Scoop: Crowdfunding Goes Nucular

Gossip awaiting Thomas Kinkade's "River Styx."

NUCULAR AMINALS
  1. OFF TO SEE THE WIZARD: Portland weirdo-pop outfit Nucular Aminals has a recording date with famed producer Steve Albini in July, but the band hasn’t exactly figured out how to pay for it. Instead of going a traditional route, the group has decided to sell a six-song demo EP—titled, appropriately, Please Help Us Record With Steve Albini—for $10 via its Bandcamp website. Because we prefer this no-bullshit fundraising model to the anticipation and occasional grave disappointment of Kickstarter, we thought we’d give Nucular Aminals a kick-start: Go buy the groovy record at nucularaminals.bandcamp.com.
  1. YACHT’S BIG DAY: A Day in the Life—a Hulu exclusive series that follows a subject for 24 hours—has featured everyone from Richard Branson to will.i.am. This week it covered YACHT, the L.A.-based, Portland-bred solo project-turned-duo-turned-band-turned-cult-that’s-not-really-a-cult. In the episode, YACHT flies from Los Angeles to Portland for a show at Mississippi Studios. After filming a music video at a laser-tag warehouse, Jona Bechtolt and Claire Evans are met by a handsome young reporter (spoiler alert: It’s WW’s own Robert Ham!) for a very deep interview about spirituality and music.
  1. RETRO REVIVAL: Three old-Portland businesses that closed in the ’80s will be revived in the coming months. A new restaurant named for the Roadrunner Cafe, which had locations on Southeast Division Street and Northeast Sandy Boulevard, will soon open next door to Division Wines. Foster Road’s Bob White Theater has been under renovation since December, and is now hosting community events. Jefferson Smith will make a campaign appearance there May 12, accompanied by MarchFourth Marching Band. Most exciting to Portland boomers is the return of Yaw’s Top Notch, the storied Hollywood drive-in, which according to Stumptownblogger.com will soon reopen in Gresham at the current Gossip Restaurant & Lounge building.
  1. ATE MOBILE: Portland’s food-cart festival, Eat Mobile, was Saturday, and Scoop is only now feeling hungry again. KOi Fusion won the People’s Choice Award while Judges’ Choice went to PDX671. Lardo was the maid of honor in both categories. Taco Pedaler won the Style Award, with second place going to Fuego de Lotus.
  1. RE-KINDLED: Some people (read: portlandfood.org) had trouble finding Kindle Kart, which WW reviewed last week. It’s right across from the main entrance to Montgomery Park, on Northwest 27th Avenue between Vaughn and Wilson streets. You should go—the pizza’s great. 

WWeek 2015

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