Skip to main contentLIVE REVIEW
FIRST DAY OF CLASS
Ken Vandermark School Days Quintet
B Complex, Saturday, June 2.
Fifteen minutes before Chicago avant sax man Ken Vandermark was due to unveil his new School Days Quintet, the first acoustic band to break in B Complex,
the crowd of 25 people was sparse at best.
This New Music warehouse deep in the heart of industrial Southeast has been having its problems with the Man--it's waging a protracted battle for a liquor license with the OLCC--so booking agent Brian Williamson and his staff could use some good news. By the time Vandermark, a certified MacArthur "genius," and his inventive new crew hit the vamp to opener "Off the Top," they had it, in the form of a swelling throng.
Juice blenders squealed, trains moaned outside and the plumbing chimed in repeatedly like a sixth member of the band. The crowd not only grew, it listened in sanctified wonder as the group delivered two bruising sets of demonic musicianship.
Vandermark continually combined the intricate harmonic layering of his sax and bass clarinet, the frantic trombone of longtime foil Jeb Bishop and the vibes of Sweden's Kjell Nordeson with climactic solos that built to a frenzy. Bishop was every bit Vandermark's equal, contributing half the compositions and an ebullient style reminiscent of heroic trombonist Roswell Rudd.
Fittingly, Rudd's "Rosmosis" was the show's 20-minute highlight, sounding like a five-car pileup at 4 am on Bourbon Street. Nordic glacier crumblers Ingebrigt Haker-Flaten and Paal Nilssen-Love, on bass and drums respectively, proved why they are one of the finest rhythm sections in European jazz.
As Vandermark counted off the last free flight of the
night, "Get on the Plane," the plumbing sounded its rainstick cascade one last time. By this late point, the toilet flush was family, an endearing wrinkle in the listener-friendly outré space. Whether B Complex gets the OLCC nod or not, the Vandermark show proved the venue is all about the music. For that, it deserves to be around awhile. Bill Smith
INTERVIEW
THE KILLERS' TIPS FOR LIVING
Auburn, Alabama's Immortal Lee County Killers are wanted men. Cross their path and they'll cut you down with their "essential fucked-up blues" and not even think twice. Featuring ex-Quadrajet Chet "The Cheetah" Weise on hard-sawing guitar and Boss Sherrad on Delta-quaking drums, the Killers thieve ammo from the likes of Mississippi Fred McDowell, Pussy Galore and Blue Cheer, then blast forth in a murderous hail of blues-punk fire. It ain't no misdemeanor offense to the ear; it's a capital crime. With the Killers coming to town this week alongside Bob Log III and Japan's own Gasoline, Portland needs some tips on how to get through it all. From a cell phone outside Vegas, the Cheetah was good enough to impart the following wisdom:
ON HOW TO SUCCEED WITHOUT REALLY TRYING:
"The only strategy we had was, if someone called us up, we'd play. I wasn't going to spend two or three hours a day on the phone trying to call people like I did with the Quadrajets. If somebody called, we'd play their kitchen, their club, their country, and we'd go. And all those phone calls have happened."
ON ACCEPTING LITTLE AND HOPING FOR THE BEST:
"We played in an alley in Austin and didn't get paid anything but a hamburger. Oh, wait, the Boss says he got a hot dog. But out of that show we got a record deal with Estrus, a single on another label, and we got invited to play the largest music festival in Sweden. That was a pretty good show for us."
ON WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN TOURING WITH BOB LOG:
"Bob Log? Don't forget Gasoline! Japanese bands are always over the top. It's been total craziness. Every night we've been going at it pretty hard, partying. Once everyone gets fucked up, Gasoline completely forget their English. Our Southern accents get a little bit heavier. It's pretty wild, but we all seem to be able to communicate some way. I think we're all freaks of a feather."
ON SHOW ETIQUETTE:
"Bring a little whiskey and get ready to show your ass. How's that?" Sam Soule
The Immortal Lee County Killers play Satyricon tonight, Wednesday, June 6, with Bob Log III and Gasoline. 125 NW 6th Ave., 243-2380. 10 pm. Cover.
MUSIC SCENE NEWS, GOSSIP & INNUENDO
THE KILLERS' TIPS FOR LIVING
* Honchos from KINK-FM, the adult alternative (down boy!) station that says it's "true to the music," were out of town this week. Can't say as we blame them; the Los Angeles Times ran an article last Tuesday alleging that the station is part of a national pattern of payola in which "independent promoters" grease palms for airplay. Works like this, sez the Times: Record companies pay these "indies," who ply stations with cash, trips and promises that artists will appear at promo events. Reporter Chuck Phillips' article uncovers payments to a promoter apparently linked to airplay on KINK: The tout took in a grand when the station added a Fiona Apple song, for instance. According to the Times article, the promoter's records, or "bank," shows "withdrawals" for payments to the station. So if we all throw in a couple of bucks, could we get them to play something decent?
* The Temple of Sound Houdini'ed out of trouble with the authorities last week. City fire officials had given the self-described "omni-denominational" religious group, which finds spiritual inspiration in ravey dance music, 24 hours to clear out of its HQ, an old cereal factory in Northwest. A small group of Temple-ites lives in the commercially zoned building, which drew the crook-eye from fire czars. Cooler heads prevailed, though. By last Tuesday the Temple instituted a bunch of fire safety measures and began the quest to change the building's zoning. The new safety regime apparently satisfies fire officials for now. Temple founder Jasmine Horn says the departure of a few residents has left the group about a grand short on next month's rent, however. If the spirit moves ye, the Temple offers reiki, tarot readings and various forms of counseling for a sliding fee scale. Seekers call 241-1432.
* Still weeping in your Pabst about the demise of EJ's? Weep no more. This week, a new rock club announced plans to torch Northeast Sandy Boulevard. The Blackbird, which is taking over an old strip club at Northeast 39th Avenue and Sandy (yes, the signs are good), plans its grand opening for the first weekend in July. Chantelle Hylton, former calendar czarina of the Medicine Hat, will book the joint.
* Word on the street says U.S. Customs nabbed both halves of a prominent PDX male/female indie rawk duo on their way back from Canada. Seems they detoured from Canuckistan to Cuba, which is a CRIME in this country, hoss. Fines are expected; the money will probably be used to pay for Dr. Strangelove's new missile defense system.
* Idle hands are the devil's playthings, but fortunately Portland musicians HAVE BEEN SAVED. New discs from busy beavers Dead Moon, Pete Krebs & the Kung-Pao Chickens, Swords Project and Pinehurst Kids are either out or will be soon.
Correction: A photo caption with last week's story on the Luv Jonz poetry night misidentified OG-1.
WWeek 2015