ELEVEN PDX Magazine 102 - Dec/Jan 2020

ISSUE 102 | DEC/JAN 2020

W Y N N E ELEVEN PDX ISSUE 7 ELEVEN PDXMAGAZINE MAGAZINE--VOLUME VOLUME 9, 8, ISSUE 5

COMPLIMENTARY COMPLIMENTARY

INSIDE: OH, ROSE | BEDOUINE | ALLAH LAS | MADAME GANDHI OMNI | TORRES | WIRE | FRANCES QUINLAN | OF MONTREAL

ELEVEN PDX MAGAZINE ISSUE No. 102

Dec/Jan 2020 THE USUAL 4 Letter from the Editor 4 Staff Credits

FEATURES Local Feature 12 Oh, Rose

COLUMNS 5 Aural Fix

Bedouine Allah Las OMNI Madame Gandhi

Cover Feature 20

NEW MUSIC 8 Short List 8 Album Reviews TORRES Wire Frances Quinlan Of Montreal

MORE ONLINE AT ELEVENPDX.COM SOCIALS @ELEVENPDX

HELLO PORTLAND! I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for hibernation.

Something about the dark grey skies and sliver of daylight really has my bed looking like a good place to spend the winter. But life does go on! And who knows, this time of year might prove to be gold for artists—I’m really excited to head into the new year and hear what music has been been percolating through the winter.

I can’t even bring myself to talk about what’s been going on politically, aside from saying that it’s worth paying attention to.

Let’s all wait with baited breath together, and don’t forget how important it is to help each other out: donating clothes and coats to those in need as we head into the cold season, offer rideshares, and spare food when you can.

My brain feels a bit like mashed potatoes. But I’ll leave you with this reminder: don’t miss Girl Fest 2020 coming up at Holocene January 12, tell your friends you love them, and don’t feel guilty about taking some time to relax! You deserve it.

Goodnight, and have a pleasant tomorrow,

- Eirinn Gragson

Managing Editor

EXECUTIVE STAFF EDITOR IN CHIEF Ryan Dornfeld (ryan@elevenpdx.com)

ONLINE Michael Reiersgaard Kim Lawson

MANAGING EDITOR Eirinn Gragson (eirinn@elevenpdx.com)

FIND US ONLINE www.elevenpdx.com social channels: @elevenpdx

COPY EDITOR Chance Solem-Pfeifer Richard Houston SECTION EDITORS LITERARY ARTS: Scott McHale CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Liz Garcia, Mandi Dudek, Anthony King, Kelly Kovl, Nebraska Lucas, Nathan Royster, Charles Trowbridge, Eric Swanson, Henry Whittier-Ferguson.

PHOTOGRAPHERS Mathieu Lewis-Rolland, Todd Walberg, Michael Reiersgaard COVER DESIGN Katie Silver COVER PHOTO Greg Gorman

GENERAL INQUIRIES getinvolved@elevenpdx.com ADVERTISING ryan@elevenpdx.com ELEVEN WEST MEDIA GROUP, LLC SPECIAL THANKS We are forever thankful to all of the contributors and supporters that make this project possible.

Photo by Moises Galvan

AURAL FIX

up and coming music from the national scene

1 BEDOUINE DECEMBER 4 | DOUG FIR LOUNGE There's this somewhat defunct, crowdsourced music app called Radiooooo where the user can select a time period and country and hear the music that was popular there during that time. It provides snapshots from another place and era, transporting the user around the world and through time with the click of a button. Much like the Radiooooo app, the music of Azniv Korkejian, known professionally as Bedouine, is a journey through time and across continents. Echoes of past eras filter in through her voice without relying too heavily on older sounds, and never lingers too long in the past before bringing it all back to the present. Often accompanied by acoustic guitars and soft percussions, her music is a lyrical study in time travel.

Born in Aleppo, Syria, Bedouine has lived in a number of locations throughout the world, including Saudi Arabia and the East Coast of the United States. Her music is a reflection of these worldly experiences: her childhood in Syria or her life-changing move to the United States. Her voice contains the muse-like grace of Josephine Foster, along with the folk music layerings of Karen Dalton and lower-register Minnie Riperton.

Bird Songs of a Killjoy, released in June 2019, is Bedouine's second album after 2017's self-titled Bedouine. Her first album was a study of her roots and childhood, including a song in Western Armenian, her family's native dialect. Absent from her second album is any semblance of anxiety around recreating herself or trying to one-up her debut album. Instead, Bedouine focuses on the journey within and where it takes her in the world.

