Levator, LIVE! (Live Friday 097)

Facepilot, LIVE! (Live Friday 096)

The Decliners, LIVE! (Live Friday 095)

Def Minds Crew, LIVE! (Live Friday 094)

Deadeye, LIVE! (Live Friday 092)

Nitebrite, LIVE! (Live Friday 091)

No Go Know, LIVE! (Live Friday 090)

Qwong, LIVE! (Live Friday 089)

The Pink Snowflakes, LIVE! (Live Friday 088)

The Pink Snowflakes

The Broken Wings, LIVE! (Live Friday 087)

Your Drugs, My Money, LIVE! (Live Friday 085)

Your Drugs, My Money

Leopards, LIVE! (Live Friday 084)

Leopards

Dead Air Fresheners, LIVE! (Live Friday 083)

Dead Air Fresheners

Pure Country Gold, LIVE! (Live Friday 080)

Pure Country Gold, Guest Hosted by Devin.

Fishtank Ensemble, LIVE! (Live Friday 076)

Fishtank Ensemble dropped by to play a set on Live Friday.

Static Films, LIVE! (Live Friday 075)

The music that Static Films plays could loosely be considered to reside in a kind of ‘indie’ scene, but that is not an adequate description of their genre, as they share more with John Coltrane than Conor Oberst. This is where the surprise arrives though – one expects a pop concert, a series of clichés, and instead is given a much more shocking sound-image. If music has been overtaken with a sense of non-communication, idle chatter, or redundant posturing, then the music of Static Films can provide a very good (and very modern) form of communication. By it’s very simplicity it frees perception to shock, and creates a kind of naked lunch of sound. But don’t take our word for it, tune in to Live Friday to hear for yourself.

Ginggang, LIVE! (Live Friday 074)

Guest hosted by Sascha.  Formed several years ago by Nissa Diamant, Portland’s Ginggang is a mix of metal, glam, and hard rock fused with Eastern European, Old English and American traditional styles. After much searching Nissa found Annamari Navratil to play violin, and Jason “The Barber” Repas to play drums, rounding out the line-up and giving Ginggang their current form. Like a folk band that has mutated through prolonged exposure to electricity, Ginggang features violin, guitar and concertina with a heavy rhythm section. Think Tom Waits meets Black Sabbath at a Gypsy camp, led by intense, soulful lyrics. The band lurches and grinds through metal riffs and sultry old world melodies, with dueling guitar and violin highwire solos, and slinking concertina vamps with thick, heavy basslines backing it up. But the only real way to experience Ginggang today is to listen here, now, on Live Friday.

Dance Card, LIVE! (Live Friday 072)

The three-piece incarnation of Dance Card came to Live Friday to grace our studio with their full-band sound.

The Gilligan Fetixsh Band, LIVE! (Live Friday 071)

The Gilligan Fetixsh Band is a modern rock / punk / psychobilly band that started in 1989 as a one man band, and has now grown to include Melissa Baker on drums & Adam Miller (The Snippet Birds, St Hubbins) on bass. Gilligan Fetixsh himself is on guitar, with his uniquely and deliciously grungy sound and sloppy “Flock Of Seagulls” guitar solos, with vocals and lyrics about the usual Portland elements: aliens, past lives and old ghosts. To find out more, why not tune in to Live Friday?

Mustaphamond, LIVE! (Live Friday 068)

Mustaphamond are one of those bands that defy classification or comparison, and with good reason: their stage show actually lives up to their reputation. So often in the music world, bands fall short of the “amazing” or “phenomenal” hyperbole attributed to them. With Mustaphamond, everything is 100% true. This band rocks as well as emotes, tears through blazing riffs and stops on a dime to introduce a new time signature, all the while giving you a stage show that is worth muscling your way through the crowd to see. But don’t take my word for it, as you never should. Just tune in to Live Friday this week and find out for yourself.

Reverse Dotty And The Candy Cane Shivs, LIVE! (Live Friday 067)

Portland sheet rock band Reverse Dotty And The Candy Cane Shivs started out with one simple mission: to make new dance music instead of listening to dance music that was already made. The band consists of five people but is occasionally referred to as a sextet, which they claim is because the kind of music they have been making so far is that kind of innuendo are ladled juicily over the quivering tremolo sound of stimulating heavy metal guitars, in rounds, through a Marshall half-stack. Their hope is that this approach will encourage or otherwise facilitate sexual intercourse between two or more parties who are listening to the music. Pretty lofty goals, but for those daring enough to pair off in their bedrooms, why not make Live Friday your sexy soundtrack?

