Airbender

Osiris @ Crown Room

Osiris holds down the dance floor at The Crown Room, hitting up the club a few times a week to get his symmetry flowing.  He has this one style that I call "the chill robot".  If you have a goofy uncle or a friend who has seen Napoleon Dynamite one too many times you have probably seen some version of The Robot.  This style Osiris mixes the robot with tutting, but chills it out, so it's not so rigid; it's geometric for sure, consciously symmetrical, but with none of the energy getting hung up in right angles.  It was very, very cool and I started to wonder if I could somehow use my camera's long exposure to depict "the chill robot" on film.  It was an ambitious thought and I definitely failed.  The plan was for him to stand perfectly still while I took the initial picture and then, after the flash bulb went off, I would continue to expose the film while he danced.  I must not have clarified which dance I was hoping to photograph though, because when the bulb popped, he exploded with excitement and started popping and locking and bouncing around the room while I followed him with the camera!  It must have been what he was feeling at the time.  I really like how the picture turned out regardless; to me it illustrates that synergy and energy that happens on the dance floor , that loss of identity that happens when you're really feeling it.  Osiris does it with qi to spare.      

Warm Sounds

Justin Meyer @ Hall of Records

Oh hell yes!  I just got Steely Dan tickets!  Come summer, I will be getting smooth in Arlene Schnitzer's Lower Balcony (dirty!), sipping on Kirschwasser and drifting amidst the human flotsam whom, like myself, sway to and fro amidst the steely currents.  That's my kind of night, baby:  Mingling with jaded trollops, sloppy-jalopies, and hop-headed jazz junkies as the near-great ingrates of 70's radio lay down their suavest grooves.
  

Many of you will never understand my love for Steely Dan.  Haters decry them as "elevator music", "conservatory urchins", and (ahem) "pussy music".  How bourgeois!  Only the lowest of the low & the highest of the high can truly understand the majesty The Royal Scam.  Soul ambassador, Justin Meyer digs it.  Although his awesome bar/recordstore Hall of Records specializes more in deep cuts by Charles Mingus, Bill Evans, Sly Stone & the other masterminds of Soul, Funk, Jazz, and R&B, he respects the niche Walter Becker & Donald Fagen have carved for themselves in the high-class canon of funky nuggets.  He said he's cool with me bringing by my Royal Scam LP sometime and laying down a track or two for the edification of the non-believers.  You best prepare that ass to shake!        

The countdown to ecstasy has begun, sweet child.   On July 3rd, 2011 while the charlatans stay at home watching Scrubs and hugging their pillows, I'll be at The Schnitz with my fly gators on, doing the Boston Rag with a frazzled D-List starlet or toasting the warm sounds of Steely Dan with a drunken used-car salesman.  Don't cry for me, my funky one, I will be right where I belong.            

3 R's & an S

Alyssa Kail, Creative Reuse Center Manager @ SCRAP

As an artist, I sometimes wonder if the work I'm producing is worth it's environmental impact.  I wonder how many trees were cut down for all the paper I have used for preliminary sketches and illustrations?  Or where exactly does the paint-ridden water I pour down the drain end up after it passes through the pipes of my utility sink?  I wonder about the toxicity of the chemicals used to develop my photographs or what corner of the Earth has been exploited for the minerals used in a tube of paint.  I imagine the air sickened by the fumes of spray paint and thousands of markers decomposing in the hull of a scow somewhere.  Given the fact that we as a society are on the periphery of ecological collapse, art sometimes strikes me as disgusting and vain.  Art be damned, savage nature will reclaim us all in time.      

The School and Community Reuse Action Project intertwines these ecological concerns with the inevitable creative yearnings of the human animal.  SCRAP aims to reduce waste by collecting  unneeded materials and reselling them to the community on the cheap.  Their inventory includes fabrics, paints, glue, used magazines, office supplies, cd cases, just about anything that is clean and has merit as a reusable item.  The assorted bric-a-brac not only cuts down on waste, but also provides starving artists with affordable materials with which to pursue their muse.  By adopting more environmentally friendly, low cost approaches to art-making, we may potentially change our overall consumer habits, as well as further the aesthetics of preservation into more cultural avenues and shape the dialogue of conservation overall.  While it may be difficult to be as "green" as Andy Goldsworthy, we all must take steps to save this beautiful world.  We can start with three R's and an S:  Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Support organizations like SCRAP.  They care because you do.         

  

Music Television

VJ Norto @ Beulahland

VJ Norto started the Eye Candy Video Museum five years ago on an artistic whim.  After stumbling across a dusty box of music videos that he had diligently recorded back in the dolby days of VHS, Norto was struck by the potential of a communal experience centered around the pillar of music television.  Norto's childhood obsession was not unique, his business partner, The Phantom Hillbilly, also has an extensive collection of music videos.  Together they digitized their video libraries into a vast archive and created Eye Candy, a multimedia presentation of music television that has since become a staple at various Portland bars over.  Eye Candy invites patrons to request their favorite music videos and enjoy the collective queue amidst good company and good drinks.  "Watching MTv used to be an insular experience," Norto explained, "At least this way people can enjoy the videos together".

