Tonight MusicFest NW featured of the best shows on a stage in Portland. It was truly punk. It was crazy, wild wonderful and simply amazing.

I’ll have a complete report soon. Here’s a sampling from the show.

David Walker at Badazzmofo.com who was at the show has video of this unbelieveable show.

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About 4 or 5 years ago when I first really began to read blogs I wanted to find some written by people in Portland. The first thing that came up in my search was ORblogs. From there I found Portland Metblogs, started reading, then started commenting and eventually started writing. I found blogs that I love and now subscribe to. I found others that amuse me and I pop into occasionally. I found ones that regularly piss me off - but I have to pop over and read to just to see what the crazies are saying. Everyday I read the blogs in my feeder - and I check ORblogs.

So I was stunned when I read it’s no longer going to be.

I really have no idea how the technical end of blogging works. I am not a tech person at all, I’m a marketer and a writer. I don’t think I’d have anything to contribute to trying to save ORblogs - but I know many of you out there do. And it looks like the gang at SiliconFlorist is leading the charge.

Lend a hand if you can. You’ve got my moral support!

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The Battles at MusicFest NW

Tonight two major arts and entertainment festivals had their kick-off events. Both showed that Portland is big enough to support two huge festivals, even when they run at the same time.

I started the evening at MusicFest NW, their kick off party was an outdoor cocktail party in the lot next to the Wonder Ballroom. Less of a scene than a gathering, the party was most notable for the extremely long line for the open bar. The bar line was almost as long as the line of people waiting to get in to see the bands. Did I really wait fifteen minutes for a shot of Soco?!?

I caught the Battles whose set was well received. As I listened to their mostly instrumental music, I couldn’t help but think “Music Geeks”. The Battles play with passion and energy but their music often is over-thought and muddled. I enjoyed some of their songs but wasn’t ever pulled out of my ‘hey I’m watching a music show’ space and so my aside from some toe tapping and light head bobbing the set left me a little cold. I was surprised at how many people brought kids to the show. Maybe mathrock is something that appeals to kids.

TBA at The Left Bank Project

Just a hop skip and jump away at the new Left Bank Building PICA launched their Time Based Art festival with a warm and welcoming party. The party was open to anyone and everyone and the scene was a nice mix of people. The Left Bank Project (which is dubbed ‘The Works’ for the TBA Festival) is a very cool venue with so much space that there were tons of nook’s and crannies to explore. One area’s tenant was a version of Backspace Cafe just for the fest. Also a nice patio area featured a work in progress by Justin Gorman whose large format graphic painting was fantastic to see in progress.

Some of the other art, including Big Skin by Lizzie Fitch, Anna Halprin’s Blank Placard Happening and the Flash Choir were solid misses. (Perhaps the Flash Choir would have done better performing in the outdoor space).

A solid start though to two landmark Portland festivals

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There’s way too much going on this week. The activity gods have aligned MusicFest NW, TBA and First Thursday into a head spinning, no-way-you-can-do-it-all night. If you want to get your First Thursday fix while dashing between bands or performances I highly recommend you make your way to 20 NW 5th. Right upstairs from Floating World Comics (which if you are remotely a fan of comics mandates a stop) is a group of gallery lofts that are often overlooked on many peoples First Thursday Crawl.

On the 4th Floor, (#412) is Morgan Cole Pasinski. Morgan is an extremely talented local artist who combines pattern, texture and objects into stunningly simple yet intricate paintings. She works in a wide range of sizes and so she often has some extremely well priced pieces. Also any fans of Trish Grantham and Amy Ruppel should absolutely check out Morgan.

This Thursday Morgan is joined by Misty Ray as well as Bill Dash who will have some metal work on display. The gallery/loft is open 6pm-9pm.

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Portland Public Schools is officially in session as of today, Wednesday September 3rd.

Many high schools have Freshmen come in Wednesday, while older students come in the next day, Thursday the 4th. This allows time for the freshman to become oriented in the new buildings and meet the school staff without other students around. Other than those high schools, I think all schools except for year-round programs are starting today.

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Thanks to keepin’ on with the keepin’ on, we’ve finally got our own little place to call home and it’s FINALLY fully moved in and put together (also, thanks to those that offered advice about stalking/calling/harassing future landlords in order to get a place)!

The problem with moving is that it’s not only a time drain, but a money drain. Generally I suck it up and take it but we’ve got MFNW here and this means that no matter how cheap it is… I’m going to have to REALLY justify going vs. food.

The one I don’t want to miss? Old 97’s tonight at Berbati’s Pan. This means that I have to come up with a good plan and fast!

Still, I figured I’d put the word out there that they were playing tonight so that others might enjoy them. They put on a good show and I figured, maybe the good people of Portland are better with checking out bands than the people in LA. Some friends of mine filmed a show they went to and sent the footage, which was, I thought, very very nice of them.

