Oregon-Raised Japanese Breakfast is Headlining the Venue that Inspired Her to Launch Her Career

When Zauner takes the Crystal Ballroom stage this week with her band Japanese Breakfast, she’ll be achieving the kind of personal milestone that’s literally the stuff of childhood dreams. Her upcoming memoir, which she recently turned in to editors, will feature a chapter dedicated to her life-altering first Crystal Ballroom show.

Spacey Local R&B Trio Kileo Agree on Everything, Except That They’re a Supergroup

Kileo is Abioto’s chance to focus solely on her vocals and frontwoman showmanship, while Talmadge and Fields craft music around her voice. Their local supergroup status might be the only thing they disagree on. Talmadge is reluctant to accept the title, while Abioto welcomes it. “I feel like we’re all super-talented,” she says. “It feels like we honor what we’re doing, we’ve got a handle on our instruments, and you know I got the vocals on lock.”

Portland’s Eso.XO.Supreme Fights Streaming Data and Expectations With His Piscean Hip-Hop

Eso.XO.Supreme likes to keep some distance from his home in Portland. He rarely performs here, yet his lush, earworm hip-hop has fans around the globe in countries like Germany, Argentina, Russia and Croatia. Recently, while in Puerto Rico, he was sent a video of kids performing their own choreography to his songs.

Portland’s Only All-Black Radio Station Aims to Be as Diverse as the Community it Serves

Station co-founder, programmer and local MC KayelaJ credits the musical content, which features at least one song by a Portland artist every hour, as well as the station’s responsive programming as reasons why the Numberz resonates with its Black listenership in ways no other Portland radio station has. Deloney credits the Numberz’s wide-ranging programming. “Just because you have two of us, doesn’t mean you have us,” says Deloney, referring to the need for increased racial diversity at other local radio stations. “We’re such a deep, rich people. If we had 200 community playlists on there, it’s not enough, because that’s how dope and rich we are.”

On His Eyrst Debut, Rapper ePP Gets Personal and Looks Inward

“I know it’s been talked about before, but I wanted to add my take on the other issues we face,” says ePP, who declined to share his real name and his age. “There are times when we feel alone and know that no matter how hard people try, there are things about being black in America that they’ll never fully comprehend. I want to keep that conversation going.” “They,” of course, refers to those in white society holding hierarchical power over blacks and other people of color. On his new record, There’s a Place for People Like You, which was released last week on local hip-hip label Eyrst, ePP addresses those social mechanisms.

Portland Hip-Hop Producer Sir Nai Unleashes His Inner Id on “The 58 Tape”

As a young Portland native, his id has a lot to say. “58 is a representation of feelings I can’t show; he’s a representation of the anger I feel like I cannot express without being in danger,” says Slaughter. “Things I feel like I can’t express in my daily life, that may not be socially acceptable to express because people fear that kind of anger. Being an angry black person in Portland makes me feel like I’m on the radar. That anger wells up inside of me and I had to voice it somehow.”

Christopher Neil Young Wants to Challenge the Tortured-Artist Trope by Sharing His Own Story

In 2013, Young moved from Oregon to Nashville. Like countless songwriters before him, Young was lured by Music City’s glitz and Grand Ole Opry grandeur. But Young soon found himself getting lost, adrift in a sea of dream seekers. Frustrated by the lack of opportunities, Young became entrenched in Music Row’s dark side. A storm of untreated mental illness and severe alcoholism soon robbed Young of his will to play and to live.

Damien Jurado’s First All-Acoustic Album Pays Tribute to the Late Richard Swift