Category: Willamette Week
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Some artists engage audiences by bringing the funk and getting booties shaking. Roots pop ensemble Joseph doesn’t do much of that. But during its sold-out show at Crystal Ballroom on April 28, it did something even more amazing: Singing sister sirens Natalie, Allison and Meegan Closner got 1,500 riveted concertgoers to fill their lungs, open…
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At Portland Center Stage, during a positioning-focused tech rehearsal for its upcoming Wild and Reckless theater production, Blitzen Trapper guitarist Erik Menteer starts gyrating his hips. His whammy bar squeaks as it dangles and bounces. During any of Blitzen Trapper’s live concerts, the moment would have passed unnoticed—just typical rock-‘n’-roll antics. But here, it was…
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A record label headquartered on Northeast Portland’s Alberta Street has been declared a racist organization by the nation’s leading watchdog of white-supremacist and hate groups. On Feb. 15, the Southern Poverty Law Center listed Soleilmoon Recordings among 25 new hate groups across the United States. Owned and operated by Charles Powne, Soleilmoon is a nearly…
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At the Crystal Ballroom on Feb. 6, Run The Jewels’ Killer Mike and El-P delivered an early contender for concert of the year, marching through an indefatigable 70-minute set in delirious lockstep with a riveted Crystal Ballroom crowd. Yeah. It was like that. Sold out. Hands in the air. Bass in your face. Dry-ice-meets-marijuana. Many…
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Portland might soon be getting a new large-scale music venue. Documents show that homegrown entertainment company Monqui Presents is seeking to build a 3,000-capacity concert venue where a couple of aging warehouses sit in industrially-zoned Northwest Portland, across the street from Montgomery Park. Representatives from Monqui declined to comment, saying only that “it’s too early in the game.” But…
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By Thacher Schmid The turning point of the sold-out Shy Girls show at Doug Fir Lounge on Jan. 25 came during the start of the next-to-last song, “What If I Can.” “This is one of my favorite songs on the new album,” producer, songwriter and vocalist Dan Vidmar announced, shyly folding an arm across his…
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The Portland Police Bureau has a problem with excessive use of force, but the women who serve as officers aren’t to blame. Across the board, female officers account for a far smaller share of the use of force by Portland police, and represent a tiny share of legal settlements for excessive force compared to male…
Songs & Stories 