It's a surreal, slightly nostalgic affair-- kind of like sniffing the glue that binds a generation.  As the videos switch from The Cure to Nirvana to Puff Daddy to The Cranberries, it becomes apparent how influential MTv was in it's prime.  If you ask the 80's/90's crowd what type of music we listen to, you can expect to hear "everything, really" in there somewhere.  That's the legacy of MTv before reality tv took over.  Eye Candy doesn't just reminisce music videos, it reminisces music television in general, empowering the viewer to shape the playlist and do their best Beavis/Butthead impersonation while enjoying the songs and sights that both rotted our brains and opened up our minds.

The Future (Build to Enjoy)

Dillin @ Brooklyn Skatepark

Dillin's old school.  He carves around the bowl of the Brooklyn Street Skate Spot on a thrashed 70's skateboard with shaky trucks.  Despite the sketchy gear, he is pretty fluid and gets a solid run in before getting hung up on a rocks to fakie.  Dillin has been skating this spot since "day one", meaning November 2010, when the park opened to the public. 

Sam @ Brooklyn Skatepark

Brooklyn Skatepark came into existence when Portland skaters reclaimed a little patch of industrial dead-zone and built a skatepark.  Although the city approved their plan, no bureaucracy was involved:  The park was funded and constructed entirely by skaters.  The bowl is a tight squeeze between the railroad tracks and the pedestrian overpass, but it was crafted well, so the runs are pretty solid and  interact in creative ways with the existing architecture.  It's a simple design, but it's life where once was dust and rubble.  It's in these rough patches of the grid that culture thrives; the underground that, like Dash Snow, "forgot more than you'll ever know".  The people that grow up here, like Dillin and Sam, may someday make big money skating in Dew Tour.  Or they may ditch the skateboard and become an engineer or an architect.  Maybe they'll be a graffiti artist or rock & roll, hesh for life, and skate until their knees collapse.  These spots that we salvage from disrepair are where the future is made, where friends come together and build to enjoy.  The act alone shapes senses of possibility and I think that is truly rad.  Be free and skate.     

Daylight Savings

March 12th, 2011:  Some of the most magical days in Portland happen in the run-up to Spring.  As Winter's darkness (and dampness) begins to subside, individuals gradually emerge from their cocoons, shaking off the rain and soaking in the warmth.  Saturday March 12th was one of those days when the energy was just there and absolutely vibrant; despite the crises of the world, it  ranked among the best days I've ever had in Portland.  What follows is but a very slim selection of the weird and wonderful people that I met & antics I experienced: 

Mike & Alejandro 

on Line 14 to Portland City Center

As I took my seat on the bus, the kid sitting behind me gave me puppy dog eyes and asked, "Would you be my friend?".  "Sure," I replied, "but that doesn't mean I'll give you a blowjob".  He was really weirded out by my response, so I took it up a notch and told him about my hobby of photographing people holding tarot cards and offered to take his picture.  He tried to deny, telling me that he "looked like shit", but his friend hopped in his lap and convinced him to do it.  They picked cards together, but concealed them from the camera.   

   

Becky & Buddha (a.k.a. Greg) @ Pioneer Courthouse

Beware the Brides of March!  The Cacaphony Society brings yet another rampage to the streets of Portland, this time an unruly mob of brides.  Becky and George are comrades in revels, which is convenient for this situation since Becky's husband wouldn't be caught dead wearing a dress.

Team Green Machine @ SW 6th & Madison

Like most people I am attracted to shiny things, so when I saw these warriors clad in tin foil, I wandered over and chatted with them.  They were taking part in the Urban Iditarod, a four mile race through Portland that is reminiscent of it's namesake only when you replace "sleds" with "shopping carts" and "dogs" with "people".     

Missoula Gang (Cody, Ryan, Rob & Shane)

@ Jake's Famous Crawfish

I was so entertained by "Jake the Crab" that I hung out on the corner waiting for some people to come by and pose in front of it.  The first group to pass by were a group of girls wearing funky pajamas, but they were in the middle of some sort of walk-a-thon and couldn't stop to participate.  The second group to chance upon the scene were these fellows from Missoula, MO who were in town to see a show by proggy-jamband Umphreys McGee.  They were checking out the giant, inflatable crab when I rallied them for a picture.  As they wandered off to the Pearl District, I jokingly warned them to keep their eyes peeled for all the freaks, not really thinking about the irony of that statement until it had already left my mouth.

Jasmine & Charli @ SW 10th & Yamhill

Jasmine and Charli were co-chillin on the corner, checking out the people and kicking it.  Down the block a Mexican dude was one-man-jamming an epic cover of Golden Earring's "Twilight Zone".  He had a gig amp for both his guitar and his microphone and he cranked out that song for at least an hour, loud enough to hear within a three block radius.  Charli was feeling the day like I was:  "I feel like people are budding like flowers," she told me.  Jasmine was also digging the twilight zone. "If you're in the present, you're in the infinite," she added, quoting... um.... Ram Dass?    

* * *

Dawn Marie @ Megabounce

Portland days turn into Portland nights.  This particular night was Megabounce, a dance-party circus spectacular at The Refuge.  Dawn had to get her stilt walking kicks early on in the night, since dance floors get slipperier and stickier as the night pulls ahead in full steam.     

