Eleven PDX Magazine March 2015 by Eleven PDX

contents

ELEVEN PDX MAGAZINE ISSUE NO. 10

THE USUAL 3 Letter from the Editor 3 Staff Credits

VOLUME 4

FEATURES Local Feature 13 Eternal Tapestry

Cover Feature 17 Death Cab For Cutie

new music 4 Aural Fix Föllakzoid Single Mothers Springtime Carnivore Bully

FILM Watch Me Now 22 Ruin, Ritual: A Few Artist Biopics

7 Short List 7 Album Reviews Moon Duo Of Montreal Summer Cannibals

COMMUNITY Neighborhood of the Month 24 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard

Literary Arts 25 Portland poet Jeff Alessandrelli

LIVE MUSIC 9 Know Your Venue Crystal Ballroom

11 Musicalendar

Visual Arts 27 Portland filmmaker & artist Misha Capecchi

An encompassing overview of concerts in PDX for the upcoming month. But that’s not all–the Musicalendar is complete with a venue map to help get you around town. more online at elevenpdx.com

HELLO PORTLAND! It’s already March of 2015. Can you believe that? Life is sure moving fast these days. As with all things, there’s some pros/cons for me, so here’s my list for March of 2015. Con: Face has new wrinkle every few months. Pro: Giant beard covering most of face. Con: More frequently have to pee in middle of night. Pro: Occasionally catch amazing sunrise doing so. Con: Occasionally attacked by ninja cats doing so. Pro: Cuddly kinton cats post ninja attacks. Con: Don’t really keep up with anyone from High School. Pro: So many amazing new friends to spend time with. Con: 10 years postgrad, still paying off debt/loans Pro: Well trained at pretending debt/student loans don’t exist. Con: Too many amazing food options in PDX Pro: I’m looking at you, Bai Yok, Antojitos Yucatecos, EastBurn, Yama Sushi, Babydoll Pizza, Savoy, Tabor Tavern, Pambiche! Con: It rains sometimes. Pro: It rains sometimes. Hope to see you all out at some shows/events/parties this month! »

- Ryan Dornfeld, Editor in Chief

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EXECUTIVE STAFF EDITOR IN CHIEF Ryan Dornfeld CREATIVE DIRECTOR Dustin Mills SECTION EDITORS LOCAL FEATURE: Brandy Crowe, Wendy Worzalla LITERARY ARTS: Scott McHale VISUAL ARTS: Mercy McNab FILM: Rachael Haigh, Bex Silver graphic DESIGN Dustin Mills Alex Combs COPY EDITING Megan Freshley COVER PHOTO We Are The Rhoads CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Brandy Crowe, Billy Dye, Eric Evans, Donovan Farley, Veronica Greene, Rachael Haigh, Casey Hardmeyer, Kelly Kovl, Travis Leipzig, Ethan Martin, Scott McHale, Aaron Mills, Jacob Schraer, Matthew Sweeney, Charles Trowbridge, Wendy Worzalla photographers Mercy McNab, Aa Mills, Todd Walberg, Caitlin M. Webb

online Mark Dilson, Donovan Farley, Kim Lawson, Michael Reiersgaard get involved getinvolved@elevenpdx.com www.elevenpdx.com twitter.com/elevenpdx facebook.com/elevenmagpdx GENERAL INQUIRIES info@elevenpdx.com ADVERTISING sales@elevenpdx.com DISTRIBUTION / PROMO The Redcoats eleven west media group, llc Ryan Dornfeld Dustin Mills SPECIAL THANKS Our local business partners who make this project possible. Our friends, families, associates, lovers, creators and haters. And of course, our city!

new music aural fix

AURAL FIX

Photo by Shazzula

UP AND COMING MUSIC FROM THE NATIONAL SCENE

FÖLLAKZOID

One of the best neo-psych bands in the world right now is Chile’s Föllakzoid, a krautrock outfit which began as a collaboration between childhood friends Diego Lorca, Juan Pablo Rodriguez, and Domingo Garcia-Huidobro. Föllakzoid are perhaps the ultimate minimalist psych band, utilizing the motorik beat of Neu! and La Düsseldorf for endlessly extending locked-in grooves–a mesmerizing excursion into the unknown. What sets Föllakzoid apart from so many other worthy krautrock revival groups is that they have the sacred musical traditions of the Andes as their guide for this journey. In this sense, there is something of a bond between them and their South American contemporaries Montibus Comunitas and The Holydrug Couple, a bond stronger than that which connects them to Loop and Spacemen 3. Before they were brought aboard Sacred Bones Records, they created Blow Your Mind Records in Santiago to release their first records as well as those of other local artists. In 2013 they toured with their Sacred Bones labelmates Psychic Ills, and released their excellent album II, which brought them acclaim and increased recognition. Over the past few years they’ve played All Tomorrow’s Parties, Primavera, and SXSW, and they don’t seem to be losing momentum.

Photo by Ben Pobjoy

SINGLE MOTHERS MARCH 7 | MISSISSIPPI STUDIOS

What the fuck is going on in Canada? Having never met a person who knows, or a person who doesn’t want to know, the province of Ontario is turning out legitimate bands like Ben and Jerry’s is churning out celebrity endorsed stoner food. And they’re just as bad (in a good way) to get in ya. Single Mothers is made from the same maple as Fucked Up–they are punk rock that is more rock than punk and smarter than any New York best seller. Heavy on the drums and riffs, light on the bullshit and as literary as Hemingway’s shotgun.

Their upcoming album III is even more pared-down and minimal than II, with more emphasis on repetition and simple, insistent percussion lines. The songs on III were mostly written incidentally, developing out of soundchecks and live improvisations. The synth lines on this album were overdubbed by German musician Atom TM—his masterful contribution is most evident on the haunting closer “Feuerzeug.” On III, Föllakzoid draw an interesting connection between the ancient and the modern, creating a rhythm that sounds just as much like dub techno as it sounds like it could be the soundtrack to a sacred rite. A fine album and a fine band. You can check Föllakzoid, along with Mugstar, Eternal Tapestry, and Sungod at the Austin Psych fest in May–hope to see you there! » - Matthew Sweeney Like most good things, they come from a small town. Their band biography paints a taut picture (if I could write it better then I would), they come from a place where “inheritance has less to do with the passing of property or title, and more to do with inherited ways of being; listlessness, discord and dissonance. Its bars and barbiturates that draught beer bought with overdraft, the bravado of last call brawls.” The music embodies the musician’s history. It is honest without any entitlement to popularity; it is obvious the band is aimed at pure self-expression with no endgame in mind. The instrumentals motivate listening like a next drink; you can feel the black eye and fat lip forming. Nothing good comes easy. The band has had its bout with survival, no doubt. Early on, the band lacked direction and homogeny was virtually non-existent. Two separate versions of the band existed simultaneously and they struggled to retain band members. In 2011, the band separated entirely in the midst of the first to-be studio release. What followed next is only known to the artists and the members’ inner circles, but when the EP was salvaged by a former member, the band reunited in 2012. Seemed these crazy bastards were on to something. The EP sold. Fans and critics grabbed ahold. In October 2014, they released Negative Qualities–their first full length album. The rest is undiscovered history. » - Billy Dye

www.elevenpdx.com | ELEVEN PORTLAND | 4

new music aural fix Photo by Eddie O'Keefe

SPRINGTIME CARNIVORE MARCH 13 | DOUG FIR

Springtime Carnivore is the music that clears your blurry, morning eyes of last night’s dreams and leads you to the day. It is the melody that brings your attention to the lingering sunsets of spring, as insects buzz and whistle around you. It’s sound is fuzzy and full, with intimate lyrics that show the independence and vulnerability of the songwriter, Greta Morgan. Her voice shimmers above the bass lines and dance rock drumbeats, leaning heavily into the beat with subtle

