Eleven PDX Magazine June 2015 by Eleven PDX

contents

ELEVEN PDX MAGAZINE VOLUME 5

THE USUAL 3 Letter from the Editor 3 Staff Credits

ISSUE NO. 1

FEATURES Local Feature 13 Device Grips

Cover Feature 17 Temples

new music 4 Aural Fix The Weather Station Until The Ribbon Breaks Teen Men Oddisee

FILM Watch Me Now 22 Beauty & Violence: Practical Effects for a New Era

7 Short List 7 Album Reviews Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin Bully No Joy

COMMUNITY Neighborhood of the Month 24 West Burnside Street

Literary Arts 25 Portland writer Cari Luna

LIVE MUSIC 9 Know Your Venue Roseland Theater

11 Musicalendar

Visual Arts 27 Portland painter Brett Bowers

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! Much has changed since ELEVEN PDX launched in 2011. Our city continues to have the world's premier arts, music, creative, innovative, tech-savvy and supportive culture. Not braggin', just sayin'. It's no wonder that the three/four/five story apartment complexes are sprouting up like mushrooms after a spring rain. Being a transplant myself ('08, rep!), I really understand why people are in love with PDX and want to move here. That said, it'd be swell if the deep-pocket developers (and the people connected to them) strive to do a better job in regards to the design and implementation of the vast majority of these behemoths (spoiler alert: they look cheap and tacky). Can we please get a design review board going? Something? Anything? Ideally, residents would be able to have some say in the ambiance of their 'hood. It hurts my heart when a neighborhood bar/ venue gets blown up, then to add insult to injury, the giant plastic toy barn is named "The Langano Building," as if it somehow represents what was destroyed. I hear Apex and The Hawthorne Carts get to stick around a little longer... but the banners with images of adorable goats surrounding the three-block pit at SE 11th and Belmont? WTF? Once an adorable petting zoo is now likely to be another big rectangular cube, and I'm sure the displaced goats love that. The whole dang country of Finland has a 20 year plan for it's "brand." What is Portland's brand going to be in 5 years? The city that loves vinyl... siding? Wether you support the development or you'd like to see the architecture made a little more exotic, I'd love to hear your thoughts! Âť

- Ryan Dornfeld, Editor in Chief

3 | ELEVEN PORTLAND | www.elevenpdx.com

EXECUTIVE STAFF EDITOR IN CHIEF Ryan Dornfeld CREATIVE DIRECTOR Dustin Mills SECTION EDITORS LOCAL FEATURE: Brandy Crowe LITERARY ARTS: Scott McHale VISUAL ARTS: Mercy McNab FILM: Rachael Haigh, Bex Silver graphic DESIGN Dustin Mills Alex Combs COVER PHOTO Ed Miles CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Brandy Crowe, Billy Dye, Eric Evans, Donovan Farley, Veronica Greene, Rachael Haigh, Casey Hardmeyer, Kelly Kovl, Travis Leipzig, Samantha Lopez, Ethan Martin, Scott McHale, Aaron Mills, Gina Pieracci, Chuck Dulah, 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

UP AND COMING MUSIC FROM THE NATIONAL SCENE

THE WEATHER STATION JUNE 7 | ALBERTA ROSE THEATER

Canada has always proved to be fertile soil for troubadours. Toronto songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Tamara Lendeman, known otherwise as The Weather Station, separates herself from her predecessors with a sound that draws heavy influence from English folk-song, but the searing emotional honesty of her lyrics surely puts her in the same spirit as those of her native land. With regard to the British influence in her music, the serene, even pacing and spare arrangements in her songs bring to mind Bridget St. John, but as for the directness of her quietly courageous pipes and pen she is often more reminiscent of Richard Thompson. As much as we enjoy the bluegrassinfluenced and psych-folk Americana type stuff that makes up most of the commercially successful folk music in vogue now, it is an excellent surprise to see an artist who has taken up the mantle of this other, more somber and spare style building up momentum and support! Her new album Loyalty was recorded in La Frette Studios, France, with some help from Canadian producer and musician Afie Jurvanen. According to Lendeman, the name of her new album was the first thing that was certain about it from the beginning. The

vignettes on this album seem to beg the question: what is the value of loyalty? As she notes on “Life’s Work,” supposedly loyal benefactors and supporters can appear to take in all that you offer to them one year, and then seemingly forget it all the next. And on “I Mined,” “Personal Eclipse,” and “Loyalty,” Lendeman reminds us that one can cheat oneself, out of a compulsion to be loyal to the myth of one’s “true self.” The gently wistful, but self-possessed tone of Lendeman’s delivery and lyrics elevate the quality of her songwriting over so many of her contemporaries and establish her as more than just a revivalist. Her lyrics don’t devolve into mopefest territory but instead maintain a contemplative neutrality. The Weather Station is more than introspective balladry, it is the first flowering of an arresting new vision of which we have taken note. » - Matthew Sweeney

Photo by Jesse DeFlorio

Also, Pete plays in an electronic collective that produces music

Photo by Yuula Benivolski

with layers like a slice of tiramisu in a David Lynch film; it’s a little confusing at first, but you’re pretty sure you like it. I digressed. Sorry. The point I’m making is: you can tell a lot about a person by the company they keep. This guy Pete has to be the coolest motherfucker on the planet if he is simultaneously hanging out with a legitimate hip-hop badass like Killer Mike, who writes songs about having his dick sucked on all day (his words, not mine) by what I can only assume is a very nice girl, all the while making Lorde’s prom date very jealous. Don’t believe me? Please reference “Revolution Indifference” featuring Killer Mike and El-P on UTRB’s album A Lesson Unlearnt which came out this year. Then,

UNTIL THE RIBBON BREAKS JUNE 17 | BUNK BAR

These guys are rad. Although, it seems it is mostly this one guy who goes by the name of Peter Lawrie-Winfield. It’s not a cool name, so his friends call him “Pete.” That is the least interesting thing about him. So, let’s get on with the article. What if I told you, he associates with the likes of Run The Jewels, Lorde and a guy named Homeboy Sandman (not the transient guy you see in the park feeding ducks Lime-a-Ritas).

review Lorde’s tour dates in 2013. You’ll notice Pete ‘n’ the gang supporting ‘er. You are a mathematician and know it’s no longer 2013. Clever. Research Killer Mike and El-P’s “Job Well Done” in 2013 featuring Mr. Lawrie-Winfield. Please note in 2013 Lorde was seventeen, i.e. prom age, so let your imagination do the rest because it’s not libel if I don’t write it. UTRB creates an artistic blend of hip-hop, pop and indie alternative. The band has the temporal instincts of Girl Talk and at times has the textural craftsmanship of Trent Reznor. Of course Peter Lawrie-Winfield sounds like the coolest motherfucker on the planet. Maybe. You’ll see. » - Billy Dye

www.elevenpdx.com | ELEVEN PORTLAND | 4

new music aural fix Photo by Jessica Scarane

TEEN MEN JUNE 19 | MISSISSIPPI STUDIOS

There’s something about the Northeast and how it’s able to produce countless bands that just do the whole bedroom pop, and indie-synth so right–See, Clap Your Hands, Say Yeah, Ghost Hotel, and Raindeer. Teen Men, a Delaware-based four piece group, is no exception. The band is comprised of two musicians, Nick Krill and Joe Hobson (members of the Spinto Band), and two visual artists Albert Birney and Catherine Maloney, and they result

