Los Porteños presents POETRY FROM THE INTERIOR: William Stafford & Miguel Hernandez
FREE
(April 16, 2015) "Poetry from the Interior: William Stafford & Miguel Hernandez" is an evening of original prose and poetry inspired by the words of American poet William Stafford and Spanish poet Miguel Hernandez, produced by Los Porteños at Literary Arts May 12th.
Award winning poet William Stafford (1914-1993), taught for decades at Lewis & Clark College and served as Oregon’s Poet Laureate from 1975 to 1990. His writing is often deceptively simple, focused on everyday things. Yet this examination reveals the complexity and depth hidden in the commonplace.
Miguel Hernandez (1910-1942) is one of Spain’s most beloved poets, a man from the countryside who embraced Madrid’s intellectual sophistication. His poetry is filled with regional themes, vegetation, animals, inspired by the heightened style of 16thand 17th Spanish literature.
Both writers were born in very humble circumstances and found inspiration in the natural world. Because of their strong political beliefs, both poets were incarcerated by their own countries. Stafford was a conscientious objector of WW II and Hernandez opposed Franco’s fascist leadership. Hernandez died in prison of tuberculosis.
“Poetry from the Interior” creates a cross cultural literary experience by celebrating Stafford while also shining light on Miguel Hernandez, regarded as "the people's poet" of Latin America.
The reading will feature Los Porteños members Joaquín López, Octaviano Merecías-Cuevas, Enrique Patlan, Ivonne Saed, Olga Sanchez, byroN José Sun and Juan Antonio Trujillo. In the spirit of a traditional tertulia, the featured readers will be followed by audience participation. Audience members are encouraged to bring their favorite Stafford or Hernandez poem to share.
This reading is sponsored by Literary Arts and Multnomah County Cultural Coalition, a project of the Oregon Cultural Trust.
About Los Porteños:
Los Porteños is a well of Latino writers dedicated to raising their voices in the Portland community and to raising awareness of their diverse languages, canons, stories, and cultures. The group was founded in January of 2006 by three members of Los Norteños—Seattle’s Latino writing circle—who had migrated south to Portland. Since its inception, Los Porteños has presented annual readings at El Centro Milagro for Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) and in 2011, they began hosting a William Stafford Birthday Reading featuring multi-lingual poetry and prose written in response to Stafford poems. In October of 2014, they presented their debut production Words That Burn: William Stafford, Lawson Inada, and Guy Gabaldón in Their Own Words.
Sunday May 10, 2015 8:00 PM
Hawthorne Theatre
21 & Over Only
"Join Sir Cupcake, veteran circus performer/director Jack Stocklynn, in his inaugural convening of the best of Portland's queer circus community in a ridiculous, vaudevillian exploration of our queer past. "Sir Cupcake's Queer Circus Goes Back in Time" is an immersive delight with fresh, campy and hilarious acts. Tickets ($15) are available now at www.sircupcake.com and Brown Paper Tickets for performances on May 8-9 at Echo Theater at 8 p.m. Performances will be ASL interpreted and are wheelchair accessible.
Sir Cupcake, always running late, tries to use his magic pocket-watch to make it to his show on time but finds himself and his queer circus back in the 1930s instead. Luckily, they are just in time for his ancestor's, queer singer ER Martin's, own show! Circus queers past and present join together for a once in a lifetime performance with aerialists, acrobats, clowns, burlesque, and more. Neighboring acrobatic couples find love across the fence, a magician's assistant gets her revenge, a handsome marathon swimmer finally finds true love and ER Martin gets a life changing telegram. Featuring cupcakes (of course!) and special guest performances by renowned burlesque artist Pidgeon von Tramp (Seattle) and world traveling hand balancer Brittany Walsh (May 8, only).