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inflections that help us see a singer that is at once natural and polished. The 27-year old Morgan has been a professional for over a decade by now, having started her career with Chicago’s The Hush Sound at 17, before forming Gold Motel out of southern California. But where Gold Motel tended towards more obvious pop melodies and a cleaner, straight edge sound, Springtime Carnivore is smoky and alluring, with stacked keyboards and reverbed-out whistling that bring out a more artistically appealing picture of who Morgan is. Luckily she chose to keep the songs beat-heavy and tight, which helps keep any of them from sounding too folky or lackluster. Vocally, Morgan’s sultry tone could be cautiously placed alongside Lana Del Rey or St. Vincent, although there is the occasional song hook that smacks of Katy Perry and southern California pop production. There is a clear vein of influence of 70s psychedelia running through her project’s debut album, but she is savvy enough to keep it on a short leash and let the retro aesthetic color her work while never seeming overpowering. In the end it is her vocal stylings, the light-footed rhythmic turns and easy honesty of her voice that convinces the listener. Songs like “Sun Went Black” and “Creature Feature” showcase Morgan’s ambition for an aggressive indie edge that balances out the California sunny-daze pop of “Two Scars” and “Name on a Matchbook.” Springtime Carnivore will be playing at the Doug Fir March 13 with The Dodos. I highly recommend you get acquainted with this beauty. » - Ethan Martin

new music aural fix

BULLY MARCH 31 | BUNK BAR

We typically think of Nashville as a country/ southern rock mecca, but that is rapidly changing. Bully, the grungy rocker quartet is leading that shift. Fronted by Alicia Bognanno, the group is charging through a tour in support of its eponymous 2014 debut. Intense, hooky, and brash, Bully hits all the appropriate notes of a sleek garage rock album. Though polished and relatively tight throughout, the real star of the album is Bognanno’s gripping vocals. She crashes around with aplomb, swaggering her way through rabble-rousers like “Milkman” and “Bully”–like a slightly less edgy Joan Jett. However great Bognanno’s vocals are, the strong backing work of the instrumentals are the grounding pieces. Catchy guitar hooks burst through the fuzz on nearly every song. From the raspy thrash of “Milkman” to the sneakily fluid and understated lines on “Sharktooth,” the

cohesiveness of the group is on full display–taking over with frenetic energy in between vocal lines, and stepping back for stout support when Bognanno grabs the mic. Clocking in at 16 minutes, Bully does a lot with its short time. It manages to be both outspoken and subtle, a compact dynamo, sweaty with fervor and the rakish charm of your favorite garage rock outfits. Though each track surges with power and energy, Bully demonstrates a taste for shifting gears, following the bombastic “Brainfreeze” with the silky and slinking “Faceblind.” The completeness of Bully is the real treat here. Instruments, vocals and overall charisma are enough to keep you coming back to be pushed around and around. » - Charles Trowbridge

QUICK TRACKS A “milkman” The opening track of Bully is a boisterous and rollicking ordeal. It has everything you want: razor sharp vocals, thumping bass, fuzzy guitars and a frothy rock beat.

B “faceblind” As a contrasting track, “Faceblind” is a bit more laid back. With a throwback guitar hook and the sulking alto from Bognanno, it’s got more soul than your average thrasher.

www.elevenpdx.com | ELEVEN PORTLAND | 6

new music album reviews

ALBUM REVIEWS

than the Shjiips’ 2013 effort Back to Land, I found myself enjoying the tunes here much more as well. It’s a little tricky to articulate this group’s instantly recognizable style, which is simultaneously poppy and cosmic: Silver Apples meets Spacemen 3 inside an Italian spy flick from the 60s, perhaps? The Duo go for a very simple approach, musically, and though

This Month’s best

they have a tendency to stay within

R Reissue

a certain formula for crafting tunes,

L Local release

L Moon Duo

Short List Purity Ring Another Eternity Swervedriver I Wasn't Born To Lose You Jeff The Brotherhood Wasted On The Dream Dogheart What Burns The Best

Madonna Rebel Heart Twin Shadow Eclipse Larua Marling Short Movie Death Cab For Cutie Kintsugi Ludacris Ludaversal Reptar Lurid Glow Sufjan Stevens Carrie & Lowell Modest Mouse Strangers To Ourselves

Buy it

Steal it

Toss it

facebook.com/elevenmagpdx @elevenpdx

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Shadow of the Sun Sacred Bones Moon Duo’s addictive riffs and

melodies make a return for the strongest album they’ve put out in a while. The hazy production on Shadow

they consistently come out on top in the neo-psych menagerie. Johnson’s guitar tone remains absolutely stinging, forming a hard-rocking twin attack with Yamada and Johnson’s keyboard riffs. As with Mazes, Shadow of the Sun bookends a slew of tightly-wound

of the Sun makes it sound more like a

songs with a longer-form space rock

Wooden Shjips record than anything

trance-out, the worthy “Ice.” But the

else Johnson and Yamada have put

highlights of the record might be the

out together to date. Indeed, Shadow

seductively entrancing “Night Beats”

of the Sun is not only more danceable

and “Zero." » - Matthew Sweeney

new music album reviews

Of Montreal Aureate Gloom Polyvinyl Records Athens, Georgia’s Of Montreal have spent the better part of the last 28 years or so bending and blending genres to make intelligent, challenging rock music of almost every stripe. From their earlier psych-pop days when their Elephant 6 association was quite apparent in their music, to mastermind Kevin Barnes “transformation” into

L Summer Cannibals

Show Us Your Mind New Moss Records

When Summer Cannibals released No Makeup back in 2013, the music world ate it up, while salivating at the prospect of the group’s shooting star trajectory. It appears that wait has not been in vain. Show Us Your Mind, the group’s sophomore album out in March, comes at you like an undimming supernova. Full of fuzzy power and the swagger that comes from embracing their punkish roots, Show Us Your Mind is pure, passionate energy.

funky transsexual alter ego Georgie Fruit with the release of the masterful Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?, the band has long taken pride in subverting expectations. With Aureate Gloom, Barnes sought to deal with the disillusion of his 11-year marriage (and even longer partnership) through the scope of influence of '70s NYC bands like Talking Heads and Television. While Aureate Gloom is filled with some of Barnes’ best hyper-literate tell offs (it’s as though he has rock n’ roll’s largest thesaurus on hand at all times), it’s hard to keep Barnes/Georgie Fruit’s mind out of the cosmos and his shoes off the dance floor. His is a funky sadness, a heartbreak he seems determined to dance out. Barnes reflected this when he spoke with Stereogum about the record’s title, saying, “It’s kind of a juxtaposition of the two extremes: An aureate gloom would be a sort of aesthetically interesting or beautiful ugliness, if that is possible–a sort of beautiful misery or something.” The record’s high point comes when the party is over, the drugs have

stopped working and Barnes is forced to finally confront the fact his life’s most important relationship thus far has come to an end. The three-song suite of “Estocadas,” “Chthonian Dirge For Uruk The Other” and album closer “Like Ashoka’s Inferno Of Memory” are as good as they are dark and angry. “Estocadas” tells the tale of a trip to the bullfights gone awry and features nature “writhing in her own filth again” and bleeds into the sudden explosion of Kraut-rock goodness that is “Chthonian Dirge…” a song that is sure to become a showstopper live. It’s here and on “Like Ashoka’s Inferno…” that the Television influence comes to the fore musically, and the anger truly takes over Barnes as he tells his former lover, “if there was something I loved in you it’s dead.” Aureate Gloom stands out from being just another good Of Montreal record on the strength of its last third, and on Kevin Barnes’ seemingly endless supply of inspiration and hooky songs. Poor ole Georgie Fruit should embrace his dark side more often. » - Donovan Farley

Jessica Boudreaux is the catalyst at the center of the explosion. On No Makeup, she hinted at the chops she’d developed, and on Show Us Your Mind, her talent is on full display. In the band’s video for “Something New,” she scowls and crashes her way through tattoo sessions, bar ragers, and haircuts, only pausing to unleash hell on a buttoneddown coffee shop and a knife-wielding attacker. She sings, with dripping scorn, “I’ve been looking for something new, to keep my hands busy while I get over you.” Point is, she can do whatever the fuck she wants, and whoever this chump is, she’s moved on in the most badass ways possible. Boudreaux’s vocals fuel Show Us Your Mind–she alternates between throaty demand on title track “Show Us Your Mind” and deceptively sweet notes on mellower tracks like “TV” and “That Feeling.” She grabs the guitar and roars through “Don’t Make Me Beg” like an unabashed power punk-rocker. Matching Boudreaux’s vocals, though, is the stellar work of Marc Swart, and past members Valerie Brogden and Lynnae Gryffin. Swart, on guitar, unfurls

powerful riffs while demonstrating a masterful understanding of when to rip out and take over, and when to pull back and add layers. The rhythm section for this record–Valerie Brogden on drums and Lynnae Gryffin on bass–is strong and insistent. Gryffin’s bass lines fly around with furious confidence, and Brogden picks her spots aptly, providing the depth, and ultimately, the engine that gives Show Us Your Mind the aggressive punch on display from start to finish. For however hard Summer Cannibals can rock, they also have a taste for subtlety. As boisterous as album opener “All It Takes” is, “TV,” the closing track, is the opposite–a subdued, grungy ballad. Boudreaux proves equally at home in the open spaces of “TV” as she does the claustrophobic rippers earlier on the album, and the instrumentals dig deep to match the heft and quiet intensity. Show Us Your Mind picks up where No Makeup left off–a clear indication of the group’s growth and realization of its unending potential. It’s Northwest grunge rock at its best. » - Charles Trowbridge

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live music

KNOW YOUR VENUE Crystal Ballroom

Photo by M.O. Stevens

hough the Crystal Ballroom may not be the largest capacity venue in Portland, it is, by far, one of the most beautiful and storied structures living in this city. Since 1997, under the stewardship of McMenamins, it has

become an institution that has hosted every sort of event from Patti Smith, to MusicfestNW, to the National Beard and Mustache Championships. By no means did its history start a mere 18 years ago, in fact the boards of the Crystal have played host to millions of feet stomping, fox trotting, and gliding about it’s floating floor since 1914. At 21 years old, Michael "Montrose" Ringler, left the midwest to become the physical director for Portland’s YMCA in 1897. Bringing with him new sports from the east like basketball, Ringler was a fixture in the Portland athletic community and developed a great passion for the dance craze that was seizing the nation at the turn of the century. Eventually becoming renown as the finest dance instructor in Oregon, Ringler opened his own school, Ringler’s Dancing Academy, on the third floor of the building at 14th and West Burnside in 1914.