5 | ELEVEN PORTLAND | www.elevenpdx.com

in a perfectly ambitious mixture of melodic textures. Their music is simple, but well constructed. They have tunefully bizarre melodies that are executed through original guitar riffs, synthesizers, and vocals–all of which are complimented with ambient and evocative atmospheric electronics. The band took their name from the term “teen men” which was highlighted in a 1960’s Playboy issue that described having the mindset of “taking risks, irrational self-confidence, and the search for new experiences,” and it’s a description which corresponds to the group of four all too well. The band is experimental, expansive, and take bedroom and indie-pop to a whole new level. Their shimmering guitars take form over varying organic drumbeats and electronic-based rhythms, and the result is intoxicating. Teen Men’s artistic identity is the most important thing to them, and is what gives them their own unique style and creative approach. The relationship between musicians and artists creates an ability to bring visual elements into their music. The band is known for the otherworldly performances; playing alongside homemade interactive videos that are synchronized to their music. They draw their inspiration from visual art, and the videos provide platforms for them to jump off of. Their latest self-titled album was recorded at The Garden Center and Paper Lab Recording Studios in Delaware and was devised, mixed and produced by band member Nick Krill. It’s set to be released on CD and Digitally June 9 and on LP vinyl July 14 on the Bar/None label, and it’s one you wont want to miss. » - Samantha Lopez

new music aural fix

MISSIS SIPPI STUDIOS S

C A L E N D A R J

2. TUE

ZOLA JESUS

MAGIC FADES / GHOST FEET

ODDISEE

Amir Mohamed el Khalifa, who records and produces as Oddisee, has taken many forms over the course of his career. He’s been the go-to producer for the D.C. hiphop scene, the rising rapper, the leader of the Diamond District clique, and a steady presence on the fringes of the mainstream echelon. At each stop, he’s excelled. But his chameleonic tendencies have led to continued exploration of hip-hop as a craft, creating an eclectic and intriguing discography. As a producer, Oddisee displays sympathies similar to other skilled contemporaries, such as the late J. Dilla: a taste for obscure soul samples and early ‘90s stylings, an impeccable sense for layered beats, and the ability to turn a straight boom-bap into something expansive and breathing. On his instrumental projects, such as 2011’s Rock Creek Park and 2013’s The Beauty in All, he relies on a strong sense of time and place to create tracks that sound more like city soundscapes than hip-hop beats: he retains a keen ear for subtle flourishes of humanity in his music, and is at all times complex and accessible. On his vocal projects, his artistic sensibilities are immediately apparent. He is plainspoken and direct, disguising, at times, the

ALL THEM WITCHES depth and complexity of his storytelling. People Hear What They See (2012) is a compelling mix of social observations and commentary intertwined with his inquisitive narratives. His most recent studio album, The Good Fight, saw him take a more aggressive approach with his vocals to accompany some of the edgier beats. It seems that no matter which direction Oddisee chooses to take his talents, the end result is fully-realized, creative and delightfully entertaining. » - Charles Trowbridge

A “let it go” from 2012’s People Hear What They See. Really, any track off this album would suffice. But “Let It Go,” with its raspy beat and backbeat-riding guitar vamp, is Oddisee at his finest, both vocally and as a producer.

B “that's love”

LANDLINES

WEEED / LKN

15. MON

4. THU

EXTRA CLASSIC / THE ZAGS

THE DONKEYS

CROW AND THE CANYON FT. ALLIE KRAL BRAD PARSONS AND THE LOCAL TALENT

16. TUE

RHETT MILLER ANNALISA TORNFELT

17. WED

5. FRI

FEDERALE

JOEL GION / ELEPHANT STONE

6. SAT (early show)

THE JACKALOPE SAINTS

WATER TOWER / MCDOUGALL

AN EVENING WITH ARI HEIST

18. THU (early show)

(late show)

JACK & ELIZA

19. FRI

HAMILTON LEITHAUSER 7. SUN

WREKMEISTER HARMONIES

DANIEL MENCHE / BRUMES

8. MON

BLACKBIRD BLACKBIRD PHILIP GRASS

OPEN SEASON PINS

CLAP YOUR HANDS SAY YEAH TEEN MEN

24. WED

FANNO CREEK / EZRA BELL BEVELERS

9. TUE

QUICK TRACKS

14. SUN

FOG FATHER

3. WED

SLANT: LIVE QUEER STORYTELLING

25. THU

MOTOPONY

TRISTEN / BIG HARP

10. WED

26. FRI

SURFER BLOOD

GENDERS

ALEX CALDER

HELVETIA / TIBURONES

11. THU (two shows!)

27. SAT

12. FRI

28. SUN

THE WE SHARED MILK AN EVENING WITH DELTA SPIRIT & FRIENDS AND AND AND / THE TAMED WEST THE FAMILY CREST

NO JOY

THE LONELY WILD

APPENDIXES

13. SAT (at the old church)

29. MON

AN EVENING WITH LAURA GIBSON

HEAD WOUND CITY

13. SAT

ICEAGE

MRS. PRESENTS QUEEN DJ BEYONDA / ILL CAMINO

GRAVE BABIES / VICE DEVICE

30. TUE

LOWLIFE / CAIRO PYTHIAN

from 2015’s The Good Fight, this track takes off from the second the beat drops. With pumped up soul vamps and a booming horn hook, it’s no surprise that this was the lead single. If you can jam to this track without moving your body and shaking your head, you’re not doing it right.

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

mississippistudios.com

www.elevenpdx.com | ELEVEN PORTLAND | 6

new music album reviews

ALBUM REVIEWS This Month’s best R Reissue

L Local release

Short List Major Lazer Peace is the Mission The Darkness Last of our Kind Eternal Summers Gold and Stone Girlpool Before the World was Big Florence And The Machine How Big how Blue how Beautiful Muse Drones Of Monsters And Men Beneath the Skin Neil Young The Monsanto Years Wolf Alice My Love is Cool The Velvet Teen All is Illusory Cayucas Dancing at the Blue Lagoon Third Eye Blind Dopamine Joanna Gruesome Peanut Butter Buy it

Steal it

Toss it

facebook.com/elevenmagpdx @elevenpdx

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Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin The High Country Polyvinyl Records Album reviews are the worst because you never know the asshole behind the keyboard. Good art is subjective. So, for me good music is interesting music, bad music is unpleasant but valuable, and nothing is worse than boring music. Historically, this band could be any one of those on any given song; some songs had the Weezer thing going on, others had a

Postal Service husk, and they were guilty of homogenous acoustic songs that sound like blowing kisses into a banana pancake (no syrup). The intrigue of their music was spotty and isolated. The High Country surprised me. The band extracts the best parts of their different identities, leaving out the fatty fillers where melody and dissonance were never invited. Songs on this album have particularity and purpose-driven character that won’t shy away from taking risks when moments are right. Never got bored. Granted they may have cheated, since only one out of eleven total songs is over three minutes, but a two-and-a-half minute good song is better than a four minute confused expression. At some point there was a conversation where Phil realized his guitar and voice were best utilized as support. Then, he told Jonathan (drums) to switch from beer to whiskey for quicker pace. Will (lead guitar) would be the color between the lines and Tom was adaptable like a true bass player–just theory. This album is an omen to their best years coming. It’s pretty good. Well, pretty interesting. » - Billy Dye

new music album reviews

Bully Feels Like Star Time International

Bully is a budding four-piece out of Nashville, also known as The Music City. Frontwoman Alicia Bognanno was a former intern at Steve Albini's Electrical Audio studio in Chicago. The twenty-five-year-old grew up in Minnesota with a strong liking to running soundboards and recording. Fortunately for us, she has honed her remarkable skills into quite a craft. When she’s not on the road with Bully,

written, recorded, mixed and mastered by Bognanno herself. The album kicks off with attentiongrabber "I Remember." The track highlights the contrast between Bognanno’s domineering, throaty vocals and her softer, more endearing side. Some comparisons to Courtney Love may be undeniable (mainly because they are both women who play similar styles of music), but Bognanno soars above and beyond Love’s singing

capabilities. She is a powerhouse singer and guitarist, and in a time where the '90s have made their way back into our hearts and music, it’s nostalgia at it’s best, but with more spunk. Realistically, she’s more like Love’s better half, with her catchy melodies and long, messy bleached hair. A couple of oldies but goodies made the cut (and rightfully so) for the band's debut. "Brainfreeze" was taken from their 2013 self-titled EP, and although it’s towards the end of the album, “Milkman” sounds more like a proper introduction to the band. Penned and recorded by Bognanno, "Milkman" comes from the 2014 single of the same name. If you take a listen to Bully’s first release, you will hear a huge difference in the musicianship and overall quality that runs throughout the promising young band's debut full-length, Feels Like. With earworm songs from everything about broken hearts and broken bones, to hating pictures of yourself, partying too hard, and being a shark, Bully takes an honest approach to what it feels like to grow up. » - Wendy Worzalla

and punky breakdowns breaking apart

then hopefully our discomfort would

the “The Dum Dum Girls Go Shoegaze”

translate to the listener as well."

