LEGAL WEED faces peril on Oregon’s ballots. P. 7
How federal prosecutors blew the BUNDY CASE. P. 9
WILLAMETTE WEEK PORTLAND’S NEWSWEEKLY
TASTE THE NOTHING
Our food critic subsisted mainly on Soylent for a month, and he’d probably do it again.
SOMETIMES THE GOOD DIE YOUNG
P. 22
FISH RAP
WWEEK.COM
VOL 43/01 11 . 2 . 2016
Two Innovations from two Portland companies are changing the way we eat fish. P. 18
PORTLAND FOOD GOES GLOBAL
Portland restaurants are opening outlets all over the globe. Some of the world’s finest restaurants are returning the favor. P. 21
Portland’s food scene is getting cutthroat. We talked to two people who didn’t make it. P. 16
THE NORTHERN ALLIANCE
Vancouver is the new frontier for two ambitious local restaurateurs. P. 20
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Willamette Week NOVEMBER 2, 2016 wweek.com
THOMAS TEAL
FINDINGS
PAGE 39
WHAT WE LEARNED FROM READING THIS WEEK’S PAPER VOL. 43, ISSUE 1.
The U.S. attorney rejected Ammon Bundy’s offer to plead guilty to trespassing and instead spent $12 million to present a shoddy case that allowed him to go free. 9
A Portland band once recorded a concept record dedicated to Johnny Unitas as “a celestial deity hurling footballs across the cosmos.” 31
The poor and middle class are now fighting over housing subsidies, just like the wealthy want. 11
If you want to hang out with “Messy Jessy,” there is a place. 41
The Horse Brass’ late owner discovered he’d bought the place when he woke up to discover a sales contract written on a cocktail napkin. 28
an artist-in-residence. 45
ON THE COVER:
Portland Archives & Records had
Apparently, everybody else already knew Mr. Holland’s Opus was filmed in Portland. 48
OUR MOST TRAFFICKED STORY ONLINE THIS WEEK:
Photo by Julie Showers.
Ammon Bundy did not get convicted.
STAFF Editor & Publisher Mark Zusman EDITORIAL News Editor Aaron Mesh Arts & Culture Editor Martin Cizmar Staff Writers Nigel Jaquiss, Rachel Monahan, Beth Slovic Copy Chief Rob Fernas Copy Editors Matt Buckingham, Maya McOmie Stage Editor Shannon Gormley Screen Editor Walker MacMurdo Projects Editor Matthew Korfhage Music Editor Matthew Singer Web Editor Sophia June
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Willamette Week NOVEMBER 2, 2016 wweek.com
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DEBATING MEASURES 97 AND 98
Clearly the consultant Paul Mandabach is doing a good job of “spreading doubt.” [“The California Killer,” WW, Oct. 26, 2016.] I’m glad there are so many Oregonians who think it’s more important to protect corporate profits than to improve our schools and services. There will never be a “perfect” ballot measure that raises revenue. If Measure 97 fails, its critics will use the same message every time: “Oh, no, this tax isn’t perfect. Let’s reject it and wait for the right one.” And then business can laugh all the way to the bank while we continue to lack the funds to earthquake-ready our schools and fix lead pipes. “There —“Spooky Forest”
The somewhat ironically named SUPERBITE.
Voting no on Measure 97 and yes on Measure 98 is the most idiotic vote I can think of. Voting no to revenue, but yes to a mandated school program that comes with no revenue? Measure 98 is robbing Peter to pay Paul. If it passes, it will harm already struggling schools. If you want 98 to succeed, it has a chance if 97 also passes. Wake up. —“Benno”
Why your EDIBLES now come in a weird plastic bag.
The MAYOR’S BODYGUARD has an odd dossier.
WILLAMETTE WEEK
“YOU’LL SEE ABRAHAM LINCOLN GETTING A LAP DANCE.” P. 25
THE MAYOR’S BODYGUARD
by nigel jaquiss
WWEEK.COM
VOL 42/52 10.26.2016
PAGE 14
will never be a “perfect” ballot measure that raises revenue.”
I am voting a resounding no on Measure 97. The Oregon Legislative Revenue Office report found that Measure 97 will act largely as a consumption tax. It will just tax Oregonians more to fund greedy, dysfunctional public education and big government. It will fund the insolvent Public Employees Retirement System. It is way past time for the Big Government contingent in Oregon to be restrained back to reality. They will never do the right thing unless forced to do the right thing. —“Oregon Grown”
I’m voting yes on Measure 98 to decrease teachers’ unions’ power and improve education. Then Oregon can maybe start to deal with its public employee union-caused budget disasters in a more straightforward way. —“Barttels”
One of Portland Mayor Charlie Hales’ bodyguards is a retired Los Angeles County police officer who in 2010 reportedly admitted “using excessive force at least 10 times.” Where. To even. Begin!? —Vladamir Muhammad This may not reflect the experience of others, but I’ve been arrested at City Hall at least three times in the last two years in the course of political protests. I have always been treated by Michael Cohen in a courteous and professional way. —Michael Meo
CORRECTIONS
WW’s Restaurant Guide misnamed the new downtown restaurant being opened by former Imperial chef Doug Adams. The restaurant, expected to open in fall 2017, is called Bullard. Also in Restaurant Guide, outdated and incorrect information was reported for Farm Spirit. The restaurant has 10- and 15-course dinners, and offers a wine pairing for $38 and a reserve wine pairing for $65. WW regrets the errors. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR must include the author’s street address and phone number for verification. Letters must be 250 or fewer words. Submit to: 2220 NW Quimby St., Portland, OR 97210. Email: mzusman@wweek.com.
Now that the Mount Tabor reservoirs no longer hold our drinking water, can we pee and/or swim in them? —Captain Billy I understand that no-life policy wonks like you and me are aware of the news events on which your question is based, Captain. However, some of my readers have actually kissed somebody who wasn’t their grandma, and others were only recently released from prison. For their sake, let’s have some background. In 2011, a teenaged yahoo urinated into one of the open-air reservoirs on Mount Tabor. With record droughts in neighboring California, this event made international headlines, especially when the city decided to drain the reservoir in question, “wasting” 38 million gallons of water. A similar event occurred in 2008, only it was two hippies skinny-dipping instead of one yahoo pissing (and a partridge in a pear tree). Stuff like this was one reason the EPA banned open-air reservoirs in 2006. Cities like Portland and Rochester, N.Y., fought this rule in court, hoping to save their historic and beloved outdoor reservoirs. (We even offered to post a sign reading, “We don’t supply 4
Willamette Week NOVEMBER 2, 2016 wweek.com
191,000 commercial and residential ratepayers with water from your toilet—please don’t pee in our first-line municipal water supply.”) But Portland’s efforts were for naught. We had to build new, covered reservoirs, which recently went into full operation. The Mount Tabor reservoirs are being preserved as a historic heritage site, but they don’t supply drinking water anymore. But don’t get any ideas. According to Portland Water Bureau spokeswoman Jaymee Cuti, “The reservoirs do not meet the construction standards and code for public swimming pools or restroom facilities.” (Everybody’s a comedian.) You’d also need to climb the historic wroughtiron fences that still surround the reservoirs, which would constitute trespassing. Remember, kids: The world is full of things no one is going to drink that you’re still not allowed to pee in. Until you process that fact, no one is going to want you at their hot-tub party. QUESTIONS? Send them to dr.know@wweek.com
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9/20/16 5:24 PM
MURMURS
SCHROEDER
Federal Audit Makes Trouble for Schroeder
Amanda Schroeder, a candidate for the Multnomah County Commission, has come under scrutiny from her labor union, owing to a U.S. Department of Labor audit of the union’s finances when Schroeder served as president. That audit, concluded in June, showed inadequate documentation for at least $65,314.82 in spending. Schroeder served as president of the American Federation of Government Employees Union Local 2157 off and on from July 2013 to May 2016, during which time she also battled breast cancer. In a June 21 letter, the Labor Department said it would take “no further enforcement action,” but questions about the spending exploded in an Oct. 7 special meeting of the union. Marcia Blaine, the local’s current president, says the union is considering launching its own investigation because the federal agency has declined to provide more details. Schroeder, who attended the meeting, says she did nothing wrong. She says she inadvertently used her union debit card three times for minor personal purchases but repaid the $50 after the purchases came to light. “It’s been probably one of the ugliest experiences of my life,” she says.
Cowlitz Casino Battle Ends
The epic battle over the Cowlitz Casino in La Center, Wash., may finally be over. The Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde, owner of Oregon’s largest casino, has challenged for years whether the Cowlitz tribe has the right to build a $510 million casino in La Center. Now, however, the Grand Ronde has abandoned plans to appeal its case to the U.S. 6
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Supreme Court, according to a statement the tribe provided WW. “Although La Center is outside the historic lands of the Cowlitz Tribe,” the statement says, “Grand Ronde has decided to direct its current resources to completing the remodeling of Spirit Mountain Casino on its reservation and future resources to the development of projects in Grand Ronde’s homelands around Portland.” Those projects include redeveloping Multnomah Greyhound Park in Wood Village.
Timber Giant Harry Merlo Dies
Oregon timber titan Harry Merlo died Oct. 24 at age 91. From 1973 to 1995, Merlo ran lumber company LouisianaPacific Corp. in a swashbuckling fashion that stood out in Portland’s staid corporate culture, and was a booster of the city’s burgeoning soccer scene. In his later years, he held a majority ownership of Portland Bottling Co., a longtime foil for City Hall. The company was sold Nov. 1 to Limnes Bottling Acquisition Co., owned by Ed Maletis, former owner and CEO of Columbia Distributing, one of the country’s largest beer distributors.
Give!Guide Kicks Off
Willamette Week’s annual Give!Guide is live and accepting donations at giveguide.org. This year’s goal is to raise $3.6 million from 10,000 people. And the rewards go beyond knowing you’ve done good. If you give to a charitable cause on Nov. 3, you’ll have a chance to win Trail Blazers tickets and a jersey signed by C.J. McCollum. If you give on Nov. 10, you’ll have a chance to win a $500 shopping spree at Powell’s City of Books.
NEWS
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW THIS WEEK
AMERICA GOES TO POT VOTERS IN FIVE STATES COULD END RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA PROHIBITION NEXT WEEK. MORE THAN 50 OREGON CITIES COULD JUST SAY NO.
bslovic@wweek.com
One-quarter of the United States—and all the residents of the West Coast—could have access to recreational marijuana after Election Day, when five states will vote whether to join Oregon in legalizing cannabis. Next week, voters in Arizona, California, Maine, Massachusetts and Nevada will decide whether to further undermine f e d e r a l p ot p r o h i b i t i o n s, potentially more than tripling the number of Americans with access to retail cannabis. (Three states—Arkansas, Florida and North Dakota—are weighing whether to permit medical marijuana sales, something that’s legal in 25 other states.) Meanwhile, Oregonians also face pot-related questions on their ballots. A total of 111 counties and cities, from Astoria to Yachats, will decide whether to levy local pot taxes up to 3 percent on marijuana sales. That list also includes Portland. Six Oregon counties and 54 cities, from Cannon Beach to West Linn, will consider whether to block marijuana sales in their jurisdictions. Here’s a look at how the market for recreational marijuana could grow from 18 million people to 75 million overnight.
Where recreational weed is already legal Alaska—population 735,000 Colorado—5.5 million Oregon—4 million Washington—7.2 million Washington, D.C.—670,000* WASHINGTON
Where recreational marijuana legalization is on the ballot Arizona—population 6.9 million California—39 million Maine—1.3 million Massachusetts—6.8 million Nevada— 2.9 million
*
HILLSBORO BEAVERTON
ASTORIA SEASIDE CANNON BEACH MANZANITA
PORTLAND WOOD VILLAGE
LAKE OSWEGO WEST LINN SHERWOOD
GRESHAM MILWAUKIE OREGON CITY TIGARD
HOOD RIVER
WILSONVILLE
SALEM CORVALLIS EUGENE
BEND
Sampling of Oregon cities considering sales taxes on pot up to 3 percent Ashland Astoria Beaverton Bend Cannon Beach Corvallis
Eugene Gresham Hillsboro Hood River Milwaukie Oregon City
Portland Salem Seaside Tigard Wood Village
Sampling of Oregon cities considering bans on recreational marijuana dispensaries** Cannon Beach Jacksonville Lake Oswego MEDFORD JACKSONVILLE ASHLAND
Manzanita Medford Oregon City
Sherwood West Linn Wilsonville
* Washington, D.C, doesn’t allow recreational dispensaries. ** In some places, voters will consider pot bans and pot taxes on the same ballot.
S O U R C E : A S S O C I AT I O N O F O R E G O N C O U N T I E S
BY BE T H SLOV I C
FAST FIVE
Sir William Trump Jr. Whether they’ll admit it or not, many Oregonians harbor a fondness for Donald Trump. But only one tried to become him.
SIR WILLIAM TRUMP JR.
William Trump Jr., 45, owns Spa World, a hot-tub store in Medford. He has been involved in a few scrapes. There was a car repossession gone bad that resulted in a criminal conviction. Hot-tub purchasers have also filed lawsuits periodically complaining about his products. But his biggest legal battle was in 2000—when he sought to take Trump’s name. NIGEL JAQUISS.
1. He was born Chad Michael Milligan. Milligan stands 5-feet-5 and weighs 110 pounds, according to Oregon DMV records. But he dreamed big, opening his first hot-tub store in Brookings, on the south coast, back in 1989, when he was just 18. 2. His hero growing up was Donald J. Trump. He says he read all of Trump’s books, and wore power suits and ties. That wardrobe stood out in Medford. “People used to call me ‘Trump,’” he says. 3. He tried to change his name on Nov. 7, 2000. He went to Jackson County Court and filed the paperwork to change his name to Donald Trump Jr. But Oregon has a name-change waiting period, during which outside parties can object. “The court clerk said,
‘You’re never going to guess who objected—Donald Trump!” 4. They worked out a deal. Donald Trump wanted $30 million for the name. “He said he would concede if I’d choose a different first name,” then-Milligan says. “I asked him what worked for him. He called me back and said ‘William.’” Thus, on March 1, 2001, Medford’s hottub king became William Trump Jr. 5. Sir William Trump Jr. is voting for Donald Trump. He proudly planted a Trump-Pence lawn sign in his yard. “It changed my life,” William Trump says of his new name. “You have to live up to his standards— and some people, they’re afraid of you.”
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Newspapers across Oregon agree – DENNIS RICHARDSON is the Clear Choice for Secretary of State. n to detail and a “The office calls for integrity, attentio ng government. rovi imp on itor aud e desire to focus the stat wheelhouse.” Those attributes are in Richardson's October 12, 2016
“Oregonians should cast their vote for Richardson. Not only are his plans more aligned with the mission of the secretary of state, but he will be a strong voice for accountability and voter trust for an agency whose credibility depends on it.” October 2, 2016
“In the wake of expensive failures such as the nonfunctioning Cover Oregon insurance exchange, the unbuilt Columbia Crossing bridge and the widely abused Business Energy Tax Credit program, the need for an aggressive and independent auditor is indisputable.”
“Among the candidates for Oregon's next Secretary of State, Dennis Richardson is best prepared for that important job. His passion for serving Oregonians from all walks of life remains strong.”
October 9, 2012
October 2, 2016
“Richardson promises to instill accountability, transparency and integrity in an office where those values are paramount. That makes his general election endorsement an easy call.” September 23, 2016
EAST OREGONIAN
“Richardson would be able to concent rate solely on the fiscal impacts of legislative deci sions, support reorganization of poor-performing state offices and increase transparency and accountabilit y.” October 12, 2016
As Oregon's Secretary of State, Dennis Richardson will: Provide increased scrutiny of critical human services like our foster care program so we can keep kids safe.
Expand open government, making sure our public records are available to citizens and the media.
Conduct performance audits of low-performing schools so we can boost graduation rates.
Promote family-wage job creation as head of Oregon's Corporations Division.
Protect public employee whistleblowers from retaliation when they bring forward concerns of waste, fraud, and abuse.
Oversee fair and transparent elections in a non-partisan manner.
Proudly endorsed by National Federation of Independent Business and Oregon Farm Bureau
About Dennis Richardson: Married to Cathy for 43 years, father US Army Combat Pilot, Vietnam Veteran Attorney & Small Business Owner
Respected bi-partisan legislator, Ways & Means Co-Chair Community Leader and Volunteer
OREGONIANS DESERVE ACCOUNTABILITY, TRANSPARENCY, AND INTEGRITY IN STATE GOVERNMENT.
“As our next Secretary of State, I promise to use this office to help Oregon families.”
DennisRichardson.com
/DennisRichardsonforOregon (541) 664-6622 8
Willamette Week NOVEMBER 2, 2016 wweek.com
The Prosecution Flops BILLY WILLIAMS
BY KA R I N A B R OW N
THE BUNDY ACQUITTAL IS NOT THAT SHOCKING GIVEN RECENT HISTORY IN THE U.S. ATTORNEY FOR OREGON’S OFFICE.
AND
NI GEL JAQ UI SS
503-243-2122
U.S. Attorney for Oregon Billy Williams arrived on the ninth floor of the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse on Oct. 27 with a smile on his face. A jury had taken just six hours to reach a verdict in the biggest case of Williams’ career. It was the decisive moment in a 10-month saga that caused $6 million in damage to the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge and left one man dead. Trial observers thought a guilty verdict was a foregone conclusion. The only question: Would all seven defendants be found guilty of conspiracy, or just Ammon Bundy, the ringleader of the 41-day refuge takeover? Williams chatted with Greg Bretzing, FBI special agent in charge of Oregon, and the press like he was at a cocktail party. He invited a half-dozen reporters to a 9 am press conference the next morning at his office. Williams never showed up for that press conference. He and Bretzing fled the courtroom as soon as Judge Anna J. Brown read the verdicts: not guilty on all counts, a staggering defeat for the top federal prosecutor in the most high-profile criminal case Oregon has seen this century. Tung Yin, a professor of criminal law at Lewis & Clark Law School, says prosecutors must be in shock. “If you are the government, you have to be asking, ‘How did we get it so wrong?’” Yin says. Numerous theories have been bandied about in the wake of the Bundy acquittal. National pundits have blamed a jury susceptible to anti-government sentiment, implicit bias favoring white defendants, and an FBI that allowed the Malheur occupation to operate unchecked for nearly six weeks. But for close observers, the Bundy case is merely the latest misstep for a prosecutor’s office defined for the past five years by overreach and bungling. The office is still reeling from the downfall of former U.S. Attorney for Oregon Amanda Marshall, who resigned last year after an affair with her top drug prosecutor, Scott Kerin. Half a dozen senior assistant U.S. attorneys retired early during or shortly after Marshall’s tenure, stripping the office of valuable experience. Williams replaced Marshall on an interim basis, and legal observers say he’s failed to right the office’s course—citing last week’s verdict as an example. “This just struck me as more of the same arrogance and plodding ahead without much concern with other people’s concerns and perspectives,” says criminal defense lawyer Richard L. Wolf, who has tried murder cases against Williams’ team but wasn’t involved in the Bundy case. Williams declined to comment but told The Oregonian he had commended his prosecutors for a “job well done.” To be sure, lawyers sometimes lose big cases. But the fateful choices made by Williams’ team are in keeping with patterns that have been long apparent in the Hatfield building. Bear Wilner-Nugent, a Portland criminal defense lawyer who practices in federal court, says there’s little chance Williams will receive a permanent appointment to his job from the next U.S. president. “I’m not sure why he’d want to keep the job,” says Wilner-Nugent, “but to the extent that any further black mark is needed against Billy’s office, this verdict provided it.” Here’s where prosecutors got lost—and Williams probably lost any hope of keeping his job.
They got greedy.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office rarely loses a case. It can deploy a small army of FBI and other federal agents. Williams told The Oregonian his office spent nearly $12 million preparing for this prosecution. That is reflective of an office that uses its tools aggressively. As WW reported last year, U.S. Department of Justice figures show the U.S. attorney for Oregon is a pro-
digious user of wiretaps, deploying the most invasive tool in law enforcement’s arsenal far more often than districts with much larger populations and criminal caseloads (“Somebody’s Watching You,” WW, Dec. 18, 2015). That aggressiveness was reflected in prosecutors’ decision to bet almost exclusively on a little-used conspiracy charge against Malheur defendants who had widely varying degrees of involvement. Wilner-Nugent echoes many observers in questioning why prosecutors didn’t hedge their bets by also filing lesser charges, including trespassing and destruction of property. “They pursue overlapping and redundant charges normally. It doesn’t make a lot of sense why they didn’t do that in this case,” Wilner-Nugent says. “They went for the whole enchilada or nothing.” The conspiracy charge, a felony, carried a longer potential sentence. But conviction required proving that
beliefs,” Knight said. “But at the end of the day, you can’t conspire to take somebody else’s work space and say, ‘You’re no longer welcome to work here, go home.’” In a typical conspiracy case, the government uses coconspirators who have already pleaded guilty to testify that a conspiracy existed and they were part of it. The prosecution’s only witness who might have played that role, a retired Burns electrician named Butch Eaton who rode out to the refuge with Ryan Bundy and watched Bundy supporters seize the refuge, took the stand with a copy of the Constitution poking out of his pocket. Eaton teared up as he described his admiration for the defendants. He called them “a loving, hugging brotherhood” and said they changed his political views. “In some people’s eyes, I was a puss. I left. Their convictions were stronger than mine,” Eaton said. “They shouldn’t be here.” That meant the only government witness who was not a federal employee became a star witness for the defense. Political tone-deafness is nothing new for Williams’ office. Over the summer, his team charged a Native American teenager, Devontre Thomas, with a felony for allegedly possessing less marijuana than it takes to roll a joint (“Shakedown,” WW, July 26, 2016). That baffling decision incurred the wrath of Oregon’s congressional delegation. Williams dropped the case after condemnation from U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), among others. Ignoring the larger political context may have cost prosecutors the Bundy case. “The heart of this case was frustration about poverty,” says Per Olson, who represented the defendant David Fry. “You’ve got people living in close proximity to resources— federal lands—that could provide them an income and even wealth. They missed that.”
They were arrogant.
Defense lawyers paraded a stream of Bundy supporters onto the stand. Witness after witness told the jury they were warmly received when visiting the refuge occupiers— undermining the idea that the defendants were dangerous. Ammon Bundy himself testified for three days. He detailed the mechanics of adverse possession, a legal process he claimed allows him to seize ownership of federal property. PARTY TIME: Bundy He told the jury the occupation was motivated by his enorsupporters, including Maureen Valdez of Beaverton, mous love for his family and his country. celebrated the acquittal in Bundy’s attorney, Mumford, painted him as downtown Portland. “OK, GO pUt a valiant patriot fighting against a government defendants knowingly plotted together to ON YOUR DOG- contemptuous of his point of view. One of Mumford’s presentation slides read: achieve a specific outcome—preventing AND-pONY “Being ignored: The worst feeling ever.” federal employees from working. Mumford created a powerful narrative the “The conspiracy charge was abso- ShOW AND lutely the problem,” says Matt Schindler, GEt YOUR ASS government didn’t bother countering. Knight, the prosecutor, answered Bundy’s attorney for Ken Mendenbach, one of the three-day testimony with just 15 minutes of defendants acquitted last week. “They hANDED tO cross-examination. It was as if there were no just couldn’t prove it. It didn’t fit the evi- YOU.” need to undercut Bundy’s story. dence they had. They didn’t have a box —Mike Arnold, former “They completely overvalued the strength to fit this one in, and they couldn’t adapt. attorney for Ammon Bundy of the case because a bunch of yes men that all That’s not their strong suit.” agree with each other came up with a strategy,” Mike Arnold was Ammon Bundy’s attorney before Marcus Mumford took over Bundy’s defense Arnold says. “And they were wrong.” In 2014, Judge Ancer Haggerty excoriated the U.S. in May. Arnold says Bundy offered to plead guilty to criminal Attorney’s Office in another high-profile case that appeared trespass the day after he was arraigned. “They rejected my offer on day two that could have got- to be a slam dunk. In that case, the quadruple-murder trial ten us all out of this quickly and inexpensively,” Arnold said. of white supremacist Joey Pedersen, Haggerty found that “They laughed. But OK, go put on your dog-and-pony show prosecutors led by Williams, then the office’s criminal chief, took a dismissive attitude toward defendants and failed to and get your ass handed to you.” Williams’ spokesman, Kevin Sonoff, said the office share evidence with defense lawyers. Pedersen was convicted but Haggerty said those errors stands by its use of the conspiracy charge, “as it is the most appropriate and applicable federal charge given the severity reflected “systemic problems likely to recur absent corrective actions.” of their actions.” He declined further comment. Only Williams knows if those corrective actions were taken. But after Haggerty admonished his team, Williams Even in the harshest possible interpretation of Ammon went on to charge Devontre Thomas in the marijuana Bundy’s motives, the case against him and his associates case—and preside over a trial that some people fear will was highly political—it was about who owns public lands. embolden Bundy sympathizers across the country. But the government’s lead prosecutor, Assistant U.S. “Billy just did what U.S. attorneys do,” says Lisa LudAttorney Ethan Knight, ignored politics. wig, standby counsel for Ryan Bundy, Ammon’s brother. Knight told the jury that Bundy and his followers’ ultra- “Public humiliations and trial losses are the only things conservative beliefs about the rightful role of the federal that get their wings clipped even for a little while. Then government under the Constitution were irrelevant. they just weather the news cycle and keep doing what they “The government doesn’t dispute that they hold these are doing.”
They were politically naive.
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Measure 97 is a tax on sales, not profits, that would hurt all Oregon consumers and all Oregon businesses. Because 97 is a tax on sales rather than income, companies would have to pay the new tax even if they are losing money. That would hurt hundreds of Oregon businesses of all sizes, especially many start-ups and high tech firms, which would have to pay the tax before they even make a profit.
for everything from food, gas and electricity to insurance, medicine and healthcare. The study also found that Measure 97’s misguided policy would cause the loss of 38,000 private sector jobs in our state.
Moreover, the state of Oregon’s own study found that Measure 97 would increase costs for a typical family by $600 per year – through higher prices
Willamette Week
“
EDITORIAL – OCT. 12, 2016
There are a host of reasons why the new tax would be bad for Oregon. Independent analysts say companies will pass a big chunk of the tax on to consumers, so it is, in effect, a sales tax. And unlike the conventional sales tax that nearly every other state levies, Measure 97 grants no exemptions for food, medicine or other essential goods. That’s a double hit for low-income Oregonians.
”
“Taxing startup companies before they start to earn a profit makes no sense. Measure 97 should be defeated.” Monica Enand, Portland Founder and CEO Zapproved Software
Vote NO on 97 Learn more at NOon97.com This voter information provided by Defeat the Tax on Oregon Sales • PO Box 5275, Portland, OR 97208 • www.NOon97.com • Phone (877) 575-9950 10
Willamette Week NOVEMBER 2, 2016 wweek.com
Home Front
LY N N S C U R F I E L D
NEWS
U.S. SEN. RON WYDEN’S PROPOSED TAX BREAK HAS LOW-INCOME HOUSING ADVOCATES FUMING. BY RACHEL MONAHAN rmonahan@wweek.com
As rents rise in Portland, city and state officials are racing to find public dollars for people on the edge of homelessness. City Hall is trying to pass a $258 million property tax bond to fund affordable housing. State legislators pledge to consider a temporary cap on rent increases next session. Yet the vast majority of subsidies for housing come from the federal government—most of them in the form of tax breaks. Low-income housing advocates are now wondering why Oregon’s senior U.S. senator has proposed a brand-new public housing subsidy that wouldn’t help the people who need it most. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) this September introduced a housing tax credit worth upward of $3 billion over 10 years that would encourage real estate developers to build units for the middle class. Wyden’s suggested use of coveted federal resources has low-income housing advocates bristling—and Portland housing officials saying they don’t need the subsidy. “[Wyden’s] proposal is misguided at best, and wasteful at worst,” says Diane Yentel, executive director of the Washington, D.C.-based National Low Income Housing Coalition. “There are literally more children living in homeless shelters throughout the country than there are severely cost burdened middle-income renters.” The policy fight pits the poor against the middle class in a scramble for scarce federal housing resources. At the center of the fight is Wyden, who is expected to sail to re-election next week and is the ranking Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee. He may take on an even more powerful role as head of the Senate Finance Committee if the Democrats gain control of the chamber. Wyden’s office says his bill is intended to help everybody who is seeking affordable housing, not just the most rent-squeezed residents. “Sen. Wyden introduced his middle-income housing tax credit proposal because one of the most common issues that comes up in conversation with Oregonians statewide is the struggle to find affordable homes,” says Wyden’s Finance Committee staffer, Ryan Carey. “Nearly 30 percent of middleincome renters in Oregon are rent-burdened, meaning that they spend around a third or more of their income in rent.” The legislation would create tax credits to be allocated to each state based on population. In turn, state housing agencies would award the credits to interested developers who would create units
affordable for anyone making between 60 and 100 percent of the local median income. Unused credits could be rolled over into the existing Low Income Housing Tax Credit program the following year. Yet statistics pulled from U.S. Census data by the National Low Income Housing Coalition show the people at the very bottom of the economic ladder are facing the worst of the housing crisis. Portland housing officials say tax breaks for the middle class—such as a single person making the median income of $51,310—aren’t a priority in a city where 81 percent of very low-income residents spend more than half their income on rent. “It’s not a citywide problem in Portland,” says Portland Housing Bureau director Kurt Creager, though he notes some neighborhoods have become unaffordable for median-income households. The city hasn’t taken a position on Wyden’s bill—and Creager says he’s reluctant to criticize Wyden. “We’d like to work with Sen. Wyden on a creative solution,” he adds. Already, federal and state tax codes assist homeowners with the mortgage interest deduction, the largest public subsidy program for housing in the country. In Oregon, the tax filers who claim the largest bulk of that subsidy are those that need it least. In all, 34.4 percent of the $500 million spent each year on the deduction goes to households earning more than $119,000 a year. But a tax incentive to create housing for middleincome earners would be new. Portland’s housing crunch has certainly hit middle-income residents hard. Nearly a quarter of Portland residents earning from 81 to 100 percent of the median are spending upward of 30 percent of their income on rent, according to National Low Income Housing Coalition. The advocates acknowledge Wyden has championed low-income housing, including an expansion of the Low Income Housing Tax Credit program. Yet they argue Wyden’s bill isn’t directing federal aid to the people who need it most. Tom Cusack, a retired federal official from the Department of Housing and Urban Development in Portland, agrees with Wyden’s critics. “With limited resources,” Cusack says, “you ought to do the most to help the people with the greatest need.” Willamette Week NOVEMBER 2, 2016 wweek.com
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Willamette Week NOVEMBER 2, 2016 wweek.com
WW ’s Fall 2016 Endorsements
NEWS
ONE WEEK LEFT. HERE’S HOW WE SUGGEST YOU CAST YOUR BALLOT.
