Author: Peter Swenson

Although you might not have heard of him, Andrew Oliver is fast on his way to becoming another alumni that will give PSU future bragging rights.

We asked a few local musicians to give their thoughts about what it’s like to be Portland musicians and how they fit into the PDX scene. Here’s what they had to say.

Trust Everyone Before They Break Your Heart is the new album from Jonah, and it’s a doozy. Imagine an airplane that is always taking off, always accelerating and going higher.

Did you ever wish Coldplay didn’t seem like a band comprised of neutered clowns bending to the will of Mr. Gwyneth Paltrow? The result might end up something like Crosstide, Portland’s dreamy rockers who haven’t forgotten how to rock the fuck out.

Switchfoot is a San Diego band that has made a career out of crafting songs with hooks aplenty and anthemic lyrics, vaguely inspiring messages and lyrics that challenge the listener’s priorities.

When creating a fine floral arrangement, a good florist knows how many red roses will look good with a certain amount of purple lilacs or white lilies. They’ll know when to include a sunflower rather than a pansy, or when the perfect combination is red and white or red and yellow.

Moros Eros I Saw the Devil Last Night and Now the Sun Shines Bright The convenience and ease of modern recording is a double-edged sword. On one hand, a starving artist can buy a decent computer and mic with money left over from his school loan. On the other hand, it has never been easier for marginally capable but well-meaning musicians with too much time and money on their hands to make a recording that sounds good but is comprised of utterly atrocious, meaningless songs.

There’s a talented young teacher you may have seen around campus, or playing with one of his two local bands, Play> and Swingin’ Amiss. Or you might have seen him at his other job serving drinks at the Rose Garden. He’s also a PSU grad student and a first year German teacher.

On the eve of Menomena’s CD release show for Friend or Foe, which will feature a glorious, 25-member choir mostly comprised of Portland indie rockers, Brent Knopf and Danny Seim took some time out from rehearsing to talk to the Vanguard. Here are some highlights from our chat.

Menomena Friend and Foe Sometime in the early 2000s, three friends from the Portland area (Danny Seim, Brent Knopf and Justin Harris) decided to make music together, music that was different from the more conventional rock bands they’d been in before. To make this new music, they use a computer program written by Knopf called Deeler.

The local avant-garde beat-based indie band known as Talkdemonic is getting ready to make their return to the stage after taking the fall off. Lisa Molinaro, who is one half of Talkdemonic, recently returned from touring with The Decemberists. You may have seen Talkdemonic on tour with Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, The National, or Menomena.