three7: Hip Hop History

What's up world!? For the whole month of November we celebrated hip hop history on Welcome to the Neighborhood. Starting with classic material from the 70's, each week we celebrated a different decade and saw the evolution of the art from.

Along the way we paid respect to an MC who passed far to soon, "The Overweight Lover" Heavy D who first came on the scene in the late 80's and just this year released his last album.

You can catch up on missed episodes on demand at the KZME website.

Welcome to the Neighborhood is airing at a new time, 7-9pm pacific on 107.1FM in Portland metro area, and can also be streamed live here via the KZME site.


Be sure to check out the new Welcome to the Neighborhood Facebook page and be on the lookout for announcements on upcoming studio guests from this northwest hip hop movement.

Also check out the three7 MUSIC blog for links and updates on the upcoming feature on Welcome to the Neighborhood currently in production by Evergreen NW Media and much more.

Spread the word, KZME Radio is on the air!

Until next time,

Klyph.

The Local Artist Speaks: Wax Fingers

Wax Fingers recently played at a KZME sponsored show at Mississippi Studios. I didn't get to go to the show, but heck - this is better!

Meet....Wax Fingers!

**********************************
How long have you lived in the Portland area?

Zac - I've lived in Portland just over 5 years from Florida.
Pete - I've lived in Portland for 7 years from Chicago.
Tommy- I'm from Portland, I will never leave.

Give us a brief history of your band/project:

We met on Craig's List...we're a Craig's List band. We all met on the "casual encounters" section, but decided our time would be better spent playing music.

What’s the first song you ever learned to play?

Zac - Taking Care of Business by Bachman Turner Overdrive.
Pete - No way, me too!
Tommy - I hate you guys.

What’s your favorite local venue to play? To see other bands?

Zac - Doug Fir is a great venue...the sound is wonderful and the staff is attentive and professional. Always fun playing there.

Speaking of other bands, who do you like in the Portland music scene?

Zac - Off the top of my head: Nice Nice, Yeah Great Fine, No Kind of Rider, AAN, Red Fang....I think I need to listen to more Portland based bands...most of the music I listen to comes from the Balkans.

Tell us about a recent “Only in Portland” moment you might have had.

Tommy - I stopped by a convenience store in NE Portland, like right around Killingsworth and 40 something... to grab some beer. A hooded guy burst through the door carrying a gun, I was right at the cash register with cash in hand as this was happening. The dude who was behind the cash register seemed to know the drill automatically, he kept his cool and began taking out the money and neatly placing it in a paper bag. It was eerily quiet in the store, I was the only customer in there and I was so scared I could barely move. The armed hooded guy's cell phone starts ringing, and his ring tone was that one song off of Yo La Tengo's album If Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out. I can't remember the name....anyways, I thought that was somehow a funny and terrifying Portland moment.

Finish this sentence: “I cannot live without_____”
Zac - Pete's guitar riffs.
Tommy - Yellow raisins.
Pete - My mommy.

Follow them at:
www.facebook.com/waxfingers
waxfingers.com
@waxfingers on Twitter

The Local Artist Speaks: No Kind of Rider

No Kind of Rider will be playing at Mississippi Studios on November 15 along with yeah great fine and Wax Fingers.

I caught up with Jonathan Van Patten and he answered these very important questions.

Meet....No Kind of Rider!!!

*********************************
How long have you lived in the Portland area?

- We arrived in Portland by Caravan on September 6th, 2008.

Give us a brief history of your band.

