Music There are a few tunes on David Evan's Beta that sound so uncannily like they're being sung by Colin Meloy it's near-ridiculous. This is not one of them, as it's somewhat distracting to hear such a familiar voice not coming from, well, the person you're familiar with it coming from. And ...   More

Music In 2006, on the fiddle-led “Maybe Cocaine,” Nick Jaina sang: “Every time I see a film about a doctor/ I think that’s what I should be/ I should be savin’ lives.” It’s not so much the plight of M.D.-wannabes. Most young creatives with a lick of intelligence have wondered if perhaps they should devote their life to a seemingly less selfish, more philanthropi...   More

Music Anyone's who's seen or heard the Rainy States knows that the really special thing about this slightly emo, R&B-inspired indie rock band is frontwoman Betsy Johnson's rich, earthy voice.

That said, the band's upcoming full-length, In Basement Air, shows growth by th...   More

Music If there's one thing I discovered by having local folkster Andy Combs as a guest at my last Portland Lounge Series, it's that he's a ham. The newest member of Point Juncture, WA, and a fine songwriter in his own right, Combs had the crowd chanting and stomping along at his every whim—and ...   More

Music I have never been a forthcoming karaoker. In fact, until very recently, I was downright terrified to get onstage at the Galaxy or Chopsticks and belt one out in front of Portland's late-night hipster glitterati. I was happy to grab a bourbon and cheer my friends on, but I very seldom scrawled my own name on one of those paper slips and took to the mic. I had karaoke stage fright—until I disc...   More

Bar Reviews Approaching new Hawthorne ’hood bar Vertigo (4620 SE Hawthorne Blvd.), the spot looks plenty cozy. Blue and red party lights ring the tall, wraparound windows, and comfortably worn wooden booth ...   More

Music To anyone at all familiar with last year's cover-centric, p:ear-benefiting Bridging the Distance comp, it's probably no big surprise that the guy who covered Billy Idol's "White Wedding" has also penned an album titled Blues for Losers. And Whip, a.k.a. Jason Merritt, hasn't spared any...   More

Music On Nov. 13, 2007, multi-instrumentalist Benjy Rickard excitedly wrote the following in his personal blog: “The recent batch of Boy Eats Drum Machine shows have been particularly good, some would even say amazing—as many have done…. I broke my tambourine! How cool is that!I pound...   More

Here Comes Your Fan On Nov. 13, 2007, multi-instrumentalist Benjy Rickard excitedly wrote the following in his personal blog: “The recent batch of Boy Eats Drum Machine shows have been particularly good, some would ...   More

News For those of you who've always wondered what Spoon frontman Britt Daniel likes to munch on when plagued by the ol' sweet-tooth, LocalCut (via Pitchfork) has the answer: Cinnamon Toast Crunch and ice cream!

Yup, according to Daniel's recent stint on blip.tv show "Cooking With Rock...   More