Ages and Ages: “Divisionary (Do The Right Thing)”

YES. I needed this song so bad. Ages and Ages hearkens back to late 90s/early 2000s indie pop, which makes my heart melt with nostalgia, appropriately coming on the heels of Knox Road’s 5 year birthday. “Divisionary (Do The Right Thing)” ushers in the holiday season with explosive warmth and a soul-searing, lovely […]

Otis Heat Burns Up On a Frigid Portland New Years Eve

In a sudden twist of fate, my New Year’s plans were cemented. I’ve been staying in St. Johns, in northwest Portland–a funky little neighborhood with all the weird charms you come to expect in PDX. As it happens, Otis Heat, a band I wrote about back in 2009, is playing a four-band show down the road. My friend and recent transplant, Jayson, drives up from Salem and we dive into the night.

The show is at a place called Red Sea Church. It’s a beautiful place. The walls bow in, steeply up until they nervously meet–like a great wooden arc, cut lengthwise and reassembled backwards. All the pews are cleared away. The alter is moved aside for drum kits and amps. The relics are stripped away, but a sense of awe–the kind that fills your soul with timid reverence–lingers.

Two guys amble onstage. Dude in a newsboy cap picks up a guitar. His counterpart, a sleek-looking guy with jet-black hair, sits at the drums. They take a deep breath, and they let loose a tsunami of sound. They blast the timidity into a fine sand. I look around to see if anybody else is drowning in this terrific sea; the stoney looks tell me they’re drifting somewhere in the undertow.

I look to the merchendise table for some clue of who these sirens are–it tells me they’re called Irie Idea. I don’t know what it means, but if you translate the music, you get something of a funky blues-based jam. Their songs move from a crunching grunge–appropriate for the cruel Portland winter–and upbeat jams that start to thaw the crowd’s frigid feet.

They’re a two-piece outfit, but Irie Idea manage to fill the sound almost completely. They play tight and they play furiously. It’s an intimate, manic jam session between friends, and we’re standing witness to the beautiful storm.

Continue reading Otis Heat Burns Up On a Frigid Portland New Years Eve

[Hype Hype Hooray] When I Passed Out at an Of Montreal Show

Every [two weeks?] Jamie Hale takes a long, hard look at the music industry and the blog scene that feeds it. Here, he releases those findings and makes snarky, sarcastic remarks. Admittedly, both Jamie and Knox Road are a part of this scene. So sue us.

I just spent the last six weeks […]

Josh and Mer

Josh and Mer are, unsurprisingly, Josh Schroeder and Meredith Adelaide, a duo out of Portland, Oregon. No, but really, their shortened band name is symbolic of their dressed down sound, stripping away the complexities while providing a simple, whimsical brand of indie pop.

Check out the lead single off their debut album, Planet […]

Notable Album Release: Talkdemonic – Ruins

How happy was I when this record popped up in our inbox a little while ago?? Hint: very!

Talkdemonic have been one of my favorites since I began my writing-about-indie phase and they’ve always remained on my radar. So, it’s tremendous news that on October 4 the duo out of Portland, Oregon are […]

Boy Eats Drum Machine

If you go to shows in Portland, you’ve probably heard Boy Eats Drum Machine. What, do you all live in Portland? I DIDN’T THINK SO. The Oregon musician, known in real life as Jon Ragel, comes to shows armed with a turntable, saxophone, one drum and enough energy to light up a stadium. […]

Sunbeam

Don’t you just love it when a bunch of friends and loved ones come together as a band? The chemistry is already there, they know each other’s tendencies, now they just get to jam together. So. Beautiful. Sigh.

Sunbeam is a six-piece baroque pop band out of Portland, Oregon, started by husband and […]

Jonah

Nope, I’m not getting all biblical on you. Yes, this band has been around for ten years and I’m just now hearing about them. Nope, those two things have nothing to do with each other. Yes, there is definitely something wrong with me. Especially having not heard of Jonah before (…among other things, […]

[MP3] Hosannas: “When We Were Young”

Hosannas, of Portland, Oregon, released a new single, “When We Were Young”, for free download today. It comes as the teaser track off their forthcoming effort, Together, to be released November 9 via their own label Tree Farm Records (in partnership with Hush).

“When We Were Young” is bursting with energy from the very first chord, and plays with a bass heavy, reverb-drenched sound. Fill me with life, Hosannas, and keep telling me what it was like to be young. Because I’m a mere 22 and I’m fast forgetting.

Hosannas – “When We Were Young” [MP3]

Bonus: Hosannas – “Happiness” [MP3]

Bonus: Hosannas – “Opposite People” [MP3]

Check out their humongo tour after the jump.

Continue reading [MP3] Hosannas: “When We Were Young”

The Ocean Floor

The Ocean Floor, out of Portland OR, is Lane Barrington and an ever-revolving set of unique musicians. Centered mostly around orchestral arrangements, The Ocean Floor’s music is heartfelt and diverse, and on their forthcoming fourth full length, Pop Quiz, they use a variety of different 20th century, historic elements to influence the lyrics and […]