Eleven PDX 3.10

contents

ELEVEN PDX MAGAZINE ISSUE NO. 10

THE USUAL 3 Letter from the Editor 3 Staff Credits Columns

VOLUME 3

FEATURES Local Feature 12 Ages and Ages

Cover Feature 15 Gardens & Villa

4 Editorials In Like a Lion, Out Like a Lamb

5 Aural Fix Gold & Youth Pup Skaters

new music 7 Short List

FILM Watch Me Now 19 Film Editorial: Make A F***ing Movie Already Instant Queue Review March Film Events

7 Album Reviews The War On Drugs The Men Kaiser Chiefs Real Estate

COMMUNITY Neighborhood of the Month 21 SE Woodstock Blvd.

LIVE MUSIC 9 Musicalendar An encompassing overview of concerts in PDX for the upcoming month. But that’s not all–the Musicalendar is complete with a venue map to help get you around town.

11 Previews

Visual Arts 22 Portland artist Julie Tillman

more online at elevenpdx.com

HELLO PORTLAND! As part of the lucky few to survive the Snowpocalypse 2014 (a.k.a. the wackiest ten-inches in PDX since Ol' Oden 2010), we further our collective realization of how precious life is, and we must make the most of our short time here together.

So, let's do it!

The days grow longer and there's a plethora of nearby festivities for us to, as they say, "get down on." If music is your thing, we've got you covered with hand-filtered concert listings and previews [pp. 9-11]. Peep pages 12-17 for stimulating feature interviews with Ages and Ages and Gardens and Villa (and so much and!). So much goings on, and you don't even have to leave town.

If you do find yourself feeling Rose-City-stircrazy, though, maybe you'll treat yo-self with a road trip over to Boise for Treefort. All the cool kids will be there! If it's half as awesome as last year, it will be seven times better than SXSW this year. I guarantee it, or I'm a monkey's uncle. Âť

- Ryan Dornfeld, Editor in Chief

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EXECUTIVE STAFF EDITOR IN CHIEF Ryan Dornfeld CREATIVE DIRECTOR Dustin Mills SENIOR STAFF SENIOR WRITER Wendy Worzalla FILM SECTION Bex Silver VISUAL ARTS Mercy McNab graphic DESIGN Dustin Mills Alex Combs COPY EDITING Megan Freshley COVER PHOTO Neil Favila CONTRIBUTORS Brandy Crowe, Billy Dye, Elizabeth Elder, Eric Evans, Gabriel Granach, Kelly Kovl, Scott McHale, Aaron Mills, Kela Parker, Rob de la Teja, Morgan Troper, Charles Trowbridge photographers Justin Cate, Michael Herman, Amy Kettenburg, Mercy McNab, Aa Mills DISTRIBUTION / PROMO The Redcoats

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P.O. Box 16488 Portland, OR. 97292 get involved getinvolved@elevenpdx.com

GENERAL INQUIRIES info@elevenpdx.com ADVERTISING sales@elevenpdx.com online www.elevenpdx.com twitter.com/elevenpdx facebook.com/elevenmagpdx online editor Kim Lawson kim@elevenpdx.com eleven west media group, llc Ryan Dornfeld Dustin Mills SPECIAL THANKS Kev, Jim, Steph, Matt, Tali, Vargas fam, EastBurn fam, M.W., Tixie fam, Meeses, PLA, Vince, Skot and Karla, Phil and Corrie, PH+BG, Nalin Silva, Treefort, our partners, families and friends!

columns

EDITORIALS IN LIKE A LION, OUT LIKE A LAMB

1800 E BURNSIDE 503-236-2876

The last time I was getting excited about spring in Portland, it was going to be my first. A friend interjected while I fantasized aloud about riding my bike around with big earrings on, checking out babes and eating my weight in tacos. ”They call it Juneuary here for a reason,” he said, “You’ll see.”

Well, he was exaggerating. Seasoned Portlanders talk about the winter like weird old wizards warning a young adventurer not to be too ambitious, and extoll about summer as if all our worldly wishes will fulfill themselves in the most salacious of ways. We talk about the weather all the damn time, but it’s not always small talk. It’s part of our identity; the emotional collective ethos of our town permits speaking to no one all winter, bangs pushed in front of our eyes and literally shoegazing, only to emerge like hungry ADD bears at the first sign of spring. The warmer months are basically a pornographic display of sidewalk-blooming flowers and whisperings of backyard parties, a sizzling little glimmer reemerging in our eyes. We play out the life-death-life cycle by saving our best magic for those Bacchanalian summers.

Nowhere are these intense cycles more apparent than in Trimet life. We’re not there quite yet, but it’ll start turning up in the playful fashion and increased eye-contact of bus-riders soon enough. Portland is the second town I’ve lived in and watched the yearly evolution of human interaction via public transportation. The first was San Francisco—a town where friendliness towards your fellow strangers is mostly illegal year-round. Portland is too neighborly for all that. You know you can’t leave the house without seeing at least twenty of your closest acquaintances.

But I was shocked, I must say, to see one of my old San Francisco bus-riders on Trimet the other day. He used to wait at my Haight-Ashbury stop (along with a guy with a pinstripe beard—now wouldn’t he give the Portland beard game a run for its money!). But the one who’s turned up here—he has the most ill-fitting toupée I’ve ever witnessed. It’s like a perfect mushroom cap á la Lena Dunham in the last season of Girls. It looks so much like a mushroom, in fact, I always imagine him as a Nintendo Goomba—fearing instant death were I to walk into him, and wondering if he’d flatten perfectly were I to somehow jump directly onto the top of his head.

How Toupée Goomba followed me up the coast to Portland (or did I follow him?) beats me, but I hope to see him perking up a bit—along with the rest of the Trimet gang—as our rad little hamlet warms up again. Regardless, it’s almost time to put away those umbrellas. Just kidding, like any of us have umbrellas. » - Megan Freshley

MUSIC CALENDAR “Eat Off Your Banjo”

Live Bluegrass Every Thursday at 8pm

3/1: 10pm – The Lovely Lost 3/5: 7pm – Jazz w/ The Bylines 3/7: 10pm – Rachel Myers 3/8: 10pm – Ojos Feos 3/12: 7pm – Jazz w/ Bodacious 3/14: 10pm – Whiskey’s Lament 3/15: ST. PATTY’S PARTY ft. The Israelites 3/17: 8pm – Whiskey’s Lament 3/19: 7pm – Jazz w/ Eric John Kaiser 3/21: 10pm – Le Printemps 3/22: 10pm – Santino Cadiz Band 3/26: 7pm – Jazz w/ Amorus 3/29: 10pm – The Brian O’Dell Band

DJs in the Tap Room 9pm

3/1: DJ Jesse Espinoza 3/7: DJ Ilko 3/14: DJ Wobli 3/15: DJ Kenny 3/21: DJ Gregarious 3/22: DJ Rhienna 3/28: Club Crooks w/ DJ IZM 3/29: Impact Sound! Reggae DJs

ALL SHOWS ARE FREE

UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED FOR BOOKING PLEASE CONTACT PLAY@THEEASTBURN.COM Hours: Mon-Fri 4p-2a, Sat-Sun 10a-2a Happy Hr: Mon-Fri 4p-6p, Sat-Sun 3p-6p

www.THEEASTBURN.com

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columns

AURAL FIX

(Every month, our expert team seeks out the newest and most exciting musicians in the world. After searching high and low, we’re proud to bring you the result of our concentrated efforts.)

1

GOLD & YOUTH

Hailing from our neighbors up north, electro-indie group Gold & Youth formed in 2011 after the demise of their previous project The Racoons. Failure had nothing to do with the fizzle of The Racoons—it was a conscious decision from musicians who wanted more out of their music. The founding members Matthew Lyall, Murray Mckenzie, and Jeff Mitchelmore wanted something they could be proud of ten years from now, and decided to embark on an ambitious new adventure—learning the ins and outs of making and recording their own music.

The trio signed with one of the most prestigious Canadian labels, Arts & Crafts, and made guest vocalist Louise Burns a permanent member of the band. After releasing a handful of singles and an EP in 2012, the newly formed quartet came back with their debut, Beyond Wilderness, in May of last year. Most of the album was written and recorded remotely, with band members sending demos back and forth to each other.

Gold & Youth has this familiar, almost comforting sound.

The expansive electronic textures and the spiraling synthscapes makes one imagine the lovechild of The xx and labelmates Broken Social Scene. This comparison especially rings true in the band’s lead single “Time To Kill.” It’s leaps and bounds away from their indie-rock sound of 2009—something the band will be proud of decades from now. » - Wendy Worzalla

2

PUP

You’ve gotta hand it to Toronto. Whether it’s the dour electro-pop of Austra, the modern folk of Timber Timbre, or the Krautrock-inspired theatricality of Yamantaka // Sonic Titan, the city has been busting at the seams with interesting music in any genre you care to name. Next up, apparently, is anthemic punk courtesy of PUP. As with their L.A. counterparts FIDLAR, their name is an acronym: “Pathetic Use of Potential.” But only ironically so, since their self-titled label debut is packed stupid with big hooks and accomplished musicianship.

