This Is Hell

The godfather of punk has written his life story. It’s not pretty.

Music Stories Richard Hell is punk rock’s patient zero. Born Richard Meyers in Lexington, Ky., in 1949, he ran away to New York at age 17, where he traded poetry for a bass guitar, spiked his hair and saf   More

 

Wednesday, March 20, 2013 MATTHEW SINGER

Top Five Really Unofficial SXSW Showcases

Top 5  Drunk Kid Waiting for the Late-Night Bus
He started his set by staggering into the street, where he
 came nail-bitingly close to getting hit by a car. Narrowly surviving
the trip to the other side   More

 

Wednesday, March 20, 2013 MATTHEW SINGER

SXSW In Fragments: Saturday

"This song's about a rubber chicken!"

Music [Read the diaries for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of SXSW here and here.]Saturday, March 164:39 pm, 6th Street It's St. Patrick's Day, so of course a bar named ...   More

 

Tuesday, March 19, 2013 by MATTHEW SINGER

UPDATED: Beth Ditto Arrested in Portland Friday Night

Gossip singer booked for disorderly conduct.

Music Beth Ditto, singer for dance-punk band the Gossip and Portland resident, was arrested Friday night and charged with disorderly conduct, according to the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office. She was booked at 1:42 am and released on her own re...   More

 

Saturday, March 16, 2013 by MATTHEW SINGER

SXSW In Fragments: Friday

Music [Singer's account of Wednesday and Thursday at SXSW can be found here.]
Friday, March 15 4:29 pm, Burnet/Penny Bus Stop A chatty local named Todd and his girlfriend offer to slide over and give me a spot next to them on the bench, provided I don't mi...   More

 

Saturday, March 16, 2013 by MATTHEW SINGER

Big Youth

The Hugs’ Danny Delegato is ready for a comeback—at age 24.

Music Stories In 2007, 18-year-old Danny Delegato sat across from the head of the U.K. branch of Columbia Records and listened to him explain how he was going to make Delegato and his band, the Hugs, into sta   More

 

Wednesday, March 13, 2013 MATTHEW SINGER

Milk Music: Monday, March 18

Indie rock’s punk past, thawed out in the present.

Music Stories [INDIE RAUCOUS] Charles Waring doesn’t appreciate the suggestion that his band, Milk Music, is living in the past. He’ll admit the group is big on honoring its heroes—which, from the sound o   More

 

Wednesday, March 13, 2013 MATTHEW SINGER

PDX Charts

Top selling albums and songs in Portland, March 4-10

Music Every Tuesday, we list the top selling albums from local record stores Music Millennium, Jackpot Records, Everyday Music and Beacon Sound, and the top streamed tracks in Portland on    More

 

Tuesday, March 12, 2013 by MATTHEW SINGER

Calling All Music Insiders!

Willamette Week wants you—or someone you know—to help pick this year's Best New Band!

Music It's that time of year again. Well, almost.  Willamette Week is a month and a half away from announcing the winner of its annual Best New Band poll. As longtime readers know, each year we ask a who's...   More

 

Sunday, March 10, 2013 by MATTHEW SINGER

From The Vault: 21 Years of Morrissey in Willamette Week

"There is a definite appeal to his campy, smart-aleck personality."

Music (Go here for this week's interview with a beta-version of Moz.)As far as I can tell, the Smiths never played Portland, despite the fact that its second most important member has called our city home for the last few years. Morrissey, on the other hand (he'd be the first most important), has...   More

 

Friday, March 8, 2013 by MATTHEW SINGER