Although much of her music is derived from her working through emotional pain, finding hope and belonging in the process, her music also shows the promise that always comes with the hurt, no matter how far one has to go to find it. For Bedouine, that's a journey that has taken her around the world and back again. » – Crystal Contreras-Grossman

Photo by Tony Accosta

2 ALLAH LAS DECEMBER 07 | WONDER BALLROOM Allah Las, a four member band from Los Angeles, has been producing some groovy music since 2008. Over a decade later, Miles Michaud (vocals/guitar), Matthew Correia (percussion/ vocals), Spencer Dunham (bass/vocals), and Pedrum Siadatian

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(lead guitar/vocals) have released their fourth album, LAHS. While no one likes to get pigeonholed into one genre, Allah Las has fallen susceptible to certain labels—labels like ‘60s psychedelic rock or vintage surf rock.

And these labels are not bad! Upon listening to their four albums, a clear distinction can be made between their 2012 selftitled debut and October’s LAHS. The pure popiness of their first album dissipates by the time LAHS—a thirteen track, stunningly chill album—kicks off. For example, the song “Prazer Em Te Conhecer” is sung sweetly in Porteguese, while another, “Royal Blues”, sounds like to could be on another album altogether. “In The Air” is akin to what one might hear on the soundtrack in a happy scene of Mad Men, with lyrics that are relevant today: “We need light/It’s far too dark/Open your eyes/Don’t lose that spark.”

And sure favorite “Polar Onion” has a reminiscent tinge of older R.E.M. On top of normal band duties, Allah Las also now owns record label, Calico Discos—its first album release from Tim Hill. No doubt, this endeavor may detract from some writing and touring, but could ultimately prove beneficial as Allah Las’ sound continues to mature. The seemingly simple songs they create are actually quite complex concoctions. While they might like to pull away from their typical vintage sound, it’s also this consistency that keeps everyone listening. » – Kelly Kovl

Photo by Emily Frobos

Photo by Rikki Wright

4 MADAME GANDHI DECEMBER 5 | DOUG FIR LOUNGE

3 OMNI DECEMBER 10 | MISSISSIPPI STUDIOS Three years ago, Omni recorded an album that, by almost any other band, would have been considered slapdash: nearly overnight, mostly unedited and as a side project designed to sow some musical wild oats. When Deluxe officially dropped out of nowhere and to unanimous critical acclaim, it became clear that Omni had snatched the title of “most interesting post-punk” band.

In the years since, it has tightened that grip.

2017’s Multi-task, recorded in similar fashion, blew up the sophomore slump and featured a more sure-footed sound and the same instrumental complexity that made Deluxe an instant hit. While touring in support of Multi-Task, Omni caught the eye of Sub Pop, which locked them into a deal with the label for the group’s third studio, Networker, that dropped in November 2019.

Much like Deluxe and Multi-task, Networker served as proof of a band comfortable pushing its boundaries and re-writing crucial pieces of its identity, while maintaining the confidence to hang onto the core elements of its artistic success.

One of the things that separates Omni from other groups of its ilk is the extreme contrapuntal interplay between guitar and bass. Founders Philip Frobos on bass, and Frankie Broyles (formerly of Deerhunter) on guitar, began making music with each other out of desperation: after languishing in a few failed projects, both were looking for an outlet to make music that felt fun and true to their creative spirits. As they began to create tracks in earnest, they discovered they spoke a mutual musical language.

Broyles cranks out precise, jagged riffs and light-fingered runs. Frobos drives his basslines like a running conversation, interjecting and elaborating on the kinds of connected ideas rarely heard in the lo-fi sphere.

While Omni’s first two albums combined these elements into a kind of controlled chaos, Networker feels a bit different. Both Frobos and Broyles took a little more time to edit, revise and plan the record. As a result, while it still has an underlying frenetic current, the edges are a bit more polished, the ideas more refined and the production smoother.

Omni has hit another gear, and we’re just along for the ride. » – Charles Trowbridge

Madame Gandhi is on a mission to make her voice and message heard around the world. The LA-based musician has allowed her musical and political interests to coexist, having grown up between New York City and Bombay, India. Madame Gandhi picked up a pair of drumsticks for the first time when she was 11-years-old. You might recognize Madame Gandi for being the drummer of some of our favorites: M.I.A., TV on the Radio, Lizzo, Kehlani, and Thievery Corporation.

Madame Gandhi—real name Kiran Gandhi—recalls Spice Girls as her early influences, as well as Nas and Lauryn Hill as the reason for showing her empathy through storytelling. Her 2018 TED talk, “Own Your Voice”, about making music that is purposeful with a genuine meaning behind it was viewed over 200,000 times.

