21+ // Doors 7pm, Show 8pm
General Admission $20 // Member Pre-Sale March 13th at 10am, Public Onsale March 15th at 10am
Members: Check your email for your pre-sale code!
Celebrate 10 YEARS of XRAY with us in an all-out Birthday Bash with some certified rock stars, a whole lot of the XRAY DJs you know and love, and an exciting announcement you'll just have to be there to see.
We haven't held an official birthday event since Year 5 (2019) for...perhaps obvious reasons. In the past, these have usually sold out so get your tickets early!
Your hosts for the night will be the incomparable Arthur Bradford AND B. Frayn Masters!!!
The Minus 5
...is a rock/folk/pop collective captained by Scott McCaughey (see: “Scott McCaughey” c/o “The Internet”, for further reliable information), with Peter Buck often aboard as navigation officer. By design from its inception, the line-up for recordings and live appearances is completely fluid, dependent on musician availability, whim, and wind direction. Collaborators regularly feature friends from R.E.M. (as it once were), Wilco, Decemberists, Posies, and literally hundreds and hundreds of other recalcitrant comrade combos. Everyone gives their all, and no one need be counted on.
Abronia
A lot of bands who fly the psych banner these days have a minimalist view of the music, and choose a sort of post-shoegaze lassitude to present their “vision.” This can be astoundingly great, of course, but it also fails to address the central gobble-crazed nature of true psychedelia. Many of history’s greatest psych outfits were hewn from bizarre hybrids of disparate parts. Frankenstein monsters in search of sacred ecstasy. One gets the same vibe off of Abronia. Totally unexpected bits pop up amidst their rhapsodic jamming, conjuring shards of memory as disparate as Relf-era Renaissance, Joseph Byrd’s United States of America, and even (at least in spots) real early Siouxsie. These are just a few examples of how wide Abronia cast their net. Their instrumental brunt moves from neo-prog to folk rock to thunderheads cast in the same mold as the Sensational Alex Harvey Band’s (I shit you not!).
Arthur Bradford (Co-MC)
Arthur Bradford is best known, at XRAY and only at XRAY, for hosting Sex, Drugs, & Basketball on Thursday nights. But he's best known everywhere else as a prolific and award-winning author and documentary filmmaker (bet you weren't expecting an Emmy nominee to be the same person that hosts a show where only topics about sex, drugs, or basketball are allowed!). His stories have been heard on The Moth Radio Hour, This American Life, and BackfencePDX. You may have seen some of his films--they're pretty popular--like How's Your News? or 6 Days to Air: The Making of South Park.
B. Frayn Masters (Co-MC)
Frayn is prolific when it comes to telling stories of all kinds, and XRAY has been proud to call her a friend of the station in several capacities throughout our time on the air. Currently, her biggest project is leading the charge at BackfencePDX. Since 2008, series creator, artistic director, and host Frayn Masters along with Backfence story producers Mindy Nettifee, Brian S. Ellis, and Chris Williams have been curating powerful and engaging story shows for the Pacific Northwest and beyond. The most exciting part of a storytelling show is we get to mix things up and put wildly different kinds of people together on the same night in a way that will never happen again. A funeral director on stage with author of Wild Cheryl Strayed, a high school science teacher with Parenthood's Joy Bryant, a poker player taking wild chances with Bridesmaid's Wendi McLendon-Covey, a pet psychic with Superstore's Colton Dunn, and a blood spatter expert with Shrill author Lindy West.
GET TICKETS // Multiple Tiers Available, $15 - $115
The One Motorcycle Show, North America's BEST custom bike show, is returning to Portland, Oregon's historic Zidell Yards Barge Building April 19th, 20th, 21st, 2024 for an anniversary ride you don’t want to miss!
Since our inaugural event in 2010, The One Motorcycle Show has been a celebration of the weird, rare, and unconventional bikes, embracing it in a way that speaks to everyone's passion for two wheels. What started as a fun side project has turned into a force of nature that has undergone an incredible transformation over the years. Some years were hard learning experiences, some years blossoming into progression. All years contributing to the creation of something that is meaningful to the greater community.
