam Castles (who we profiled 2 months ago played our OFFStage @SPACE show last night) kick it off bright and early. Some more OFFStage alums (Same Basic Bear, Domino Harvey, Phantom Buffalo) will also be getting in on the outdoor action.
Jakob Battick‘s 4-song album, Heavy The Mountains, Heavy Are The Seas is now available for purchase/download (with bonus demo/alt/preview tracks included) on Bandcamp. It is also the new featured album right here on HillyTown for the next week. This is not an easy album: the songs are long, dark, and often meandering at times, but ultimately rewarding. It’s a good introduction to just one side of Jakob Battick (& Friends), who has shown himself to be a strong rising talent in the Portland music scene.
See for yourself tonight at SPACE Gallery, as JB&F opens for Brooklyn’s (excellent, and previously sadly overlooked in town) La Strada.
Before you even read this, head to WMPG and listen live to Charles Burst on Liberation By Sound!
Last week was round 2 of the HillyTown OFFStage series at SPACE Gallery. Thank to Good Kids Sprouting Horns, Doomstar!, and Balthrop, Alabama for playing on the floor and being part of our party! Come say hi again tonight at 538 Congress Street as we close out the series with Foam Castles, Old Man Forest, and Charles Burst! Show starts promptly at 7pm, all ages welcome, and free admission (though we ask for $5 donation for the bands if you can swing it). Read on for last week’s photos.