If If, Was Was…, LIVE! (Live Friday 065)

Backed by Vinh Nguyen on percussion (using several pieces of garbage, metal pipes, buckets, bamboo sticks, a giant wooden box), Megan Lockwood on Violin, and Rachael Wilson on a toy Xylophone and “Noise Machine,” If If, Was Was… (Chris Hoganson) writes a mixture of loud “Rock” songs, Crooning love ballads, and songs about dying. This, the newest incarnation of the band, will be going into the studio for the next few weeks to re-record the previously solo, “Another Word for Thesaurus,” which is currently out in another form and rockin’ the kids all over No. Po. The songs are strong enough to stand on their own with just Guitar and Vocals, but the wall of junky yet beautiful sound behind them makes them stand something much more impressive. They are a combination of heartfelt sentiment and bizarrely executed technical ability, and they are something that is worth listening to. While you can still locate the CD around town, the best way to hear them is to tune into Live Friday, this week, and check ’em out.

Starry Starry Starry, LIVE! (Live Friday 064)

Starry Starry Starry are a three person multi-instrumental pop group that play delicate music with guitars, piano, violin, mandolin, glockenspiel, percussion, voice and more. Although they consider themselves genre-less their sound ranges from country to Japanese punk rock. Probably the best way to get to know them is to attend a house party with their band carefully rockin’ out in the basement. The second best way is to tune in to Live Friday and give them a listen.

The Crack City Rockers, LIVE! (Live Friday 061)

Here’s The Crack City Rockers, straight from the horses mouth:

“Crack City Rockers bleed in regimented bursts of compulsion and articulation. At times, we’re the 13th Floor Elevators fronted by Allen Ginsberg. We smell like modernist punks and look like hip 40somethings attempting to hold the 21st century at bay. Speed argues with poetics and the present seduces the future. We’re immediate, literate, and refuse to admit that rock and roll is something stupid – though we know in our hearts it probably is. So what? Name a preferable alternative and you can have it. We’ll still be making records long after your band has split and you’re an investments analyst, web consultant, or HVAC repairman. The first record, Joyce Hotel, Paisely Pop, 2001, is an artefact: all NYC 77 rush and Dylan/Reed spewage. The second, an EP, New Myths, Paisley Pop, 2004, refines everything. Songs take on more hooks and spikes, words are edited to maximum minimalism. Rock Critics: see “literate punk” ie. Richard Hell and the Voidoids, the Only Ones, the Serpent Power.”

Tune in, if you dare.

The Purrs, LIVE! (Live Friday 059)

Let me set the stage for you: you’ve grown up on late ’70’s and early ’80’s indie rock, you’re proficient with your instruments, and you’ve got a good group of friends you like to hang out with. What do you do? Well, if you live in the Seattle area, you start a band called The Purrs, mixing pop rock and those fun atmospheric textures that stoners love so much into a sound that is not only pleasing to the ear, but who’s album “The Dreams Our Stuff Is Made Of” rewards after repeated listens. The Purrs are not only fun to listen to, but also watch, as they tend to avoid the usual indie-rock trappings and instead just go for what makes them comfortable. This proves that, while many have claimed its on its way out, indie rock is still holding strong.

Miraflores, LIVE! (Live Friday 058)

Miraflores is one of the few bands that is in the KPSU two-time club, and listening to their new ablum “Nobody Knows” will instantly help you understand why we’ve asked them back. Their understanding of pop, rock, roots music and lyrical wordplay has made them a fun act that continues to get better with every passing year. This particular show caught them with their pants down: they had to load in for a big gig at the Doug Fir early that evening, and it was imperative we recorded their live set quickly in order for them to load in. This set and interview was recorded earlier today, put the drive and power of their performance is on par with anything else they’ve ever done. An excellent was to kick off your friday night.

