La Mariachi

Edna Vazquez declares her independence.

Music Stories Edna Vazquez’s life in music began with a crush. When she was 13 years old, a boy in her tiny hometown of Tonila, in central Mexico, attempted to win her affections by giving her a guitar. Growi   More

 

Wednesday, October 31, 2012 MATTHEW SINGER

Primer: Cat Power

Music Stories Born: In Atlanta in 1972.  Sounds like: The “sad girl” of teen films (see: Empire Records) if she expressed her angst less through black lipstick than by writing heartrendingly vulnerable mu   More

 

Wednesday, October 31, 2012 JONATHAN FROCHTZWAJG

Rap Class: Wednesday, Oct. 31

Portland beatmaker John Kammerle wants to take the songs stuck in his head and cram them into yours.

Music Stories [SAMPLE-BASED] To quote an overused hip-hop proverb, sampling is an art. For local beatmaker and DJ John Kammerle, aka Rap Class, it’s also a turn-on.  “I don’t want that to sound w   More

 

Wednesday, October 31, 2012 REED JACKSON

Africa High-Tech

Christopher Kirkley went into the Sahara in search of an unheard musical tradition. He found it—but it wasn’t what he expected.

Music Stories In 2008, Christopher Kirkley went to Africa in hopes of capturing sounds rarely heard by the rest of the world. Traveling southwest from Morocco...   More

 

Wednesday, October 24, 2012 MATTHEW SINGER

Primer: Waka Flocka Flame

Music Stories Born: 1986 in Queens, N.Y. Sounds like: Club-destroying Southern hip-hop from a streetwise kid smart enough to know deep thoughts just slow down a good party. For fans of: Lil Jon, Ludacris, Young J   More

 

Wednesday, October 24, 2012 MATTHEW SINGER

Cadence Weapon: Sunday, Oct. 28

How a cerebral Canadian MC evolved from an introverted philosopher into “a traveling fun machine.”

Music Stories [ECLECTIC HIP-HOP] Expectations are high for 26-year-old Canadian rapper Rollie Pemberton, also known as Cadence Weapon. He was a poet laureate for his hometown of Edmonton, Alberta, so people e   More

 

Wednesday, October 24, 2012 REED JACKSON

Make Love, Not Sense

It’s the David Byrne Dating Game!

Music Stories Will David Byrne ever find a nice girl to settle down with? Ever since Talking Heads broke up in 1991, the restless 60-year-old musician-author-etc. has been playing the field—musically speaki   More

 

Wednesday, October 17, 2012 MATTHEW SINGER

Primer: Omar Rodriguez-Lopez

Music Stories Born: In Bayamón, Puerto Rico, in 1975. Sounds like: A prolific experimentalist now financially secure enough to operate without any semblance of a creative filter. For fans of: The Mars Volta, Joh   More

 

Wednesday, October 17, 2012 MATTHEW SINGER

Spirit Lake: Friday, Oct. 19

Taking the Oregon Trail to blues-rock nirvana.

Music Stories [PSYCHEDELIC BLUES ROCK] Uncle Walker’s Amber Restorative, the debut LP from Portland quartet Spirit Lake, has a history far grander than that suggested by the group’s slight résumé. The band    More

 

Wednesday, October 17, 2012 SHANE DANAHER

From Obscuro to Hero

Sixto Rodriguez rises from the record bin of history.

Music Stories Sixto Rodriguez is having his moment in the limelight. Finally.  The 70-year-old singer-songwriter from Detroit has been touring regularly since the beginning of the year, playing festivals   More

 

Wednesday, October 10, 2012 ROBERT HAM