News One of the two men stopped by Portland police yesterday carrying assault weapons does this all the time, all over the state.Medford resident Warren R. Drouin, 22, keeps a YouTube channel called Markedguardian, festooned with the Libertarian "Don't Tread on Me" snake and hosting videos of Drouin and other friends carrying Bushmasters and other weapons in Medford, Talent, Albany, Grants Pass and Ashland. ...   More

News U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) is getting all Web 2.0: He'll be doing a live Q&A on YouTube next month, and he wants your questions. Much like mayoral candidate Jefferson Smith did last month, questions are being solicited via social news site Reddit. Unlike Smith, he won't be answering all of them—just the ones Reddit users vote as the 20 best. So anything involving Minecraft, pot or cat photos, ...   More

Music For some, disco might be a genre counted as a guilty pleasure, but for the band Ancient Heat, it's a springboard. When it comes to disco and electronic-infused groove, the eight-piece certainly has its bases covered. It was super fun watching the group onstage recently as a part of the PDX Pop Now/School of Rock benefit show at the Crystal Ballroom, and the performance made me all the more curious ...   More

Music When listening to local raucous Americana group the Builders and the Butchers, I can imagine doing lots of things. Yelling. Stomping. Spazzing out. Taking whiskey shots. But never in my wildest dreams would I conceive an entire choreographed belly dance to a song called "When It Rains," because, well, that's not something you'd want to see me doing (I retired from belly dancing in 2005, and it's hard ...   More

Music About a year and a half ago, I helped judge a high school battle of the bands for MITS, the Music in the Schools project. Aside from being a total blast, it introduced me to a few new acts to keep an eye on, with Starparty standing out. I'd write about the band at length shortly thereafter. "Sleep When You're Dead" is the kind of song that made me excited about Starparty in the first place. Catchy, ...   More