Sir Cupcake's Queer Circus celebrates queer and trans identities with storytelling and performances by queer and trans people and their allies."- Brown Paper Tickets
To purchase tickets, visit Brown Paper Tickets at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/1340011
For inquiries about the show, contact thesircupcake@gmail.com
1. The record was partially recorded in a barn in a beautiful pastoral setting in rural Oregon
(true, but hasn't everybody done this now?)
2. The band lives in Portland, OR
(also true, and they are consciously and unconsciously living breathing stereotypes just like the
ones portrayed in Portlandia)
3. Horse Feathers last album charted on Billboard by selling fewer records than they had in the past
(true, but maybe more a comment on the music industry as a whole?)
4. For this album, the band was influenced by the following: Pentangle, Talk Talk, Paul Simon, The Band, Van Morrison, John Wesley Harding era Bob Dylan, Desire era Bob Dylan, and Abner Jay (not what you would have guessed, right?)
Justin Ringle, the man behind all ten years of Horse Feathers, has the following to say about the making of this album, and the current state of his band:
"I wanted to stop. I did all the touring for my fourth record – "Cynic's New Year" – and ended the year 2012 disillusioned and defeated. I didn't touch my guitar for months, which was the longest I had gone in about 15 years. I thought that my career in music was over and wondered if I even wanted to do it anymore. After an arduous period of self-doubt and discovery, I finally arrived at the enlightened idea that maybe it should just be a little more fun. I had grown weary of talking to people after shows who said that my last record "helped them through their divorce". I have always been flattered by that sort of thing, but I realized what I wanted to hear was how my last record helped them "have a great weekend". If you have heard any of my previous records you will realize that this transformation from "divorce" band to "weekend" band would be a tall order. And it was! I wouldn't say we've become a "party band" overnight, but I certainly tried to change things a bit.
I enlisted friends to play with me that I trusted and had known for years. Along with longtime bandmates Nathan Crockett (strings/mandolin) and Dustin Dybvig (percusion/drums/keys), I threw Justin Power (bass/vocals) into the mix to have an honest to god rhythm section for the first time. With Lauren Vidal on cello and Brad Parsons singing harmonies, we played an impromptu show at Sasquatch and people liked it. We liked it, and the unusual feeling that I had after that show – which I think is referred to as "joy" – became something I wanted to experience again. I shared more. I stopped editing myself as much. The joy of playing live became its own reward, and I dared myself to allow that joy to shape the songwriting. In the end, I was able to let it go, and I don't own it anymore. Which also feels like joy. That's the way it was, and so it is with us."
Now home, Thanks has immediately set to work on new material. They are currently recording two new singles and a music video for each. Last week's video shoot for "Bad Tattoos" brought the band to iconic Chinatown dive Magic Gardens. Stay tuned for its release in early 2015.
Thanks is no stranger to their local Portland music scene. The band is made up of members from myriad former musical endeavors, which ranged from folk-twinged ballads, to dance electronic, to girl group garage punk. While keeping these eclectic influences close to heart, Thanks has carved out its niche as a distinct new voice within Portland indie music. Elements of soul, R&B and early rock'n'roll blend seamlessly with catchy indie-pop hooks and modern dark synth tones.
Portland Mercury music editor Ned Lannamann raves, "I'm not the first to point out how six-piece Portland band Thanks incorporates soul into their decidedly black-hearted indie rock. Thanks' music is vital, gripping, and different. Indeed, Blood Sounds is an apt name for this terrific, fiery collection, as the music is bloody and bruised, forming tightly controlled tantrums of melody and rhythm, marshaled by Jimi's commanding voice. Consider Thanks' Blood Sounds the first great Portland album of 2014."