2013 saw a flurry of bands sign to classic punk label SideOneDummy, and PUP seems poised to make the most of distribution and promotion help. Because of/despite their punk cred—they’ve recently toured with Titus Andronicus and Fucked Up, among others—they’ve got major market appeal. They may be on the periphery now, but Green Day was the last nominally punk band to hit the mainstream, and their success owed everything to their hooks and energy—two things PUP brings in abundance.

What they add to the equation is a willingness to introduce elements foreign to the genre, such as a 7/4 time signature or a structure that deviates wildly from verse/chorus/verse/chorus.

These aren’t affectations; each song sounds as organic and sincere as any punk band. It’s unusual and good. » - Eric Evans

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columns

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Photo by Shane McCauley

SKATERS Trendy rock band with undeniable

crossover potential du jour, ersatz-

pain buried (very, very deeply) underneath that major label sheen.

slackers Skaters are proof that we've

Drum-machine-driven/electro-

finally reached a point in the rock and

popesque B-sides "I Wanna Dance (But

roll continuum where referencing Is This

Don't Know How)" and "Armed" are so

It—an album already brimming with bits

laughably out of place that they don't

and pieces appropriated from pop's great

even sound like they're by the same

practitioners—is acceptable. We're sort

band. The disparity is inexplicable: is

of in the midst of the garage rock revival-

this a self-conscious attempt at trans-

revival here, and Skaters are among this

style experimentation, or is it simply a

resurgence's forerunners, alongside

calculating back-up plan in case people

groups like the Orwells and Surfer Blood.

don't buy the whole "garage rock" thing?

If you're sensitive to poseurdom, it might be hard to take these dudes seriously (you'd never guess they're

QUICK TRACKS A “MISS TEEN MASSACHUSETTS” Luckily, the standout track off this EP is the first—if nothing else, Skaters excel at crafting wonderful intros. The chorus is also superbly dizzying ("I don't wanna chaaaaaange your mind"), and proves that pop poetry is most effective at its most pithy.

The world may never know, but it all seems suspiciously prefab.

Skaters have a lot of potential, but

getting a sexdecilllion-dollar-a-month

they need to break away from the major

stipend from Warner Bros. Records

label ligature and find something that

by their punk-via-Levi's commercial

works for them as well and as consistently

aesthetic). But when they rock, they rock

as "Miss Teen Massachusetts" if they want

moderately hard. Take great 'n latest

to be anything other than a flavor of the

single "Miss Teen Massachusetts" for

week. This month marks Skaters first

instance (but be sure to leave its noxious

headlining show in Portland, so be sure

accompanying video at the door). That

to show up and give that arms-crossed,

intro is some serious, serious shit, and

ostensibly disinterested Portland-

singer Michael Ian Cummings' caterwaul

welcome they deserve. » - Morgan Troper

B “DEADBOLT” The track kicks off with a pretty staggering riff, but drastically loses momentum as soon as the vocals come in. "Deadbolt" is a slower burn in spite of its superior intro.

Catch Skaters live this month March 21 at Mississippi Studios

suggests at least a modicum of authentic

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reviews

NEW MUSIC This Month’s best R Reissue

L Local release

Short List

The War On Drugs Lost in the Dream Secretly Canadian

Eternal Summers The Drops Beneath We Are Scientists TV en Français Metronomy Love Letters Foster The People Supermodel The Coathangers Suck My Shirt

The ‘90s called, they want their ‘80s back. Listening to The War On Drugs makes me want to take some drugs. Not because I think drugs would enhance the listening experience and reveal hidden truths, but because I would rather forget I ever listened to

this album. As a fairly open minded music lover, I would have to say that I would prefer to listen to this over, say, a bum smashing two garbage can lids together. But it’s not really the sound that I have a problem with. The War On Drugs are skilled musicians—this much is clear. However, their skill may have been a part of their downfall.

Lost in the Dream is tight. Too tight. From its irritatingly basic drum beats to its predictable guitar solos, this album is just plain dull.

Imagine if someone put a dentist’s office in an elevator. This is the music that they would play. Lead man Adam Granduciel seems to be trying to resurrect Police-era Sting, only without all that pesky bravado. You can tell he’s really trying to make it sound like he cares, but even the little whoops and hollers sound contrived.

Something tells me you won’t hate yourself for missing this one. » - Aaron Mills

Tycho Awake Future Islands Singles

can come from a band’s evolving sound. Taking a step away from their

Liars Mess

slightly more punk past, Tomorrow’s Hits introduces elements of classic

The Hold Steady Teeth Dreams

rock, Americana, and horns. The result is an album definitely worth writing

Tokyo Police Club Forcefield

home about.

Imogen Heap Sparks

The latest evolution in The Men’s sound is perhaps most notable in the

Taking Back Sunday Happiness Is Buy it

Steal it

Springsteenian power pop burner “Another Night.” This song is packed with sultry horns, manly, guttural

Toss it

The Men Tomorrow's Hits Sacred Bones

chants of “Oh yeah / get it right,” and slick little guitar solos, giving it the feel of a super rad tune you somehow missed by ‘80s The Rolling Stones or The Boss himself.

Of course the quintet’s raucous

There is something special about

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roots shine through in some tracks,

a band that can prolifically churn

including one of my favorites on the

out albums that all teeter into their

album, “Different Days.” With an

own different genres but are all

Empire Records-era new-wave punk

totally brilliant. Brooklyn’s The Men

vibe, they sing an anthem for the

are doing just that, and their newest

end of that fun generation—before

album Tomorrow’s Hits is a stellar

you eventually turn into a grown-ass

example of the golden nuggets that

adult. » - Travis Leipzig

reviews

Kaiser Chiefs Education, Education, Education and War ATO Records

The Kaiser Chiefs have always carried themselves with the air of a sagacious punk band. They’ve mined the genre for the rhythms, the riffs, and the vocal stylings, all while developing a unique melodic structure.

Real Estate Atlas Domino Records It’s fitting that The Garden State’s Real Estate named their third studio album Atlas. It’s certainly travel music, still drifting and searching from their previous works. The quintet manages to encompass a floating summer sound. There are quick guitar swirls and mood-lighting keys, which, along with steady beats,

In short, they know what works, why it works, and how to own it.

Education, Education, Education & War, their fifth studio album, is perhaps the best yet. It has, at the very least, the most musical depth out of any of the five. The punk elements are still there, poking through the stitching and pounding out the bass lines. But on the whole, EEE&W represents a maturation of both the process and the product.

A few tracks may cause an aural double take, such as “Coming Home,” a shuffling, soaring song with one foot planted firmly in the indie mash, a pinky toe dipped in ‘90s alt-rock, and little more than a nod in the direction of the post-punk vibrations recognizable on the majority of previous KC albums.

On the other hand, “Ruffians On Parade” dives right back into the thrashing chords and pounding bass that may sound a little more familiar.

Even with those repeated elements, it still carries depth—most noticeably

in the wide-open drum sound. Where earlier records may have dimmed the bass and toms, and given the snare a tinnier, sharper staccato, “Ruffians” feels like every space not filled by the strings and keyboards is occupied completely by the meaty percussion.

Those contrasting styles are present all throughout the album.

“Meanwhile Up In Heaven” and “One More Last Song,” placed back-to-back, tug at the oppositional strengths, alternately reaching upward and crashing to the ground in a pile of sweat and grit.

The Kaiser Chiefs feel in complete control of the album’s élan, even as it toggles between fleshy ballad-style musings and post-punk exuberance.

In someone else’s hands, this could come off as indecision, or as a desperate search for a “defining” sound. But because the Chiefs have been around the block, it fills out as an acknowledgement of the myriad talents possessed by a band that knows what it wants. » - Charles Trowbridge

swish by like the sound of a passing street light on the highway.

The atmospheric stretches and strums are full of hopeless romantic longings, and where Real Estate has no doubt provided songs that have served as break-up music, this album has more upbeat hopes for reunion.

There is a brighter feeling, crisper sound, and classic rock among usually lo-fi beach jams. It’s easy to sense the new fullness right from the opening track “Had to Hear," showing a shift in production. “Past Lives” starts out with a lounge music feel, but soon sweeps into the familiar calm that the band possesses.

The album gets jauntier as it progresses. The first release “Talking Backwards” has tighter rhythms and an almost bubbly vocal tempo from front-man Martin Courtney.

An instant instrumental favorite is “April’s Song,” a fun, dancey track in which the guitar is seemingly singing the ups-and-downs of the ditty—a talent that Matt Mondanile

occasionally showcases throughout all three LPs. Things edge into a blues and rock state of mind with “Primitive,” which almost falls in line with The Eagles’ “Peaceful Easy Feeling,” but that doesn't mean it’s sleepy. There is also “How Might I Live,” a stripped-down, sad song with drawling vocals and Alex Bleeker’s slow and steady bass. It prods uncertainty for the future, and uh-oh—breaking up again.