She was also listed as “Forbes 30 Under 30” for the Class of 2019.

And just when you think Madame Gandi isn’t badass enough, she triple majored in Political Science, Women’s Studies, and Mathematics, and she ran the London Marathon bleeding free to combat the stigma around a woman’s menstruation period.

Madame Gandhi’s latest EP, Visions, displays what “the future of female” really means.

Visions combines Madame Gandhi’s passion for forwardthinking politics and a range of worldly musical styles. It pushes limits with its lyricism and delivers a smidge of light at the end of the tunnel as we go into the 2020 presidential election. The world needs more artist-activists like Madame Gandhi. » – Mandi Dudek

A

QUICK TRACKS

B

“Waiting For Me”

“See Me Thru"

The EP opens up with an upbeat, boppy track that mixes hip-hop beats and weaves Indian influence throughout.

Gandhi's compelling lyrics about oppression, acceptance and climate change are delivered in a way that’s indescribable and charming.

This spacey and atmospheric queer femme love song is a blissful track about being unapologetically free to be yourself and recognizing those who appreciate you as your most authentic self.

elevenpdx.com | 5

new music album reviews

ALBUM REVIEWS THIS MONTH’S BEST

R REISSUE

L LOCAL RELEASE

Short List

Duster Duster Halsey Manic Dan Deacon Mystic Familiar Destroyer Have We Met Black Lips Sing In A World That’s Falling Apart Holy Fuck Deleter Circa Waves Happy Pinegrove Marigold Kesha High Road Squarepusher Be Up A Hello Andy Shauf The Neon Skyline Wolf Parade Thin Mind Poliça When We Stay Alive

Buy it

Stream it

Disagree? Scold us: @ELEVENPDX

6 | ELEVEN PDX

Toss it

TORRES Silver Tongue Merge Records TORRES, project of musician and songwriter Mackenzie Scott, has—over the course of this decade—carved out a unique niche in singer/songwriter pop.

The master moment was probably 2013’s self-titled full-length debut, an arresting collection that blended Americana with fuzzy rock, an epic melancholy somewhat reminiscent of slowcore and a

Wire Mind Hive Pink Flag To get a sense of how influential the English post-punk band Wire truly is, go back to their seminal 1977 debut Pink Flag and play the song “Three Girl Rhumba.” Then, fast forward 18 years to Elastica’s self-titled record and listen to their hit single, “Connection.” Yeah, I know. Crazy, right?

For 40+ years, Wire have constructed, deconstructed and reconfigured their sound in bold, unconventional ways, influencing

chilly trip-hop feel. Scott’s confessional lyrics were peppered with rich imagery and allusions hearkening to America’s musical roots. TORRES’ gift for the new year is a new collection with a noticeably different production style but a familiar lyrical feel, Silver Tongue, off Merge Records.

Silver Tongue moves a lot closer to the modern idea of art-pop than past efforts, with the album’s production much more focused on electronics and sounding boomingly “anthemic”. So, in a way, the uniqueness of the project has been smoothed over somewhat. Still, Scott often opts for a distinctly “cold” and atmospheric style of production that adds mystery to tracks like “Last Forest”, undercutting her scorching vocals. While Silver Tongue is a little more same-y than you might expect, there are some good moments (the rock of “Good Grief”, notably) and strong lyrics. Case in point: the stripped-down ballad “Gracious Day” has the feel of a glittering lullaby even as its words sow longing. » – Matthew Sweeney countless bands for decades while remaining themselves just shy of the limelight. Following 2017’s critically acclaimed Silver/Lead, Wire’s 17th studio album, Mind Hive, finds the band again experimenting with accessibly disjointed sound structures and stark, defiantly modern themes.

“Be Like Them” opens the album with tinkling guitar notes repeatedly stomped by thrashing power chords, with lead singer Colin Newman’s robotic vocal quickly segueing into his signature eardrum buzz. Lead single “Cactused” quickly follows at a feverish pace, with bassist Graham Lewis’ humming backing vocals gliding effortlessly over bristling melodies.

“Unrepentant,” “Shadows” and the staggeringly beautiful album closer, “Humming,” form the Mind Hive’s introspective backbone. “I can’t quite remember when it all went wrong/ Someone was humming a popular song,” Newman sings wistfully. Mind Hive is 35 minutes of phenomenal art-rock mastery that’ll undoubtedly influence generations of bands and musicians to come. » – Anthony King

new music album reviews

Frances Quinlan Likewise Saddle Creek Records As the front person of the Phillybased quartet Hop Along, Frances Quinlan is capable of being a force of nature. Aside from the fact that her songwriting has been razor-sharp since their debut Get Disowned, her voice is what elevates her.

