|
|
|
Local Portland Music Scene Portland is part of the Pacific Northwest Region that has produced many successful artists. The metro population of Portland is over 2.2 million, according to the 2010 Census. Large campuses include Portland University, The University of Portland and Reed College. The local scene is covered by Oregonlive.com and Oregon Music News. The history of the Portland music scene has included The Kingsmen, Everclear, Decemberists, Quarterflash, Nu Shooz, Dan Reed Network and Dandy Warhols. KNRK has been the flagship radio station for local music and is where Everclear began their climb to national fame. Some of the venues where Portland artists developed include Aladdin Theater and Satyricon. Certain times in history the Portland and Seattle scenes have worked together to create a national buzz about the Pacific Northwest region, as in the 60s with The Kingsmen and Paul Revere & The Raiders, who both recorded in Portland. Portland Music Acts Ahmond * Blue Phoenix Radio * Carrie Cunningham * Catherine Feeny * Cloverdayle * Cody Weathers * Courtney Jones * Dae * Eastern Sunz * Element 115 * Emma Hill * Falling Up * Floater * Ill Lucid Onset * Jacki Wheeler * Jennifer Batten * Kasey Anderson * Kousefly * Last Empire * Love Lies Dying * Morgan Grace * Naomi LaViolette * Oh, Hush! * Quarterdeck * Patrick Lamb * Phil Agrue * Rachel Lynn * RadioJet * Red Fang * Redwood Son * Rena Jones * Rob Stroup and The Blame * Scoobalachi * Shatterbrains * Sir Digital * Sixtieen Cities * Stephanie Schneiderman * Sue Zalokar * The Raining * 3 a.m. * Unter Null * Vintage Time Machines * Whiskey Hill * X-Day Portland Local Music Scene History Despite the shutdown of local music venues during the 2020 pandemic, music fans were able to enjoy regional talent with the 40th Annual Cathedral Park Festival. Although the annual festival in St. Johns was cancelled, musicians on the bill performed for the live streaming show July 19, 2020. It was billed as the largest free jazz festival west of the Mississippi. The musicians performed in Portland in a 4,000 foot production studio. Gold Brix Tape 01 is a CD compilation of Portland indie musicians such as Night Heron, Wet Dream, S.E.C.R.E.T.S. and Martha Stax, released in 2018. It was put together by Cameron Spies from Apes Tapes, a short-lived label built on cassette releases. Night Heron is Spies' followup band to Radiation City, which split in 2016. One of the most authoritative sources that tracks the Portand music scene is OregonLive.com, which is the website for The Oregonian. The online publication covers local scene acts such as Aan, Kye Kye and Caroline Oakley and the Old Time Highway. The website offers the latest headlines relevant to Portland. It's a useful site for posting community information. The site also covers local opera and college presentations. Mississippi Studios is a legendary bar that was originally a Baptist church. The venue includes a balcony above the bar. The venue attracts national acts and offers many good deals on shows. It's a venue with an upstairs area that bands can rent as an option. Another legendary venue is the Aladdin Theater, where many sit down indie acts perform. The Aladdin Theater is a multi-purpose venue used even for media events. The Decemberists are a Portland band who had gained national attention with music based on historical theme or folklore themes. They formed in 2000 and soon became leaders of the Portland folk scene before getting national airplay on alternative stations. Since their beginning through 2014 they have released six albums. The band has a unique baroque sound because they mix in sounds that are uncommon to pop such as the accordion and melodica. Vortex Music Magazine published an overview of the Portland jazz scene on February 4, 2016. Some of the local venues mentioned that present live jazz include Jimmy Mak's, Solae's Lounge and Wilfs Restaurant. Radio stations that play local jazz artists include KMHD and KBOO. Much of the local jazz scene revolves around non-profit groups such as Jazz Society of Oregon, PDX Jazz and Creative Music Guild. |
