Music Editor's Note: We're very excited to have Congratulations and the Old Believers on board for some tour diary action.

Tour Diary Entry 1
August 25th, 2009
The Old Belations/ Congratulievers tour w/ the Red River

The Brave Records western states tour...   More

Music By Miles Seaton

Being on the road is tough sometimes. Simple things like finding time to eat become quite difficult. Often it isn’t until after the show that the chance arises to relax with something (usually salty, often spicy) tasty. So at the risk of our name being changed to “Snackron/Family,” I bring you our Top 5 late night foods.Belgian Frites in­&mda...   More

Music Alan Singley & Pants Machine Feelin’ Citrus
(Bladen County Records)

[WOWEE ZOWEE] Alan Singley is a uniter, not a divider. More than maybe any musician in Portland, Singley’s giddy, enthusiastic compositions and upbeat vibe seep into his songs—so much so, in fact, that even the sadder numbers still feel bright and happy. Feelin’ Citru...   More

Music by John Tesh
The Greatest American Hero
The best use of that song was as a message on George Costanza’s answering machine on Seinfeld. You know, [sings] “Believe it or not, George isn’t home.” I love the fact a song that is that bouncy and goofy would make it to No. 1.Miami Vice
A TV theme written by a guy with incredible jazz...   More

Music Commotion Self-Titled
(Self Released)

[GROOVY JAZZ] Pianist Ben Darwish is best known as one of Portland’s brightest straight-ahead jazz players, but his band Commotion’s debut album is hardly jazz as we know it. But, as Miles would say, “so what?” As with Davis’ once-panned, now-praised On the Corner, Commotion’s s...   More

Music A Day to Remember, “Colder Than My Heart If You Can Imagine”
The band name is almost worse than the song title, but they complement one another.

A Skylit Drive, “Thank God It's Cloudy Because I'm Allergic to the Sunlight”
Oh, wait till you hear the song—it's like a jigsaw puzzle forced together all wrong.

The Devil Wears P...   More

Music Prairie Dog Town, Oakley, Kan.
Advertised for miles as “home of the world’s largest prairie dog,” this place is a complete scam. Chris, our guitarist and resident prairie dog aficionado, really got his hopes up. There was a $7 charge to see the goods. Turns out, though they host several rattlesnakes, goats in heat, and a six-legged cow, they DO NOT host the world’...   More

Music Photos by Vivian Johnson. Words by Mark Stock.

“We've played a lot of festivals, it's kind of our thing. But this is the prettiest festival I've ever seen.”

So were the words of Dr. Dog's Flea-like, raspy bassist, Toby Leaman. And he'd know. ...   More

Music Memories From Last Week’s Pdx Pop Now! Fest

The Mint Chicks get tricky
Mint Chicks frontman Kody Nielson has the best microphone tricks around. He was swinging that thing like crazy on Friday.

Explode Into Colors draws the line
“I want everyone to get onstage,” Claudia Meza told the crowd before recognizing the fly girl who had hi...   More

Music I know we've already devoted quite a bit of space to PDX Pop Now! on this little blog, but sometimes it's tough to really know what to say until you've had a few days to sit back and reflect. Few music festivals capture the spirit of a city and its community the way that PDX Pop does, and th...   More