The album ends with “Navigator,” a breezy, cymbal-tapping song visited by clarinet. Courtney effortlessly spins lyrical visuals into songs, in this case returning to a theme of finding one’s way to someone at the end of the road somewhere. This is going in a good direction. Listeners relate to the groove and simple emotion that Real Estate creates. The band continues to reach out with subtle sound alterations, and reach deeper within to re-work their own version of the ‘70s soft-rock aesthetic. » - Brandy Crowe

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live MARCH crystal ballroom

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1332 w burnside

Dr. Dog | Saint Rich March Fourth Marching Band Umphrey's McGee | The California Honeydrops Galactic | Brushy One String 21-22 Railroad Earth | The Deadly Gentlemen 24 St. Vincent 27 PFX: The Pink Floyd Experience 28 Emancipator | Slow Magic | Nym 29 Big Head Todd & The Monsters

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Roseland Theater 8 nw 6th

G-Eazy | Rockie Fresh Shpongle | Desert Dwellers | Vokab Company Sick Puppies | Lacuna Coil | Eyes Set To Kill Bring Me The Horizon | Of Mice And Men The FANatics Tour Carcass | The Black Dahlia Murder | Gorguts

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Doug fir

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San Fermin | Son Lux | The Beauty Glasvegas | The Ceremonies Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. | Chad Valley Maps & Atlases | And And And | TWSM Moistboyz | Qui Jeremy Wilson | Eyelids | Pete Krebs Nick Waterhouse 14-15 Hillstomp 16 Casey Neill & Norway Rats | Run On Sentence 17 W. Kamau Bell 18 This Will Destroy You | Silent Land Time Machine 19 Daydream Machine | Future Twin | Souvenir Driver 20 The Kin | Finish Ticket | Oh Honey 21 Yellow Ostrich | Pattern Is Movement | Thumpers 22 Saintseneca | Vikesh Kapoor | Battlehooch 23 Bear's Den 25 Lost In The Trees | Icy Demons 26 Wakey!Wakey! | Jillette Johnson 27 Rebirth Brass Band 28 That 1 Guy

1 2 3 4 6 8 12

29 JerryJoseph&Jackmormons|IcanLickAnySOBInTheHouse 31 The Jezabels | Gold & Youth

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mississippi studios 3939 n mississippi

AgesandAges | Fanno Creek | Us Lights Pigpen Theatre Co. | The Tragic Thrills Calvin Love | Hands In Angel Olsen | Cian Nugent La Luz | Heatwarmer | Lloyd & Michael Sallie Ford | Luz Elena Mendoza | Swansea Nicky Croon & The Swinging Richards Like A Villain | Edna Vazquez Quartet Cayucas | Miner New Young Pony Club | Minden | Hustle & Drone

Wooden Indian Burial Ground | Graves | Mothertapes

Spirit Lake | Melville Ural Thomas & The Pain | Old Light | Rev. Shines Ben Taylor Tiburones | Hollow Wood | Pheasant Nils Frahm | Douglas Dare Head For The Hills | Paper Bird | The Americans Skaters | Team Spirit | Settlers Sam Roberts Band | Kris Orlowski Daniel Rossen | William Tyler Carrie Rodriguez Weekend | Cities Aviv | Grave Babies Wild Child | Robert Ellis Cody Chesnutt Wampire | Guantanamo Baywatch | The Escstatics Samsel & The Skirt | Nate Botsford | Anna Gilbert

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live MARCH wonder ballroom 128 ne russell

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Eoto | Acorn Project | Yamn Lake Street Dive | The Congress Mike Gordon Mephis May Fire | Word Alive | Beartooth Papadosio INVSN Toadies | Supersuckers | Battleme Gungor - I Am Mountain Tour London Grammer | Vancouver Sleep Clinic The War On Drugs | White Laces

holocene

1001 se morrison

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The Casket Girls | Stargazer Lilies | Dott | Dreamend Ladi6 | Laura Ivancie Solids | PUP Ancient Heat | Minden | Brownish Black Lil Texas | Gang$ign$ | Eastghost | Mode7 The Black madonna | Ben Tactic | Nathan Detroit Classical Revolution PDX JD Samson And MEN | Lavender Mirror Natasha Kmeto | Danny Corn | Graintable | Plumblyne I've Got A Hole In My Soul: DJ Beyondadoubt Rev Shines | DJ Nature | Slimkid3 Gaycation: Mr. Charming | DJ Snowtiger DJ Honest John | New Dadz DJs | DJ Portia Rev Shines | Gwizski | Maxx Bass | Sex Life DJs Rockbox: Matt Nelkin | DJ Kez Rufus du Sol The Belle Game | Ski Lodge Sleepy Sun | Billions & Billions Gossip Cat | Pocket Rock-it | Misti Miller The Strypes Club Crooks w/DJ Izm | Mr. Marcus Anne | Interiors | Magic Fades | DJ Quarry

rontoms

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eastburn

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Rio Grands | Smokey Brights Souvenir Driver | Thomas Murdick | (((boing))) Leisure LLC | Dead Folk Eidolons | Cataldo | Bed Tiburones

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Jazz Series (Wednesdays) Eat Off Your Banjo: Live Bluegrass (Thursdays) DJ Ilko | Rachael Myers Ojos Feos DJ Wobli | Whiskey's Lament St Patty's Party w/The Israelites Whiskey's Lament DJ Gregarious | Le Printemps DJ Rhienna | Santino Cadiz Club Crooks | DJ Izm Impact Sound Reggae DJs | Brian O'Dell Band

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bossanova ballroom 722 E Burnside

Eye Candy VJ’s (every Monday) Brett & Blake | Bevelers | Jack Gloe | Sleeperface Bike Thief | Fanno Creek A Night of the Beatles with 1776 A special evening of songs, singers, and stories Centaurs Of Attention | Blesst Chest | Jelly Project Pink Slip | Bitch School | The Punctuals DJ Rescue (Zia McCabe of The Dandy Warhols) The Gladness | Salon | The Century Rick Bain & Genius Position | Buzzy Shyface Dr. Luna | Hundred Eye

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live MARCH kelly's olympian (continued)

10 426 sw washington

25 Light Thieves | Talkative 26 The Choices | Empire Rocket Machine 28 Little Ass Boom Box Festival

SHOW PREVIEWS 1. NEW YOUNG PONY CLUB

2. THIS WILL DESTROY YOU

MARCH 12 | MISSISSIPPI STUDIOS

MARCH 18 | DOUG FIR

WITH

MINDEN, HUSTLE & DRONE

bunk bar 11 1028 se water 7 11 19 25 26 27 28 29

Hailing from London, Tahita Bulmer, Andy Spence and Sarah Jones make up Mujeres | Dead Ghosts | Sun Angle the current NYPC (New Young Pony Club) Phantom Ships | The We Shared Milk lineup. Join their club by showing up to The Districts Disco Doom | The Apostrophes | Sad Horse their show on NYPC's first tour in six Milagres years. Out and about promoting their Small Black and Snowmine latest self-titled album (2013), their take Old Age | Pagentry | Hustle & Drone Modern Kin | Ravenna Woods on industrial, electronic, indie, and postthe know punk sounds will catch your attention like 2026 NE Alberta Yelle and LCD Soundsystem might. I love Marriage & Cancer | Hurry Up! | Tiny Knives when Tahita admits on “Things Like You” U SCO | The Ax | Hang The Old Year that she’s “. . . into something I can’t feel / Nervosas | Old City Shadow House | Spitting Image | Lunch I’m into things like you.” With ten years of Gaytheist | Moldy Castle | Order Of The Gash experience, a quality show awaits you—I Coronation | Dramady | Daniel Rafn The Bloodtypes | The Last 45's | Red Shadows guarantee it. » - Kelly Kovl

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Palo Verde | Rose Gold | Faith Twain Towers | North | Die Like Gentlemen The Siege Fire | Sciatica | More Hell La Misma | Vivid Sekt | Reactor | Bone Spells Renaissance Coalition | Rustlah | Raspy Meow Unexamine | Kakerlak | Okha | Withering Of Light Iron Chic | Divers | Murmurs | Cancers Canadian Rifle | The Stops Dirty Fences | The Rat | Rat Party Kurly Somthing | Toyboat Toyboat Toyboat The Wobblies Elegy

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Spoken Showcase w/Mosley Wotta (Mondays) Dryland Farmers | Jim Creek Hart & Hare | Coastlands | A Thousand Swords Dedere | Thunder Goat | Cut & Paste | Violent Psalms Tall Heights Lesser Bangs | Commonly Courteous | The Lovely Lost The Plutons Doug Stepina Brad Parsons Forever Growing | Frizz | Darren Moore Trio Garry Meziere/No Tomorrow Blues Band Foreign Talks mark Elmer Band

