PDX POP NOW!: AU, DOVEKINS, TU FAWNING, KUSIKIA, YLANG YLANG, REPORTER, & MORE (Rotture, 315 SE 3rd) POP—It's the most wonderful time of year: time for PDX Pop Now!, the all-ages, all-local, all-free, all-weekend-long music festival, taking place inside and outside Rotture on two stages. Don't miss one second of the 48 great local bands, from all styles of music imaginable. NL
PHOSPHORESCENT, J. TILLMAN, GROUPLOVE (Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) Phosphorescent has had bad luck with tour vans. As I'm talking on the phone to Matthew Houck, frontman and leader for the Brooklyn band, he's waiting in a restaurant for a flat tire to be fixed. "It's no big deal," he says. And going by their track record, it isn't: In March 2008, Phosphorescent's van broke down completely in San Francisco, necessitating a scramble to find a replacement rental van. Houck was forced to leave his bandmates behind and jump on a plane to make the show here in Portland. It wasn't meant to be a solo show; it just turned out that way. What's worse, at the airport he reached in his pocket and realized he'd taken the only keys to the rental van.
...Continue reading the rest of Ned Lannamann's article on Phosphorescent here.
CELILO, WHAT HEARTS, THE LORD'S OWN CHOIR (LaurelThirst Public House, 2958 NE Glisan) On Songs for Marjorie, the new EP from What Hearts, the local trio is not shy about their appreciation for the olden days of country music. Thankfully they pay their dues without strained twang or lyrical content forced beneath the Mason-Dixon line. Instead, What Hearts—which began as a songwriting project for Julie Vitells—stacks the harmonies high while keeping the pace at a tempered shuffle throughout this six-song offering. It's not all front-porch folk strumming either; songs like the haunting "Last Year" and "Don't Leave Me Danny" have a slight Chelsea Girl feel to them. Regardless of where their influences take root, What Hearts have just established a mighty foundation to build upon. EAC
As always, you can find our complete live music listings here.