We're pulling out all the stops for Year 15! Brace yourself for the perfect mix of nostalgia, new memories, and fun for everyone! Join us Friday, April 19th to Sunday, April 21st, 2024. Grab your The One Motorcycle Show tickets here before they sell out!
The One Motorcycle Show is nothing without a good race, which is why we’re also partnering with Flat Out Friday to bring one of the world’s largest indoor flat track races to Portland! Witness the spills and thrills firsthand April 19th, 2024 at the Portland Expo Center! Get your tickets for Flat out Friday here!
What to expect?
300+ Custom Motorcycles On Display - Indoor Motorcycle Racing - 21 Helmets Custom Helmet Art Show - Motorcycle Inspired Art Shows - Live Music - Motorcycle Riding Demos - Electric Bike Riding Demos - Custom + Classic Car Show - Industry Vendors - Food & Beverage - Kids + Family Activities - Freestyle MX Stunt Shows, 85+ year Old Motorcycle Drill Teams, Wheelie Stunters, and much more…
All Ages // Doors 7pm, Show 8pm
$15 Advance, $20 Day of Show // GET TICKETS
HOOVERIII
Time after time, we all talk about ... well, time - often in aphorisms and cliches. X is "a waste of time," while Y is "time well spent." We are all apt to lose track of time but, perhaps in equal measure, we have plenty of time on our hands. We think we have all the time in the world -- until we remember that time flies, after which our time runs out and we're dead (for a long time).
Since 2020, internal clocks have had to be readjusted with the pace of life ebbing and flowing. For Los Angeles psych-rock sextet Hooveriii (pronounced "Hoover Three") that adjustment seeped its way into their songwriting and ultimately their forthcoming album, A Round of Applause.
The record cherrypicks from an array of genres - pop, girl-group ditties, synth-ish keyboards and funk -but the end result is a cohesive long-player with songs that revolve around the Spanish Inquisition ("Stone Man"); or follow "the legendary Peruvians who run long distances in the Andes Mountains ("The Runner"). "I let my imagination run wild," Hoover said. Elsewhere on A Round of Applause, the Hooveriii frontman finally recorded a song, "The Pearl," that he wrote in 2017. "It sounds like a Harry Nilsson jingle like to me, a fantasy song," he continued. "It's more like a nursery rhyme than a song with an important message. You know, it's just like keeping things fun. ... Nilsson didn't take everything so fucking seriously. We want to avoid that self-seriousness. We're a bunch of goofy musicians."
Rarefaction
Rarefaction is a 4-piece garage-rock band from Portland, Oregon with elements of psych and progressive rock.
GET TICKETS // Reserved $49.75, PDX Jazz Members $44.75
All Ages // Doors 7pm, Show 8pm
Aside from being one of the principal innovators of modern jazz guitar, John Scofield is a creative artist of an even rarer sort: a stylistic chameleon who has forged a consistent, rock-solid aesthetic identity. A triple Grammy award winning artist with more than 40 recordings to his credit, Scofield has expressed himself in the vernacular of bebop, blues, jazz-funk, organ jazz, acoustic chamber jazz, electronically tinged groove music, jam band style and orchestral ensembles with ease and enthusiasm. Now he adds yet another credit to his resume: solo guitarist.
“My main focus in guitar playing has always centered around being part of a group; exploring the music that happens when musicians listen to each other and improvise together. Quite frankly, until now, I’ve avoided playing solo concerts and before starting this endeavor had done only one solo performance in public since I was a child. I still have occasional nightmares about playing Greensleeves for my sixth grade class! It gets pretty lonely up there by yourself and I hadn't considered solo guitar as the perfect platform for improvising. Not to mention that I’m no Segovia either! All that said, after playing guitar for 56 years, I’m finally interested in going it alone and exploring the possibilities. It's taken me decades to realize that I’ve been playing unaccompanied guitar at home or in hotel rooms every day since 1962! I’ve put a lot of thought in lately to how I can present an evening of solo guitar that represents my passions and sensibilities. My idea is to keep it song based, playing jazz, country and rock tunes that I love as well as some of my original compositions. I plan to employ my Looper pedal occasionally when I want to play over myself. I've been preparing for nearly a year, working my brain in new directions while looking forward to these shows with excitement and a small bit of trepidation. I hope you enjoy being on this journey with me.” - JS
All Ages // Doors 7pm, Show 8pm
GET TICKETS // GA $39.75, PDX Jazz Members $34.75
Cyrille Aimée grew up in a multilingual household full of music where dancing was an everyday activity, soundtracked by the Afro-Caribbean sounds of her mother’s native Dominican Republic. The family home was in Samois-sur-Seine, the location of the Django Reinhardt Festival, and the teenage Cyrille would climb out of her bedroom window at night to mingle with the players, igniting a passion for jazz.