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SILENT LAND TIME MACHINE

When you name your band This Will Destroy You, it sort of sets up automatic expectations of, well, destruction. Fortunately, the post-rock quartet not only understands this, but they embody the experience. Their atmospheric jams, while drawn out, are the opposite of interminable. It’s not so much experimental as it is a process of discovery. Many bands would struggle to fill that space with fresh ideas. Not so for This Will Destroy You. And as great as the albums are for going along for the ride, their live shows will grip you by the jugular and throw you head first into the experience. » - Charles Trowbridge

4. DISCO DOOM WITH

THE APOSTROPHES, SAD HORSE

MARCH 25 | BUNK BAR

Don’t hold the no-vowel thing against INVSN (pronounced "Invasion"). Writing in English for the first time in their fifteen years as a band, Dennis Lyxzen— probably best known for his other group, International Noise Conspiracy—and company have hit the sweet spot between goth and pop formerly occupied by Peter Murphy in his late-'80s "Cuts You Up" heyday. If their Razor and Tie debut single "Down In The Shadows" doesn't convince you, tracks like "Our Blood" and "It's All Coming Back" will. INVSN is like an audio time capsule to MTV's 120 Minutes days, and that can't be a bad thing. » - Eric Evans

The Swiss duo - Gabriele De Mario (lead vocals, guitar) and Anita Rufer (guitar, bass, keys, vocals) – are a low-odds, musical parlay of typical indie rock matchups: lassiez-faire guitar riffs, cascading vocals and synth filling the empty spaces like white mangohabanero gravy. All the things you’ve had and enjoyed but maybe not mixed together quite like this. Good enough for Built to Spill to add them to all their European tour dates after opening one night on the tour and spicy enough for Dino Jr to join in on the fun – not at the same time; that’d be crazy. » - Billy Dye

5. EMANCIPATOR

6. BLACK LIPS

MARCH 28 | CRYSTAL BALLROOM

MARCH 29 | HAWTHORNE THEATRE

WITH

SLOW MAGIC, NYM

Cosmic rose | Steady Riot | Old Growth Portland producer Doug Appling Ellis Pink | The Fourth Wall Hands In | Ali Muhareb serves as Emancipator for those who seek DJ Eps | Hype | Gatsby | Packard Browne release. His style is simple and yet so Charlie & The Foxtrots Damn Librarians | Noble Firs | Tiananmen Bear grand—combining downtempo electronica

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3. INVSN

MARCH 24 | WONDER BALLROOM

WITH

and seamless sampling with violin, cello, ethereal flute, and guitar-solo beauty.

Intrigue comes with an underlying element of world music, leaving a feeling of oneness through sound. Trickling notes, piano melodies, and sick beats make for the perfect headphone commute, but Appling makes the live show all about the sensory. He enjoys pouring over the details, and has enlisted a talented group of instrumentalists and a cerebral light show to accompany his whims. » - Brandy Crowe

WITH

THE COATHANGERS, SUMMER CANNIBALS

Following the release of their 7th studio album Underneath the Rainbow, Black Lips return to Portland March 29 playing at the Hawthorne Theatre. The band describes the influences on the new album as more traditional roots music, but the first single of the album, “Boys in the Wood,” sounds as swamp punk as ever, and comes with a music video that would make any grandmother cringe. Opening for Black Lips are fellow Atlantans and all-girl punk band The Coathangers. Doors open at 8pm, show starts at 9pm, and cover is $15. » - Travis Leipzig

features

LOCAL FEATURE Ages and Ages

MARCH SLABTOWN

41033 NW 16TH

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Very Little Daylight | Ryan Davidson Omnihility | Dead Comspiracy | Bunk Dope Dismantle LA | Heathen Shrine | Torture Rack Boats! | Needles & Pizza World Of Lies | Burning Monk | Toe Tag | Contempt Whiskey's Lament | The Tanked | Dartgun & Vignettes A Volcano | Valkyrie Rodeo | Muscle & Marrow Perfect Pussy | Long Knife Cruel Hand | Bent Life | Malfunction | Barrier Brain Scraper | Pleasure Cross | Order Of The Gash

alhambra theatre 4118 se hawthorne

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Pigs On The Wing (Pink Floyd Tribute) Organik Time Machine | Yak Attack | Basin & Range Anjali & The Incredible Kid The Straits

hawthorne theatre 1507 se 39th

Photo by Anna M. Campbell

Harmony has a way of lifting the dust off the weary soul. It invigorates. It revitalizes. Good music in general has been known to do this, but there’s something about a group of human voices singing in imperfect harmony that really moves people. This is what separates Ages and Ages from the rest of the noise. Tim Perry and Rob Oberdorfer co-captain the ship that is this seven-part band, who all sing and play various percussion instruments like shakers and noise-makers (or just simple hand-claps).

Hearing Ages and Ages perform live has been compared to going to a religious revival (minus the guilt and self loathing).

So it makes perfect sense that President Obama would use one of their songs in his bid for reelection back in ‘08. Many of their songs have that triumphant “don’t look back” message to them. So it’s no wonder that their music was used to inspire the masses. The debut album Alright You Restless was grand in that sense. The second album, Divisionary, is much more personal, much more about freeing oneself of demons and about facing life head-on.

Both the subject matter and tone of their songs are unlike what is usually considered hip or anti-establishment. What makes Ages and Ages unique is that they don’t seem to care, and in that sense they do challenge the status quo.

Divisionary is a nice, natural progression from the debut. It’s more

polished, produced by Tony Lash (Elliott Smith, Dandy Warhols) at Jackpot Studios.

The strings are perfectly placed to fill some gaps, and there is more instrumentation than before. The voices are crisp and clean, with male and female contrasting and complementing each other. Lyrically, the album is more complex. Tim Perry tackles some tough issues, and the struggle from dark to light is palpable.

Ages and Ages remain a band that is best in raw form, however, and should be enjoyed live. They spent much of last month touring in Europe, where what might have been lost in translation was most likely made up for in spirit. ELEVEN caught up with Tim and Rob between shows.

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Maiden NW | Agnozia | State Of Balance Larry & His Flask | Scott H. Biram | Whiskey Shivers Battle For Warped Tour (5 bands) The Wailers | British Dependency Hellion | Motorbreath Bayside | Four Year Strong | Daylight | Mixtapes Teh Sword | Big Business | O'Brother Dead Meadow The Wonder Years | Fireworks | Real Friends | Citizen The Bright Midnight | Blue Ember | Ask You In Gray | Redcast Carnifex | I Declare War | Assassins | Hail The Artilect Aganist Me! | Laura Stevenson | Cheap Girls K. Flay | Air Dubai | Itch Bun B | Kirko Bangz The Black Lips | The Coathangers | Summer Cannibals

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MOLOKO

Taste the nightlife of Mississippi. Over 40 house infused liquors. Specialty absinth cocktails.

Open until 2am every day.

N PORTLAND 3967 N Mississippi (97227) 503.288.6272 molokopdx.com

19 ALADDIN THEATER 3017 SE MILWAUKIE 20 VALENTINES

232 SW ANKENY

ELEVEN: First of all, how’s Europe?

Portland Cello Project | Alialujah Choir What countries/cities have you played so Martin Sexton | Jay Nash far? How does touring there compare to Hapa the US? Leo Kottke The Dan Zanes Song Gusto Hour (11AM) Tim Perry: Europe is awesome! In Paris, Pat Rothfuss | Paul & Storm Becca and Annie got kidnapped and forced Zucchero to drink flaming pink shots with a pack Jerry Douglas of self-proclaimed "crazy Japanese." In Miranda Sings Amsterdam, I made friends with two S&M EAST END mannequins in a shop window. We stayed 203 SE GRAND in a movie-themed hostel (the band, not the Caldonias | Mary Ocher | Ghost Ease | Breakup Flowers Noble Firs | Jesus Rehab | Julia Massey mannequins). . . Ours was the Apocalypse New Dadz Now room. In Copenhagen, we were literally the only brunettes in town. I think they THE GOODFOOT 2845 SE STARK thought we were black. We played London Asher Fulero Band (Tuesdays) last night and it got really drunk in there!

Left Coast Country, A Mile To Go People kept telling me they were "pissed," Quick & Easy Boys but they seemed pretty happy to me?

1,000 Fuegos | Marv Ellis

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features MARCH THE GOODFOOT

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(CONTINUED)

Photo by Alicia Rose

Boyz II Gentlemen Eldridge Gravy & The Court Supreme Boyz II Gentlemen McTuff | Funky 2 Death | Bucket O' Honey

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Sea Wolf | Adrian H | Kevin Long Anti Gravity The Kresbic Orkestar | 3 Leg Torso | 3 For Silver Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks | Sun Foot The Sounds Toubab Krewe | Mountain Standard Time Astronautilus | Playdough | Transit Jeremy Messersmith The Orwells | Criminal Hygiene Electro Swing Live THE FIRKIN TAVERN Located on the west side of Ladd’s, the Firkin Tavern features an astounding selection of craft beers to enjoy inside or on our patio.

Art enthusiasts will enjoy a variety of local artwork on display and sold comission-free!

