AU will return after a 2 year hiatus to share the stage with the 155 singers of the Camas High School choir program - a collaboration between choral director Ethan Chessin, Luke Wyland of AU, and Young Audiences of Oregon & SW Washington.
As well as performing music composed specifically for them, the choir has also spent months learning the ins and outs of booking shows, designing posters, running sound, and writing press releases (you’ll see one example attached below).
In addition to the choir, AU will be expanded to a 6 piece ensemble comprised of members of Like A Villain, Blue Cranes, Aan and the Crenshaw.
This yearlong project culminates in a unique and fascinating performance at Yale Union, with performances by Edna Vazquez & Luz Elena Mendoza (of Y La Bamba) along with student bands and songwriters. The press release you’ll find attached was written entirely by students, and it’s not exaggerating: this performance will be one of the most memorable Portland shows of 2016.
Ticketing - $10 adv/$12 day of
Design Week Portland is a week-long, city-wide series of programs exploring the process, craft, and practice of design across all disciplines. Our mission is to increase appreciation and awareness about design and its far-reaching effects on matters of cultural and social relevance, including community development, education systems, and the economy.
Portland has always been a bit different. And within the last decade or so, the rest of the world has taken notice. Forever pushing forward, our compact city continues to emerge as a dynamic center of creativity, composed of a vital community of designers and makers at its core. We create. We collaborate. We try new things. We grow. And so, to best reflect the culture here, Design Week Portland stitches together the events and happenings that will connect, educate, and inspire.
LAURA GIBSON
“The sound of a confident artist stretching her own limits, without losing sight of the warmth, richness, subtlety and haunted beauty that made her worth celebrating in the first place.” NPR / National Public Radio
"As a songwriter she's preoccupied with those timeless questions of the human condition...Themes of love, loss, regret, and mortality crop up often, and, significantly, they're well-served by the surrounding songcraft." Pitchfork
VIKESH KAPOOR
A few years later, Kapoor performed at Howard Zinn's memorial service in Boston, in front of Zinn's family and colleagues (including Noam Chomsky). Roused by Zinn's lifelong battle against class/race injustice, Kapoor spent the next two years in Portland, Oregon working on his full-length debut record. The Ballad Of Willy Robbins, a concept album loosely based on a newspaper article, chronicles the brutal but hopeful story of a working class man who slowly loses everything: ambitions, health, family and shelter. It's a worker's tale, less specific to the blue-collar life as it is about anyone struggling to make something of themselves.
The Ballad Of Willy Robbins was co-produced by Adam Selzer (M. Ward) and features Nate Query (Decemberists, Black Prairie), Jeff Ratner (Langhorne Slim) and Birger Olsen (Denver).
A reading of work by
Olivia Olivia
Jamondria Marnice Harris
manuel arturo abreu
Jeannie Yoon
In that this event is ahead of, prior to, and related to -- but not part of -- ORANGE, a forthcoming reading series by Jeannie Yoon.
poster by manuel arturo abreu
--
Jamondria Marnice Harris is a poet & artist living in Portland, OR. She uses words, sounds, wires, instruments, textiles & whatever is at hand to engage blackness, desire, decolonization, fairy tales, femme supremacy, & body horror. She is a VONA Workshop Fellow & board member at In Other Words feminist bookstore, among other things.
Olivia Olivia is a Salvadoran-American writer and interpreter based in Portland, Oregon. She writes for Salon, the Rumpus, Queen Mob's Teahouse, the Establishment, and more. She is currently a member of the Literary Arts Woodstock Advisory Council. Her first chapbook, "no one remembered your name but i wrote it down," was published by Impossible Wings. Follow her work at oliviawrites.com.
manuel arturo abreu (b. 1991, Santo Domingo) is a poet and artist from the Bronx. They work with found text, ephemeral sculpture, and photography. Their first book List of Consonants is available from Bottlecap Press. Find manuel at twigtech.tumblr.
Jeannie Yoon is a Korean-American writer and artist living in Portland. She is working on her first book.