N AT I O N A L
President Hillary Clinton (D)
U.S. Senate Ron Wyden (D)
U.S. House, District 1 Suzanne Bonamici (D)
U.S. House, District 3 Earl Blumenauer (D)
District 29 (Hillsboro, Cornelius and Forest Grove)
Susan McLain (D)
Diego Hernandez (D)
District 30
District 48
(Hillsboro and North Plains)
(Outer Southeast Portland)
Janeen Sollman (D)
Jeff Reardon (D)
District 33
District 50
(Northwest Portland and Cedar Mill)
Kurt Schrader (D)
S TAT E W I D E
Governor Kate Brown (D)
Carla Piluso (D)
District 34
District 51
(Washington County, including Cedar
(Clackamas, Happy Valley, Damascus
Dennis Richardson (R)
Treasurer Tobias Read (D)
O R E G O N S E N AT E
District 21 (Southeast Portland and Milwaukie)
Kathleen Taylor (D)
District 22
Ken Helm (D)
District 35
District 52
(Tigard, Metzger and Garden Home)
District 25
(Gresham, Troutdale, Fairview and Hood River)
Laurie Monnes Anderson (D)
OREGON HOUSE
District 26
(Hood River, Sandy and Cascade Locks)
Margaret Doherty (D)
Mark Johnson (R)
District 36
CITY OF PORTLAND
Jennifer Williamson (D)
District 37 (West Linn and parts of Tualatin)
Julie Parrish (R)
District 38 (Parts of Southwest Portland and Lake Oswego)
Ann Lininger (D)
District 39 (Canby, Clackamas and Boring)
Charles Gallia (D)
(Northeast and North Portland)
Lew Frederick (D)
and portions of Southeast Portland)
Janelle Bynum (D)
(Multnomah Village and Southwest Portland)
Secretary of State
(Gresham)
Mitch Greenlick (D)
Hills, Tanasbourne and Rock Creek)
U.S. House, District 5
District 47 (Parkrose and outer Northeast Portland)
District 40 (Oregon City and Gladstone)
City Council, Seat 4 Chloe Eudaly
M U LT N O M A H C O U N T Y COMMISSION
District 1 Sharon Meieran
District 4 Lori Stegmann
S TAT E M E A S U R E S
Measure 95 (Public university investments)
Evon Tekorius (R)
Yes
District 41
Measure 96
(Milwaukie, Oak Grove, Sellwood and Eastmoreland)
Karin Power (D)
(Lottery funding for veterans)
Measure 99 (Lottery funding for Outdoor School)
Yes
Measure 100 (Endangered animal protections)
Yes
LOCAL MEASURES
Measure 26-178 (Renews Metro natural areas levy)
Yes
Measure 26-179 (Portland housing bond)
No
Measure 26-180 (Portland cannabis tax)
Yes
Measure 26-181 (Extends Multnomah County term limits)
No
Measure 26-182 (Allows Multnomah County commissioners to run for chair)
Yes
Measure 26-183 (Makes Multnomah County sheriff appointed)
No
Measure 26-184 (Multnomah County campaign finance limits)
Yes
Yes
Measure 97
Measure 26-185
(Wilsonville, Sherwood, parts
District 42
of Tualatin and Hillsboro)
(Southeast Portland)
Richard Vial (R)
Rob Nosse (D)
No
District 28
District 44
Measure 98
(Aloha and portions of Beaverton)
(North and Northeast Portland)
(Career and tech education in high school)
Jeff Barker (D)
Tina Kotek (D)
(Corporate tax increase)
No
(Charter review committee reforms)
Yes
For more WW endorsements, visit
WWEEK.COM/NEWS/2016/10/12/ WWS-NOVEMBER-2016-ENDORSEMENTS
Willamette Week NOVEMBER 2, 2016 wweek.com
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Willamette Week NOVEMBER 2, 2016 wweek.com
The Portland restaurant scene at the turn of the millennium is now, 16 years later, almost unrecognizable. In the year 2000, Willamette Week’s Restaurant of the Year served mac and cheese and an “overdone” meatloaf sandwich. At downtown’s Mother’s Bistro— which named a mother of the week—our critic dined next to a guy who ate his meal with a nice, tall glass of milk who reminded her of a time before we knew about “pinot-noir-infused marionberries.” Thank God, we now live in the post-pinot-noirinfused marionberry age. This week, as we release our annual Restaurant Guide—look for it around town—we took a moment to ponder the future of Portland food. Over the past 16 years, our food scene has ballooned from a meat-and-taters town punctuated by a few notables like Paley’s, Higgins and Zefiro to a seedbed for out-of-town chefs who’ve moved here to make their names and careers. The Feast festival has made this city an annual junket for national magazine writers eager to gush about our quaint food paradise. Well, Portland food is about to change again. And in this issue, we’re looking at what the near future of food here might look like. Portland is no longer a scrappy upstart with potential—and in part that means competition. Food carts long ago reached their saturation point, and with new construction rolling in, the pods are starting to close
JULIE SHOWERS
The Future of Food IN PORTLAND as often as they open. Restaurants were never a sure thing, but the market’s as tight as its ever been, and with new labor laws, we may have to get used to even very good restaurants dying young. To prepare you, we talked to two restaurateurs whose restaurants closed right after we named them among the 100 best in the city (page 16), and visited others seeking fresh territory on our uncharted northern frontier (page 20). Growing up also means we are becoming a true global food city, with seemingly every Japanese ramen outlet choosing Portland as its American launching point. And Portland is returning the favor by expanding all over the globe (page 21). Meanwhile, some enterprising fishermen are taking the same farm-to-fork philosophy that put Portland on the map in the first place and applying it to fish (page 18)—and in the process of mapping out a sustainable future for seafood they might be helping turn our almost-coastal river town into the seafood capital it’s never been but should be. But if all goes wrong, and we’re stuck in a dystopian food-scarce future—which, by the way, we always have been—you can always live on futuristic substances that put all your nutritional needs in a little bottle. We did, anyway (see page 22). And we sort of liked it. The future is always exciting and scary. Portland food will be no different. Here’s your guide.
Willamette Week NOVEMBER 2, 2016 wweek.com
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THE FUTURE OF FOOD
SOMETIMES THE GOOD
Die Young
Portland’s Food Scene Is Getting Cutthroat. We Talked to Two People Who Didn’t Make It. BY M ATTH E W KO R F H AG E
mkorfhage@wweek.com
ing people cakes. She definitely was wary; she was much At least 49 restaurants have closed since the start of 2016 in more hesitant. I was very gung ho when we decided maybe Portland, according to a gravestone inscribed by a local food we could open a restaurant. I felt like I never really got a blog, which we double-checked as accurate. Restaurateur foothold in Portland to make a long-term living. We were Kurt Huffman, who’s probably opened and closed more finding it less affordable every year. And forget about havrestaurants than anyone in Portland, told Vice this year he’s ing kids—we were both living uninsured. She worked six “nervous and panicky,” and the worst is still to come. years at this bakery in Hollywood, Fleur De Lis, and in six When Gov. Kate Brown signed a bill in March raising years, not a single raise. She had taken on many managethe minimum wage to $14.75 an hour in Portland, it was rial duties without a manager’s salary. I was like, “Just quit. amazing news for every checkout bagger in town. When Quit that and make no money doing it for yourself, instead the feds said they’re raising the minimum salary for full- of for somebody else.” time workers, it was a victory for the sad drones of every We knew we were relatively green and this was relativeinsurance company in America. ly risky, but we didn’t have much else with the combined But the restaurants are scared shitless, and it’s not hard skill set we had. At least at the time, we didn’t see a lot of to see why. Portland’s spectacular food boom has put so other ways we could stay in Portland. many eateries on the streets that truly great restaurants Coyne: It was very similar to what Ed said. I wanted to are already closing because of saturation. Two of Port- have a foothold in Portland and create a business that land’s best pizzerias—Pizza Maria and P.R.E.A.M.—closed would become this thriving thing that would allow me within months and blocks of each other as more and more some opportunity to do some other ventures after that. I wood-fired pizza spots opened. Smallwares, our finest wanted something that was secure and was my own. Asian-fusion heir to Momofuku, is also gone. We’ll probably see more prominent closings next year— Let’s cut to the first day the restaurant was and they’re probably going to hurt. They might be some of open. What was the feeling? your favorite restaurants in town. Coyne: Our first friends-and-family [night] was on the E. coli We decided to talk to people who have been there, on water day. So it was pretty much a disaster. the front lines—two restaurateurs who had to close their I also didn’t have a mixer in the restaurant. The mixer dream restaurants less than two years that I’d ordered 18 weeks earlier hadn’t after opening. Both were among the showed up yet. They said it was on a boat top 100 restaurants in town last year, in the middle of the Atlantic. So I was and both will be missed. mixing dough at Roman Candle that day, How? Why? and then the E. coli scare [hit]. We had to “WE KEPT We sat down with Ed Thanhouser throw out everything we had washed. SAYING TO of Clinton Street French bistro Renard It was pretty much a disaster, but (closed December 2015) and Sean people were really gracious and kind. EACH OTHER Thanhouser: We had so many cumulaCoyne of Neapolitan-style pizzeria THROUGH Pizza Maria (closed November 2015), tive disasters leading up to the opening THE PROCESS, day that all I remember is the sheer who now runs a brunch pop-up called panic and the feeling of unreadiness. We Bagel Farm. They came from different ‘GOONIES had all this brand-new stuff, and the old backgrounds. Before opening Pizza NEVER SAY walk-in [fridge] compressor died literally Maria, Coyne was head baker at Grand day one. And part of the reason we chose Central Bakery and Thomas Keller’s DIE!’” the place was because it had a working Per Se in New York, at the time consid—Ed Thanhouser walk-in. And suddenly, I’m calling the ered one of the finest restaurants in the fridge guy and it’s going to cost ridiculous world. We offered to buy them lunch amounts of money, and that’s after a beers at Lucky Labrador, but they both build-out that went way over budget. declined given the early hour. (I had a And I was also getting the first inkling that maybe my Hawthorne Best Bitter.) Here’s that they had to say. chef is not totally sane. There wasn’t a great sense from the beginning. A family friend who was supposed to paint WW: How did your restaurant get started? Sean Coyne: My mom was a great cook, and the way Pizza ended up totally flaking the job and being an alcoholic. I had Maria came about—the name for that restaurant—was there to call him off the job and find somebody at the last minute. was a woman who lived across from us when we lived in Pali- I really felt like, “I can’t catch a break.” I know it’s hard. But I sades, N.Y., who was named Maria Coforti, and she was sort of tried so hard to prepare, be ready. Nothing can prepare you my de facto nanny. So my parents would bring me over there for everything breaking, like everything breaking down and and she would say, “What do you want?” and I’d say pizza and not working for you. I felt like it was this avalanche of unforshe’d make pizza, and I’d say pasta and she’d make pasta. tunate crap that just fell on us from day one. I was thinking about what to do [in Portland], and I When we had [former Paley’s Place cook Ian Best] in thought, “Portland could use a wood-fired pizza place in the kitchen and things started to go well, I almost wished my neighborhood.” And I was wrong. I could wipe the whole thing off the table and start there. Ed Thanhouser: It’s when I met my wife, who is a pastry But of course the financial burden had already been put on chef trained in upstate New York. She just took on baking us and there was no way to come back from that, especially as a career. She kind of burned out as a freelancer mak- coming into the slow months. 16
Willamette Week NOVEMBER 2, 2016 wweek.com
What was the thing you didn’t expect?
Coyne: I underestimated how the ongoing construction on Division was going to affect our restaurant. My space was kind of awkward to find, I think. For a lot of people, it didn’t stand out, it didn’t have a huge graphic on it, it wasn’t on a corner. I underestimated what the effect of that would be. Thanhouser: We actually had people at the table be like, “This isn’t anything like St. Jack at all.” Well no, of course it’s not. It’s not St. Jack [the previous restaurant in the space]. But they came expecting St. Jack for reasons that I was surprised by and didn’t understand. The building now lives under the shadow of St. Jack, because St. Jack was that epic restaurant that was so dark and mysterious and covered in candle wax and the first time anybody had stuffed gooseneck or something. That was not at all the kind of French we were after. But you can’t tell people what they want. It surprised me how deeply unpopular and scary French can be to people in Portland. It’s like my second chef Ian said, “You know there’s no such thing as fine dining in Portland, and all French is fine dining.” Coyne: When people came to our restaurant and tried our food, they were really happy. And we had this small base of fantastic customers who were really incredibly appreciative of our space, our service and our food. We just didn’t have enough of them. On the critical side, there were some critics who came in, food personalities in Portland, who’d keep saying things like, “This isn’t like my favorite pizzeria in Connecticut.” Like, yeah, it’s not meant to be. I’m not trying to re-create some place in Connecticut with some canned sauce and with some paleo mozzarella. Part of the problem for Pizza Maria was that I didn’t have any type of a following. Being the head bread baker at Grand Central was a great job and they’re awesome, but it didn’t get me out in the industry a lot. I wasn’t doing a lot of events. I knew a few chefs, but I didn’t have this following of people who would come with me wherever I was. I think I would have a lot more success now if I were to do something else because I have that cadre of people who like what I do. I think if I had come here and worked as a sous chef somewhere or worked as a chef at some other restaurant and then decided to open my own, it probably would have been easier. Thanhouser: There’s a cult of personality, but for restaurants. I love the example of the restaurant across the street from us, Burrasca, which I love. Their food is fantastic. It’s incredibly small portions, and you get pasta that’s yay big for $25. I was astounded that people were lining up out the door to pay for that. But this guy had a food cart where he personally was handing these dishes to people for more than a year before he opened this brick-and-mortar. And Paolo [Calamai], I talked to him a couple times. He just radiates this kind of humble authenticity. It was really hard to stand across the street and watch the line curl around the block.
Is it just too much competition? Do you see apocalypse on the horizon?
Coyne: I feel like there are definitely a lot of restaurants closing right now. I feel like there are also a tremendous number opening. If you were to look at the Eater tally of what’s closed and what’s opened since June, my guess is it’s probably more opened than closed. But it’s definitely hard. There seems to be a model that works well in Portland of counter service. That’s not something I like or appreciate. It’s not something I’d want to do, but I can see why it works. But to me, that’s not a night out. To go out with your partner and spend 50 bucks and pour your own water, bus your own table and stand around with your food until a table opens up and clear it out yourself afterward—for 50 or 60 bucks, it’s like, “Wait, why am I doing this?” I feel like I’m one of the only people that feels that way. Thanhouser: The traditional Portlander lives on very little money. If they’re like me, they live on not enough to eat a really great, nice meal very often—not enough to sustain this many nice restaurants. Now that is changing
THOMAS TEAL
RESTAURANTS REVISITED: Ed Thanhouser (left) of Renard and Sean Coyne of Pizza Maria.
as wealthier people move here. And maybe they’re willing to pay more. I’ve heard that Kurt Huffman interview where he calls it a restaurant apocalypse. I think that’s a little grandiose, maybe exaggerated. It’s not going to be an apocalypse. But there’s a big question in the air in terms of the financial realities of restaurants. You’re going to see double-digitpercent price increases on menus when you’re paying a $15-an-hour minimum wage. It’s never been harder to do a restaurant, especially in a town like Portland. The accountant who was just filing my taxes for this horrible loss of a year said, “Man, I looked at your pictures on Eater. It looked like a really nice place.” And he does a lot of accounts for a lot of restaurants. These are not bad restaurants. In any normal world, these places put out a good product, have good service. You should have loyal customers. There’s something that is not quite right.
What’s the moment you knew you couldn’t go on?
Coyne: Oh, for me that’s easy. I was either trying to sell part of the restaurant and get some of my investors bought out with a new investor, [or] to get a loan for my landlord, or to see if the landlord would be interested in buying out one or more of my investors. And they came back and said no. They couldn’t do it. They weren’t going to buy us out. They said they could give me a loan, but it would take a month or so to get that worked out. And I had just begun that process too late. At that moment, I just realized that we had to close. We were payroll to payroll for easily the last eight months, and that made it really difficult. If no one was going to come through with a solid lifeline, I just couldn’t go on. We were just scrabbling back to the same place. We couldn’t get ahead, could never really catch up. It was really difficult. It’s too bad that Johanna [Ware]’s not here, because I thought what she wrote on her Facebook page when she closed Smallwares was just exactly how I felt: It’s not a difficult decision to make to close the restaurant. It’s really easy. You see the numbers in front of you. What’s difficult is that you’ve put a lot time in, people have invested money in you and your concept. And then you have all these fantastic people who work with you, and that was my immediate concern. I just wanted everybody to get a job. Thanhouser: It was a really clear moment. The costs for the first few months were so astronomically more than we
had anticipated that the whole thing felt like a race to catch up with break-even as soon as humanly possible—because my brother and business partner was funneling little microloans to keep us going payday to payday. There was this huge gap where we were losing so much money. The profit losses were terrible. And they shrank.... But it got to a point where this family friend who was also doing some of our bookkeeping and accounting for us once a week, she came upstairs from the office and was like, “You just don’t have the sales. Your sales aren’t getting any better month over month. This is what you’re going to owe in payroll next quarter.” And it was like a number I could not even believe, like $17,000. The hardest thing actually was that conversation I had with my brother after that. I was here in Portland working seven days a week, 10 to 11 hours a day, even on the one day that we were closed. And he was in D.C., and he was like, “Why can’t you make it work? I know you can make this work.” And we kept saying to each other through the process, “Goonies never say die!” I felt terrible, but the hole would have just gotten bigger. We were already in so deep. It was a pretty obvious decision. There was never any surprise. The staff were kind of all on eggshells in November because they knew it had slowed down after the summer. You could just see it. There were nights where I was working both the bar and the floor and closing off half of the restaurant. Everybody knows. The hardest thing for me was that it was almost like looking at the end of the tunnel—if we’d just stop losing money, I could keep this thing going, right? And we would lose less money every month until we kind hit this ceiling and I was like, “I just need it to go a little bit further.” And we couldn’t make it.
How did it feel to announce the closing?
Coyne: I told our manager first. I just called her up and said, “We have to close.” She’s like, “Well, maybe…” And I was like, “No. It’s just not worth it. It’s too hard. It’s too much work. We’re just not going to make it.” Could we have been open another two weeks? Yes. But at that point, I just wanted to stop that bleeding. And telling all the staff was really difficult, but at the same time they were all so wonderful and appreciative of the time they’d spent at the restaurant that that felt really good. And while the restaurant failed in a financial sense, it was successful in a lot
of other ways that are really important to me. There were a couple young kids who were like, “This is bullshit.” I’m like, “Oh, God. When you go home tonight, tell your mom and dad.” They’re kids. All the adults, all the professionals were very understanding and really supportive of me personally. There was a lot of like, “It’s OK, Sean. We’re going to be all right. Don’t worry about any of us.” Thanhouser: My staff was way more together than I was when we made the announcement. We had this farewell party where it was like, “Drink as much of the booze as you can because there’s still more coming and we have to get rid of it.” So we had this party after hours to say goodbye, and they were all so supportive, and actually I think it was harder for me and Molly. The product we ended up putting out was so good and the space was so beautiful. We had to remind ourselves of the things we had done that were really good, and that the fact that it didn’t make money couldn’t wipe that away.
Would you ever eat at the place that replaced yours?
Coyne: Um, I peeked in. My dad came to visit this summer so I just sort of peeked in with him to take a look. I don’t know that I’ll go and eat there. It’s nothing against [Stella Taco]. But just having done so much work in that space and having spent so much time there, it’s nice to take a break from it. Thanhouser: I can’t do it. I drove by like a creeper. When I saw Jacqueline open, I was driving by and I circled the block and I drove by again and I’m just so awful. I look inside and they’ve got a big picture of Bill Murray on the wall. That makes sense because they named it after the sub from the movie. We had a big picture of Bill Murray at the end of our bar just because we love Bill Murray. And my wood panels in the middle of my bar, they’re right there. My shelves are still there. The butcher block that I remembered picking out and I helped treat and sand is still on the coffee side. My weird globe lights that I hung, those are still there. I can’t go in. If they had like gutted the place and started over, then I could go in there and check it out. But they just replaced the wallpaper. It’s too hard. “The space is still there! It’s outlived me!” Bennett Campbell Ferguson contributed to this story. Willamette Week NOVEMBER 2, 2016 wweek.com
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JOE RIEDL
Lauren Vannatter of TwoXSea delivers fish to Portland restaurant Quaintrelle.
A
FISH RAP TWO INNOVATIONS FROM TWO LOCAL COMPANIES ARE CHANGING THE WAY WE EAT FISH IN PORTLAND.
Y BY S OP H I A J UN E
sjune@wweek.com
our grandchildren might never eat a tuna salad sandwich. They might not even know what it is. By 2050, some scientists predict, most species of saltwater fish will either be extinct or exist in such small quantities it won’t make sense to fish for them. Two startups are trying to change the way we eat fish in Portland. They’re pioneering vegetarian fish feed and a new boat-to-table, community-supported fishery that may pave the way for a sustainable future for seafood. The list of overfished species is long: cod, halibut, shrimp, tuna, lobsters, mackerel, bass, swordfish, just to name a few. Just 10 types of fish account for nearly 90 percent of the world’s fish consumption, and all but a few types are either at or over fishing capacity. And in an industry that’s intentionally gray in terms of labeling and quality control, illicit fishing slides by. According to Marine Policy, between 20 and 32 percent of the United States’ wild-caught seafood imports are illegal. And it matters here, not just for our pseudosustainable, non-practicing pescatarian lifestyles, but because we catch more fish in the Northwest Pacific Ocean than anywhere else: about 21.4 million tons in 2013, or 27 percent of all marine catches. TwoXSea is one of the few 100 percent traceable fisheries in the world. “We only buy directly from captains who we know, because we know how they’re fishing,” says Lauren Vannatter, a former San Francisco sous chef who quit her job to run TwoXSea’s expansion to Portland last year. Portland and San Francisco are the only cities where TwoXSea is offering its fish to restaurants.
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Willamette Week NOVEMBER 2, 2016 wweek.com
TwoXSea delivers about 1,000 pounds of fish a week to a very select group of local restaurants, most of which are featured in the top 50 in our annual Restaurant Guide, which was published this week, including Renata, St. Jack, Castagna, Tasty n Alder, Toro Bravo, Kachka, Jacqueline and Paley’s Place. But at a fish farm on Central Oregon’s tiny Summer Lake, TwoXSea is pioneering a revolutionary vegetarian fish feed that Vice has called “the most important idea in sustainable seafood.” The carnivorous model for how most farmed fish are fed is unsustainable, says Vannatter. These fish are fed forage fish like mackerel or herring, which deplete the ocean’s supply still further and subject farmed fish to the same risk of toxic mercury buildup as predatory fish like marlin and shark. Company co-founders Kenny Belov and Bill Foss came up with the idea for vegetarian feed in 2009, but it’s taken years to hone the recipe that gives fish the right balance of nutrition. They finally developed a blend of red algae with nut and seed oil that seemed promising. Still, they needed to test it on a large scale—so they got a list of trout farms in California and started cold-calling. There were two things most farmers wanted to know. “Is it more expensive?” Of course it is. It’s about $1 more per pound. “Will it make my fish bigger?” Probably not. TwoXSea heard a lot of “no,” until it called a fish farmer near Lake Tahoe named Dave McFarland, who soon signed on with the company. When TwoXSea outgrew McFarland’s farm, it leased from Desert Springs Trout Farm, where the company now has a full-scale operation. McFarland raises about 30,000 pounds per year of the state’s only commercially farmed trout that has not fed on other fish. “It really is the future of people being able to eat fish,” Vannatter says. “I don’t think anyone else is doing it.”
nother plan is to bring the concept of farm-totable beef and produce to seafood. Oregon’s CS Fishery, founded by fisherman Jeff Wong in 2013, is helping pioneer boat-to-table seafood. Wong had a commercially licensed sport boat, and he wanted to sell his fish to restaurant chefs. But he couldn’t legally sell fish without first going through a processing plant. If he did that, he’d have no means of tracking the fish from one end of the plant to the other, meaning his catch could get mixed with fish from fishermen who don’t use sustainable methods. Wong realized he needed to open his own facility. He now works with more than 30 boats along the coast, and has an internal processing facility that allows him to oversee the fish from ocean to restaurant. CS Fishery’s Portland clients include New Seasons Market, Higgins, Holdfast and Ava Gene’s. Now, Wong wants to sell directly to consumers rather than to restaurants, where he says they’re not always honest about the fish they sell. “I’ve had people use my name, brand and story for a product that was not ours,” he says. “Sometimes I get too idealistic. But at the same time, I have to hold true to the mission. [Restaurants] may run out of our fish. There’s been a huge amount of publicity about the mislabeling of seafood products, and that trickles down to the local level, too.” Wong wants to go back to his door-to-door model, allowing him to interact directly with consumers. Another way would be to start a restaurant. Earlier this year, Wong teamed up with Andrew Mace, former sous chef at Le Pigeon, ranked No. 1 in WW’s Restaurant Guide, to open a Portland food cart called Maritime. It closed after a week, with an announcement there would be a brick-and-mortar spot coming in 2018. Wong says the restaurant won’t include Mace. “Andrew is a great guy, he’s very talented, but I need something to represent the coast,” he says. “I needed my product in its purest form to showcase what we’re doing [on the Oregon Coast]. I wanted coastal favorites to do that. Unfortunately, Andrew was doing fried rice with the shrimp, and Japanese hand rolls with our crab mixed in with the mayo. It was good, just not something anyone could come down here to get.” Wong says the restaurant might specialize in fish and chips—which would make it the second boat-to-table fish and chips shop in town, after Woodstock’s Portland Fish Market. Of course, fish from TwoXSea and CS Fishery costs more, but local chefs recognize the need for high-quality product. “The Portland fish game has not changed for years. Having a new fish purveyor in town is really exciting because they have more sustainable stuff,” says chef Derek Hanson of Jacqueline, ranked No. 41 in WW’s Restaurant Guide. “It definitely is a little bit more expensive, but we have slightly higher menu prices for those great products. I’m paying a little bit more for great fish.” Vannatter says the higher prices are not just from ensuring the sustainability of the fish, but also from paying fishermen fairly. “Our bottom line is education and sustainability over dollar signs,” Vannatter says. “Fishermen are using specific gear and can only catch so many fish instead of using nets. So we want to pay our fisherman more at the docks, and that increases our prices.” But as ocean stocks become depleted, the gray market still represents the vast majority of fish sold in Portland. “I think we have a long way to go,” Vannatter says. “I represent a small amount of Portland restaurants. A lot of chefs probably think they’re making good decisions. But they’re not.”
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JOE RIEDL
THE FUTURE OF FOOD
The Northern Alliance
SMOKEHOUSE PROVISIONS
Vancouver Is the New Frontier for Two Ambitious Portland Restaurateurs.
