Music A good band is a double-sided one. Its head sees all and therefore tends to be a bit prettier, occasionally in makeup and always smiling for the studio microphones. Its tail is scrappier, with bald spots here and there and the wagging freedom of next to no constraint.

I saw Peter ...   More

Music Hangovers, stolen band equipment, migas, God and a severe lack of towels at the hotel. Not to mention Portland's big breakout day (the reason I avoided the National and Band of Horses covering Cee-Lo). It's Sunday in Austin, Texas.

Blind Pilot at the Zync Card Stage
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Music No rain, more football jerseys than “Keep Austin Weird” bumper stickers and barbecue for breakfast. It must be Saturday in the capitol of Texas. Somehow, I managed to see M.I.A.'s “Paper Planes” performed three different times, saw Danger Mouse play every instrument on stage...   More

Music We sent Mark Stock to Austin for the ACL festival again this year (well, he sent himself, but we got him a press pass), only to find out that he's a Phish fan. He took lots of photos with a non-digital camera. Those are coming tomorrow. So without further ado, part one of his Austin adventures.....   More

Music It ended too soon, but that's the sad truth about young bands with limited catalogs. “We don't know anything else,” co-lyricist Aaron Espinoza said, wrapping up the last of his new band's record I Heart California.

Admiral Radley is a little more Grandaddy tha...   More

Music The quiet shows are always the most vulnerable. Chit-chat at the bar can poison an entire evening, wafting over from clanking glasses to the stage like a toxic cloud. I have seen musicians simply pack up and leave when conditions are too boisterous for their fragile ways.

Tuesda...   More

Music On a balmy Sunday night at the Doug Fir, three very different bands squeezed into a single bill. Opening act the Franks, quick to tout childhood connections to the Pacific Northwest, loosened up a growing crowd of overzealous, sunburned weekenders. While sounding somewhat like a an avera...   More

Music The Antlers is the strong mother of countless fables, nurturing and tender when health is at stake but brutally honest and forceful when emotions pile up. In a mere 75 minutes, Peter Silberman and company shook the crowd by the nape Monday night, offering a slower—though more muscularR...   More

Music On a disappointing night that saw the Blazers exit the playoffs after an emotional six-game series, Eddie Argos' new group brought some comic relief to Mississippi Studios.

More like story time with Eddie than a full-fledged concert, the Art Brut frontman brought his three piece s...   More

Music Pickathon (August 6-8, 2010) is coming back for another round. Portland's rootsy, old-growth-shaded oasis of Americana music, nature and general merriment. There aren't many gatherings that showcase the likes of Bonnie Prince Billy and Dr. Dog while encouraging you to bring your own inst...   More