you can find her at Battle Tapes, where she works as a recording engineer, or at The Stone Fox a couple nights a week running sound. Along with her drummer/boyfriend Stewart Copeland and best buds, guitarist Clayton Parker and bassist Reece Lazarus, Bully has opened for the likes of Best Coast, Those Darlins, Superchuck, and Kevin Drew (of Broken Social Scene), among others. Now, Bully is ready to cut their teeth on a headlining tour in support of their debut album, Feels Like. The high-speed killer percussion, coupled with dynamic melodies, renders a 10-track, thirty-one minute, no frills, high-energy grunge punk record—all

sound that permeated No Joy’s

No Joy More Faithful Mexican Summer Records

Songs like “Chalk Snake” and

first two records. While not totally

“Burial In Twos” are massive and feel

absent, the fuzz and reverb have been

more akin to a band heading for the

relegated to the background on much

cosmos to “stargaze” rather than

of this record, and with intriguing

being content with simple shoegazing.

results.

What’s further impressive about the

“Everything New” and the

album is that although these songs

ominously creepy “Bolas” manage

sound bigger and are clearly more

to still feel like No Joy songs are

high-reaching, the album breezes by

supposed to feel, but with enough

enjoyably, never feeling overwrought

tweaks to the formula that they

or weighted down by excessive ideas.

manage to sound fresh. The band’s

More Faithful is an ambitious

desire to stretch their sound and

affair, a “headphone record” that

challenge both themselves and the

rewards repeat listens and one that

listener is apparent throughout

plants No Joy firmly not just at the

More Faithful, and singer/guitarist

fore of today’s shoegaze scene, but an

Joy seem to be a band determined

Jasamine White-Gluz admitted

inventive overall rock band with a few

to expand their sound beyond its

they purposely tried to complicate

more tricks up their sleeve. »

shoegaze origins. Layering textures

things saying, "We wanted to

play a bigger role than layering guitar

think, I don’t know how to do that,

riffs this time around, with synths

or, That is uncomfortable to do, and

Throughout More Faithful, No

- Donovan Farley

www.elevenpdx.com | ELEVEN PORTLAND | 8

live music

KNOW YOUR VENUE

Roseland Theater Burnside Street began, the building was forced to sacrifice some square footage, and a balcony was added to replace lost seats. What clearly distinguished this building though was the massive three-tier sign that electrified a star and the declaration: “Jesus The Light Of The World.” The sign came down when the building was sold to Larry Hurwitz in 1981. In 1982 he opened a nightclub called Starry Night. During its 9-year stint, the venue’s stage saw the likes of Nu Shooz, Metallica, Blue Oyster Cult, The Beastie Boys, and The Red Hot Chili Peppers. With a maximum capacity of around 1,000, the venue was well known for its sell-out crowds in the '80s. The start of a new decade brought about new management for the building when it was sold to Double Tee Concerts in 1991, and Starry Night officially became known as The Roseland. Owner David Leiken set out with the goal of having arena level production in a smaller venue, and the past 20 years have brought about renovations in the sound system, dressing rooms, lighting equipment and even a new roof. The idea in mind behind many updates was that happy artists prompt happy crowds. The Roseland does not restrict shows to the 21+ crowd, but does manage Peter’s Room, the full restaurant and bar located on the bottom

Photo by Mercy McNab

floor of the premises. On occasion, this room will host its own small-scale shows, making use

arked with the vertical blue-lit sign on the

of its 4-foot tall stage and 400-person capacity. During shows

corner of NW 6th Ave and Burnside, stands

hosted just upstairs, Peter’s Room remains open and streams

the Roseland Theater. Appropriately

the live concert on screens for free to customers.

named in the City of Roses, the venue hosts from 150 to 175 acts per year and

As a standing room only venue, with the balcony seats reserved for patrons over 21 years of age, The Roseland

has become a staple in the Portland concert scene under the

regularly sells out with a crowd of 1,400 people. These sell

present ownership of Double Tee Concerts. Prior to its current

outs occur across the entire genre spectrum and have been

management, the establishment changed hands a couple

consistent throughout the venue’s 24 years. Some of the most

times, but its history begins with some old time religion.

notable acts include Prince, Bob Dylan, The Grateful Dead, and

Originally built in 1922, it was used as headquarters for

B.B. King. Today the acts vary from rock to cage fighting, to

the Apostolic Faith Church of Portland. Storerooms made up

electronic, a genre the venue just could not ignore. If one thing

the bottom floor (hat shop included) while the top floor was

is to remain constant for the venue, it’s that some of the top

meant as a place of worship and could hold up to a 70-piece

grossing names in the business can be expected to roll through

orchestra complete with choir. When construction on

at The Roseland. » - Gina Pieracci

9 | ELEVEN PORTLAND | www.elevenpdx.com

MISSIS SIPPI STUDIOS S

C A L E N D A R M 2

Y 1

16. SAT (EARLY SHOW)

1. FRI

OLD TIME RELIJUN

SECRET DRUM BAND / LIKE A VILLAIN

NEW AMERICAN CLASSICS (LATE SHOW)