Their music is peppered with moments where her voice comes out as a worldworn growl, ditching the sweetness of her

Of Montreal UR FUN Polyvinyl Records Of Montreal’s Kevin Barnes releases an albums at a rate of about one every two years. He comes across as an unaffected man who lives to observe life, learn anything he can and ultimately to create art. On the new album UR FUN, he’s writing tight 4-minute autobiographical songs about his changing relationship. There are funk-basslines and falsetto hooks as would want to be on any idealized Of Montreal album. 2018’s White Is Relic/Irrealis Mood

usual sound for something that has more kick. It’s part of what elevates the band to greatness from being merely good.

It’s hard to say if Quinlan needed to make Likewise, her debut solo album, but it’s a treat that we have it. Created and produced with bandmate Joe Reinhart as a vehicle for her desire to expand her sonic toolkit past solely guitar, the record never stays put long enough to establish a unified sound, instead settling for a series of soft experiments in personal boundary pushing. Luckily, Quinlan and Reinhart have a knack for this, and the end result is eight songs (and one cover, a beautiful take on Built to Spill’s “Carry the Zero”) in just over a half-hour and zero duds.

on “Your Reply” or glitchy baroque pop on “Detroit Lake,” the latter of which is good enough to hope that Hop Along add a string section for their next album. Then there’s “Went to LA,” a fraught acoustic guitar song with gentle string touches that gives Quinlan a chance for her voice to really reach those crackly heights she’s become so well known for, as she howls “HEAVEN IS A SECOND! HEAVEN IS A SECOND CHANCE!” When an artist announces a solo project, there’s always a worry that it will be a vain attempt to increase the artist’s visibility while doing things that aren’t actually too far removed from what they make normally. Likewise really isn’t

Each song has its own engine with its own goals, all of which are tied together with Quinlan’s voice, now pushed to the very front of the mix. Sometimes she plays it safe, like on the gorgeous and somber acoustic guitar-driven “A Secret”, which waits until the last minute to throw in some piano to sweeten the deal.

Elsewhere, they make spritely synth-pop

all that different from her music with Hop Along—what makes it great is the joy Quinlan seems to take in working to satisfy her hunger for becoming more sonically omnivorous. Who could ask for more? » – Holly Hazelwood

was about him falling in love, and this one is about their staying in love, learning from one another and learning more than those initial hormones tend to let a person in the first few months.

On “Polyaneurism”, Barnes is contemplating new ideas introduced to him via his romantic partner. More specifically, he’s agreed to be in an untraditional relationship. Him, a man in his mid-40s, takes on this intimidating situation without the unexamined bitterness a lesser person would succumb to, and instead he takes it with curiosity and aplomb: “Three months later Like something out of Liquid Sky/ I have to share her with some other guy/ that’s just whatever guess I’ll have to try”. He’s struggling with the de facto ownership a romance places on another human being, but the gut reaction for a him-or-me ultimatum is readied in the back of his throat.

“Peace to All Freaks” addresses the current feelings of fear and politics with tact and optimism: parents at the holiday table can be insufferable hate mongers, and sometimes the best we can get from

the unabashed racism around us is the good sense for self reflection. Feeling confident that (sigh) love will prevail, we’re delivered a scathing summary of such human-doers: “We know the universe must express itself through awful people, too/ so really we just feel sad for you”.

“Deliberate Self-harm Ha Ha” is a callus low-energy argument around a complicated topic that can’t be rationalized away. The lyrics “Pain won’t make you beautiful/ Pain won’t make you strong/ I knew that you thought both were true/ I guess I just played along” is circuitous thinking about regrets.

For all his pontificating on life, it is a pleasure to see an Of Montreal track sit with a moment like “You’ve Had Me Everywhere”. It isn’t so much analyzing, but rather really noticing how good it feels to be in love with someone, be it at a museum or in the kiss-and-fly line at the airport. When Barnes sings the hook of “There never seems to be enough time” it’s believable, and bitter sweet, making each great moment feel like it’s worth the wait. » – Nathan Royster

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LOCAL FEATURE

O

by Eric Swanson

livia Rose was born in Asheville, North Carolina, but has been living in Olympia, Washington since 2012 and fronting Oh, Rose since 2014. She originally visited Olympia to visit friends, but she liked the community that she found.

