Guidance Councilor (went to High School with you)

Half of Portland went to High School with Guidance Councilor (Ian Anderson). When he was written up in the Willamette Week, two people that I work with at New Seasons, and one of Art's friends told me that they were friends with him in High School. Then at the show I saw this girl Natalie who also told me she knew him from high school, even though I'm pretty sure she is from my home town in California. So chances are you went to high school with Guidance Councilor too. Check him out.

Dekum Manor Show spring break 2008!

Dekum Manor is one of my favorite house venues in Portland. The place itself is beautiful and set up well enough to host larger shows like this one, without feeling completely chaotic and overrun by large crowds. Of course, maybe I just dont feel the numbers because I always fight to stay near the front, to snap photos.
The bill was solid: Worlds Greatest Ghosts, Reporter, Explode into Color, and Fist Fite-- I wanted to see every single band playing that night, which is pretty rare. Since I had to work @ 9 am the next day, I had to leave before Fist Fite played, to my infinite disappointment, since I still have yet to see them play. Someday soon. soon!
The first band to play, and third pictured here, is Explode Into Color. It was their first show, and they were totally rad, all three girls are just amazing and versatile-- Explode into Color is a second or third band for most of the members. Check out the band Kickball, for whom one of the Explode into Color girls plays drums. The same girl also gives drums lessons on occasion. I saw Kickball @ The Modern Age this winter and they blew my mind. Someone at the show also mentioned that the guitar player/singer played with punk duo Japanther in the past. I am not sure about that, but if its true, then one more rad-person point goes to her. I cant wait to see more from this band!!
The house was packed for Reporter, a re-formed new/old band who are definitely as good or better than their former incarnation as the super popular post-punk group Wet Confetti. They graciously went on second instead of third, since Worlds Greatest Ghosts were waiting for their MIA guitar player Brandon, who, we learned later, had some kind of a projector problem at his "real" job-- as a projectionist at the St. Johns theater. In the end Brandon made it down to Dekum st. just in time for WGG to play third, to a thrilled and still packed house-- I realized as I watched them play that this is a band that is seriously loved in the house show circuit. I have seen them play bars and coffee shops lots of times before, but never to this kind of reaction from the crowd. Kids were singing along to most of the set, yelling out what they wanted to hear between songs, and the guy next to me said that his young kids even love the band, probably because of their penchant for singing about mythological animals and dinosaurs.
Anyhow, long story short, this show was great and I cant wait for another show at the Dekum manor, here in the magi-cool city of Portland.

Sleepwalkers Rest In Peace

These kids rule. Plain and simple.

Basic Rights Oregon Benefit

why more people were not at this benefit show is anyone's guess-- all the right elements seemed to be there-- Sunday night, two good venues, tons of great bands, and the $12 ticket price got you into both shows, each having about 8 bands on the bill. But the place was nearly empty when I watched Worlds Greatest Ghosts, and about the same with Hey Lover-- both bands that usually have a big hometown fan base. Art (the graphic design nerd) thought it was the hard-to read poster, and I think it might have been the lack of advertising in advance.
But despite a kind of slight turnout, the bands poured the usual soul into the music and made it feel like there were a hundred sweaty bodies dancing next to me.
Of course, less people means more room for me to take pictures! Here they are:





PS I took pictures of a few other bands that didnt come out-- sorry for the lack of diversity (no pun intended) in bands, there really were like 16 bands playing that night.

A few from last month.

This is the Chemicals, the Estranged, and Phantom lights. All taken at rad shows during the last month or so.

Around Portland

what I've been up to.

Double Exposure.

Myron's B-day

whoo, it was Myron's birthday this week, and to celebrate he had a
Fog Machine and Party Tent. He also had a bunch of bands, saddly only one of which we got to see, since both Art and I were totally toasted. And by toasted I do mean HIIIIIIIIIIIGH. No, actually, I just mean tired and burned out. Is there a better word for that? I should ask Johhny. He's good at making up bad slang.

Science of Yabra w/ Glass and Ashes @ Ground Kontrol

Science of Yabra 2/21/08 @ Ground Kontrol
Great show..... but I am feeling nasty and tired.... so thats all I can write about that.

Glass and Ashes w/ Science of Yabra

Glass and Ashes show 2/21/08 @ Ground Kontrol.

Phantom Lights

these are photos from my third photoshoot ever, with the band Phantom Lights, who responded to a bulletin I posted on myspace, offering to take some pictures for bands. I was so nervous, especially since I didnt know these girls yet, and because I really like their band, but they turned out to be totally cool and I would hang out with them anytime. Even though I have a really long way to go, I am learning more and more every time I do one of these things, and I feel like I am slowly getting better... which is a good feeling. Maybe someday I'll actually take a photography class!

Birthday # 26

This week was overwhelmingly good and full of people and faces begging to be captured (and me, begging to capture them). My good friend Amy just left to live in Bangladesh, and so we combined my birthday (coming up in a few days) and her going away party, into one giant amalgamation of our mutual friends and acquaintances. To celebrate, I rented a room in the new downtown Ace Hotel, and we did it up big.






More to come....