BY M A RT I N C I Z M A R
mcizmar@wweek.com
We don’t need any more fancy Neapolitan pizza in Portland. Fancy Detroit-style square pies? Maybe. Chicago deep dish? I could see it. But if you want to make wood-fired pies with thin, crisp crust, sauce them up with San Marzanos and top it off with Mama Lil’s peppers, GTFOHM. Which is exactly what Alan Maniscalco and Shan Wickham did. Maniscalco was a co-owner and the chef at Ken’s Artisan Pizza, the second-best pizza place in town according to our rankings in our just-released Restaurant Guide. But when it came time to do something on his own, he sought his fortunes up north, in the suburb of Vancouver. Killian Pacific, the Vancouver-based developer Portlanders know from the Goat Blocks project and the new office space going up in the burned-out, tagged-up former Taylor Electric building site, had recently taken over the Garrison Square retail center on deep East Mill Plain Boulevard and wanted to turn the plaza into the epicenter of ’Couvian cuisine. So it lined up a topnotch bottle shop and two experienced Portland restaurateurs, BJ Smith of the Smokehouse chain and Rally’s Maniscalco. Rally Pizza is Vancouver’s first great restaurant—it will likely make a strong push to be in the Portland area’s top 50 when we do next year’s Restaurant Guide. It’s the first spot I’d make the drive up the 205 for. And if Smith can get things worked out at Smokehouse Provisions, it will be part of a powerful Northern Alliance. Two visits in the early days at Smokehouse were not what we’ve come to expect from the pitmaster, who we’ve lavished praise on in the past. We had issues with bone-dry brisket, unbalanced cocktails made by servers when someone no-showed their shift, and hot sides served lukewarm. The soon-to-be TV star, who will be on the upcoming season of Top Chef, has a lot of work to do. “When you’re opening a place of this magnitude, it’s going to be a challenge,” Smith says. “We’re 140 seats, open lunch and dinner every day. In Portland, we’ve been able to pull a lot of talent from people we know and places we know, or at least look at someone’s résumé and see, ‘Oh, you waited a table at Ox, you clearly know how to wait a table.’ Just having no real gauge of people you’re hiring has been a factor.” 20
Willamette Week NOVEMBER 2, 2016 wweek.com
But this is unchartered territory. In bringing Portland restaurateurs north, Killian is following in the footsteps of breweries like Trusty and Mt. Tabor, which opened up north when the market down south seemed too saturated. “We were pretty skeptical, but obviously the owners have a great track record,” says Maniscalco. So Rally Pizza leaned into it, opening an unapologetically suburban spot modeled on what Maniscalco and Wickham would like to see in the area around Des Moines, Iowa, where Wickham’s family lives. “The whole point of Rally is to be suburban. We kind of came up with this concept,” Maniscalco says. “When we’re in Des Moines, we end up going out to eat and it’s pretty chain-oriented. The food is not particularly good but people show up for it. We thought about opening something there, but we have a kid still in high school. We thought, let’s look in the Portland ’burbs. Let’s make the same concept work in the Portland ’burbs.” And so they did—with the added bonus of the kind of ultra-rich custard you’d get in Iowa. Rally Pizza is a cavernous, Nostrana-scale dining room and Vancouver’s finest restaurant. The pies are good— top 10 in the region—and the cocktails, protein dishes and desserts are top-notch. Under the careful eye of Maniscalco, who claims most of the recipes at Ken’s Artisan Pizza as his own, Rally is the most exciting pizza project the city has seen since P.R.E.A.M. and Pizza Maria (see page 16). Cocktails run $9 to $12 and are uniformly excellent, developed by Maniscalco as his go-to home cocktails and mixed by bar manager Trina Paquette. The biggest revelation was an “industry margarita” ($11), made with Cocchi Americano and house sweet-and-sour mix instead of triple sec. It was ever so slightly more bitter than a normal marg, with an earthy bottom note below a citrusy burst. It’s the kind of thing you’ll want to order by name at other places. Good luck: It was developed by Maniscalco as a batch cocktail to serve to friends at his own house parties. The Rally Cap ($9)—Rally’s version of a spritzer, with Cappelletti, Amaro Cio Ciaro and soda—was likewise refreshing. When it comes to desserts, Rally joins Lovely’s Fif-
RALLY PIZZA
ty-Fifty at the top of the ice cream game, serving sundaes and concretes built on custard with 14-percent butterfat that’s further enriched by egg yolks. The concretes ($6) feature house-baked pastries as blend-ins, like a triply chocolatey blend of devil’s food chocolate cake and frosting. The sundaes ($7) are beautiful, layered-up creations served in heavy table glasses, easily feeding two. But maybe just get one per person. My favorite of all was the “clouds in my coffee” sundae with rich mocha sauce, little chocolate pearls and, as you’re about to hit glass, a bottom layer of thick, creamy ganache. If you want to indulge in a double-dessert date, plan on one pie and go deep on the salads and sides. Though the lineup of protein courses and baked is thin, everything we had was well-made. Two of our visits found the seasonal salad in great form, with bright pink watermelon radishes and juicy golden beets. We were likewise impressed with a plate of roasted veggies, well-seasoned and served up with a noteperfect paprika sour cream and crushed hazelnuts. I was blown away by a dish they call “pork and duck” ($13), the Rally take on a porchetta. It’s their way of delivering a big hunk of meat that’s cured so it doesn’t distract from their pie-eyed focus. They take a skin-on belly and trim it down, then make the trim into a sausage and roll the belly around the sausage. It’s topped with a mildly spicy Korean-inspired slaw with mirin, green onion, kimchi and sprouts to cut the richness, then whipsawed back into absurd richness with a runny fried duck egg. The pies are a lot like Ken’s, though slightly thicker and with less char than the ones Maniscalco made at Ken’s. Partly, he says, they were backing off the blackening “just a little bit,” to cater to the ’Couve crowd, but mainly the bottom of the crust gets a little firmer since they’re using a gas oven, which takes about twice as long to finish a pizza. The white pies, like a mushroom-based daily special that used oven-roasted chanterelle mushrooms, tend to be a little less aggressive than I like in their seasoning, but anything with red sauce is very good. I especially liked the pepperoni ($16), which uses a little umami-intensive Parmigiano-Reggiano along with the mozzarella and that magical pepperoni that curls up into crispy little cups. Is a pizza with fancy “grease chalices” a little déclassé compared to imported soppressata? Maybe. But this is the ’burbs, man. GO: Rally Pizza, 8070 E Mill Plain Blvd., Vancouver, 360-524-9000, rallypizza.com. 4:30 pm-close daily. Smokehouse Provisions, 8052 E Mill Plain Blvd., Vancouver, 360-768-5140, smokehouseprovisions.com. 11 am-9 pm Monday-Friday, 10 am-9 pm Saturday-Sunday.
I L L U S T R AT I O N B Y J A D E S C H U L Z
In N Out, Portland
Portland restaurants are opening outlets all over the globe. Some of the the world’s finest restaurants are returning the favor.
IN Cult Tokyo ramen chain Afuri (921 SE 7th Ave., afuri.us) opened its first restaurant outside Japan this October. Tokyo ramen titan Marukin (609 SE Ankeny St., 126 SW 2nd Ave.; marukinramen.com) opened its first United States ramen-ya in Portland in March. Then it opened its second U.S. spot the following month—also in Portland. Japanese izakaya chain Shigezo now has three locations in Portland, and nowhere else in the United States. Ramen Ryoma, which opened in July, is a stepchild of Ramen Sora—based both in Las Vegas and Sapporo, Japan.
Korean fusion hall of peanutbrittle fried chicken Revelry (210 SE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., 971-339-3693) opened in August from Seattle chef and Beard Award finalist Rachel Yang. Can Font, a Michelin-recognized restaurant in the hills surrounding Barcelona, is expected to open its second location next year at Northwest Northrup Street and 10th Avenue in the Pearl. Brazilian steak house Fogo de Chão opened its first Northwest location in Portland in 2014. Denver’s Punch Bowl Social (340 SW Morrison St., punchbowlspecial.com), now with celebrity Canadian-born Southern cook Hugh Acheson as executive chef, opened a second location in Portland in 2013.
OUT Celebrity San Francisco and Napa Valley chef Chris Cosentino (Cockscomb, Acacia House), known for cooking with the weird parts of animals, announced in September he’ll open a Portland restaurant. Seattle vegan Tiki spot No Bones Beach Bar will be on North Mississippi Avenue by the end of the year. Melbourne, Australia, coffee roaster, artisan oat roller and restaurant Proud Mary will be on Northeast Alberta Street by Christmas. Its owner plans to up the service game for Portland coffee. Hood River’s Double Mountain Pizza opened in the Woodstock neighborhood in August.
Blue Star Donuts opened in Tokyo this April. Voodoo Doughnut is in Denver and Austin. It is in Universal Studios in L.A. It is in Taiwan. And in early 2017, it will expand to Tokyo. Tiny, cheffy Kerns Spanish restaurant Navarre opened, then closed, then opened again, in Tokyo. Multnomah Whiskey Library has an exact clone, Tokyo Whisky Library, in Tokyo. Pasta shop Grassa will open in Tokyo next year.
After its sale to the people behind Hooters, Little Big Burger announced 10 future locations in Seattle this March. Bunk Sandwiches New York opened last August. New York seems to like it. Pok Pok is in L.A. and New York. Pok Pok Wing is closed in New York. Pok Pok Phat Thai is closed in L.A. Elska+heart is serving Heart coffee in Tokyo. Paddlers is selling Stumptown in Tokyo. Broder is in Hood River. Petite Provence is in The Dalles.
Sizzle Pie opened in Seattle this April, and announced plans this October to open a New York location. Willamette Week NOVEMBER 2, 2016 wweek.com
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JULIE SHOWERS
THE FUTURE OF FOOD
“Food is the fossil fuel of human energy. It is an enormous market full of waste, regulation, and biased allocation with serious geopolitical implications,” he wrote in 2013. Rhinehart imagines a world in which it’s a “civil resource” that comes through pipes into your house, like water. Does that sound sad and terrible? Well, how do you think it sounds to a kid who goes to bed hungry? One in six of them do.
Taste the Nothing
BY M A RT I N C I Z M A R
mcizmar@wweek.com
Soylent is supposed to taste like nothing. It doesn’t, really. It tastes—in my opinion as a professional food critic—pretty much exactly like almond milk. But the effect of the bottled liquid foodstuff is as intended—unobtrusive, unmemorable, totally indistinct. According to founder and awkwardly formal spokesman Rob Rhinehart, the idea is that you’ll never get sick of it. Back in 2013, Rhinehart wondered if humans could live on a nutritionally complete omnifood with all the nutrients required for a healthy life. So he came up with a recipe—probably using oat flour, psyllium husk powder and a crushed-up multivitamin, though he’s opaque about it—and decided to live on the stuff for a month. He wrote a blog post about it, “How I Stopped Eating Food,” which captured the attention of techbros and turned him into an icon of the futuristic post-food movement. “The first few days was kind of nerve-wracking,” Rhinehart told Vice. “I felt like I was kind of pushing off from shore, that there was no traditional food in body, only this mixture of chemicals that I’d assembled from rudimentary knowledge.” Rhinehart now calls food “primitive,” and openly mocks the naturalistic principles of people like Michael Pollan. Soylent is “proudly made with GMOs” and a weird kind of algae that’s grown in a bioreactor. For a month, I mostly subsisted on it. For 30 days in September and early October, the period where we do the bulk of our Restaurant Guide magazine, I consumed Soylent for my meal unless I was reviewing a restaurant. Because I do not fully trust Soylent (more on that in a second), I supplemented it with fish oil and one pint of phytochemical-rich blueberries. And I felt great. I rarely craved “real” food, I lost a few pounds, I had lots of energy and I was rarely hungry. In the months since this little project concluded, I’ve actually switched to Soylent’s Coffiest, a Frappucinolike blend of Soylent and coffee, for my daily breakfast. Even—maybe especially—if you love good food, there’s something to this Soylent thing. 22
Willamette Week NOVEMBER 2, 2016 wweek.com
Our Food Critic Subsisted Mainly on Soylent for a Month, and He’d Probably Do It Again.
A month of Soylent isn’t just the origin story, it also seems to be the default for journalists writing about Soylent. Vice has done it, and so have blogs like the Hustle, the Verge and Raptitude. Writers from Shape and Self did shorter stints. My experiment wasn’t really about seeing whether I could survive, since you clearly can. Rather, I wanted to explore my relationship with food. You’ve heard the rhetorical question, “do you eat to live, or live to eat?” Well, the concept of soylent (unlike Kleenex or Xerox, the company encourages people to use the brand name of its product as a stand-in for the idea it represents) is that it’s not so rhetorical. It’s possible to have an omnifood, a food pellet that meets all of your biological needs at a minimum cost and without any hassle. No need to cook, no need to shop—Soylent will bill your credit card and auto-ship you a full month’s nutrition for $450. You can eat to live. Like, for real. I found that idea freeing. Nothing to think about or clean and $3 meals. What’s not to like? And of course, I was privileged to supplement my Soylent intake with meals at some of the city’s best restaurants. There’s a concept of “recreational eating” in the Soylent universe—consuming artfully prepared meals for pure enjoyment, in addition to the Soylent meals you eat to live. I’d venture that I experienced that dichotomy at a level no one else has. As you might expect, consuming flavorless white paste between meals at Le Pigeon and Kachka only helped me enjoy them more. Invariably, people asked me about the movie Soylent Green, in which soylent is made of people. Literally the worst thing about subsisting on Soylent is having to smile politely at smug people who believe themselves to be cultural literati because they saw a Charlton Heston movie. But there’s a deep irony to how hard they miss. The movie was based on a ’60s sci-fi novel called Make Room! Make Room!, set in a dystopian future. In this world, resources are scant and competition for them is fierce because Earth’s population has ballooned to 7 billion—its current population. In this alternate world, people live off a blend of soy and lentils instead of $5 heirloom tomatoes, and there are no pretty little bungalows. That’s the inspiration for Soylent, a product Rhinehart envisions as a way to disrupt our entire food system.
Soylent started as a powder that’s currently in its seventh iteration, all descended from the blend of microalgae, lecithins and isolates that Rhinehart developed. Every few months, they roll out a new version that’s cheaper to make, greener and/or tastes even more like nothing. If you go onto subreddit for Soylent/soylent, you’ll find people have very strong takes about which version was the best and why. If customers aren’t happy with an update, or if they think they can do it better themselves, they’ll sometimes take to mixing their own DIY soylent blends. You’ll find people who swear by Schmilk or the keto diet version, Ketolent, or the French knockoff, Feed, or the Canadian chocolate version, Hol Food. There’s even an organic version, Ambronite, that costs three times as much. Soylent powder—currently in version 1.6 and unavailable after a small outbreak of mysterious illness—comes in a pouch with 2,000 calories, a full day’s nutrition, which you can mix up at once and refrigerate. I tried the powder stuff and hated it. It tastes like buttery cookie batter and is clumpy. Also, you have to scrub those super-sticky clumps out of the pitcher and any glassware used. At that point, why not just make beef bourguignon? But, last October, they introduced a bottled version, Soylent 2.0. It’s a dramatic upgrade: Now you have a bottle with 400 calories of nutrition optimized for satiety and performance. Drink, rinse, recycle and go back to what you were doing before you felt a pang of hunger.
The majority of us in the Willamette Week office grab our lunch at the nearby grocery store, where a sandwich costs $9 or so. Those lunches don’t get me excited—they’re sustenance, eaten over a keyboard while working. I could very happily go the rest of my life without eating another grocerystore ancho chicken burrito. Soylent solved that. The longest I went on only Soylent—plus fish oil and blueberries—was five days, but I often went 48 or 72 hours. There were only a few times I found myself craving “real” food, once while biking by Domino’s, a place I have not eaten in about a decade. While I love the Soylent concept, there have been some hiccups. Last month, the company made headlines when it recalled its food bars after some customers experienced nausea, vomiting and “uncontrollable diarrhea.” Sales of my Coffiest were briefly halted after the company discovered that the levels of vitamins A and C in it weren’t shelf-stable. I used supplements rather than trust my brain health only to a vegan product with no phytochemicals or antioxidants. On Soylent, I felt great. I also felt free. I’m a food critic in a city that’s obsessed with organic, natural farm-to-table food, but I’m also deeply sympathetic to Rhinehart’s vision, especially when it comes to solving our society’s chronic scarcity. GMOs are important in a world that’s been forced to crunch in more people every day. Do we have sufficient resources for everyone to eat grass-fed beef and organic apples? The same people I hear rhapsodizing about organic microfarms are the people I hear suggesting that the solution to Portland’s housing crisis is to halt construction. I love local produce, but I also feel a little guilty about my access to it when a billion humans—literally, 1.2 billion of the 7 on this planet—get the majority of their nutrition from rice. To me, the organic warriors sound like reactionaries and Luddites, a privileged class spouting a view both primitive and dangerous. Soylent is a possible salve to all of that, sippable nothingness with no dishes.
Stree t
I’m from Portland. I love the people.
I’m from Phoenix. I love the weather here.
I’m originally from Louisiana, but I’ve lived here longer than you’ve been alive.
WEST
BURNSIDE WHAT’S HOT ON THE STREETS. PHOTOS BY JU LIE SHOWER S www.wweek.com/street
I’m from Japan. I love the shopping here. I’m from L.A. We’re just here to check it out.
I’m from Massachusetts. I like the rain.
I’m from Portland. I have a lovehate relationship with this city.
T A E R T F L E S YO’
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STARTERS
CHELSEACAIN.COM
JOELLE JONE S
B I T E - S I Z E D P O RT L A N D C U LT U R E N E W S
CAIN
STOP HARASSING WOMEN: Portland author Chelsea Cain deleted her Twitter account, saying she had been harassed online for her feminist comic-book series, Mockingbird, which ended Oct. 19 with its eighth issue. The comic book was praised for its relatable female hero and its explicitly feminist agenda. On Oct. 17, Cain tweeted, “Mockingbird is cancelled. But we need to make sure @Marvel makes room for more titles by women about women kicking ass.” Cain, a New York Times best-selling author, wrote that she never blocked anyone on Twitter until she started working in comics. On Oct. 21, she wrote a series of tweets expressing her frustration, which is directly related to the comics industry. Marvel Editor-in-Chief Axel Alonso wrote a tweet expressing his support for Cain, as did influential comics author Gail Simone, who wrote Wonder Woman. There’s also a #StandWithChelseaCain thread with hundreds of tweets. Cain did not respond to WW’s request for comment. MOLE GOING UNDERGROUND: Our 2015 Food Cart of the Year, Holy Mole, will stop serving its Hawthorne Boulevard dorados and moles Nov. 19—but not for lack of customers. “I destroyed my health,” says owner and chef Juan Fernando Otero, who also has a job at New Seasons Market. “I spent so much time on my feet. I was working around 70 hours [a week] for the last three years. I don’t mind working a lot. It’s just not easy. My daughter says, ‘You need to take care of yourself, too.’” Otero has suffered a slipped disc, he says, and is pre-diabetic. When he’s healthier, Otero says he may again serve moles and other cuisine of Puebla, Mexico. But for now, he’s looking to sell his mole in stores rather than out of a cart. CAPTAIN’S NEW QUARTERS: After 24 years, Old Town dive bar Captain Ankeny’s Well is moving. Apparently, owner Jon Abramson doesn’t like the neighbors anymore. “It was time to get out,” he says. “I’m very glad I’m no longer the bathroom for Voodoo Doughnut. And the perpetual beggars that place created.” Abramson unceremoniously closed his bar at the corner of Southwest Ash Street and 3rd Avenue—about a half-block from the Old Town Voodoo location—on Sept. 28. Abramson will move one block from its original Ankeny Street location to Southwest 1st Avenue and Pine Street in the old Maiphai Thai space. Abramson hopes to open the new spot—tentatively called Captain Ankeny’s Pizza and Pub—by Thanksgiving. In the meantime, he’ll still be slinging his Captain Ankeny’s pizza at the Saturday Market on weekends. GET YOUR RESTAURANT GUIDE: Willamette Week’s 2016 Restaurant Guide is on shelves right about…now. For the first time in its three decades, Portland’s definitive dining guide features a ranking of the metro area’s top 50 restaurants, along with our picks by cuisine. It also features stories on Portland’s Restaurant of the Year, plus our favorite new pop-ins and pop-ups. You can read the guide online, or peruse a list of places to pick up a print copy at wweek.com/restaurant-guide-2016. FREE
P OR TLAN D ’ S 50 B E S T R ES TAU R AN T S , R AN KE D .
INSIDE
Our Restaurant of the Year! P. 1 4
pl us : our f av o r i t e Pop-Ups and Pop-Ins
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Willamette Week NOVEMBER 2, 2016 wweek.com
WEDNESDAY, NOV. 2 HORSE BRASS 40TH ANNIVERSARY Horse Brass is, arguably, the birthplace of Beervana. The late Don Younger’s dim British pub on Southeast Belmont nurtured the city’s beer culture from the very beginning. The Brass celebrates its 40th anniversary this week with special tappings. Read more on page 28. The party runs through Sunday. Horse Brass, 4534 SE Belmont St., 503-232-2202, horsebrass.com.
FROM INDIAN LAKES Birthed from several years of playing dream pop to emo kids who refuse to sit still, Everything Feels Better Now finds Central California’s From Indian Lakes landing on a tidy and exciting blend of the two genres. Analog Cafe, 720 SE Hawthorne Blvd., 503-206-7439, analogpdx.com. 6 pm. $13. All ages.
THURSDAY, NOV. 3 FAT HEAD’S TWO-YEAR ANNIVERSARY BRUNCH Fat Head’s has a funny idea of brunch. It starts at 3 pm, goes late, and involves shittons of beer aged in the following types of barrels: red wine, Madeira, gin, Nocino, Mellow Corn, bourbon, rum and rye whiskey. Fat Head’s, 131 NW 13th Ave., 503-820-7721, fatheadsportland. com. 3 pm.
FRIDAY, NOV. 4 THE APPLESEED CAST, CASPIAN By trading heart-on-their-sleeves catharsis for spacey post-rock in the early aughts, the Appleseed Cast managed to keep the emo dream alive while pop culture left it for dead. See page 33. Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi Ave., 503-288-3895, mississippistudios. com. 9 pm. $15 advance, $17 day of show. 21+.
SATURDAY, NOV. 5
PWR BTTM
FILM TO PAGE Notable authors pick four films to screen, then discuss the films onstage with local lit heroes. The first is Allison Anders’ story about women in small-town New Mexico, Gas Food Lodging, picked by Marrow Island author Alexis Smith. NW Film Center, 1219 SW Park Ave., nwfilm.org. 7:30 pm. $9. Series runs through Sunday.
Get Busy
LIT CRAWL PORTLAND The night before Wordstock, there will be an ungodly number of readings and do-gooder-type speeches and poetry karaoke and historical beer tastings, all culminating in an after-party that promises lots of awkward standing around with Carrie Brownstein. Various locations downtown. 6-9 pm. Free. Details at literary-arts.org.
WHAT WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT NOVEMBER 2-8
WORDSTOCK Portland’s most bookish festival (see page 46) will once again let more than 100 authors take over the whole damn art museum. Oh, and two churches. And the film center. And the Schnitz. And the Winningstad and Brunish. And the Oregon Historical Society. Jesus, it’s big this year. Portland Art Museum, 1219 SW Park Ave, literary-arts.org. 9 am-6 pm. $15-$18.
MEEK’S CUTOFF Director and part-time Portlander Kelly Reichardt is making a big splash with her recent film, Certain Women. In her 2010 movie, Meek’s Cutoff, a group of settlers meet disaster on a trek across the Eastern Oregon high desert. 5th Avenue Cinema, 510 SW Hall St., 5thavecinema.com. 7 pm. $4. Also screening 7 pm Friday, Nov. 4, and 3 pm Sunday, Nov. 6.
SUNDAY, NOV. 6 PWR BTTM New York’s PWR BTTM makes witty and restless outsider rock fueled by buzzing guitars and self-deprecating takes on the duo’s queer and glammy persona. See page 35. Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi Ave., 503-288-3895, mississippistudios.com. 9 pm. $10 advance, $12 day of show. 21+.
A$AP FERG If Rocky is the face of Harlem’s A$AP Mob, A$AP Ferg is the voice. Using trap beats as a diary backdrop, his latest, Always Strive and Prosper, is filled with bangers from start to finish. See Top 5, page 31. Roseland Theater, 8 NW 6th Ave., 971-2300033, roselandpdx.com. 8 pm. $26.50. All ages.
MONDAY, NOV. 7 MAMA Wielding the feel-good ’70s vibe of Thin Lizzy like a firecracker, Chicago’s Mama is a fine example of what happens when punk kids can’t get the sounds of papa-approved classic rock radio out of their heads. The Know, 2026 NE Alberta St., 503-473-8729, theknowpdx.com. 8 pm. Call venue for ticket prices. 21+.
ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN 40TH ANNIVERSARY On the eve of our nation’s weirdest election, why not watch Robert Redford and Ratso Rizzo take down the president, in the film that inspired legendary porn hit Deep Throat? It’s just gonna be that kind of year. Mission Theater, 1624 NW Glisan St., 503-223-4527. 5:30 and 8:30 pm. $4 adults, $3 kids.
TUESDAY, NOV. 8 TORY LANEZ There’s more to rapper Tory Lanez than his beef with Drake. Punching upward at the fellow Torontonian is worthy of clicks, but singles “Say It” and “LUV” are worthy of hype. Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside St., 503225-0047, crystalballroompdx.com. 8 pm. $25 advance, $32 day of show. All ages.
ELECTION NIGHT PARTY If 12 assholes voted the Bundys not guilty, all voting bets are off. Watch the election in the safety of crowds at the earthquake-safe Grand Central Bowl. If it comes back Hillary, celebrate at nearby Cascade Barrel House. If it goes Trump, get to Andy and Bax, and then head for the hills. Hell’s a comin’. Grand Central Bowl, 808 SE Morrison St., 503-236-2695. 3-11 pm. Willamette Week NOVEMBER 2, 2016 wweek.com
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COURTESY MTV
The Bump
He Actually Is Savage FIVE YEARS AGO, DAN SAVAGE RUINED MY LIFE FOR A SECOND—HERE’S WHAT HAPPENED. BY S OP H I A J U N E
sjune@wweek.com
In the spring of 2012, a new show debuted on MTV. Savage U was the quintessential scripted 30-minute sex-centric program; it was meant to be hailed in the likes of Made, True Life and Next. The premise was simple: Renowned sex columnist Dan Savage would travel to U.S. colleges and talk to students about their sex and relationship problems, sort of like a Savage Love column boiled down into four-minute conversations. Instead of getting to hide behind the anonymity of “Can’t Personally Overlook Selfishness,” or something, the people asking questions would be revealed for all of America to watch. It was canceled after one season. But not before it ruined my life for a second. If you attend Dan Savage’s Hump! Film Festival, featuring amateur pornography, this weekend at Revolution Hall, think about how savage Dan really is when he exploits people’s sexual experiences, or at least mine. Savage shamed me for being a virgin. It wasn’t cool then, and it’s not cool now. I first heard of his TV show in fall of my freshman year of college, when a white sheet of paper emblazoned with the iconic MTV logo caught my eye as I passed a bulletin board. “A new show to be shot at the University of Oregon. Got a relationship story? Be featured on Savage U.” Like most freshmen in 2011, I was bored, lost and a fan of the YOLO mentality featured in Drake’s recently released “The Motto.” I also sort of had a story. My high school boyfriend was gay. I was worried something must be wrong with me and thought it might happen again. (The simplest fix would have been dropping my theater major.) I emailed the show, quickly getting a response to set up a time for a phone call. The next day, I went to the basement of my dorm building and told the show about my ex-boyfriend and my intrinsic love for boys who like boys. I think I got picked because I was one of four people who actually called, but I was informed I would be featured on the show. I was sent a contract I didn’t read, because #YOLO, remember? Two weeks later, the day after Halloween, I met Dan Savage—almost five years ago to this day. He and a large crew of producers coached me to pretend to look at my phone and look up to see Savage and his peppy wing woman Lauren Hutchinson—her Twitter bio still says she’s co-hosting Savage U. After about five takes of this, I told my story. “How can I keep this from happening again?” I asked, playing the role of a naive 18-year-old girl. At first, Savage’s advice was almost poignant, albeit straight-washed. He talked about how part of why we need to create a world more accepting of people who are gay is because of how it hurts people who are straight, citing examples of men who leave their wives after years of marriage. He also said if a guy doesn’t want to perform cunnilingus, that’s a red flag. Here’s where I hate MTV. “I don’t know, I haven’t done it,” I mumbled. Here’s where every producer turns into a meerkat. “Wait—are you a virgin?” “Yeah…” I said. At this point, being a virgin was my biggest insecurity. I
REALITY BYTES: The most Savage moment.