Moving to New York City, her talents quickly gained her a reputation among her peers as a matchless interpreter of song. She performed and recorded with Roy Hargrove and stole the show in front of the notoriously hard-to-please crowd at the Harlem Apollo. Steven Sondheim invited her to star in a tribute at New York’s City Centre, backed by Wynton Marsalis. Her 2019 album Move On featured versions of Sondheim’s songs which received praise from Sondheim himself, and her version of "Marry Me a Little", was nominated for a 2019 Grammy Award.
At the height of her New York success, new horizons beckoned. Visiting New Orleans, she fell in love with the energy and diversity of the city and made it her home. Linking back to New York to connect up all the dots, she teamed up with producer/multi-instrumentalist Jake Sherman, and together they have created her latest album, A Fleur de Peau. to be released on a new label, the London-based imprint Whirlwind Recordings.
Combining the depth and sophistication of jazz, the immediacy of pop, the irrepressible dance rhythms of the Caribbean, it’s more intimate and more accessible than anything Cyrille has done before.
7 pm doors, 8 pm show
$15 advance, $18 day of show | Tickets
All ages welcome
Moon Walker
Harry Springer may compose, produce and perform all of Moon Walker's music in his bedroom, but the electrifying and uniquely eclectic sound undeniably feels more fitting for a stadium.
When Springer formed Moon Walker at the height of the COVID-19 Pandemic, he was merely looking for a way to pass time and make some extra money selling songs to music libraries. "I sold some, and it was going fine, but then I wrote some songs, and I was like, 'I really don't want to give these ones away." Those songs that Springer just couldn't part with ended up becoming his critically acclaimed debut record Truth to Power. Thanks to sudden viral success on TikTok and praise from the likes of The Darkness's Justin Hawkins, the 7-track album quickly established Moon Walker as one of rock's most promising acts. Less than a year later, Springer released with his sophomore effort The Attack of Mirrors with great fanfare and coverage, resulting in 25 million streams across platforms in 2022. In 2023, Moon Walker continued the hos streak; signing to a co-publishing deal with Warner Chappell Music and Limited-Edition Publishing. releasing his third album "Apocalypticism" on October 20th, and going out on his first tour playing shows across the country with sellouts in Chicago, Nashville, Denver, and Columbus.
All Ages Welcome // 6:30 PM Doors 8:00 PM Show
$25 Adv., $30 Day of Show // TICKETS
We can all take solace in the simple pleasures awarded us through our senses. Imagine, the memorable clink of ice hitting a rocks glass, the scent of muddled limes and mint, the faint crackle as the tipple is poured, the effervescent fizz of soda about to broach the rim, the straw insertion and swirl, the first sip of vacation...
Life would be miserable without these gifts, and life would most certainly suck without the perfect soundtrack to the first cocktail of some much needed time off. Pop the cork on some Magic City Hippies.
MCH initially floated onto the scene as Robby Hunter Band, yet once their album titled Magic City Hippies dropped, it became clear they had accidentally found their identity through an album title. Renamed in 2015 as Magic City Hippies, the Miami boys tasked themselves with marrying the funk sweat of a midafternoon sail with the syncopated shoulder shimmy of a late night out. They quickly gathered steam and took to gracing stages across the planet, from packed night clubs, to sold out concert halls, to earning performances at Bonnaroo, Austin City Limits, and Lollapalooza, Magic City Hippies cater to those simply looking to escape with a welcoming, never-haughty, yet delightfully naughty, thwap.