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The light, airy ballroom was named the Cotillion Dancehall. Designed to transport dancers away from the hustle and bustle of the streets below, everything about the room was meant to create a sense of escape, like you were literally floating stories above the streets. In addition to the murals depicting gardens and meadows, lofty, skylit ceilings, expansive mirrors, and arching windows, the weightless feeling was best achieved by the floating floor. A new innovation at the time, the mechanism consisted of a series of rockers to which ball bearings were attached under the beautiful maple floor. The result was a fluid, up-anddown movement, which could be adjusted by a set of gears to accommodate different dance styles. From the moment the doors opened, the Cotillion was a popular venue to exhibit the most popular and controversial dance: the tango. Much to the chagrin of local authorities, young dancers flocked to the Cotillion to experience the golden times of the Jazz era, until the popular music came under heavy persecution in Portland during the mid- 20’s. This took it’s toll on Ringler, and he was forced to sell to “Dad” Watson, who converted the Jazz hall into a venue for the more wholesome Square Dance.

live music Cotillion Hall was

Stills) and hundreds of

renamed The Crystal

others from 1967-1968.

Ballroom in 1930’s by

Following that short

Ralph Farrier, who

stint of Rock & Roll

purchased the venue

royalty, the Crystal was

after Watson’s death.

left dormant from 1968-

The Crystal remained a

1997. Though no one

home for Square Dances

officially rented the space,

for many years, until

the Ballroom became a

the venue’s fate took a

squatting studio for local

much more interesting

artists, and a home for

turn in the 1960’s when

mysterious and legendary

it became a regular stop

parties. Because of the lack

on the West Coast R&B circuit. Great acts such

of official tenants, these Photo by Ryan Dornfeld

as James Brown, and Ike & Tina Turner were ushered in by Charles Sullivan, who also

years of history are mostly lost to rumor and fable.

Revived by McMenamins in 1997, the Crystal was

controlled the lease on San Francisco’s Fillmore Auditorium,

returned to her former glory and has continued her legacy as

and booked shows up and down the West Coast.

a key Portland music venue. There are not enough words left

The building of the freeway (now I-205) in the mid 60’s

in this article to state every major band that has taken the

crippled the once thriving neighborhood and the Crystal

stage at the Crystal; just fill in everyone between Elliot Smith,

Ballroom experienced it’s first year of vacancy from 1955-

Vanilla Ice, and Arcade Fire, and that should get you close

1956. Thankfully, the counter culture movement that had

to understanding the immense importance of this historic

started in San Francisco had extended north, making the

landmark. » - Bex Silver

Crystal a perfect venue to host the likes of the Grateful Dead (twice!), Buffalo Springfield (with Neil Young and Stephen

WEDNESDAY 3.4: HIDEOUS RACKET WITH DJ FLIGHT RISK - 9PM/FREE THURSDAY 3.5: KPSU + WE OUT HERE MAGAZINE PRESENT: VERBZ|THE GOOD SIN|LANGUAGE ART - 9PM/$5 FRIDAY 3.6: JOHNNY KEENER & THE BELLS|THE HUGS|ERIK EMANUELSON - 9PM/$5 SATURDAY 3.7: SHOWDEER PRESENTS: NO KIND OF RIDER|NATIVE LIGHTS|WRAY|NOVOSTI - 9PM/$8 TUESDAY 3.10: LUCY GRAY|THE ATTIC ENDS - 9PM/$5 WEDNESDAY 3.11: EYEZ FRONT PRESENTS - 9PM/$5 THURSDAY 3.12: YOUNG VALLEY - 9PM/$5 FRIDAY 3.13: KOOL STUFF KATIE - 9PM/$5 SATURDAY 3.14: CAMBRIAN EXPLOSION|FOXY LEMON|MOON BY YOU|SPIRIT LAKE - 9PM/$5 SUNDAY 3.15: BABY KETTEN KARAOKE - 9PM/FREE TUESDAY 3.17: THE HOONS|DEAD REMEDY|LAND OF THE LIVING - 9PM/FREE WEDNESDAY 3.18: DEDRIC CLARK AND THE SOCIAL ANIMALS|FOLKSLINGER - 9PM/$5 FRIDAY 3.20: GREENLUCK MEDIA GROUP PRESENTS - 9PM/$10 SATURDAY 3.21: RILLA|KINGS AND VAGABONDS|THE SECRET CEREMONY - 9PM/$5 SUNDAY 3.22: CANDY LEE|WILLOW HOUSE - 9PM/$5 THURSDAY 3.26: HOLY TENTACLES - 9PM/$5 FRIDAY 3.27: SUBTERRANEAN HOWL|PERFECT FAMILIES|ALTADORE - 9PM/$5 SATURDAY 3.28: CRIMINAL GUITARS|HIGH HORSE|WARPFIRE - 9PM/$5 SUNDAYS: THE EARLY EARLY COMEDY OPEN MIC - 4PM FREE WEEKLY FREE COMEDY OPEN MIC. SIGN UP AT 330.

MONDAYS: BUNKER SESSIONS OPEN MIC - 8PM/FREE

OPEN MIC HOSTED BY LEE AULSON AND TALON BRONSON. SIGNUP AT 730. SHOW 8.

MONDAYS: EYE CANDY VJS - 9PM/FREE

MUSIC VIDEO REQUESTS FOR THE SOUL. SELECT FROM A STOUT CATALOG!

TUESDAYS: LATE TUNES WITH KPSU DJʼS - 9PM/FREE SONGS CURATED JUST FOR YOU

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live music MARCH crystal ballroom

1332 w burnside

NEIGHBORHOOD OF THE MONTH

1 Rob Delaney 3-4 March Fourth | Joy Now | DJ Global Ruckus 5-6 Rebelution

ALBERTA S

8 11 14 18

MLK BLVD.

WILLIAMS AVE.

14 5

PEARL

LOVEJOY ST.

OLD TOWN 2

7 9 3

6 21

11TH AVE.

8TH AVE.

405

GRAND AVE.

DDOOW WNN TTOOW WNN

GOOSE HOLLOW

MLK BLVD.

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RUSSELL ST.

23RD AVE.

3939 n mississippi

TA VE .

NORTHWEST

830 e burnside

mississippi studios

VANCOUVER AVE.

Doug fir

4 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 15 17 18 19 20 22

AV E.

8 nw 6th

3 1 2 3 5 6 7 8 9 11 12 13 14 20 21 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 31

Roseland Theater

MISSISSIPPI AVE.

6 7 12 18 19 21 23 25 26 27 29

INTERSTATE

SKIDMORE ST.

live music

42ND AVE.

ST.

ALBERTA ARTS

15TH AVE.

PRESCOTT ST.

wonder ballroom 128 ne russell

BEAUMONT

28TH AVE.

33RD AVE.

KNOTT ST.

24TH AVE.

FREMONT ST.

BROADWAY

ODY BLVD. O D W SAN Y LL O H

eastburn

BURNSIDE ST.

1800 e burnside

MORRISON ST.

BELMONT ST.

HAWTHORNE HAWTHORNE BLVD.

CLINTON ST. ELL B

17TH AVE.

28TH AVE.

BROOKLYN

LVD.

CESAR CHAVEZ BLVD.

DIVISION ST.

50TH AVE.

LADD’S

POW

HOLGATE BLVD.