After it happened, I had a “FUCK YOU DAN SAVAGE” party. hated talking about it. I felt that no other decision in my life was (a) more personal, or (b) more policed. If you had had sex, you told people it was because you were drunk or it was your first love. And if you hadn’t had sex, well, you also needed a reason for that. “I’m just waiting for it to mean something.” This is the justification I had perfected. Plus the fact that I very much wanted to be comfortable enough to play “A Comet Appears” by the Shins (#2011), but you get what you can. It wasn’t based on religion. It wasn’t because nobody had wanted to have sex with me. I felt like nobody could argue with wanting sex to mean something. The conversation thankfully turned back to my original problem, and the segment ended soon after. I didn’t think much about the interview until an MTV producer called me a few months later. She said updates were needed from everyone who was on the show to construct blurbs at the end of the episode. I told her I was having fun in college and dating straight guys. A month later, crowded on my twin bed in my dorm with the friends I had made in the past six months, we eagerly watched Episode 8 of Savage U: Oregon. There I was, on MTV, wearing a cardigan and talking to Savage. Two minutes later, I was mumbling that I didn’t know what cunnilingus is. Five seconds later, I revealed that I was a virgin on national television. How could they have chosen that? It was 20 seconds of a 20-minute interview! I kind of froze. My friends weighed in: “It’s not a big deal.” “Soph, it
was only one part of the whole thing, nobody cares.” “At least you weren’t the girl who talked about feeling scared to masturbate because she pees.” This is fine, I thought, like that little dog wearing the hat and drinking coffee in that meme. Besides, who’s even watching? Certainly nobody I’ll ever want to have sex with. We continued watching the episode only to see my face pop up again as the show listed our personal updates. A yellow blurb in trademark bubbly font popped up: “Sophia is trusting her gut and honing her gaydar,” it read. OK—funny and true! Then the next line popped up. “She is still a virgin.” One friend burst out laughing and had to leave the room. Both my onscreen face and real face froze. My mom texted me: “I’m proud of you!” Fuuuuuck. I had never mentioned my virginity in the follow-up conversation. MTV had no idea if this was true or not. I had become one of the contestants I used to laugh at as a 14-year-old watching Next, Room Raiders and Date My Mom. What suckers, I used to think. Now, I was one of them. The worst part was that I still was a virgin (yeah, I know)—but that’s not the point, because even now, I’m immortalized as a virgin on MTV. For my entire life, I will be “still a virgin.” I actually didn’t lose my virginity until two years later. And the confusing part is, I think Dan Savage could’ve played a part in that finally happening. I met a guy a few months after the episode aired. We were at a party. “Hey, I saw your MTV episode,” he said. “And I thought, ‘She is the most sought-after girl in America. She’s not giving it up to some asshole.’” Damn, that was a good line. A year and a half later, we did have sex. I was 21, which always felt late—which MTV and all popular media told me was late, embarrassing and worthy of making fun of on national TV. There were no candles and “A Comet Appears” wasn’t playing. But it was still awesome. After it happened, I had a “Fuck You Dan Savage” party. I watched the episode again. Now, I laugh at it all, and the ending is my favorite part. I’m just like this infinite virgin, trapped in this bizarro world where you can make fun of people for being 18 and not having sex yet. GO: Dan Savage’s Hump! Film Festival is at Revolution Hall, 1300 SE Stark St., on Thursday-Saturday, Nov. 3-5, and Friday-Saturday, Nov. 11-12. $25. More information at humpfilmfest.com.
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FOOD & DRINK
Shandong
THOMAS TEAL
DRANK HISTORY
www.shandongportland.com
Shandong www.shandongportland.com
Simple ApproAch
Bold FlAvor vegan Friendly
open 11-10
everyday
Brass Stones HORSE BRASS TURNS 40 THIS WEEK. HERE ARE SOME OF THE PUB’S MILESTONES. BY EZR A JOHN SON -GR EEN OU GH
500 NW 21st Ave, (503) 208-2173 kungpowpdx.com
@samuraiartist
Portland’s status as a beer mecca can be traced back to a grungy, dimly lit neighborhood British pub. The late, great publican Don Younger’s famous Horse Brass wasn’t just the first place in town to pour many English beers, and one of the first accounts for fledgling West Coast breweries like Sierra Nevada, but the first place to feature Oregon breweries like BridgePort and Deschutes. It even helped launch Stumptown Coffee. Horse Brass celebrates its 40th anniversary this week with special tappings and collaboration beers from longtime bartenders and local brewers. Here’s a look at some of the most important days in the Brass’ storied history. Sometime in 1976: Don Younger awakens from a late drinking session to discover he’s purchased a year-old pizza joint-turned-pub called Horse Brass. He finds the bill of sale written on a cocktail napkin on his desk. He breaks the news to his brother and business partner, Bill Younger, during a game of darts. 1978: Don Younger—nicknamed Captain Blitz from his high high-school years—discovers Bass Ale and falls in love with British culture. Younger, who had previously drunk Blitz-Weinhard beer, establishes a sister-city relationship with London pub the Prince of Wales, which was renamed the Princess of Wales after Diana’s death in 1997. Younger later describes BlitzWeinhard beer as “primitive” and “barbaric.”
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1984: BridgePort and Widmer Brothers breweries open. Both owe early success to the enthusiastic support of Don Younger and Horse Brass. “Not many publicans were willing to give Kurt and me a chance, but Don Younger was an enthusiastic supporter from the start,” says Rob Widmer. “In 1986, most Americans had never seen a cloudy beer, so hefe blew their minds. And Don, with his colorful personality, was instrumental in helping us assure his guests the beer was supposed to look the way it did.” Spring of 1999: A young Duane Sorenson moves to Portland is hired on by Younger. He washes dishes and works at the neighboring bottle shop while building out the first Stumptown Coffee Roasters with a small loan from Younger. “I’m a fuckin’ alum, motherfucker! I’m surprised they haven’t retired my jersey,” says Sorenson, who still occupies a seat at Horse Brass most weekdays. Jan. 1, 2009: Oregon’s statewide workplace smoking ban goes into effect, changing Horse Brass forever. Younger and his regulars hold a final protest smokeout, captured in a now-iconic photo. “He never let that go,” says friend and business partner Carl Singmaster. “It changed him, and it changed his whole attitude. His whole trajectory just declined after that.” Says Belmont Station co-owner Lisa Morrison: “I think that killed Don, I really do. He was heartbroken. He wanted to have his bar his way. I mean, he was not a healthy person, but I think that pushed him down a rabbit hole. He lost his spirit and his energy.”
1979: Oregon gets its first craft brewery, Cartwright Brewing. Horse Brass is one of the first places to carry bottles of Cartwright, thanks to a local beer distributor named Mike McMenamin, owner of Produce Row Cafe. “We were selling [Cartwright] through our distributorship, and Don was excited about anything new,” McMenamin says. Cartwright closed after customers complained about infected beer.
Jan. 31, 2011: Don Younger dies at age 69. “I was at the hospital the night that Don passed away,” says Art Larrance, founder of Cascade Brewing and the Oregon Brewers Festival. “I had my private time with Don. I mean, he was in a coma and there was only about four of us there, but I felt privileged to be given that opportunity to share some time alone. He touched a lot of different people.” Beer lovers flocked to Horse Brass for Younger’s wake, where many bottles of Macallan 12-year were drunk. “There was a cardboard cutout of Don Younger, and they put it in his favorite stool of the bar,” Mike McMenamin says. “I looked over and saw it, and it was an uncanny likeness. It scared the hell out of me.”
1983: Horse Brass installs a hand pump to pour authentic English-style cask pints, establishing it as one of the most authentic British pubs in America.
GO: Horse Brass, 4534 SE Belmont St., horsebrass.com, is celebrating its 40th anniversary with special tappings, including staff collaborations with local breweries. Through Nov. 6.
AndreA Johnson
FEATURE
oh, shit: Clay Wesson plays with his fertilizer.
Horns Up
I BURIED A COW HORN FULL OF SHIT FOR GOOD WINE. By Jo r da n M i c h e l M a n
@sprudge
It’s a Monday afternoon in the Willamette Valley and I’m standing over a bucket of shit. Cow shit, to be precise. It has been sourced from a nearby biodynamic farm, and today that bucket will draw the attention of about a dozen or so farmhands, interns and wine tasters, all gathered on this perch high atop the Eola-Amity Hills. I visited Brooks winery in Amity to take part in one of the central activities of biodynamics, a holistic approach to agronomy first preached in the early 20th century by an Austrian philosopher, architect and woo-woo true believer named Rudolf Steiner. Among Steiner’s many recommended agronomy practices—including planting, weeding and harvesting during the moon cycle—is what’s known as “Preparation 500.” This involves stuffing a cow horn full of dung, burying it in the ground for six months and digging it up months later to create a kind of earth-charged natural fertilizer. Burying a cow horn full of poop might seem ridiculous, were it not for the fact that biodynamic methods are practiced by some of the most revered winemakers in the world. This is especially true in France’s Burgundy region, a major seat of wine knowledge, inspiration and quality, where several of the world’s great wines—producers like Dujac, Lafarge, Guyot, and even rich-guy fave Romanée-Conti— are made in accordance with Steiner’s principles of biodynamics. It would be a gross simplification to say these rituals all result in delicious wine, but the proof is in the vineyards’ soil, which teems with bug life and remains untethered to the big-agro sins of the 20th century. This makes biodynamics a perfect fit for Oregon, where the idea of cultivating healthy soil by harvesting in the moon’s glow and spraying crops with nettle tea doesn’t sound that weird. Some of the state’s best wineries
now follow these practices, including Maysara, Johan, Belle Pente, Brick House and several more in the Willamette Valley, as well as Cowhorn down in Jacksonville. But this stuff takes knowledge. It’s not enough to read Steiner’s Wikipedia page (a fascinating click, I assure you) or Katherine Cole’s book on biodynamic winemaking in Oregon, Voodoo Vintners (which you should also read). That’s where Clay Wesson comes in. Wesson, who looks like David Foster Wallace, is the director of biodynamics at Brooks, and he’ll be overseeing our cow-poop efforts today. He’s probably the first full-time biodynamics director in Oregon wine, and one of only a few in the world, managing an approach to land stewardship at Brooks that has been in practice since 2002. Since 2012, the winery has been certified biodynamic by Demeter International, the largest certification organization for biodynamic agriculture. Wesson taught me more about Preparation 500, one of eight preparations Steiner described in a series of lectures forming the basis of biodynamics. “The numbers are arbitrary and believed to be random,” Wesson wrote in a later email. Some web sleuthing revealed that Preparation 500 has shrouded origins, and was perhaps a slang term used when the Nazis forced biodynamics underground following Steiner’s death in 1925. Nobody really knows for sure; it’s just another part of a wider mysticism surrounding biodynamic farming. Wesson also explained that a curious, questioning approach to biodynamics was fine—it’s about intent and observation in the field, not a rigid dogma. After all, it’s thought that the cow horn was first selected for this practice because the observant bull—meditative, ruminative— was deemed by Steiner to be the perfect source instead of, say, the flighty buck or aggro ox. Back to the poop. There were about a dozen of us gathered around the bucket, and under
Wesson’s watchful eye, I grabbed a horn and a stuffing stick, and got to it. Like so much childhood classroom paste, the cow shit wobbled and globbed on the tip of my utensil, which was sturdy enough to make it from the bucket to the horn without getting poop on my shoes. I got in there deep, trying to fill the horn in a manner that would seem thorough, respectful even. No use wasting a horn with my admittedly amateur shit-stuffing skills. Stick, bucket, horn, repeat. Air pockets burbled as I stuffed more poop. Filling up the vessel took tapping, packing and more tapping, until as much of the fragrant, grassstudded dung had filled the horn as possible. A kind of happy buzz overtook the group as we kneeled over our pile of shit-horns. “This is kind of fun,” someone said, and before long we were joking about how the shit-horns looked like ice cream cones— next month’s savory special at Salt & Straw, perhaps. The ensuing laughter felt deep, even primal. I grabbed another horn and started stuffing. The first one was because I felt required to participate. But this second one? I can’t explain it; something compelled me to go back for more. In the way that tasks like gardening or burping a baby tap into some innate part of our lizard brains, so too was this job oddly comforting in its raw, earthly force, as though I’d done it a thousand times before. Our shit-horns chock-a-block, we headed off to the burial. Walking across the vineyard, I spoke with a few of my fellow stuffers, most of whom turned out to be traveling sommeliers, part of Brooks’ paid-internship program that provides housing and a paycheck to farm workers during harvest. Folks hailed from Chicago, Aspen, Colo., and Grand Rapids, Mich. They all seemed thrilled with the intimacy of this experience with Oregon wine, and excited to bring that knowledge and love back to their restaurant guests. In a little clearing in the vineyard below us, Wesson and his team had dug us a small pit, maybe 3 feet deep. He wheeled the barrow beside the pit and asked us to gather around. “It’s OK to be skeptical,” he told us, “but not cynical. Part of biodynamics is the suspension of disbelief.” Then he asked us to pause and reflect, and to give thanks for what was going into the ground, and what might come out of it. As rain fell a little harder, we arranged the horns in a star shape at the bottom of the pit and began covering them with soil, one shovelful at a time. Come May, Wesson said, around the vernal equinox, he’d excavate the hole and unearth enough Preparation 500 to spray hundreds of acres of vineyard for the coming grow. It was the afternoon of Rosh Hashanah, a day rich with its own horned symbolism, and I reflected on how this ritual—preparing the earth in fall to bloom in spring—tapped into something bigger than all of us. Just then, as I furiously tried to thumb the moment into something cogent in my notes, a raindrop hit my iPhone and it shut off completely. It was just us, then—with a half-filled pit of horns next to a big pile of dirt, under a drizzly Oregon sky, the endless valley panorama stretching out before us to the fuzzy grayscale limits of vision. Someone handed me a shovel, and I dug in.
Your Drunk Month NOV. 6 SE Wine Collective Harvest Dinner
A working winery and convivial wine bar, southeast Wine Collective is also home to sneakily great food from chef Althea Grey Potter. she and her team are whipping up a hearty harvest dinner paired with 10 wines made onsite at the collective. dishes include elk osso bucco, Brussels sprouts with apples and hazelnuts, and chanterelle farrotto—so autumnal af, basically. Southeast Wine Collective, 2425 SE 35th Place, 503-208-2061 (for reservations). 6 pm. $80 includes wine pairings.
NOV. 17 Beaujolais Nouveau Day at St. Jack
Portland is a hotbed of Beauj worship, not least because oregon gamay grapes produce some of the most convincing versions of the early-tapped, jammy wines outside of France. If you want fancy food from seven restaurants, including Castagna and Taylor railworks, go to slabtown fine French spot st. Jack for tastes of seven dishes and three wines from the likes of Fausse Piste, holden, st. reginald Parish, day Wines, Bow & Arrow, and division Winemaking. St. Jack, 1610 NW 23rd Ave., 503-360-1281, stjackpdx.com (for tickets). 5 pm. $45 advance, $50 day of event.
Beauj Tasting at SE Wine Collective
Tip! southeast Wine Collective will let you taste 10 Beaujolais and Gamay nouveau wines for free, including division, holden and others that will be poured at st. Jack. same day, same time. Wow. Southeast Wine Collective. 5 pm. Free.
NOV. 18-20 Open House at Teutonic Wine Company
Teutonic Wine Company will host a threeday open house at its charming new wine bar and winery off southeast Powell Boulevard. Check out Teutonic’s 2016 releases, eat some delicious “oregon surf and turf” (crab and duck dishes), and hang out at one of the city’s most exciting new wine venues. Teutonic Wine Company, 3303 SE 20th Ave., teutonicwines.com (for tickets). Noon. $20 advance, $27 day of event.
NOV. 20 Applegate Valley Wine Trail Event
southern oregon wine is having a moment, producing grapes beyond the pinot noir/chardonnay binary and arming some of the state’s best winemakers with uncommonly good fruit. on nov. 20, no fewer than 17 winemakers in the Applegate Valley AVA will participate in a self-guided tour along the Applegate Valley Wine Trail, with snacks and sips provided. If you just visit one, make it Cowhorn, a biodynamic estate that produces some of the best wine in oregon—north or south. Various wineries, applegatewinetrail.com (for tickets). 11 am-5 pm. $49.
NOV. 25-27 In the Valley
The weekend after Thanksgiving in the Willamette Valley is a literal bacchanalia: a daisy chain of parties, open houses, dinners and events involving dozens of wineries, from Adelsheim to Yamhill Valley. You might consider picking a couple of favorites and camping out there, in which case let us recommend tasting rooms at Brooks winery and Bergström Wines—both sit in a comfortable sweet spot, with well-appointed tasting rooms and wine that does not suck. It’s also one of the few times each year that hermit-like winemakers such as Brick house and Beckham estate offer public visiting hours without an appointment. Brick house makes some of the state’s best gamay; Beckham specializes in oregon-made clay amphoras for making wines in the traditional Georgian style. Both are highly recommended.
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MUSIC PROFILE
= WW Pick. Highly recommended.
COURTESY OF BANDCAMP
Prices listed are sometimes for advance ticket sales. At-the-door increases and socalled convenience charges may apply. Event lineups are subject to change after WW’s press deadlines. Editor: MATTHEW SINGER. TO BE CONSIDERED FOR LISTINGS, go to wweek.com/ submitevents and follow submission directions. All shows should be submitted two weeks or more in advance of event. Press kits, CDs and especially vinyl can be sent to Music Desk, WW, 2220 NW Quimby St., Portland, OR 97210. Please include show or release date information with all physical mailings. Email: msinger@wweek.com. Fax: 243-1115.
WEDNESDAY, NOV. 2
THURSDAY, NOV. 3
From Indian Lakes, Made Violent, Wild Wild Horses
Shadowhouse, Running, Male Gaze, Vice Device
[DAUNTLESS DREAMERS] Birthed from several years of playing tight and tidy dream pop to emo kids who refuse to sit still, From Indian Lakes has finally landed on an exciting blend of the two on its recent Everything Feels Better Now. Founder and multi-instrumentalist Joey Vannucchi isn’t shy about his influences, but the frantic drumming and circular guitar patterns of the album’s many standouts are the among the best Death Cab for Cutie interpretations the genre has seen in years. PETE COTTELL. The Analog Cafe, 720 SE Hawthorne Blvd., 503-206-7439. 6 pm. $13. All ages.
[BUBBLEGUM GOTH] At first listen, Shadowhouse’s track “Haunted” sounds a lot like a post-punk band covering Q Lazzarus’ “Goodbye Horses.” Jangly guitar licks and drums shrouded in reverb carry a deep, bellowing lead vocal with a sense of urgency. On its 2014 release, Hand in Hand, the local quintet, which is coming off a 2015 European tour and a sold-out vinyl release, preaches the gospel of ’80s goth in way that’s powerful, vicious and smooth as hell. HENRY SMITH. The Know, 2026 NE Alberta St. 8 pm. Contact venue for ticket prices. 21+.
Nicolas Jaar
[ELECTRONIC] Psychedelic-dancemusic wunderkind and one half of Darkside, Nicolas Jaar turned the electro world on its ear in 2011 with Space Is Only Noise and with this year’s Sirens. The Chilean-born producer’s broad array of half-familiar samples and ear for lugubrious phrases set to downtempo beats are a meticulous, austere rarity in a genre that feels overpopulated with dilettante gearheads espousing kitchensink mentality. Meditative yet thorough enough to hold one’s interest throughout, Jaar’s lengthy, epic soundscapes are as indebted to Brian Eno as anyone with a “DJ” prefix. CRIS LANKENAU. Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell St., 503-284-8686. 9 pm. Sold out. 21+.
CONT. on page 33
NOT A BUNDY: Chuck Westmoreland.
100% Raw Chuck PORTLAND’S NEXT COUNTRY STAR REFLECTS ON LIFE AFTER SYNTH POP.
TOP
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5 ESSENTIAL TRACKS FROM A$AP MOB’S EVER-EXPANDING UNIVERSE “Shabba” by A$AP Ferg feat. A$AP Rocky
It’s Rocky who brought the Harlem-based rap crew to the fore, but Ferg’s rising star is right at his heels on this nervous, reverb-soaked highlight from 2013’s Trap Lord.
2 “Glock Rivers” by A$AP Twelvyy Brooding minimalism and block-rocking beats reminiscent of early Nas offer a compelling snapshot of the chilly East Coast aesthetic Twelvyy favors over the drowsy trap stylings of his cohorts. 3 “Trillmatic” by A$AP Nast feat. Method Man A guest verse from Wu-Tang’s finest is an apt nod to the ’90s, but Nast is an accomplished golden-age loyalist in his own right. Count on “Trillmatic” to hit all the spots your Naughty by Nature Pandora station may have missed. 4 “Run” by Playboi Carti feat. Lil Yachty Stuttering beats and ’80s soap-opera synths push the Mob’s southernmost delegate’s sensibilities into incredibly bizarre territory. 5 “Chill Bill” by Rob $tone feat. J. Davis & Spooks An honorary member of the Mob, San Diego’s Rob $tone hit pay dirt in June with a single that’s basically him rapping over trap beats and an unnerving sample of the whistling from Kill Bill. What this means for $tone’s future is anyone’s guess, so you might as well show up early enough to see it live and draw your own conclusions. PETE COTTELL. SEE IT: A$AP Ferg plays Roseland Theater, 8 NW 6th Ave., with Playboi Carti and Rob $tone, on Sunday, Nov. 6. 8 pm. $26.50. All ages.
C O U R T E SY O F FAC E B O O K
BY PETE COTTELL
pcottell@wweek.com
Chuck Westmoreland has lived through some serious shit. Between owning a bar and watching his wife battle cancer, the deep well of the 37-year-old singer-songwriter’s inspiration is unsurprising. His preference for country music may come as a surprise, but as far as Westmoreland is concerned, he’s just a good, honest dude making good, honest music. “It’s a sound that I think is really honest when done well,” says Westmoreland. “Something about that and the rawness really appeals to me. When I listen to music, it’s usually at work, and George Jones sounds really good when you’re mopping a bar floor.” Born in Louisiana and raised in the Bay Area, Westmoreland moved to Portland in 1999 after a brief stint in Ashland. Drawn to the music scene and the cheap rent, Westmoreland soon found himself at the helm of the synth-pop outfit the Kingdom. Though sincere efforts by all estimations, the conceptual fantasia of the group’s two records—2005’s Unitas, which portrays NFL legend Johnny Unitas as a “celestial deity hurling footballs across the cosmos,” and 2006’s K1, which has something to do with a Cannonball Run-style auto race from upstate New York to Brooklyn—is a stark contrast to the bittersweet sincerity that drives his eponymous solo debut. Westmoreland helped open North Mississippi Avenue barbecue joint Miss Delta in 2006, and by the time he moved on to his current post—coowner of North Albina Avenue patio spot the Red Fox—he was over being a musician. He got into tying flies and woodworking while he supported his wife during her victory over cancer, and ended up making a few homemade guitars. Figuring he might as well put them to good use, Westmoreland found the plainspoken roots country of Waylon
Jennings and Townes Van Zandt as a natural place for his sound to land—synth-pop roots be damned. “I’ve always tried to write honest songs,” says Westmoreland. “I don’t think there’s a difference whether there’s a synthesizer or a steel guitar. If you write honest songs, it kind of transcends the hype and bullshit and baggage that comes with a genre.” Chuck Westmoreland is the sound of a confident songwriter who can talk the talk and walk the walk. The lilting shuffle of opener “There’s a Pattern in the Blood” is classic country of the preNashville hit-machine variety at its finest, while stomping barn burners “Satin” and “Echo One” are guaranteed to cause a ruckus at a place like the Landmark Saloon. Portland isn’t exactly a hotbed for country artists with crossover appeal to hit paydirt, but Westmoreland is more concerned with hard work than genre alignment. “You’re always worried that people won’t give a shit, or that you’re delusional,” says Westmoreland, “but not based on genre. That was never really a question. What’s good about Portland is that you can see a synth band playing with a hip-hop band playing with a deathmetal band. I’d like to think [the scene] is diverse enough for that to happen.” When asked about the aesthetic of the album cover, which features a photo of Westmoreland decked out in Eastern Oregon rancher chic and the kind of groovy typeface you’d see in the end credits of a late-’70s action flick, Westmoreland insists the music speaks for itself. After a few spins of his achingly beautiful record, you believe him. “An honest song is an honest song. I don’t think it matters what you look like—that’s the bullshit. You write songs, and you go out and play them. You love people and treat people with respect, and that’s it. I don’t think anyone’s checking out my shoes or making sure my jacket is ripped up enough. People know what’s bullshit and what’s not.” SEE IT: Chuck Westmoreland plays the Fixin’ To, 8218 N Lombard St., with Sad Horse and Paper Cameras, on Saturday, Nov. 5. 8 pm. $5. 21+. Willamette Week NOVEMBER 2, 2016 wweek.com
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MUSIC The Head and the Heart, Declan McKenna
[RADIo-READY FoLK] the Head and the Heart will probably never again achieve the acclaim it garnered with its self-titled debut, but most fans probably won’t care. As they tweak their pop-leaning formula ever so slightly with each release, introducing sunnier sounds and lyrics to their palpable vulnerabilities, the Seattle folk-rockers retain their quirkiness while continuing to fit nicely alongside heart-on-your-sleeve folkies like the Lumineers and Mumford & Sons. September’s Signs of Light further beefed up the guitars and the rhythmic stomping while holding on to the homey details that, at this point, are one of the few things keeping them off taylor Swift’s latest trajectory. BRAnDon WIDDER. Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 SW Broadway, 503-248-4335. 8 pm. $48.50. $39.50-$48.50. All ages.
Honeyblood, Hazel English
[GLASGoW GRUnGE] Scottish duo Honeyblood are on a roll, it seems. Inspired by ’90s indie rock and the punk and grit of riot grrrl, the duo originated in 2012 when frontwoman Stina tweeddale met drummer Shona McVicar at a gig they were both playing at, in separate bands. not long after a few DIY, grungy-sounding EPs—their first release, “thrift Shop,” was a minimal two-song cassette recorded in their kitchen—they released their self-titled debut album with Fatcat Records, a killer record with upbeat, high-energy songs with unusual lyrics, like “Killer Bangs” and “Super Rat.” cat Myers has since replaced McVicar as drummer, but their outlook hasn’t changed one bit, and are set to release their impending sophomore album, Babes Never Die, which, judging from the singles released so far, is just as much a testament to tweeddale’s unique and dynamic songwriting as their first. MAYA McoMIE. Bunk Bar, 1028 SE Water Ave. 9:30 pm. $10. 21+.
PRIMER c o U R t E SY o F FAc E B o o K
FRIDAY, NOV. 4
The Seeds of Post-Emo Emo’s current crop of stars would sound a lot different without the Appleseed Cast. While Alternative Press and the Warped Tour spent the mid-2000s pimping boy bands with Mesa stacks and straightened hair, the Lawrence, Kan., group drifted off into space. Beloved for their mastery of shimmering ambience and earnest catharsis, Appleseed Cast created the blueprint for bands like Prawn, Moving Mountains and many others who prefer their punk rock a bit twinkly. Here’s a guide to the band’s rich catalog of full-lengths, which truly has something for everyone. PETE COTTELL.
The End of the Ring Wars (1998)
A confident debut that’s rough in all the right places, the buildup and release of “The Last Ring” and “16 Days” are portents of where founding singer-guitarist Chris Crisci’s focus would shift as the band emerged from the shadow of Sunny Day Real Estate and Mineral.
Mare Vitalis (1999) Sean Hayes, Tim Carr, Charley Crockett On their most essential album, Crisci and guitarist Aaron Pillar split
[FoLK SoUL] not to be confused with the actor who played Jack on Will & Grace, the musician Sean Hayes is gritty, subdued, unobtrusive and deserving of greater recognition beyond that from his inclusion on a Starbucks compilation. When not relegated to background music, Hayes’ plainspoken lyrics and bare-minimum arrangements shine through his overlying “listenability.” His new LP, Low Light, misses the mark on some experimentation with electronic sounds, but the country-influenced “naked as the Sun” and organ-carried “Magic Slim” feel magically genreless and easy. ISABEL ZAcHARIAS. Doug Fir Lounge, 830 E Burnside St., 503-231-9663. 9 pm. Free. $20 advance, $22 day of show. 21+.
Zeds Dead, Big Wild, Oshi
[HoUSE on IcE] composed of canadians Dylan Mamid and Zach Rapp-Rovan, Zeds Dead is a collaboration-loving electronic act hot off its glowstick-approved debut, Northern Lights. the record sets eclectic cameos from twin Shadow and Rivers cuomo to dance-heavy beats grounded in house, glitch and dubstep. the underlying chilliness is the best part, giving fist-pumping EDM a much needed dose of moodiness. If odesza is any kind of example, Zeds Dead is on a trajectory towards quite a few sold out tours. MARK StocK. Roseland Theater, 8 NW 6th Ave. 8 pm. Sold out. All ages.