SZA
w/ special guests Joyya Marie & Risky Star
Bio:
Alternative R&B artist SZA (Solana Rowe) grew up listening to classic and avant-garde jazz (such as Billie Holiday and John Coltrane), alternative (including Björk), and rap (like Wu-Tang Clan). In 2012, she released two EPs as free downloads. Those releases, See.SZA.Run and S, formed a dreamy, alluring, and occasionally unorthodox introduction with beats granted by brandUn DeShay, Felix Snow, APSuperProducer, Dot, Zodiac, and Hassan Insane, among others. SZA subsequently signed to Top Dawg -- home to the likes of Kendrick Lamar and Ab-Soul. A fantasy-like video for the S EP's "Ice Moon" was released in November 2013. Additional exposure came through "His & Her Friend," a track on labelmate ScHoolboy Q's Oxymoron, released the following February. Her digital download-only Z, a trippy ten-track set with assists from Lamar, Chance the Rapper, and Isaiah Rashad, came a couple months later.
8pm / All Ages
A Performance
Jason Lescalleet makes tape-based music.
His recorded catalog acknowledges a diversity of application, from lo-fi reel-to-reel works and pieces for hand-held cassette machines, to digital sampling and computer generated composition.
Lescalleet works with others often, and has collaborated with with Kevin Drumm, Aaron Dilloway, Graham Lambkin, Phill Niblock, Joe Colley, John Hudak, Rafael Toral, Thomas Ankersmit, and CM Von Hausswolff.
Over the years his albums have been released on Erstwhile, RRR, Intransitive Recordings, Kye, Celebrate Psi-Phenomenon, Hanson Records, Chondritic Sound and most recently on his own label, Glistening Examples.
Join Lucy Lee Yim for SELFIE-HELPIE
4 Wednesdays (see below for dates and details)
Description:
Getting into, out of, over and under yourself (or at least flirting with the idea that this is a possibility).
In this class we are going to be with ourselves, lose ourselves, find ourselves, entertain ourselves, bore ourselves, encourage ourselves and scare ourselves all while somehow being with one another.
Worried you are self-centered? Dancing when no one is looking? Wanting to be seen but also wanting to be invisible? This is an interdisciplinary class centered around our bodies and our bodies in relation to each other, space and time. The swirl of emotions and excitement that comes with art making will simply be in the room with us as we proceed.
There will be in class activities and self studies outside of class that may potentially spark the beginnings, middles and ends of a creative project. We will share with each other our questions, needs, desires, fears and curiosities, ultimately entering into performance.
Wednesdays April 13+20, May 4+11
Time: 7-8:15
Cost: All 4 class for $40 or $12 Drop In
Artist Bio/Pic:
http://cargocollective.com/lucyyim/ABOUT
Soul'd Out Festival Proudly Presents
Thundercat
w/ special guests 1939 ensemble
Bio:
Bassist/songwriter/vocalist Stephen Bruner, aka Thundercat, has music deeply rooted within. His father, Ronald Bruner, Sr., is an internationally renowned jazz drummer who played with the Temptations, Diana Ross, Gary Bartz and Gladys Knight. His brother Ronald Bruner, Jr., a Grammy-winning drummer, has played with the likes of Roy Hargrove, Stanley Clarke, and Wayne Shorter. Stephen joined his brother as a member of West Coast punk vets Suicidal Tendencies, playing bass on their worldwide tours while still in high school. He also toured through Japan with StanleyClarke at the age of 16.
As Thundercat, Bruner takes his jazz roots and works with a mix of artists that suit his wildly experimental sensibilities – ranging from Flying Lotus, Erykah Badu, and Stanley Clarke, as well as more recent collaborations with Wiz Khalifa and Earl Sweatshirt, to name but a few. After meeting and touring with Flying Lotus, the two artists collaborated on Lotus’ 2010 LP ‘Cosmogramma’ on the track ‘MmmHmm.’ Their kindred sense of musicality led to Thundercat’s 2011 solo debut ‘The Golden Age of Apocalypse,’ co-produced by Flying Lotus, which opened Bruner up to a new stratosphere of songwriting and artistic exploration.
In 2013, Thundercat teamed up with executive producer Flying Lotus once again, to form a profound body of work for his second album, ‘Apocalypse.’ Forthcoming on Lotus’ Brainfeeder imprint this July, the album straddles lines and pushes genres further, blurring the confines of pop, funk, electronica and prog rock, and creating something else entirely. Both vulnerable and fearless, a comedy and tragedy, ‘Apocalypse’ is an intimate portrait of an artist who will continue to take music to a new place; the beyond.