The success of their earlier 2014 tour, which included a performance on Balcony TV Vienna, airplay on Austria's hit-making radio station FM4, and glowing reviews from various European music magazines, prompted the band's return overseas. Schwarzataler-Online asserts, "The band Thanks is THE HOT newcomer from the US." Austrian magazine Subtext calls the album, "a work that goes immediately into the bloodstream while listening. Blood Sounds is a multi-faceted release with the best voice I've heard in recent months. I can't recommend this album enough!" Kronen Zeitung predicts, "The future belongs to the soulful indie rock sextet, Thanks. With their debut album, Blood Sounds, they did a great job creating an interesting mixture of traditional American rock'n'roll, southern soul, and modern electro references. [Blood Sounds] will keep your ears asking for more."
More information at Revolution Hall
A full list of performers can be found here!
The Mercury says: "This year's Bridgetown Comedy Festival lineup was announced today, and it looks GOOD. Initial thoughts: This year's bill is absurdly crowded, and includes the wonderful Beth Stelling, Maggie Maye, and Kate Berlant, who were all so, so funny at 2014's All Jane No Dick. Plus Kurt Braunohler, Janeane Garafalo (!), Kyle Kinane, Baron Vaughn, JESSICA WILLIAMS, and Phoebe Robinson, and a whole slew of local (and once local) stand-ups you know and love, including Ian Karmel, Bri Pruett, Shane Torres, Nathan Brannon, and Amy Miller. And Caitlin Weierhauser, Curtis Cook, and Steve Wilber. And Sean Jordan and Veronica Heath and Anthony Lopez.
So I sure hope you didn't make plans yet for May 7-10, or if you did, that you can go ahead and cancel them. More info on the festival here.
And you can see the full list (yes, there are so many more people on it!), in one untidy, thrilling paragraph, after the jump:
Jonathan Katz, Andy Kindler, Janeane Garofalo, Dana Gould, Neil Hamburger, Jessica Williams, Kurt Braunohler, Karen Kilgariff, Matt Braunger, Brendon Small, Jackie Kashian, Tone Bell, Michelle Buteau, Kyle Kinane, Moshe Kasher, Michael Kosta, Kate Berlant, Ian Karmel, Beth Stelling, Baron Vaughn, Kira Soltanovich, Guy Branum, Dave Hill, Chris Fairbanks, Phoebe Robinson, Ron Lynch, Steve Agee, Jay Larson, Ryan Sickler, Jacqueline Novak, Joe Zimmerman, Matt McCarthy, Matt Peters, David Angelo, Gary Vider, Chad Daniels, Mike Vecchione, Curtis Cook, Drennon Davis, Allen Strickland Williams, Laura House, Arden Myrin, Matt Kirshen, Adam Cayton-Holland, Chris Garcia, Ben Roy, Lizzy Cooperman, Maggie Maye, Patrick Keane, DJ REAL (Nick Stargu), Andy Wood, Ben Bizuneh, Ian Abramson, Andrew Orvedahl, Jesse Case, Amber Preston, Greg Barris, Bri Pruett, Amy Miller, Andrew Sleighter, Bryan Cook, Clare O'Kane, Derek Sheen, Ashley Barnhill, Paul Hooper, Dulce' Sloan, Barbara Gray, Steven Wilber, Jak Knight, Caitlin Gill, Doogie Horner, Josh Johnson, Billy Prinsell, Langston Kerman, Kristin Rand, Nathan Brannon, Jerron Horton, Noah Gardenswartz, Ever Mainard, Gabe Dinger, Troy Walker, Jen Seaman, Lisa Best, Jason Van Glass, Maggie Faris, Anthony Lopez, Elicia Sanchez, Lucas O'Neil, Jessica Sele, Jeff Scheen, Adrian McNair, Jeffrey Jay, Joel Kim Booster, Anthony Calderon, Kevin Iso, Leah Kayajanian, Kevin Saucier, Ismael Loutfi, Matt Donaher, Ryan Conner, Shane Torres, Sean Jordan, Ralph Hardesty, Scout Durwood, Samaria Sam Jay Johnson, Rhea Butcher, Zak Toscani, Ray Marshall, Parker Postyeni, Mark james heath (Mjh), Matteo Lane, Veronica Heath, Mac Blake, Sonia Denis, Raj Sivaraman, Nore Davis, Rana May, Sean White, Paige Bowman, Matt Pharr, Bryan Yang, Rob Schultz, Mitch Mitchell, Caitlin Weierhauser, David Mascorro"
Celebrated local photographer Motoya Nakamura has created a body of work by making photographs and videos of sakura (cherry blossom trees) throughout one year at the Japanese American Historical Plaza and Bill of Rights Memorial in Portland's Tom McCall Waterfront Park. The trees, which were a gift from Japan, manifest Japanese American history that is unique to this region and evoke Nakamura's desire to explore the notions of belonging, identity and diaspora—notions with which the artist constantly grapples.