Peter Hook and the Light
[GLooM RocK] Depending whose side you’re on regarding Hooky versus the Remaining Members of Joy Division-cum-new order, you’re either already hyped for this gig or firmly hanging on to your $20. When Peter Hook first toured with a new band in 2010, it was presented as a founding member of the legendary
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the difference between their post-rock future and the driving punk that birthed the band. Look no further than “Mare Mortis” and “Santa Maria” for the cascading arpeggios and percussive flurry that defined the band’s sound for years to come.
Low Level Owl, Vols. I & II (2001)
The sonic sprawl of this double album is either the most ambitious or most pretentious thing to come out of the genre. Littered with tape loops and washes of noise, it’s easy enough to skip ahead to favorites like “On Reflection” and “Steps and Numbers” for a more efficient experience. Either way, it’s the platonic ideal of a stoner emo epic.
Two Conversations (2003)
Arguing over the digression to this record’s more straightforward and polished sound is a popular pastime of most hardcore fans. A spin of “Hanging Marionette” will help you decide for yourself.
Peregrine (2006)
Crisci and Pillar reconvened after a brief hiatus with a hi-fi throwback to the streamlined confluence of styles that made Mare Vitalis pop. “Ceremony” is a post-rock banger worthy of canonization, while the breakneck crescendo on “Woodland Hunter, Part 1” is a thundering payoff that’s been fucking with people’s car stereos for a decade.
Sagarmatha (2009)
Alongside Mare Vitalis, the mercurial drift of Sagarmartha is the perfect document of the Appleseed Cast in peak form.
Illumination Ritual (2013)
Following the departure of Pillar, Crisci emerged as the band’s lone architect. The scuttling rhythms and jangling riffs of “Great Lake Derelict” are classic Appleseed Cast, while “Cathedral Rings” has emerged as a favorite of fans who are just now discovering the band via the praise of the group’s much younger acolytes. SEE IT: the Appleseed cast plays Mississippi Studios, 3939 n Mississippi Ave., with caspian, on Friday, nov. 4. 9 pm. $15 advance, $17 day of show. 21+. Willamette Week NOVEMBER 2, 2016 wweek.com
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MUSIC
Genders plays Mississippi Studios on Saturday, Nov. 5 post-punk group, giving fans performances of the precise era that has come to be heralded as sacred. Since then, he’s incorporated a wider breadth of the catalog of a band who—let’s not forget— is still very active without him. If the dark, post-apocalyptic doom rock of Protomartyr or Interpol ever got you shuffling a somber two-step, here’s a chance to share the air with someone who helped invent it. CRIS LANKENAU. Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell St., 503284-8686. 9 pm. $23 advance, $25 day of show. 21+.
SATURDAY, NOV. 5 Darlingside, Frances Luke Accord
[WITTY FOLK] Darlingside’s blend of classical music, ’60s folk and bluegrass in its particular brand of indie folk makes it very easy to listen to—the harmonies of the combined voices and delicate finger-picking create a rounded and relaxing sound that’s like a less-intense Fleet Foxes and a less brooding the National. The Massachusetts group has released two full-length albums so far, last year’s Birds Say and 2012’s Pilot Machines. Both heavily feature a wry and often enigmatic witticism the group is known for, which may be due to the fact that all the band members attended Williams College, a small, well-regarded school in a small town—the type of place where young people bond over the arts and music and other cerebral things. MAYA MCOMIE. Alberta Rose Theatre, 3000 NE Alberta St. 8 pm. $18 advance, $20 day of show. Under 21 permitted with parent or guardian.
Beat Connection, Brothers From Another, Phone Call
[ELECTRO FUSION] Two full-lengths and a handful of singles into their career, Seattle’s Beat Connection is driven more by the varying tastes of mastermind Reed Juenger than by goals to chase whatever’s trending on SoundCloud that week. Familiar elements of house, soul, jazz and tropicália are all fair game for Beat Connection’s dense and danceable pop music, which is best exemplified on the handful of club-ready tracks that highlight 2015’s Product 3. PETE COTTELL. Doug Fir Lounge, 830 E Burnside St., 503231-9663. 9 pm. $12. $12. 21+.
Stewart Villain, Donte Thomas, Samuel the 1st, DG, Laine Bohanan, Dee Hernandez + Skoobie Hdstar Carthon
[PORTLAND CREAM] A lot of MCs may dabble in production and vice versa, but over the past few years Portland’s Stewart Villain, who will celebrate the release of the muchanticipated Walking Cliche, has been equally committed to both fields. He’s produced for artists ranging from Cool Nutz to Tope to Myke Bogan, and his classic solo joint, “Smoking x Trippy,” should be required listening for anyone who just started fucking with Portland hip-hop in 2016. Also on the bill is Donte Thomas, who has firmly
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established himself as a Top 5 live hip-hop act in town with a string of incredible performances in support of his album Grayscale, which is one of the best local releases of the year. BLAKE HICKMAN. Hawthorne Theatre, 1507 SE César E. Chávez Blvd. 8 pm. $7-$10 advance, $15 day of show. All ages.
Genders, Máscaras, Laura Palmer’s Death Parade
[DREAM ROCK] Portland’s Genders have mastered the gentle art of stacking guitar riffs for spirit, as opposed to intensity. Celebrating the release of their latest EP, Phone Home, Maggie Morris and company’s marriage of bubbling hooks and measured rock often brings to mind fellow Rose City groups Pure Bathing Culture and Houndstooth. Come early for Papi Fimbres’ always enjoyable, always animalistic percussion performances as a member of Máscaras. MARK STOCK. Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi Ave., 503-288-3895. 9 pm. $10. 21+.
Classixx
[HOUSEY ELECTRO-POP] If you hate Los Angeles because everything and everyone there is sunny and stoned and beautiful all year long, look no further than Classixx to validate your scorn. The DJ duo attended middle and high school together in the suburbs, came together in their 20s with the name Young Americans and then, in a very un-L.A.-like recognition of their inevitable aging and mortality, shifted to their current moniker. As electro has become sparser and darker, Classixx has insisted on staying loose, majorkeyed, danceable and shimmery. This year’s Faraway Reach, which features guest vocals from T-Pain and Passion Pit’s Michael Angelakos, is proof that their formula works quite well. ISABEL ZACHARIAS. Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell St., 503-284-8686. 9 pm. $18-$22. All ages.
SUNDAY, NOV. 6 The Struts, Black Pistol Fire
[UPSTAGED] The Struts is a fitting name for a band whose vision is to emulate the sound and showmanship of rock-’n’-roll legends like Michael Jackson, Mick Jagger and Freddie Mercury. Frontman Luke Spiller embodies the theatricality and vocal delivery of these notorious performers, which along with backing drum beats and guitar riffs that would fit right in with hard rock from the ’70s, makes this English glam-rock band a welcome revisit of the era before indie rock saturated music culture. 2014’s debut Everybody Wants has plenty of rowdy, lively and hypersexualized energy for the nostalgic to dive deep into. MAYA MCOMIE. Hawthorne Theatre, 1507 SE César E. Chávez Blvd. 8:30 pm. $19.50 advance, $24 day of show. All ages.
A$AP Ferg, Playboi Carti, Rob $tone
[NEW YORK TRAP] If Rocky is the face of Harlem’s A$AP Mob, Ferg
John Mayall
[BRITISH BLUES] A god among classic-rock geeks and blues nerds alike, British singer, guitarist and organist John Mayall spent the better part of the early ’60s helping to launch the careers of some of the biggest names in music. People like Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce, Mick Fleetwood and Mick Taylor all spent time in his famed blues outfit before going on to bigger things. Now 82, Mayall celebrates the release of his latest live album, British Blues Journey, with a live performance that is likely to feature some of the next blues legends. Still a shredding instrumentalist by most metrics, Mayall puts on a show to see both for the history and the music—not just for old times’ sake. PARKER HALL. Aladdin Theater, 3017 SE Milwaukie Ave. 8 pm. $35. Under 21 permitted with parent or guardian.
Mac Miller, Soulection feat. Andre Power, Clockworkdj
[AUTO-TUNE] Mac Miller’s latest bears some similarities to Marvin Gaye’s Let’s Get It On, in that it’s something of a theme album about the restorative power of sex. The Divine Feminine sees Miller in a much more focused effort than some of the electronic experiments of his last few releases. The album has some definite high points (Cee Lo sounds more engaged on “We” than any other performances of his from the past 5 years), but in the same year that gave us Drake’s Views, it’s pretty difficult to sit through another rapper who can barely carry a note unassisted for most of the album. BLAKE HICKMAN. Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside St. 8 pm. $30 advance, $35 day of show. All ages.
[DUELING PIANOS] The 20 busy fingers of Portland classical pianists Maria Garcia and Momoko Muramatsu like to wander way beyond the standard classical repertoire. Their program for this twopiano show includes music by Radiohead, Latin American composers and Paul Bowles. Yes, that Paul Bowles, who before absconding to Tangiers to write The Sheltering Sky and other classics was justly regarded as among the most promising young New York composers of the 1940s. The big news is the premiere of a new score the duo commissioned from Dag Gabrielsen for Hans Richter’s 1927 Dada film, Ghosts Before Breakfast. Along with the film, the multimedia show features Agnieszka Laska dancers. BRETT CAMPBELL. Alberta Rose Theatre,
Crazy Jane in Technicolor
[LOCAL CONTEMPORARY CLASSICAL] While the country appears poised to shatter one of the last glass ceilings separating women from equal opportunity, Portland’s Crazy Jane Composers continues
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PREVIEW
PWR BTTM, Bellows, Lisa Prank [GLITTER PUNK] New York duo PWR BTTM makes the kind of witty, restless outsider rock that’s probably getting a lot of kids through the public school system right now. On their energetic and catchy debut, Ugly Cherries, onetime Bard College roommates Liv Bruce and Ben Hopkins create buzzy guitar-driven punk powered by a case of ADD—busy, pacy and borrowing from the likes of Ted Leo and Marnie Stern. Meanwhile, the act’s tenor is fun and unwavering, with a self-deprecating glam and queer persona that spills into head-turning wardrobe choices and lyrics about student loans and gender politics alike. While there’s plenty of tonguein-cheek recreation, PWR BTTM is musically deft, supercharged garage-rock fuzz with power chords and punishing breakdowns. The duo delivers queer sensibilities in the form of quick, badass rock numbers to an indie genre that could use a lot more of that. MARK STOCK. Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi Ave. 9 pm Sunday, Nov. 6. $10 advance, $12 day of show. 21+.
CELEBRATE, COMMISSERATE, COMMISSERATE, OR OR WRITE WRITE IN IN YOUR YOUR OWN OWN REASON REASON TO TO PARTY! PARTY! CELEBRATE,
[BLUES ROCK] From a highfalutin preparatory school (with Steve Miller as a classmate) to singing shuffles about juke joints, gambling and rambling, the Boz is the best and bluest-eyed of blue-eyed soul. Trying out R&B and jazz rock before following the San Francisco psych-rock gold rush of the late ’60s, Scaggs ended up with a discography of mostly straight-ahead rock singles, with some funk-forward numbers like “Lowdown” here and there. A jack of all trades and, somehow, also a master of all, any opportunity to see Scaggs perform is a golden one. ISABEL ZACHARIAS. Revolution Hall, 1300 SE Stark St., No. 110. 8 pm. $56.50-$85 general admission, $185 VIP tour package, $225 front-row VIP package. All ages.
XX Digitus Duo
[21ST-CENTURY PIANO] Instead of the standard classical music program dominated by familiar works by longdead Europeans, longtime Third Angle New Music pianist Susan Smith will play a big piece by one of today’s most admired and influential composers, Bang on a Can founder and Pulitzer Prize winner David Lang; another by one of the most acclaimed rising young composers, Timo Andres; and a third by one of Portland’s finest composers, Smith’s Lewis & Clark colleague Michael Johanson. The intimate, hourlong program provides a range of moods. Lang’s multimovement elegiac tribute to lost friends, Memory Pieces, veers from wistful to angry to resigned. Andres based his slyly humorous “How Can I Live in Your World of Ideas?” on a cartoon he drew in college that “depicts a young penguin and his parents in a museum, looking at a painting of a naked woman.” Johanson’s ruminative Rhapsody embraces both classical influences and is, the composer says, “highly influenced by the languages of jazz and funk.” With so much vital, timely music being generated by today’s composers, from Portland and beyond, why can’t most classical music concerts be like this? BRETT CAMPBELL. Studio 2 @ N.E.W., 810 SE Belmont St. 7:30 pm Thursday, Nov. 3. $10 student, $20 senior, $25 general admission. All ages.
Grand Grand Central Central Bowl Bowl
Boz Scaggs
CLASSICAL, JAZZ & WORLD
Third Angle Presents Susan Smith
Grand Central Bowl - 808 SE Morrison St.
[DAD PUNK] Wielding the feel-good ‘70s vibes of Thin Lizzy like a firecracker, Chicago’s Mama is a fine example of what happens when punk kids can’t get the sounds of papa-approved classic rock radio out of their heads. If the unexpected success of fellow guitar-rock revivalists Diarrhea Planet is any indicator of how large the audience is for DIY dudes riffing on the Dazed and Confused soundtrack, don’t be surprised to see Mama at incrementally bigger venues with each future visit. PETE COTTELL. The Know, 2026 NE Alberta St. Monday, Nov. 7. 8 pm. Contact venue for ticket prices. 21+.
[SWAVEY] Toronto isn’t often thought of as a place where the flyest rappers are bred, but Tory Lanez has slowly been making a name for himself and his trappedout beats regardless. At just 24 years old, he’s almost always overshadowed by Canada’s other lyrical doyen and former beef-mate Drake, but after nearly a decade of being on the scene, his debut album, I Told You, finally hit the charts with quite a few bangers. Here’s to hoping he’ll play tracks like “To D.R.E.A.M” and “Say It” so we can all get a little swavey. CERVANTE POPE. Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside St. 8 pm. $25 general admission, $32 general admission with album download, $49 VIP, $99 VIP meet and greet. All ages.
at at
Mama, the Rubs, Ladywolf, Moondrake
Tory Lanez, Jacquees, Kranium, DJ VeeCee
3000 NE Alberta St. 7:30 pm Thursday, Nov. 3. $20 advance, $25 day of show. Under 21 permitted with legal guardian.
Tuesday, November 8 3:00 p.m. - Midnight
MONDAY, NOV. 7
TUESDAY, NOV. 8
ANDREW PICCONE PHOTOGRAPHY
is the voice. Ferg is one of the few rappers who can crank out the hits without deliberately shaping or modeling. While it’s undeniable that most rappers use the sharp, sub-bassy beats of trap as a foolproof way to disguise their absence of lyrical content, Ferg, the “Trap Lord” himself, uses the genre as a diary. His voice is real, and the top-to-bottom bangers on his latest, Always Strive and Prosper, are really real. HENRY SMITH. Roseland Theater, 8 NW 6th Ave. 8 pm. $26.50 general admission, $58.50 A$AP Ferg VIP early entry, $73.50 Playboi Carti VIP, $97.50 A$AP Ferg VIP meet and greet. All ages.
WILLAM ETTE WEEK P R ESENTS
DATES HERE
Willamette Week NOVEMBER 2, 2016 wweek.com
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MUSIC its own campaign for compositional equality in a field long dominated by old white guys. Thanks maybe to their outsider perspective, this sixth annual showcase of new music by Portland female composers promises to be as fresh as the first five. Not only is the music new and homegrown, it includes unusual instruments like bandoneon (the Argentine button accordion played here by Portland tango master Alex Krebs), amplified harpsichord, purple-wigged theatrics, dance and improvised movement, and some of the city’s top classical musicians. BRETT CAMPBELL. Lincoln Recital Hall at Portland State University, 1620 SW Park Ave., 503-725-3105. 7:30 pm Friday, Nov. 4. $20. All ages.
Bill Frisell
[RAMBLING CLASSICS] There’s a wistful beauty to the way legendary jazz guitarist Bill Frisell gently pulls melodies out of his Telecaster, akin to watching one of the great masters paint. Every stroke of sound is softly pulled through the ether with a calm, calculated intent. This is especially true in the context of his latest record, When You Wish Upon a Star, in which the whitehaired wizard reinterprets classic TV and film themes. Frisell and his quintet infuse their grit-laden souls into each classic soundtrack, ending with daring reinventions of classics that would play seamlessly in the background of an old country store. You can practically smell the leather. PARKER HALL. Aladdin Theater, 3017 SE Milwaukie Ave. 8 pm Friday, Nov. 4. $30 advance, $35 day of show. Under 21 permitted with legal guardian.
Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony
[CLASSICAL] Beethoven’s sixth symphony found him trying his hand at “characteristic” music—a pastoral exploration of nature, birdsong, thunderstorm and folk dance.
dates here In lesser hands, this might have been a simple entertainment, but Beethoven truly loved nature and abhorred city life as his age and deafness deepened. This program begins with one of Schumann’s few orchestral works, a vivacious Overture, Scherzo and Finale, which excise the usual slower movement. The centerpiece between these two 19th-century works is Frank Martin’s Concerto for Seven Wind Instruments, Timpani, Percussion and Strings from 1949. Martin was adventurous in his tonalities, making this the most interesting and challenging music presented by guest conductor Hans Graf. NATHAN CARSON. Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 SW Broadway, 503-248-4335. 7:30 pm Saturday and Monday, 2 pm Sunday, Nov. 5-7. $23-$105. All ages.
Moon Hooch, Honeycomb, DoveDriver
[BRASS ACT] No one makes music quite like New York’s Moon Hooch. Whereas other modern dance acts—namely electronic ones— might revel in glitchy percussion and bass, the former buskers drop the dedicated low-end in favor of a single drummer and dueling saxophones, the likes of which haven’t been seen since Bob Seger released the ill-fated Back in ’72. On the Hooch’s third LP, Red Sky, saxophonists Mike Wilbur and Wenzl McGowen are acrobats with a reed, agile and prone to unpredictable stops, and James Muschler provides just the right amount of urgency behind the kit. The cacophony of muscular horns and drums is only better when there’s dancing room to spare. BRANDON WIDDER. Dante’s, 350 W Burnside St. 9 pm Saturday, Nov. 5. $12. 21+.
For more Music listings, visit
@ARTDRuNKPuNK
PREVIEW
Alice Bag, Hurry Up,
Sex Crime, Macho Boys
[FEMME PUNK PIONEER] The roots of riot grrrl are tangled and varied, but it’s no stretch to say we may not have had Bikini Kill without the Bags. One of the few female voices in the L.A. punk scene explored by Penelope Spheeris in her 1981 documentary, The Decline of Western Civilization, Bags frontwoman Alice Bag has been punching and kicking her way to the top of a genre that might still be a boys’ club without her. An outspoken author and activist on the frontlines of feminism, it wasn’t until June of this year that Bag released her debut as a solo musician. Propelled by the juxtaposition of bittersweet ’60s girl group numbers and power chord-driven punk anthems that are the closest thing the genre has to a “classic” sound by now, Alice Bag serves as a brash and fearless reminder of her presence rather than a buzz-building grab for relevance. When your heroes’ heroes resurface with something important to say, it’s best that you listen. PETE COTTELL. The Know, 2026 NE Alberta St., 503-473-8729. 8 pm Saturday, Nov. 5. Contact venue for ticket prices. 21+. Willamette Week NOVEMBER 2, 2016 wweek.com
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MUSIC CALENDAR WED. NOV. 2 Ash Street Saloon
225 SW Ash St The Ocean, North, The Gorge, Velaraas
Crystal Ballroom
1332 W Burnside St NOFX, Pears, Useless ID
Doug Fir Lounge
830 E Burnside St. The Parson Red Heads, Norman, John Gnorksi
Hawthorne Theatre
1507 SE César E. Chávez Blvd. The Moth & The Flame, Young Rising Sons, 888
Holocene
1001 SE Morrison St. Holding Space & YGB Present: Youthhood
Jimmy Mak’s
Lewi Longmire & the Left Coast Roasters; Whim Grace, Willow House 3939 N Mississippi Ave. Chris Cohen, Bouquet, Holiday Friends
Star Theater
The Analog Cafe
Aladdin Theater
2026 NE Alberta St Shadowhouse, Running, Male Gaze, Vice Device
The O’Neil Public House
3120 N. Williams Avenue, Andrew White, Whim
Twilight Cafe and Bar 1420 SE Powell Suede Razors, Chartbusters, Junto.
White Eagle Saloon 836 N Russell St Pig Honey, the Wilder Society
FRI. NOV. 4
Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
Wonder Ballroom 128 NE Russell St. Nicolas Jaar
THURS. NOV. 3 Alberta Rose
3000 NE Alberta St XX Digitus Duo
Ash Street Saloon
225 SW Ash St Right Lane Ends, Saving Aether, Red Letter, Tomorrows Dream
Doug Fir Lounge
830 E Burnside St. T Sisters, Moorea Masa, Austin Quattlebaum
Duff’s Garage
2530 NE 82nd Ave James Counts Band
Edgefield
2126 SW Halsey St Troutdale OR 97060 JT Wise Band
Hawthorne Theatre
1507 SE César E. Chávez Blvd. Finish Ticket, Run River North, Irontom
Jimmy Mak’s
221 NW 10th Ave. Mel Brown B3 Organ Group
LaurelThirst Public House 2958 NE Glisan St
225 SW Ash St Dwight Church, Dwight Dickinson, Eddie Kancer, Mike Moldy and The Shenanigans, Dem Bedlam Boys
The Lovecraft Bar
The Liquor Store
836 N Russell St Megan Slankard + Nathan Earle
Ash Street Saloon
3341 SE Belmont St, Silver Ships, Hannah Yeun
Aladdin Theater
White Eagle Saloon
1037 SW Broadway Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony
The Know
2845 SE Stark St Left Coast Country, Dodgy Mountain Men 3341 SE Belmont St, Jenny Don’t & The Spurs, Denver, Portland Country Underground
Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
2845 SE Stark St Pura Vida Orquestra
The Waypost
The Goodfoot
3017 SE Milwaukie Ave John Mayall
The Goodfoot
Moda Center
The Analog Cafe
MON. NOV. 7
720 SE Hawthorne Blvd. Mandarin Dynasty, Love/ Fuck, Lloyd Daylight
3939 N Mississippi Ave. Mangchi, Kid Koala
720 SE Hawthorne Blvd. Roni Lee; From Indian Lakes, Made Violent, Wild Wild Horses
The O’Neil Public House
836 N Russell St The Ugly Architect
6000 NE Glisan St. Blue Flags & Black Grass. PDX All-Star Jug Band
8 NW 6th Ave Steel Panther, Future Villains
2845 SE Stark St Grateful Bluegrass Boys
White Eagle Saloon
810 SE Belmont St., Third Angle Presents Susan Smith
421 SE Grand Ave HXXS, Swinney, ASOS
Roseland Theater
The Goodfoot
Studio 2 @ N.E.W.
LaurelThirst Public House
1 N Center Court St Five Finger Death Punch, Shinedown, Sixx A.M.
A$AP Ferg, Playboi Carti, Rob $tone
6000 NE Glisan St. Kinvara
13 NW 6th Ave. Metalesque Fest w/ R.I.P. and DJ Nate C.
The Liquor Store
Mississippi Studios
LAST WEEK LIVE
Mississippi Studios
221 NW 10th Ave. The Christopher Brown Quartet; Mel Brown Quartet
2958 NE Glisan St Malachi Graham
[NOV 2-8]
For more listings, check out wweek.com.
THOMAS TEAL
= WW Pick. Highly recommended.
Editor: Matthew Singer. TO HAVE YOUR EVENT LISTED, send show information at least two weeks in advance on the web at wweek.com/ submitevents. Press kits, CDs and especially vinyl can be sent to Music Desk, WW, 2220 NW Quimby St., Portland, OR 97210. Please include show or release date information with all physical mailings. Email: music@wweek.com.
3017 SE Milwaukie Ave Bill Frisell
1037 SW Broadway The Head and the Heart, Declan McKenna
Ash Street Saloon
225 SW Ash St Millhous, Toe Tag, Bomb Squad, Dead Friends
Bunk Bar
1028 SE Water Ave. Honeyblood, Hazel English
Crystal Ballroom
1332 W Burnside St Cherub, Frenship, Boo Seeka
Dante’s
350 West Burnside Metalesque Fest Closing Night w/Jamie Von Stratton and DJ Nate C,
Doug Fir Lounge
830 E Burnside St. Sean Hayes, Tim Carr, Charley Crockett
Bunk Bar
1028 SE Water Ave. Elephant Stone,
A FRENZIED FAREWELL: As anticipated, The Dillinger Escape Plan’s sold-out show Oct. 26 at Dante’s was a pulverizing torrent of good-natured violence that rarely let up. A dazzling flash of LED lights backlit the band members as they took the stage, and within seconds the crowd was thrashing in time with “Limerent Death” and “Panasonic Youth.” The former, which opens this year’s swan-song album, Dissociation, finds vocalist Greg Puciato doing a serviceable impersonation of the sleazebag yowling that Mike Patton of Faith No More offered when he briefly held the job on Dillinger’s 2002 EP, Irony Is a Dead Scene. Puciato is a fine singer, but even better is his staccato screaming that careens headlong into the oddly sing-songy endings of “Farewell, Mona Lisa” and “Hero of the Soviet Union.” No one would consider crowd favorites like these “easy listening,” but the group has the ability to write songs you’d actually sing along to in your car. For a band so notoriously abrasive and unapproachable to outsiders, the number of anthemic and uplifting moments during the show’s carnage was a pleasant surprise. As the bedlam of finale “43% Burnt” wound down and guitarist Ben Weinman crowd-surfed his way back onto the stage, the answer to why Dillinger chose to play a small venue like Dante’s emerged in a tender scene that may have been lost at a larger place. “This is the part where we say we’ll see you next time,” Puciato said, “but there won’t be a next time.” PETE COTTELL. Jimmy Mak’s
221 NW 10th Ave. Tales Untold CD release event, with Brian Copeland
Kenton Club
2025 N Kilpatrick St C Average, Diesto, A Volcano, Maximum Mad
LaurelThirst Public House
2958 NE Glisan St Deadstring Family Band; Baby Gramps
Lincoln Recital Hall at Portland State University
1620 SW Park Avenue Crazy Jane in Technicolor
Lombard Pub
3416 N Lombard St Buttercup, New Not Normals, Nuclear Green
Ponderosa Lounge
10350 N Vancouver Way, Rock ‘N Roll Cowboys
Roseland Theater
The Know
2026 NE Alberta St Secret Drum Band, Nocturnal Habits, Dragging an Ox
The Lovecraft Bar 421 SE Grand Ave Unix, Decomp
The Old Church
1422 SW 11th Ave Amanda Richards & The Good Long Whiles
The O’Neil Public House 6000 NE Glisan St. Tenbrook
The Raven
3100 NE Sandy Blvd Ulcerate, Zhrine, Phobocosm
The Secret Society
116 NE Russell St Stoneface Honey, Patina, The Redeemed; The Barn Door Slammers
White Eagle Saloon
2530 NE 82nd Ave Ken DeRouchie Band; Rockin’ Ricki
8 NW 6th Ave Zeds Dead, Big Wild, Oshi
836 N Russell St King Charles, Matthew Fountain; Makaena Durias
Skyline Tavern
Hawthorne Theatre
8031 NW Skyline Blvd Veronica Sbergia & Max De Bernardi
Wonder Ballroom
Duff’s Garage
1507 SE César E. Chávez Blvd. Anthony B & The Born Fire Band, Speakers Minds w/ MC Mic Crenshaw & DJ King Toby
High Water Mark Lounge
6800 NE MLK Ave Bootblacks, Liste Noire, The Secret Light, Sex Park
Holocene
1001 SE Morrison St. Gryffin
Star Theater
13 NW 6th Ave. Melvin Seals and JGB, Asher Fulero
The Analog Cafe
720 SE Hawthorne Blvd. Yesteryear, Rachael Miles, John Miller
The Firkin Tavern 1937 SE 11th Ave Matt Lindley Band, Mutineers
128 NE Russell St. Peter Hook and the Light
SAT. NOV. 5 Alberta Rose
3000 NE Alberta St Darlingside, Frances Luke Accord
Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
1037 SW Broadway Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony
Ash Street Saloon 225 SW Ash St
The Georgetown Orbits, The Bandulus, Heavy City
Leslie Lou & the Lowburners
Crystal Ballroom
Star Theater
1332 W Burnside St Slightly Stoopid, Fortunate Youth, Perro Bravo
Dante’s
350 West Burnside Moon Hooch, Honeycomb, DoveDriver
Doug Fir Lounge
13 NW 6th Ave. Random Rab
The Analog Cafe
720 SE Hawthorne Blvd. Golem, Three For Silver; Through the Roots; the Sheeple, the Liars, Never Going to Make It, Wow Get a Life
830 E Burnside St. Beat Connection, Brothers From Another, Phone Call
The Blue Room Bar
Duff’s Garage
8145 SE 82nd Ave, HollowDog
SUN. NOV. 6 Aladdin Theater
3017 SE Milwaukie Ave Dylan Moran
Alberta Rose
3000 NE Alberta St The Vaudevillians starring Jinkx Monsoon and Major Scales
Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
1037 SW Broadway Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony
The Firkin Tavern
Ash Street Saloon
2530 NE 82nd Ave Kris DeLane
1937 SE 11th Ave Hoons, Holy Tentacles, Elk & Oak
Hawthorne Theatre
The Goodfoot
Dante’s
The O’Neil Public House
Ford Food and Drink
1507 SE César E. Chávez Blvd. Stewart Villain, Donte Thomas, Samuel the 1st, DG, Laine Bohanan, Dee Hernandez + Skoobie Hdstar Carthon
Jimmy Mak’s
221 NW 10th Ave. Sabroso
LaurelThirst Public House
2958 NE Glisan St Jeff Crosby & the Refugees, Benyaro; The Resolectrics; Billy Kennedy
Lombard Pub)
