This is my annual obligatory response to the Willamette Week’s Best New Bands feature. These are the best new-to-me bands I’ve seen since last May. I've tried to exclude bands formed before 2008. I’m sure you have your own lists, so feel free to post them below!1. AsssNot to be confused with Wampire.2. Dinner and the MaincourseShort-lived no-wave, post-punk inspired band that broke up too soon. But it appears they are reuniting for a show on June 4th at the Mudai Lounge. I couldn’t find any videos or photos of them online.3. HonduranGrunge-tinged grindcore from the tenants of the Brick Shithouse. I think I have filmed this band more than any other.4. TeeathI don’t know much about this band. They are apparently on hiatus because one of their band members is out of the country. Video below by Nathan Backous.5. Tiny KnivesLoud, aggressive rock in the riot grrrl mold. I’m not sure that description or this video I took does them justice.Honorable mentions: - Earlier in the year I unintentionally wandered into two very intense and fun Kotten-Dik shows. Still looking to see more of this band.- Terraform has evolved into a very impressive band.- And, although I’ve only seen them live once, I’ve really enjoyed the recordings Best Supporting Actress has on their myspace page.
I really appreciate the fact that you do this. This is what Best New Band should be about--starting a conversation and helping each other to jump into all the great music this town has to offer. Thanks!
I just realized I left Ribcages off the honorable mentions. They're another band I'm hoping to see more of.
yeah...well done badtimes, your insight and documentation is appreciated. on the ribcages/kotten-dik "hoping to see more of" note; i've just confirmed billings for both bands and would encourage folks to see for themselves and weigh in on the hype (05/20 kotten-dik/cat stalks bird @ ducketts - 06/18 ribcages/ghostwriter/pure country gold @ the know). i guess honorable mentions are about all i have for you.
why, terraform and ribcages are playing the 17th at billy ray's. what a wonderful chance to see this year's runners-up play together!
You can also enjoy the largest chilled beer mugs served in Portland while you listen to the loudest bands in Portland!
more metal forever
I wish we had a hip-hop ambassador. I know nothing about Portland hip-hop.
Ice Rod was the jamm for pdx hip-hop but he done move backed to mnlps.Quixotic (mnlps transplants, go figure) impressed me quite a bit way back during the Coop days. They were neat for doing full live band with rad guitar, they play forever though. I'll forever have a 22 minute punk-rock attention span. I've seen Demune rock a few times and i think he posts on here. Drew: be our hip-hop Bad Times?
the Portland hip hop scene is under appreciated. Improv Logic is an amazingly talented poet who raps excitably, sometimes over simple beats, sometimes freestyle without, and occasionally is backed by what ever musicians find themselves in the band room. He is straight from PDX proper. Also much of the hip hop here is touring groups from seattle, and occasionally Canada. I have personally seen The Knightcaps, The Disjointed Isotopes, The Elements, and Moka Only. All of the above listed groups and artists come to town quite often and carry quite a bit of promise.
suggestions from a follower:Check out Cloudy October, Luck-One, the Chicharones (Josh Martinez and Sleep), Tope & Epp, Illmaculate, Serge Severe, Darrel Jr., Debaser, V!rtu, Animal Farm, Mic Crenshaw, Santozin, DJ Wicked, Live & Direct at Holocene (with Tre from the Pharcyde!), the Fix at Someday Lounge, Rockbox at Holocene... so many more! But the good shit is out there!
http://scragz.bandcamp.com/album/2009-08-26-dunes-dinner-the-main-coursebootleg of one of their last shows (I think)... stoked to see them for the first time on june 4th if that's happening
To that note-> http://pc-pdx.com/blog/?BlogID=119 And yeah, Dinner is rad as shit!
48 upcoming shows @ 17 different spots
41 upcoming shows with flyers
7 ALL AGES shows!
If you would like to comment on this page, please leave a comment in the box in the main content area and it will appear in the shoutbox complete with linkage.
Simply hover over any band you're interested in and we'll pull up a bio and some links for you. Hide this