Portland Spoke – The Official Blog of Travel Portland – Travel Portland's Staff Blog

Portland is known for its fine food and drink, its natural beauty and its indie style. Now it seems it’s our musicians’ turn to take the world by storm.

Blind Pilot rocks Astoria; photo by Larry Clark.

Blind Pilot, fresh from headlining at MusicfestNW and launching their second release, “We Are the Tide,” in Astoria, is now on a nationwide tour and will return to Portland’s Crystal Ballroom in November.

TLE's Jared Mees with Typhoon's "A New Kind of House" on clear vinyl.

Portland’s Tender Loving Empire label is also riding high. TLE’s Typhoon appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman (and on The Portland Collection’s video debut) and Radiation City performs multiple gigs this week at New York’s CMJ Festival.  Meanwhile, chamber pop ensemble Loch Lomond will tour Europe and the UK – where they have already gained notoriety thanks to a remarkable Scottish cyclist. (more…)

This fall’s classical music season is far more eclectic than in days of old when warhorse symphonies dominated. The concert of the season, for example, might be Sō Percussion’s account of Steve Reich and John Cage, and the Oregon Symphony’s fall season features Dawn Upshaw singing great American songs and a Pink Martini collaboration. On the other hand, Portland Baroque Orchestra will settle in for Vivaldi and In Mulieribus will sing a program of women composers, ancient and contemporary. Here are some of the highlights.

Thomas Lauderdale and Storm Large

Oregon Symphony with Pink Martini – Sept. 11-13
Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1111 S.W. Broadway

Pink Martini pianist Thomas Lauderdale isn’t just classically trained — he’s a longtime symphony supporter and current board member, so these collaborations between the city’s orchestra (fresh off its Carnegie Hall triumph) and its bubbly retro-Latin big band amount to much more than the usual crossover fare.

Portland Vocal Consort – Sept. 11
The Grotto, 8840 N.E. Skidmore St.

In a free tribute to the victims of the 2001 terrorist attacks, the choral ensemble will sing some of history’s most moving requiems by Spanish Renaissance composer Tomas Luis de Victoria and Samuel Barber, as well as patriotic songs.

Uri Caine

Uri Caine – Sept. 20
Doug Fir Lounge, 830 E. Burnside St.

The latest in Portland Piano International’s intimate, edgier series brings the jazz-tinged classical pianist and composer to town to explore the delightful possibilities along the boundaries of each genre.
(more…)

Downtown Portland is a vibrant place that never ceases to surprise — even around 9:45 on a Saturday night in  mid-July, when I happened upon this scene in front of the Nordstrom on Broadway: self-described “street band” All the Apparatus, wrapping up an energetic (and, judging from the assembled crowd of dancers and head-nodders, enthusiastically received) set.

The band — which, according to my colleague Courtney, moves around to two or three downtown street corners on Saturdays — might soon be popping up in a city near you. Check their website for details of their August tour of western states.

One of my favorite summertime traditions is to pack a picnic basket and go to the symphony.  For 31 years, the Portland Festival Symphony has presented live classical music in Portland’s beautiful parks.  It’s a wonderful way to experience the symphony in beautiful outdoor settings that bring the community together.

This season there will be six symphony concerts at public parks around Portland, from July 30 to September 4. The concerts are all at 6 p.m., and are always free — no tickets required. Just bring chairs or blankets for seating.  This is a fun family event; there’s even a “Toy Symphony” where children can participate.

On September 1, the Oregon Symphony performs for FREE at Waterfront Park to launch their season. The Portland Youth Philharmonic will start off the concert at 5 p.m. Closing festivities include the traditional grand finale — Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture with an elaborate fireworks show, complete with military cannons from the Oregon Army National Guard 218th Field Artillery.

So pack your picnic basket and enjoy the sounds of summer!

The Fruit Bats playing at Pickathon, photo by Tim LaBarge

Am I the only one who’s been listening to the Decemberists’ latest album nonstop since it came out in January? The Portland band’s most recent record, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard chart, is filled with songs at the same time fresh and nostalgic, channeling musicians like Tom Petty and R.E.M. in the band’s distinctive style.

“The King is Dead” was recorded in the Workshop Barn at Pendarvis Farm, one of six venues at the annual Pickathon music festival, coming up Aug. 5-7, 2011. (more…)

Travel Portland is working with Oregon Arts Watch, a new, nonprofit journalism enterprise, to cover upcoming art exhibits, performances and events in the city.

Here are some of this summer’s music highlights (see visual arts and theater highlights):

Emerson String Quartet (photo credit: Lisa-Marie Mazzucco)

Chamber Music Northwest
Various venues
June 20-July 24

The summer center of Portland’s vital chamber music scene, the 30 concerts in the 41st annual edition of this festival include the world premiere of a new clarinet quintet commissioned from composer Marc Neikrug (July 1); classic unfinished works by Bach, Mozart, Schubert and others completed by leading contemporary composers and performed by the Brentano String Quartet (July 9); and perhaps the world’s most accomplished classical foursome, the Emerson Quartet (July 16). (more…)

Some exciting news from The Biggest Little City: Pre-production work is underway on a film version of The Motel Life, the first book by Portland musician and writer Willy Vlautin, a Reno native.

Vlautin’s novels, which have drawn comparisons to Steinbeck and Carver, are like his songs: plainspoken yet lyrical, heartbreaking but hopeful.

You can catch Vlautin and his Richmond Fontaine bandmates in Portland on April 14 at the Doug Fir.

Vlautin’s other novels include Lean on Pete – a finalist for this year’s Oregon Book Awards — and Northline.

Sometimes, the winter weather in Portland can be a bit … dicey.  Fortunately for us, we have a great arts scene that provides some cozy distractions, from festivals (the Jazz Festival and the Portland International Film Festival are on right now) to season-long offerings from companies like the Oregon Ballet Theatre, Oregon Symphony and White Bird Dance.

Now through the end of March, downtown Portland’s performing arts organizations have teamed up to provide a break from the winter doldrums with a 2-for-1 offer on select performances.  Shows include STOMP, Alvin Ailey Dance, and a piece from Oregon writer Ken Kesey, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.  In addition, local restaurants and retailers are providing dining, shopping and parking discounts to showcase the full downtown Portland experience.

These deals are open to locals and visitors, so check out the details at downtownportland.org.

Fernando Viciconte

Growing up, my best friend Tim’s access to his older brother’s record collection — The Kinks, Clash, Bob Marley, early R.E.M. – was a godsend. The albums were a refuge for us, a couple of dorky contrarians [editor’s note: some things never change] trying to navigate the cheesy ’80s soundscape of our junior high and high school years.

Now, I can thank R.E.M. (or, to be more specific, guitarist Peter Buck) for riding to the rescue once again.

Buck helped coax Fernando Viciconte, one of my favorite singer/songwriters in Portland, out of retirement.

The happy result: a spirited CD release show at Dante’s on Feb. 5, for which Fernando assembled a crackerjack lineup, including Richmond Fontaine guitarist Dan Eccles and  multi-instrumentalist Lewi Longmire on organ.

Tour dates are planned, and the new record, “True Instigator,” takes its place alongside Fernando’s late-’90s chestnuts: the rootsy, foot-stomping fun of “Old Man Motel” and the bristling rock en Español of “Pacoima.”

If you have the chance, check him out live. Or, better yet, pass along the word to a friend’s kid brother.