8 15 22 29

Foggy Mental Breakdown Banjo Troupe Plug88 | Bibliotheck | Streetnik DJ Karla Ian Christensen Trio Rolling Turtle & The Old School Stringband DJ Bad Wizard DJ Kenny 80s Night National Fiddle Champion Aarun Carter Candy Lee & Rachael Miles Matthew Zeltner Santino Cadiz | Asher Fulero (DJ) Ben Larsen & Friends | DJ Kenny Cellotronik Sam Cooper | DJ Gregarious DJ Blas Latin Soulsa Party

1 6 11 12 18 23 28

Peter Rainbeau | Bombay Beach Crater Fog Father | Light Thieves Radiation City Duo | Tomten

47TH ST.

7 9 14 17 20 21 26 27 28

600 e burnside

LAURELHURST

STARK ST.

holocene

rontoms

1001 se morrison

23 24 25 26 27 28 30

5 6 7 11 12 13 14 17 18 19 20 21 25 27 28

9 kelly’s olympian 426 sw washington 10

bossanova ballroom 722 E Burnside

RD .

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features MARCH bunk bar

11 1028 se water 5 6 7 11 14 26 27 29 31

Summer Cannibals | Wampire Hollow Wood Low Cut Connie Wolf Alice Dogheart The Martha's Vinyard Ferries | Hungry Ghost The Velvet Teen Moon Honey | Bearcubbin Jeff The Brotherhood | Bully

know 12 the 2026 ne alberta 6 7 8 9 12 13 14 15 17 18 19 21 23 24 26 27 28 29 30 31

LOCAL FEATURE kenton club 13 the 2025 n kilpatrick 5 6 7 27

6 7 10 13 14 20 21 27 28 The Korba Band | Trio Subtonic

white eagle 15 836 n russell 3 5 7 10 12 14 19 21

ETERNAL TAPESTRY

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ELEVEN: What is the band’s current line-up? Nick Bindeman: Well we are four right now, but it’s amorphous. One of the guys Warren Lee is overseas right now spending some time in Budapest. We will be meeting up with him when we go to England on tour. Right now it’s

me, Jed, and Krag Likins who plays bass. We recently stole my friend Cat Hoch to start playing with us, she’s played with some other local bands like Tender Age, Appendixes, and this group called Daydream Machine. 11: What is Eternal Tapestry? NB: One of our former members Dewey would always keep playing after the song was over. He would just keep shredding. So “Eternal” was in reference to that, kind of a joke. It was Eternal Heads Band for a minute. After practice one day we were sitting on the porch and somehow “Tapestry” came about. 11: What is Krautrock? NB: In Germany it is called “Kosmische,” or cosmic music.

Photo by Mercy McNab

Stone.” They were around for forty years or so since the late sixties. Their music is like ours in some ways, philosophically, in that they like to work with themes with some songs, and they are largely improvised. It’s the notion of a jam band, which these days brings to mind a specific meaning. But they were a ‘jam band’ before that was a term. And we are as well. We are trying to get into the jam band circuit. 11: The titles of your songs relay themes of philosophy, mysticism, science fiction, and now with Wild Strawberries, Botany. How do those ideas play into the music? NB: They are basically the things that we get into. We are into Sci-Fi, we are into plant life. JB: Not to say there isn't depth, because there is meant to be depth past the surface sounds, but there isn't any hidden meaning. Especially since it’s primarily instrumental music. 11: So when you start to write songs, how are they distinguished from each other?

Jed Bindeman: It's a pretty derogatory term in Germany. NB: There is a great documentary called Krautrock: The Rebirth of Germany, which talks about how Kraftwerk, Can, Faust, some of the bigger Krautrock bands, and there were dozens of groups. It was a movement. These were children of people who grew up during WW2, and they felt so much shame related to their Nazi relatives. They wanted to move on from this association, and were trying to redefine an image for modern young Germany in the sixties through music. A lot of new music technologies, such as the use of synthesizers were very appealing. They didn’t want to relate or be influenced by anything, like what was happening with the Beatles or in the U.S. They wanted to start their own thing and set a new trend for Germany. 11: What are some of your other influences? NB: Probably our biggest influence is a Swedish Group called Träd, Gräs & Stenar, which means “Trees, Grass, and

NB: We don’t write songs. We only improvise. Well, 99 percent of what we put on a recording is improvised. 11: Are you improvising in the studio and then naming the tracks? NB: We don't go into studios. Everything has been done by us, like in our basement. Occasionally we are like “We’re making an album” but usually it’s “Let’s hit record.” The idea of improvisation has always fascinated me. Our philosophy has everything to do with intention. When something is improvised, that means it was composed on the spot. That could mean abstract composition, or what we do–melodic composition that’s improvised. But it’s not being pulled out of thin air. We are very familiar with each other and to me improvisation is something that you learn to do with other people, where you develop a language with each other. The more you speak the language, you can anticipate what the persons are going to say. It’s the same with music, we’ve developed this communication with each other that's become second nature. So when we play music together we are familiar with our

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Motown On Sundays (Sundays) Sonic Forum Open Mic (Mondays) Boys II Gentlemen/Radula (Tuesdays) Soul Stew w/DJ Aquaman (Fridays) The Henhouse Prowhers The L'il Smokies Scott Law Acoustic Machine Brett McConnell's Lovetet | Aniana Elektrapod | Pigwar DJ Anjali & The Incredible Kid | DJ Daniela Karina

4 5 7 11 12 14

www.elevenpdx.com | ELEVEN PORTLAND | 14

features MARCH goodfoot (continued) 18 19 21 25 26 28

Family Funktion Asher Fulero Band | Tracorum Wil Blades Trio Simon Tucker Group Fresh Track Get On Up: Takimba & DJ Saucy Re-imagine Prince

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reference points musically. So its all about pushing, and pulling back, and different energies and being aware. 11: So if you don’t go into studios, how do you record? NB: We record on a cassette 8 track machine. Krag has a lot of nice Ampex preamps from the fifties that sound like magic. We are not into fancy things. We don't use digital recordings because I love tape distortion. I have very rigid aesthetic preferences, being the one that records and mixes it. Like the break up, I don't like clean sounds so much. 11: What about editing? NB: Editing is fun. I feel so strongly about this. When you edit something and put it to tape, and its on a record, and you are able to listen to it repeatedly, it has as much intention as any other piece of music, whether it is Bach, Steely Dan, or Mariah Carey. You can hear the same thing every time. When someone listens to Wild Strawberries they are going to hear the one thing, forever. That's a composition with intention through repeated listen. I think that's pretty amazing. So even though what we do is improvised, listeners will learn to anticipate certain parts too, as they become familiar.

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15 | ELEVEN PORTLAND | www.elevenpdx.com

NB: Yeah, that's what's so great about improvised music because you can reach ecstatic heights. I do music, especially at this point in my life, not to make money or get ahead. I do it because it feels good. It's kind of this abstract surreal feeling that you get high off of, because you don't knowing exactly what is going to happen next; you're pushing, pulling, feeling, listening. And it’s exciting. JB: I don't feel like you can have an out of body experience playing a song that is rigid, where if you try something new with it live it sounds wrong. With me, I have a bad habit of closing my eyes while playing the drums, my brain is shut off, im not thinking about anything. It’s meditation.

11: Does improvisation mean that each show is unique? NB: In a sense. We work with themes a lot. JB: There are parts of the show that will be completely improvised. We might start on the same page, like in the same key, so it’s not a total free for all, but besides that we will start with a very specific very brief beginning. Then we will just explore, for a half hour or more, maybe returning back to that starting point to wind it down and be back on the same page. Usually it is a melodic theme, something in the guitar line. If we are in a really deep jam where everyone is playing together, but off in their own world, Nick might come in with a familiar guitar line that lets us all know it's time to return. 11: You guys get lost up there?