7pm / Minors allowed w/ guardian
The SASS(y) Hour is a monthly workshop featuring a topic related to sexual violence prevention. This month's workshop will cover important sexual violence legislation and allow people to learn about their rights to institutional protection from and response to sexual violence.
This event is FREE, and food will be provided.
Since a young age, Thomas Meluch (aka Benoît Pioulard) has been fascinated by natural sounds and the textures of decay. He played piano before his feet could reach the pedals and for more than a decade has sought to create a unique sonic environment influenced by pop song structures and the unpredictability of field recordings. An avid collector of instruments and analog devices, Meluch relies on guitar and voice as the bases for his body of work, which now includes five full-lengths for the beloved Kranky label (including 2015's "Sonnet") as well as collaborations with Rafael Anton Irisarri (aka The Sight Below) and Kyle Bobby Dunn.
21+, $8 advance // $10 day of
Elgar’s First Symphony achieved what critics described as “immediate and phenomenal success.” And with a hundred performances across Europe and North America within just over a year of its premiere, we’re happy to continue the tradition.
Carlos Kalmar, conductor
• Augustin Hadelich, violin
Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night’s Dream Overture
• Adès: Violin Concerto, “Concentric Paths”
Elgar: Symphony No.
Featuring January’s Winner, Works for Portland Public Schools + Improviser at Brody Theater Chris Williams (PDX), with returning crowd faves: Co-Producer of Those Who Can’t, Writer for Arrested Development Joey Slamon (LA), Talent Acquisition Coordinator, 3-Time Russian Roulette Winner Shannon Balcom (PDX), Writer/Performer for Live Wire! Jason Rouse (PDX), and new-comers: Writer/Performer, Former Associate Producer of Live Wire Radio! Tyler Hhughs (PDX), Veterinary Technician, Animal Rescuer & Caregiver Kahlie Towle (PDX), and Bartender at Bunk Bar Matt Brown (PDX).
Created, Hosted, Produced by B. Frayn Masters & Mindy Nettifee
Music by Bobby D from XRAY
$16-$20 Advance | $18 Door
More about Russian Roulette
How it works: each show begins with a full wheel of juicy story prompts. One of our 7 seasoned storytellers will be randomly drawn. To determine the random prompt for their story, they’ll spin the giant game show wheel. They can play or pass. If they pass another teller can steal their prompt. Then the risky part… each storyteller has only 5 minutes to come up with a true 5-minute story based on that prompt! It’s like we invented a new game called truth and dare.
At the end of the night, the audience will select a winner who will receive 50 bucks and some other cool prizes, like bragging rights for life. The winner will be invited to come back to the next show.
And one lucky audience member will also win prizes.
* Storytellers subject to change without notice.
* Stories will quite likely contain explicit language and/or subject matter.
Late Night Action is an original live talk show that features high profile guests, personalities, bands, comics, and more. Think Jimmy Fallon or David Letterman set to a Portland soundtrack.
The show is hosted by PDX comedy veteran Alex Falcone (The Portland Mercury, Bridgetown Comedy Festival,Portlandia) and feature Alex's breezy crowd work, original writing, and quick wit. He's supported by a dynamic group of professionals from all over the Portland comedy scene, including sidekick Bri Pruett (Curious Comedy, The Portland Mercury, Bridgetown Comedy Fest), and a great sketch team made up of the best and brightest comedic voices from the Pacific Northwest.
XRAY RECORDS is being born. Come bear witness as we pull it from the womb and feast on its placenta.
Featuring real-time quasi-interactive musical demonstrations by:
SUN ANGLE
Non-sequitor shred benders, love them again like it's the first time for yet another time.
https://sunanglemusic.bandcamp.com/
THE GHOST EASE
Rock, roll, and then some.
http://www.theghostease.com/
$10 advance
$12 at the door
First 100 people through the door will receive a free Heavy Breather postcard/album download. Special collector's item! Guaranteed to depreciate in value!
See My Friends Records and Maura Gingerich present: SECRET CITY! One night only all-ages nine-band vernal jubilee for the release of the 12" compilation Secret City Vol. 1 on See My Friends Records.
Evening progamming:
The Woolen Men
Lithics
Mope Grooves
Honey Bucket
Super Hit
Wave Action
Ladywolf
Seance Crasher
Marcy's Band
Full bar!