Oh, Rose is personal. Lyrically, an outpouring of Olivia; musically, a group of friends who love and trust like family; neighborly, a great example of what Washington offers Portland outside of no sales tax.

Recently Oh, Rose released their second full-length LP While My Father Sleeps—an album shaped, delayed and defined by the death of Olivia’s mom. And even more recently, they co-headlined KEXP’s Death and Music concert at the Seattle town hall.

I was fortunate enough to talk with Olivia about life, their latest release, and Oh, Rose and the gang: Sarah Redden, Laim Hindahl and Kevin Christopher. We will be fortunate enough to see them in Portland with Phantogram at the Crystal Ballroom on December 10th, 2019.

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Oh, Rose

features

ELEVEN : Why do you write music?

To learn about yourself? Because you are a productive individual who was brought up to be a functioning adult?

Olivia Rose: No. I write because I have to write. And I’m not even regimented about that. I was playing and singing on the piano last night and I was patting myself on the back: “You go girl, you can do this.” (snaps fingers)

OR: We all drive.

11: All of y— OR: (interrupting) Hell yeah.

11: Does the van have a name?

OR: Squeaky.

11: Are you drawn to any other arts outside of music?

11: Everyone in Oh, Rose has very good hair… But who has the best hair, and why is it Liam? (I point to the blonde maned and banged drummer on a recent press photo)

OR: Aside from music, video is very cool and fun and important to me.

I’ve edited and directed our last two music videos “25, Alive” and “Baby”.

OR: (Laughs) It is Liam. Do you know why he has the best hair? Because I made it the best. I cut those bangs and made him get bangs.

11: The first time I heard the song “25, Alive” and the first time I saw the video for it gave me completely different experiences. The emotional arc of the song flipped 180° for me with the visual and lyrical juxtaposition.

11: How did you guys decide to sequence While My Father Sleeps? Is the album meant to be a complete narrative?

OR: I really like the song changed for you.

11: It’s clear from your performances and videos that you guys all love each other deeply.

OR: We’re like a family and we’re very close to each other’s families.

When we formed in 2014, we met up and started playing together for a month and then went on tour for two months. So we became close on the road. I had this thing in my head that if we can’t get through being together like 24/7 for two months than it’s not gonna work as a band.

Sarah is my best friend—she’s my sister—we’ve lived together for seven years. Liam and Kevin live together, they’ve lived together since 2014.

11: Who drives the van when you go on tour?

OR: I like to think of the songs more like vignettes and glimpses into emotions and experiences. The sequence of “Phoenix” followed by “Water” was very much intentional because I think those two songs hold hands... but the order was hard.

11: How critical do you get during recording? How close do the songs need to match the vision in your head?

OR: I think it’s a “How much do I hate this” gauge? Sometimes you just need to tell yourself: “Dude... just stop… I’m sorry if this is making you uncomfortable, but this is what you sound like.” A really awesome thing I’ve gathered from this band is learning to just tolerate the sound of my own voice.

we recorded it twice. We didn’t even change the songs, but I think it was important to capture it both times.

With recording, it’s just a glimpse into where you’re at in time… if we had released the first recordings we would have had a very different vibe and feeling... like a scared rabbit.

11: How close were those recordings?

OR: A year apart.

11: When were the songs on the album shaped and written?

OR: With our last two albums a lot of the songs were cemented the way they are just from touring and playing the songs so many times.

We’ve been touring While My Father Sleeps in one way or another with these songs, some of them since 2015. So we know them.

11: I was really struck by the arrangement of “Water” but there are these crashing cymbals at the end that sound just like crashing waves in the distance. It’s so good.

OR: We did that song in one take. It wasn’t supposed to be on the album.

We were recording with our friend River Nason who was helping us engineer and one day I said, “Hey, I have this song. Umm, hit record.” I started playing [Water] and Kevin and Liam joined in. By the end of it, River was crying and said “We’re not doing that again, that’s going on the album.”

11: Is that usual for you guys?

OR: (Shaking head) No.

11: The album sounds very, very, tight and polished. It sounds like a lot of hours in the studio. Was it?

OR: With While My Father Sleeps...

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11: There’s a lot of variation in your vocal delivery from song to song. Is it always Olivia singing?

Or do you feel like some songs feature different narrators?

OR: That’s a good question... yeah, I think that there are multiple narrators for sure.

11: Like during the song “Baby” I hear the voice of the inner child and the doubtful voice of a negative, self-critical ego.