COPY

2. SAT

PHONE CALL / NATURAL MAGIC

MATT POND PA

17. SUN

YOUNG BUFFALO / CHANDLER STRUTZ

EMILY HELLER

3. SUN

20. WED

WISHYUNU

JACKSON BOONE / CAMBRIAN EXPLOSION

ALBATROSS / THERE IS NO MOUNTAIN GHOST TOWNS

4. MON

EAST INDIA YOUTH

21. THU

5. TUE

NOTHING / MERCHANDISE

TALK IN TONGUES

22. FRI

BRIGHT LIGHT SOCIAL HOUR

CLOAKROOM

6. WED

EX HEX / DIARRHEA PLANET

PRINCE RAMA / BEN O’BRIEN

23. SAT

SUMMER CANNIBALS

DAN DEACON 7. THU

HUTCH AND KATHY

ANTHONY D’AMATO

24. SUN

S (JENN GHETTO) - DUO / ALLIE GOERTZ

LIZ LONGLEY

BOB DYLAN’S 74TH BDAY

8. FRI

WEDNESDAY 6.3: ROSE CITY ROUND: LIVE PODCAST TAPING - NASHVILLE-STYLE WRITER'S ROUND TOPHER WALBER (DEAD TEETH)|AMANDA SPRING (IOA)|CRISTINA CANO (SIREN AND THE SEA) - 6PM/FREE THURSDAY 6.4: KPSU + WE OUT HERE MAGAZINE PRESENT: NEHLA AND KHALO|RASHEED JAMAL|RIPLEY SNELL|VERBZ - 9PM/$5 FRIDAY 6.5: THE PUMPS|SPEAKER THIEF|MANX - 9PM/$5 SATURDAY 6.6: BANDADESMUSIC PRESENTS: SPIRIT LAKE|HUNGRY SKINNY|NATHAN TRUEB (TANGO ALPHA TANGO) - 9PM/$5 SUNDAY 6.7: PILLOW TALK|SINAI VESSEL - 9PM/$5 TUESDAY 6.9: THE REVERBERATIONS|LORD ALBA - 9PM/$5 WEDNESDAY 6.10: ROSE CITY ROUND: LIVE PODCAST TAPING - NASHVILLE-STYLE WRITER'S ROUND TOPHER WALBER (DEAD TEETH)|ERIC JENSEN (TRACTOR OPERATOR)|LEE AULSON (BEVELERS) - 6PM/FREE THURSDAY 6.11: SOUL VIBRATOR|WHITE BEAR POLAR TUNDRA|HELENA CINEMA - 9PM/$5 FRIDAY 6.12: HART AND HARE|CURIOUS QUAIL|THE LATE GREAT - 9PM/$5 SATURDAY 6.13: CORONATION|SEANCE CRASHER|CRUEL LANKIN - 9PM/$5 WEDNESDAY 6.17: ROSE CITY ROUND: LIVE PODCAST TAPING - NASHVILLE-STYLE WRITER'S ROUND TOPHER WALBER (DEAD TEETH)|JEREMY WILSON (DHARMA BUMS)|MICHAEL LEWIS (BLUE SKIES FOR BLACK HEARTS) - 6PM/FREE WEDNESDAY 6.17: EYEZ FRONT PRESENTS - 9PM/$5 THURSDAY 6.18: THE DOMESTICS|THE RUGS|LADYWOLF - 9PM/$5 FRIDAY 6.19: THE LONESOME BILLIES|ROSELIT BONE|AN AMERICAN FORREST - 9PM/$15 AND $25 SATURDAY 6.20: SALON|BROKEN ARROWS - 9PM/$5 SUNDAY 6.21: BABY KETTEN KARAOKE - 9PM/FREE WEDNESDAY 6.24: ROSE CITY ROUND: LIVE PODCAST TAPING - NASHVILLE-STYLE WRITER'S ROUND TOPHER WALBER (DEAD TEETH)|PAT KEARNS (BLUE SKIES FOR BLACK HEARTS)|MATTHEW ULM (OLD AGE) - 6PM/FREE WEDNESDAY 6.24: KIDS TABLE RECORDS PRESENTS: JONNY AMPERSAND|BENNY GILBERT|JOSEPH WAYA|HE HOWLS - 9PM/$5 SATURDAY 6.27: YOUNG ELK|FELLOW WOLF|YET - 9PM/$5 SUNDAYS: THE EARLY EARLY COMEDY OPEN MIC - 4PM FREE

CASH’D OUT JOSH KELLEY

ft. THE QUICK & EASY BOYS, URAL THOMAS, KORY QUINN & MORE!

9. SAT

25. MON

MRS. PRESENTS QUEEN DJ BEYONDA / ILL CAMINO

10. SUN

SPEEDY ORTIZ

ALEX G / BROKEN WATER

26. TUE

R. RING

PHOX

HURRY UP / BED.

YOYA

11. MON

27. WED

WOLF ALICE

TWIN PEAKS / CHASTITY BELT

GATEWAY DRUGS

MODERN VICES

12. TUE

PETER BROTZMANN / WILLIAM PARKER / HAMID DRAKE TRIO

28. THU

QUINTRON AND MISS PUSSYCAT NOTS / FIRST!

NOT BITTER

29. FRI

13. WED

BOB SCHNEIDER

AN EVENING WITH

IVAN & ALYOSHA KRIS ORLOWSKI

30. SAT

NUGGETS NIGHT

14. THU

THE GHOST EASE MÁSCARAS / TINY KNIVES

ft. THE VERNER PANTONS, THE PYNNACLES, THE SATIN CHAPS & MANY MORE!

15. FRI

31. SUN

WILLAMETTE WEEK PRESENTS

BEST NEW BAND

MOOREA MASA

LUZ ELENA MENDOZA / CATHERINE FEENY

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

WEDNESDAYS: ROSE CITY ROUND: NASHVILLE STYLE WRITER'S ROUND - 6PM/FREE SONGS, STORIES AND A LIL TWANG

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

mississippistudios.com

www.elevenpdx.com | ELEVEN PORTLAND | 10

live music june crystal ballroom

3 5 12 13 17 18 24

2 1 4 8 17 21

Roseland Theater 8 nw 6th

Of Mice & Men YelaWolf | Hillbilly Casino | DJ Klever Halestorm | Rival Sons | Royal thunder Steel Pulse Death Grips

3 1 2 4 5 6 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 26 27

1332 w burnside

Doug fir

830 e burnside

28 Son Lux | Olga Bell 29 The Slackers | The Sentiments 30 Active Child | Low Roar

4 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

mississippi studios 3939 n mississippi

11 | ELEVEN PORTLAND | www.elevenpdx.com

live music june wonder ballroom 128 ne russell

holocene

1001 se morrison

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rontoms

600 e burnside

eastburn

1800 e burnside

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Eat Off Your Banjo Dinner & Bluegrass (Thursdays) The Yellers Forest Carter Ensemble | DJ Magnus Cagney Eric John Kaiser Weekend Assembly Cameron Siegal Worldtet | DJ Kenny 80s Night Ben Larsen & Friends DJ Woblie | Jack Dwyer & Friends Harper | DJ Blas The Colin Trio DJ Kenny

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features june bunk bar (continued) 17 20 22 26 29

Until The Ribbon Breaks DTCV Two Sheds Fred Thomas | Skin Lies The Gooch Palms

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THE SECRET SOCIETY 14 116 NE RUSSELL 5 6 11 12 13 19 20 21 26 27

LOCAL FEATURE DEVICE GRIPS

evice Grips uses what the universe gives them. They take diversity of music as a whole and spill it into jams, honing in on white eagle the grander scheme of things. It’s a wide 836 n russell open sound that beckons music festival Rob Johnston (Sundays) 5 Garden Goat season, growth, and changes while 6 DoveDriver | Joytribe dancing under the summer stars. 10 Damn Family | Terror Bird | Bud Wilson | Jamie McMullen They’ve recently opened for Rusted 11 New Zoo 12 The Hip Replacements Root, have plans to release a new album, 13 RedRay Frazier | Ghosts Like Us | Jane Kramer and are slated to perform at What The 18 Whiskey n' Rye | Hawkeye Pierce Festival. We sat down in a recording/ 19 The Rugs | The Hugs | The Fourth Wall hangout space dubbed “The Treehouse” 21 Ojos Feos 23 Michael Beka | Ian Uponen | Olivia Awbrey with the band; Tyler (vox/guitar), Kyle 24 Heavy Gone Acoustic | Monica Nelson & The Highgates (drums), Briton (bass), and Keefe (synths, 25 The Reverie Machine trumpet, vox) to talk about dimensions, 26 Mexican Gunfight 27-28 The Moondoggies | Winterhaven | Evening Bell consciousness, and genre busting.

13 | ELEVEN PORTLAND | www.elevenpdx.com

ELEVEN: Where does the name Device Grips come from? Tyler: The name related to using a loop station and being a film grip. The idea of being an operator of a system. 11: How did you guys come together? Tyler: I moved out here leaving a band of 9 years back home in Minneapolis called Parallax. It was a hip-hop band before hip-hop bands were known much, before Rhymesayers started touring with bands. Thats where A lot of EDM and electronic music is going. Even like Bassnectar. I wish we

show. He plays anything synths and keys, trumpet since fourth grade. He’s a Viking martial artist on pretty much any instrument. Enter our fourth member. An important part of this story, is that after Keefe joined the band, and I started taking guitar lessons from Chris at World's Finest, like the very next day, I got robbed. I lost all my stuff. But it was actually the best thing that ever happened to us. Keefe: He lost the loop pedal. Kyle: And the drums got to be back to a natural tempo. Tyler: We started playing it all, how we wanted. From the second CD it was still transitional from loops back to a full band. But it got to a point of totally relying on my band. I relinquished some control. It was like “I’m with these dudes and we are a unit.” Most of this album, was written in practice as a group. All of the songs evolved, we worked them until they felt right. 11: What about the new album?

