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48 Hour Music Fest 2 Music Released

This Thursday, February 3, at Flask Lounge (117 Spring Street, Portland). The free, 21+ party starts at 8pm, and you’ll get to celebrate with the musicians and get warmed up in time for the 3rd round of local music randomness happening on February 19th at SPACE Gallery. Read on for music from 5 of the bands created during last year’s 48HRMF: Vaxxene, Jefferson Slaveship, Cloven Dozer, Sister Rita, and the Eric Brackett Music Group. Unfortunately the band I was most excited about at the concert, Roy G Biv, didn’t get around to releasing an EP like the others. Read on…

Spin Me Right Roundup [May 30-June 5]

making pins - portlandpins.com and hillytown.com

We spent a marathon pin-making night with Kris Johnsen of Emblem Studio (and additional help from Jess from SPACE) getting ready for the debut of the Portland Pins project this weekend. Stop by Eli-Phant (253 Congress St., Portland) tonight on the First Friday Art Walk for the opening of their Unkle Thirsty exhibit and check out the results of the project. With all of the great contributions we received, you stand to get some amazing one-of-a-kind artwork on a pin for just 25 cents (which can actually get you up to 3 pins sometimes). This weekend marks Eli-Phant’s one year anniversary, so the excitement continues with a party tomorrow!

On to the listage:

  • The Point is posting much more frequently now, apparently fueled by the local music scene controversies they started recently. They even got a response from Chris Gray in this week’s Phoenix.
  • Speaking of our city’s weekly paper, their music awards show on Wednesday was quite a spectacle. The Asylum was crowded with the whole spectrum of Portland’s music scene, along with a fancifully decked out newspaper staff (men in white jackets, ladies in red dresses) who were all packed elbow to elbow to chow down on free pizza, wings, salty crab balls (catchphrase of the event, for sure), and an assortment of cheeses. Oh, and there were performers and some sort of prizes given out. Many of the winners were about as predicted (both for good and bad), but some of the surprises (and overdue victories) made the night even more exciting.
  • Last night we, and just about everybody else in town who goes out to see live music, headed to the Nickelodeon to catch the 48 Hour Music Festival documentary. Director David Camlin took on a huge project and put it all together masterfully. Following the process of organizing the project and putting the bands together was much more compelling than the final sequence with the live show footage (the afterparty footage was probably best left out, thankfully), but fans of the bands (or friends) will enjoy the DVD, which includes the entire concert. When you’re done Artwalking tonight, get to Geno’s to see some of the bands born out of this project, while helping the guys raise some funds for this great project!
  • Our friends at the Pine Haven Collective have an art show – Revival – opening down at ellO Gallery in Portsmouth, in case you’re the state border-crossing type.
  • Apparently the Blink-182/Fall Out Boy show at the Civic center is being postponed from the previously announced August 8th date. Don’t cry too much.

Since this isn’t actually Portland related at all (oh wait, there was that awesome Sonic Youth/Pixies Clash Of The Titans this week, right), it goes outside the list. Next week is Sonic Youth week on Pitchfork TV. Yes, please.

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:

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?