3416 N Lombard St Granite Face, Draculala, Kings and Vagabonds
Mississippi Studios
3939 N Mississippi Ave. Genders, Máscaras, Laura Palmer’s Death Parade
Portland Cider House
3638 SE Hawthorne Blvd.
2845 SE Stark St Jujuba’s Dance Party with Special Guest DJ’s
6000 NE Glisan St. Sista Otis; The Pepper Grinders
Roseland Theater
Shovels & Rope, Indianola
The Secret Society
116 NE Russell St Dr Theopolis, The Frequence; The Libertine Belles
Twilight Cafe and Bar
1420 SE Powell Carve The Earth, Ghostblood, Carnotaurus
White Eagle Saloon 836 N Russell St The Reverb Brothers; Polecat
Wonder Ballroom 128 NE Russell St. Classixx
225 SW Ash St Othrys, Sabateur, Mohawk Yard 350 West Burnside Har Mar Superstar, Sweet Spirit 2505 SE 11th Ave. Much Respect: A Benefit for Willie Matheis
Hawthorne Theatre
1507 SE César E. Chávez Blvd. The Struts, Black Pistol Fire
Holocene
1001 SE Morrison St. Make America Nice Again Party ft. Built to Spill
LaurelThirst Public House
2958 NE Glisan St Freak Mountain Ramblers
Rontoms
600 E Burnside St The Lower 48, Crushed Out, Bruiser Queen
Roseland Theater
8 NW 6th Ave
Crystal Ballroom
1332 W Burnside St Mac Miller, Soulection feat. Andre Power, Clockworkdj
Ford Food and Drink Much Respect: A Tribute to Willie Matheis
Jimmy Mak’s
221 NW 10th Ave. Dan Balmer Trio
LaurelThirst Public House 2958 NE Glisan St Kung Pao Chickens; Portland Country Underground
Revolution Hall
1300 SE Stark St #110 Boz Scaggs
Roseland Theater
8 NW 6th Ave Jon Bellion, Travis Mendes & Blaque Keyz, Alec Benjamin
The Goodfoot
2845 SE Stark St Sonic Forum
The Know
2026 NE Alberta St Mama, The Rubs, Ladywolf, Moondrake
TUES. NOV. 8 Ash Street Saloon
225 SW Ash St Aux. 78, Arbor Daze, Barret C. Stolte, Old Overholt
Crystal Ballroom
1332 W Burnside St Tory Lanez, Jacquees, Kranium, DJ VeeCee
Duff’s Garage
2530 NE 82nd Ave Hi Fi Mojo
Jimmy Mak’s
221 NW 10th Ave. Mel Brown Septet
LaurelThirst Public House 2958 NE Glisan St Jackstraw; Max De Bernardi & Veronica Sbergia, Scott Law
The Analog Cafe
720 SE Hawthorne Blvd. Ultra Magnetic; Assuming We Survive, Avion Roe, Signal Vs Noise
The Goodfoot
2845 SE Stark St Boys II Gentlemen
White Eagle Saloon 836 N Russell St This Is Nothing New
Willamette Week NOVEMBER 2, 2016 wweek.com
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MUSIC COURTESY OF EASY EGG
NEEDLE EXCHANGE
DJ Easy Egg Years DJing: Nine. Genre: Hip-hop and R&B. Where you can catch me regularly: Tube, Fortune, East Chinatown Lounge, Swift Lounge, Church, the 1905. Craziest gig: I played a frat party in Corvallis, and Gorilla Zoe performed live. It was an unruly crowd, with no real security, and they kept knocking down the barriers. We had to stop the music every few minutes to tell the crowd to chill. I truly don’t think I got to mix more than three songs in a row without having to stop the music so we could make announcements. I was sober, so I had a lot of anxiety and was very irritated. My go-to records: It depends on the set. With older music, it’s Janet Jackson’s “Go Deep” and Mobb Deep’s “Shook Ones Part II.” With newer sets, right now it’s Rae Sremmurd’s “Black Beatles” and Yo Gotti’s “Law.” Don’t ever ask me to play: The Chainsmokers. NEXT GIG: DJ Easy Egg spins at Tube, 18 NW 3rd Ave., on Wednesday, Nov. 2.
The Lovecraft Bar 421 SE Grand Ave Shadowplay (goth, industrial)
The Raven
WED. NOV. 2 45 East
315 SE 3rd Ave Black Sun Empire
Ground Kontrol
315 SE 3rd Ave Lane 8 - This Never Happened: Portland
The Lovecraft Bar
832 N Killingsworth St Goth Nite
511 NW Couch St. TRONix
Moloko
The Raven
No Fun
Tube
18 NW 3rd Ave. Easy Egg (hip-hop, r&b)
Willamette Week NOVEMBER 2, 2016 wweek.com
Killingsworth Dynasty
421 SE Grand Ave Event Horizon (darkwave, industrial) 3100 NE Sandy Blvd Wicked Wednesdays (hip hop, soul, funk)
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THURS. NOV. 3 45 East
3967 N. Mississippi Ave. Sappho (disco) 1709 SE Hawthorne Blvd Questionable Decisions (funk, soul, house)
Star Bar
639 SE Morrison St. DJ Glittle Sean
3100 NE Sandy Blvd House Call w/ Richie Staxx & Tetsuo
FRI. NOV. 4 45 East
315 SE 3rd Ave Claude VonStroke
Black Book
20 NW 3rd Ave The Cave (rap)
Crystal Ballroom
1332 W Burnside St 80s Video Dance Attack
Gold Dust Meridian
3267 SE Hawthorne Blvd. DJ AM Gold
Eagle Lodge
4904 SE Hawthorne Blvd. RnB/Soul 45 Party
Where to drink this week.
1.
Kask
EMMA BROWNE
BAR REVIEW
1215 SW Alder St., 503-241-7163, superbitepdx.com/kask. The newish version of West End cocktailery Kask is a brickwalled hidey-hole that serves pro variations of the Tijuana Speedball, Manhattan and Old Fashioned—plus some old-school Kask classics—with near-startling alacrity and satisfying balance.
2.
Saraveza
1004 N Killingsworth St., 503-206-4252, saraveza.com. After a remodel, Saraveza has a great food menu to match its great beer list, including—wonder of wonders!—squeaky Wisconsin-style fried cheese curds for game day.
3.
Patton Maryland
5101 N Interstate Ave., 503-841-6176, pattonmaryland.com. The cocktails will get a Jersey girl drunk on milk and Coke—plus bourbon and coffee liqueur—while the greattimes-three grandson of Queen Victoria will make you smoked brisket you can eat on a big ol’ patio.
4.
Dame
2930 NE Killingsworth St., 503-227-2669, damerestaurant.com. The wine list at Dame already makes it Portland’s most interesting wine destination, home to the finest naturalwine list within 500 miles.
5.
Locale
4330 N Mississippi Ave., 503-946-1614, localepdx.com. Winter is coming. And this beer- and vermouthhappy coffee spot seems to have invented something odd and new and wonderful as the chill seeps into your bones: two parts cider, one part Spanish vermouth. And it’s weirdly heaven. Coffee cocktails are promised soon. Killingsworth Dynasty 832 N Killingsworth St Lez Do It
Moloko
3967 N. Mississippi Ave. Frankeee B (scandinavian synthetic funk)
Sandy Hut
1430 NE Sandy Blvd. DJ Craceface
Star Bar
639 SE Morrison St. Uncontrollable Urge w/ DJ Paultimore
The Goodfoot
2845 SE Stark St First Friday Superjam (funk, soul, disco)
The Liquor Store
3341 SE Belmont St, Uplift
The Lovecraft Bar
421 SE Grand Ave City Limits w/ Barry Convex & DJ Acid Rick (crime zone death disco... and lots of Fancy)
ONCE MORE: The Raven arrived under cover of night, the spirit of long-lost Tonic perched upon the signpost out on Sandy. Briefly, there had been Panic. Or, at least, Panic Room: Caution High Volume Bar—the name it was christened by the devil Jon Taffer, host of the TV show Bar Rescue. But when booker Chris Trumpower took over—he also books Dekum haunt the High Water Mark—he found the Panic Room branding was getting in the way of his efforts to book bands. So, in August, it became The Raven (3100 NE Sandy Blvd., 503-2380543, theravenpdx.com). Since then, it hasn’t flown far from what the Tonic was for years: a witch-house home to doom and punk and dark rock and EDM odds and ends. It is also home to a regular crowd that maybe haunted Old Town clubs at the turn of the millennium but now band together here in crisp-brimmed hats and “Blackout Boyz” T-shirts. They introduce themselves as “Jai” or “Messy Jessy” or “London.” The Sharpie graffiti again covers the restroom walls alongside the residue of band stickers on the mirrors, and the walls remain panic-room gray. The bacon and blue-cheese burger is back on the menu, and three people were eating it, always with tots. One Sunday, you might find the bar briefly closed for cleanup after hundreds of scantily clad hairy men took over the place for a naughty Beardlandia afternoon. A punk show was scheduled later in the night in the backroom venue that’s been newly equipped with a thumping sound system. And on a recent Thursday, the front-room DJ’s trap set was lit by epileptic seizure-inducing strobes, lottery machines and the faint light from an Avengers pinball machine in the pool-tabled game room. The pool table was always occupied, the dance floor less so. One woman danced in platform sneaks on the carpeted floor—slowly, so as to conserve her energy. It was going to be a long night, and she had no plans of stopping. MATTHEW KORFHAGE. The Steep and Thorny Way to Heaven SE 2nd Ave. & Hawthorne Blvd Brickbat Mansion presents Darkswoon (shoegaze, goth)
Whiskey Bar
31 NW 1st Ave DJ Nobody, Low End Theory, Alpha Pup
SAT. NOV. 5 45 East
315 SE 3rd Ave Ferry Corsten & Betsie Larkin
Club 21
2035 NE Glisan St. DJ Joey Prude
Crush Bar
1400 SE Morrison Pants OFF Dance OFF: Post Apocalyptic
Holocene
1001 SE Morrison St. Roll, Bounce: Roller Derby Afterparty
Kenton Club
2025 N Kilpatrick St Club Nitty Gritty: Pre-Election Dance Party
Killingsworth Dynasty 832 N Killingsworth St DJ Maxx Bass
Moloko
3967 N. Mississippi Ave. Roane (hip-hop, soul, boogie)
Sandy Hut
1430 NE Sandy Blvd. DJ Sean Rock & Rule
Star Bar
639 SE Morrison St. DJ OverCol
The Liquor Store
3341 SE Belmont St, Disco Breaks V1
The Lovecraft Bar
421 SE Grand Ave Expressway to Yr Skull (shoegaze, goth, dance)
Whiskey Bar
31 NW 1st Ave Eliot Han (techno)
SUN. NOV. 6 Star Theater
13 NW 6th Ave. Church of Hive (gothic)
The Lovecraft Bar
421 SE Grand Ave Sad Day w/ Buckmaster
MON. NOV. 7 Ground Kontrol
511 NW Couch St. Reagan-o-mix (new wave, hip-hop, soundtrack)
Star Bar
639 SE Morrison St. Metal Monday w/ DJ Cranium
The Lovecraft Bar
421 SE Grand Ave Black Mass (goth, industrial, new wave)
TUES. NOV. 8 Tube
18 NW 3rd Ave. Tubesdays
Willamette Week NOVEMBER 2, 2016 wweek.com
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Willamette Week NOVEMBER 2, 2016 wweek.com
PERFORMANCE REVIEW
= WW Pick. Highly recommended. Most prices listed are for advance ticket sales. At-the-door increases and so-called convenience charges may apply, so it’s best to call ahead.
THEATER NEW LISTINGS As You Like It
The Steep and Thorny Way to Heaven is going all out for their production of As You Like It. With the help of theater company Speculative Drama and an LGBTQ diverse cast, they’re in a position to bring a modern eye to the gender bending in the Shakespearian comedy. Plus, their production of the play (which features one of Shakespeare’s most awesome heroines) will be immersive. Given that The Steep and Thorny Way has fairly ambitious content and staging goals, there’s a chance that their As You Like It could feel pointlessly arty. Or it could be awesome. Given their track record, it will probably be awesome. The Steep and Thorny Way to Heaven, SE 2nd Ave. and Hawthorne Blvd., thesteepandthornywaytoheaven.com. 7:30 pm Thursday-Saturday, Nov. 4-26. No show Thursday, Nov. 24. $10-$22.
Bright Half Life
With its ambitious blend of romance, politics and time-hopping, Bright Half Life is a compelling end to Profile’s Tanya Barfield season. The play charts the course of a relationship between Vicky (Maureen Porter) and Erica (Chantal DeGroat) from 1985 to 2031. Like much of Barfield’s work, the play has a political dimension—during the 1980s, Erica is involved with the gay rights movement in New York—and is written in intensely personal and arguably autobiographical terms. There are no props and hardly any sets, but with a narrative that journeys through marriage, parenthood and ultimately divorce, Bright Half Life promises to pack an emotional punch. BENNETT CAMPBELL FERGUSON. Profile Theatre, 1507 SW Morrison St., profiletheatre.org. 7:30 pm WednesdaySaturday, 2 pm Sunday, through Nov. 13. Additional show 11 am Wednesday, Nov. 2. $20-$36.
From the Envelope of Suicide
When storyteller Ben Moorad’s grandfather died, he left behind a envelope full of newspaper clippings about suicide. Unbeknownst to Moorad’s family, his grandfather had begun to study suicide in 1940s Connecticut. This discovery sparked Moorad’s one man show From the Envelope of Suicide. Each week is a different episode in which Moorad explores questions prompted by his grandfather’s research. He does this with the help of newspaper clippings, a projector and live music. Moorad hopes to turn his material into a book, so it’s perhaps for exploratory reasons that his shows aren’t afraid to ramble. But it’s clearly a creatively interesting format, and since each show is a new performance, who knows what you’re gonna get. Shout House, 210 SE Madison St., envelopeofsuicides.com. 7 pm Thursday, through Nov. 17. $10.
The Oregon Trail
Who knows why every late ’90s kid enjoyed digitally dying of cholera and measles, but The Oregon Trail is a cultural touchstone for that generation. Proof: there’s a play about it. In the play’s dual universes there’s “Now Jane” playing the computer game and “Then Jane” on the actual Oregon Trail. Naturally, some textbook juxtaposition occurs: Now Jane struggles to get off her couch, Then Jane struggles with life in a covered wagon. According to playwright Bekah Brunstetter, the setup it more than just some gimmick,
R U SS E L L J. YO U N G
Editor: SHANNON GORMLEY (sgormley@wweek.com). TO BE CONSIDERED FOR LISTINGS, submit information at least two weeks in advance to: sgormley@wweek.com@wweek.com.
though. Under its comedic surface, the play intends to deal with real shit like depression and giving context to cozy First World problems. Portland Center Stage, 128 NW 11th Ave., pcs.org. 7:30 pm Tuesday-Sunday, 2 pm SaturdaySunday, noon Thursday, through Nov. 20. No 2 pm show Saturday, Nov. 5, no 7:30 show Sunday, Nov. 13. $25-$70
ALSO PLAYING Coyote on a Fence
It’s notable when the Shakespeare devotees at over at Post5 decide to put on a play that the Bard didn’t write. It’s even more notable when that deviation is the second debate-style play in Portland this month, asking its audience to sympathize with figures usually deemed unsympathetic. Coyote on a Fence comes on the heels of Third Rail’s production of The Nether, a play about virtual-reality pedophiles. Coyote on a Fence deals with someone way harder to find sympathetic than a pedophile: a mass murdering racist. It profiles two men on death row: one who publishes a newsletter in which he praises his fellow inmates positive attributes and mentions none of their crimes, and one who burned down a church full of people in the name of white supremacy. Post5 Theatre, 1666 SE Lambert St., post5theatre.org. 7:30 pm Friday-Sunday, Nov. 4-19. Additional show 7:30 pm Thursday, Nov. 17. $20 Friday-Saturday, pay what you will Sunday and Thursday.
ON THE JOB: Kelly (Tiffany Groben) struggles to meet a client’s demands.
On Edge
El Muerto Vagabondo
Milagro’s Day of the Dead show is inspired by tales of homeless citizens dying without a family to remember them. The bilingual, devised show imagines spirits that return on the Day of the Dead with no family to visit. Though Portland is not exactly lacking in agitprop theater, this particular play takes it to a new level: there’s a study guide on Milagro’s website. Milagro Theatre, 525 SE Stark St., milagro.org. 7:30 pm Thursday-Saturday, 2 pm Sunday, Nov. 3-6. $20-$27.
Head. Hands. Feet.
Portland may be host to plenty of creepy theater, but few directors are as unafraid to get downright unsettling as Samantha Van Der Merwe. Her latest effort for Shaking the Tree is Head. Hands. Feet., a show comprised of two ensemble devised pieces based on myths and fairy tales about dismemberment. The first half draws on three grisly tales from Hans Christian Anderson, The Brothers Grimm, and Charles Perrault, while the second turns to Euripides’ tragic telling of the sacrifice of Iphigenia. But despite its preoccupation with bloodbaths, the play won’t be empty shock and awe: Van Der Merwe’s sense of the macabre is just as poetic is it is gross. Shaking the Tree Warehouse, 823 SE Grant St., shaking-the-tree.com. 7:30 pm ThursdaySaturday, Nov. 3-5. $5-$25.
Hir
Perhaps a dysfunctional family doesn’t seem like particularly fresh subject matter for a play. But Taylor Mac’s Hir takes the well worn subject matter to a new level of absurdity. The play, which first premiered less than a year ago, centers around a family with a formerly abusive dad incapacitated by a stroke, a mother who uses her husband’s disability to take revenge in the form of constant humiliation, a son who’s just returned from being dis-
CONT. on page 44
BEIRUT WEDDING’S DEBUT FEATURES DILDOS AND DEAD BABIES. BY SHA N N ON GOR MLEY
sgormley@wweek.com
For its first production, the Beirut Wedding World Theatre Project chose a setup that’s promisingly weird. In Reborning, Kelly (Tiffany Groben) designs lifelike baby dolls for parents whose children died in infancy. But when Kelly reveals her backstory early in the play (directed by company co-artistic director and co-founder Bobby Bermea), things get weird in a less compelling way. As a baby, Kelly was thrown into a dumpster. Her fingerprints were Dranoed off and she was stabbed multiple times. It’s a backstory that’s so over the top, it almost feels like it’s intentionally too much. What’s strange about Reborning, though, is the tone feels incredibly serious even when you’d suspect a sense of irreverent irony. Reborning deals mostly with Kelly’s strained relationships with her boyfriend Daizy (a gifted dildo designer played by Murri Lazaroff-Babin) and Emily (Jana Lee Hamblin), one of Kelly’s clients. The characters’ backstories seem to definitively explain their interactions instead of giving them depth: Kelly’s adoptive parents were plastic surgeons, which seems like some rather heavyhanded foreshadowing of her future career creating fake babies. The play is filled with references to Freud, which seems like it could be a meta joke about the backstories that doesn’t totally land. That’s mainly because it’s hard to tell exactly where the play is coming from. At times, it feels like it’s indiscriminately cramming in edgy subjects: dead babies, dildos, drug abuse, creepy baby dolls, jarring music during scene changes.
But the edginess often feels like attempts to be progressive that have fallen short. Take Kelly, for instance. It’s admirable that the play gives a spotlight to a woman who’s been through some serious shit. Getting left in a dumpster as a baby spawned a life that’s not easy: crippling OCD, alcohol abuse, and a past heroin addiction. But the fact most of her character traits can be explained by her backstory make it seem like her troubled past is her only defining feature, and stunts her ability to be seen as a complex character. It would be fine if the play wasn’t interested in challenging conventions, but it does seem like Reborning has conceptual questions it wants to raise. One of the play’s early scenes involves a Freudian discussion between Kelly and Daizy about Kelly’s strange occupation. But the thematic deliberation takes a back seat to Daizy clowning around the stage with an oversized dildo and miming getting head from one of the synthetic babies. However, as the play progresses, Kelly’s mental health and her relationships with the other two characters become more and more strained, which makes it hard to believe the play sees itself as any less than very serious. Even so, the play implies plenty of hope for the new theater company’s future. It’s promising that Reborning seems like it really wants to push boundaries. It’s just confusing which boundaries it’s going for. SEE IT: Reborning plays at Action/Adventure Theatre, 1050 SE Clinton St., beirutwedding.org. 7:30 pm Thursday-Sunday, through Nov. 20. $15-$20. Willamette Week NOVEMBER 2, 2016 wweek.com
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PERFORMANCE
How I Learned What I Learned
Out of all August Wilson’s plays, How I Learned What I Learned is Wilson at his most personal. The monologue recounts Wilson’s own life growing up in Pittsburgh, and shows through his personal experience not only the deeply rooted racial issue of our country, but also how it inspired him to create the body of work he is so esteemed for. The play is in good hands: Victor Mack, the sole actor in the play, has already acted in all but one of Wilson’s other plays. Director Kevin Jones (and founder of The August Wilson Red Door Project) has dealt with his fair share of Wilson’s works, too, and is one of the strongest artistic voices in the effort to make Portland’s theater scene more inclusive. Portland Playhouse, 602 NE Prescott St., portlandplayhouse.org. 7:30 pm Wednesday-Saturday, 2 pm Sunday, Nov. 2-6. $5-$34.
COMEDY & VARIETY Dirty Roast Battle 2016
Reminiscent of Yo Momma battles and ComedySportz, Helium comedians duke it out in this three-round bracket-style comedy tournament. Included in the fray: two regular Helium Open Mic hosts Don Frost and Wendy Weiss. Following each round, it’s up to you to cast your vote for the comedian who best rubbed your funny bone. JACK RUSHALL. Helium Comedy Club, 1510 SE 9th Ave., portland.heliumcomedy.com. 8 pm Wednesday, Nov. 2. $16. 21+
Speechless
Created in light of unfunny businessmen having to make PowerPoint presentations entertaining on a daily basis, this show assigns PowerPoints to comedians. For Speechless, all topics are selected at random, in part by the audience (e.g. you). JACK RUSHALL. The Siren Theater, 315 NW Davis St., sirentheater.com. 8 pm Friday, Nov. 4. $10 advance, $15 at the door.
For more Performance listings, visit
REVIEW OWEN CAREY
honorably discharged from the military, and a daughter in the process of becoming a man. It might not sound that funny, but it is. Still, amid all the madcap, black humor, there’s also plenty of genuine compassion. Defunkt Theatre, 4319 SE Hawthorne Blvd., defunktheater. com. 7:30 pm Thursday-Sunday, Nov. 4-12. $10-$25.
My Daughter Keeps Our Hammer
It’s not often that monologues come with “extreme elements of story and behavior” warnings. Scary campfire stories are probably the closest monologues usually get to an association with horror, and when is the last time you heard a campfire story that was actually scary? But Shaking the Tree know how to do creepy, which makes the dual monologues in My Daughter Keeps Our Hammer right up their alley. Two sisters living in middleof-nowhere farm country tell their stories of feeling trapped by a mother they have to care for, a pet sheep named Vicky, and a disturbing secret they both share. It’s the kind of Southern gothic weirdness you’d find in a Flannery O’Connor story, and plenty unsettling, even though there’s no jump scares and nobody holds a flashlights under their chin (hopefully). Shaking the Tree Theatre, 823 SE Grant St., shaking-the-tree.com. 7:30 pm Wednesday, Nov. 2. Free, $5 suggested donation.
DANCE Reclaimed
Last year, Polaris was evicted from their studio of six years which was bulldozed to make space for condos. But now that they’ve found a new home, they’re starting off their 15th season with a piece that seems like it’s reminding us that they’re here to stay. Reclaimed alludes to the company’s history by sampling choreography from artistic director Robert Guitron’s past shows. Polaris Dance Theatre, 1826 NW 18th Ave., polarisdance. org. 7:30 pm Thursday-Saturday, Nov. 3-12. Additional show 2 pm Saturday, Nov. 12. $25.
Obstacles and Victory Songs
Obstacles and Victory Songs uses movement to look at two seemingly random subjects: shadows and the letter S. Halfway between performance art and dance, the show will debut a new piece by Dora Gaskill (“S-Words”) and another by Stephanie Lavon Trotter (“Sight Shadow”). Both pieces are the products of Trotter’s and Gaskill’s research residencies with Performance Works NorthWest. Performance Works NorthWest, 4625 SE 67th Ave., pwnw-pdx.org. 8 pm Friday-Sunday, Nov. 4-6. $15.
GIRL POWER: Rachel (Gwendolyn Duffy, left) and Zelda (Karen Trumbo).
Divergent Evolution A play about two women scientists still brings up boy problems.
The How and the Why sparks to life midway through the first scene. It’s there that Sarah Treem’s play, directed by Philip Cuomo for CoHo Productions, arrives at its central subject: the possibly contradictory theories of two evolutionary biologists. One of these biologists is Zelda (Karen Trumbo), a 50-something professor who made herself famous with an award-winning theory 30 years before, and the other is young graduate student Rachel (Gwendolyn Duffy), who has a radical new hypothesis to propose. Through the lens of their science, the two women— whose exact relationship is only explicitly revealed late in the first act, but is fairly immediately obvious—end up debating their contrasting positions on feminism, careers, love and life. Zelda is a woman who chose her career over everything. But she is neither shamed for it, nor brought to a state of teary regret over her apparently loveless past. Roles like Zelda are lacking for women in theater, and Trumbo proves what a loss this lack is with her powerful but sensitive performance. However, Treem’s two halves are almost fatally lopsided. Wise, circumspect Zelda is always right, while the arrogant, uptight Rachel is always wrong, and this lack of genuine moral or intellectual grappling (with the exception of the scientific discussions) makes the second act drag. While it’s thrilling to see two female characters pursuing serious scientific careers, it’s disappointing they aren’t allowed to do so from more equal positions; disappointing, too, that though the debates about their theories and careers are by far the most compelling sections, the play can’t resist returning to questions about men and romance. Despite that lagging feeling, and the fact that the play is just two long scenes separated by an intermission, Cuomo keeps things moving at a brisk pace. Trumbo’s performance should not be missed, and there is much to admire in Treem’s interest in scientific women. But admiration for Treem’s intent ultimately makes it all the more frustrating that she does not build a more balanced, messy conflict for her characters to inhabit. HAILEY BACHRACH. SEE IT: The How and the Why plays at Coho Productions, 2257 NW Raleigh St., cohoproductions.org. 7:30 pm ThursdaySaturday, 2 pm Sunday, through Nov. 19. $20-$28.
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Willamette Week NOVEMBER 2, 2016 wweek.com
VISUAL ARTS courtesy of karen wippich
PREVIEW
Whipper Snapper by Karen Wippich, part of Aesthetic Dysfunction.
Hidden Delights THE 5 ART SHOWS WE’RE MOST EXCITED TO SEE THIS WEEK. jrabin@wweek.com
It’s easy for me to get into a rut visiting the same galleries every month. Last week, I had an experience that made me want to break out of all my routines: Someone invited me to a dance performance that I would never have sought out on my own. It was a small company I’d never heard of, and my expectations were very, very low. Turns out, the performance was inspired— far better than many I’ve seen from the biggest and most respected dance companies in town. It reminded me that we often give short shrift to the unknown, the out-of-the-way, the dark horses. So this week, my top five visual art recommendations are for shows at venues I have never been to (or, in some cases, even heard of ) before. A lot of them aren’t even galleries. Many of the shows involve artists—some emerging, others wellknown—bringing art into places you wouldn’t expect to find it. Let’s drive a few miles outside the Pearl. You never know when something new will surprise and delight you.
1. Annexation & Assimilation: East 82nd Ave
“This is the quantum experience,” he says, “allowing chance, movement and time to intersect to lay the groundwork for the imagery.” From there, the landscapes emerge, and the final meditative compositions belie their chaotic beginnings.