First Thursday – Thursday, May 7, 4-7pm
Free and open to the public
Family Day– Saturday, May 9, 11am-3pm
Free and open to the public. Join us at the Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center to make your own Sakura Sakura picture! We will have all the supplies needed for you to paint a cherry blossom tree to hang up at home to welcome spring.
Old Town/Chinatown Photo Scavenger Hunt with Motoya Nakamura
May 9, noon-1:30pm
Ages 8+ (with family supervision)
Free, RSVP required.
Visit the Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center to learn more about the organization and the exhibit.
8:30pm | $12.00 day of show
Doldrums began in 2010 amidst the fleetingly chaotic atmosphere of the Montreal noise scene, emerging with a genre blending sound built on rampant sampling and a sci-fi obsessed aesthetic. Doldrums came to the attention of listeners around the world after contributing the B-side to Portishead's 2010 single 'Chase the Tear'. They signed to Berlin label Souterrain Transmissions in 2012, releasing the "Egypt" 12" EP, that recontextualized the noisey experimentation of the Montreal noise scene into an ambitious, eight minute warehouse club jam, as well as contributing production work to other albums in the montreal community including Grimes' 'Visions' and Cadence Weapon's 'Hope in Dirt City'. In 2013 Doldrums released their first full length, 'Lesser Evil' on Montreal label Arbutus Records.
Now working on their follow up release (release date TBA), the band has magnified the scale of their sound to accommodate bigger stages while touring rigorously over the last 2 years. Originally the solo project of artist Airick Woodhead, the live band now includes regular collaborators Guy Dallas, Flow Child and his brother Daniel Benjamin. The new material bursts with energy and casts Airick as a frontman rather than a producer, his eerie falsetto rising above the controlled chaos onstage.
Moon King:
Toronto native Daniel Benjamin and collaborator/co-conspirator Maddy Wilde have been making music together for most of their lives. As Moon King, the two singers weave dreamlike harmonies over buzz-saw guitars and electronic percussion, their live performances capturing a raw-nerve intensity that verges on ecstatic. Many of their songs appeal to our darker subconscious desires, reveling in the embrace of fear and ego as a means of escape. Moon King released two EP's, Obsession I and II on Fucked Up guitarist Mike Haliechuk's label One Big Silence, re-released in Europe by Tough Love Records in the fall of 2013, and are working on their debut full-length.
"See more than 200 amazing films at the USA’s largest animation festival! NW Animation Fest showcases visionary worlds of fantasy, unforgettable stories, and outlandish oddities from around the globe. Experience the complete week-long extravaganza with an All-Festival Pass.
Highlights include the best international shorts of 2015, award-winning feature films, eight special topic screenings, the second annual Oregon Animation Industry Showcase, live animator interviews, after-parties, and more. With a total value of $137, a festival pass saves nearly 50% on tickets.