-The band, with its five members, has been together approximately five and a half years. We began playing together in late Feb/early March of 2006. Four out of five of us, Wes, Sam, Joe and myself(Jon), knew each other from high school in Tulsa, OK. The other member, which was Jeremy, became known by Sam and Joe from university. I had been playing in another band for roughly a year in Dallas, TX and by end of that year the band had dissolved over a period of a couple months. I moved back to Tulsa to work and go to school. Three months had gone by and I had been feeling restless, began looking for some people to play with and miraculously, got in touch with Sam through this weird website called Myspace. I think our moms had something to do with it. Moms. It was odd because I had never really been close friends with Sam or any of the other members, but we knew of each other and found to our delight, the five of us all got along quite well from the very beginning. Musical interest as well as personality was on par, which is rare. At the end of the night, after setting up and playing together for the first time, I looked around at the guys and said, "I'm gonna leave my drums here." They looked at me and the general consensus was, Yep, that seems like a good idea. And now, here we are, five and half years later.

What is the first song you ever learned to play?

- The first song No Kind of Rider wrote together is a song off of our new EP, Away Colors. The song is called 'Song 1(Bulletproof Tiger).' Though we only just released the song, it was the first song the five of us collectively wrote.

What is your favorite local venue to play? To see other bands?

- We've pretty much always been a fan of places like Doug Fir and Mississippi studios. They have a good atmosphere and good sound. Also, there are good people working at those places.

Speaking of other bands, who do you like on the Portland music scene?

- I can't speak for everyone here, but I'm pretty sure most of us fall in the same boat with a lot of this stuff, so I'll just mention some of the bands we've come to love collectively over the past couple years. We're big fans of Jen Moon's project, Old Wars. Also, Hello Electric, Yours, Wax Fingers, Greylag and the list goes on. If I'm forgetting anyone, please forgive me. I'm definitely forgetting people, but there is so much happening in the lovely city, sometimes it's difficult to keep up.

Tell us about a recent "Only in Portland" moment you might have had.

- That's a tough one. Every day in this city seems to be an "only in Portland" moment.

Finish this sentence: "I cannot live without______"

- I cannot live without Parks and Recreation(the show). . . Also, the parks in this are quite nice as well.

Show deets by clicking here!

The Local Artist Speaks: MY SUMMER AS A GOTH

'Tis the seen for ghoulish delights and great local films! Tara Johnson-Medinger and Brandon Roberts I making a film about explorations in the goth culture. There's a big party going on at the Hollywood Theatre tonight (Oct. 28) to celebrate meeting a recent fundraising goal (click here for details) but in the meantime, meet the duo behind the film!

********************************

How long have you lived in the Portland area?

Brandon: Most of my post-adolescent life, with a 6-year interlude in Los Angeles, and two years spent in Ashland where I graduated from SOU.

Tara: I moved "back" (I'm from Salem) to Portland in 2002 from Los Angeles, CA where I lived for six years.

Give us a brief history of your project:

Brandon: MY SUMMER AS A GOTH is the film that we co-wrote and are co-producing. It is the story of a "normal" 16 year-old girl, Joey, who is sent to live with her grandparents for the summer and ends up being transformed by the mysterious neighborhood Goth boy. It's a sweet, empowering film about how sometimes as teenagers we try on other identities to find out who we are. It's not just a story for Goths, although we have taken great pains to make sure that culture has been treated respectfully- it's more of a story for anyone who felt different as a teenager and grew as a result of that. I hope it speaks more universally to people in that way.

Tara: MY SUMMER AS A GOTH has been in development for about two years thus far. We spent that time focusing on getting the script right and assembling a talented crew to help us get this film made right. In the month of October, we are in the midst of a Kickstarter.com fundraising campaign, raising initial capital to get the film off the ground. We hope everyone will donate and help make our little dream come to life! For more information about the Kickstarter, go to: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1759327397/my-summer-as-a-goth?ref=live


What were some of the musical inspirations behind the film?

Brandon: We were definitely inspired by the music of our youth, especially 80's Goth bands. I personally listened to an inspiration soundtrack featuring Siouxsie & The Banshees, the classic Ministry track "Everyday Is Halloween," and new music by M83 and Bat for Lashes. M83's "Graveyard Girl" is the song that relates most to this script; I listen to it repeatedly as I work on rewrites. Same with This Mortal Coil's "Song To The Siren."

