Music Jessi Brandhagen is an 18-year-old music critic originally from Pendleton Oregon. She probably hates that I mention her age, and eventually I'll stop doing that but not right now. We sent her to the Aoki show for fun. Also, this review is late because of American Airlines. -Ed. If Steve Aoki doesn't like his job, then he can add actor to an already long list of accomplishments. The crowd ...   More

Music Megan Holmes is a Portland photographer currently on tour with Talk Normal and Zola Jesus. She's sending photos and reports from the road.


Chicago, the windy city from which I came.

The thing about driving to Illinois from Ohio is Indiana. It's ...   More

Music Jessi Brandhagen is a 17-year-old singer, music fan and a new Portland resident from Pendleton, Ore.. For the past two years she has been a standout writer in my writing/journalism classes at the annual Pendleton Rock Camp. Knowing that Skrillex was a somewhat guilty pleasure of hers, WW sent her to last night's concert to write a review. She is still finding glitter in her hair and clothes.
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Music Inger Klekacz was at the Blonde Redhead show on Monday, and sent us these ten gorgeous photos to prove it. We only wish we'd tagged along.






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Music So sayeth John Isaacson: "Here is a Feedback comic by my student Suzette Smith. She was in my class at the IPRC Comics Certificate Program here in Portland. She went to a noise show at Rotture and here are the results!"
The show is from late January, and Suzette did get a couple of names slightly wrong (Tare + Brian should be Tara & Brian — as in Tara Jane Oneil and Brian Mumford of Dra...   More

Music Well, it's not quite Don't Look Back, but our little Portland Music Awards wrap-up is finally complete, one week after the much-maligned awards show took place at Crystal Ballroom. And what a show it was: While our crack crew (longtime WW critic Jay Horton and    More

Music By The Metal Shakespeare Company

In the Bard, a man of humble origin didst ascend to become the finest author of any land or any era. Naturally, this tale of triumph doth itch the monied and powerful and they do it scratch by giving the Complete Works to some other figure. O’er five years, the Metal Shakespeare Company’s purpose hath been to drown such claims in waves of...   More

Music “The Breaks,” Kurtis Blow
May be the funkiest rap song ever made—the breaks in this song are classic b-boy/hip-hop.“Give it Up or Turn it Loose,” James Brown
The anthem for hip-hop, and many don’t know this. “It’s Just Begun,” Jimmy Castor and the Castor Bunch
My mentor in the business. He was called “the ima...   More

Music The King Is Dead (Capitol Records)

[AMERICANA] As the Decemberists’ hype machine once again prepares its bayonets for war, we couldn’t help but share some gut reactions from our initial listens to the new disc, The King Is Dead. Look for more in-depth coverage when the band plays Portland next month, but here are 10 WW writers’ initial takes on...   More

Music We played a small, at times awkward, house show in Nashville. Somehow I managed to jump and get my shoelace wrapped around my guitar at the end of the first song. Luckily, I didn't hurt myself. Apparently, during the next song, I got a booger stuck in my mustache. Tessa was kind enough to inform me during a quiet moment in the song an...   More