The Thermals, responsible for albums such as Fuckin’ A and The Body The Blood The Machine seem like antagonizers and rabble-rousers. With new album Now We Can See and a new contract from Kill Rock Stars, Hutch Harris and Kathy Foster seem to be on top of the indie rock world. But how does that ironic ire translate into an …

The Bird and the Bee have style- the duo of singer Inara George (she’s the Bird) and multi-instrumentalist Greg Kurstin (he’s the Bee) are both industry veterans, but you wouldn’t know it. As I watched them perform at Portland’s Doug Fir Lounge, both seemed thrilled and delighted by the fervent response of the crowd; Inara (and back up singers) accentuated …

Abe Vigoda are at the forefront of the increasingly more hyped L.A. scene centered at all-ages venue The Smell. Unlike many of their contemporaries, though, Abe Vigoda are a band determined to explore as many different directions as possible. We caught up with frontman Michael Vidal to ask about the new EP Reviver and Abe Vigoda’s plans to be the …

By this point, Fujiya & Miyagi are specifically known for being a band who are not Japanese (they’re British) and who are not a duo (they’ve recently become a foursome). So while we briefly touched on their name, our discussion was more focused on their new drummer, the band’s perhaps misunderstood lyrics, and the HBO show Flight of the Conchords. …

It is impossible to read a review about Horse Feathers and not come across a reference tying the band’s sound to Portland, Oregon. It was appropriate for me to meet frontman Justin Ringle at the Doug Fir Lounge before his band’s performance. The Doug Fir is a local institution, the favorite venue of many a Portlander. Inside, it has a …

In 1968 Krishna Das accompanied Ram Dass, author of “Be Here Now,” to India where he met his guru, Neem Karoli Baba, also known as Maharaj-ji. It was a privilege few Westerners had ever previously experienced. Krishna Das spent three deeply transformative years in India before returning to the United States at his guru’s request. In India, Krishna Das learned …

The sun was shining on January 20th in Portland. I had agreed to meet Ethan Rose, composer responsible for the new Oaks, CD, but I couldn’t get my mind off of Obama. An hour later, all I could think about was roller skating. Rose and I met at a local coffee shop and spent a fascinating morning discussing his music …

With a self-described style of heartbroken soul, British singer/songwriter Adele has stolen the spotlight with her bluesy voice and deeply poetic lyrics. Rather than stifling the sound of her sorrow from love losing steam, Adele grabbed a thick pen and started writing. The final creation turned into her debut album, 19 which is responsible for four Grammy Award nominations including …

With a background in acting, it is easy to tell Lenka’s wide range of talent just from watching her perform. Her expressive and innovative videos display a danceable, infectious talent, as does her catchy, upbeat voice and instrumentation. Her music has been captured by pop culture through commercials (Old Navy) and popular television sitcoms (Grey’s Anatomy and Ugly Betty). Her …

Michael Kaufmann was the guy who sent me stuff from Asthmatic Kitty. Little did I know, but Kaufmann is also a rapper (see our savage review of his album) in Land of a Thousand Rappers. But that’s not even the strange part. Kaufmann believes that he is a vessel for ghostlike visitors from a parallel universe. I shit you not. …