HUGS AND KISSES: “This is so much better than SXSW.” Scoop
must have heard this at least a dozen times during last weekend’s new
arts and technology festival, XOXO. Indeed, while the Kickstarter-funded
festival sounded similar in premise to SXSW Interactive—a bunch of
big-name Internet people get together to talk about doing cool shit on
the Internet—it couldn’t have been more different. XOXO was small (400
attendees), friendly and inclusive (no exclusive parties), without a
single logo or corporate sponsor in sight. It was vocally anti-greed
and pro-social responsibility, and most important, focused on people
eschewing big business, large sums of money and the establishment to
follow their creative passions. Prediction: XOXO 2013 will be the hottest ticket in all of geekdom.
JARMAGEDDON: Remember Casey Jarman, ex-Willamette Week music editor? Though gone from these pages, he still wields great influence over the Portland music scene. For instance: He’s getting the Shaky Hands back together!
For one night, anyway. On Friday, Oct. 5, the beloved Portland
jangle-rock group is reuniting its classic lineup—which performed its
last show in 2008, though a version of the band continued until 2010—to
play Backspace for Jarman’s 32nd birthday party. Other groups on the
bill, which stretches to neighboring Someday Lounge, include the
Chicharones; Point Juncture, WA; and Illmaculate. “It didn’t feel like playing old songs. It didn’t feel weird or nostalgic,” says Shaky Hands bassist Mayhaw Hoons of the group’s rehearsals. “I’m surprised we remembered them all.”
NEW NAANY: Metro Portland’s best Indian restaurant, Chennai Masala,
is doubling in size and quadrupling in atmosphere. Discreetly tucked
away in a Hillsboro strip mall, the restaurant has a notoriously drab
dining room, with chairs and tables fit for a fast-food joint. Owner
Sumathi Raj gave Scoop a tour of the impressive new space, which has
banquettes and wood floors, last weekend. >> Earlier this year, we
reported Korean-Mexican food-truck fleet Koi Fusion bought the
former Stadium Flowers space at 2010 W Burnside St. near Jeld-Wen Field,
with the intention of building an indoor dining room and serving beer.
Now, Koi has finally filed for a beer-and-wine license for the space.
>> Profile Theatre at 3430 SE Belmont St., which performs
only the works of one playwright every season (this season it’s Athol
Fugard), has applied for a beer-and-wine license.
CORRECTION: Last week’s Scoop had a photo of OB Addy instead of his uncle, legendary Ghanaian drummer Obo Addy, who died Sept. 13 at age 76 after a five-year battle with liver cancer. This is especially unfortunate as WW
made the same mistake in 2009, and because the men were involved in a
bitter legal dispute over their names in 2003. Our apologies to OB and
condolences to the family of Obo.
IMAGE: SCAMPY / CC
