Category

Social Calendar

• 12.11.09
  Unsilent Night – Live Sound Sculpture/Xmas Avant Garde Music For 25 Cities   Social Calendar (0)

  

  Now when I say “winter outdoor group participation experimental Christmas art music”…what comes to mind?

  Nothing, you say?

  Well, to the cross section of you who haven’t thrown up a little (I admit, I get queasy at the “group participation” part), you should all be alerted to and excited by the concept that is Unsilent Night. The brainchild of Phil Kline, a longstanding NY artist who works most frequently with music. Since 1992, he’s lead his own kind of interesting Christmas celebration. Unsilent Night centers around one of Kline’s musical compositions: a drone based swirl of chimes and other vaguely Christmas related tones played through a variety participant brought audio sources. It’s kind of a chorus line that both Fennez and The Flaming Lips (remember Zaireeka?) would enjoy, as folks snag their copy of the composition from the website and the living sound sculpture begins as the group walks together playing the piece from home brought boom boxes, iPhones, and hopefully some of those lovely bike audio rigs I’ve seen at Critical Mass. Given that the composition is an abstract one coming from multiple moving sources, the work evolves as the crowd passes through the given city, forming something fluid and unique each time. Ultimately, a unique, weirdo holiday tradition I can get behind.

  This year has some new cities, including Chicago and if you attend NYC’s 18th annual Unsilent Night this Saturday, you’ll get to be lead from Washington Square Park to Thompkins Square Park by Kline himself. Last year’s reported attendance for the New York event was around 1500, so that’s probably the best bet for the most epic scale of holiday drone.

  Unsilent Night is happening in 25 cities this year: Albuquerque, Asheville, Baltimore, Berlin, Boulder, Cambridge (Ontario), Charleston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, East Lansing, Fredericton (New Brunswick), London, Los Angeles, Melbourne, Milledgeville, Missoula, New Haven, New York City, Philadelphia, San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Fe, Vancouver.

  Many of the events are happening this weekend. Check out Unsilent Night to find out when and were it’s going on in each city.

• 03.06.09
  Portland Social Scene – 03/06 – 03/08 (Foundry Field Recordings, Fujiya Miyagi, Gaslamp Killer)   Social Calendar (0)

  

  Hello! Another Portland Social Scene is here. All via by Leigh Friedman, who keeps you updated on all the fun that Portland, OR has to offer.

  Again, I’ll be doing the uncool thing and watching the free screening of Battlestar Galactica at the Baghdad. Maybe there won’t be a line ’cause of the Watchmen opening. Fingers crossed.

  I’d like to recommend The Gaslamp Killer at The Crown Room. He’s one of the resident DJ’s at LA’s Low End Theory which I mentioned earlier this week. He always spins a good set.

  As well, Foundry Field Recordings will be doing a free show on Sunday at Rontoms will also be a good show.

  I’m curious about the 10th Anniversary Tom Waits party, but that could be a little scary for a ton of reasons…

  Anyway, remember that this list is a truncated version of the Life Is A Party list, provided weekly

  Drop an email here to get the full list!

  Enjoy your weekend!

  HIT THE JUMP FOR THE LIST OF THIS WEEKEND’S PORTLAND AWESOME

• 03.03.09
  Low End Theory has a Podcast!   Singles, Social Calendar (0)

  

  Quite possibly one of the most fun things I did while in LA was to attend Low End Theory, a gathering of local and visiting electro-glitch-hop performers that was worth every penny.

  Given the schedule, I held down while in LA I rarely did much of anything, but managed to hit up Low End Theory a few times…which says a lot. I got to see Daedelus do an amazing and varied set on his magical Monome, as well I got to see Jel (a member of both Subtle and Themselves) destroy on the MPC. It’s a chill atmosphere, with the wide back porch stage and additional upstairs DJ space. Plus, the outside sound system is one of the heaviest I’ve ever had the joy to experience. During Jel’s set, I was standing at the center of the stage and the bass dug in deep…every article of clothing I had on was buzzing. One of the friends I was at the show with got quite sick from the vibrations. Serious business.

  Just today, they’ve released the first of what will hopefully be many podcasts. They’re waiting for approval from Apple to get the thing listed up on iTunes, but for now you can grab it directly from their site:
  
  

  
  

  Low End Theory Podcast Vol. 1

  
  
  This month, resident DJ Daddy Kev and the always excellent SAMIYAM split the 50 minute set. The whole thing is a fantastic blur of patented LA glitch and spacey post-Dilla hip-hop.

  Since you just missed the awesomeness of Daedelus & already TTM.com loved Nosaj Thing on the 25th, here’s two upcoming at Low End Theory nights noting:

  3/11: DJ NOBODY BIRTHDAY DRINKING CONTEST – with Free The Robots

  4/23: LAZER SWORD

  I enjoyed both of them alot last year. Santa Ana’s Free The Robots is probably one of the best beat smiths to hit my ears in a long while. He’s got the same brilliant ability to craft real songs, the same that pulled me in when I first heard DJ Shadow all those years ago. His Free The Robots EP (iTunes link) is a fantastic piece of work that easily outshines a lot of his contemporaries. He’ll be hitting Portland on May 1st at the Crown Room

  
  

  Free The Robots – Diary

  
  

  Finally, grab this free download of Lazer Sword’s Blap to the Future mix:

  

  Free downloadable mixtapes are my favorite things lately. What mixtape do you love the best?

