The Weekly Roundup, First Friday Edition (Jan. 31-Feb. 6)

Happy First Friday, Portland! Did you know that HillyTown has a Facebook group now?

Portland Maine music and internet news:

• After a few false starts and soft openings, the Port City Music Hall is officially holding their grand opening tonight with a sold out show by the Derek Trucks Band. The band has new video for the song “Down Don’t Bother Me” featuring a studio session with muted colors, tasteful closeups, and wailling slide guitar solos here.
• Tonight also marks the public debut of The Pine Haven Collective’s first art event in Portland. From the looks of things they’re up to some pretty cool stuff at Corduroy.
• The Portland Daily Sun made its debut – free on the streets of Portland Tuesday through Saturday. Most notable debut story? Shedding some light on the Shaws trucks and structures being built in the park (see Portland WinteRush and The Downtown Showdown for more).
• Liberation By Sound, the Tuesday afternoon show on WMPG hosted by DJ Roy, finally got a Myspace page! Now all of us faithful listeners can have a heads up about special guests and shows! Make friends. This week marked the debut of a (unofficial) HillyTown-informed concert calendar on the show!
• Details for the 48 Hour Music Festival on February 21st at SPACE Gallery were announced, including a (almost) complete list of the musicians participating. Check out the Myspace page for more.
• Buoy Gallery in Kittery has gotten people talking (a Dirty Projectors show there this weekend put it on a lot of radars) – it’s a new gallery and performance space in what was originally a post office. Every second Friday of the month in 2009 they’ll host the Unique States Series, which combines three experimental musicians: one each from Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine.
• Again in the NYC music spotlight, Ocean will be joining Salome, Batillus, and Riff Cannon at Pitchfork’s Show No Mercy event at Public Assembly in Brooklyn on 2/15.
• An update from Peapod Recordings reveals a number of promising releases from the local label to come this year. Chriss Sutherland, Honey Clouds, South China, Company, and more goodness to be expected from Portland’s hardest working label!

Around the internet, musically:

• Sad news in the music world, as The Cramps’ Lux Interior passed away. RIP.
• The Morning Benders released a free album of covers of songs by Paul Simon, Roy Orbison, The Velvet Underground, The Cardigans, Fleetwood Mac, Talking Heads, and more. Get it here!
• Project Jenny, Project Jan have a new ep (The Colors) full of fantastic collaborations coming out on April 14 (get a preview at Stereogum). For a minute they were going to play our big party this month, but plans changed – don’t worry, we’ll get them up to Portland before long.
• Ticketmaster and Live Nation merging?
• The Walkmen released a strangely hypnotic stop-motion style video for the song “Four Provinces”
• Extra special props to my pals in the band The Homosexuals, who also have a video out this week. Watch “3am (Pink Pony)” and be mesmerized.

These weekly roundups are getting a bit long! I’m starting to think these news bites might be better off in some sort of sidebar. What do you say, readers?