Their Hippie Castle EP (2015) was just the tip of the proverbial ice cube in a cocktail glass of hippie sass. It mixed pool-side melodies and three day weekend grooves with a soulful, upbeat, vacation-heavy inflection of what can only be described as their own brand of musically casual psych-pop. Modern Animal (2019) brought MCH beachside, adding even more sultry swank to an already damp pair of chinos. A few years later, Water Your Garden (2022) brought the world out of a socially isolated pandemic, with a brilliantly shimmering and joyous celebration of dancing on our own, yet now together.
While the studio albums have each received both fan and critical acclaim, their engaging and unapologetically energetic live show takes even the most dance-stubborn attendee and persuades a sort of hypnotically voluntary participation. Seeing first timers become lifelong fans is a galdarn tradition when it comes to a live Magic City Hippies experience.
Whether this sunshine funk is all up inside your alley, or even if pink neon signs flashing the words SENSUAL AUDIBLE MASSAGE just have you curious, Magic City Hippies deliver a rare blend of musical talent and touring tenacity, with an uniquely cool and pastel fashion sense offering up funky sweaty smiles aplenty.
more information and tickets available at www.crystalballroompdx.com
FULL LINEUP
Friday, February 16th - Saturday, March 2nd, 2024
Tickets available Friday, November 17th
GRAMMY® Award Winners Jon Batiste, Dianne Reeves, Nicholas Payton, Bob James, Lee Ritenour, John Patitucci, and Sullivan Fortner take the stage at the 2024 Biamp Portland Jazz Festival
The 2024 Biamp Portland Jazz Festival – Friday, February 16 through Saturday, March 2, includes artists spanning the full breadth of jazz. Artists who are driving the evolution of jazz figure prominently alongside NEA Jazz Masters and GRAMMY® Award-Winners.
The Festival, which takes place across Portland, Oregon for a two-week music extravaganza, features performances by Jon Batiste, Dianne Reeves, Nicholas Payton, Sudan Archives, Bob James, Lee Ritenour, Louis Cole, Shabaka, John Patitucci, Julian Lage, Kamaal Williams, Bassekou Kouyate, Vieux Farka Touré, Theo Croker, Kassa Overall, Melanie Charles, Keyon Harrold, Sullivan Fortner, Mary Halvorson, Yotam Silberstein with Billy Hart, Genevieve Artadi, Corey Harris, Cedric Watson, Carrtoons, Nicole Glover, Nicole McCabe, Hailey Niswanger, Eldon T Jones, and Dan Balmer.
PDX Jazz Executive Director, Chris Doss states "pushing the boundaries and exploring the entire realm of jazz is a key element of the Portland Jazz Festival. Towards this aim, jazz inspired dance makes its Festival debut at the 2024 Portland Jazz Festival with the world premiere of a PDX Jazz commissioned piece, A History of Demise, featuring Shaun Keylock Company with music by Methods Body".
More headline shows and free community events will be announced soon!
RESCHEDULED FROM 1/19/23!
DJ Klyph Productions brings a Portland Music Month special, in partnership with XRAY & Music Portland.
Pigeon John
is an underground MC with a genre-fusing style and positive lyrics. He is sometimes labeled a Christian rapper because of his hopeful messages and references to God, but with easily relatable subject matter and musical influences drawing from across the spectrum of rock and pop music, he aims to reach as wide an audience as possible. Active since the early 1990s, he made an impact on the hip-hop world as a member of the L.A. Symphony collective, as well as acclaimed solo efforts like 2003's Pigeon John Is Dating Your Sister. Subsequent albums like 2010's Dragon Slayer incorporated more live instrumentation and sung vocal hooks, and he received mainstream exposure as several of his songs were featured in advertisements, including the 2011 single "The Bomb" and 2019's "They Don't Make Em Like Me." He continued delivering uplifting vibes with 2020's Gotta Good Feelin', drawing influence from Motown, reggae, alternative rock, and dance music.