Please note that the pass does not guarantee admission if we sell out before you arrive. All shows are general admission, so come a little early and get yourself a good seat."- Hollywood Theatre
For more information about the Northwest Animation Fest, visit: Hollywood Theatre
Monday, May 4
7:00pm NW Animators Showcase
9:00pm Oregon Animation History
Tuesday, May 5
7:00pm Best of SIGGRAPH 2014 Computer Animation
9:00pm Women in Animation
Wednesday, May 6
7:00pm Exploding Mind! Abstract/Experimental
9:00pm NFB Oscar Winners of Canada
Thursday, May 7
7:00-10:00pm Oregon Animation Industry Showcase
Friday, May 8
7:00-11:00pm NW Animation Fest: Shorts 1
Saturday, May 9
1:30pm Family Friendly
3:30pm Song of the Sea
7:00-11:00pm NW Animation Fest: Shorts 2
Sunday, May 10
1:30pm Strange & Sexy
3:30pm Until Sbornia Do Us Part
7:00-11:00pm NW Animation Fest: Shorts 3
Fog Father
fogfather.bandcamp.com
Small Skies
smallskies.bandcamp.com
Mothertapes
soundcloud.com/mothertapes
AMERICAN NIGHT: Dream On!
• Saturday, May 2: “History: Whose Story”
A conversation about historical revisionism and art. With Richard Montoya, Prof. Margot Minardi and Dr. Rene Sanchez
• Sunday, May 10: “Natural Selection”
A conversation about the naturalization process and all its implications. With Prof. Alejandro Santana, Prof. Alice Gates and Jess Guzman, CAUSA Legal Program Coordinator.
• Sunday, May 17: “Perchance to Dream!”
A conversation about the meaning of dreams. With Carol Walnum, certified Jungian Psychoanalyst, Satya Doyle Byock, Jungian Psychotherapist, and Jessica Tredinick, Professional Counselor.
OREGON HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Ozvaldo Gonzalez……………..Juan José
Joe Gibson……………………...Ensemble
Orion Bradshaw………………...Ensemble
Garland Lyons………………....Ensemble
Louanne Moldovan.....................Ensemble
Anthony Green………………….Ensemble
Heath Hyun Houghton……….…Ensemble
Michelle Escobar……………….Ensemble
Enrique Andrade…………….….Ensemble
Shelley B. Shelley………….…..Ensemble
Adrienne Flagg………….……...Voice Over
PRODUCTION TEAM
Elizabeth Huffman…………….Director
Megan Wilkerson……………..Set Designer/Lighting Designer
Sara Ludeman………………...Costume Design
Nicki D'Amico………………....Props Design
Sharath Patel………………….Sound Designer
Hal Logan……………………...Music Director
Clara Hillier…………………....Choreographer
Lawrence Siulagi………..........Video Producer
Julie Rosequist………….…....Board / Video Op
Michael DeMaio……………….Stage Manager
Eric Lyness…………………...Technical Director
KATHLEEN HANNA is a New York City-based artist, best known for her groundbreaking performances as a member of the 90’s punk band, Bikini Kill, and her multimedia group, Le Tigre. The Punk Singer, a documentary about her life, premiered at festivals and saw a nationwide theatrical release. She is currently giving lectures and performing with her new band ‘‘The Julie Ruin’.
KATHRYN CALDER PREMIERES NEW SINGLE "SONG IN CM" VIAWALL STREET JOURNAL
TOURING NORTH AMERICA IN APRIL
NEW SELF-TITLED ALBUM AVAILABLE APRIL 14, 2015 THROUGH FILE UNDER: MUSIC IN NORTH AMERICA
"Today, beloved synth-pop songstress and New Pornographers member Kathryn Calderhas shared a new single, "Song In Cm" off her forthcoming self-titled solo LP, due out April 14, 2015 via File Under: Music in North America. The track premiered via Wall Street Journal who describe the song as, "Ethereal...Over the course of nearly four minutes, Calder builds the song around a spacey arrangement, where she sings about the pressures of unrequited love."
