Andrew McMahon 3/25/2013 @ Hawthorne Theatre

Andrew McMahon

 

This entry was written by elevenpdx, posted on March 26, 2013 at 11:29 pm, filed under Live and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

Toro y Moi @ Wonder Ballroom 3/1/2013

Toro y Moi. Bull and me. Ethereal music and me. Mind blowing instrumentals and me. Awesome light show and me. This was my Thursday evening at a sold out Wonder Ballroom. Wise, young man, Chazwick Bundick, from South Carolina, graced Portland with his presence and genius musical skills; which I have no problem using the word genius on any musician that blows my mind with the sounds they create. Chaz et al is out and about showing off his new material from just released album Anything In Return.

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This entry was written by elevenpdx, posted on March 2, 2013 at 1:01 am, filed under Live and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

Wizard World Comic Con in Portland

To Summarize: We headed out to Wizard World Comic Con this past weekend where fans of all ages congregated to cosplay, check out great Q&A Panels, and to meet and greet some of the coolest celebrity guests to hit Portland! Everything from Anime and Collectibles to Movies and Video Games were in the exhibit halls were celebrated and seen in this mega pop culture fest. You can see our day to day activity below!

Day 3

So today was pretty low key. It was the last day of Wizard World Con in Portland and I was really dreading having to watch that Gangnam style video one more time, but to my delight….I didn’t have to! I headed straight to the Boondock Saints panel where I waited patiently to see David Della Rocco and Sean Patrick Flanery hit the stage. The panel was really great and friendly, Flanery and Rocco basically just opened up the floor and asked us what we wanted to talk about. We have some video clips of the panel that you can check out here and here. They talked about The Boondock Saints 3, which has been confirmed and denied multiple times in the past year, as well as talking about favorite moments from set from the past two movies.

 

After that panel we caught up with Jason David Frank, better known as the original green Power Ranger! We ended up in a room where “Power Ranger Power Hour” happened, this was where Frank came in and taught us all some martial arts. There were little kids and adults alike both having a wonderful time.

To wrap up the rest of Wizard World Portland, we caught the end of the panel featuring Mark Shapiro who was talking about Laika and the creation of Paranorman and Coraline. Since I caught the tail end, I only saw a bunch of great commercials for Paranorman as well as having the chance to actually check out the pieces used in the movies. Which was pretty awesome. This convention was filled with great celebrity guests who really knew how to treat their fans, incredibly talented artists, as well as other great local Portland businesses and groups. The date has already been set for Wizard World Convention Portland 2014.

We look forward to checking out the convention next year! Did you end up going? Let us know how it went or share photos with us on Facebook or Twitter!

Check out Day 2 and Day 1 after the cut!

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This entry was written by elevenpdx, posted on February 22, 2013 at 9:25 pm, filed under Live and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

Tegan and Sara + M83 + The Killers @ Rose Garden Theater of the Clouds 12/5/2012

December to Remember has been in full effect since Sunday, and I’ve had the pleasure of checking out the impressive lineup on Wednesday. The show was in the Rose Garden in their “Theater of the Clouds” where they partition off a section of the arena for a more intimate setting. The show started off with the quirky Canadian twin sister duo, Tegan and Sara, who very recently were nominated for a Grammy for Best Long Form Music Video. They played a variety of songs ranging from their newest single “Closer” to “Walking with a Ghost” off of So Jealous. Watching Tegan and Sara in a mini-arena setting with upwards of 6,000 other concert attendees is a little less intimate than one would be used to, but they pulled it off incredibly well.

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This entry was written by elevenpdx, posted on December 6, 2012 at 2:05 am, filed under Live and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

The All American Rejects + Boys Like Girls @ The Crystal Ballroom 11/28/2012


On a dark and rainy Halloweekend eve, I headed over to the West side to check out The All American Rejects and Boys Like Girls at the Crystal Ballroom. The band ascended up the stairs from the green room and over to the stage in full fledged costumes and makeup. Red lights flooded the stage giving The All-American Rejects an eerie glow as they started out with “Dirty Little Secret” and continued with a scattered mix of everything from their Self-Titled album from 2002, such as “Swing, Swing” and “My Paper Heart”, which everyone was singing along to, all the way up to their latest release Kids In The Street. Halfway through the set the skeletal Tyson Ritter jokingly reprimanded the crowd for not dressing up for Halloween, and asked if everyone was scared when they came out on stage. Despite the crowd not being dressed in a festive manner they still rocked out and jumped up and down furiously on the ballroom floor. Near the end of the set Tyson asked the crowd to open up the curtains to see our beautiful city, and made his way over to the windows and sang while overlooking the city. The Rejects closed out their set with “Gives You Hell” with the whole crowd singing along perfectly.

Next up Boys Like Girls started up their set with power pop punk filled energy with one of their hit songs “The Great Escape” from their debut Album in 2006 as well as playing “Hero/Heroine” soon after. The crowd went absolutely insane and fans were jumping at the chance to catch one of the many guitar picks Morgan Dorr and Martin Johnson were throwing out like candy. That devotion and dedication is still somewhat surprising because their last full release Love Drunk was three years ago in 2009, especially after going on a short hiatus a year ago. Despite the short break, new songs from their latest EP were sprinkled in the set and really showed the maturation of the band with their latest single “Be Your Everything” which sounds more alt-country rock than pop punk as well as “Life Of The Party” which really garnered a positive response from the crowd.