VURSATYL
is an MC and Singer/Songwriter who came to international attention as a member of the Portland, Oregon based Hip Hop group Lifesavas. With the group and as a solo artist, Vursatyl has toured extensively with De La Soul, Talib Kweli, Slum Village and Little Brother to name just a few. As well as collaborating and recording music with George Clinton, Smif-N-Wessun, Digable Planets’ lead MC Ishmael, Camp Lo, Dead Prez and most recently Run The Jewels. After honing his craft for over 25 years in the music business VURSATYL is a seasoned veteran in his own right.
Donte Thomas
is known for his pristine penmanship, charismatic voice and unique take on life growing up in his hometown Portland, Oregon. Born May 17th, 1994, Thomas spent years embracing the culture of Hip-Hop. While in high school, he released 3 projects under the name "Don" which gave him a name and made him a familiar face amongst his peers and the local music scene. He is also the CEO of the independent music organization Success That's Recognized At Youth (STRAY).
Soop Dread
Having amassed a prolific catalogue of underground music dating back to 2008, the term ‘Humbled into Obscurity’ captures Soop Dreads DIY/ punk rock approach to making music left for listeners to discover on their own. The earliest recordings scattered about the internet have the lo-fi production quality of early reggae yet the charisma of DOOM and Jay Electronica. Originally from South Central LA, Soop has spent the last decade in Portland Oregon. While nomadically wandering on psychedelics and binge reading science fiction, his early roots in Rastafarianism and Hiduism have manifested into a perspective unlike any rapper of his caliber. On top of being self taught multi-instrumentalist, it’s his tongue in cheek approach that will resonate with listeners the most.
All Ages // Doors 1pm, Show 2pm
$35 // TICKETS
BALLROOM STAGE
ALO
Shook Twins
Glitterfox
Greg Holden
Fox and Bones w/ The Quick & Easy Boys
Christopher Worth w/ Greaterkind + The AM
Wil Kinky
LOLA's ROOM STAGE
Stephanie Anne Johnson
Jeremy James Meyer
TBA
Caliko
Chris Couch
Alaina Fidanzo
PFF Songwriting Contest Winners
WARM CLOTHES DRIVE
Winter can be a tough time for both housed and unhoused communities all over Portland. We are asking our PFF attendees to donate gently used or new warm winter clothing and supplies, especially gloves, socks and packaged handwarmers at our 2024 festival at the Crystal Ballroom. Our partners at All Good Northwest serve individuals experiencing houselessness in the Portland metro area and will make sure your donations are reaching the communities who are most in need.
This venue is a proud partner of Portland Music Month. A portion of your ticket price
will be donated to the Echo Fund to support local music creators. Find out more here
21+ // Doors 7pm, Show 8pm
$12 General Admission // TICKETS
Nasalrod
Described by The Deli Magazine contributor Tracy Mamoun as “surprising, experimental, and fun like rock n’ roll should be,” Portland's Nasalrod is a collaborative vision. The intensity of drummer Spit Stix (a founding member of the seminal L.A. punk band FEAR) is a major driving force behind the spazz-rock and roll quartet. The band is currently performing its frenetic act in support of their upcoming split 12" record with Bay Area legends Victims Family.
Named after the bone in Screamin’ Jay’s nose, Nasalrod has found that originality and insanity can go hand in hand. Lead singer Chairman’s sneering, kooky yet soulful vocals soar over a sound that is simultaneously melodic, violent and convulsive. Spit Stix, guitarist Mustin Douch, and bassist Mandy Morgan provide a sonic backdrop that is the twisted and theatrical heart of Nasalrod. Their full-length album Building Machines is a fun and furious blast of genre-busting punk derangement, full of on-a-dime rhythm changes, heavy riffs and shape shifting melodies that capture the madness that the band is known for.
Armed with their notoriously frantic live show, Nasalrod has shared stages with various acts such as Mudhoney, Melt-Banana, Mike Watt, D.O.A., Big Business, The Avengers, Torche, and Fear.
“The genre police will never close the case on Nasalrod. You can’t call them punk because you’d be selling them short. They don’t play noise rock because their songs have structure, even a dance-ability at times. You could almost call them a pop band, but they’re way too heavy and aggressive. They’re a band of musical masterminds that can’t be caught.” – Aris Wales, The Portland Mercury
Tacos!