• 02.20.09
  Portland Social Scene – 2/20 – 2/22 (Kool Keith, Andrew Bird, Broken Spindles )   Social Calendar (0)

  

  Another edition of Portland Social Scene, something I’ll try to be putting up on Thursday or Friday, sometime after I get the Lifeisaparty list. Man, coding all the links was a bit task intensive, so this week, I’ll leave it up to you, the good readers of Taking Tiger Mountain to google it yourself…or just know where it is.

  As for me, I’ll be doing the uncool thing and watching the free screening of Battlestar Galactica at the Baghdad. Nerdy and free.

  Remember, his list is a truncated version of the Life Is A Party list, provided weekly by Leigh Friedman, which keeps you updated on all the weekend madness that Portland, OR has to offer.

  Drop an email here to get the full list!

  Enjoy your weekend!

  From Leigh:

  Friday

  Townbombing w/ Dr. Adam & Automaton @ Tube

  Ludachrist w/ Tyler Tastemaker and J Roby @ Crown Room (mashup, bass and live electro party)

  Decadence Debauchery @ Hawthorne Theater (burlesque dancers and cabaret show)

  Rock Box @ Holocene (dance party!)

  East Infection @ East (a great place to start or end the night)

  Fuckbadmusic Party @ Branx (tech house dance party)

  R9 @ Groove Suite (minimal techno and electro with a live visual artist)

  Visions of Venice Masquerade Ball @ Rose Room in the Rose Garden (cocktails, costumes, dancing and a Frank Sinatra tribute group)

  Fall of the House @ Theater! Theater! (it’s theater!)

  Padam Padam @ Dharma Rain Center (cabaret of Edith Piaf and Tom Waits songs)

  Hard Times @ Rotture (a dance party for the working stiff)

  Ben Darwish Album Release Party @ Jimmy Mak’s (awesome jazz and recreations of popular songs)

  Portland Int’l Film Fest @ NW Film Center (movies!)

  Mt. Hood Ski Bowl 80’s Party @ Mt. Hood (free gifts for people on the mountain in 80’s outfits)

  Me, Chi & Bruce Lee @ Powell’s on Hawthorne (a book reading about martial arts and then a viewing of Kung Fu Panda)

  Roots Reggae Dancehall @ Calabash (roots, reggae and dancehall – the title kinda says it all)

  Panther @ Backspace (electro dance funk)

  Ralphie May @ Crystal Ballroom (holy shit this dude is hilarious – you’ve probably seen him on Comedy Central)

  Hip Hop Fest w/ Cool Nutz, Mikey Vegaz and Luck1 @ Ash Street (local hip hop)

  Melao de Cuba @ Mississippi Pizza (cool Cuban jazz)

  Jackie-O Mutherfucker and E*Rock @ Slabtown (this will be a party rock show)

  Saturday

  Andrew Bird @ The Roseland

  PDX Jazz Fest @ Crystal Ballroom (Afro Cuban All-stars, Lou Donaldson and Bobby Hutcherson… bring a date and impress her/him with your seductive dance moves)

  Sweet FA Rock & Roll Fashion Show @ Fez (awesome event with some awesome local designers)

  Electric Feel @ Fez (a fun dance party immediately after the fashion show)

  Kool Keith @ Berbati’s (I am 100% sure that this will be an interesting show)

  DJ Wicked @ Bar XV (this place always gets crowded on Saturday’s)

  Tin House Book Event @ Disjecta (live bands and books! … that actually doesn’t sound anywhere near as fun as this will actually be)

  Nicolle Shops PDX Party @ NW 21st & Wilson (for the uber fashionable of PDX)

  Harlem Globetrotters @ Rose Garden (ahh, such memories of being a kid and wishing I could dunk)

  Love Sick @ Branx (a crazy costume party with dancing)

  Broadway Affair Party @ Escape (live cabaret show)

  Saturday Night Heat @ Crown Room (hip hop, dub, dancehall and funk dj’s)

  Polar Bear Plunge @ Clumbia River (you’re kidding right? You want me to jump in the river?)

  Dinocore Dance Party @ Lucky’s on 28th and Glisan (a dinosaur themed electro dance party .. only in PDX, or ok, maybe in Brooklyn too)

  Erotic City @ Tiger Bar (Prince cover band)

  Drum Club @ Dunes (cool minimal electro in this cool little space)

  White Light Dance Party @ Valentines (fun dance party with brother/sister dj duo)

  Icarus Comedy Group @ Brody Theater (live improv comedy)

  Fall of the House @ Theater! Theater! (it’s theater!)

  Roots Reggae Dancehall @ Calabash (roots, reggae and dancehall – the title kinda says it all)

  Night of 1000 Masks @ Rotture (one big Mardi Gras party)

  Portland Int’l Film Fest @ NW Film Center (movies!)