11: In theology, coming up with a new word or idiom is often a way of proposing a fresh set of ideas. So what does “divisionary” mean to you? ash street saloon TP: Divisionary is a made up word 225 sw ash we use to describe a "breaking off" from December In Red | Dead Kiss destructive influences, be they personal Anarchy In Little Beirut (10 Punk Bands) or societal. I think it can be as simple as Brut | Cannabidroids | Pending Black someone experiencing the necessary inner Gall The Protons | King Ghidora conflict that comes from challenging their CharlieDarwins|GreatState|RaceOfStrangers|J-Ride own social conditioning. The growth that Wolflaut | Black33 comes from that entails a separation from Rum Rebellion | Dirty Kid Discount Virtual Zero old, negative ways. On a grander scale, Cellar Door | In Repose a divisionary can be a person or people Die Like Gentlemen | Forgotten Gods whose ideas of what's "right" challenge the LaMarcHand's Box | Super Desu | Alto! | Turtle existing power structure. Change brings Toy | Beardless Harry Sailor Mouth conflict, brings more change. There's a lot The Hoons | Bear Planet of talk on this album about a separation Black Powder County | 9 Road | Abandon Shoe from the darkness and negativity of our The Adarna destructive and superficial culture. The Pika | Red Forman optimistic, celebratory vibe comes from ROTTURE/BRANX that separation and the sense of freedom 315 SE 3rd Scale The Summit | The Ocean | The Atlas Moth that it brings.

SE LADD'S 1937 SE 11th Ave (97214) 503.206.7552 | thefirkintavern.com

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Matt Beltz | Blue Ember | Demure | Matt Lande Rotting Out | No Bragging Rights | Orthodox Spirit Caravan | Vhol | Pilgrim | Eight Bells East Of The Wall | Diamond Plate The Best In Brutality Tour YOB | Graves At Sea | Hot Victory | Death Grave Duality La Dispute | Pianos Become The Teeth | Mansions

11: Your debut album garnered a lot of attention, going as far as president Obama using "No Nostalgia" in his 2012 campaign playlist. Did the political interpretation change your approach at all?

TONIC LOUNGE TP: Since that whole presidential 3100 NE SANDY playlist thing, Barry and I have gone Sciatica | Long Knife | More Hell | Therapists Richie Ramone | Madame Torment | Lost Tapes on lengthy fishing trips wherein we've Christian Mistress | Lord Dying | Sons Of Huns explored all manner of topics and we're Windmill Of Corpeses | Slow Screams | Dirty Kid Discount both pretty comfortable with the fact that Strageweather | Long Hallways | Drawingboard we don't always share the same views. So D.O.A. Farewell Tour | M.D.C. Stu Hamm I don't feel any pressure whatsoever to Greencarts | Keeping Me Awake | Whiskey N' Rye modify my political beliefs. It was strange

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to have a song recognized by the POTUS for obvious reasons. "Strange" doesn't really begin to cut it, really. But it's also a bit weird when the president—a symbol of the establishment, if ever there was one— embraces a song that talks about leaving it all behind and holing up somewhere far from the greedy establishment.

11: The new album seems to travel inward into the psyche of the band. I read that you (Tim) took a break to go on a meditative retreat during the recording period. How big of a role does spirituality have in your lives?

TP: I think spirituality plays a bigger role in people's lives than they give it credit for. We're all more or less seeking a positive life experience in a reality where darkness is just part of the landscape. So if we're honest people, we have to address this darkness several times over the course of our lives. I'm not sure how anyone could ever experience true optimism without also processing the darkness. The meditation retreat you're asking about was anything but a break. In some ways, it might have the hardest I've ever worked.

11: The first album was put together quickly, in what was called “eight days of feverish creativity.” Making Divisionary was a much longer process. What challenges did you face when producing the follow-up?

TP: We experienced a fair amount of personal tragedy and also some pretty awesomely positive experiences between our last record and now. You know, life.

So that slowed things down a bit. Also, the creative process lends itself to struggle and conflict as ideas are nurtured or discarded. That stuff takes time.

11: With so many band members, how does the creative process go? Do you (Tim) write all of the songs, or is it a collaborative effort? Has the process changed at all?

Rob Oberdorfer: Tim writes the songs, then typically the band will come up with parts and sometimes play around with the structure or whatever. . . [we're] sort of a production team. I'm sometimes involved with demoing as well, though every song has a different evolution. Anyway, recording Divisionary was mostly Tim, Tony [Lash, producer], and I hashing out ideas and sounds for countless hours. We ended up stripping a lot of these songs

features down to Tim's original demo and building them up from scratch. . . just trying to present the heart of the song as directly as possible.

11: You’ve included violin in the mix, sparingly, in your music. Do you have any plans to expand the use of strings in performances or in future albums?

RO: Probably in recordings, because strings are a great way to dredge up certain emotions and moods. No one in the current lineup is a string player, but who knows what will happen in the future. It's hard to say what any song needs until you hear it, so we could end up using Vangelisstyle synths all over the next record.

11:With such a unique sound, who, if any, are your influences?

TP: Tons.

RO: Yeah, we have pretty diverse tastes. We are focused for this project on using timeless, classic sounds and textures, but that doesn't mean we don't dig experimental or weirder stuff—or even that we aren't influenced by it. Anytime we've come up with something that sounds too directly referential to anything else we've changed it.

11: The album cover art is an apple with a keyhole in it. . . It’s hard to avoid religious overtones here. Can you share the inspiration with us?

TP: To me, the apple is intentionally simple in its symbolism—representing life, freshness, and a myriad of other connotations from humanity’s long history with that fruit. If some of them

are religious, that's okay. Basically, it's relatable and ubiquitous. But the keyhole, I think, gives it some depth—a darker more mysterious world beyond the surface. You can't see inside unless you intentionally get up close and look. The pile of keys, to me, is a pile of options. Different keys fit different locks. We all have to sift through the pile to find the one that works for us. It can be overwhelming sometimes, eh?

MARCH dantes

350 w burnside

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FIRKIN TAVERN 1937 SE 11TH

11: What are some of your favorite venues to play in Portland?

RO: Well, Mississippi Studios probably feels most like home right now, which is mainly because we're doing the album release show there. It's a comfortable size, and it's a fun hang. Doug Fir is also great.

The Alberta Rose or the Aladdin are great for bigger seated shows. Honestly, we are so spoiled in Portland. We've got so many great clubs and so much local talent.

11: What’s next for Ages and Ages?

RO: It's looking like we've got a fair amount of touring in our immediate future, both in the US and in Europe.

Things are going well so far, and we're feeling eager to share this music as much as possible. Hopefully there will be some breaks here and there to keep working on new stuff. This band is a really fun outlet, and the people are like family. We want to kick it down the road as far as it will go. » - Scott McHale

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Jennifer Batten | Electric Approach She's Not Dead Women In Rock Battle Of The Bands Metts, Ryan & Collins Electric Six | Yip Deciever

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Bubble Cats | Just Lions | A Happy Death Urban Sex Legends Violent Psalms Mack & Dub Evangeline | Sam Densmore Mack & Dub | Neil Darling | Elliott Young

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HOLLYWOOD THEATRE A not-for-profit organization whose mission is to entertain, inspire, educate and connect the community through the art of film while preserving an historic Portland landmark.

NE HOLLYWOOD 4122 NE Sandy Blvd (97212) 503.493.1128 | hollywoodtheatre.org

30 Laurelthirst pub 2958 ne glisan 31 the waypost 2120 n williams

Freak Mountain Ramblers (Sundays) Peter Pants | Kung Pow Chickens (Mondays)

Jackstraw (Tuesdays) Brian & The Ballentines | The Oh My Mys Joshua Powel & Avery Hill Ducky Pig | The Fire Weeds Cotton | Jernigan | Thousand Swords The Tree Frogs | Baby Gramps The Yellers | Jimmy Boyer Band Lone Madrone | Mount Joy

Ages and Ages play live this month Lewi & The Left Coast Roasters | Andrea & The Enablers Joe Mcmurrian & Woodbrain | The Wild Wood MARCH 1 @ Mississippi Studios JacobMiller&BridgeCityCrooners|SmutCityJellyrollSociety for their record release party Old Flames | The Student Loan | Big E & The Stomp Lewi & The Left Coast Roasters | Twisted Whistle Happy Otherwise | Tuck & Daisy | Mike Coykendall Jim Boyer | Lynn Conover | Dan Haley Band Root Jack | Simon Tucker Blues Band Lewi & The Left Coast Roasters Alice Start | Garcia Birthday Band The Yellers | Left Coast Country

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z'Bumba Carnaval Sensory: Uptempo Electronic Music Bubble Up | Soljahs Sounds Redneck Soldier & A-locs Birthday Party W.O.R.D.S. Bubble Up

Swamp Lotus | Agnozia | Into The Aether | Toxic Zombie

Madalice Delirium Equinox Sleeping Machines Presents Unsafe Darts Jahdan Blakkamoore

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E-mail listings@elevenpdx.com Photo by Todd Walberg

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Amidst the domineering affluence and privilege of Santa Barbara, a music scene fights for survival.