William Holley, LIVE! (Live Friday 057)

Drawing influences from the usual host of singer / songwriters that people the world of indie rock, William Holley combines focused musical structures and personal story telling to create beautiful textures that will appeal not just to the sensitive guy in the back of the coffee shop reading Kafka, but to the boisterous girls in the front jumping up and down with Pabst tallboys in their hands. While comparisons to others in the same line of work could be made, it detracts from the earnest vocal stylings and the simple fact that he’s putting himself out in an effort to connect with the world around him, and that alone makes his songwriting not only heartfelt, but very, very enjoyable. Today, William will be joined by Harpist Emily Grau Silver, marking the first ever Harp on KPSU.

Duckmandu, LIVE! (Live Friday 055)

Duckmandu is quite possibly one of the few punk-rock accordian players to sprout up since Polkacide in the ’80’s. But to say that also demeans the value of what he does, and who he is. As a founding member and arranger of the Punk Rock Orchestra (an orchestral group that does arrangements of punk songs), a member of the Romanian folk ensemble Fishtank Ensemble, and a modern composer in and of his own right, Aaron Seeman (Duckmandu’s alter ego) is anything but a campy Laurence Welk type, or a stereotypical punk artist either. That’s why listening to his album, Fresh Duck For Rotting Accordianists, is so amazing: a note-for-note rendition of the entire first Dead Kennedys album, even with Jello’s trademark warble. While it might seem like a gimmick, one listen draws you into the complex songs the Kennedys wrote, and how easily Duckmandu can churn them out.

Dead Air Fresheners, LIVE! (Live Friday 054)

Formed around 1996, The Dead Air Fresheners are shrouded in mystery, doing strange multi-media presentations hidden in a variety of masks. Moog and tape samples mix sometimes, but not always, with drums, ambient vocals, distorted feedback, electric guitar, computers and digital toys, and even digeridoo. They have played around the northwest and toured Pittsburgh behind poet Chuck Swaim, and have put in sets at Olympia’s Experimental Music Festival for eight years straight. In addition to one album, “I Try To Show My Love,” on Plastic Duck Records in 1999, they have produced three self-released albums between 2001-2003, and provided soundtracks to Chuck Swaims poetry, too. The current direction of the group is once again an instrumental one, allowing for a handful of very special shows per year. Fortunately one of them will be right here, on KPSU’s Live Friday

Speechless Brothers, LIVE! (Live Friday 050)

Originating from the rainy city of Portland, Oregon, Speechless Brothers are anything but dreary, cloudy-headed music. Ranging from delicate to epic, this duo, Jacob Anderson and Aaron Reyna, formerly Yuma Nora, infuse the “playing like your momma just died” of Parliament with a back beat ranging from the simplicity of the Silver Apples to the intensity of Coltrane. (For some free .mp3s, follow this link.)

Themes are the name of the game for this two, picturing ideas from hospital visits to just plain bad weeks, then performing them musically. Simply put, listening to these two is like watching a German expressionist film. Imagine what watching them perform can do. Until then, catch them here on Live Friday.

Ex-Boyfriends, LIVE! (Live Friday 049)

A combination of pop & rock, with an upbeat aesthetic and a willingness to let it all hang out, it’s no wonder The Bay Area’s Ex-Boyfriends were named “Band Of The Day” on Spin.com. It has been said of them athat they are, “a right-proper hip-shaker, catchier than a case of mono and hookier than the Jolly Roger.” Influences range from dance-pop to Weezer. These Absolutely Kosher recording artists finish out their Spring tour at the Towne Lounge tonight, but first catch them here on Live Friday.

Tractor Operator, LIVE! (Live Friday 046)

Tractor Operator is the music of Eric Jensen, who has put out two CD’s with homemade packaging. He has tourned the northwest, selling them all, and cultivating his own following and indie-rock style. Perhaps an even better descriptions comes from their website: “Love, love lost, love rediscovered, a dry mouth and a hacking cough, the sound of tires slipping on ice and the thoughts that we think when spinning through a ditch at 55 miles per hour, like the moon hanging low in the early morning sky when the darkness is a blanket and the engine is a cradle. Like pulling over just as soon as you wake up and wondering how long you were out.” But for the real low-down, you’ll need to tune in.