Tara: I have been a long-time fan of Robert Smith and The Cure, as well as Joy Division and Bauhaus. I don't think any Goth soundtrack would be complete without "Bela Legosi's Dead" or any number of Cure songs-- there are almost too many good ones to choose. We are going to try our darnedest to get some of these Goth classics on the soundtrack!


Where do you hope to premiere MY SUMMER AS A GOTH?

Tara: We want to throw a black carpet premiere in spring or summer 2013 at the Hollywood Theatre. It is the site of the Portland Oregon Women's Film Festival, or POWFest, which I am the director of in addition to being a film producer. It's a beautiful Portland landmark theater, and it's also rumored to be haunted, which is just too good and Gothy to pass up.

Speaking of other bands, who do you like on the Portland music scene?

Brandon: We recently caught a local Portland Goth band that we felt had a ton of potential, Mortal Clay. They were playing at the Lovecraft, a Goth bar that reminds us of Fangtasia, the vampire bar from the tv show True Blood.
Tell us about a recent “Only in Portland” moment you might have had.

Brandon: When I went up to introduce myself to the lead singer of Mortal Clay, she brightened and said, "I've heard of your film!" In that moment, I was reminded of how truly small Portland is. I'm hoping that works to our advantage and that we can get our friends and neighbors excited about our project and supporting our efforts.

Finish this sentence: “I cannot live without_____”

Brandon: MUSIC. For reals. It drives so much of what I do; I couldn't write or create without it. I'm a lifelong music obsessive--always have been, always will be.

Tara: [insert answer here]---having a super hard time answering this one! Uh...everything? My family, my creativity, my support systems (friends, family & greater community), Portland. So yeah...everything!

***********************
Hear their interview on ArtclecticPDX by clicking here! Check out the details about the film by clicking here! There's also a blog - click here!

three7: Tony Ozier talks to Oregon Music News about his new album "Beats Galore ...

Check out Tony's appearance on Welcome to the Neighborhood here:

Tony Ozier on WTTN part 1

Tony Ozier on WTTN part 2

Klyph

THAT WAS THEN, THIS IS NOW: PORTLAND MUSIC VIDEOS Presented by NW Film Center's Reel Music Festival

One  way to have a good time is to sit in the balcony of The Mission Theater drinking Terminator Stouts while watching 120 minutes of local music videos. This is what I did last week at the Reel Music screening of That was then, This is Now: Portland Music Videos, a compilation of local music videos curated by Alicia Rose.  The selection was a showcase of the talent and craftsmanship that makes the Portland music and film scene so extraordinary. I enjoyed all of the videos but I thought I'd share a few of the favorites I found on YouTube.

Nirvana: Seasons In the Sun
Directed by: Lance Bangs

The last thing I expected immediately at the start of this screening was a heavy, emotional experience. I could write a bunch of lame crap about mortality, my generation and personal glimpses into seemingly private moments but I'll spare you of that. You should still watch this though. See if anything happens to you.

Menomena: Evil Bee
Directed by: Stefan Nadelman


I understand exactly what is going on here but I am not exactly sure what it means. It's a great video with great animation.

Sallie Ford & The Sound Outside: I Swear
Directed by: Matthew Ross

I am not sure why I hadn't heard of Sallie Ford & The Sound Outside before, but after poking around on the internet I can see it is my own fault. I hope that I would have seen this video eventually.

Red Fang: Wires
Directed by: Whitey McConnaughy
This is what happens when you pack a video full of awesomeness and then drive a car through it.

Elliot Smith: Lucky Three
Directed by: Jem Cohen
The quality of this youtube video does no justice to the film and, by the end, the sound is pretty out of synch. Still, I would be remiss without mentioning this piece. It made think a lot about mortality and my generation. It is an intimate portrait of a person I would like to know better and a place I love more everyday.

It also set the mood for the upcoming screening of Searching For Elliot Smith this Friday. I can hardly wait.