All in all theshow was a mix of getting to hear songs from bands that some fans have grown up listening to as well as watching these artists progress into their latest releases.

 

 

 

Words and Photos by Kimberly Lawson. More photos on Flickr.

 

 

 

 

This entry was written by elevenpdx, posted on October 31, 2012 at 1:10 am, filed under Live and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

Circa Survive @ Wonder Ballroom 10/12/12

There must be something in the air. A handful of months ago, when Circa Survive announced that their forthcoming LP, Violent Waves, would be self released, they set the stage for a lot of changes to be put in place. No longer having a major label to back them created new obstacles in logistics for the band, but with those obstacles also came the freedom to craft an album precisely how they wanted to—and without unseen hands nudging them in any direction but their own.

A stellar example of this intense, new hands-on approach is in the supporting acts that Circa chose to have out with them on this headlining tour. O’brother, Balance and Composure and Touche Amore are all incredibly talented and well-established bands, but have something in common: running just below the radar. All four bands playing in one night touted one of the most impressive full line-ups I’ve seen in years, and each act didn’t fail to impress.

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This entry was written by elevenpdx, posted on October 15, 2012 at 5:11 pm, filed under Live and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

Fun. @ The Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall 8/24/2012

From their small club shows years ago and up until their recent major mainstream success, Fun. manages to come to the stage with a renewed energy and fire each and every time. As if hearing their hit single “We Are Young” appearing in all sorts of tv and radio spots isn’t proof enough, Fun. selling out a date at the Arlene Schnitzer Music Hall is a pretty large indicator of the success they’ve found themselves in the midst of.

Though Some Nights, the band’s release from earlier this year, has garnered critical acclaim, it’s hard to get a full scope of their grandeur until you get the chance to hear them performed live. From the musicianship (Andrew Dost’s pitch-perfect trumpet inclusions, saxophone player Emily Moore’s jazzy contributions, or the pair’s dueling piano/keyboard melodies), to frontman Nate Ruess’ unreasonably clear and commanding vocal performances, to the sheer enthusiasm (guitarist Jack Antonoff is known for this bouncy stage antics)… Fun. creates an onstage spectacle that is… well… just downright fun!

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This entry was written by elevenpdx, posted on August 28, 2012 at 7:02 pm, filed under Live and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

Vans Warped Tour @ Rose Garden Riverfront 8/5/2012

After eighteen consecutive years of chaotic summer fun, last week, after a trek across the country, the seminal Vans Warped Tour festival landed back in Portland for the final date of it’s 2012 run. With a multi-stage setup featuring more than seventy bands, and over forty vendors varying from clothing (Johnny Cupcakes, JBWW, Glamour Kills) to nonprofits (Keep A Breast, Music Saves Lives, Invisible Children) and record labels (Side One Dummy, Rise, Fueled By Ramen), the day hosted points of interest for all kinds to discover and enjoy.

 With a handful of years attending Warped under my belt, watching the way the festival has grown and changed has been a testimony to the forward thinking that the crew behind it possesses. From using sustainable products, to various forms of donations being taken for perks like early entry and band meet and greets, to always displaying a wide array of genres of music, Warped has managed to stay progressive while maintaining it’s “punk rock summer camp” vibe.

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This entry was written by elevenpdx, posted on August 7, 2012 at 10:07 pm, filed under Live and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

Rockstar Mayhem Festival @ White River Ampitheatre 7/3/2012

Rockstar Energy Drink’s Mayhem Festival is one of the biggest touring summer music festivals. It hit Auburn, WA on July 3rd and was up and running by 1PM when gates were opened to attendees. The main stage housed Motörhead, Slayer, and Slipknot every night whileThe Devil Wears Prada, As I Lay Dying, and Anthrax were bands that took part in a rotating schedule playing the main stage as well.

As we entered the venue, not long after the gates were opened, we wandered around for a few minutes before stumbling upon a huge crowd. These fans were already locked and loaded to rock, despite it being the middle of the day. Whitechapel soon appeared onstage and launched into a half-hour set of pure energy. It was a pleasant surprise to see so many people energetically participating in mosh pits, crowd surfing, and fist pumping in unison even with it being a Wednesday afternoon. The crowd’s boisterous enthusiasm only continued to grow throughout the day with every band that played. Next up, As I Lay Dying was greeted by eager fans as well as a sudden downpour of rain, neither of which let up. Eventually the rain stopped towards the end of their set, but there was virtually no displacement in the way the crowd rocked out. Next on the bill was Asking Alexandria, followed by thrash metal legends Anthrax.

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This entry was written by elevenpdx, posted on July 6, 2012 at 8:52 pm, filed under ELEVEN, Live and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

The Used + Dead Sara @ The Roseland Theater 6/11/12

 

Show openers, the charismatic LA-natives Stars in Stereo, started the slow build of excitement throughout the night with their up-tempo pop-rock. Lead vocalist Bec Hollcraft’s voice is clear and commanding—add that to her fiery personality and it makes her just the sort of diva who can really spice things up on stage. The crowd certainly didn’t sound disappointed, the energy in the room instantly spiking high (only really ceasing when SiS played a somewhat awkward rendition of Nine Inch Nails’ “Closer”). (more…)

This entry was written by elevenpdx, posted on June 13, 2012 at 10:52 pm, filed under Live and tagged , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

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