You know, in case you want to check out something new, and you have the means and the wherewithal to do so…

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Powell’s on Burnside doesn’t need any press from a lowly metblog private eye like me, but have you heard of this deal? Buy 2 books from their hip summer reading list, get a 3rd free! What! (And yes, Dreams From My Father is first on that list; it’s hip to hope!) Hurry! Summer wanes irreversibly! Stock up on hope now, while supplies last.

I leave you along Tenino Street in Sellwood with an earnest, Cheshire-like sunflower and my gazing self.

We're all mad here!

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Musicfest NW hits town this week (Sept 3-6) and the lineup has some promising names. I’m sure the crowds will be swarming over radio friendly Vampire Weekend (9/5 - 10:30pm @ The Crystal Ballroom) and all the cool kids will be at TV on The Radio (9/5 - 11:30pm @ Roseland), but the band I’m most looking forward to is Monotonix (9/5 - Midnight @ Satyricon).

Seriously who wouldn’t want to see a hard rock band from Israel band who crowd surfs while playing drums, lights their stuff on fire and generally rocks. There are bands which act insane… I believe Monotonix simply is.

Other bands which caught my eye (or rather ear) include: John Vanderslice (9/5 - 9:30pm @ The Crystal Ballroom), one of my local favorites Menomena (9/6 - 11pm @ The Crystal Ballroom) The Battles (9/4 - 7pm @ Wonder Ballroom)… and don’t forget Sir Mix-A-Lot (9/6 - 12:30 am @ The Fez). I intend to catch more bands this week after doing some scouting on their myspace pages.

Local 94.7 FM / KNRK has been of little help sifting through the line up. The so called ‘alternative’ station has been too busy playing David Bowie, The Cars and Tom Petty to actually lend some support to one of Portland’s biggest annual music events. Ironically it’s KEXP from Seattle who will be hosting some in studio sessions at the Doug Fir during the event (schedule here). Be sure to lend KEXP your support, they actually PLAY alternative music!

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The restaurant started out of a simple proposition - create a unique place which served gourmet food that used fresh local and natural ingredients and didn’t have any animal products. The words VEGAN weren’t plastered across the sign or on the menu. The food was just Vegan by nature. The restaurant had its roots in a series of very successful Vegan family dinners run by then Tabla chef Sean Coryell. Coryell went to great lengths to produce intricate and flavorful dishes using a wide range of exotic ingredients. Speaking with Sean at those family dinners you’d hear his absolute passion for the food.

Coryell enthusiasm fueled a nearly year long effort to build Nutshell. Opened in late 2007 and located on North Williams, Nutshell won raves from the Veg community and even won over some hardened omnivorous Portland foodies. But no sooner had it opened than the signs began to show that things were not well behind the scenes. An ever changing menu and constant experimentation by Coreyell and almost manic fascination with expanding the restaurant to Tokyo, Hawaii… “global man” created an environment where food could be extremely hit or miss.

Coryell’s departure from Nutshell marked a significant change. The menu with a thousand revolving dishes was simplified down to just a handful, the portions cut back significantly and although the restaurant was built with an open kitchen as its centerpiece the men and women in the kitchen made it perfectly clear they were all about business.

This week Nutshell made another turn. With rumors circulating about its demise and increasing complaints about the food and service Nutshell added butter, eggs and cheese to just about every dish on the menu (There’s even an egg on their pizza). With a bad taste already in their mouth this move infuriated the Vegan community and signaled another clear step towards the end of this once beloved eating establishment.

So what went wrong? Were Coryell’s eyes too big for the patron’s stomach? Did the Tabla team bungle things behind the scenes as they did with the Ten 01 opening? Or is it too much to thing Portland can sustain a gourmet vegan restaurant? (or even a Vegan Strip Club?) I think Portland can absolutely sustain Vegan restaurants, even a gourmet one, but like all restaurants they need to be well run. Just because something is Vegan doesn’t mean it’s going to be an immediate success and adding eggs to your plates doesn’t mean you’ll stay afloat. I’ll be surprised if Nutshell didn’t shutter its doors by the end of the year or completely reinvent itself (ala Ten 01).

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It’s the first day of the three-day weekend, and the last official weekend of summer. The weather is beautiful and the smell of freshly baked pies is in the air.

Yep - after weeks of hype in the Portland internets, the (first annual?) Portland Pie-Off is getting underway today at 3pm in Washington Park. Join Lelo, Radio Gretchen, Betsy, Bojack and everyone today for good pie and good fun!

Go the official Pie-Off site for all the details you’d need to know.

As our friend dieselboi would say…Eat More Pie!