Photo by Mercy McNab

could go back to analog, to have that tension for live musical effect. The only person I knew in Portland was Gavin Theory, who gave me my first show. I didnt know that he had terminal cancer, and he died two months after my show. That first show is where I met Briton and Kyle, and found my band. Briton: Kyle and me, we had a history of playing in a psychedelic jam band, and we had always wanted a hip-hop driven thing with a live band. We wanted to absorb Tyler, and he was available. It was a beautiful thing. Kyle: We started playing as a solid three piece as Device Grips with Worlds Finest at The White Eagle. We decided to make an album, and found Keefe at Audio Cinema, with our engineer Scotty. Tyler: We realized that Keefe overproduced this record to the point where we knew we needed him on every live

Kyle: So the conceptualization of Forth World is a collection a songs that we've put together specifically to describe the situations that we are in as human beings on this planet. We don't agree with how we are going about dealing with crisis. We don't necessarily need to create individual experiences, but a collective fourth dimensional reality. It’s the physical manifestation.

features june alhambra theatre 4811 se hawthorne

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11: What is Oden Punch about? Keefe: That song delves into blues/ rhythms but we took it up a notch with the backings, it kind of became this old school prog rock song. Layering things, doubling up guitar solos, blaring horns. Kyle: It’s an amalgamation of gypsy psychedelic rock, and hip-hop. Briton: We played in the Bay Area with a band called Diego’s Umbrella. They play a kind of Gogol Bordello-style gypsy rock, and they inspired us to come up with some heavy riffs on that song.

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Robben Ford Haley Johnsen | My Brothers And I James McMurtry Jonathan Richman Steve Wilson Metro Youth Symphony & School of Rock: ELO

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Keefe: No first world, no third world, let's get everyone caught up... The Forth World.

Gepetto Best Coast | Bully David Nelson Band | Moonalice

Sonic Forum Open Mic (Mondays) Boys II Gentlemen (Tuesdays) Soul Stew w/DJ Aquaman (Fridays) Asher Fulero Band | Devin Phillips Band The Giraffe Dodgers Brownish Black | Thanks | DJ N-Able Garcia Birthday Band Buddy Jay's Jamaican Jazz Band Popgoji | Cherimoya Jujuba Voodoo Ladyboys | Lesser Bangs Brad Parsons | Jellyfish Brigade McTuff

the liquor store 3341 SE BELMONT

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features june star theater (Continued) 13 14 17 18 20 28 30

street saloon 23 ash 225 sw ash 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 11 12 13 14 17 18 19 20 21 23 24 26 27

24 ROTTURE/BRANX 315 SE 3rd PANIC ROOM 25 THE 3100 NE SANDY 3 5 6 7 8 11 12 16 17 18 20 30

26 dantes 350 w burnside 1 The Dead Woods 4 7:30PM David Dondero | Hod Hulphers 8 10 11 12 14 16 17 18 19

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11: How do you go about with your song process? You all have your instrumental parts coming out of different places.

Godfather soundtrack, Goodfellas, old spaghetti westerns like a lot of old Clint Eastwood movies, and has done work with Quentin Tarantino.

Briton: We have an even, open ended approach, and offer constructive criticism.

11: You really seem to genre-bend your music.

11: So you all bring ideas to the table? Keefe: This record is the best example of that because 9/10 of these songs we wrote together in practice. Tyler: It’s the gestalt imagery point of view, Bauhaus style. The sum of all parts are greater than the whole. This album shows how we approach having a vocally driven song versus an instrumental driven song. We can lead you through the story, verbally, and also have it climax through all of our instrumental parts. Tyler: As far as my lyrics go, I tend to avoid love again and love loss, or money gain and money loss. We do write a few of them, though. 11: In the cinematic scope of your music, what is the sample in the beginning of “Last Days?” Kyle: The sample is a quote from the 1976 film Shogun Assassin. The opening scene in the movie is a little girl explaining her life, and how her father has become the Shogun's top assassin, and her older brother is being trained. He gets to the end of his training and realizes he doesn't have a choice but to avenge the murder of his family. Tyler: The song “Last Days” is in a serious context of not having a choice of what to do. That song is just the worst shit that humans have ever done to the earth and each other.

Tyler: As far as genre busting goes, this album is really a transformative look as to how we transform our own music. To try to classify genre is more like a representation to be able to cover a whole vast complex experience. Music goes all over, it doesn’t just rock out, it’s not happy all the time. It can be anything. Keefe: You can’t be scared to do it. Sometimes we are like “Is this gonna fly?” and then we are like…”Yeah it’s gonna fly.” It gets harder to make songs that tell people what’s wrong, what’s right, or what to do. I like telling a story, and getting a story across. The details in the story are the trick that comes out in the nature of storytelling. In order to expand the depth of the human experience, you have to approach other genres. On components of art, you really have to realize that these are the tools that we are all working with. There are only twelve notes in the universe, especially in western thought. Everyones been making millions of different songs for thousands of years with these same notes. Briton: It’s a common thread in all of humanity to create noise, it’s universal through every civilization and culture. Music. Speech. Percussion. Anthem. Every tribal culture bangs out a fourth world rhythm. 11: In the music world, what is Boomslang? Tyler: Boomslang as it came, was the idea of getting rid of genre generalization that convolutes the music.

Keefe: All you are left with is what you can do, not what you wanna do. You don't always get the option to thrive, just to survive.

Briton: Actually, Tyler came over on Christmas and we watched Nature’s Deadliest.

Kyle: I also sampled a composer of the most famous records you have never heard of, Nino Rota. He composed The

Tyler: OK, Boomslang is the deadliest snake. Not because of its size, or it’s venom. It’s only motive is being

protective of it’s family. Thats the only reason it ever attacks anything.

11: Did you have fun at PDX Earth Day?

Keefe: Boomslang is like this jumble of things in it’s own essence. It’s a moniker, a new term. We can’t say we are one thing. We can't be a jam band the whole time, we can't be a hip-hop band all of the time.

Kyle: We had a blast. Peter Clark invited us, and he works for Abstract Earth. He owns this company called Solamor Energy Solutions, that does all the electrical gridwork systems from Earth Day to Burning Man. What The Festival is his festival. He runs the majority of his gridwork, required to run these festivals, off of solar and wind power.

11: What is your connection with the universe? Kyle: We are conscious. We talk about energy and vibrations and moving forward consciously. Understanding the balance of systems. We have experienced a lot of celestial events together, coinciding with music events. Like the Symbiosis gathering during the full solar eclipse. We follow those kinds of things, the stars, the environment. It affects us.

11: Are you excited to play What The Festival? Kyle: I've worked the festival the last four years. It is one of the most Oregon music events. The festival grounds are built upon and get better every year. We are so happy to be playing there this year. » - Brandy Crowe

awareness, and escaping “Traffic” citing driving freely into The Columbia River Gorge, which seems to be a metaphor for conquering personal constructs. The entire album touches on the fight between systems in place and demanding

the waypost 2120 n williams

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Kela Parker | Kelly Anne Masigate

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natural and celestial worlds.

A not-for-profit organization whose mission is to entertain, inspire, educate and connect the community through the art of film while preserving an historic Portland landmark.

dramatic trumpet interludes. This really prods into dimensions of blues and classic soundtracks. But there is really no genre or dual-genre to pin on their sound. The band builds songs together, Device Grips' Forth World

1937 SE 11TH

Kingsborough | Bible Belts | Magic Wandling Wooden Sleepers | The Desert Kind | Kaahele

HOLLYWOOD THEATRE

electronic noises, and also performs

Forth World Self-released

june FIRKIN TAVERN

schedules versus syncing with the Keefe Rayfield adds squally

L Device Grips

features

drawing from every angle of music.