11: You also do a lot of projections to complement the live shows? NB: Yeah we do a lot. Our friend Brenna Murphy just did a video for us and also helps us with other live projections. JB: We do like to have a visual to direct your eyes to and stimulate you, instead of just watching the band. NB: We should just tell people to bring their dogs to shows. 11: Well you do seem to be animal lovers. Wasn't your album Guru Overload a benefit with Oaken Palace Records? NB: We were approached about doing a release to benefit Bornean Orangutans, which are big beautiful creatures. 11: Many of your songs just keep going past the ten minute mark. What is your longest song? NB: We have had things that are 24 mins, but that's because that is the length of a cassette tape. And then we just keep playing. 11: What about your trips to the cabin in Zigzag, Oregon? NB: We rent a particular cabin with no neighbors where we can play music all night. Camp Festivus. A hot tub and most of the Seinfeld box sets. I love that area for camping off of East Lolo Pass. It's a beautiful notion to go somewhere with the sole priority of living and music. No distractions of work or having to do anything. Everyone is there to breathe,

eat, sleep, wake up, have some Obama kush, and play. 11: And you recorded Wild Strawberries there? NB: Yes, we brought our own studio. Four car loads, two drumsets. It wasn't a casual affair, we did have to make time for a whole seven days. It was very premeditated. We spent the first 36 hours just setting everything up to make sure the sound was good. We brought a hammered dulcimer, all this junk. JB: We did that on purpose so we had options. NB: We are also back to longer recordings. The album Beyond The 4th Door was a lot of shorter stuff to include variety, and a lot of LPs have just been like, two twenty minute pieces, one on each side of a record. This time there was so much material so we wanted a lot of long stuff without editing it out. This way we have full range of more atmospheric, ambient music and blasting double drum stuff. With one LP

we would've been more concise, but this way we have full exploration of dynamics of what we do. 11: Where are you headed? NB: We have Austin Psych Fest, a little West Coast tour, and then headed overseas. Both Jed and I have shops in town so we dont go on long tours. Jed’s got a record store, Little Axe Records, and I have a shop called Zigzag Wanderer, a vintage store with clothes and a lot of Middle Eastern rugs, ceramics, books, guitars, lots of stuff. 11: Do you believe in Astral Projection? NB: One of my friends refers to it as Eckankar. She told me she would totally release from her body while playing drums, and be looking down on herself playing music, with no control over her body. I believe in everything. Bigfoot. Aliens. Why not. » - Brandy Crowe

picking of “Enchanter’s Nightshade” are upwards to sixteen minutes. This means Wild Strawberries’ eight tracks are enough to fill a double LP. Each track is named for the local indigenous fauna,

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but rather embedded as a part of the spellbinding effect, such as the emergent quality of “Maidenhair Spleenwort,” which ends in brushy field recordings, and “Mountain Primrose,” a slow burn that unleashes into hypnotic chords and jangly, unrestrained percussion. There are some surprises, such as

cabin in the woods of Zigzag, Oregon,

the twinkling synth play of “Woodland

Eternal Tapestry’s latest release

Anemone” at under two minutes, and

Wild Strawberries is an autonomous

“Pale Green Sedge,” which takes bluesy

exploration of sonic landscapes.

guitar into a solid wide-open atmosphere

Like their albums before, songs have

before ending abruptly. All of Eternal

structured rhythms and lots of calm,

Tapestry’s work is recorded completely

controlled ambience with guitar,

unrehearsed and unwritten, with

synthesizers, and organ–all leading the

hours of music going on tape. The extra

listener into a realm of discovery.

recordings of Wild Strawberries are

In true Eternal Tapestry form, some

FIRKIN TAVERN

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“Lace Fern,” to the rocky experimental

are present they are not in the forefront,

Recorded over a week within a

HOLLYWOOD THEATRE

songs are devoid of vocals, and when they

Wild Strawberries Thrill Jockey Records

MARCH dantes (continued)

from the raindrops dripping down the chugging of “White Adder’s Tongue.” Most

L Eternal Tapestry

features

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3 4 7 11 13 18 19 20 21 27 28 29 30

unwasted as a bonus album, Lolo Pass

songs sustain sounds for great lengths

Drifters. It’s a sweeping soundtrack to

of time. Reverb heavy title track, “Wild

adequately provide guidance for spiritual

Strawberries,” and the groove and guitar

journeys. » - Brandy Crowe

PORTLAND’S MUSIC MAGAZINE SINCE 2011

www.elevenpdx.com | ELEVEN PORTLAND | 16

17 | ELEVEN PORTLAND | www.elevenpdx.com Photo by We Are The Rhoads

features national scene ove of mine / Someday you will die / But I’ll be

next footsteps were going to be. I was in the process of

close behind / I’ll follow you into the dark.

applying for a lot of PhD grad programs and I was thinking

Those poignant lyrics introduced me to the

about becoming a professor. I just didn’t know, I thought I

beautiful and complex creativity of frontman

would stay in the education track and get a higher degree

Ben Gibbard of Death Cab For Cutie. The fact

and that seemed like the way my life was headed. Ben had

that the song came off 2005 album Plans indicates that I was

[obtained] a degree in environmental chemistry, I think he

a little late to the party. Unless you lived in the Bellingham/

was working in some local labs and he wasn’t sure if we was

Seattle area (or the U.K., for some reason), Death Cab really

going to pursue a higher degree either. Chris at the time

started to make a splash with Transatlanticism (2003) and

was working in a coffee shop, he didn’t go to Western and

hit single “The New Year.” If that (their fourth) album made

was making ends meet working at a Starbucks and our first

ripples, next release Plans was a tidal wave featuring three

drummer Nathan had just graduated from a program at

highly charted tracks, “Soul Meets Body,” “Crooked Teeth,”

Western, too. Later on, he left the band because he wanted

and the song that started it for me, “I Will Follow You Into

to pursue a potentially more stable career. At the time we

The Dark.” The impetus of their accomplishments continued

thought, “Man, what are you doing? Why?” but it definitely

from there, but some things about the band haven’t changed.

made sense. We were all living pretty hand to mouth and

“Follow You” is a solo acoustic ballad recorded in monaural

fairly broke for the first few years of the band, basically

with little editing. It speaks to the soul of all Death Cab

just living in the van together, driving cross country playing

songs: Gibbard in his place of contemplation, sharing an

shows. So, we put all [other pursuits] aside pretty early on,

emotional journey. While Gibbard is the centerpiece, the

just because it was fun to drive around in a van and play

abilities and collaborations of bassist Nick Harmer have

rock shows. We never had any designs, we decided, “let’s

amplified their music since the band’s formation and only

do this until it’s not fun any longer” and now it’s seventeen

recently, after 17 years with the band, guitarist/producer

years later, it’s still great fun. There’s no reason to stop now.

Chris Walla has made an amicable parting. Now, after years

*laughs*

of sustained success, playing stadiums across the globe, and multiple grammy nominations, the band is releasing it’s

11: Has the attitude or message of the studio albums

eighth studio album Kintsugi. We tracked down Harmer to

changed from from the early Barsuk releases to the post

illuminate a bit about the many years of Death Cab and where

2005 Atlantic ones?

they go from here. NH: No, you know, all of our albums, even from before ELEVEN: When the original lineup got together and

Something About Airplanes, all of our albums usually

started practicing, did it feel like you had something

start with a collection of songs that Ben has written in his

special there?

writing room, wether that’s his bedroom or writing studio or wherever he is constructing melodies and lyrics, they’ve

Nick Harmer: Yeah. It was pretty instant. It was one of

always come from an initial push of an output from Ben,

those moments where we had all been in a number of bands

and then the rest of us sort of sift through those demos and

up until that point, but none of us had ever sort of felt that

figure out which ones we’re excited about and which songs

unexplained sort of electricity. We had one practice where

we think are really great and kind of react to them in real

we started going through some of the songs on [which] were

time and add [or] deconstruct them when we need to, or not,

on Ben’s initial recordings of what would become a lot of the

and that’s when the band starts to put their fingers in it and

songs on Something About Airplanes, and within the first few

really make it a Death Cab For Cutie song. But they always

songs we all felt, “this is awesome,” it just felt great. We lost

start from Ben, and nothing has really changed in that

a couple of drummers along the way and then Jason ended

department through all of the albums, including this one,

up joining right before Transatlanticism, but even when

even though Chris is not in the band any longer, all of the

Jason joined it still felt electric and right. I would say it was a

albums, I can say that now, including Kintsugi, they all get

fairly immediate, “this is really fun,” it certainly was never a

distilled down from a big batch of demos that Ben writes and

moment of “we could really make a living out of this,” but “we

we just kind of decide which ones we like, and through that

could play a show in town and this would be fun.”

process, songs just kind of gravitate toward one another and magnetically attract each other in a way and before you know

11: What else was going on outside of the band at the time?

it, there is a little bit of a narrative within an album. We’ve never been a band that sits down ahead of time and pre-plans out a message or a concept or has some kind of goal in mind

