Art Music Film/Theater Community Wed, Feb. 1 An Evening with Amor Towles Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall 7:30 p.m. $21–85 Author known for his best-selling novels A Gentleman in Moscow…
Creative’s Spotlight: Mitsuki Dazai
Despite its minimalist, 13-stringed structure, the Japanese koto is a surprisingly versatile instrument in the hands of an expert like Mitsuki Dazai. “This is a very simple structured musical…
Positivity culture is a psyop
When The Ramones released their first trio of highly influential records in the late ‘70s—their self-titled debut in 1976 and Leave Home and Rocket to Russia in 1977—the consensus was…
Brainwashed by Pinkerton
In one of Saturday Night Live’s only moderately relevant and funny sketches from the past decade, two Weezer fans—played by Leslie Jones and Matt Damon—disrupt an otherwise civil dinner party…
The best music of 2021 so far
It goes without saying that COVID-19 rendered live performances and touring virtually impossible for musicians, but 2020 was nonetheless a banner year for breakout indie artists. Some artists of note…
Pro tips
On February 12, musician Rence performed virtually and offered industry insight to Portland State students. The show and Q&A were hosted by KPSU, PSU’s free-form radio station, in conjunction with…
Peace offering
With each song on songs and instrumentals—the couplet of newly released albums from Big Thief frontwoman Adrianne Lenker—the songwriter beautifully and carefully crafts a transparent body of music, rich in…
Nostalgia in reverse
In late 2017, Pitchfork ran a prescient feature on the unlikely resurgence of rap rock—aptly titled, “The Unlikely Resurgence of Rap Rock.” The piece’s premise is that rap rock—historically one…
The children’s musician for adults
Everyone has experienced a song perfectly capturing a mood and sustaining that feeling for its entire length. What’s rarer is an album that can perform the same trick, not only…
The Aladdin Theater in Portland, Oregon on April 7. Image courtesy of Aladdin Theater Facebook page.
John Prine’s “Souvenirs”
Although three months have passed since John Prine died of COVID-19 on April 7, the pandemic has only gotten worse. Prine’s work frequently grappled with loneliness and isolation, and his…
Charli XCX releases ambitious quarantine album, “how i’m feeling now”
Charli XCX knows how badly we want to go out to brunch, but she also knows we would 100% go partying with our friends if we could have one hour…