  Fujinami-Kai Dance Performance @ NW Library (a performance of the traditional dance Buyo)

  Balkan Mardi Gras @ Paradise (Eastern European folk music and vodka!)

  Pop Rocks: A Bite Sized Festival @ Someday (5 awesome bands, 1 awesome venue)

  The Music Tapes w/ Julian from Neutral Milk Hotel @ Backspace (indie rock madness)

  Antiques Improv Show @ Brody Theater (bring in an antique, they will make up a funny story)

  80’s vs 90’s Party @ Pala (4 dj’s playing classics from both decades)

  Beaux Arts Ball @ Portland Art Museum (dinner, dancing and costumes)

  Johnny Cash Tribute Band @ Ash St. (I imagine 90% of the people here will be drinking whiskey)

  Twilight Rummage Sale @ Eagles Lodge (tons of goods!)

  Hillsdale Brew Fest @ Hillsdale Public House (20 brewers, 20 new beers)

  Sunday

  Sapient of Sandpeople, Illmaculate, Diezel P, Dain and DJ Flip Flop @ Berbati’s (local hip hop showcase and freestyle battle)

  Nealie Neal @ Moloko Plus (rare funk and soul)

  Fall of the House @ Theater! Theater! (it’s theater!)

  Local 4 @ Secret Society (poetry)

  Sinferno Cabaret @ Dante’s (fire dancing!)

  Bryan Wolfe Photo Exhibit @ Blue Sky Gallery (a showcase of each piece the artist made each day for a full year)

  Virginia Café 95th Anniversary Party @ Virginia Café (beer prices from the ’80’s!!)

  Dent May @ Doug Fir (this guy is awesome, really fun and creative songs … oh, and there is a guy from the New Pornographers)

  Cuba Ache @ Mississippi Pizza (Cuban jazz)

  Broken Spindles @ Rotture (hey, it’s the dude from The Faint making cool music)

  Jules Boykoff Poetry Reading @ Powell’s on Hawthorne (poetry in big in Portland)

  Autopilot is For Lovers @ Valentines (sweet and soft folk, a good way to prepare for Monday)

  Dub & Doom @ Tube (ridiculous drink specials and two ridiculous dj’s)

  PDX Poetry Slam @ Hawthorne Theater (poems and maybe people snapping after other people’s poems)

• 02.13.09
  Portland Social Scene – 2/13 – 2/15 (Talkdemonic, Explode Into Colors, Albino & more!)   Social Calendar (1)

  

  In an effort to get better settled in my new home of Portland, I’m going to start publishing some more local-centric articles. It helps me get better acquainted with some of the many bands and venues around the city. There’s always something going on in this city

  So, here’s a selection of what’s going on this weekend in Portland:

  Friday

  Vagabond Opera and Chervona @ Someday Lounge – 125 NW 5th Avenue

  Fall of the House @ Theatre! Theatre! – 3430 SE Belmont.

  Shake Speake, Best Supporting Actress and New Centruy Schoolbook @ Dunes – 1905 NE MLK

  Atole & Breakfast Mountain @ Dekum Manor – 422 NE Dekum St

  Livewire! w/ Talkdemomic & Point Juncture, WA @ Aladdin Theater – 3017 SE Milwaukee Ave.

  Potluck & House Show w/ Autopilot Is For Lovers @ NE 80th & Couch

  Zoobombers Mini Bike Winter Fest @ various locations (check out http://zoobomb.net/minibikewinter/ for info

  Dirty Dozen Brass Band @ Roseland – 8 NW 6th Ave

  That 1 Guy @ Doug Fir – 830 E. Burnside

  Saturday

  Atlas @ Holocene – 1001 SE Morrison

  Cover Your Hearts Benefit Party w/ Charmparticles, Jonah, Crosstides, Derby and Tango Alpha Tango @ Someday Lounge – 125 NW 5th Avenue

  P:ear Benefit Party featuring Strength, Explode Into Colors, and The Dirty Mittens @ Wonder Ballroom – 128 NE Russell St

  Zoobombers Mini Bike Winter Fest @ various locations (check out http://zoobomb.net/minibikewinter/ for info

  Free Vegan Desserts @ Hungry Tiger Too – 207 SE 12th Portland

  Albino @ Goodfoot Lounge – 2845 SE Stark St.

  Fleshtone and Fist Fite @ Rotture – 315 SE 3rd Ave

  Sunday

  Verb: A Dance Party Action Benefit Event @ Zaytoon – 2236 NE Alberta

  Queens Girl @ Someday Lounge – 125 NW 5th Avenue

  Alela Diane (CD Release Show) @ Holocene – 1001 SE Morrison
  Horse Feathers @ Doug Fir (beautiful folk music from local stars)

  Greyboy Allstars @ Crystal Ballroom – 1332 W. Burnside

  Zoobombers Mini Bike Winter Fest @ various locations (check out http://zoobomb.net/minibikewinter/ for info

  This list is a truncated version of the Life Is A Party list, provided weekly by Leigh Friedman, which keeps you updated on all the weekend madness that Portland, OR has to offer.

  Drop an email to get the full list!