NH: At that point in the band early on, I had just graduated from Western and was kind of unsure what my

and then go off and do the writing for it. It’s very much like Ben brings us a big chunk of marble and we finish chipping

www.elevenpdx.com | ELEVEN PORTLAND | 18

features national scene away the final sculpture inside of it, and polishing it and kind of figure out what it’s going to look like, rather than some kind of high level conversation. So no, in that sense, nothing has changed about making albums between Barsuk and Atlantic, seventeen years later. I would say that over time we’ve been able to afford better gear and with Kintsugi we’re able to work with outside producers and certainly a lot has changed from recording with cobbled together music gear in the living room in our house in Bellingham to a fully stocked studio in Irving, California with an amazing producer and engineer so those two worlds, the actual mechanics of making an album have changed drastically over the years, but the fundamental of what inspires us and what brings us into the studio, what material we gravitate towards to make records, all of that is actually, still intact. It always starts with Ben. 11: Do you feel that there’s been an evolution of the sound? NH: Yeah, I do. If you listen to all of our albums in chronological order you can see the band evolve, but if you listen to Kintsugi and then you listen to Something About Airplanes, I think you can hear that they’re related but you know, some of the tambor of Ben’s voice has shifted over the years as he’s become a better singer, some of our arrangements and the way we approach sound design as I better get a sense of what I like in the bass comb, or what our drummer likes in the cymbals choices, there’s lots of those small nuances that I think come with just playing over this many years, you sort of get to dial in your sound a little more. I think the biggest change for us on Kintsugi that is the most

change feels weird to me, is that what you want to do?” and

relevant is the fact that we worked with an outside producer

just push us a little bit to think critically about some of the

on, and having Rich Costey in the studio, I feel like he was

choices that we were trying to make, but without upending

really good at being able to [understand] where the band

us. Without trying to change anything fundamentally about

has been and where we were at and he was really good at

how we worked or around the sound of the band. So that was

highlighting and supporting the things we were naturally just

awesome, that helped us this time more than ever to kind of

good at, the things that make our band sound like our band,

re-energize us in a way that I wasn’t expecting, to be honest,

without being redundant or basically retreading old material.

and I’m very thankful for it.

I feel like he really helped us identify things we were good at and also just pushed us in areas that we had grown comfortable in, pushed us to think about musical choices in a

11: Being a little older than you used to be, do you still feel ties to the local music scene?

way that we really hadn’t examined in a long time. We had a working relationship with Chris as a producer and as a guitar

NH: Yeah, I do. I think that some of that is just a function

player and as a friend; there were a lot of layers to working

of growing a little bit older. I’ll still go see shows, but I

in the studio, a lot of emotional, psychological, interesting

wouldn’t say I’m as familiar with what is happening on the

layers to working in an environment where your guitar

day-to-day. In my early twenties I was working at a really

player is also the producer of the album and it was kind of

great record store in town called Sonic Boom, which is

refreshing to be in a studio situation this time where we had

like a hub of all new music that was happening locally and

somebody completely independent of all of that history and

otherwise, and then I was also going out and seeing shows

relationship stuff and could really evaluate what we were

four nights a week, five nights a week, that’s what you did.

doing in real time and say things like “You can do that better,

Either go see a movie or go see a show. The older you get, I

man,” or “You know what, I just don’t like that, that chord

don’t do either of those very often, or as often as I did when

19 | ELEVEN PORTLAND | www.elevenpdx.com

features national scene

national scene

MISSIS SIPPI STUDIOS S

C A L E N D A R M

C 1

H 5

1. SUN

MIMICKING BIRDS

THE GHOST EASE / KEVIN LEE FLORENCE

2. MON

SALES

ARRANGE / THE SARCASTIC DHARMA SOCIETY

3. TUE

LUKAS NELSON & PROMISE OF THE REAL

JENNY DON’T & THE SPURS / LEWI LONGMIRE

18. WED

PETUNIA & THE VIPERS

VIET CONG

FREAK HEAT WAVES / AAN

4. WED

19. THU

THE WEATHER MACHINE

PSYCHOMAGIC

TANGO ALPHA TANGO / HUMAN OTTOMAN

5. THU

BOX SET DUO

IS/IS / BED.

20. FRI

NAOMI PUNK

21. SAT

PC WORSHIP LITHICS

XRAY.FM’S 1ST BIRTHDAY PARTY

6. FRI

QUIET LIFE / HEY ROSETTA!

HIP HATCHET

MINDEN / XRAY.FM DJS / SPECIAL GUESTS

22. SUN

7. SAT

SNOWBLIND TRAVELER

THE DIRTY NIL / U SCO

23. MON

8. SUN

AN EVENING WITH

SINGLE MOTHERS HOT BUTTERED RUM CROW AND THE CANYON

Photo by David Lee

17. TUE

9. MON

that there’s more stuff to do, there’s more options out there

YUKON BLONDE

24. TUE

25. WED

HONEYBLOOD

I was young. It’s not about being [un]interested in it, it's just

RED BARAAT

TURQUOISE JEEP

2:54

10. TUE

GRAND LAKE ISLANDS / ROBIN BACIOR

LITTLE WINGS

EWERT AND THE TWO DRAGONS

ST. EVEN / WITH CHILD

26.THU

of things that fill your night now, it’s like “It’d be cool to see

11. WED

CRAFT SPELLS

our friend that’s a painter has a gallery opening,” and there’s

GRANDPARENTS / SWAHILI

27. FRI

all sorts of different things that take up that same time. 11: Have a nice dinner, etc. NH: Yeah, exactly, “Tonight I want to cook something, that sounds awesome!” When I was in my early twenties, I was like,

NATASHA KMETO

THE BILINDA BUTCHERS / APPENDIXES

12. THU

MATTHEW E. WHITE

MELVILLE / US LIGHTS

28. SAT

THE LONESOME BILLIES

WILSEN / CHANTI DARLING

13. FRI

MOON DUO

SUPERHUMAN HAPPINESS

29. SUN

MARCO BENEVENTO 14. SAT (EARLY SHOW)

“Does Top Ramen work? I’ll have a slice of pizza and then go

LATE NIGHT ACTION WITH ALEX FALCONE

see a show.” If there’s one thing [that] being in a band does

MRS. PRESENTS QUEEN

(LATE SHOW)

RISK!

30. MON

FUTUREBIRDS JACKSON BOONE

DJ BEYONDA / ILL CAMINO

31. TUE

new bands and we’re so hands on with the bands that we tour

15. SUN

FUR COATS / MATTRESS

with and we have opening acts come along with us, we pick

DAVID LOWERY & JOHNNY HICKMAN

is just keep you in that world. We’re constantly listening to

bands that we like and we listen to and we’re in a world where my friends are always talking about music and the things we are loving and reacting to and I’m certainly aware of almost everything that’s kind of happening, I just haven't been physically out to see all of the new bands in town. Hopefully they’ll be around long enough and I’ll get the chance. I don’t quite feel the pressure as much. That’s the other thing too,

CRACKER UNPLUGGED FT.

PWRHAUS

SHOWS you’ll remember, presented in an independently run, best-sounding music listening environment with great staff (mostly musicians), drinks, burgers, and PATIO.

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www.elevenpdx.com | ELEVEN PORTLAND | 20

features national scene when I was young, and the internet has changed so much even, I didn’t even have it [back then], you would spend time in a record store and you would go see shows because that’s how you found out about music and that’s how you saw music and that’s how you got to listen to music. Now I can sit down in the morning and go through four or five music blogs and catch up on what all of the bands are doing and who played on what late night show and I can see all of these things, I can see snippets and clips and feel like I’m up to date without actually going to a show any longer, which is a strange way of navigating the world these days, but I guess that’s where we’re at, that’s the benefit of technology. 11: As far as personal goals for music, what’s left for you and how do you stay motivated? Keep touring? Win a Grammy (though already having been nominated a few times)? NH: I don’t know what that award means or not, it’s certainly something that we don’t really even discuss internally, it’s just part of the industry that we’re in but certainly not something that we find ourselves surrounded with [in] any kind of real meaningful way. What’s left for us, is there’s plenty of places that we’ve never played. There’s lots of touring left to do and lots of places to share music and experience music that I’m really excited for. I happen to be really really excited about a couple of the new guys that we’re touring with now; Dave Depper from Portland, Oregon and a guy named Zac Rae who is playing keyboards with us and some guitar as well, just having their musical minds on stage with us right now and in rehearsals is really invigorating and exciting and I’m excited to see what it’s going to be like to tour with them and continue to make music with them as time goes on. We’ve got a lot of unknowns still in front of us that I’m really looking forward to getting some answers to and I’m really hopeful for what’s coming. It’s funny, we never were a band that sat down and made a big list of goals in the beginning, so to get to this point this many years on and say, “Well, now that you’ve done all these things, what’s left?” I don’t know what was there to begin with. We’ve never really approached making music together, our career in this band, as a series of checkmarks on a big checklist and in that sense our goals are pretty modest and kind of never ending. We just want to make the best record that we can make and go and play shows and have a good time together. I don’t think that goal has ever changed, but I also don’t think that goal is ever fully checked off the list. You constantly, no matter what you love doing, you're constantly seeking to refine and be better and push yourself. That goal is one that will always be right out in front of us for as long as we’re playing music together. »

Death Cab For Cutie's latest record Kintsugi is out March 31 on Atlantic Records

21 | ELEVEN PORTLAND | www.elevenpdx.com

film

WATCH ME NOW

FILM AND TELEVISION

THE AGONY AND THE ECSTASY (1965) Rex Harrison plays Pope Julius II, who commissioned Michelangelo—played with an unkempt, aggressive energy by Charlton Heston—to paint the Sistine Chapel. These two raging egos battle it out against the backdrop of one of the greatest masterpieces of Western Art.