3. Growth/Proliferation
The 4th Dimension Recovery Center, 3807 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., 971-703-4623. Nov. 4-Jan 5. Multidisciplinary artist Jeff Sheridan creates highly textured and intricately detailed paintings on panel that echo both micro and macro forms in nature. The same image looks, at once, like a planet as seen from space and a single-cell organism viewed under a microscope. He is showing his new body of work at a center that serves young people who are in drug and alcohol recovery. It’s a reminder that art sales, accolades and press coverage are great for an artist, but true success comes from making even the smallest difference in someone’s day. courtesy of jeff sheridan
BY JE NN I F E R R A B I N
4. New Works/Obras Nuevas
One Grand Gallery, 1000 E Burnside St., 971-266-4919. Jade/APANO Multicultural Nov. 4-26. Ivan Salcido creates sculpSpace, 8114 SE Division St., 503545-0480. Through Nov. 17. tures, paintings and instalArtist Sabina Haque has lations from found, recycled A selection from Quantum Paintings. spent the year as an artist-inand cast-off materials, transresidence with the Portland forming everyday functional Archives & Records Center. Combining large- objects by giving them new purpose. “From the scale video projections, poster installations and rugged deserts and urban landscape of El Paso, oral histories, Haque uses her bold and graphic Texas, to the majestic and fertile terrain of the style to tell the stories of how the cultural and Pacific Northwest, the diversity of cultures, demographic landscape east of 82nd Avenue topography, textures and shapes of the world has changed over the last century. Filling an continuously influence me,” says Salcido. 8,000-square-foot space with creative commentary, Haque draws our attention to a part of town 5. Aesthetic Dysfunction we often ignore. Call ahead for a tour. Ford Gallery, 2505 SE 11th Ave., 503-449-3305. Nov. 5-Dec 3. 2. Quantum Paintings Artist Karen Wippich layers newspaper clipEastside Exchange Building, 123 NE 3rd Ave., pings with black and white photographs and bold blocks of painted color, creating collages 503-334-8624. Through Dec. 31. What appear to be four large-scale paintings of that have the effect of propaganda images from vastly different landscapes—verdant fields to vis- an alternate dystopian reality. She plays with tas of brown rock—are, in fact, artist Justin Auld’s scale, making compositions in which ’50sexperiment in unpredictability. Auld begins each era businessmen can loom Godzilla-like over piece by throwing a paint-soaked rag at the canvas. crowds of people all looking up in wonder. Willamette Week NOVEMBER 2, 2016 wweek.com
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BOOKS FEATURE
Four on the Floor THE WORDSTOCK BOOK FESTIVAL WILL TAKE OVER JUST ABOUT EVERY MAJOR ARTS VENUE DOWNTOWN THIS SATURDAY WITH OVER 100 AUTHORS. WE TALKED TO FOUR OF THEM.
JONATHAN LETHEM
Why is everyone listed as a doctor on your acknowledgements page? The top four are legit. I had three medical doctors. But it’s amazing. People will believe anything you say in the acknowledgements section. My publisher, my copy editors—no one said anything.
From his early bizarro science fiction to best-selling New York-obsessed novels like Motherless Brooklyn and City of Solitude, Jonathan Lethem dives headfirst into topics often ignored or disdained by mainline literature, whether alternate-reality conspiracy theories or genre fodder like sci-fi futures and comic superheroes. His newest, A Gambler’s Anatomy, is about a Bond-like professional gambler—backgammon is his game—who also has brain cancer and possibly ESP, pursued by a once radical leftist but now nefarious billionaire childhood friend. MATTHEW KORFHAGE.
You got a rooting interest in the World Series? I gave up in 1977 when [the Mets] traded Tom Seaver. My kids are really into baseball. They slip from one affiliation to the next. They were Dodgers fans when the Mets were eliminated. Now my sons are rooting for the Cubs. They’re anti-curse. They don’t yet understand that we’re all cursed. I spent my entire life rooting against the Cubs. You know what your next book will be? It’s probably going be set in a giant sand pit about a mile from where I live. There’s this thing called the San Antonio Wash where the water is supposed to run down, so a lot of homeless people live there. I’m staring at my subject matter while standing at this airport. 46
Willamette Week NOVEMBER 2, 2016 wweek.com
WW: You’ve written you found the topics of babies and mothers “perfectly not interesting.” Rivka Galchen: Babies can be misleadingly cute, which masks the strange power they have (even as their powerlessness is part of their charismatic power). But in literature—or at least in the literature that I have come across—they mostly come across as monsters, and m ot h e r s m o s t l y c o m e across as miserable. I think this makes sense, because that used to be the “secret” story—the official story was that it was all sunshine. But these days I feel, in certain demographics anyway, the official story has been reversed. Babies and motherhood are “officially” antiintellectual and difficult, and the nuance that gets GALCHEN left out is the mystery, the strangeness, the gold, the little teeth. Does your medical degree give you a different perspective on motherhood? In medicine, there’s a lot of emphasis—appropriately—on pregnancy as a healthy and normal state. There’s a lot of emphasis on remembering not to think of it as a disease state. All of which is true. But once I was pregnant, I was interested in it as a kind of derangement. Food tasted different, but all my other sensations were different, too. Being in love is also a derangement. We don’t have to think of derangement as negative; it’s actually the beginning of art and philosophy. Your references are incredibly diverse, from Japanese literature to I Love Lucy to Toni Morrison. Sometimes I worry that literature hardly has a language in the culture at all. I grew up with very little literature, so it’s natural to me for it to match up with cookie brands and syndicated television. And I like pulling literature into the net of overwhelmingly dominant pop culture. I feel like it makes little pockets where rare birds can nest, birds that wouldn’t survive in the broader ecosystem.
KATE CARROLL DE GUTES
Have things changed since your baby is a toddler? She’s now of a species that more resembles my own; there’s less confusion and more sleep. I feel less intoxicated and associative, but more able to work. You’ve written in a lot of different forms. Will you return to fiction? I used to write interesting emails! I haven’t written an interesting email for about three years. But probably I won’t return to that form. But I do hope to return to the other forms.
MATT FRACTION
Portland comics writer Matt Fraction was well-known for his Marvel Comics (X-Men, Hawkeye, Thor) and for his prolific, wisecracking Twitter account. But he didn’t think his Chip Zdarsky-illustrated comic-book series Sex Criminals—the story of Jon and Suzie, a bank-robbing couple whose lovemaking literally halts time—would last more than a few issues. But since its first issue in 2013, it’s become an epically popular crime saga that’s also a soulful meditation on relationships and sexual identity. And Fraction became the rare comics writer to get interviewed on The Tonight Show. We talked to him about volume 3 of the Sex Criminals series, released this year. BENNETT CAMPBELL FERGUSON. WW: What research did you do for this volume? Matt Fraction: I talked to some mental health professionals, I talked to a few asexual friends of mine, I talked to some science people and just kind of thought a lot. But as much as there’s research done and facts checked, a creative act is an act of empathy. I genuinely care about all of these weirdos that we write about.
NICCOLO CARANTI
Are the funny character names— Garris Plybon, Madchen Alplanalps—a nod to Thomas Pynchon? I was into strange names before I read Pynchon—I was already a fan of Philip K. Dick, and I associate them with Charles Dickens. It’s very simple for me: I had trouble remembering character names. It’s a place to develop meaning and interest, to elevate language that is neutral or flat. I’m part of the goofy names club. The world is littered with crazy names. They’re really out there: Jordany Valdespin [of the New York Mets].
The only dalliance Rivka Galchen indulged along her path of Ivy League study (first as an undergraduate degree at Princeton and then as an MFA at Columbia) was to knock out a quick M.D. at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. She’s since published a novel, Atmospheric Disturbances, and a short-story collection, American Innovations. Her newest book, Little Labors, is devoted to Galchen’s experience as a new mother, which she describes in terms both visceral and wildly unfamiliar— describing the child as being like a puma or chicken, an animal loose in the house. ZACH MIDDLETON.
COURTESY OF NEW DIRECTIONS
There’s an old Leonard Michaels short story, “In the Fifties,” in which a little boy throws marbles in front of police horses. That was pretty much me—I wasn’t the one doing that, but I was at the same protest. That piece was like a talismanic charm. I had it up on the wall while writing [my ’60s anarchist novel] Dissident Gardens. Together with Anatole Broyard’s Kafka Was the Rage, it’s an astonishingly good snapshot of the state of New York counterculture on the door of the 1960s.
JOHN LUCAS
WW: The dissolution of 1960s radicalism seems to be a theme for you. Jonathan Lethem: It’s probably my own hurt spot. It’s the world I grew up inside. I feel implicated in its loss. I’m really drawn to any flicker of it. I lived in Berkeley in my 20s; the place was so compelling to me. There was a trapped-in-amber quality; it spoke to me in a garbled way. I put myself in a LETHEM position to recapitulate that arena of fear and desire—I’m old enough I can actually recall marching against the Vietnam War. That was as a little kid.
RIVKA GALCHEN
FRACTION
There are a lot of meta-moments in this volume where you reference the fact that it’s a comic book. Comics are so resilient and versatile a storytelling medium, capable of so much more than what we tend to put them towards. If that’s the part of the book that loses somebody, then it’s not the book for them—if they feel that, “Oh, everything else is fine, but I don’t like where he wrote, ‘I don’t want to write this scene because it’s super-boring and we all know what’s going to happen anyway.’” There’s no reason that the narrative train is derailed.
This book questions the very premise of Sex Criminals by having Suzie lose interest in robbing banks. It’s not drama if there’s not obstacles. I don’t know what’s a better obstacle to Bonnie and Clyde than if Bonnie ain’t into it anymore. Two people figuring out that they’re going to be with each other is one thing— “We’re going to go out to dinner a lot, we’re going to move in together.” But what if suddenly Suzie’s not into it? That’s a big part of moving from a transitory to a long-term or permanent relationship. This volume is about, “What do we want? What are our goals? Not just for life, but what do we want out of each other, what do we want out of this relationship? Where do we want to grow as people?”
KATE CARROLL DE GUTES
The first book Kate Carroll de Gutes published is also the last piece of writing she ever worked on with her longtime mentor, novelist and poet (and Ovenbird books publisher) Judith “I’M WEARING Kitchen. Near the end of A BLACK SHIRT editing de Gutes’ memoir Objects in Mirror Are Closer RIGHT NOW WITH Than They Appear—which FRENCH CUFFS won the 2016 Oregon Book Award for creative nonfic(SO I HAVE LITTLE tion and the Lambda LiterCUFF LINKS) AND ary Award—Kitchen passed A PURPLE BOW away after over four years battling cancer. The collecTIE, AND FEEL tion of reverse-chronologiLIKE MYSELF.” cal essays deals with (among other things) de Gutes’s —Kate Carroll de Gutes divorce and accepting her “masculine-of-center” gender identity. De Gutes is already putting the finishing touches on her follow up book based on her blog the Authenticity Experiment, and is in planning stages for her third book about her mother’s struggle with Alzheimer’s disease. SHANNON GORMLEY. WW: What was Judith Kitchen’s role in the book? Kate Carroll de Gutes: We both kind of knew that she didn’t have a lot of time left. Judith’s hand is all over that work. Judith—like two days before she died—she finished the edit on this, and she wrote me a big, long note about the changes that she thought needed to be made. I made some edits to the book after she died, and that was kind of the first time in nine years that I had done any work that she hadn’t looked at. She’s a huge [literary] figure, and she was my buddy, and she was my editor. So the loss of her was pretty significant for me. And that’s partly why putting this [second] book together is so scary—Judith isn’t in the world to bounce ideas off of. How’s it feel to have your first book so late in your career? Of course, it’s totally satisfying to have a book in your hands. The great gift of that was, the book came out in June of 2015 and my mom died in August. So I could put the book in her hand, and she was so thrilled for me and so happy that it happened. She kept saying over and over again, “I’m so happy that this happened before I died.” I kept saying, “Me too.” You write a lot about how clothes have affected your gender identity. It’s evolving every time I get a nice new bow tie. Clothes were incredibly important to me, because as a teenager and as a young adult living with my parents, I couldn’t ever dress the way I wanted to dress. So to finally be able to embrace that and embrace who I was, which is masculine of center—I identify as a genderqueer, butch woman— is incredibly liberating. I’m wearing a black shirt right now with French cuffs (so I have little cuff links) and a purple bow tie, and feel like myself. I finally feel like in these clothes, with these clothes, I’m myself. That identity was always in there. It just wasn’t expressed. GO: Wordstock will host 100 authors and up to 10,000 attendees at the Portland Art Museum, 1219 SW Park Ave., and many other venues, including the Portland’5, Oregon Historical Society and Old Church, on Saturday, Nov. 5. 9 am-6 pm. $15-$18, free for guests under 18. For full details, including an author list and reading schedule, visit literary-arts.org.
= WW Pick. Highly recommended. BY ZACH MIDDLETON. TO BE CONSIDERED FOR LISTINGS, submit lecture or reading information at least two weeks in advance to: WORDS, WW, 2220 NW Quimby St., Portland, OR 97210. Email: words@wweek.com. Fax: 243-1115.
featuring
GUS VAN SANT
FRIDAY, NOV. 4 The World of Objects
WW visual arts editor Jennifer Rabin will read from her memoirin-progress about how her arts and sculpture practice pulled her out of a year lost to depression, during which words failed. The book will be a “love letter to artists and makers, tracking the source of what compels us to make things with our hands,” she says. ADX, 417 SE 11th Ave., 503-915-4342, adxportland. com. 5:30 pm. Free.
Get Nervous Series: All-Queer Edition
Who doesn’t love a good ol’ fashioned nervous breakdown? Oh yeah, everyone. The Get Nervous series is dedicated to the stories of anxiety and depression that most would rather not talk about openly, but face nonetheless. Coinciding with Lit Crawl 2016, this installment of the series will feature a lineup of all-queer writers, including Robyn Bateman, Jonanna Widner, Nikole Potulsky, Nathan Wade Carter, and recent Oregon Book Award winner Kate Carroll de Gutes. Tugboat Brewing Company, 711 SW Ankeny St., 503-226-2508. 6 pm. Free.
SUNDAY, NOV. 6 My Beer Year
Northwest author Lucy Burningham has developed a career that would make most desk jockeys salivate: she travels across the country to beer festivals, breweries and hop farms, tasting beers and learning about the art and science of brewing. It’s not for nothing, though, as all the work is also for the purpose of earning the prestigious title of Certified Cicerone (read: “beer sommelier”). In My Beer Year, Burningham draws on her experiences in an industry that attracts eccentric characters and whose product leads to wild stories. Powell’s City of Books, 1005 W Burnside St., 800-878-7323. 7:30 pm. Free.
MONDAY, NOV. 7 Brat Pack America
Judging by their meme-creating ability alone, young-adult movies from the 1980s hold a special place in American cinematic history. (The “truffle shuffle” YouTube video has nearly 4.5 million views.) Kevin Smokler’s new book, Brat Pack America, explores locations, landmarks and towns that provided the perfect backdrop for these iconic movies, like Astoria, Ore., which provided the setting for The Goonies. Smokler will be joined in conversation by Every Anxious Wave author Mo Daviau. Powell’s Books on Hawthorne, 3723 SE Hawthorne Blvd., 800-878-7323. 7:30 pm. Free.
TICKETS
ON SALE NOW
Also featuring:
Nicole Perlroth
New York Times cybersecurity reporter
Shahab Salemy
Nike’s Senior Director of Innovation
Jeremy Plumb
Portland’s Wizard of Weed
Eric Breon
CEO of Vacasa
Trainwreck
Twitter celebrity Sady Doyle’s new book, Trainwreck, may not share any direct correlation to the 2015 Amy Schumer film of the same name, but they are products of a similar idea: People can’t help but gawk at women losing their shit. From Britney Spears going all G.I. Jane on her head, to Miley Cyrus doing literally anything at any point after age 18, there’s never a shortage of headlines and talking heads available to provide scathing opinions on these situations. Doyle will be in conversation with Bitch Media co-founder Andi Zeisler to talk about society’s fascination with the train wreck. Powell’s City of Books, 1005 W Burnside St., 800-878-7323. 7:30 pm. Free.
PitchfestNW Workshops • Tech Demos Portland Exploration Meetups Parties, Networking & Fun MARCH 23�24, 2017 � PORTLAND ART MUSEUM
TECHFESTNW.COM
Willamette Week NOVEMBER 2, 2016 wweek.com
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austin kowitz
MOVIES GEt youR R E Ps in
Breathless
(1960)
a Humphrey Bogart-obsessed car thief kills a policeman and tries to go on the run to italy with his american girlfriend in Jean-Luc Godard’s pioneering first feature film, one of the most influential in the French new wave movement and widely considered one of the best movies ever made. Academy Theater. Nov. 4-10.
Malcolm X Speaks (1971), Angela Davis at Malcolm X College (1972)
in collaboration with Portland’s Black Creative Collective: Brown Hall, Cinema Project presents Black Cinema 2: two 16 mm films addressing race in america. Gil noble’s Malcolm X Speaks is a documentary about the activist made five years after his 1965 assassination, and Angela Davis is a rare interview discussing the 1972 presidential election and her freedom after time in prison. Portland Community Media. 7:30 pm Friday, Nov. 4.
Dead Ringers
(1988)
there’s creepy David Cronenberg, and then there’s Dead Ringers. Jeremy irons stars as twin gynecologists Elliot and Beverly Mantle, the former of whom seduces patients for the latter. when Bev falls for a famous actress, the twins’ relationship gets really out of hand. Part of the wordstock: Film to Page series, a conversation with novelist Jonathan Lethem (A Gambler’s Anatomy) and Portland author Casey Jarman follows. NW Film Center. 7:30 pm Friday, Nov. 4.
Let the Right One In
(2008)
one of the best horror flicks in recent years is this swedish tale about oskar, a bullied adolescent who befriends a mysterious new neighbor girl named Eli just as a bunch of gruesome, unexplained murders start occurring across town. who could be responsible? Laurelhurst Theater. Nov. 2-3.
This, Sir, Is Not Your Average Election FIVE FUTURE POLITICAL MOVIES FROM THE 2016 ELECTION TO CELEBRATE ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN. BY Walker MacMurdo
Mr. Holland’s Opus
(1995)
twenty years ago, the Hollywood District’s Grant High school was transformed into a film set to create this family drama about composer-turnedhigh school teacher Glenn Holland (Richard Dreyfuss), who tries to share the importance of music with his pupils in the face of a hostile school administration. Portlanders who participated in the film’s production are encouraged to share stories in a discussion that follows. Hollywood Theatre. 7 pm Saturday, Nov. 5.
Also PlAying: 5th Avenue Cinema: Meek’s Cutoff (2010), nov. 4-6; Everyone Else (2009), nov. 4-6. Church of Film (north star Ballroom): Olesya (1971), 8 pm wednesday, nov. 2. Hollywood Theatre: The Great Dictator (1940), nov. 5-6. laurelhurst Theater: Memento (2000), nov. 4-10. nW Film Center: Gas Food Lodging (1992), 7:30 pm thursday, nov. 3; Close-Up (1990), 7:30 pm saturday, nov. 5; Superstar: The Life and Times of Andy Warhol (1990), 2 pm sunday, nov. 6; A Face in the Crowd (1957), 4 pm sunday, nov. 6; Contact (1997), 7 pm sunday, nov. 6; Modern Times (1936), 6:30 pm Monday, Nov. 7; Letters Home (1986), 8:30 pm Monday, nov. 7.
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wmacmurdo@wweek.com
Forty years on, All the President’s Men seems a little quaint. The political thriller about the 1972 Watergate break-in, starring young, handsome Robert Redford and young, handsome Dustin Hoffman as Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, is still a top-notch procedural that renders the grind of investigative journalism righteously compelling through the seedy gloom of ’70s America. Which is why you should see it at the Mission Theater this week to mark the film’s 40th anniversary. All the President’s Men comes from a time when a president—or in our context, presidential candidate—fucking up in a major way had a meaningful impact on American politics. In this interminable slog of an election, with a grossly unqualified candidate still seeing a fighting chance at the White House, it’d be nice to have a movie that reflects the asininity of our national predicament: Mike Judge’s Idiocracy if we’re playing it safe, or to better capture the current national mood, a mashup of hardcore pornography, CCTV footage of adults weeping in public and Liveleak streams of ISIS executions.
Willamette Week NOVEMBER 2, 2016 wweek.com
How will American cinema remember the current collective waking nightmare? Not with a dignified prestige picture affirming the goodness of hard work and the American press, but with something else entirely. Here are five film treatments of the 2016 presidential election.
Trump
In his gilded penthouse in Trump Tower, an elderly Donald Trump (Sir Anthony Hopkins) is on his deathbed. Holding a tattered Make America Great Again hat, he utters one final word, “pussy,” and dies. Trump’s death makes headlines around the globe. A reporter (Jake Gyllenhaal) is tasked with discovering the meaning of Trump’s mysterious last word, learning about the man’s life through his friends and associates.
Manafort and Me
A buddy comedy about Paul Manafort (Danny McBride) and ousted Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych (Seth Rogen). A three-day bender at Yanukovych’s opulent Mezhyhirya mansion leads to the two sleeping through the start of the Ukrainian revolution. The unlikely
duo have three days to escape Ukraine to Russia before Euromaidan protesters led by young firebrand Vitaly (James Franco) and a mysterious American interloper (Craig Robinson) catch up and force them to smoke all of their confiscated weed out of a gravity bong made from a gold toilet.
Pandering Express
Robby Mook (Jim Parsons) and Hillary Clinton (Meryl Streep) slowly bond over Mook’s frustrating attempts to market the presidential candidate to a woefully indifferent people of the United States. As Mook bumbles through each attempt to make the professional, steel-hearted policy nerd more appealing to a cynical, sexist America, he eventually discovers the secret to making Clinton the next president of the United States: run against Donald Trump.
Milo! The Movie
This mockumentary follows controversial alt-right journalist Milo Yiannopoulos (Sacha Baron Cohen) across battleground state America as he shocks and offends “regressive liberals” and “social justice warriors” with his edgy, transgressive antics. Note: Script may or may not be Cohen’s Brüno, with minor changes.
All the President’s Emails
In this riveting, eight-hour procedural thriller, Wikileaks’ Julian Assange (Martin Freeman) releases thousands of hacked emails from Hillary Clinton’s campaign. Two young investigative journalists (Kristen Stewart and Kate Mara) race against time, combing through each and every one to get to the bottom of a deep, dark secret that threatens the very heart of American democracy: Clinton is employing a modern, professionally run campaign to get elected president. sEE iT: All the President’s Men screens at Mission theater. nov. 2-7. $4.
NOVEMBER 3–6 WHITSELL AUDITORIUM
= WW Pick. Highly recommended. Editor: WALKER MACMURDO. TO BE CONSIDERED FOR LISTINGS, send screening information at least two weeks in advance to Screen, WW, 2220 NW Quimby St., Portland, OR 97210. Email: wmacmurdo@wweek.com. Fax: 243-1115.
OPENING THIS WEEK Do You See What I See? No.
Portland visual artist Vanessa Renwick—recent recipient of a 2016 Fellowship Award by the Regional Arts & Culture Council—presents three new short films interspersed with live musical performances from Portland musicians Michael Hurley, Sam Coomes (Quasi) and Marisa Anderson. The headliner is Next Level Fucked Up: a collection of shorts born from Renwick’s frustration with demoralizing news media, originally played as video installation at the Portland Art Museum. Strabismus, a short about Renwick’s experience with ocular surgery, and Eclipse, about wolves, also premiere. NR. WALKER MACMURDO. Hollywood Theatre. 7 pm Monday, Nov. 7.
Doctor Strange
B- Iggy and the Stooges were a
quartet of brilliant, savage artists who forged punk eight years early and blew it with bad behavior, losing the grace of their unsympathetic industry overlords until their eventual reunification proved them one of the most influential cult acts in rock history. With Gimme Danger, auteur director Jim Jarmusch tells one of the greatest rock-and-roll stories about one of the greatest rock-androll bands. But Jarmusch (Coffee and Cigarettes, Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai) leaves no fingerprints, making this documentary a rather straightforward, artless exercise. Nevertheless, the film is carried by its subject matter, the music and a handful of long interviews with Iggy Pop that largely serve as narration. This gives Jim Osterberg (Ig’s real name) the chance to continue painting his own myth—that he was a young Midwestern bluesman, simultaneously fascinated with Harry Partch, Sun Ra, and Soupy Sales. Though Jarmusch is clearly out of his element, it’s nonetheless entirely worthwhile to see and hear this story told by the men who made the music. Bands like Anvil were rescued from obscurity by a great documentary. The Stooges’ legacy was rescued long ago by three classic albums and the legends of the band’s unprecedented stage antics. R. NATHAN CARSON. Hollywood.
Hacksaw Ridge
C A morally repugnant bloodbath
from its shallow, sermonizing first act to its ferociously brutal finale, this would-be epic stares into the maw of World War II through the eyes of combat medic Desmond Doss (Andrew Garfield), who rescued dozens of his comrades at Okinawa— without ever firing a gun. With the same daredevil grin he perfected while playing Spider-Man, Garfield sells Doss’ pacifism. Yet Hacksaw Ridge is so gruesome that it’s impossible to take its attempts to preach the gospel of nonviolence seriously— the movie’s lovingly detailed shots of mangled intestines and dead bodies covered in rats carry an unmistakable whiff of fetishism. And while there are moments when the film erupts with moral urgency—including a courtroom scene in which Doss defends his right not to bear arms— the stench of hypocrisy grows so pungent that when the film’s director, that bastion of virtue Mel Gibson, bathes Doss in a shower of angelic light, it’s difficult not to laugh at the incongruity. The real Doss once said that in battle he prayed, “Lord, please help me get more and more,
COURTESY OF MARVEL STUDIOS
B+ Marvel Studios gets psychedelic in this likable lark. The story—or rather, the film’s flimsy approximation of a story— spotlights Dr. Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch, slumming with panache), a crippled surgeon who becomes a disciple of a sorcerer named “the Ancient One” (Tilda Swinton). Under her tutelage, Strange blossoms into a scarlet-caped superhero and defends Earth from Dormammu, a malevolent entity that looks like a giant meringue. Thanks to director Scott Derrickson’s confidently superficial storytelling, Strange’s journey is cleanly shorn of messy and meaningful emotions—when it comes to movies, Marvel is no longer the House of Ideas. Yet the film’s imagery has a dizzying power, especially during a battle where skyscrapers fold in on each other like paper cranes and a trippy sequence in which Strange hurtles through a celestial dreamscape that recalls The Tree of Life. Derrickson also nods toward Batman Begins by sending a broody, bearded Strange to Asia. While Doctor Strange looks tacky and childish next to Christopher Nolan’s soulful epic, it’s hard to resist. It’s impossible to dislike a movie so buoyantly entertaining that you’re charmed, not irked, when it slips in some very noticeable product placement for jalapeño Kettle Chips. R. BENNETT CAMPBELL FERGUSON. Bridgeport, Cedar Hills, Cinemagic, City Center, Clackamas, Division, Eastport, Lloyd, Pioneer Place, St. Johns Twin Cinema & Pub, Tigard, Vancouver.
Gimme Danger
one more….” Hacksaw Ridge strikes down that prayer in favor of a carnage-addicted director’s: Let me kill one more. R. BENNETT CAMPBELL FERGUSON. Cedar Hills, Clackamas, Eastport, Vancouver.
wordstock
Film to Page
Wordstock authors on influential films
Tower
B One bright, clear day in 1966, a man named Charles Joseph Whitman sat in the tower in the center of the University of Texas campus and began firing into unsuspecting crowds of students walking below. The new documentary Tower revisits this atrocity, combining archival video, interviews with people who lived through the shooting, and rotoscopic animation of key scenes. On one hand, some animations are effective, like the hallucinogenic visions of a pregnant woman bleeding out on the pavement, or the angular, adrenalized graphics of an officer sprinting for cover. On the other, turning these terrifying scenes into literal cartoons undermines some of the tension the filmmakers probably hoped to create. The bigger problem, however, is that without a core narrative or ideological framework on which to hang events, the story becomes effectively indistinguishable from dozens of other instances of mass murder perpetrated across this country in the intervening years. That’s not to say this story matters less, but based on the way the story is related, one might think this sort of shooting was just an act of nature. Hopefully, this documentary provides those involved with some sort of catharsis, but it’s asking a lot to expect the rest of the audience to ignore such a noisy elephant in the room. NR. ZACH MIDDLETON. Living Room Theaters.
Trolls
B+ The troll world is covered in glitter, echoing in giggles, and it’s mandated by law that you must hug every hour. But this wonderful place is threatened by the trolls’ long history of being eaten by Bergens: terribly ugly giants that suffer from depression that they believe can be cured only by digesting trolls. Poppy (Anna Kendrick), the bubbly leader of the Troll community, and Branch (Justin Timberlake), a serial pessimist, must save a handful of their goofy friends from ending up as troll soufflé on the Bergens’ dinner table. Like every contemporary kid’s film, Trolls is rife with enjoyably nauseating life lessons like “no troll left behind” when outrunning Bergens, and that happiness comes from within, not from ingesting a troll. Every energetic scene is paired with well-known sing-alongs, for which Kendrick and Timberlake offer their talented vocals. And for an animated film built for short attention spans, the storyline stays pitch perfect, with modern-day pop culture references, whether they be the familiar voices of Gwen Stefani, Russell Brand or Zooey Deschanel or AutoTuned troll Guy Diamond (Kunal Nayyar). DreamWorks even delivers the psychedelic scene, perfect for parents nostalgic for their acid trips, and it will keep their kids entertained for at least an hour and a half. PG. AMY WOLFE. Bagdad, Cedar Hills, Clackamas, Eastport, Roseway, Vancouver.