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Increases in TriMet fares take effect September first—that’s Monday. Details are available on TriMet’s website, but to sum it up: All-Zone fare is up 25 cents for adults and 10 cents for youth, while monthly passes are up $10 for adults and $2 for youth. They have added a new 14-day pass to the fare options. 14-day passes cost almost exactly half what monthly passes cost, and are good for—you guessed it—14 days.
A TriMet press release explains that fare increases are due to record high diesel prices. TriMet will nearly double it’s fuel budget for fiscal year 2009, expecting to spend $28.5 million on fuel. TriMet is taking a number of approaches to offsetting rising fuel prices, including many that have made it’s fleet one of the most efficient in the nation, but fare increases are still needed. General inflation has also contributed to the fare increase.

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On a recent trip to Texas, I was educated in the ways of the Michelada. It’s served at most authentic Mexican food joints and my, is it awesome. The Michelada is basically beer poured over a mix that similar to a bloody mary, and the rim of the glass can be salted or unsalted. Please don’t confuse this with “red beer”, a Mid-west concoction of beer and tomato juice that is absolutely vile. The Michelada, done properly, is spicy, tasty, and quite refreshing. Perfect on a warm, summer day. We’ve got a few left, so you should get one. You can get them at La Calaca Comelona on Belmont, but I’m not sure where else. Any pointers?

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Writing for Metblogs has the potential to be the most rewarding experience in your entire life. It’ll make you rich, famous, good looking, will help you lose weight, make your clothes fit better, and get you a super good deal on a new car. It will make you the most well known person on the entire planet. Yes, each and every one of you. Really.

OK maybe not. Actually those are all lies, but it’s fun at least. The truth is Metblogs is the largest network of locally focused blogs on the web, covering almost 60 cities around the world and we’re looking to add a few new bloggers/writters/authors to this fine site. If you wanna know more about us check out this wikipedia entry but it’s kinda boring so I won’t waste time repeating it all here again. If you wanna write for us, here’s the scoop:

• All author positions are volunteer. That means you don’t get paid.
• You must live in (or very near) the city you plan to write about.
• Anything you post must relate to the city somehow. That means you shouldn’t post a movie review, but talking about going to see a movie at a local theater is fine.
• There’s no requirement for how much you can or should write, but we ask that if we set you up as an author you make about 3 posts a week.
• You can post about things you love, you can post about things you hate. It’s entirely up to you

Additionally, because of our global network, there’s plenty of options for things you write to be read by people all over the world. Interested? Want more details? Post a comment and we’ll be in touch!

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Both my husband and I both work downtown, so we carpool. Every afternoon I pick him up from his office over in the Pearl, a block or two down from the 24-Hour Fitness on Irving & 12th. And everyday there is at least one car - sometimes three or four - sitting in traffic on Irving, waiting to get into the tiny little parking garage owned by 24-Hour Fitness.

They aren’t waiting because of log-jam at the gate like you occasionally get at a SmartPark - they’re waiting because there aren’t any open spots. So they wait for someone to leave. Sitting in traffic. Blocking traffic. While they wait - no one can go eastbound on Irving. And everyday they sit and wait. Eventually you can get a gap in westbound traffic and go around them - but really? I’ve pulled up behind them and honked. Usually they don’t pay any attention, to full of themselves to notice anything around them - or if they do - they motion that they’re waiting to get in the garage.

I’m sorry, but when the garage is full - go somewhere else and park. And if you’re headed to the gym, shouldn’t having to walk an extra block or two not be that big of a deal anyhow?

It’s too bad, ’cause that’s just one more reason why the Pearl gets a bad rap.

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So it’s been about 2 months since I moved here. Things are starting to settle down and I’m getting to know my new city a bit better. I’m still learning streets and sections and all that, but I can get by.

In learning a new city, there’s a lot involved! First you have to remember which landmarks stand for north, south, east and west. Ok I’m pretty good with that and it’s sort of a no-brainer (kinda like the Asahi building in LA is North if you’re going towards Hollywood on La Brea). Then there’s the figuring out what’s where and what you like and how to get to it. Friends would be hard if I didn’t a) already have a few here and b) make friends easily. In that I feel that I have an unfair advantage. I think for most people that would be that hard part.

The hardest parts, however, have been finding a job and finding a place to live! MAN! Seriously…

So I’ve been pretty absent from here due to the looking for a job and looking for a place. Once the job aspect was settled, the main priority was looking for a place to call home. For as bad as the job market is, it felt like the rental market (is there really such a thing?) was just as bad. The boyo and I were joking in that we felt like we had to be on starter blocks to get ready to GO! as soon as anything was listed. Advice I heard from friends was that you have to a) apply, apply, apply! and b) bug landlords/ management properties. Somehow, something worked, and I’m still not sure what! I wish I had advice I could pass on to other newbies to the city… but aside from saying that I did just apply to all sorts of places and kept looking at places no matter how frustrated I was… well something paid off!

Persistence, I guess.

I’m trying… and I guess… I guess my message here is that… well, if you feel as stuck as I felt. Just keep plugging away and you’ll get what it is that you’re looking for eventually. Maybe there was something more I could have done, but I was not privy to that information. However, if I hear anything, I’ll pass it on.

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