does well to connect electronics

Consider the Middle Eastern feel

with acoustics. The live drums

over heavy beats and rap on “Last

and heavy, funky bass set a chill

Days.” “Odin Punch” marches into

mood. The guitar style pulls playful

pushing one’s boundaries, finishing

notes, or carries an echoing ska

with latin vibes and brass, while

or reggae upswing, which means

“The Ratch” and “Andromeda”

completely laid back grooves

offer sci-fi and funk over social

around Tyler Jon’s tumbling lyrics

issues and conspiracy theories. The

(either in lyrical hip-hop mode,

sound is mellow, but Device Grips

or scruffy ballad voice). Songs

has a lot to express, verbally and

follow themes of endurance, self-

instrumentally. » - Brandy Crowe

NE HOLLYWOOD 4122 NE Sandy Blvd (97212) 503.493.1128 | hollywoodtheatre.org

analog cafe & Theater 720 se hawthorne

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features national scene

17 | ELEVEN PORTLAND | www.elevenpdx.com

Photo by James Loveday

ut of the swirling vortex of the 1970s (or is it the 1070s?) and into the wide-eyed, confused middle of the 21st technocentury’s second decade comes an advocate for the psychedelic, hard hitting bombast of a more heroic age. Many bands these days seem to be found sitting in hallowed, murky castles, consulting the dark mirrors of hard rock’s early days. What spirits visit them one can only guess… but I’d say Geezer Butler, David Crosby, Jimmy Page, and David Gilmour all regularly fight over the soul of British up and comers Temples, never mind that none of those legends have actually died yet… Temples has made a name for themselves amongst this new wave of psychedelia by consistently sticking to the genetics of that genre. This is a quality some critics decry as a weak point of the band, allowing a direct lineage from the past to be too easily perceived. Be that as it may, luckily for us their sonic identity never had time to lose everybody’s attention by trying to “find itself,”

and we can get right to the immediate experience of an accomplished and honest band. Their penchant for the sounds of 60s and 70s acid rock may be obvious, but they are no jangly, 12-string guitared charlatans. Bassist/ singer Thomas Walmsley and guitarist/ singer James Bagshaw are the band’s songwriting backbone, and they’ve immersed themselves in the swirling mysticism and hallucinogenic geometry of British psychedelia. Their passion for archaic symbolism allows them to genuinely inhabit (at least lyrically) the landscape of buried crystals, crimson moons, odysseys, and lost destinies. Tis a strange landscape, as one would expect. But their artistry and talent resides not in the often-mysterious lyrics, but in the undeniably sexy ease of their pop-progressive melodies and aggressive rhythm section. These are not songs that have typical chord progressions, nor simple A-A-B-A song structures. Yet each part flows into the next with a smooth sensibility, providing an antidote to the jarring distortions, troubadour like treble notes, and tambourine flourishes. If you’re a fan of Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Tame Impala, or Dungen then you’ll appreciate

the intentionally fuzzy and blasting recordings Temples has to offer. Check out title track “Sun Structures” for that familiar battle charge of drums, as well as album strong points “Move with the Season” and “The Golden Throne.” The band formed when Walmsley and Bagshaw began writing songs for a home-recording project in their hometown of Kettering, England. After posting some of the self-produced songs to YouTube they snagged the attention of Jeff Barrett, the founder of indie-rock label Heavenly Recordings. Barrett released their first single “Shelter Song,” a tune that hovers halfway between the guitar riff on The Beatles' "Day Tripper" and the singing style of 60s folk icon Donovan. They then enlisted two other local musicians, Samuel Lloyd Toms (drums) and Adam Smith (keyboards/guitar) to help them play the recorded songs live, something they’d never done before. The tightness of their live act quickly earned them slots onstage at major UK festivals where they shared lineups with big time British bands Kasabian, Suede, and The Vaccines. After announcing their first headlining UK tour in late 2013, they released their debut album Sun Structures early last year, and have since played on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Ellen Degeneres Show, and shared a bill with The Rolling Stones. Yes, it’s been a rather quick jog up the mountainside of public opinion for these four lads, demonstrating that although clearly they’ve dipped into that aciddosed punch wizards sometimes serve at occult geometry parties, their marketing wit hasn’t lost any savvy.

www.elevenpdx.com | ELEVEN PORTLAND | 18

features national scene ELEVEN: Alot of media interest

Conspiracy Of Owls, and there’s a guy

playing on the same bill as the Rolling

has been given to Noel Gallagher’s

called John Krautner, I think he was

Stones less than three years later. How

(frontman of Oasis) ringing

in the band The Go, from Detroit you

has that rapid rise affected the band’s

endorsement of you guys as Britain’s

know I think ten years ago or so. I don’t

identity, as well as your personal

best new band. What has that

actually listen to that much modern

identities?

compliment done for you in terms of

stuff. Sam, the drummer, listens to a lot

opening doors, and has it put more

of new music though.

pressure on the band?

AS: Well it’s definitely been stressful at times, but I don’t think the success

11: What would you say are some of Adam Smith: He said that about 2

has really gone to our heads at all. If it

your most important influences from

has gone to our heads, it’s in that way

years ago, so it’s sort of less relevant

the classic psychedelic period of the

which that stress might get to you. You

now, it was definitely great to hear

60s and 70s?

know sometimes we go through periods,

that Noel Gallagher was backing us, but I don’t know if it necessarily opened

separately, of AS: Probably just the obvious ones,

many doors. It might’ve helped us a little

you know, Pink Floyd, and The Beatles,

bit, and we were pleasantly surprised,

of course you can’t ignore The Beatles.

but I can’t really remember actually. I

And then some more proggy stuff, Van

guess he came to see us play a show in

der Graaf Generator, and Slapp Happy.

London, and it was good to meet him,

Slapp Happy is from England, more of an

he was quite funny. And we just sort of

art-rock band really, they never really

got really drunk with him, and that was

get out and tour, I think that might be

probably the best part of it… hah..

a problem for them, but they’re great yeah.

11: The band’s connection to 60s and 70s psychedelic rock influences is

11: You guys have gained a

evident, but what would you say your

considerable measure of attention in

favorite contemporary artists and

a short time. I mean going from

influences are?

forming the band in 2012, to

AS: Umm yeah, we certainly do. Recently I’ve been listening to

19 | ELEVEN PORTLAND | www.elevenpdx.com

Photo by Ed Miles

features national scene infighting, but I think that’s true for

AS: Slapp Happy, like I’d mentioned

11: This magazine is based out of

anyone in any job or avenue of life. It’s

before was a really great band, and there

Portland OR, have you guys ever played

difficult to speak for everybody, I’m

was another one… I’m trying to think…

here or been to the West Coast?

only one person in the band, but yeah

Yeah it was this weird jazzy prog album

it has been quick and it has been quite

by a guy named John Greaves, I think

overwhelming at times. But it’s been

from the mid-70s. It was called Kew

great, and we’ve been very fortunate.

love Portland. And we’ve played there

Rhone and was kinda like a song cycle.

Counting our lucky stars, you know, or

It had all these amazing palindromes

twice before already… I think first at

what have you.

and literary anagrams within the lyrics. Those were written by Peter Blevgad

11: What was the music scene like growing up in Kettering, England?

I’m pretty sure. Great album, but pretty forgotten. Kinda like jazz fusion.

Are there other bands there we should know about?

11: What role does psychedelic literature and visual art play in the

AS: Ah it wasn’t much of anything

band’s creative output? Do you guys

really, it’s a very small town with kind of

have particular authors that influence

a shit music scene. But it was good for us

you? AS: Not particularly, actually. I’m not really interested in psychedelic

11: Any great old psyche/prog records people should be aware of that might have influenced the band?

the Star Theater, and then I think it was the Hawthorne Theater. Yeah, awesome city, very excited to be going back. 11: We tend to have a reputation for craft breweries and record stores. Are you guys planning on checking out any of those stores when you’re in town? AS: Well I’m not sure really… I don’t have any plans to visit record stores

I suppose, and yeah there’s some other good bands, but it’s all very small.