Seattle metal band Tacos! functioned for nearly a decade as a two-piece band whose sonic MO is driving, in your face, heaviness. Well-known for their boisterous live shows, played regularly all over town, members Lupe Flores (also of Wild Powwers) and Donovan Stewart were often approached after shows by friends and audience members asking to join the band as their third member.
Their answer was always the same: "Nah. We're good."
During Covid isolation, however, is when Hozoji Matheson-Margullis (of SeaTac heavyweights Helms Alee) asked to join. This time, the answer was a no-brainer: it was a logical, organic fit— They’d been good friends for many years, and their chemistry was already there.
When Hozoji joined Tacos!, the tectonic shift that followed was massive: fuller and heavier, yet maintaining sincerity and a thundering sound. The band members all share in the lyric writing and vocal duties, blending their voices in an evocative aural tapestry. “It's like Thin Lizzy, Heart, and the Melvins all together,” says Flores. Their new album "3", sees them grasping at - and seizing - big sounds, big meaning, and big feelings.
18+ // Doors 6:30pm, Show 8pm
TICKETS // $25 Adv., $30 Day of Show, $35 21+ Reserved Balcony
All tickets for the previously scheduled April 29, 2023 show will be honored at this new date.
Lotus is a five-piece instrumental band formed while members were in college and has evolved and grown over 20 plus years. They were early adopters of fusing electronic beats and sounds from dance music with jam music, but also draw on psych-rock, post-rock, disco, funk and jazz. Their dance-inducing, high energy shows have made them festival favorites.
The band cut its teeth on the road building up a loyal fanbase by word of mouth. They also have released a steady stream of studio albums that showcase the band's diverse musical tastes and production styles. In 2021 Lotus welcomed new lead guitarist Tim Palmieri to the group. Tim has been a pillar of the scene for two decades known for his virtuosic playing and melodic improvisation. He has brought a new energy to the stage and will was also featured on the band's most recent album Bloom & Recede (2022).
The first incarnation of Lotus came together for a music showcase in 1998 at Goshen College in Indiana. Albums such as their debut studio release, Nomad (2006) have become a touchstone for how to organically fuse elements of electronica with jam music. Over the last two decades, Lotus has toured actively throughout the US working their way up from dingy basement clubs to world-class venues such as Red Rocks. They've become festival favorites, playing everything from Bonnaroo, Camp Bisco and Outside Lands to Ultra Music Festival and Electric Forest, building a hyper-loyal following along the way. The band also hosts their own annual Summerdance Festival in Garrettsville, Ohio. A Lotus live show is an experience, a uniquely crafted and improvised set taking everyone, the crowd and band, on a journey.
Wildflowers & Weeds + Hello Cruel World present a Portland Music Month special, in partnership with XRAY & Music Portland.
Laith & The Texas Birds
Laith is a Texas songbird. And songbirds don’t fly south for the winter, but they do fly low for the blues. Laith knows that to fly low is to feel high and to feel high is to get struck by lightning. And lightning is the heart of this record. Texas lightning.
On Laith’s debut record, ‘Lightning’, he carries us across state lines from LA to Arizona, Colorado to Espanola, Houston to New Orleans, Utah on to the Great Northwest, where he currently lays his head, dreaming of running these roads until the wheels don’t touch the ground. And his writing does just that. It burns along the asphalt until there’s none left. And that’s when Laith takes us beyond, on phantom track lines through the abstract geography of his mind. He flows seamlessly between railway signs and lost trains of thought. Like a true American surrealist.
‘Lightning’ was recorded in two pieces over about 6 months in Portland, Oregon. [sic] The result is a 12-track traveling companion for the wild-eyed western mystic drifting along the winding highway, pulling off for all the old haunts - love, money, and hysteria. It’s outsider country rooted in the Texas songwriting tradition; buzzing with the subtle hum of northwestern psychedelia. And with a voice that literally sounds like smokestacks and lightning, Laith takes the listener from bar room to bedroom and back again, cruising along the vibrant soundscapes of The Texas Birds. It’s a timeless sound laden with thundering pianos and padded with Rhodes and organ; dusty acoustic guitars and ghostly harmonies fade in and out of the ether; the spirited twang of the electric guitar and the raw wah thump of the clavinet squabble in the dark while the pedal steel takes to the sky; all held within the deep pocket of a dynamic rhythm section.
