Monthly Archives: February 2009

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

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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)

Sad News: Chicago’s Touch and Go To Restructure, Layoffs (UPDATED)

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The Chicago Tribune reports today that Chicago’s 28 year-old distributor/label Touch And Go is cutting both their staff and distribution. The move will see the distributor ceasing manufacturing for 20 smaller labels including: Kill Rock Stars, Chicago locals Flameshovel, and Merge.

Touch and Go will lay off an unspecified number of workers and continue on functioning as a label.

The statement from Touch and Go founder Corey Rusk:

“It is with great sadness that we are reporting some major changes here at Touch and Go Records. Many of you may not be aware, but for nearly 2 decades, Touch and Go has provided manufacturing and distribution services for a select yet diverse group of other important independent record labels. Titles from these other labels populate the shelves of our warehouse alongside the titles on our own two labels, Touch and Go Records, and Quarterstick Records.

“Unfortunately, as much as we love all of these labels, the current state of the economy has reached the point where we can no longer afford to continue this lesser known, yet important part of Touch and Go’s operations. Over the years, these labels have become part of our family, and it pains us to see them go. We wish them all the very best and we will be doing everything we can to help make the transition as easy as possible.

“Touch and Go will be returning to its roots and focusing solely on being an independent record label. We’ll be busy for a few months working closely with the departing labels and scaling our company to an appropriate smaller size after their departure. It is the end of a grand chapter in Touch and Go’s history, but we also know that good things can come from new beginnings.”

On a personal note, I’ve worked in the warehouses of two indie distributors over the years and been laid off from both of them. Both of those jobs were held in far less wobbly economic times (2001 & 2006) and the struggles of this of business model were evident then. It’s a transitive time for the industry, hell…most industries that ship a physical product, and it’s even tougher to continue to while the economic rug is being yanked out from beneath you.

It’s tough, because on one hand Taking Tiger Mountain is an MP3 blog and admittedly, I consume much of my music in the gray market, digital way. Everyone’s pockets are getting smaller by the day, but we should do what we can to support this industry. Click the iTunes & Insound links on the posts here. Try to go see a show and pick up a shirt or print.

And most of all, good luck to those who found themselves without a job today…

UPDATE – The Daily Swarm reports that the David Byrne’s Survival Strategies for the changing industry.

Twitter Recap! – Tokyo Police Club, Wale, Black Dice, Thermals & More!

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In an effort to diversify content between the actual site and the Taking Tiger Mountain Twitter, I tend post links to whatever random free music links I find while trolling the web. This helps keeping the twitter from being just the occational rant and “OH HAI BLOG UPDATE LINK.”

For those who aren’t yet subscribed (wink, wink) enjoy a recap of the past week’s free mp3′s and videos links!

[MP3]

Black Dice – ‘Glazin’

Motel Motel – ‘Coffee’

Tokyo Police Club – ‘Juno’

Tokyo Police Club – ‘Juno (Ra Ra Riot Remix)’

Wale – ‘Nightlife (feat. Tre and Young Chris)’

Thermals – ‘Now We Can See’

Mountains – ‘Choir’

Mimas – ‘Cats on Fire’

Kanye West – ‘Love Lockdown (Lunice remix)’

A full live Andrew Bird set from 2002

[VIDEO]

Radiohead performing ’15 Step’ with the USC Marching Band at the Grammys

Ladytron’s new video for ‘Tomorrow’

Crystal Antlers – ‘Until The Sun Sets (live)’

John Vanderslice – ‘Too Much Time (live)’

N.A.S.A – ‘Hip Hop’

A full live set from Ratatat in Paris

Please add the Taking Tiger Mountain Twitter if you like what you see!

If not, I’ll do a link round-up again soon…

Stomping Through The Air – Beirut’s ‘La Llorona’

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With the lumbering opening notes of ‘La Llorona’ the shift in mode is clear; a Mexican tinge has overtaken the Parisan lilt, just as the gypsy folk mode died before it. The song ticks away nearly half it’s length letting just the horns and layers of voice hang and mingle together. Slowly, the drums arrive, encompassing the true spirit and feeling of a traditional march. The tone is somber and the tempo reflects.

The track is thanklessly unencumbered by a need to be modern music, it draws so clearly from the aesthetic of its influence to become clearly a love letter from Zach to the era and culture in question. He’s so clear in his desire, that any touches of modern influence are pushed away into a separate project with a separate name.

For all that Zach Condon does to shift the overall tint of Beirut, there’s an inherent sameness to the “Beirut sound”. Now, that’s not a bad thing, as like with The Ramones, if you enjoy the vibe…you’ll enjoy what they do…no matter what the influence.

Beirut – La Llorona


The dual EP of Beirut’s March of the Zapotec and Realpeople’s Holland releases Feburary 17th on Obey Your Brain.

Lettermania! – Beirut, At The Drive-In, Tom Waits & More!

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I came across Beirut’s recent performance of ‘A Sunday Smile’ on Letterman 2 weeks ago, I decided to take a wander back through the archives of what YouTube had to offer for Letterman performances. Why Letterman? Well, he’s not as funny as he used to be, but for sure as a east coaster originally I’ve always preferred him over the big chin schlub (to quote the late. great Bill Hicks).

Plus, he’s got decent taste in musicians for a late night host…

Here we go with Beirut’s aforementioned performance of ‘A Sunday Smile’:

I ended up digging through the archives and found some of the gems from recent years:

Beirut – A Sunday Smile (Feb 2nd, 2009)

The National – Fake Empire (July 24, 2007)

My favorite track off of Boxer and a stunner live.

Tokyo Police Club – The Nature of the Experiment (April, 17th 2007)

While not my favorite TPC song, a solid performance.

Andrew Bird – Plasticities (April, 11th 2007)
Also, Fitz and Dizzyspells (Jan, 27th 2009)

Always fantastic live, Andrew Bird’s usually loose and languid performances are compressed by broadcast time constraints and come across like 45′s played at the wrong speed; while not the best Live Bird, it certainly is interesting.

The Decemberists – O Valencia (November, 28th 2006)

Live Decemberists are always fun…not much else to add.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Date With The Night
Also, Down Boy (26th July 2007) & Gold Lion (March 29, 2006)

Mmm, Yeah Yeah Yeahs back when they had their glorious edge. Sadly, not the same when their second album rolled around, but we love them still.

At The Drive-In – One Armed Scissor
Also, Sparta – Breaking The Broken (October 20th, 2004) & The Mars Volta – Wax Simulacra (January 17th, 2008)

A vintage performance from At The Drive-In at their finest. Bonus performances from The Mars Volta and Sparta.

Tom Waits – Straight To The Top (1988)

I guess Tom and Dave are buddies, judging by the number of times that he’s been on the show. An equally good interviewee as a performer.

Tom Waits – Frank’s Wild Years (1983)
Part 2 – On The Nickle

Tom Waits – Rain Dogs (1986)

Tango Till They’re Sore (1988)

Tom Waits – Interview for Alice & Blood Money (2002)

David Sedaris – Stadium Pal

And for a little change, here’s some David Sedaris to round the collection out. Enjoy.

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

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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!