AS: Yeah we’ve been there before. We

necessarily. I actually don’t have much of a record collection, I really only have

literature. I can’t speak for the other

CDs actually… haha… but I think the

guys I suppose, but there are some

other guys might check it out, they’re

interesting algorithms that can be fun

more into the vinyl. I was really stoked

to play around with. The N+7 algorithm is an interesting one… you basically take a noun in any given sentence and replace it with the seventh noun

on the clothing and shoe stores to be honest. You can find some really great shoes in Portland, shoes with strong soles and heels you know. We were up somewhere I think on Hawthorne last time we were there, and they had this

following it in the

store with nice shoes, and I didn’t want

dictionary. Kind of

Matt to buy the same shoes and copy

an interesting way to spontaneously generate fresh lyrics and mix things up.

me so I went into the store and hid all the shoes of that kind. It was rather ridiculous. 11: So you guys play the Crystal Ballroom on May 22 with Father John Misty. He’s quite a favorite in the Pacific Northwest, and a lot of America I suppose. What do you guys think of him? AS: I honestly don’t really know much about him. Haven’t really listened to him much, but I’ve heard, like you said, that he’s real good. And we are definitely stoked to play with him, and to just play at the Crystal Ballroom. »

www.elevenpdx.com | ELEVEN PORTLAND | 20

21 | ELEVEN PORTLAND | www.elevenpdx.com

film

WATCH ME NOW

FILM AND TELEVISION

BEAUTY & VIOLENCE: PRACTICAL EFFECTS FOR A NEW ERA

ilm is about the representation,

Illustration by Drew Bardana

or perhaps,

was an opportunity to more fully realize its scope and energy

misrepresentation

with all the latest

of reality. What

technologies.

is reality? How can the

We could put our

fantastic meld with

cameras where they

the surreal with hyper-

wouldn't go in the

reality…with…well, that's

past, and weave them

for Film Studies 101. Since

through the armada

the advent of the film

with the wonderful

age, special effects have

Edge Arm system. If

been used to heighten our

there was a fight on

awareness of the goings-

a vehicle, we could put

on within the narrative, and to bring viewers enveloped

wires on the actors then erase them with CGI.

within the realm of the fantastic. Practical effects— those effects built in creature

When you see Max hanging upside-down between two vehicles, that was Tom Hardy. When Furiosa is

shops and design workshops around

hanging onto him, that was Charlize Theron hanging onto

the world. In short, a practical effect is a

Tom. And when you see Nux climbing onto the front of

special effect produced without computer-generated imagery

a vehicle, that was Nicholas Hoult.” Granted, a lot of the

or other post-production techniques. In recent memory,

work was done by stunt performers, but that doesn't dull

the deluge of science fiction films have relied heavily on

their effectiveness. Miller reminisces on one scene where

computer generated imagery to construct worlds fantastic,

characters swing in the air from giant poles affixed to moving

often at the stake of authenticity (Ahem, Star Wars Episode I:

battle-cars, showing just how much practical effects matter

The Phantom Menace…). The phrase “the uncanny valley” is a

to contemporary audiences, engorged on CGI, and, most likely,

hypothesis in the field of aesthetics–and manifests itself most

doubting the reality of anything they see anymore—numbed to

recently in robotics—which ascertains that when features

overwhelming false grandeur.

look and move almost, but not exactly, like natural beings,

Will audiences even go home asking themselves, "How'd

it causes a response of disgust (and sometimes fear) among

they pull that off?" In the case of the sequence mentioned

some observers. A similar sensation can occur when one is

above, after months of failure leading to the thought that

barraged with an over abundance of computer generated

it may have to be done digitally, stunt coordinator Guy

images. RE: it is off-putting, inauthentic and a cardinal sin of

Norris and his team (which included as many as 150 stunt

film–uninteresting. Speaking with Edgar Wright (of Hot Fuzz

performers at once) hit pay dirt with a system that included

and Shaun of the Dead fame) following an early Los Angeles

poles reaching as high as thirty feet, counter-weighted with

screening, Mad Max: Fury Road director George Miller said,

an engine block at the base, positioned at the fulcrum point,

"You couldn't make this as a CG movie."

which could be adjusted for different performers and moves.

CG, of course, is a necessarily evil, though not to create an

The device allowed the “Polecats” to glide through the air

impossible scenario, but more to aid in the vision, as Miller

by coordinating their moves with the stunt team positioned

describes in the film's production notes saying, "Fury Road

on the vehicle, pushing and pulling the weighted block for

www.elevenpdx.com | ELEVEN PORTLAND | 22

film leverage. Those “Polecats,” by the way, were assembled by Cirque du Soleil performer Stephen Bland. Will that matter to you while you're watching? Will that sense of realism make for a more visceral experience? Where we may feel the impact is in the performances. Actor Nicholas Hoult, who plays the character Nux in Fury Road notes, "There's nothing like feeling the rumble of a big V-8 engine underneath you and hearing trucks as they roar past with bombs going off and people being flung around on poles." Meanwhile Tom Hardy, who plays the titular Max Rockatansky adds, "If you think a stunt is too extreme, or an explosion too spectacular, I promise you that it was there... I saw it." It is important to distinguish Mad Max amongst its peers—George Miller has always used a plethora of complex practical effects to describe his dystopia, and the results have paid off in spades with a gorgeous, complex series of action sequences that perfectly balance the narrative—in fact, they create plot structure almost more than the dialogue ever did in any of the Mad Max films. While epics like Star Wars, Star Trek and others have looked to heavy CGI to attempt to maintain relevance or undergo a kind of revamping, Mad Max has remained a fully committed practical effects universe. It's all the better for it, and hopefully the craftsmanship and imagination that has long gone into effects-making returns triumphant to our screens. » - Rachael Haigh

23 | ELEVEN PORTLAND | www.elevenpdx.com

6. Thai Peacock 7. Courier Coffee 8. Self Edge 9. Buffalo Exchange 10. Henry's Tavern 11. Spartacus

community

NEIGHBORHOOD OF THE MONTH West Burnside Street

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Dr. Martin's - 2 NW 10th

5. FOR DAPPER DUDES

The Modern Man - 205 SW 9th

6. GET COZY EAT CURRY

Thai Peacock - 219 SW 9th

7. JOE ON THE GO

Courier Coffee - 923 SW Oak

8. DANK DENIM

Self Edge - 1022 W Burnside

9. OUTFITTING URBANITES

Buffalo Exchange - 1036 W Burnside

10. 'MURICAN BEER BAR Henry's Tavern - 10 NW 12th

11. KINKY GEAR

Spartacus - 300 SW 12th

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community literary arts Photo by Mercy McNab

LITERARY ARTS Portland writer Cari Luna

city is always in flux–decay and destruction makes way for repair and improvement. Just look around, it's happening right here and now. Capturing moments in time and reflecting them back on the page as a work of fiction is the mark of a truly talented writer. With The Revolution of Every Day, Cari Luna was recognized for that talent with the 2015 Ken Kesey Oregon Book Award for best fiction. The book follows the lives of a group of squatters inhabiting a tenement building in New York City's Lower East Side in the mid-nineties. Their lives mirror the building they live in, damaged but still standing, constantly fighting to sustain itself. ELEVEN: Regarding the origin of the book, is this a complete work of fiction? Did you ever live in the Lower East Side? Cari Luna: It is fiction based on history, but not my personal history. I lived in the neighborhood, just a few blocks away from the Squats. I was aware of the squatters, but only