MORE INFO AT NWFILM.ORG
KY BURT Wednesday, November 2nd at 6pm
A multi-instrumentalist (acoustic and electric guitar, five-string banjo) with influences spanning from oldtime and bluegrass to indie rock and avant-garde folk, Burt pulls inspiration from a wide vocabulary of American root forms to create a sound full of stunning imagery and melodic depth.
BOB MALONE Saturday, November 5th at 3pm
Classically trained, with a degree in jazz and a lifetime playing rock & roll clubs, theatres, and arenas, Bob’s sound is a one-of-a-kind hybrid of rock, blues, and New Orleans R&B, delivered with high-energy piano virtuosity and a voice all his own.
PWR BTTM Sunday, November 6th at 3pm
PWR BTTM is a queer punk band consisting of Ben Hopkins and Liv Bruce. The band was formed at Bard College where Bruce and Hopkins bonded over a mutual interest in bringing elements of performance and drag artistry into DIY culture.
SONGWRITER’S CIRCLE with Gabriella Karp, Nathan Tucker and Jack McMahon Monday, November 7th at 7pm
On the first Monday of each month, Music Millennium holds a community day event. We offer complimentary treats and special discounts all day long, and our Songwriter’s Circle at 7PM. This month’s circle features altpop singer/songwriter Gabriella Karp, Cool American’s Nathan Tucker, and Brill Building alum Jack McMahon.
MUSIC MILLENNIUM RECOMMENDS
Hope Sandoval & The Warm Inventions UNTIL THE HUNTER
STILL SHOWING The Accountant
C Ben Affleck stars as an autistic and brutal serial murderer who’s somehow also the hero. Must’ve been a stretch. Bagdad, Bridgeport, Cedar Hills, City Center, Clackamas, Division, Eastport, Living Room Theaters, Lloyd, Moreland, Oak Grove, Roseway, St. Johns Twin Cinema & Pub, Tigard, Vancouver.
DOCTOR STRANGE
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CONT. on page 50 Willamette Week NOVEMBER 2, 2016 wweek.com
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MOVIES Ghostbusters
A Paul Feig’s reboot is maximalist. It’s
Howard’s new feature documentary on the Fab Four’s touring years is to witness the highest-quality versions of some exceptionally rare performances. NR. Academy, Laurelhurst.
glorious, and if it ruined your childhood, sorry bro. PG-13. Avalon, Laurelhurst, Valley.
The Birth of a Nation
Tate Taylor’s adaption of Paula Hawkins’ best-selling novel stars Emily Blunt as a divorced alcoholic who witnesses an incident in her neighbors’ house. R. Bridgeport, Cedar Hills, City Center, Clackamas, Division, Eastport, Fox Tower, Living Room Theaters, Lloyd, Oak Grove, Tigard, Vancouver.
B Nate Parker’s controversial first film plays a lot like Braveheart set in the antebellum South. R. Laurelhurst.
Captain Fantastic
A Viggo Mortensen is mud-splattered,
idealistic and good at killing things… again. But this time with six kids in tow. R. Fox Tower.
Certain Womem
A- Drawing on three short stories by Maile Meloy, Kelly Reichardt’s piercing slice of 21st-century life follows Laura Dern, Michelle Williams, Kristen Stewart and a masterful, relatively unknown Lily Gladstone skillfully embodying weary Montanans. Reichardt’s sensitive exploration of working-class anguish, old age and sexual identity makes the film feel both profoundly personal and ripped from the headlines. R. Cinema 21, City Center.
Deepwater Horizon
C+ How do you make a movie about
the worst oil disaster in U.S. history? If you’re director Peter Berg (Lone Survivor), you condense an environmentally devastating oil spill into an incoherent action blowout starring Mark Wahlberg. PG-13. Bridgeport, City Center, Clackamas, Division, Eastport, Fox Tower, St. Johns Pub and Theater, Vancouver.
Don’t Breathe
B+ A trio of serial burglars gets trapped in an isolated Detroit home after their mark, a blind vet played with quiet menace by Stephen Lang, turns out to be a brutally efficient badass. R. Clackamas, Eastport, Vancouver.
Finding Dory
C O U R T E S Y O F C J E N T E R TA I N M E N T
B+ For 13 years, the entire world eagerly awaited the return of Ellen DeGeneres as the forgetful Dory. There’s tears to fill a tide pool, wit to keep adults amused, and laughs for any audience with a short attention span. PG. Empirical, Vancouver.
The Girl on the Train
The Handmaiden
B+ In 1930s colonial Korea, con man
Count Fujiwara (Ha Jung-woo) hires a young pickpocket, Sook-hee (Kim Taeri), to help him rob vulnerable Japanese heiress Lady Hideko (Kim Min-hee) of a fortune controlled by her uncle Kouzuki (Cho Jin-woong). Park Chan-wook’s The Handmaiden is an undeniably lush, meticulously constructed film whose celebration of perversity is among the most artful you’ll see. R. Cinema 21.
Hell or High Water
B+ Was No Country for Old Men too
smart and slow for you? Loved the gunfights and the misanthropic cowboy glamour, but maybe Javier Bardem’s haircut made you uncomfortable? Try Jeff Bridges’ new Western genre vehicle. R. Fox Tower.
Inferno
Tom Hanks is back to save the world from Catholic extremists. This time, he’s got amnesia. PG-13. Bridgeport, Cedar Hills, City Center, Clackamas, Division, Eastport, Lloyd, Oak Grove, Pioneer Place, Tigard, Vancouver.
Jack Reacher: Never Go Back
B- Blending fantastical stunts (Reacher can punch through windshields and, perhaps, fly) with off-kilter humor, Never Go Back approximates a brutalist take on the Marvel tropes, which may explain why Tom Cruise continues to embrace this charmless pulp icon—a backdoor chance for the movie star of his era to climb aboard the 21st century’s signature genre. Jack Reacher isn’t the superhero we want, but he may well be the one we deserve. PG-13. JAY HORTON. Bridgeport, Cedar Hills, City Center, Clackamas, Division, Eastport, Lloyd, Oak Grove, Pioneer Place, St. Johns Twin Cinema & Pub, Tigard, Vancouver.
Jason Bourne
A- Director Paul Greengrass and Matt Damon deliver on-brand thrills via handheld footage of riots in Athens and many scenes in which assassins splash cold water on their faces and reflect in a mirror. PG-13. Academy, Avalon, Joy, Jubitz, Valley, Vancouver.
Keeping Up With the Joneses
B For better or worse, Keeping Up With the Joneses’ poster is the movie—impossibly suave secret agents Jon Hamm & Gal Godot move next door to suburban schlubs Zach Galifianakis & Isla Fisher. It’s infinitely derivative, clumsily constructed and brazenly commercial. But it’s also kinda sweet. PG-13. Bridgeport, Cedar Hills, City Center, Clackamas, Division, Eastport, Lloyd, Oak Grove, Pioneer Place, Tigard, Vancouver.
Kevin Hart: What Now?
The Handmaiden 50
Willamette Week NOVEMBER 2, 2016 wweek.com
Everyone’s favorite pint-sized, astronomically successful standup comedian sold out the 50,000-capacity Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia and made a movie about it, because of
course he did. R. Bridgeport, Clackamas, Division, Eastport, Lloyd, Vancouver.
Kubo and the Two Strings
A Laika’s late-summer bid for anima-
tion domination is an original story that feels lived in, a kid-focused fable with real stakes, and it’s a high-octane spectacle full of white-knuckle action and terrifying creatures that’s matched every step of the way by heart. PG. Academy, Avalon, Eastport, Empirical, Vancouver.
The Magnificent Seven
When an evil industrialist seizes control of a Wild West town, its residents enlist the help of gunslinging mercenaries played by Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt and company to save the day. PG-13. Bridgeport, Cedar Hills, City Center, Clackamas, Division, Eastport, Fox Tower, Lloyd, Oak Grove, Tigard, Vancouver.
A Man Called Ove
Storks
Hilarity ensues when delivery stork Junior (Andy Samberg) is tasked to deliver an unauthorized baby to a human family. PG. Bridgeport, Cedar Hills, City Center, Clackamas, Division, Eastport, Milwaukie, Oak Grove, Pioneer Place, Tigard, Vancouver.
Suicide Squad
C- Suicide Squad rushes through an incoherent two hours of superhero mayhem, pureeing everything into a slush of clichés. PG-13. Avalon, Joy, Valley, Vancouver.
Sully
C- Clint Eastwood’s worst movie since 2011’s J. Edgar, his tale of Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger’s 2009 emergency landing of a commercial
jetliner in the Hudson River is weighed down by too many familiar actors and rote dialogue. PG-13. Bridgeport, City Center, Clackamas, Division, Pioneer Place, Tigard, Vancouver.
Under the Shadow
B+ When her husband leaves to work as an army doctor on the frontlines, the prickly Shideh (Narges Rashidi) stays home with her daughter Dorsa (Avin Manshadi) in war-torn, late-’80s Tehran. To make matters worse, there is something very “off ” about one of the neighborhood boys who just moved into their building. PG-13. Living Room Theaters.
For more Movies listings, visit
REVIEW D AV I D B O R N F R I E N D
The Beatles: Eight Days a Week
A The best reason to see Ron
Hannes Holm adapts Fredrik Backman’s best-selling novel of the same name, in which a shitty old Swedish guy befriends a young family who moves in next door. Zany life lessons are learned all around. PG-13. Cinema 21.
Masterminds
When a work crush ensorcells armoredtruck driver David (Zach Galifianakis) into a committing a heist, he stumbles his way into stealing $17 million. PG-13. Academy, Bridgeport, Clackamas.
Michael Moore in TrumpLand
America’s most obnoxious liberal shortlister, Michael Moore (Fahrenheit 9/11, Bowling for Columbine), is back, and this time he took his one-man show to small-town Ohio to tell it like it is to Trump-supporting Republicans. NR. Hollywood.
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children
B- Tim Burton’s adaptation of Ransom Riggs’ young adult best-seller nearly ignores the dull business of storytelling altogether via expository plot dumps crumpled in between ever more fantastical evocations of ghoulish Victoriana. PG-13. Beaverton Wunderland, Bridgeport, Cedar Hills, Cinemagic, City Center, Clackamas, Division, Eastport, Hollywood, Lloyd, Milwaukie, Oak Grove, Pioneer Place, Tigard, Vancouver.
Ouija: Origin of Evil
You may shake your head incredulously at the idea that a universally panned horror movie based on a goddamned board game got itself a prequel, until you learn that the first Ouija movie made over $100 million on a $5 million budget. R. Bridgeport, Cedar Hills, Clackamas, Division, Eastport, Lloyd, Oak Grove, Pioneer Place, Tigard, Vancouver.
Pete’s Dragon
A Pete’s Dragon deserves the hype.
Effortlessly evoking the triumphant emotions of Disney’s best live-action outings, it also provides a somber examination of the death of innocence. Your kids will cry through the majority of the film, and you probably will too. PG. Academy, Avalon, Kennedy School, Tigard.
Queen of Katwe
B+ The irony of “based on a true story” preceding a live-action Disney film is that the movie to follow will probably feel like a fantasy. But Queen of Katwe’s finishing move is depicting Ugandan chess prodigy Phiona Mutesi’s rise to a world-class master with levity and without pandering. PG. Bridgeport, City Center, Eastport, Fox Tower.
Sausage Party
A- Sometimes, a dick joke is just a dick
joke. But sometimes, a dick joke can be an existential meditation on atheism butting up against organized religion, false gods and politics. R. Laurelhurst.
Snowden
C- Oliver Stone’s biopic about Edward Snowden doesn’t offer any insights beyond what you can get from Wikipedia. Stick to 2014’s Citizenfour. R, Fox Tower.
The Phases of Chiron Moonlight shows a non-hammy Miami.
Moonlight is hardly a documentary. Its structure is a theatrical three acts, with three different actors playing the main character, Chiron (pronounced Shy-RONE), coming of age over two decades. And yet, its profound realism stems from director Barry Jenkins’ camera, always searching for Chiron on the rough Liberty City blocks of 1980s Miami. Even against an impoverished backdrop, Moonlight never goes out of its way to declare this black or queer American experience as brutal. Nothing is so fundamentalist here. Nor are any of the performances loud or Oscar-hungry, including the show-stealing supporting ones by Mahershala Ali and André Holland. Every piece of Moonlight is staged in service to a humanist question: What would love mean to a boy who’s been conditioned to hide? We first spy Chiron at age 10, fleeing his peers. He’s eluding the rocks— but not the gay slurs—they’re hurling at him. Chiron hasn’t invited their hatred or his mother’s (Naomie Harris) with anything more than his passivity and slight build. Those qualities also draw sympathizers to him: his lifelong sounding board Kevin (Holland in the third act), the paternal neighborhood dealer, Juan (Ali), and Juan’s doting girlfriend, Teresa (Janelle Monáe). The cast juxtaposes scorn with kindness and abuse with intimacy, but the time shifts reveal everyone is somewhere in cycle of atonement. Chiron’s introversion is the constant. By adulthood (Trevante Rhodes), Chiron is a product of questioning his sexuality and manhood in a world where personal security means not asking those questions. Like its protagonist, Moonlight is artfully succinct, perhaps a little shy in its revelations. What becomes of the supporting cast as the acts turn over? Does Chiron really have so little to say on his own behalf? Granted, forced answers would ruin what Jenkins has so beautifully divided and arranged. You could compare it to Boyhood, but Moonlight is more an experiment in blank space than a gradual progression. The changes in Chiron—the vulnerability hardening into armor—happen mostly off-screen. Thirty-year-old Chiron doesn’t have to spell out being a monster or a victim; watching him grow up emotionally walled in, constantly driven inward, hits hard enough. Because every time Chiron ages out of a storyline, you feel a pang for having neglected him, too. CHANCE SOLEM-PFEIFER. A- SEE IT: Moonlight is rated R. It opens Friday at Cinema 21.
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BY M A RT I N C I Z M A R
mcizmar@wweek.com
Remember Baggies™? It wasn’t so long ago that your cannabis came in a little Ziploc. I still have a few buds inside Baggies and sealed in Tupperware, actually. It’s a favorite strain (Space Queen) that mysteriously slipped through the cracks of Oregon’s rigorous medical marijuana regime two years ago, and which I have not seen again at recreational shops. It was a favorite, favorite flower for me, and I can’t quite bring myself to finish it off—especially now that it’s bone dry. Ever crack a 5-year-old BridgePort barleywine that tastes like soy sauce? That’s what happens with old weed—except, in addition to the harsh flavor, it’ll be muted in effect. But that’s not necessarily how it needs to be. Cannabis storage is getting serious, with products like the Cannador, a new humidor designed to maintain your flower at optimal humidity, like the Cubans I’ll soon be rolling blunts with. (Thanks, Obama!) First, some cheaper and older wisdom: Your crazy college roommate wasn’t wrong. The best place to store your buds is the fridge. “If it’s for a month or longer, cannabis does best in the refrigerator,” says weed wiz Jeremy Plumb of Farma. “The cool, steady temp helps to preserve aromatic compounds and freshness. It’s important to use an airtight jar, or the flowers will degrade due to dehumidification—ideally one that blocks light to prevent that oxidative force.” Plumb says Mason jars are fine, but something that truly seals, like Oxo Good Grips, is a noticeable upgrade. But if you really want to go pro? Check out the Cannador, which maintains cannabis at 55 to 62 percent humidity, which is the optimal
range, according to a study by Boveda, a maker of tobacco and cannabis humidity packs. The Cannador is priced between $159 and $249, depending on size, and is designed to maintain higher terpene and cannabinoid content along with robust flavor. The company was founded by a cannaisseur-turned-gangapreneur named Zane Witzel, who came up with the idea in late 2013. “I was out with a couple friends, and my buddy cracked out an old shoe box and brought out all his Baggies and paraphernalia and had them strewn about,” he says. “And I thought, ‘Good God, man, there has to be something better than this!’ And there wasn’t.” I’ve long used cigar boxes for my best flower, which Witzel cautions against unless they’re made of mahogany; cedar has oils that taint the flavor. The Cannador humidor has an odor-proof seal that works with beads or humidity packs that can be monitored with Bluetooth. It’s especially popular with vapers—the import drivers of the cannabis world—since dry bud is extra harsh as vapor. Witzel says his system will keep flower as fresh as the day it was cured for at least three months. And, he says, it can maybe help me bring back that Space Queen. He’s had success rehumidifying busted buds. Obviously, the terpenes will have degraded, but the burn of a desert-dry nug will be gone. “At that point, at least it’s smokeable. You don’t have to throw it away,” he says. “There are obviously cost-effective means of doing that— you could put a Boveda pack in a Mason jar. But the Cannador is a normal, functional piece of furniture in my home, not some clear jar I have to hide in the closet. It’s a step up, I’d say.” BUY: The Cannador can be purchased at cannador.com.
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W W S TA F F
BY N a t e Wa g g o n e r
Clicky Clicky, My Beloved Readers FIVE UNBELIEVABLE FACTS! BY DR. MITCHELL MILLAR
2220 NW QUIMBY STREET, PORTLAND, OREGON
When I was informed that certain fans of my historical testimonies have referred to them as “clickbait,” I was initially confused. While I am a progressive man by nature (I recently had a sleek dumbwaiter installed in my house), and I accept that language is constantly evolving, this is the first time I had heard this modern portmanteau. It has been explained to me that “clickbait” is a piece of writing that inspires wonderment in a reader, who then seeks out a pen with a retractable tip and clicks it repetitively in intense contemplation. So in that regard, thank you, loyal readers. My pledge to you is that I will do everything in my power to continue producing fine clickbaits for you to ponder. Also, in honor of your flattering compliment, I have conducted some historical research on traditional clickbait forms. Here now is a missive that I hope meets the archetypal definition of a clickbait: a listicle.
Cat and Girl
Five Mind-Blowing Facts Every Portland Hipster Transplant Should Know. You Won’t Believe No. 4! 1. Poseidon once rated Portland his second-favorite American land-city behind only Billings, Mont. 2. From 1975 to 1985, Portland implemented a “Baby Raffle” program. Under this controversial program, any child born in a Portland-area hospital would become temporary property of the government, and the parents would be given raffle tickets. Every month, a drawing would be held to determine the order in which the proud parents would choose one baby from the pool of available babies. Many other cities followed Portland’s example in enacting the Baby Raffle, although there are few remaining in the United States today. 3. One easy way to tell the difference between Portland natives and transplants is the terminology they use to describe Portland. For example, although street signs and maps divide Portland into five “quadrants,” many longtime Portland residents identify anything east of the Willamette River as Starboard Portland. Anything west of the river is Port Portland. This is why Vancouver, Wash., is sometimes referred to as Portland’s Aft. 4. Portland was founded in a heavily wooded area. To entice settlers to come, city founders Asa Lovejoy and Francis Pettygrove knew the trees had to be removed. Most of the trees were chopped down, but the roots and stumps remained. Asked if he knew an easy way to get rid of them, Lovejoy famously said, “Hmm, that’s a great question.” That’s how Portland got its first nickname: Stumpedtown. 5. The city got its actual name by a coin flip. Initially, Lovejoy, who was from Omaha, and Pettygrove, who was from Tacoma, wished to name their new city “Tacomaha.” However, they also thought “Portland” sounded like a pretty sweet name. When they flipped the penny, which is still on display at the Oregon Historical Society, it came up tails for “Tacomaha,” but Pettygrove chimed in, “Best three out of five?”
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CHATLINES
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“It’s a Barbecue”–smoking the competition. 56 “Nasty” Nastase of tennis 57 The one squinting at the clues right now 58 Candy packaged in pairs 60 Barbecue menu item, or what’s going on with the theme answers 63 Almond ___ (candy in a canister) 64 Gets the pot started 65 Commedia dell’___ 66 Woolly mamas 67 Ceases to be 68 Pigsty
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Across 1 Ebsen costar on “The Beverly Hillbillies” 5 Amts. in recipes 9 “America’s Got Talent” judge Heidi 13 “Devil Inside” rock band 14 Long-eared hoppers 16 Nostalgic soft drink brand 17 Open some champagne 19 Clumsy lummoxes 20 “Ambient 4: On
Land” musician Brian 21 Tombstone lawman 22 “SportsCenter” source 24 Bad beginning? 25 Freebie with many takeout orders 29 Islamic pilgrimage site 31 “Allergic to Water” singer DiFranco 32 By way of 33 Fabric named for a Mideast capital 36 Religious branch 37 Where ships dock
in the Big Apple 41 Some Louvre hangings 42 World’s largest cosmetics company 43 Condition for TV’s Monk 44 Body scanner grp. 46 Lake Titicaca setting 49 One whose work involves moving letters around 53 It may be reached while binge-watching 55 “Frasier” actress Gilpin
Down 1 Two-legged beast 2 False name 3 “60 Minutes” piece, often 4 U will come after these 5 A mission to remember? 6 Lowest spinal bones 7 Credit, slangily 8 Delivery from a rev. 9 Book publisher Alfred A. ___ 10 Bend forward 11 “Weird Al” Yankovic movie of 1989 12 Understanding start? 15 Ball of yarn, e.g. 18 Jazz devotee 23 “MythBusters” subj. 26 Selfish sort 27 Morty’s mate in animated adventures
28 “2 Broke Girls” actress Dennings 30 Some writeable discs 34 Company with a duck mascot 35 ___-Cat (coldweather vehicle) 36 Auctioneer’s call 37 One-trillionth, in metric names 38 Brand with “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” ads 39 Most spent 40 Tugged hard 41 “Alley-___!” 44 Driveway stuff 45 ___ cog (blunder) 47 Donkey with a pinned-on tail 48 Bull pen sounds 50 It’s represented by a red, white, and blue flag 51 Rhythmic melodies 52 Oprah’s “Epic Rap Battles of History” foe 54 Hazzard County heroes 58 “American Idiot” drummer Cool 59 “I’m speechless!” 61 College, Down Under 62 Grier of “Jackie Brown” last week’s answers
©2016 Jonesin’ Crosswords (editor@jonesincrosswords.com) For answers to this puzzle, call: 1-900-226-2800, 99 cents per minute. Must be 18+. Or to bill to your credit card, call: 1-800-655-6548. Reference puzzle #JONZ804.
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Week of November 3
ARIES (March 21-April 19): I am in awe of your headfirst, charge-forward, no-distractions approach. In fact, I aspire to incorporate more of the Aries-style directness into my own repertoire. But I also love it when, on rare occasions, you flirt with a more strategic perspective. It amuses me to see you experimenting with the power of secrets. Your wisdom often grows at an expedited rate when you get caught up in a web of intrigue that exposes you to dark joys and melodramatic lessons. During times like these, you feel fine about not having everything figured out, about not knowing the most straightforward route to your destination. You allow the riddles and enigmas to ferment as you bask in the voluptuous ambiance of the Great Mystery. Now is such a time. TAURUS (April 20-May 20): I am pleased to inform you that at least 30 percent of what you think you know about love and lust is too prosaic. Probably too narrow and constrained, as well. But here’s the good news: As soon as you agree to relinquish the dull certainty of that 30+ percent, you will open yourself to a surge of fresh teachings. And soon, I expect, dewy throbs and hot flows will awaken in all the erotic parts of your body, including your heart and brain and soul. If you’re brave enough to respond, generous lessons in intimacy will keep you entertained for weeks. GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Over the last two decades, well-meaning Westerners have donated a profusion of clothes to low-income folks in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. Kind and magnanimous, right? Yes, but their largesse has had an unintended consequence: the demise of the textile industry in those African countries. With this as a cautionary tale, I’m asking you to take inventory of your own acts of benevolence and charity. Are they having effects that you approve of? If not completely, how could you adjust the way you give your gifts and bestow your blessings? CANCER (June 21-July 22): Is it possible that you might flourish as a topdog after all the work you’ve put in as an underdog? Can you wean yourself from the worried fantasy that you’ve got endless dues to pay, and then harness your imagination to expand your confidence and build your clout? I believe you can. And in the coming weeks I will unleash a flood of prayers to the Goddess of Holy Reversals, asking her to assist you. Now please repeat after me: “I am a creative force of nature. I am a strong song of liberation. I am a wise animal with direct access to my primal intelligence.” LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): The next two weeks could be smooth, peaceful, and bland. Is that the experience you want? Mild satisfactions, sweet boredom, and slow progress? There’s nothing wrong with any of that. Please feel free to loll and loaf as you explore the healing charms of laziness. Grant yourself permission to avoid conflict and cultivate sunny self-protectiveness. This is one of those times when silence and stasis are among the best gifts you can give yourself. Welcome the rejuvenating power of emptiness! VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): It’s time to replace banged-up, dried-out old obsessions with ripe, juicy fascinations. It’s your duty to phase out numbing traditions and deadening habits so as to make room for exciting new rituals, customs, and sacraments. Can you summon the electric willpower to shed influences that are technically “correct” but lacking in soulfulness? I think you can. Do you love yourself enough to forswear pretty but meaningless titillations? I think you do. Now get out there and do the hard work necessary to bring more serious fun into your life. Homework: Write an essay titled “What I Can Do to Be More Playful.” LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Over the course of his or her life, the average British person says “Sorry” on over 90,000 occasions. The typical Libran Brit probably utters routine apologies upwards
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of 120,000 times. Libras from other countries may not reach that heady level, but many do specialize in excessive politeness. (I should know, as I have three planets in Libra in my natal chart.) But in accordance with the astrological indicators, I am authorizing you to be a bit less courteous and solicitous than usual in the next two weeks. Don’t go overboard, of course. But allowing yourself some breathing room like this will help you get more rigorous access to your authentic, idiosyncratic, soulful urges -- which will be very tonic. SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Until 2007, Scotland’s official slogan was “Scotland, the Best Small Country in the World.” Deciding that wasn’t sufficiently upbeat, the government spent $187,000 on a campaign to come up with something better. “Home of Golf” and “Home of Europe’s Fastest Growing Life Sciences Community” were among the proposed phrases that were rejected. The ultimate choice: “Welcome to Scotland.” I bring this to your attention, Scorpio, because you’re in a favorable phase to rebrand yourself. But I hope you will be more daring and imaginative than Scotland. How about “Smolderingly Alarmingly Brilliant”? Or maybe “Safely Risky and Unpredictably Wise” or “Home of the Best Secrets Ever”? SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): I cheer you on as you attend to your difficult but holy duties. I send you my love as you summon the wisdom and resourcefulness you need to weather the gorgeous storm. Here are clues that might be useful: Whether you are partially or totally victorious will depend as much on the attitude you hold in your heart as on your outward behavior. Be grateful, never resentful, for the interesting challenges. Love your struggles for the new capacities they are building in you.
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CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): The coming weeks constitute the harvest phase of your personal cycle. That means you have the pleasure of gathering in the ripe rewards that you have been cultivating since your last birthday. But you also have the responsibility to answer and correct for any carelessness you have allowed to affect your efforts during the previous eleven months. Don’t worry, dear. My sense is that the goodies and successes far outnumber and overshadow the questionable decisions and failures. You have ample reasons to celebrate. But I hope you won’t get so caught up in your rightful exaltation that you’ll neglect the therapeutic atonements. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Like England and Spain, the Netherlands has a royal family, including a king, queen, prince, and princesses. They’re an egalitarian bunch. The young ones attend public schools, and the previous queen’s birthday is celebrated with a nation-wide flea market. The king’s crown is attractive but quite economical. Its pearls are fake, and other “jewels” are made of glass, colored foil, and fish scales. In accordance with the astrological omens, I propose that you create a regal but earthy headpiece for yourself. It’s high time for you to elevate your self-worth in an amusing and artful way. What fun and funky materials will you use in your homemade crown? PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): In her book, A Natural History of the Senses, Diane Ackerman reports on the eccentric methods that professional writers have used to galvanize their creative process. Poet Amy Lowell relaxed into her work day by puffing on Manila cigars. Novelist Colette plucked fleas from her cat. T. S. Eliot’s poetry thrived when he had a head cold. Novelist George Sand liked to jump out of bed after making love and immediately begin writing. Novelist William Gass, who is still among the living, wanders around outside taking photos of “rusty, derelict, overlooked, downtrodden” places. As for D. H. Lawrence: climbing mulberry trees naked energized his genius. What about you, Pisces? Now is an excellent time to draw intensely on your reliable sources of inspiration-- as well as to seek new ones.
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