The central coast of California lends itself far more to private parties and Catalina wine mixers than thriving arts, but Gardens & Villa have found a way to break through.

Founding members Chris Lynch, Adam Rasmussen and Levi Hayden started the band as three friends who simply played music to have fun. The three spent two years jamming out in a backyard garage, and by 2010 they realized they had an album on their hands.

They recorded their first record here in Portland with local legend Richard Swift, who helped the band secure their record deal with Secretly Canadian.

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Nearly four years later Gardens & Villa have released their second album, Dunes, which gave the five-piece the freedom to experiment, layer, invent, and perfect the material they had been working on for so long. While their self-titled first release was recorded in ten days and found its charm in innocence and space between, Dunes takes that formula and flips it on its head. Take a month and a half to record with one of the industry’s foremost producers and co-founder of DFA records Tim Goldsworthy, and you are bound to get something entirely different. Where Gardens & Villa was bare, Dunes is rich. Where the former reclines and remains subdued, the latter rides deep rhythm and pushes perfectly stitched synth washes that to a discerning ear are quite beautiful. The intricacies of Dunes make it shine.

Gardens & Villa make use of their instruments as tools of art and seek to create landscapes with sound.

Instead of feeling powerless to a local culture that values Tiesto’s club life and $300 jeans, they immerse themselves in the natural beauty of the area. Much of their music is a reference to the surrounding oasis and the solitude that comes with those places.

Gardens & Villa have risen from an incredibly small, tightly knit scene that does not boast or pretend to have an identity beyond each band. Gardens & Villa have found ways to do what they love and stay in the place they love. They also no longer struggle to maintain residence in Santa Barbara, and have traded in sleeping in vans on the beach for a far less mobile set of walls.

Photo by Neil Favila

features national scene ELEVEN: You’ve just recently started to tour in support of your new album Dunes. What’s the reception like so far?

Adam Rasmussen: It’s been really good! People seem stoked to listen to the new record. They obviously aren’t as familiar with it as the last one. They haven’t lived with it, but there’s a good reception. People are starting to get familiar with songs like “Bullet Train” and “Colony Glen.” It’s cool to see people starting to form favorites from the new record. It’s cool to see people experiencing it.

11: Dunes is certainly a lot dancier than your first release.

Was that the direction the band was going, or was it as much because of the influence of Tim Goldsworthy in the studio?

AR: I don’t think we were setting out to make a dance record.

But we all dig dance music and all really like the culture around that. Most of us certainly have a lot of history in that. If anything, each record ends up being a reflection of the time that you were working in. It just happened to be a dance record. That’s what came out and started developing. It was also a product of the gear we had our hands on.

11: Tell us about the time that this record represents.

AR: We had just come off the road, and had done about 350 shows in support of the debut record. We were all settling back into Santa Barbara. I think there was a sense of renewal of friendship. We had been away for so long that it almost felt foreign to be home. So we tried to ease back into all the circles that we’re involved with. There was a lot of time that we spent alone as well.

There was a lot of solitude in the writing process, even though we were back home with all our friends. We were also listening to a lot of early '80s minimal wave or first wave dance music. Also a lot of punk and soul and jazz. I guess it’s hard to say what went into making it. There’s a lot of different stuff that went into making the record.

11: What changed for you personally? What did you want to improve upon and build on from the first release?

AR: The first record was a really good experience with [Richard] Swift, and we were all working day jobs while we wrote the record. We weren’t even really a band yet. We hadn’t toured or anything like that. We had a practice space behind our house, and we would go out there and jam on our nights off. Pretty soon we had a bunch of songs that we felt like we should record. We got ahold of Swift, and we went up and recorded. We only spent ten days doing it. Swift is the kind of guy who likes to capture really good performances when the tape is rolling, and it’s all on the line—as opposed to the new process, where we had a lot more time.

We had a bigger budget and a bigger studio with more options. A little bit of what I was trying to do was have some more complete spots. That’s the thing about the new record, is all the parts feel really complete. On the first record, all the parts feel really spontaneous. I think both are good things. We’ll use both processes in new material. We learned so much in both recording sessions.

11: When I listen to Dunes I certainly hear a more complete sound.

AR: It’s a bit more rounded and a little bit denser. On the first

record we were working with the limitations of an 8-track machine, and on this record we had limitless tracks. Everything was running through this infamous Flickinger recording console that was built for Sly Stone in the '70s. I think the gear that was used added color on the recording, whether it was its functionality or its dated format.

11: We see a lot of bands in the scene these days where their second release tends to be a lot more synth-based and production heavy. Do you feel like that’s the excitement of being able to work with all the gear that creates that, or is it required to really create what you’re looking for?

AR: One of the reasons that it got a little denser was that there was more time to prepare. Most of the demos that we had constructed before meeting up with Goldsworthy were a little synthier and a little thicker. We had 35 days to do this one. Swift would get you more or less set to a sound he liked and say, “Alright, first take. Do it.” Goldsworthy would maybe spend half a day working on a sound trying to get it just right. And we’d perform it two or three times. Having a significantly larger amount of time was a heavy factor in us being able to create a higher production value.

11: Do you prefer the spontaneity or a more calculated approach, now that you’ve been through both?

AR: I think that we know and are striving for a healthy balance between the two. It’s dangerous to be polarized one way or the other. The same goes for production value. There are parts of the first record where recording was one mic for all the drums, and directions that I love how honest and almost naïve they were. Now we spend so much time chaining up a signal and mic-ing each drum.

While the performance may be really spontaneous, it still appears and sounds more calculated. Both experiences were really cool.

Both Goldsworthy and Swift are able to pull certain things out of a band.

11: Let’s talk about the video for “Bullet Train.” Can you tell me about the ideas behind it?

AR: Secretly Canadian had mentioned this guy Tony Katai to us for making a video. We checked out his stuff and really liked the way he used color, and we felt like he had a really good grip of songs and their relative images. He was really talented at mixing sound and vision, so we got in cahoots with him. We resonated right off the bat. He was feeling an old television and VHS quality. We had been spending a lot of time with that kind of stuff, watching cult classics. Some of the VHS was old samurai film from the ‘70s, and we even sampled some of the stuff for the record. Whether or not he knew that about us, we were really resonating with the idea that felt like early ‘90s shitty origins of digital. We saw eye to eye on that. Collecting the televisions was also really fun. I enjoyed going to thrift stores and having interactions with older ladies who’d say they would set the TV’s outside their garage, and then I’d show up and they’d come out and ask me what we were doing with them. I told them we were doing an art project and they would be like, “Oh, that’s so sweet!” And then we’d end up having like an hour-long conversation. It was pretty funny. Tony said let’s just get a bunch of TV’s and a bunch of green screens and play it by ear. We had no idea

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features national scene in some sense what the video would end up looking like. Each step of the way was like, “Oh, look at that over there. What about that?

Let’s film it! Oh, look at that over there.” We didn’t have a stringent agenda at all.

11: Imagery and all aside, it seems to be the most accurate representation of the band I’ve seen in its call to nostalgia. Did that just line up, or is it what called you to working with Tony in the first place?

AR: One of the things we have in common is that we’re all pretty close in age. We were all children of the ‘80s. We all had Ninja Turtle pajama pants and all had original Nintendo and a handful of cartridges and everything—from Robocop to the Mike Tyson TKO to Mario. There’s quite a bit of nostalgia or vibes for the early ‘80s. We all came alive in the ‘90s. Also Tony is quite a bit younger than us, so it was cool that he picked up on that.

11: I heard the band evolved from a surf noise project that didn’t really go anywhere. Is that true?

AR: Nah, we never really played surf rock. We did have a threepiece before the debut record that lasted about five years, with three of the members in the band. It was kind of a noise ensemble, a bit of post-rock with some noise tendencies and extended songs.

We had set that down before starting up the Gardens & Villa train.

11: What’s it like to be an artist in Santa Barbara? It seems like a tough place to break through creatively.

AR: There definitely is a large and pretty dominant culture of affluence and young people working at law offices and being able to actually afford nice places and go out to bars. There is certainly a scene for that. The nice thing about Santa Barbara is that the music scene is extremely small. You kind of know everyone in it. We don’t really associate with the affluent side of Santa Barbara. Between tours, we’ll find a friend’s garage to set up a sleeping pad in, or maybe a van or something. A couple of us have lived in our cars for most of the time, trying to maintain a Santa Barbara existence and still make music. One of the great things about Santa Barbara is that you’re surrounded by natural beauty, and there are plenty of places to escape to and really be alone. So living in my van wasn’t so bad, because I’d park on the beach and shower in the ocean. The hardest thing in Santa Barbara is holding down a practice space, somewhere where you can just hone in and be creative. It’s just so damn expensive that you have to sacrifice everything to do it. But it’s beautiful. It’s a double-edged sword.

11: How inspirational is that beauty in the music you’re creating?

AR: Experimenting with synths is really about that. For us, using synthesizers operates as brush strokes and gestures. When I listen to a lot of the modern synthesizer records, they’re really angular and the synth is used like pylons or rebar for a concrete wall. It feels almost too sturdy or too strong. What we’re trying to do is have it function like a color.