"[LOVE COP] The washed-out, blown-out love songs of Love Cop can be found on a handful of cassettes released on acclaimed underground record labels like Burger Records, Gnar Tapes and Lolipop Records. Using lo-fi recording equipment to capture its guitar, keyboard and electronic drumpad-centric creations, Love Cops' ballads sound as if they’re originating from a David Lynch movie or an exceptionally bizarre '80s public access show. Somber and sullen within its hopelessly romantic visions, even when the duo chooses major chords and uplifting tones, its eerie vision creeps through."
"[TOUGH FUZZ] Originally from San Francisco beat freak
Tough Fuzz. Part of the short lived experimental group "CASCADES" and "MAID VISIONS" has been producing music since 96' relocated to Portland in 2010 and started the "volume series" in 2012 with the help of EWE OF NOW RECORDINGS The 4th entry was recently released. "
21+ \\ Donations
More Info:
Mar. 21-16 | Opening night Mar. 27
By Lauren Weedman
Directed by Rose Riordan
"Portland is garnering lots of attention lately—for our leadership in sustainability; for our food scene; for being, well, weird. And we caught the attention of writer/actor Lauren Weedman and former Daily Show correspondent. What does Portland look like through Lauren Weedman’s unique lens?"
General Performance Times:
Evenings: Tuesday - Sunday evenings at 7:30 p.m.
Matinees: Saturday and Sundays at 2 p.m.
View the season calendar.
Run Time:
Approximately 90 minutes; no intermission.
Note:
The People’s Republic of Portland is recommended for ages 14+; contains mature language. Children under 6 are not permitted at any PCS production. There is no late seating or re-entry in the Ellyn Bye Studio.
"Linework NW is an illustration and comics festival taking place in Portland, Oregon. Our inaugural event was held in April of 2014. Linework NW’s goal is to focus attention on the creators who continue to inject new energy and vitality into these venerable mediums that share so much in common, whether their work is to be found in comic books, original art, graphic novels, prints, or other forms. Drawing upon a wealth of talent from the Pacific Northwest and beyond, Linework NW seeks to cultivate a vibrant cultural experience for creators, readers, art lovers, and collectors alike."
Free and Open to the Public!
More info: http://lineworknw.com/about
Doors: 7:00 pm / Show: 8:00 pm
A Very Limited Amount Of Ticket And Record Bundles For The This Show Are Still Available At Jackpot Records (3574 SE Hawthorne) & Everyday Music (Downtown Location 1313 W. Burnside) For Record Store Day. On-Sale Now.
This event is 21 and over
About Neko Case:
"It is our pleasure to announce that Neko and Anti- Records will re-issue Neko’s classic album “Fox Confessor Brings The Flood” on limited edition RED VINYL to celebrate Record Store Day 2015.
Neko will host a special live performance on Record Store Day 4/18/15 and 4/17/15 at REVOLUTION HALL in PORTLAND, OREGON!
Record + Ticket bundles are available at Jackpot Records, and Everyday Music (Downtown Store). Please join us in supporting these great independent record stores and reserve your copy of “Fox Confessor Brings The Flood” for Record Store Day. Available while supplies last!
RECORDS are only available for pre-order through your local record store. Pop in for a visit and reserve your copy today. They will be available on 4/18/15 in retail stores only.
A limited amount of ticket and record bundles for the 4/18 show are available at Jackpot Records (3574 SE Hawthorne) & Everyday Music (Downtown Location 1313 W. Burnside) for Record Store Day. On-sale now.
Neko Case has always been brave, but with her latest album she proves herself fearless. With her forthcoming Anti- release, The Worse Things Get, the Harder I Fight, the Harder I Fight, the More I Love You, the singer known as much for her restless musical curiosity as her clarion voice charts a powerfully personal course across the rocky landscape of childhood, love, and loss.
Case's 2009 album, "Middle Cyclone," was her most ambitious to date, vaulting her to new heights of critical and commercial success and netting two Grammy nominations. But if "Middle Cyclone"–laced with frogs, tornados, and killer whales–was Case's exploration of the potency of the natural world, the new album sees Case turning inward. The Worse Things Get... plunges into the wilderness of human experience, revealing Case at her most emotionally raw and yet, paradoxically, in steely control.
