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Y La Bamba’s New EP is the Portland Band’s Biggest Reckoning Yet

On the two releases the band has put out this year, Mendoza has begun to use the project to express more directly what she’s been trying to overcome as a queer Latinx artist in the Pacific Northwest.

DJ Collective Noche Libre Uses the Songs of Their Childhood to Build a Forward-Thinking Community

“It’s kinda like putting a message in a bottle and throwing it out and seeing if my people would come,” says Mendoza, who DJs under the name Lucha and is best known as the frontwoman of Y La Bamba. “And then they find it and are like, ‘Oh my God, that song!’”

Orchestra Becomes Radicalized Dismantles its Own Structures and Address Dictatorships in a New Composition

Striving for non-hierarchical form is more than just the project’s mission statement. “[Stripping away hierarchy] feels like such an ingrained value to me,” Niekrasz says. “I live in this cooperative, I participate in a goat co-op. Non-hierarchical cooperation just feels right to me. Of course, sometimes there are mediators and people who push the ball along or initiates something without a strong hand over the top of it.”

Sávila’s Debut Album Uses a Diverse Backbone of Latin Rhythms to Serve a Greater Purpose

Based on just two recorded songs and the strength of their performances, Sávila have played opening spots for local legends like the Thermals as well as national names like Deerhoof and, earlier this year, placed at the top of WW’s Best New Band poll. Until now, their reputation has been built on their spell-inducing live shows. That makes the release of their album a high-stakes benchmark—it’s not easy to transfer something so delicate and experiential onstage into a recording.

The World Naked Bike Ride, Beerfest and 12 Other Things to Do and See in Portland June 20-26

Where we’ll be reading merman porn then getting naked on bikes this week.

Five Great Deep Cuts From the First 10 Years of Tender Loving Empire

Through its first decade of existence, Tender Loving Empire has lived up to its name.

Pop Classicists New Move Re-Imagine Their Debut with a Lot of Help from Their Friends

Jesse Bettis doesn’t just feature local talent on his songs, he allows them to make the songs theirs.

Off the Waterfront: MusicfestNW presents Project Pabst Night Shows

The night shows of Project Pabst.

Y La Bamba Returns With a Familiar Sound and Newfound Confidence

“Ojos del Sol” finds Y La Bamba’s Luz Elena Mendoza at her most open and personal yet, offering an honest examination of herself and looming socio-political strife set to a familiar combination of stripped-down folk and giddy rock with South American rhythmic underpinnings.

MusicfestNW Presents Project Pabst Announces First Round of Night Shows

MusicfestNW presents Project Pabst (hereby abbreviated as MFNWpPP, or until someone comes up with a less cumbersome moniker) has announced its initial slate of concerts taking place at venues outside Waterfront Park.

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