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features national scene 11: How much of your synth parts are you able to translate live?

AR: Preparing for this tour was one of the gnarlier undertakings that I can remember in any music that I’ve done.

Instead of touring with all of the synthesizers that we used for the record, which may be like a dozen, we compiled all of that into these two machines from the ‘90s. They didn’t work when we got them, so we had to open them up and learn a lot about ‘90s computers. I’m sure there are a lot of really easy ways to sample your sounds with all the modern technology available, but our producer recommended these. He explained them as having a special character to them. I went to San Diego and this guy had one in his shitty apartment laying on his coffee table. I just started draining all of my sounds on the thing, and it really has this crazy character that almost has this sound like the way a VHS formats a soundtrack. It was pretty clearly the right piece of equipment.

It’s old and archaic, like the first computer your family had. It’s a way for us to not have to travel with two dozen keyboards. All the sounds are there. With three controllers between the two of us, we have full range of all those keyboards. We haven’t had to run tracks of anything yet, which is really good for our morale.

It’s really important for us to be a band that can do that. I don’t look down on people running tracks, but it’s really fun when every single aspect of the performance can be manipulated live.

11: You certainly have an affinity for this analog and older equipment. I’m interested in how the band feels about bedroom production, and what inspires you to use older equipment rather than software to create.

AR: I certainly use laptops all the time when I’m drafting sounds. I grew up playing classical piano and jazz all through college. That’s my world. I’m able to draw inspiration from throwing my hands against something and having something come back—as opposed to seeing layers on a computer. That’s a simple explanation, but I feel like I can really get lost if I have a synth in front of me. . . when I have tangible, physical filters and envelopes as opposed to computers. But when we’re on tour, a computer can be a great way to create and journal ideas—stuff we want to get excited about as soon as we can set up some recording gear and put songs down.

11: Are you guys creating demos on the road right now?

AR: Yeah definitely. We have goals to distill this body of work down, and record and release it sooner—with much less of a gap between the next release and Dunes. It’s almost the perfect time to record, when we’re inspired by the night before. There are bands we’re connecting with, and friends we are catching up with that happen to live in New Orleans or Minneapolis. I find that I can get really close to my creative self on the road. It’s a perfect time for us to have a musical reflection of our thought process. Everyone is always tinkering away on jams and ideas. Some of the ideas are ten years old and some are from this morning.

11:Thanks so much for talking with us, Adam!

AR: Thanks for talking with me! We’re trying to get back to Portland as soon as possible. We have a blast in Portland. I’ve considered moving there a handful of times. I may still. »

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film

WATCH ME NOW Written by Bex Silver

conscious awakening will help to combat the engorged 'Industry' that is fed by greed, advertising, and short attention spans.

This city is a fantastic place to collaborate, learn, and experiment. If you have the cash and want a formal approach (which can be valuable) Northwest Film Center offers classes in all aspects of filmmaking from story creation, to shoe string lighting courses and post production. If you are on a tighter budget and want to play with more avant-garde material, NWFC also has a hand painted film workshop for a reasonable $10 that will introduce you to the seductive land of 16mm film. Hollywood Theater offers Saturday animation workshops for the younger set (ages 7-11) and also have fantastic programs for independent filmmakers through Film Action Oregon. The Portland Stew at the Clinton Street Theater is the perfect way to exhibit and workshop your new creations. The Stew, a potluck of experimental films, (brought to you by the beautiful minds behind Experimental Film Festival PDX) takes place every 3rd Wednesday of the month.

Sharing your creation can be frightening, but when you do, the praise and (constructive) criticism is invaluable.

You are not Hitchcock, a Coppola (Sophia, Roman, or Francis Ford), or Godard. You are you though, and you are just as capable of making a film.There is a filmmaking community here that wants your good ideas and can teach you how to make them a reality. Seek us out at festivals (EFF PDX is around the corner y'all), at Stews, in classes. Make the films you want to make. The most beautiful films have been borne of unadulterated vision and passion, regardless of circumstance. Take a leaf out of the New American cinema's handbook and embrace life as a 24/7 opportunity to make the world around you a film. »

Instant Queue Review You probably won't find these on Netflix so you'll just have to test your luck with Movie Madness. These films represent the New American Cinema movement of filmmakers who rejected the Hollywood system and forged their own, unique cinema culture at the height of 1960's New York counterculture. »

FILM EDITORIAL

MAKE A F***ING MOVIE ALREADY

There is a redundant loop of rationalizations against productivity that creatives cling to when there isn't a fire under their asses. Humans consume cinema with purposes that are as varied as the films themselves. How many times have you said, "I have a great idea for a movie," and as soon as you verbalize it the doubt creeps in? To make a film seems like a monumental undertaking that requires special skills, infrastructure, and buckets of money. This is the wall that needs to be torn down.

The narrow-minded expectations of what a film "is" has been pigeonholed by popular culture. Narrative features are not the only way to entertain.

In the world of digital media, films are being created every day on a macro and micro level. Vine and Instagram are the largest micro cinema platforms that the globe has yet to embrace. [If all of the videos on my Instagram were edited together you would see the grand mumble core opus of my life (and a lot of cats).] If we can embrace the fact that we who choose to create film, in whatever capacity we do, are legitimized by our will to do it, this

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DIARIES, NOTES AND SKETCHES (WALDEN)

(1969)

The godfather of The New American Cinema movement in the late 1950’s to early 1970's, Mekas was at the center of the New York underground art movement. It is akin to a 177 min Instagram video, but Andy Warhol, Timothy Leary, John Lennon, and P. Adams Sitney are the ones hanging out and having fun times.

EARLY ABSTRACTIONS

(1946-1957)

Harry Smith spent 11 years applying pieces of tape, wax, and paint to 16mm film. The result is a geometric ballet that shows all 11 years of dedication.

GO! GO! GO!

(1962)

New York City, 1962, high speed. A 12 min time capsule of new york life in 12fps.

VOILIERS ET COQUELICOTS

(2001)

A beautiful, technically magnificent optical illusion of boats floating through a poppy field. Lowder uses a structuralist approach to create a serene sensory vision.

ZORN'S LEMMA

(1970)

Not for the feint of heart, this visual poem that is both a mathematical and alphabetic study on film. It may require multiple viewings as well as induce a quickened pulse, but the experience is overall a powerful one.

film

MARCH FILM EVENTS CLASSICS FROM STUDIO GHIBLI

MARCH 1-29 | NW FILM CENTER WHITSELL AUDITORIUM The masters of Japanese animation Hayao Miyazaki and

Isao Takahata have been pumping out classic after classic since 1985 when they founded Studio Ghibli. On beautiful new 35m prints, NWFC will bring wonders of the prodigious animation house to the Whitsell Auditorium in a month-long retrospective. Favorites like My Neighbor Tototro (1988, to be screened 3/7, 7pm), Princess Mononoke (1997, screening 3/15, 7pm), and Spirited Away (2001, screening 3/22, 7pm) will be shown along with lesser known gems like Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984, screening 3/1, 7pm), Only Yesterday (1991, screening 3/15, 2pm), and Pom Poko (1994, screening 2/23, 4:30pm). If you make it to one or all of these screenings, you will have the pleasure of seeing the magical world of Studio Ghibli on a big screen where every detail is dazzling and brilliant. »

GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL MARCH 14 | CINEMA 21

Wes Anderson fans have been waiting with exceptionally bated breath for this. Narrated by a character only known as "The Author," we are introduced to the Eastern European nation of Zubrowka. The Hotel Budapest is filled with classic Anderson tropes, and their ring leader is the famous concierge, Gustave H. Let's hope that there are some slow motion walks,

MARCH 2014

quiet parental tension, and an effervescent color pallet to set the whole thing off. »

HARRY SMITH'S ANTHOLOGY OF AMERICAN FOLK MUSIC RELEASE PARTY MARCH 17 | HOLLYWOOD THEATRE

Celebrate Mississippi Records' re-release of Harry Smith’s Anthology Of American Folk Music. The famous Portlandborn experimental filmmaker and self-taught anthropologist became famous for his vast record collection from which he created an anthology of American folk music that might have otherwise been lost to time. For this special evening his most famous film Early Abstractions will be screened on 16mm with a live cello score performed by Lori Goldston. Live covers of

3.1 •

PDX JAZZ PRESENTS

PORTLAND JAZZ FESTIVAL - THE KORA BAND 3.3 • “A HOLLOW, A CREEK, AND A WAR ABOUT GEESE" 3.4 • NERD NITE PORTLAND #13 3.5 • ALDER CREEK KAYAK & CANOE PRESENTS “LEGENDARY WILD RIVER DESCENTS WITH CHARLIE MUNSEY” 3.6 - 3.13 - 3.20 - 3.27 • EVERY THURSDAY IN MARCH “PORTLANDIA” [2014] 3.9 • BRUNCH WITH POISON WATERS & FRIENDS FOLLOWED BY

THE ADVENTURES OF PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT (R) [1994] 3.10 • THE TRAIL RUNNING FILM FESTIVAL - THE PINE HEARTS 3.12 • 105.9 THE BREW PRESENTS MOVIEBOOZER AT THE MISSION LIVE COMEDY WITH ALEX FALCONE FOLLOWED BY AIRPLANE! (PG) [1980] 3.21 • SPONSORED BY THE DAN VOLKMER TEAM “A NEIGHBORHOOD PICTURE SHOW” PRESENTED BY MIKE RYERSON

songs from the anthology will also be performed by Mississippi Records favorites. This is an incredibly unique opportunity to experience the mysticism and magnitude of this Pacific Northwest legend. »

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community

NEIGHBORHOOD OF THE MONTH:

SE WOODSTOCK BLVD N W

4

5 6 9 2

SE WOODSTOCK BLVD.