Power of County, LIVE! (Live Friday 043)

Beyond irony and pretense lay a realm of music few modern fans are familiar with, and it’s with a sincere sense of purpose that Power of County set forth their Outlaw Country Bluegrass sound. Drawing influences from a number of traditional and modern artists, POC have been slowing drawing a crowd with songs that come from the heart and speak to the sounds that we all grew up with. With a new album due out on Valentine’s Day, and a slew of shows for the February and March corridor, Power Of County just might be the soundtrack to the impending PDX spring season. In the meantime, you can catch them here on Live Friday.

Childhood Friends & Enchanted Forrest, LIVE! (Live Friday 042)

This week on Live Friday, treat yourself to a double-dose of live music with this two-for-one deal, curtesy of KPSU. First, we’ll start the set off with Enchanted Forest, a local two-piece that brings electro-pop to the goth-rock crowd, with a touch of emo and indie, sprinkled to taste. But that’s not all! After the break we’ll return with Childhood Friends, containing the same members, but performing different songs! This incarnation is a little more dour, combining acoustic instrumentation and experimental textures to create an ambience that the goth-rock crowd can appreciate none-the-less. Somewhere in all of that we’ll try to fit in an interview, too. It’s Live Friday the way it was meant to be, so tune in, won’t you?

The Pink Snowflakes, LIVE! (Live Friday 040)

The Pink Snowflakes mine Psyche and Pop to create beautiful rock songs rooted in the indie-rock of the late ’80’s and early ’90’s. But, more importantly, the Snowflakes are about creating a sound, a feeling, and a style that is an algamation of their influences and interests. Listening to the Snowflakes is like listening to a carefully told story, or watching a lovingly filmed home movie. It might appear to be lo-fi, but the final product is more fun and interesting than anything they could have done on a big budget. No strangers to KPSU, this is their second on-air performance. Hopefully, it won’t be their last.

The Draft, LIVE! (Live Friday 039)

For Immediate Release: The Draft Bio! (As Told By Them)Look no further than a biography and you will find the beginning of a series of distractions. We will travel so far as to forget where we are. We imagine that we are where we are not. Our dark city is a kingdom of music. We advertise doubt as disciples of insecurity. We are for sale. We are art thugs with electric weapons, squirming in a gang of noise. We will pretend that we are magic until we become magic. Even a lie can come true when you deliver a believer. Our performance is a reflection of the social meltdown and technological advancement growing in the midst of obsession with convenience and entertainment. We are the music zoo and a spectacle of industry. Our hypocritical nature struggles for senselessness. Your reaction is dictated by your previous behavior and environment. Your accumulated knowledge and pattern of thought will react in a familiar manner to these words. You will try to make some prediction of what we will sound like based on your memories of previous musical events and of these descriptions. We exercise our influences and plagiarize our experiences because without this formality we may never meet. This a confession of guilt and a declaration of participation. There is a fortune in things you can’t touch and undiscovered reasons to feel no better. These words are proof of our existence. Let them be a reference of mutual sentiments.

Ferocious Eagle, LIVE! (Live Friday 038)

Ferocious Eagle started two hundred years ago and have just started playing shows within the last fifty years. Their set is really crazy and fast just like a huricane. Eric Jensen plays the drums and such, Jon Andersen plays his guitar since 1996, and Greg Dalbey holds the band back from “really progressing.” Nonetheless, their set is not to be missed for fans of their math metal prowess and their eliptical lyrical content.

To round out the hour, we let the members of the band pick out a handful of tunes by their friends, influences, and side projects. Here’s what they picked:

01.) We Are: Special Forces (Calling All Monsters) *
02.) Handful Of Pennies Standing In The Cold (Yeltsin) *
03.) Aces (Dragging An Ox Through Water) *
04.) Bands [Don’t Want Me To Dance] (The Foxx) *
05.) Hot Night (The Maybe Happening) *
06.) Incredible (Tractor Operator)

Robert Deeble, LIVE! (Live Friday 037)

No stranger to KPSU, Robert Deeble came in and recorded a live set of music on December 17th, which we’ll be bringing to you today for your pre-Christmas entertainment. “This Bar Has No One Left,” his last album, is an emotional, last call at 2am, a slow burning rock record. Deeble delivers six rhythmic observations of a life gone mad, beautiful and harsh in their portrayals of characters attempting to find solace from a shipwreck filled with sadness, loneliness and addiction. If you needed any evidence that Christmas is the loniliest time of the year, then all you need to do is listen to Deeble’s music to get in the right mindset. Tune in, won’t you? (Note: Due to some sort of editing / recording mixup, this broadcast is a little surreal to listen to. Before you download it, you’ve been warned.)