OR: Yeah.

the person you love is sleeping with someone else. I was dating someone at the time and had met up with them and their band on tour in Austin for a little bit before returning home to Olympia by myself. The night I came back I started writing “Winter” and I found out later that—on that night— my boyfriend was actually cheating on me.

11: That is unreal.

OR: I was like, “What the hell?!

What is that?”

11: Is having multiple voices something you plan out when you start writing? Or do you recognize the voices as different, significant and meaningful after the song is finished and you’ve had some distance to reflect on it?

11: How does your ability to sometimes predict the future make you feel about the future of Oh, Rose?

OR: Oh, it’s always after the fact. I think that’s probably true with a lot of songwriters, but it still surprises me when I listen back to the songs.

I’m like—sigh—“How did you know and why did it take me—the living, breathing, seemingly functioning young adult woman so long to get there in my mind?”

11: Is it a relief to be able to move on from While My Father Sleeps?

11: Have you found yourself writing and tapping into a voice that knows something about you on an emotional level before you can fully recognize it mentally?

OR: Yeah, it’s this weird thing where I’ll finally get to a point in understanding or processing something that happened in my past and when I listen back I say to myself: “This is exactly what I was talking about.”

11: Did these sort of premonitions start with While My Father Sleeps?

OR: No that existed with the [previous album] Seven too. For example, there’s a song called “Winter”—it’s about sleeping alone in your bed and knowing that

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OR: I am sooo optimistic and so ready to record.

OR: I’m totally sick of it (laughing), but I have a lot of respect for it. I’m okay talking about it too, because I think it’s important for people who listen to our music, and hopefully for people who eventually find these songs, to know that I’m talking about loss and grief. People experience loss in so many ways, it doesn’t have to be the physical loss of a parent. It could be losing a friend, a lover, anything. There are emotional ties in all those relationships and I’m examining those feelings in my music.

I don’t know if this is a thing that other people do, but the first things I do if I hear a band I like—1.

I’m gonna Google a video of them playing live, because recordings are one thing and live is very different, and 2. I’ll Wikipedia them and read their story and read interviews— y’know, who are these people?

11: Totally.

OR: For me, you’re trying to find yourself reflected in these artists

that you admire. You want to find a piece of yourself Not just in the music, because you’ve already found it—that’s what drew you to them— but also in their stories and lives.

11: Being able to find that connection through art is so powerful. It helps validate your feelings and experiences.

Especially around personal pains and tragedies that can feel isolating and hard to share.

OR: This is why I decided to tell my story about grief and loss.

It’s because we need to forward these conversations and because I cannot honestly talk about my music without talking about my life and experience. That’s gonna be the highs and the lows. Just like how you can’t talk about Oh, Rose without talking about how much all four of us genuinely love each other. Y’know or that… that...

11: ...or that Liam has the best hair…

OR: ...or that Liam has the best hair.

Actually, [looking at the cover of While My Father Sleeps] I think my brother might have the best hair.

Oh, Rose While My Father Sleeps Park The Van

If only grief always sounded so good. Oh, Rose’s most recent release, While My Father Sleeps, is introspective, meditative, driving, but most of all, it’s rocking. A bit of Breeders meets Cat Power, with a dash of Shirley Manson, the album is heartfelt and powerful.

Founder and frontperson Olivia Rose lost her mother in 2017, and coped with said loss the best way she knew how: making music. Her journey begins with with where she was left, “25, Alive,” and she allows the listener to participate in her grieving process, asking “am I strong enough to tell my truth?” It’s a

sincere question, and the whole first track is her unpacking, giving us exactly what she is thinking and feeling. It’s pure, unfiltered songwriting and it’s the best kind of raw, like cracking open an oyster and finding a pearl, all of the polishing has already been done. As the album carries on, we get a variation of reflection and positivity, balanced with grungy, fuzzy sorrow and lament, but at no point does any track feel out of place or unnecessary, perhaps with the exception of “Baby,” where the bulk of the lyrics are “wah wah wah.” Even there, it’s hard to blame Rose, as it’s honest, and like all of the tracks on the album, the emotion is infectious.

After jumping through some denial and escapism in “Harrypotterjuana,” frustration and probably anger is conveyed in the rebirthing track Phoenix.

While My Father Sleeps turns to the slow, somber, operatic track “Water.” To bring it all together, “Be Kind to Me” shares elements of the whole album, but is mostly at peace, and while the world might never be the same, Rose is moving forward to find that there are still things to learn and appreciate. » - Richard Lime

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steps in,

draped in

improbabilities.