S

8 11

SE 50TH AVE

10

SE 49TH AVE

SE 48TH AVE

SE 47TH AVE

3

SE 46TH AVE

SE 45TH AVE

7

SE 44TH AVE

SE 43RD AVE

SE 42ND AVE

SE 41ST AVE

1

E

Location photos by Mercy McNab

3. SLY VINTAGE SHOP

1. SUPER SAUSAGES

Red Fox Vintage - 4528 SE Woodstock Blvd.

2. TANTALIZING TALL-BOYS

Lutz Tavern - 4639 SE Woodstock Blvd

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BEST OF SE WOODSTOCK

Otto's Sausage Kitchen - 4138 SE Woodstock Blvd.

4. NOT YOUR LAST CAFE

First Cup - 4103 SE Woodstock Blvd

5. FEED YOUR SOUL

Delta Cafe - 4607 SE Woodstock Blvd

6. GET INKED

Tattoos By Frankie - 4625 SE Woodstock Blvd

7. BREW PUB 'N GRUB

Fenders - 4336 SE Woodstock Blvd

8. BIG SCREENS, BIG SLICES

Pizza Roma - 4715 SE Woodstock Blvd

9. PAMPERED PET SUPPLY

Animal Crossing NW - 4633 SE Woodstock Blvd

10. BFAST ON THE FAST

Yolk Food Cart - 4804 SE Woodstock Blvd

11. FREE BOOKS! Woodstock Library - 6008 SE 49th Ave

community visual arts

Photo by Mercy McNab

VISUAL ARTS Portland artist Julie Tillman

people have suggested I stick to one or another, but I don’t see the need. I’ve done collage, mixed media, embroidery, nearly all forms of printmaking, illustration, and painting. Someday I’d like to try working in ceramics. I never want to be limited in what I “can or should” make.

ELEVEN: Who are the characters in your portraits?

11: Where do you go for ideas?

Where do they come from?

JT: I consistently look at new art every day. Mostly on Julie Tillman: I’m constantly looking for interesting faces,

the internet and in books, but I go to museums and galleries

so while some of the portraits are of people I know or have

whenever possible. I want to see what moves me, and maybe try

met, others are just inspired by someone I may have seen on

to figure out why. I am an artist, but I also want to be a life-long

the street, television, or online. If I see a face I really connect

student of art.

with, I do a quick sketch, and then refer back to it later in my studio.

11: How has the use of the internet changed the business/ public landscape for an artist?

11: Do your abstract landscapes have an origin? Where?

JT: It’s funny, because I sort of started my career as an JT: All of my abstracts come directly from my mind. I do

artist backwards, but it began online. After owning a web

make a lot of portraits, and while I’m not going for a hyper-

design business for 7 years (and working 50-70 hours a week),

realistic aesthetic, I do try to capture the feeling I get from

I re-examined my life and priorities, and I quit. But all of a

that person. Painting in abstract allows me to connect with

sudden I had all the time in the world (after feeling like I’d had

myself, and in many ways it is like automatic drawing. It

none for so long). So I started making art again after years of

allows me to be a lot more free with my hand and expression.

nothing but the occasional doodle. I had no idea about how to

It’s about color and mark-making, and allows me to put down

start selling or showing my work other than on the internet. It

paint wherever it feels right. I love portraits and people, but

was all I had done for years. So my first venue was eBay. Most

I sometimes feel like they are the weekdays, and working

of my work was small and sold for very little. I remember my

in abstract is like the weekend: a much needed break. Some

first “big” sale was for $75 for a mixed media collage I made.

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community visual arts

I was ecstatic! But I sold work regularly and was collected

try to explain that they can pick back up after being gone for

internationally; it was quite exciting for someone like me with

weeks. It’s about making art a daily habit, and that’s not always

no formal art training—just a desire to make and be creative.

easy. But it’s also about encouragement, so I’d rather them

Later I created my own website and started selling work via

make something for 3 days out of 30 rather than none.

Etsy. It wasn’t until several years after that I went back to college and then art school and realized many artists sold and showed locally, or mailed work to far off places to be shown

11: How do art challenges contribute to the creation of art?

in galleries. Selling online allows me flexibility and freedom, and to be more in charge of the fate of my work. I like creating

JT: Well, I am certainly making a lot more work! And,

relationships with my buyers, even if that means we mainly

possibly by default, also selling a lot more work. But really it’s

connect via email and social media. I have patrons from all over

about holding yourself accountable for doing what you love.

that collect my work, and that is truly satisfying.

Just because we are artists doesn’t mean that making it comes easily. We self-doubt, procrastinate, avoid the work, wait for

11: What is the Daily Art Challenge?

inspiration. . . But I find that the inspiration comes if you sit yourself down in front of a blank canvas and start working.

JT: It’s really a self-imposed art-making ritual. Life is busy. Like many artists,

11: What is the Sunday Morning Project?

I have to do other work in order to pay all of my bills. I am self-

JT: My friend (and an amazing artist) Adri

employed as a vintage dealer, and

Luna and I were talking about making art

I feel like I’m always working (or

more consistently and holding each

should be)! So for the last year or so, I would make art only when I felt inspired AND had the time.

Which, as you can probably guess, was not very often. Sometimes I’d go weeks without making. And I could tell it was affecting my mood

other accountable each week. We’d tried it before, but half-heartedly.

But back in November she sent me an article about a group of songwriters that held a weekly song-writing challenge. This really inspired us to get

and my life. Self-care, in most forms,

serious about it. Because,

is a daily habit: eating well, brushing

after art school no one is

your teeth, exercise, etc. Art, for me, is the highest form of self-care. So this year I decided to make it a daily habit. I launched DailyArtChallenge. com and invited other artists to join me. Each month I create a list of daily prompts (though participants are free to use them, or their own), and I make art each day (sometimes loosely) based on those prompts. I post them to my blog and several social media sites, and encourage others to do the same. It really is a challenge, and sometimes I fall behind.

telling you what to make, when it’s due by, or gives you any kind of group feedback.

We wanted to invite other artists to participate as well, so we could all support, connect, inspire, and encourage each other.

Weekly participation is required, and if you miss a week, you may be asked to leave the group. The more accountability (even for us as founders!), the better.

We want people who are

The first 30 days were really rough!

serious about making

Some participants only make a few

art and growing as

days and give up. But even

artists. We have

though it’s a daily art

participants

challenge, I

that

still

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"Amedeo Modigliani" Mixed media: ink, acrylic, watercolor on board, 2010

community visual arts

range in age from teens to well into their 40’s. It’s a racially diverse group, too. But I will admit; at this point, it’s mostly women. We are spread out all over the country, and would love to have international participants as well.

11: Is having an art community important for you? Why or why not?

JT: For me, community is vital. As humans, we need connection. Having a community of fellow makers allows you to get feedback, support, advice, and more from people who understand what you’re going through.

"Safe" Mixed media: watercolor on vintage book cover, 2014

11: How is the art community in Portland?

JT: I have found the art community here in Portland to be incredibly supportive, welcoming, and helpful. I’ve moved around a lot in my life—and been to shows all over California— and there just isn’t anywhere (I’ve found) that is better.

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community visual arts 11: Why create art?

JT: That’s a really good question. My favorite answer is actually from Louise Bourgeois: “Art is a guarantee of sanity.”

I make art for myself, more than anything. Yes, I love it when other people appreciate and/or buy my art. If it can make them think about life from a different perspective, make them feel something, or even just make their home a bit more beautiful, that is wonderful! But I don’t make it for them. I make it for me.

"The Girl with Sadness in Her Eyes" Mixed media: ink, watercolor on vintage book cover, 2009

11: Have you struggled? Has it been hard to manage?

JT: Of course. Even some of the most brilliant and talented artists I know are working in bars, restaurants, and retail. But I sometimes like to think of it in terms of a diamond being created: it’s only under tremendous pressure that the true beauty is created.

11: What are the biggest barriers you have to overcome in creating art?

JT: For me it’s always time—prioritizing time for making.

Which is why I’ve involved myself in The Sunday Morning Project and the Daily Art Challenge. » - Billy Dye

Find more from Julie at www.joyfulstudio.blogspot.com

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