Dance Card, LIVE! (Live Friday 036)

Dance Card is a local three piece consisting of Quentin (drums & vocals), Sean (bass) and their most recent addition, Tristan (guitar). Dance Card grew out of the ashes of a Medford, OR, where both Sean & Quentin played in Medlander. From their they formed Dance Card, which remained a two piece for many years as they auditioned various singers and guitar players, none of which worked out until they met Tristan here in Portland. Influences range from Nomeansno, Murder City Devils, and a good dose of the Ramones, but to lock them into such a narrow window would be an injustice. But to really get a feel for their sound, you’ll just have to tune in.

Thee Headliners, LIVE! (Live Friday 033)

Star-crossed and bar-sauced, Thee Headliners are equal parts Rock ‘n’ Roll, Old Fashioned Country, and Beer-Soaked Cow-Punk. With Portland icon (and cab driver extraordinaire) Holly Morgan on drums and Jeremy Terry on Guitar, this two piece creates songs of sorrow and loneliness back to back with a love of music that few people are willing to be earnest about. Their debut CD, being released on 11/19 at Sabala’s, was crafted with an attention to detail that is rare in a band of this nature. But to really get what this band is doing, you’ll have to tune in and hear them live.

Book Of Maps, LIVE! (Live Friday 032)

Formed in 1981 AD, Book Of Maps would amass not only body weight, but hair, permanent teeth and a vast understanding of the English language that far surpassed any other band after their time. After suffering a huge economic setback that none might recover from, Book of Maps irrevocably set the stage for vast prog dynamics as well as new recipes for rock. Wading through the Willamette in pursuit of waging guerilla warfare on the Multnomah music scene, a coup was staged in the form of undeniable sonic penetration that knew no limits. A band with such majesty formed from the single-celled goo that is North Portland. Doth we have been deceived by our ears, my friends, for Book of Maps has prophesized this all along. Tune in and rejoice!

The Grannies, LIVE! (Live Friday 031)

Started in 1999 in San Francisco, CA The Grannies have been donning their skirts and axes ever since in an effort to bring rock back into the old folks home. They put out their first record on their own start-up indie label, DEAD TEENAGER in December 2000. The resulting album got rave reviews, and managed to confuse / piss off more than a handful of critics and soundmen across the country. Their most recent album, entitled ERECTED LADY MAN, was recorded by Jack Endino, has been released on their new label, WONDERTAKER. So far no one in the band has died.

The Eyelids, LIVE! (Live Friday 030)

Relatively new to the Portland music scene, The Eyelids have nonetheless managed to make a splash already with their poppy songcraft and extremely quick development: in the short time they have been together, they’ve already managed to get a steady line-up, produce a fantastic four-song demo (available at the above link), and put on some enjoyable live shows, too. While you’ll be pretending to ignore each other with the best at their shows soon enough, you can casually listen to them in the comfort of your own home here first.

Straitjacket, LIVE! (Live Friday 029)

First formed in 1998, Brian & Jeff first used the name Straitjacket a year later, and have since been holding down the the Spirit-of-’77-Punk-Rock fort here in the Portland area. Now, with several 7”s under their belt, and a full-length album (entitled “Modern Thieves”), it’s clear that they are going to continue to keep punk alive using any means necessary. Fortunately for you, that means fantastic performances of energetic songs.

Mustaphamond, LIVE! (Live Friday 028)

Fast paced emotionally charged rock from local foursome Mustaphamond. They generate a decent loud sound with the quiet / loud game played extremely well. The vocals are the usual hoarse screams found with the usual emo fare, but fortunately they’re often buried well in the mix of guitars. Check ’em out. Co-Hosted by Aaron The Sound Tech

Ghost Motor, LIVE! (Live Friday 027)

Ghost Motor is a local Portland duo that bills themselves as a mix of Industrial, Punk & Psychedellic rock music, and upon listening it’s hard to argue with them. Influences run from Sisters of Mercy, Ministry (nearly all eras of the band), and a touch of Legendary Pink Dots via Skinny Puppy. Live guitar & bass give you something to watch and groove on live, but the programming and sequencing is up there with the best, and creates an aural ambience that sounds like it should have come out in the late ’80’s. Fortunately for us, they choose to bring it to us in the here and now.