-Taylor Kingman
Silver Triplets of the Rio Hondo
The trio features the dreamy & toothsome embellishments of Haven Multz Matthews on skins and Christopher Cook wielding guitar leads that alternate between Bakersfield country & avant-noise in quick succession, & the samples dancing in and out of the periphery may leave an audience wondering how a sound at times so massive & strange can still feel somehow intimate.
(via Giant Rock Meeting Room)
Susannah Mars has been working as a performing artist since she was ten. She is a Resident Artist at Artists Repertory Theatre and is on the board at Portland Center Stage. Over the past thirty-five years, she’s appeared onstage worldwide. Locally, she’s played iconic roles like Mrs. Lovett in Sweeny Todd, Mother in Ragtime, and Mama Rose in Gypsy. She’s performed her holiday show Mars On Life and played Diana in Next To Normal, among others. Most recently, she was Miss Trunchbull at Portland Playhouse and played Mistress Hibbins in Scarlet and Margaret in The Light in the Piazza. She was on NBC’s Grimm as Drew Wu’s psychiatrist, Dr. Richet. Ms. Mars is the proud recipient of six Portland Drama Critics awards. She’s also sung with The Oregon and Seattle Symphonies, among others. Lately, she finds herself in a lovely sound booth at home voicing audiobooks, audio-description, and commercials. Please find out more, including updates on her short documentary film about art and grief, Symphony of Grief, by subscribing to her newsletter at susannahmars.com
Jessica Wallenfels creates new work that is music and movement-driven with her company, Many Hats Collaboration. Recent works include Great Wide Open, Matter, and The Undertaking. Wallenfels also works as a freelance director/choreographer. Her work has been seen at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Portland Center Stage, Portland Playhouse, Artists Repertory Theatre, Broadway Rose, Oregon Children’s Theater and other venues. Wallenfels currently teaches at Portland State University and Clackamas Community College. She holds a BFA from California Institute of the Arts and an MFA in directing from the University of Portland.
Julia Francis is a Seattle-based sound healing practitioner, singer-songwriter and workshop facilitator. With her voice and crystal alchemy bowls, she offers sound baths, private vocal attunement sessions and retreats that create space for relaxation, inspiration and deep healing. A life-long disciple of the vocal arts, Julia draws on her Celtic heritage, as well as her intensive study with shamanic practitioners and sound healers across the globe to help others understand and perceive the power of the unseen sonic world that surrounds us. Discover her offerings at www.juliafrancis.com.
RESCHEDULED FROM 1/19/23!
DJ Klyph Productions brings a Portland Music Month special, in partnership with XRAY & Music Portland.
Pigeon John
is an underground MC with a genre-fusing style and positive lyrics. He is sometimes labeled a Christian rapper because of his hopeful messages and references to God, but with easily relatable subject matter and musical influences drawing from across the spectrum of rock and pop music, he aims to reach as wide an audience as possible. Active since the early 1990s, he made an impact on the hip-hop world as a member of the L.A. Symphony collective, as well as acclaimed solo efforts like 2003's Pigeon John Is Dating Your Sister. Subsequent albums like 2010's Dragon Slayer incorporated more live instrumentation and sung vocal hooks, and he received mainstream exposure as several of his songs were featured in advertisements, including the 2011 single "The Bomb" and 2019's "They Don't Make Em Like Me." He continued delivering uplifting vibes with 2020's Gotta Good Feelin', drawing influence from Motown, reggae, alternative rock, and dance music.
VURSATYL
is an MC and Singer/Songwriter who came to international attention as a member of the Portland, Oregon based Hip Hop group Lifesavas. With the group and as a solo artist, Vursatyl has toured extensively with De La Soul, Talib Kweli, Slum Village and Little Brother to name just a few. As well as collaborating and recording music with George Clinton, Smif-N-Wessun, Digable Planets’ lead MC Ishmael, Camp Lo, Dead Prez and most recently Run The Jewels. After honing his craft for over 25 years in the music business VURSATYL is a seasoned veteran in his own right.