The Local Artist Speaks: IAN MOUSER

107.1 FM KZME radio is a proud sponsor of the My Voice Music 3rd anniversary party that is taking place on October 15. It will be a celebration of all the great stuff going on at the organization, including the release of its very first compilation CD. You can listen to that CD by clicking here as it was featured on Trixie Pop earlier this month.

Ian Mouser is the executive director for My Voice Music, and I recently caught up with him to find out a bit more about the man behind the music.

Meet....Ian Mouser!

******************************
HOW LONG HAVE YOU LIVED IN THE PORTLAND AREA?

I moved to Portland in 1999 (wow, that was a really long time ago!) with my band at the time, American Hit List. We played a bunch of 70’s sounding rock tunes with big guitar solos, drum fills and lots of attitude (I still have the scars!). That band eventually broke up, but I continued to play in bands, most notably playing bass for the band, Another Cynthia. We made very little money so I had day jobs and all that. - Portland is such a great town. I can go out just about any night and see a friend, or a friend of a friend’s band play a small club and blow me away!

GIVE US A BRIEF HISTORY OF YOUR BAND/PROJECT:

I worked as Treatment Counselor and Skills Trainer in a residential treatment center for youth experiencing mental health and behavioral challenges. I brought in my guitar one morning and played it as the boys woke up. Typically, they would wake up yelling at each other and whoever was present. The first morning I played my guitar on the unit, the kids woke up, came out of their rooms and instead of yelling and fighting each other, sat down in front of me and quietly listened. It was like I had waved a magic wand across the room and chaos was replaced with calm - insecurity with a sense of place. That experience transformed my perception of what I was supposed to be doing with music.

I began teaching music to many of the youth in the treatment center, as well as, to youth living in foster care and attending therapeutic schools. I developed a curriculum that taught youth to play music, write songs, record them and perform as a band. Quickly, I began receiving letters from parents, therapists, teachers, and program directors telling me stories of how these music programs were having remarkably positive impacts on the youth attending them - leading to breakthroughs in therapy sessions, boosting school attendance, lowering violent outburst and aggression; fostering positive social interactions for the first time in a child’s life…stuff like that.

I decided to expand these programs so they could reach many more youth than I could ever work with on my own…but, I had no money, and little knowledge regarding how to form a business. Fortunately friends who heard me talk about the program and my vision for it volunteered to do everything from design logo’s, to buying a program van. One of my private student’s parents gave me their Dodge Durango and told me to sell it in order to found the organization. My friend/music attorney, Peter Shaver, helped me to prepare the mountains of paper work…and there you have it, My Voice Music was created – serving over 500 youth per year as of today!

WHAT IS THE FIRST SONG YOU EVER LEARNED TO PLAY?

What a great question! “I Could Have Lied”, by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, from the Blood, Sugar, Sex album. I haven’t listened to that song in years.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LOCAL VENUE TO PLAY? TO SEE OTHER BANDS?

I really enjoyed playing at the Doug Fir. Those shows were always packed and a blast. I think that is my favorite place to listen to a band too, but I have a weird unexplainable love for the White Eagle. I love that place like I love an old pair of wool socks. It’s a toss up.

SPEAKING OF OTHER BANDS, WHO DO YOU LIKE ON THE PORTLAND MUSIC SCENE?

I like so many bands on the Portland scene – oh my! This is a tough question. I will give this the Inego Montoya one-handed list of top six bands in my current playlist:

Tango Alpha Tango, Sara Jackson-Holeman, Mike Midlo and Pancake Breakfast, Jared Meese and the Grown Children, Mackintosh Braun, Ages and Ages

TELL US ABOUT A RECENT "ONLY IN PORTLAND" MOMENT YOU EXPERIENCED:

I was sitting at a stop light when a man with a twirled mustached man wearing suspenders and a bowtie passed by riding a unicycle. As he passed he looked over at me for a second and then winked. - I felt powerless and alive all at once.

Finish this sentence: “I cannot live without... dentists - I love me some healthy chompers!”

Check out this cool video that is an interview with Ian: