Foam Castles

Thanks to the bands (Foam Castles, Old Man Forest, and Charles Burst played this one, see here and here for . . . → Read More: OFFStage #3 Recap. See You Next Year?]]> Tuesday, July 27 was the third and final concert in my free, all ages early Tuesday evening summer concert series, OFFStage @SPACE Gallery, celebrating the 2nd year of this site.

Foam Castles

Thanks to the bands (Foam Castles, Old Man Forest, and Charles Burst played this one, see here and here for recaps of the first two installments), Otto Pizza, and everybody who helped make the shows happen by working door, bartending, running sound, making posters, telling a friend, etc. Special thanks to our friends at WMPG for their massive help by having the featured bands play live on the air during Liberation By Sound for the past three weeks.

Old Man Forest

Charles Burst

I won’t say we’ll revisit the exact same formula (multiple shows, on the floor at SPACE, three bands, etc.) but something will definitely happen again next year around this time. Maybe something a little bigger… until then, keep reading.

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 . . . → Read More: No Room For Covers At Geno’s]]>

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 . . . → Read More: Full KahBang Schedule Announced]]>

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.

The schedule is also available here and on their site.

Last year was a little wet at times.

If you’ve been keeping up, you’re probably already excited about the extensive list of great local vendors and artists, . . . → Read More: Picnic Music Lineup Announced]]> Our friends at the Picnic Music + Arts Festival are gearing up for their 3rd Annual event, happening exactly one month from today on August 28!

Last year was a little wet at times.

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.

11:00 Foam Castles
11:45 aLEX kEATON
12:30 Wood Burning Cat
1:15 if and it
2:00 Same Basic Bear
2:45 Thick Shakes (Boston)
3:30 ShellShag
4:15 Domino Harvey
5:00 Phantom Buffalo

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 . . . → Read More: Jakob Battick Album, Opening For La Strada Tonight]]>

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.

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 . . . → Read More: OFFStage #2 Recap, Third And Final Show Tonight!]]> 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.

Good Kids Sprouting Horns

Doomstar!

Balthrop, Alabama

Even dogs love HillyTown OFFStage! See you tonight!

My Morning Jacket – Friday, October 15. Tickets: $40.50 for general admission. Showtime is 7:30pm, with doors opening at 6:30pm.

State Theatre Open House and Annual PMF Launch Event – Sunday, October 17 from 1pm . . . → Read More: The State Announces Dates: MMJ Kick It Off!]]> Here we go, friends. The first five shows at the revived State Theatre in Portland have just been announced:

My Morning Jacket – Friday, October 15. Tickets: $40.50 for general admission. Showtime is 7:30pm, with doors opening at 6:30pm.

State Theatre Open House and Annual PMF Launch Event – Sunday, October 17 from 1pm to 9pm with Darien Brahms, Jacob & the House of Fire, Brenda, Sidecar Radio, Atomik and more. Free and open to the public.

Josh Ritter & The Royal City Band with very special guest The Low Anthem – Friday, October 22. Tickets: $25.00 and $20.00 for reserved seating. Showtime is 8:00pm, with doors opening at 7:00pm.

Guster – Wednesday, October 27. Tickets: $27.50 for general admission, with $.50 of every ticket sale going to www.reverb.org, a nonprofit organization that educates and engages musicians and their fans to take action toward a more sustainable future. Showtime is 7:30pm, with doors opening at 6:30pm.

Michael Franti & Spearhead – Saturday, November 6. Tickets: $30.00 for general admission. Showtime is 7:30pm, with doors opening at 6:30pm.

While there still aren’t any LCD Soundsystem, Pavement, Spoon, or Beck shows up there (just a few on my own personal wish list), I wouldn’t be surprised if some of those groups make it through the venue before long. My Morning Jacket are probably the perfect band to open, since they’re adored by everyone from indie rock-loving hipsters to jam-band following hippies and commercial rock radio casual listeners and will provide a little bit of everything on opening night. I’m also excited to see that the opening weekend includes a huge Portland Music Foundation event, getting some great local acts into the venue (which some of them have likely been dreaming about playing at for years, never thinking they’d see the day when the stage would be put to use again). Great job, and I can’t wait to see what else is in store!

With word that the State Theatre will be announcing this Fall’s first concerts (beyond the Guster and Michael Franti) tomorrow morning, it’s got us wondering what else they have in store. Any guesses?

Bonus: tune in to WMPG tomorrow just before 8AM and you might get to be the first to . . . → Read More: State Theatre News Coming Soon!]]>

With word that the State Theatre will be announcing this Fall’s first concerts (beyond the Guster and Michael Franti) tomorrow morning, it’s got us wondering what else they have in store. Any guesses?

Bonus: tune in to WMPG tomorrow just before 8AM and you might get to be the first to hear the news!