Donte Thomas
is known for his pristine penmanship, charismatic voice and unique take on life growing up in his hometown Portland, Oregon. Born May 17th, 1994, Thomas spent years embracing the culture of Hip-Hop. While in high school, he released 3 projects under the name "Don" which gave him a name and made him a familiar face amongst his peers and the local music scene. He is also the CEO of the independent music organization Success That's Recognized At Youth (STRAY).
Soop Dread
Having amassed a prolific catalogue of underground music dating back to 2008, the term ‘Humbled into Obscurity’ captures Soop Dreads DIY/ punk rock approach to making music left for listeners to discover on their own. The earliest recordings scattered about the internet have the lo-fi production quality of early reggae yet the charisma of DOOM and Jay Electronica. Originally from South Central LA, Soop has spent the last decade in Portland Oregon. While nomadically wandering on psychedelics and binge reading science fiction, his early roots in Rastafarianism and Hiduism have manifested into a perspective unlike any rapper of his caliber. On top of being self taught multi-instrumentalist, it’s his tongue in cheek approach that will resonate with listeners the most.
Portland's Folk Festival began in 2018 at McMenamin's White Eagle as a way for Portland musicians to come together to celebrate the burgeoning local scene and enjoy each other's craft. It was a 12-hour love fest that started at noon and continued until early in the morning with 24 local and regional artists performing. Since then, the festival has moved to one of Portland's most legendary venues, the Crystal Ballroom. Energy exudes from the stage that has been marinated in decades of iconic artists creating an atmosphere that feels oddly transcendent. The festival continues to bring the Portland music community together to recognize and praise each other; to build community and to shower each other with appreciation.
More information, festival schedule and event tickets at
www.crystalballroompdx.com
Festival begins Friday January 12th at noon and runs through the Sunday evening.
3-Day pass $90
Single day pass $35
31 days. 28 venues. 100+ shows. Discover your next favorite.
21+ // Doors 7 PM, Show 8 PM
TICKETS $35
Fruition’s newest album, Broken at the Break of Day, may be hard to categorize, yet it feels complete because of their dedication to honesty as well as harmony. Influenced equally by acoustic music and rock ‘n’ roll, the Portland, Oregon-based band is composed of Jay Cobb Anderson (electric guitar, vocals), Kellen Asebroek (piano, acoustic guitar vocals), Jeff Leonard (bass), Mimi Naja (mandolin, electric guitar, vocals) and Tyler Thompson (drums). Their unmistakable vocal blend first revealed itself in 2008 when Anderson tagged along with Asebroek and Naja for an afternoon of busking in Portland. Since that time, they have opened shows for the Wood Brothers, Greensky Bluegrass, and Jack Johnson, and at appeared at festivals like Telluride Bluegrass, Bonnaroo, and DelFest. Broken at the Break of Day follows the band’s exceptional 2019 album, Wild as the Night.
*Also with special guests the Rose City Horns on 12/31!
21+ // Doors 7 PM, Show 8 PM
TICKETS $35
Fruition’s newest album, Broken at the Break of Day, may be hard to categorize, yet it feels complete because of their dedication to honesty as well as harmony. Influenced equally by acoustic music and rock ‘n’ roll, the Portland, Oregon-based band is composed of Jay Cobb Anderson (electric guitar, vocals), Kellen Asebroek (piano, acoustic guitar vocals), Jeff Leonard (bass), Mimi Naja (mandolin, electric guitar, vocals) and Tyler Thompson (drums). Their unmistakable vocal blend first revealed itself in 2008 when Anderson tagged along with Asebroek and Naja for an afternoon of busking in Portland. Since that time, they have opened shows for the Wood Brothers, Greensky Bluegrass, and Jack Johnson, and at appeared at festivals like Telluride Bluegrass, Bonnaroo, and DelFest. Broken at the Break of Day follows the band’s exceptional 2019 album, Wild as the Night.