Portland’s best new rapper is a blonde girl from Lake Oswego.

She goes bar-for-bar on her new mixtape, If I May, with Blazers all-star Damian Lillard, aka Dame DOLLA, the best rapper in the NBA. About to embark on a nation-wide tour with some of the best acts in hip-hop right now—she’s here, back home in South West, putting on for her city harder than just about anybody. Then she starts to speak, and you realize that probability has nothing to do with it. Wynne just works harder. Her easy smile belies the kind of drive that has put her in the room with some of the best rappers and producers in the game, and now that she’s in a position to be heard, she isn’t going to take it lightly. Her goal has always been to shine a light on a scene that’s been growing here in Portland for decades, and you can tell her loyalty to this town run deep. I sat down with Wynne to talk about her relationship with the internet, her new Mixtape, and her plans to keep Portland in the center of it all.

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ELEVEN: So, growing up in Lake Oswego, what was your first exposure to hip-hop? Was there a moment, or a particular song that you remember hearing?

Wynne: When I was growing up, my dad played a lot—he mostly played Luther Vandross, a lot of Black Eyed Peas when they were getting started, so I was always kinda more attracted to drums that hit, live bass sounds. He played a lot of Alicia Keys. My brother and I shared an iTunes account, so I had access to all his music, and when I was nine I went to make a warm-up CD for our soccer team and I asked him what to put on it. He played “Lose Yourself,” by Eminem, and I was like “This is insane!”

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FEATURES

11: You first got on people’s radar when a few of your freestyle videos went viral. The first big one got reposted by Snoop. Were you making those for a while before that happened?

W: No, it was weird. That was the first one I made. It was for the “So Far Gone” challenge, and I just posted one, cause I thought I could kill it, and it circulated on Twitter. It started getting retweeted by these big accounts, all these meme accounts. Then Snoop Dogg posted it on Instagram and it blew up on Instagram and Facebook. It was weird.

11: Then there was the other infamous video where people thought you were Eminem’s daughter. We don’t have to get into that, I think Illmaculate set the record straight on that. But I wanted to ask, what’s your relationship like with the Internet these days?

W: That’s a good question (laughs). I always thought, you know, this is gonna work, I’m gonna get discovered and build my team and tour and become a rapper. But I had no idea how that was gonna happen, and I should have figured that it was through going viral a couple times, because I’m clickbait. It’s easy to see a white girl rapping and click on it to make fun of it, and then be shocked, and I end up getting followers out of that. So I’m grateful for the Internet, because it helped me connect with my team. But I don’t really like the Internet. I don’t really like Facebook. I love Twitter, but I don’t tweet, I don’t feel like I have anything to say. I like Instagram but I don’t post. I’m trying to get better about it. That’s a really vague answer to your question (laughs).

11: No, I think everybody has this complex relationship with all these things, like, “This seems weird and evil but I gotta be on it.”

Anyways, last month, you dropped your long awaited debut mixtape, If I May. How has that been, having that out?

W: It’s been really cool. It’s definitely weird to live with those songs forever. It was really

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just Itay and I locked in the studio for about a year working on those songs. Each song went through so many different lives, so then to give that to the fans—I mean, we’ve each seen twenty drafts of these songs, and we’ve seen ten different versions of the tracklist, so to give it to people and really say, “We’ve done everything we could do, this is the best work we could make, we’re really proud of it,” and to see how stoked the fans are and how much they love it, there’s really nothing like it. It’s really special.

11: So you were saying there’s been a lot of versions of these tracks, and one thing that I appreciated about If I May, is that compared with some of your older tracks, the songs here feel more like songs, in terms of their structure. If you look at a track like “CVTVLYST,” a few years ago, that’s just six minutes of solid bars, which is dope, but now you have a better sense of, “Okay, there’s a hook here, there’s a switch-up here.” Was that something that you had to work on a lot?

W: For sure. I actually credit a lot of that to my publisher now, his name is JJ Corsini. He found me when I was eighteen, when I was an MC. “CVTVLYST” was actually part two to a song called “Genesis,” which is no longer on the internet, but I put that out for the fans. It was the same, just four minutes of straight bars. JJ discovered me off that. He was like, “Hey, you have an insane raw talent, but you need to go from being an MC to being a songwriter.”

A lot of that also came from playing with a live band. I played in a band in college called the Illaquips. So much of hip-hop and jazz and funk is just improvising, so we were doing a lot of freestyling, and in doing that, you come up with different melodies and different flows that you wouldn’t write just by writing. So that became part of my process.