VINCENT & THEO (1990) Robert Altman directed this look at the life of Vincent Van Gogh and his turbulent relationship with his brother Theo, who was his lifelong champion as well as his art dealer. It was filmed on location in France and Holland, a sumptuous look at a complex man and his unparalleled talents. If you like this film, check out another Van Gogh biopic, Lust for Life from 1956.

FRIDA (2012) Julie Taymor and Selma Hayek made one of the most amazing, surrealistic, gorgeous biopics around. The story of Frida Kahlo is a fraught, impetuous one—her myriad talents were overshadowed in her personal life by her turbulent marriage to artist Diego Rivera, lovers, political upheaval, and a crippling disability. Taymor and Hayek do her justice Illustration by Drew Bardana

by treating her story with the dignity she so often did not receive in life.

RUIN, RITUAL: A FEW ARTIST BIOPICS

hether traditional or avant-garde in style,

POLLOCK (2000) Ed Harris plays the monumental talent (and cad) of the

biopics featuring fine artists usually come

1940s and 50s art world—Jackson Pollock. While Harris is

with an air of cinematic cachet. We are

phenomenal as Pollock, the supporting cast is what really

drawn to the mercurial otherness of The

makes this film shine—especially Marcia Gay Harden as

Artist—something about the combination

equally talented and overburdened wife Lee Krasner.

of intensity and mystery is intoxicating to watch. This year, audiences were treated to two ambitious yet very different

BASQUIAT (1996)

examples of the artist biopic. Mr. Turner is Mike Leigh’s phenomenal, delicate portrayal of the last twenty-five years

The eponymous film titles continue! Basquiat follows the

of the cherished 19th century British artist J.M.W Turner.

spectacular rise and fall of one of the great art stars of the

The second, Big Eyes, directed with uncommon nuance by

1980s. The young Haitian-American artist whose graffiti-

Tim Burton, is the story of Margaret Keane, whose husband

esque paintings made him the toast of the New York gallery

stole credit for her wildly popular paintings—usually young

scene. Jeffrey Wright stars as Jean-Michel Basquiat, and

children and animals with garishly large eyes. While I

Gary Oldman appears as fellow artist Julian Schnabel (who

recommend you take a look at these films, here are some

also directed this film). David Bowie contributes one of my

other great films about fine artists to whet your palette (pun

favorite supporting performances as Andy Warhol.

very definitely intended).

www.elevenpdx.com | ELEVEN PORTLAND | 22

film CAMILLE CLAUDEL (1988 )

There are so many great artist biopics, I have no room for them all. Here are a few honorable mentions:

This film follows the troubled life of French sculptor Camille Claudel and her long relationship with legendary sculptor Auguste Rodin. Beginning in the 1880s with a young Claudel's first meeting with already-infamous Rodin, the film traces the rise of their long romantic relationship as well as the rise of Claudel's career, with Rodin in equal parts tormentor and champion. Claudel is played by French actress Isabel Adjani and is absolutely intoxicating to

Artemisia (1997): An Italian film about the most famous female artist of the 17th century, Artemisia Gentileschi. Moulin Rouge (1952): A bit more tame then the Nicole Kidman version, this film looks at the life of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and his relationship to the notorious club. Séraphine (2008): The true story of Séraphine de Senlis,

watch. Another Claudel film worth noting stars Juliette

a profoundly devout housekeeper who, at forty one and

Binoche, Camille Claudel, 1915.

entirely self taught,began painting brilliantly colorful canvases.

REMBRANDT (1936) Oviri (1986): Donald Sutherland stars as Paul Gaugin, Alexander Korda’s biopic about the life of Rembrandt van Rijn. Starring Charles Laughton as a Rembrandt at the height of his fame, it quickly tracks his descent into loneliness and isolation after the death of his wife. Filmed in black and white, Rembrandt is shot by cinematographer Georges Périnal with an attention to light that is particularly Rembrandtesque.

who upon returning to Paris from an extended trip to Tahiti must confront the people who he left behind. Caravaggio (1986): 1986 was a good year for the artist biopic. Directed by Derek Jarman, this film is a surreal account of the life of the celebrated 17th-century painter through his brilliant, blasphemous paintings. » - Rachael Haigh

3/04: Cameron Siegal Worldtet 8pm Jazz 3/05: Foggy Mental Breakdown Banjo Troupe 8pm 3/06: Bibliothek w/ Streetnik & special guests 10pm 3/11: Ian Christensen Trio 8pm Jazz 3/12: Rolling Turtle & The Old School Stringband 3/17: National Fiddle Champion Aarun Carter Live on St. Patty’s Day! 8-11pm Folk 3/18: Candy Lee and Rachael Miles 8pm 3/19: Matthew Zeltner 8pm Bluegrass 3/20: Santino Cadiz 10pm Reggae/Hip hop/neo-soul 3/21: Ben Larsen & Friends10pm Newgrass 3/25: Cellotronik 8pm One-man cello/laptop/guitar band 3/27: Sam Cooper 10pm

3/06: plug88 10pm Funk/hip hop/disco/mash-ups 3/07: DJ Karla 10pm Timba/Cuban Salsa/Cubaton/Raggae 3/13: DJ Bad Wizard 10pm ‘90s, hip hop, soul 3/14: DJ Kenny ‘80s Night 10pm 3/20: Asher Fulero (DJ) 10pm 3/21: DJ Kenny 10pm 3/27: DJ Gregarious 10pm Indie/Electro/Moderne/Retro 3/28: DJ Blas Latin Soulsa Party 10pm

23 | ELEVEN PORTLAND | www.elevenpdx.com

7 Tula 8 Curious Comedy 9 Horn of Africa 10 Blazers Boys and Girls Club 11 Elevated Coffee

community

NEIGHBORHOOD OF THE MONTH NE Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard

NE BEECH ST

NE FALLI NG ST

2. OBLIQUE ANTIQUES

Estate Store - 3969 NE MLK

BEST OF NE MLK BLVD

Location photos by Mercy McNab

NW SHAVER ST

3. FEEL LIKE IT SHOULD

Hurts So Good Tattooing & Piercing - 3743 NE MLK

NW MASON ST

1. BEER BY BIKE

Old Town Brewing Company - 5201 NE MLK

NE SKIDMORE ST

NE PRESCOTT ST

NE WYGANT ST

NE ALBERTA ST

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11 9 8 1

NE MARTIN LUTHER KING JR BLVD

4. 'DOS FOR DAMES

Black Dahlia Salon - 3735 NE MLK

5. SMOKER'S ACCESSORIES In The Clouds - NE MLK

6. 'DOS FOR DUDES

Champions Barbershop - 3827 NE MLK

7. GLUTEN FREE BAKERY Tula Bakery - 4943 NE MLK

8. GO GET GIGGLY

Curious Comedy - 5225 NE MLK

9. AUTHENTIC AFRICAN EATS Horn Of Africa - 5237 NE MLK

10. HELP KIDS BE KIDS

Blazers Boys & Girls Club - 5250 NE MLK

11. RAISE YOUR BUZZ Elevated Coffee - 5261 NE MLK

www.elevenpdx.com | ELEVEN PORTLAND | 24

12 13

community literary arts can’t even use Instagram if I wanted to," he says, pulling out his worn flip phone. In his newly released book, This Last Time Will Be The First, Jeff makes connections between poets, artists, musicians and comedians alike that appear disparate, but come together organically, with many poems ruining into each other, mirroring the thought process of a busy brain. He entitles a poem "Understanding Evel Knievel" that lists the amount of broken bones he sustained over the course of his career, and ends the poem with a seemingly random reference to Alois Alzheimer and his first case study, Auguste Deter. The next poem quotes some of the transcribed notes of his examinations with her, mapping the deterioration of her mind. "I feel like I have lost myself," she muttered, in a brief moment of clarity. It's these kinds of investigations that make Jeff Alessandrelli unique as a poet. "It's a jumping off point," he explains when asked about why he explicitly titles his poems after quotes from other poems or songs. "I wouldn't call myself super original." Musing on past poetry and history is how he finds inspiration. While walking his dog, Beckett Longsnout, Jeff always carries a Photo by Mercy McNab

LITERARY ARTS Portland poet Jeff Alessandrelli

poem in his back pocket, the basic ideas marinating in that poetic brain of his until it turns into something completely new.