Executive produced by Case, The Worse Things Get... was recorded by Tucker Martine in Portland, Oregon, as well as with Chris Schultz and Craig Schumacher in Tucson and with Phil Palazzolo in Brooklyn.
Martine, Case, and Darryl Neudorf mixed the album, on which Case is supported by a battalion of musicians including guitarist Paul Rigby, bassist Tom V. Ray, longtime backing vocalist Kelly Hogan, multi-instrumentalist Jon Rauhouse, Kurt Dahle, and John Convertino. Other guests include M. Ward, Carl Newman, Steve Turner, Howe Gelb, and members of My Morning Jacket, Los Lobos, and Visqueen.
This far-flung set of collaborators mirrors Case's own peripatetic path to creative maturity. Born in Virginia in 1970 and raised, for the most part, in working-class Tacoma, Washington, she's lived and worked in Seattle, Vancouver BC, Chicago, and Tucson, before moving five years ago to a 100-acre farm in rural Vermont.
Now 42, Case is reluctant to talk about her family. "I am related to some stellar, beloved people," she says, "but very few." What she will say is that her parents were young and unprepared and divorced when she was five years old. She bounced around between mother and father until she left home for good at age 15. Marked by alcoholism, drug addiction, and neglect, her childhood was traumatic. "I should have been an abortion," she said once, her characteristic bravado masking a harder truth.
From art school in Vancouver to early years making music in Seattle and beyond, Case has been on a lifelong quest for self-definition. During the making of this The Worse Things Get... she granted herself a long-held desire, committing fully to the life she's created: tattoos on her forearms reading "Scorned as Timber" and "Beloved of the Sky," from an Emily Carr painting. "I wanted them for 20 years!" she crows. "No bank job for me!"
With her new roots finally taking hold in Vermont–the place she says she plans to die–she says she's now grounded enough to grab the past by the throat and let it take her for a ride. "I wanted to be in control, as much as I could be anyway," she says. "My 40s are a lonelier place than I imagined, but I can look myself in the face and know that it was my choice. So anything that happens to me from here on out is mine. I'm at square one again."
The Worse Things Get..., her sixth studio album, emerges from a three-year period the artist describes as full of "grief and mourning," in the wake of the deaths of not just both her parents, but several intimates as well.
"I fought hard against the feeling of grief all my life," she says, "but about three years ago I finally had to give in and mourn the dead. I had to look inward more than I wanted. It was sobering, and I often felt like I was blurring the lines of mental illness.
"When I stopped fighting it," she adds, "it took me where I needed to go."
The Worse Things Get... traces an emotional arc that reveals Case in all her thorny contradictions, each track in the 40-minute song cycle its own short story. "I like to have a linear flow," she says of the album's structure. "I wanted to have faith in the songs as a group rather than stacking the deck with all the upbeat songs at the top."
From the prickly power-pop aggression of "Man" to the dreamlike "Where Did I Leave That Fire?" and the hopeful uplift of the album's closing track, "Ragtime," she displays uncommon dynamic range and lyrical clarity, taking a leap of faith that listeners will hold on for the full journey.
"I just want people to feel like I was straight with them, and messy, because I just let go and trusted them completely."
Early songs on the album show Case at her most lyrically playful, slip-sliding along the edges of gender, family, and identity. The first track, "Wild Creatures," throws her themes into bold relief: "When you catch light, you look like your mother," her voice soars, before asking, "Would you rather be the king's pet? Or the king?"
"I grew up in the United States in the 70s," says Case, with feeling. "The new mantra on children's television then was 'you can be whatever you want.' I take that to heart so hard it's my religion; it's my personal American flag and Constitution. It makes petty societal obstacles crumble and I want every person in the world to feel it."
