Portland, Oregon-based Native musician and Saddle Creek Records artist Katherine Paul, better known by her stage name Black Belt Eagle Scout, is a marvel of post-rock innovation, blending fuzzy after-grunge sparks with the sounds of her heritage with a result which rises higher than the sum total of its ingredients. I highly recommend this show […]
Blood Hunny
Posted inArts + Scene
Music Tonight: Thursday, Sept. 19
LASKA is a harmonic folk act from Portland fronted by sisters Mookie and Hannah Morton. They’ll be coming round the mountain and stopping at the Outer Space tonight at 7:30 p.m. Also on the bill are a couple of fine local acts, rockers Queen Karma and folk punk heroes Blood Hunny. There is a $5-$20 […]
Posted inArts + Scene
Music Tonight: Friday, June 28
I’ll toss out three all-ages gigs from McKinleyville to Eureka (in order of time) and you can decide which ones warrant further examinations. At 5 p.m. at Six Rivers Brewery, Oryan Peterson-Jones plays a free set of his world-traveling inspired guitar picking. Two hours later at 7 p.m. at the Outer Space, you will find […]
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Zero the Hero
As far as humiliation rituals go, another debate between two of the oldest and worst men to ever run for president (with four more years of decrepitude stacked on since their previous showdown) seems like something beneath the dignity of most people I know. When Alexis de Tocqueville gave his speech on socialism — he […]
Posted inArts + Scene
Music Tonight: Saturday, Nov. 4
I love a good album release show and tonight’s offering at the Sanctuary looks very promising. Cyrus Smith might be a familiar name to those of you who have followed the market, dance and special event scene, as he has played bass for two of the more interesting and industrious groups from that circuit, namely […]
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Old Songs, Young Blood
The other day I was thinking about the Pied Piper of Hamelin, that odd musical character from fairy tales who agreed to remove all the rats from a besieged village for a fee. Upon completion of his task, the village leaders decided to renege on payment, so the piper returned and merrily led their children […]
Posted inArts + Scene
Music Tonight: Tuesday, Feb. 28
The Outer Space is hosting Portland’s dream pop distortion dealers Nonbinary Girlfriend this evening at 8 p.m. Two Arcata bands, the surfy Miazma and the folky Blood Hunny will also be on the bill. A suggested donation of $5-$20 is requested but not demanded, however, masks are required for this all-ages show.
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Dream Operators
Because I make it a point to listen at home to the music of as many of the artists that I cover here, the algorithms on all the sources and apps I use are completely wrecked, a situation I actually find delightful, even if I don’t personally enjoy all of the music. Another nice byproduct […]
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Make It So
Cicero, writing a couple thousand years ago in a now dead tongue, wryly noted the habit among the wealthy men of Rome of copying the ostentatiousness of a great man’s sumptuous villas, while showing no interest in imitating his fine personal virtues. Ain’t that the rich for you? Then, as now, money could not buy […]
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Dust into Dust
In 1859, when Edward Fitzgerald published his English translation of the collected poetic quatrains attributed to Omar Khayyam, the Persian polymath from what is now Northeastern Iran had already been dead for more than seven centuries. The Rubaiyat was a popular hit with a Victorian English audience thirsting for the romantic Orientalism Edward Said would […]
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To the Future
As Robert Burns wrote, “And there’s a hand, my trusty fere!/ And gie’s a hand o’thine!/ And we’ll tak a gude-willie waught/ For auld lang syne.” Cheers. Thursday (Boxing Day) It’s Boxing Day today in the former British Empire. When anglophiles commemorate the glorious day that Sir William Box successfully routed the advance guard of […]
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Pour One Out
Last week, local heavy music aficionado, New York native and Natty Dog Hot Dogs cart wrangler Eric Riccio died. That he died of a heart attack at a local heavy metal show should not be a source of grief for his many friends, customers and casual acquaintances, but one of pride. Eric loved OG punk […]