Jeff Alessandrelli is like many young creatives who moved to Portland in search of some culture and ended up, in his own words, "lurking" around the city and working at a restaurant. It wasn't until he went back to school for his Masters at PSU that he started writing again, and then seriously writing for his PhD at the University of Nebraska. He was offered a fellowship back here at PSU where he currently teaches. Jeff also works at the IPRC (Independent Publishing Resource

ailing from Reno Nevada, Jeff spent much of his

Center), a mecca for writers and artists on lower SE Division

youth going to punk shows and skateboarding,

that offers an array of classes and even a degree in fine arts

which would explain his reading style: “I

that many local accomplished poets have attained.

basically shout at people,” he says. His aggressive

With all his fancy education and academic work, Jeff is

intonation is reminiscent of a worked-up Allen Ginsberg.

also very much a regular dude, wearing his Oakland A's hat

Unlike many poets, Jeff memorizes his poems, and delivers

and drinking craft beer, he perks up when I ask him about the

them with purpose, emphasising the truthfulness he feels in

upcoming Lit Hop, an event he co-curates with Kevin Sampsell

each word.

and Brian Coffelt of Future Tense Press. It's a "lit reading/bar

At Poetry Press Weeks, Jeff had his five female presenters perform “Poem Against Selfies” wearing masks as they read lines from his poem. While each presenter read, the others

hopping extravaganza! We basically take over a neighborhood [where] you wouldn't expect to hear a poetry reading." Jeff Alessandrelli exemplifies what is exciting about the

would take selfies and obliviously look down at their phones.

local lit scene; youthfulness, brilliance and sincerity. He

It was one of the best received readings of the two day event.

doesn't seem to care if he's part of a movement or not. He

While so many of us are caught up with our online portrayals

captures fleeting thoughts on paper and releases them for

of ourselves online, Jeff pays attention to the here and now. "I

everybody to see. » - Scott McHale

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community literary arts

Poems are not about the difference between what you know and what you choose to reveal.

LOCAL LITERARY EVENTS AN UNCANNY EVENING 1 MARCH 13 | MOTHER FOUCAULT'S BOOKS | 523 SE MORRISON If you haven't been to Mother Foucault's yet, Friday the 13th would be the perfect time to check it out. Expect to

Poems are about houses.

be entertained and spooked by re-enactments and readings from Marjorie Sandor's anthology, The Uncanny Reader, A collection of shadowy stories from classic writers like Edgar Alan Poe and Anton Chekov.

FROM "POEM AGAINST SELFIES" SECTION VIII

CARREN BELEIN READING 2 MARCH 15 | IPRC | 1001 SE DIVISION

It’s a common misconception that on her deathbed Cleopatra muttered such heresies as, “The lonelier a person is the more selfies he or she takes.” A common misconception she ever verbalized platitudes in the vein of: “What we substitute for the love of others is what the camera captures in our blank, expectant faces.”

her new award winning book, University of Pennsylvania.

In actuality, Cleopatra died soundless and wordless, surrounded by three of her most prized courtiers. Each one focused a handheld mirror to her face, as, dying, she watched herself watching herself.

Doggies Press. Stevie Edwards from NY, Robert Lashley, Carrie

Carren Belein, out of Salt Lake City will be reading from

SMALL DOGGIES PRESS 3 MARCH 31 | THE CORNER BAR | 431 SW ALDER Come see a mix of poetry and fiction representing Small Seitzinger, and local fiction writer Matty Byloos. Presented by Salon Skid Row.

www.elevenpdx.com | ELEVEN PORTLAND | 26

community visual arts 11: What are you discussing now? MC: Right now I'm working on my film and trying to get the first edit out by March 1st. The film is called In the Mouth of the Wolf. That's a translation from an italian colloquialism. The film is an experemental spaghetti western and I guess briefly it's discussing the myth of the United States of America and the myth of the projected west. There is a lot of mask and costuming in the film but a lot less sculpture element. 11: So how long have you invested into the movie now? MC: Moving into three years... probably started thinkg about it three years ago with a grant I wrote and then became committed to the project. About two summers ago I got a group of 20 people together and traveled to Italy. It was a town called Monterra which is in very southern Italy... the arch of the boot. We shot the majority of the movie there. Also had a group go out to Eastern Oregon and have shot independently in Wyoming, New Mexico, Texas and Utah. 11: Tell me about your sculptures.

VISUAL ARTS Portland filmmaker & artist Misha Capecchi

inematographer, printmaker, sculptor, seamstress, performance artist, and installation artist Misha Capecchi is blurring the lines between mediums in such a smooth way that perhaps an entirely new genre of art is being created in the process. Between filming in Italy and showing sculptures at Art Basel in Miami, ELEVEN was lucky to get some of this busy working artist's time.

MC: I do a lot of masks. The sculptures often have a relationship with video. I do a lot of costuming in association with video and film. The sculptures I just completed Photo by Mercy McNab were about Miami and that's where they were shown. My only introduction to Miami was through the movie The Birdcage when I was little. That's still what I think of when I think of Miami. So, [the sculptures] were based on drag queens and very androgynous forms. I think they existed best in a photoshoot with a local drag queen named Pepper Pepper. Last year about this time I had a show at Ampersand Gallery called Trenches that had sculpture and video components. The idea was that the sculptures were kind of made by the two characters that were featured in the video. The video in that show was about the schizophrenia that exists in American culture between this fundamentalist idea of working really hard for a living and for your money vs this credit card going in debt for things you want kind of culture we have happening here in the United States.

ELEVEN: What is your medium? 11: Are you working on any sculptures currently? Misha Capecchi: Well it kind of depends on what I'm working on. For the last two and a half years I've been working on a feature length film that uses digital media as well as Super 8. I just did a sculpture project using plastics, wood, foam, hair and fabric. I guess it just depends on what I'm discussing.

27 | ELEVEN PORTLAND | www.elevenpdx.com

MC: Um, no. I'm working on the movie and on two music videos... and an application to Fulbright. 11: Wow Fullbirght, awesome. Where else have you studied?

community visual arts

Still from In the Mouth of the Wolf

MC: I went to boarding school outside of Philadelphia. Then I went to UC Santa Cruz for undergrad and studied printmaking and Biology. During that time I first went to Italy and studied there for a year. So that's where I became familiar with Italy, aside from my dad being Italian. I then graduated from MICA in 2012. 11: You mentioned your dad is a scientist? MC: Yeah. I spent a lot of time in his lab as a kid and there was this one experiment he did in the 80s that really left an impression on me. He works on mice and affected the inner ear of one mouse so it would run in circles and couldn't stop until it was too tired to continue. Normally he does cancer research and, you know, when he shows an auditorium

Still from In the Mouth of the Wolf

full of scientists images of tumors people didn't have an ethical reaction but when he showed them videos of this mouse running around in circles they had this major ethical reaction that was like amplified! I always found this to be really interesting. Maybe it was because the mouse looked completely normal physically but had this very strange reaction. Maybe people said "Hey, this is a normal mouse but it's doing this very odd thing, oh I'm a normal person but I'm also living this very circular life." With the tumor it was like okay so that is "other" and I can't associate with that. This experiment had a lot of influence on my Trenches show.

www.elevenpdx.com | ELEVEN PORTLAND | 28

community visual arts 11: Who are some of your favorite artists?

Still from Trenches gallery show

11: How did you decide to use Pepper Pepper as the face of your campaign? MC: I saw him perform once and I liked how he was experimenting with gender boundaries and he also experimented with the idea of performance and what it means to be a performer. What it means to go between the drag, the dance, and the performance aspect. I'm really attracted to these things that are becoming so specialized begin to blur [between different mediums]. I think he does that really well.

29 | ELEVEN PORTLAND | www.elevenpdx.com

MC: My friends mostly. I was fortunate enough to do a residency program in Maine and the people I met there were such incredible artists. Five of them showed up in Italy to help me with my movie. Also, I had the good fortune to work with some really amazing artists in grad school at MICA. Working with other artists has changed my art for the better and collaboration with other artists takes its own energy, if you will. Having conversations about structuring projects has been so helpful. Just talking to other artists that have more experience with that has been so helpful. I also love artists like Joan Jonas and I love early female video performance artists. I like Mika Rottenburg. Oded Hirschis, an Israeli video artist I really like. Matthew Barney is definitely a huge influence as far as working in a long feature length and also a non-narrative format. Âť - Veronica Greene Please enjoy a sampling of Misha's sculpture decorating our inside back cover this month. Find more from Misha at mishacapecchi.com