RESURGENCY
A poetry reading devoted to reclaiming colonized lands, identities, cultural mis(representations), gender constructions & lost connections to ancestry. Join Demian DinéYazhi, Melissa Bennett & Manuel Arturo Abreu as they transmit autonomy through the oral art of poetry in their ongoing quest for social and environmental justice.
Part of programming for Dene bāhī Naabaahii Exhibition in the Center for Contemporary Native Art at Portland Art Museum - March 18th - August 28th, 2016i.
Demian DinéYazhi' (b. 1983) is a Portland-based transdisciplinary artist born to the clans Naasht'ézhí Tábąąhá (Zuni Clan Water's Edge) & Tódích'íí'nii (Bitter Water) of the Diné (Navajo). His work is best understood through the lens of curatorial inquiry, zine production, street interventions, education, workshops, & transdisciplinary methods of art production. DinéYazhi’ received his BFA in Intermedia Arts from Pacific Northwest College of Art in 2014. He is the founder & director of the artist / activist / warrior initiative, R.I.S.E.: Radical Indigenous Survivance & Empowerment, as well as the creative director of LOCUSTS: A Post-Queer Nation Zine. He is the recipient of grants from Evergreen State College (2014), PICA - Portland Institute of Contemporary Art (2014), & Art Matters Foundation (2015).
Website: www.heterogeneoushomosexual.tumblr.com & Instagram: heterogeneoushomosexual
Melissa Bennett (Umatilla/Nimiipuu/Sac & Fox) is a writer & emerging storyteller interested in story as medicine, especially its ability to heal historical trauma among indigenous communities. Twice nominated for the Pushcart Prize, Melissa writes poetry and creative non-fiction with a focus on social justice, culture, tradition, and spirituality. Melissa is currently a member of the Northwest Indian Storytellers Association and WordCraft Circle of Native Writers & Storytellers. She is a 2015 recipient of the Evergreen State College Longhouse Native Creative Development Grant and serves on the Board of Directors for PlayWrite, Inc.
manuel arturo abreu (b. 1991, Santo Domingo) is a poet and artist from the Bronx. Working in found text, lyric, ephemeral sculpture, and photography, they explore precarity, magical thinking, and the pretensions of the white Left. Their first book, List of Consonants, is available from Bottlecap Press. It merges from-scratch text with found text in mourning for a friend who died by suicide in 2013. manuel's next chapbook, transtrender, is forthcoming Summer 2016 from Quimérica Presse. It deals with gender as a racial colonial construct, the trap of visibility, and the constraints of the lyric form. They are also working on a second full-length book, areítx, which refutes colonial narratives about the Taino, the original Dominicans. They are the managing editor of Civil Coping Mechanisms and co-founder of home school, a free pop-up art school in Portland. Find manuel at twigtech.tumblr and @Deezius
Tinashe is a singer-songwriter, producer and skilled dancer known for her electrifying, genre bending take on modern R&B and pop. The 22 year-old artist released her debut studio album, Aquarius, in 2014 on RCA Records hot off the heels of a slew of self-produced mixtapes and the #1, Platinum hit "2 On" featuring ScHoolboy Q. Aquarius, which Tinashe co-produced, continued to receive unanimous acclaim across the board well after release, appearing on many 2014 year-end best-of lists, including The Associated Press, Rolling Stone, The New York Times, Billboard, and many more. Upon releasing Aquarius after a slew of buzzed-about, self-made mixtapes, Tinashe quickly became one of the most talked-about and exciting emerging artists. In the wake of Aquarius, Tinashe covered magazines such as V Magazine and ACCLAIM,was honored as one of 2015¹s ELLE Women in Music, performed exclusively for Karl Lagerfeld, Chanel and Alexander Wang, was hand-picked by Janet Jackson to perform a tribute to her at the 2015 BET Awards and became the face of Ralph Lauren¹s Denim & Supply Fall/Winter 2015-2016 campaign. Now, with Joyride, Tinashe's vision and pop smarts come into even sharper focus, as evident on the album's lead single "Player" featuring Chris Brown and earth-shattering bass of fan favorite "Party Favors" featuring Young Thug. In a recent cover story, Dazed Magazine called Tinashe "her generation's most fearless R&B icon," noting that Tinashe creates a sound on Joyride that fuses 20th century pop ambition with an eclectic approach that¹s unimpeachably modern.