East Portland Blog

Etta James and Harvey Fuqua‏ – Spoonful, By John Siscoe

admin — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 01:14:02 +0000

It is usually a bad idea to cover any song recorded by Howlin’ Wolf.

You’re likely to come out second-best. But there are the rare exceptions, and this is one of them. Do Etta and Harvey blow away the Wolf in this version of Spoonful? No, but they certainly put their stamp upon it. . . . → Read More: Etta James and Harvey Fuqua‏ – Spoonful, By John Siscoe

Santigold – Disparate Youth

admin — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 17:33:44 +0000

I really like this new Santigold single, but the video needs work:

Jessie J – Domino, By Mike Hughes

admin — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 03:43:40 +0000

36 million views for this video for Domino? Wow, Jessie J has come a long way fast… I heard her being interviewed about how this was written as a riposte to a feeling anything but ‘sexy and free’ but don’t be fooled by the schtick. It’s totally fabulous but also very deeply conventional, which . . . → Read More: Jessie J – Domino, By Mike Hughes

Bruce Springsteen – We Take Care Of Our Own

admin — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 23:49:29 +0000

Tomten with Pica Beats and Curtains For You at Neumos 2/23

admin — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 22:02:46 +0000

Seattle’s latest and greatest baroque pop band, Tomten, will perform Thursday, 2/23 at Neumos with Pica Beats and Curtains for You. Tomten goes on at 9pm sharpish.

KEXP describes Tomten, who hope to release a 10 inch vinyl EP in April and a full length work in June, in this way, “Well-crafted and . . . → Read More: Tomten with Pica Beats and Curtains For You at Neumos 2/23

Jennifer Lin: Magical Improv From 14-year-old Pianist, By Randy Rendfeld

admin — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 18:46:29 +0000

This is the kind of stuff I listen to while driving sometimes now — YouTube files of Ted.com lectures and performances burned to MP3 CDs. This is a long file, but if you listen to a minute at the beginning, you’ll get the idea. Zoom to 16:38m, where Goldie Hawn picks some notes at . . . → Read More: Jennifer Lin: Magical Improv From 14-year-old Pianist, By Randy Rendfeld

The Presidents of The United States of America Make a Triumphant Return to Seattle’s Showbox Market, By Holly Homan

admin — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 04:43:36 +0000

As I waited for the show starring The Presidents of the United States of America to begin, great music streamed from the break tape and I found myself hearing bands such as the Sweet, the Runaways and the Sonics.

Then the show began right at nine as scheduled with some guy from LA called . . . → Read More: The Presidents of The United States of America Make a Triumphant Return to Seattle’s Showbox Market, By Holly Homan

Dusty Springfield – Son of a Preacher Man, By Rich Horton

admin — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 23:38:33 +0000

As the son of a preacher myself, when Dusty Springfield first released this record, I fancied it was about me — which was pure narcissism on my part, to say the least. Aside from that, it’s still a great record, and Dusty was at her peak when she made it.

– Rich Horton

Have You Ever Had a Beard? – A New Movie Featuring Calvin Johnson of K Records/Beat Happening to Premiere Friday February 24th at Hollywood Theatre in Portland and March 5 at Northwest Film Forum in Seattle

admin — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 16:56:32 +0000

Like fighters in a boxing match, raucous Seattle music writer Chris Estey goes ‘toe to toe’ with cagey music maverick Calvin Johnson about beards and other mysteries of life in the new film, Have You Ever Had a Beard?

A study in contrasts, this film compares the lyric heavy songwriting of Calvin Johnson . . . → Read More: Have You Ever Had a Beard? – A New Movie Featuring Calvin Johnson of K Records/Beat Happening to Premiere Friday February 24th at Hollywood Theatre in Portland and March 5 at Northwest Film Forum in Seattle

Kidd Russell – She Feels Like Home – Could it be the Juice?

admin — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 07:16:51 +0000

Kidd Russell has two new videos. He describes She Feels Like Home in this way, “We Shot this video on the last day of summer in Wisconsin. We had no plans, a bootleg camera, our ladies and a few cases of beer so we decided to have fun and shoot something authentic and fun. . . . → Read More: Kidd Russell – She Feels Like Home – Could it be the Juice?

Prince – Original Live Recording of Purple Rain (First Avenue 1983) With Commentary, By Andrew Hamlin

admin — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 07:03:44 +0000

On Valentine’s Day 1985, he played this for, I don’t know, forever. A delicious forever…

– Andrew Hamlin

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIzzHHMLfd0&feature=youtu.be

Taylor Swift ft. The Civil Wars – Safe & Sound (The Hunger Games) By Lydia Cooper

admin — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 03:42:26 +0000

I never read the Hunger Games books about which the lyrics of this song were written. That being said, this is an artistically well done video. It has an eerie, yet light, other worldly quality to it. The natural world potrayed in the video would seem almost heavenly, with Taylor looking mystical and wearing . . . → Read More: Taylor Swift ft. The Civil Wars – Safe & Sound (The Hunger Games) By Lydia Cooper

Bryan Adams Performs “It’s Only Love,” June 15, 1986‏, By Tom Kipp

admin — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 21:43:35 +0000

The very DEFINITION of my very favorite Sludge Rudiment, “The Bryan Adams Part”, from a concert for Amnesty Int’l, no less! LOL

And at Giants Stadium in ’86, the mullets, they ABOUND!

Forgot to mention that I recently made a nice score at our (admittedly odious) Best Buy store up at Northgate, where I will occasionally buy TV shows on dvd when the “loss-leading” spotlight happens to shine on some portion of my Personal Pantheon!

Neoconservatives accuse Barack Obama of leading the United States down the road to communism. In reality, mainstream Democrats have become more fiscally conservative since the Cold War era. Obama is no more economically radical than Richard Nixon, whose presidency produced the Environmental Protection Agency, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, increased . . . → Read More: WHY THE AMERICAN LEFT HAS BEEN LEFT BEHIND (NO MATTER WHAT THE AMERICAN RIGHT CLAIMS) By Ben Easher

Does Rolling Stone Magazine Have Any Future at All?

admin — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 00:33:45 +0000

How many weeks does Rolling Stone, the magazine, have left? I hadn’t seen a copy in six years (which says something in itself) and now, perusing the 3/1 issue with Paul McCartney on the cover I’m shocked at how small and ad-less the zine is these days. How can they possibly be making any . . . → Read More: Does Rolling Stone Magazine Have Any Future at All?

Listen Whitey! Author Pat Thomas to Appear at Powell’s Bookstore in Portland April 22

admin — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 09:44:26 +0000

[LISTEN, WHITEY! author Pat Thomas will be reading / presenting / playing music from the book and companion album on Sunday, April 22nd at Powell's Bookstore in Portland.]

Over a five year period in Oakland, CA, archivist Pat Thomas befriended key leaders of the seminal Black Power Movement, . . . → Read More: Listen Whitey! Author Pat Thomas to Appear at Powell’s Bookstore in Portland April 22