Careen, LIVE! (Live Friday 026)

Careen comes from Portland, Oregon. They played music and sports and were child stage actors; destiny led them here. Careen is a Pop/Rock band. Taste the candy, choke, and revel. Mixing bits and pieces of Rock ‘n’ Rool, New Wave, old school Brit-pop, and Americana, Careen have been making a name for themselves with regular airplay and regular shows, and given that they’ve been booked with bands like Modest Mouse & The Shins, it’s no wonder there’s a bit of a buzz surrounding these guys. When asked what kind of music they play, their response is, “think of the last band you heard that had confidence, then take off the laziness and add songs you actually cared about after you broke up with the bass player.” I think that sums them up nicely.

[general studies], LIVE! (Live Friday 022)

Blending IDM influences with pop, [general studies] is the new wave of electropop. Originally a project to study the architecture of modern beats, it evolved into exploration of performance electronica. The group quickly began to elaborate its sound with addition of live guitars and bass thanks to their new member Lizzy, and her years of experience. This also lead to several live shows, and the upcoming release of General Studies self-titled EP.

The Bugs of Lightning, LIVE! (Live Friday 021)

The Bugs Of Lightning have performed under more names than any other group in Portland. While this does not diminish their ability, it does make it hard to track them down when you want to catch them. Fortunately, when you do see them, their sense of humor is always in tune, and their songs are perfectly crafted, with no room for filler or the usual clutter featured in a lot of generic rock. With a ear for the live sound bands inevitably have to provide, The Bugs of Lightning create unique pop through the tried and true belief that practice, eventually, makes perfect. “Girl Bass Player Now Included!”

Candy From Strangers, LIVE! (Live Friday 016)

You know you want it! Candy From Strangers started in 1999, and since then, this girl-fronted band from San Francisco rocks hard and thrills club and festival audiences alike. Currently they have three discs out, all self-released EPs that have refined their sound and has really taught them their craft. Their new disc – Cat Butt Tattoo – is the culmination of that effort. With a heavy pop, glam and punk rock influence, Candy From Strangers creates infectious, edgy tunes, using a sound that can best be described as, “Sleater-Kinney making out with Led Zeppelin in a dark corner of a dive bar.” I guess there’s only one way to find out if they live up to that description…

Stephen Ashbrook, LIVE! (Live Friday 013)

Stephen Ashbrook

The Pink Snowflakes, LIVE! (Live Friday 011)

What started as an idea, went onto a tape machine. The Pink Snowflakes have been recording, purchasing equipment, taking drugs, and expanding their human and equipment components for quite some time now, and have reached critical mass recently with a EP and a slew of live shows in and around Portland. Their influences range from the obvious (Flaming Lips) to early rock pioneers (Hawkwind and Hendrix). You should try them out at least once or twice. The optimist in you will be happy you did.  This was the first episode of Live Friday after I took over as the new host.

The Lightning Bugs, LIVE! (Live Friday 010)

As guest host for Live Friday, I brought in local indie-rockers, The Lightning Bugs.  This group eventually became the legendary Bugs of Lightning.

Miraflores, LIVE! (Live Friday 009)

As guest host for Live Friday, I brought in local indie-rockers miraflores.

Avery Bell, LIVE! (Live Friday 008)

As guest host for Live Friday, I brought in local indie-rockers Avery Bell.

John Rambo, LIVE! (Live Friday 007)

While I guest host for Live Friday, I brought in the incredible John Rambo for a live performance.

Camper Van Beethoven, LIVE! (Live Friday 004) 

Yes, that’s right. THE Camper Van Beethoven.  THE original line-up. At KPSU. We just got the call this afternoon. It’s pretty sweet. I’ll be hosting, and there will be an interview, too. Who knows what else?  It’ll only be available via the web, but we’ll be able to re-broadcast it through the magic of technology. Yay!  Tune in, check it out. It’s gonna rock.

The Human Genome Project (Live Friday 002)

As the guest host for Live Friday, I brought in local synth-pop locals, The Human Genome Project.