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in a passing way. I really didn’t understand what they were up to, and sorry to say, I wasn’t all that curious about it. I had my own shit going on. But I knew the neighborhood and I knew the time. It was a time and a place that I loved. I recognized what the squatters were doing at the time was no longer possible. That New York was done. I wanted to focus on that period. The book is set in ‘94-’95. I feel like that was the tipping point, when gentrification won. And so that period interested me. So I started developing the idea of “This is why New York has changed.” That’s when the rents really started to go up. I was trying to remember something that I had seen–it was July 4th of 1995. I was walking from my place on St Mark's to my friend’s place on 11th and I saw a commotion on the corner of 13th and A. It was a huge crowd, mounted police, police in riot gear. I was born in New York, but grew up in the suburbs and my experience with the police was always a benevolent one, you know. I’m a middle class, red-headed white woman. So I’m there in the crowd and I recognize... police officers looking around, I could see on their faces (some of them) wanting someone to throw a bottle or something, hoping for a reason to react. It was the first time I could conceive any tension or complication in the police, and that really left an impression. What had been going on that night is that squatters that had been evicted from two buildings on East 13th retook those two buildings while everyone was distracted by the fireworks. They took the buildings back symbolically, they knew that they couldn’t hold them. They broke back in and hung banners that said “Home Sweet Home,” and then they escaped before they could be caught. So seeing them retake the building and the tension between them and the police, it made an impression. So when I went to investigate that period of time, I remembered the squatters. It felt like it was their story. 11: Do you see a parallel between the gentrification that went on then and what’s been going on in recent years in Portland, especially the Mississippi and Alberta area? CL: Absolutely, I read somewhere that Portland is the fastest gentrifying city in the country. And yes, it’s a huge problem and I don’t know what the answer is to it. People are moving here, apparently. Let’s fill every empty space with condos and skinny houses, and fuck everybody who was here before. I feel kind of guilty. We are part of it, right? As I was part of it in New York. 11: It’s hard to have it both ways. CL: Right. Cities change. How do you allow for cities to change while still protecting the population that was already there. I think that the answer is affordable housing and also some rent protection for individually owned businesses. How do you protect the Mom and Pop’s and the people who already live in the neighborhoods? Particularly from predatory landlords jacking up rents. Seattle is talking about a different form of rent control that interests me. Traditional rent control is if you’ve been here before a certain date, regardless of your economical situation, you’re one of the lucky ones. You got your place. Everyone that comes later is out of luck. We need to protect and create more affordable housing here.

community literary arts 11: There’s also an interesting connection between the dutch character Gerrit, and the Dutch influence on New York City itself. Can you talk about the history of squatting, where does it come from? CL: I liked that connection, that wasn’t an accident. There’s a strong history of squatting all over Europe, particularly in England and Germany, and the Netherlands. Until around 2010 in the Netherlands, if you moved into a vacant space and you put in a table, a chair, and a bed, it was really hard to get you out. That was all that was required. I spent a lot of time in Amsterdam in ‘93-’94 and there were squatted restaurants and squatted clubs and coffee shops. It was a very political movement. There was a really really strong culture of squatting culture in Amsterdam that the New York squatters respected and emulated. They really followed the Dutch example in squatting. It was important for me to have a character from a Dutch Squat as part of the community at Thirteen House. 11: I like how many of the paragraphs end with him cursing in Dutch. CL: I have a friend who taught me how to curse in Dutch. They have the best curses. It’s all based in diseases. tuberculosis and cancer are the roots of many of their curses. 11: We need to have more non-sex based curses. CL: Well it’s actually tuberculosis, cancer and prostitution.

LOCAL LITERARY EVENTS

11: Well, there you go. Back to Portland, congrats on the Book Award! Can you tell me how that all went down?

LIT HOP #3 1 JUNE 25 | VARIOUS LOCATIONS

CL: The Oregon Book Awards have a weird cut-off period. A book has to come out by August of a given year to be considered so my book came out in November, so I missed cutoffs. Which is awesome because I would have been up against Ursula [K. Le Guin] last year and it was never going to happen. So stroke of luck! Timing is everything. So I feel extremely fortunate, it was an extremely tough field. I didn’t write an acceptance speech, I did not expect to win.

By far the best pub crawl/literary event this side of the universe, LitHop will be bringing the literary ruckus this year downtown! This is the perfect opportunity to catch up with the lit scene while enjoying a frosty adult beverage.

11: So you went from not publishing your first book to winning best novel for your second!

FUTURE TENSE BOOKS & THE RUMPUS | ASH STREET SALOON

CL: Well the first book went in the drawer, I was writing Revolution during that time. I sent it to my agent and she passed on it. She was very uncomfortable with the squatters, you know…”Why would people want to read about a bunch of squatters?” Well, they’re human. So she passed on it and I spent a year trying to find another agent. A couple were on the fence, but were not ready to take it on. But I really believed in the book, and was not going to put it in the drawer. So I said "Fuck it, I’m going to send it out to the small presses on my own." It’s a small press book anyway, and I feel really good about that. Pretty much right away, Tin House picked it up, and it turned out to be the perfect home for it. » - Scott McHale

THE SOFT SHOW | FLOATING WORLD COMICS Portland reading series making a comeback. Their event features readings with live illustrations by local artists via overhead projector.

Future Tense Books is a small press run by Kevin Sampsell since 1990, The Rumpus is a popular arts & culture website based in the bay area. STREET BOOKS & STREET ROOTS | THE MERCY CORPS ACTION CENTER Street Books is a mobile library--on bike!--created by Laura Moulton. Street Roots is the homeless newspaper started in Portland in 1999. UNIVERSITY OF HELL PRESS | DANTES A Portland press run by Greg Gerding specializing in performance poetry, fiction, and memoir. MAGIC HELICOPTOR/NOO JOURNAL & PERFECT DAY PUBLISHING | SHANGHAI TUNNEL Magic Helicopter is a small press run by Mike Young, who moved to Portland in early 2015. Noo is the free magazine project he sometimes publishes. Perfect Day is the press run by Michael Heald specializing in books of memoir and essays.

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community visual arts

Photo by Clint Melville

VISUAL ARTS Portland painter Brett Bowers

"Boom Bloom" (one shot enamel on glass, 2015)

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"Duck Pond" (one shot enamel and spray paint on glass, 2012)

community visual arts What can you not live without? Family and friends....I guess you could say "love." Favorite artist? Bill Watterson. I started with just trying to copy his drawings and slowly realized he was shaping my entire view on life. What is your education, if any in the art field? I graduated from the University of Oregon with a BFA in painting in 2002. My first art class was in my first term of college. Where are you from? If the Simpsons can finally admit it, I suppose I can proudly say that I am from Springfield, Oregon Most used medium within your work? I love One Shot enamels! My work wouldn't be the same without that stuff. Creative influences? Observing people and traveling Favorite place you have traveled? Paris.. All the rumors are true. Food, people, arts, architecture ... It's like an amusement park designed from my subconscious

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Personal Motto? "Whatever it takes" (W.I.T.) . I heard it in a speech years ago and I'm not sure why it stuck with me, but it reminds me of the sacrifices we have to make to achieve our goals. I still use WIT as a signature on certain projects. Best thing about being an artist in PDX? I don't need to look far to get inspired. A lot of people like to make things here and that creative culture has a pulse....whatever that is.... That thing. Last record, cd, or tape you listened to you? Digable Planets Blowout Comb How do you pay the rent? I wear a few hats, but painting has been picking up the heavy end as of late. Favorite childhood cartoon? That's tough... there's never been a time in my life that I wasn't watching cartoons. G.I. Joe, Transformers, He-man, Thundercats, Voltron, Duck Tales, Ren and Stimpy....I'm forcing myself to stop, but Archer is my favorite cartoon today. Favorite music venue in PDX? The Goodfoot. For local/regional stuff, this place is fun. »

FIND THIS ARTIST ONLINE INSTAGRAM: FOAMIES FACEBOOK: BRETT BOWERS

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community visual arts

"Portland to Mt. Hood" (one shot enamel on double pane glass, 2014)

Please enjoy Brett's piece "On The Run" (acrylic on birch panel, 2013) decorating our inside back cover this month.

*Eat Off Your Banjo: Bluegrass

6/04: Eric Kallio 8pm 6/05: The Yellers 10pm 6/06: Forest Carter Ensemble 10pm 6/10: Eric John Kaiser 8pm 6/11: Austin Quattlebaum 8pm 6/12: Weekend Assembly 8pm 6/13: Cameron Siegal Worldtet 10pm 6/17: Ben Larsen & Friends 8pm 6/19: Jack Dwyer & Friends 10pm 6/20: Harper 10pm 6/25: Mimi Naja 8pm 6/26: The Colin Trio 10pm

6/06: DJ Magnus Cagney 10pm 6/13: DJ Kenny â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;80s Night 10pm 6/19: DJ Wobli 10pm 6/27: DJ Kenny 10pm

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