11: And now you’re leaving more space for some of the production. I did want to talk about the production—the beats that you picked—because you’ve got a stable of incredible producers on If I May. How did you pick the beats?

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W: I am extremely picky. This mixtape would not have taken this long if I were just taking the beats that were given to me and writing to every one of them. Beats are such a staple. I can’t rap over a whack beat. Luckily we were able to get in the room with some of the best producers ever, which I’m incredibly grateful for. We’ve had these beats for a couple years, and I’ve been very selective about what I’m taking. Some came from beat packs where we’d get a hundred beats and I would pick one. Some were through sessions. I comb through beats like a monster.

11: You’re pretty tight with Dame DOLLA. How did you connect with him?

W: Dame actually reached out to me after my second viral video, which was a worldstar post.

We just started talking. We’d chat once a month, building our relationship with the intent to work together at some point, and then I had this song called “Buzzer,” and I was shouting him out at the end of it. I was like, “Hey, are you down to be in this video?” And he was like, “Yeah, I’ll roll up.” We kicked, he came to the shoot and helped us move props and brought his friends. We got to know them pretty well, and from there he was like, “Hey, whatever you need, I got you.”

I reached out to him about “The Thesis” last December. I was like, “Hey, we haven’t even started, we don’t even have the beat, but I want to put this on your radar.” He doesn’t make music during the season, but I told him, “I want to do this for the Portland scene, and to have someone like you cosign would mean a lot for the city,” and he was like, “Yeah I got you.” I reached out to him once during the playoffs, but after that, I hit him up just to say congrats on the contract. He just goes, “Yeah for sure, I just recorded the verse and sent it over, did you get it?” I was like, “You recorded the verse the same day they announced your max contract? That’s legendary.”

11: So “The Thesis” is named after the hiphop showcase at Kelly’s Olympian. The crew you put together, were those mostly people that connected through that showcase? How did you put that lineup together?

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W: The goal I had with the people I picked was to hit different areas of the city—different sounds and different generations. So to have people like Vursatyl, who’s been in the scene and helped build it since they ‘90s, and then to have Illmac—who’s this legendary battle rapper, who’s been putting on for St. Johns, who’s built a following of people who love him for his punchlines—and then Kayela, who’s the upcomer in the scene—to put all these people together with Dame, and say, “Hey, these people are here and this is a taste of what’s been happening in Portland from the 90’s until today.”

11: You had Riley Brown working on “The Thesis.” How did you link up with him?

W: Riley for “The Thesis” was a no-brainer for me. I think as much as “The Thesis” represents the passion and the heart of the hip-hop scene.

Riley is also that. He’s brought a lot of people together, and has worked with pretty much everybody in the scene. He’s one of the hardest workers I know, and really cares about the growth of an industry culture here. I knew that I had to bring him in. I just had a vision where I wanted to put everyone in their location in the city and have everyone do their thing and be themselves.

11: I also wanted to talk about live shows.

Have you been touring off this album at all?

W: No, I’m about to start.

11: And you’ve got your first show here on the 14th?

W: Yes, the 14th is my first headlining show in Portland. We’ve held off for a long time on that. We didn’t want my first moment here to be piggybacking off something else. We’re at the Hawthorne Theater, and we’ve actually partnered with Amazon for it. We’re gonna turn it into an incredible experience for the fans.

We’re designing the space with the help of Camp Grizzly. It’s gonna be very cool. I just left my first rehearsal for that show.

11: Nice! What are you working with, personnel-wise? Do you have a live band or a DJ? W: We have a DJ, DJ Fatboy, who’s a legend. We have Shook Black on the drums, and then we have Cary Miga, who’s playing bass, and then my Hype man Raph, who’s a breaker. He does background vocals. He’s just around, so it’ll be the five of us.

11: What else do you have coming up after the show on the 14th?

W: I’m on tour with Earthgang and Mick Jenkins starting January 16th in Seattle. It’s 30 dates and it’s my first tour. It’s the greatest people to tour with, so I’m stoked. Earthgang and JID are managed by the same people, and we know their team super well, so it worked out.

11: Are you back in Portland with that?

W: January 18th at the Wonder Ballroom.

11: Beyond that, do you have plans for the next project?

W: Of course. We started making songs for the album when we started making songs for the mixtape. I’m going to hold off on my album for a little bit. We’re going to follow this up with probably a little EP, going to drop a couple singles hopefully while we’re on tour, and hopefully have an EP before the end of the summer. But don’t quote me on that. Everything always takes longer than you think. »

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