Or, as she proudly proclaims on the single, "Man": "I'm a man's man, I've always been. But make no mistake what I've invested in. A woman's heart is the watermark by which I measure everything."
"Is a lioness not a lion?" she says rhetorically, when asked to decode the lyrics. "We are all 'men' – 'man' or 'woman' doesn't cut it for me unless I'm at the gynecologist."
Case's rich, associative lyrics can at times be so elliptical as to be misunderstood by casual listeners. Not so with the a cappella "Nearly Midnight, Honolulu," which marks the tonal shift of the album at midpoint with chilling clarity.
Spare and direct, the lyrics repeat verbatim the words of a mother's verbal attack on her daughter, which Case overheard one night in, yes, Honolulu. "Get the fuck away from me," she sings in affectless, bell-like tones. "Why don't you ever shut up?"
"I died inside for that kid," says Case-who framed the rest of the song as a message to the child to stay strong and to honor the truth of her experience. "But she just kept singing her own little song. She was my hero."
The direct address of "Honolulu" is mirrored three tracks later with Case's take on the Nico song, "Afraid," the sole cover on the 12-song album.
That song's incantatory quality carries the album through to the otherworldly "Where Did I Leave That Fire?" Underscored by the haunting pings of submarine sonar, what starts as a dreamscape of loss — "I wanted so badly not to be me," sings Case – concludes on a note of wry humor. "I do believe we have your fire lady. You can pick it up if you come down with ID."
But for all the pain and confusion that winds through the album, The Worse Things Get... ends on an unequivocal note of hope and power. At her darkest moments over the last few years, Case says, "I was uneasy and distractible. I couldn't listen to music except ragtime. It was so hopeful and busy, like something working like a little factory to fix me." Thus, "Ragtime," the album's final song.
"I'll reveal myself when I'm ready. I'll reveal myself invincible soon," sings Case, as she builds to its ecstatic conclusion, the richly layered chorus of vocals and horns climbing and climbing into one glorious shout from the mountaintop.
"I am one and the same, I am useful and strange," she soars, before closing with a line cribbed from Moby Dick, which she read for the first time while working on the album, and which proved a valuable yardstick: "There's a wisdom that's woe, and a woe that is madness."
It's Neko Case in a nut — and could well give listeners goosebumps."
About Rodrigo Amarante:
"One of the masterminds behind Brazilian band Los Hermanos and founding member of the samba supergroup Orquestra Imperial, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Rodrigo Amarante is an inescapable musical figure in his native South American home.
Breaking out of the Brazilian market in 2008, alongside friends Fabrizio Moretti and Binki Shapiro, Amarante formed the group Little Joy and the trio released their self titled debut album which gained critical acclaim in the US and worldwide.
Living in the US since then and recording and performing with such artists as Devendra Banhart, Gilberto Gil, Adam Green, Tom Zé, and Marisa Monte, Amarante is now ready to release his stunning first solo album “Cavalo”, which will be available worldwide on May 6th."
XRAY.FM PRESENTS DANGEROUS DREAMS TEN YEAR ANNIVERSARY WITH THE MOVING UNITS: THEIR DEBUT LP PERFORMED IN ITS ENTIRETY
MOVING UNITS, ADVENTURE GALLEY, ADVENTUROUS SLEEPING
SAT, APRIL 18, 2015
DOORS: 8:00 PM / SHOW: 9:00 PM
"Linework NW is an illustration and comics festival taking place in Portland, Oregon. Our inaugural event was held in April of 2014. Linework NW’s goal is to focus attention on the creators who continue to inject new energy and vitality into these venerable mediums that share so much in common, whether their work is to be found in comic books, original art, graphic novels, prints, or other forms. Drawing upon a wealth of talent from the Pacific Northwest and beyond, Linework NW seeks to cultivate a vibrant cultural experience for creators, readers, art lovers, and collectors alike."
Free and Open to the Public!
More info: http://lineworknw.com/about