Carlita & Allie

Megabounce featured a giant bouncy boxing ring.  After a few drinks it is insanely difficult to jump around on those things, especially when there are people dressed like animals throwing oversized boxing gloves at you. 

Sarah & Vin Al Eden @ Megabounce

This party brought out the freaks!  People were all gussied up in their Saturday night specials and just hanging loose.  I had a very good time meeting a lot of these happenin' folks and reading their tarot.  

Rabbit & Tim @ Megabounce

Pretty much everyone was in costume.  There was really no differentiation between the performers and audience, since the vibe was palpable and everybody was just getting freaky doing their own thing.   This couple threw together costumes at the last minute and saved ten bucks at the door.  They also win points for androgyny!    

Andrew the Narwhal @ Megabounce

There was also a petting zoo for furries.  In my opinion, Andrew's homemade Narwhal costume gets the blue ribbon first prize.

Strange and Fantastic Creatures @ Megabounce

"All the people who make a circus... turned loose on a thousand crazy heads"

Sara @ Megabounce

Even the furniture shines by the light of it's own spirit.

Wiggins @ Megabounce

I wish I had gotten a better picture of the communal painting Wiggins was helping with.  Communal paintings tend to get garbled up pretty quickly, but this one was really capturing a variety of styles without getting too discombobulated.  

Ocram & Sky @ Megabounce

There two clowns are awesome!  Not like that damn Barnum & Bailey clown that stole my snow-cone!  That guy was a dick, whereas these two were just super kind and stoked to get a tarot reading on the dance floor.    

Sabiah @ Megabounce

Sabiah invited me to become a fortune teller for the Big Top Vortex Family Circus of Light & Sound.  Should I accept?  It seems to be looming in the background, if I just step in....

* * *

Oriana, Ashkahn, & Jackson tending The Stargate

@ The Base of Metal Mountain

I ditched the circus around 2 a.m. & biked to party at the mysterious Metal Mountain.  I rode there expecting crunchy guitar solos but instead walked into a psychedelic love-in.  I went outside looking for a keg, but instead found Ashkahn and friends "tending the stargate".  

Jessica & Sharita @ Metal Mountain

Did someone say "psychedelic love in"?  

Doug & Simon @ Make-Out Central 

I'm pretty sure these guys said "psychedelic love-in" in between rambling off one-liners from the movie Hook and giving each other doughy-eyed kissy faces.

Maya @ Make-Out Central

There were little orgy forts constructed all over this house.  By the time I arrived, the sexploits had mostly been downgraded to make-out sessions, heavy petting, group spankings, and cuddle puddles.  I was lured into one of the abandoned love-labs by the possibility of smoking some groovy grass, but ended up reading tarot for Maya, while her guy-friend patiently waited for me to leave.  Maya told me that her mom is a fortuneteller in Boulder, CO and makes really good money doing tarot readings online.  So if I don't join the circus, I now have another career opportunity lined up as a neurocartomancer.  (That's a cyberpunk pun, sorry)  

Timmy G @ The Summit of Metal Moutain

We climb and we climb... oh how we climb... over the stars... to the top of Metal Mountain.  I'm pretty sure everybody in this room was watching the aurora borealis explode out of their own eyes and beam into space like television signals.  Aliens in distant galaxies will tune into these broadcasts on their space t.v's  and be mesmerized by Planet Earth's psychedelic love-ins.  That is the kind of cosmic power that is generated on the high incline of Metal Mountain at 3 in the morning.  Or was it 4 in the morning?  Daylight savings always confuses me.  

     

Live That Shit

Peter Jenkins & Aaron Shepherd

@ The Artistery

By the time you read this, The Artistery will be no more.  After ten years of raucous happenings and thousands of shows, this all-ages arts venue was finally shuttered up in March 2011, gone without a trace but for the ringing in our ears.  Much ink has been spilled on the loss of yet another esteemed venue here in Portland and the lack of venues catering to the teenage Saturday night in general.  Artistery founder, Peter Jenkins, however doesn't get too hung up on the void this closure brings: "It's not about where the kids are going to go," he insists, "It's about what the kids are going to do".  He hopes that the artists who cut their teeth there are inspired to pick up where The Artistery left off, creating new spaces to make art and experience live music.  Both Aaron and Peter were adamant that this space wasn't simply a place for shows and shows alone, but was a zone for people to gather and be creative together.  Hopefully that creativity leaves a mark on the future long after this place gets torn down".  It's a bittersweet moment for PDX right now; venues are closing, but the underground is thriving.  House shows rattle windows all around town; impromptu concerts spring up on the streets, warehouse parties keep us dancing all night long.  Venues come and go, but as long as the mode of the music changes as well, the walls of the city will shake.  Plug in and play it loud; live that shit.

     

Gadabout

Russ Bruner changing cards into ladies

@ Secret Society Lounge

Russ & his lovely assistants, Morgan & Karolina

Well, speak of the devil!  In my previous post [Ringmaster], I mentioned a notorious gadabout by the name of E Bruno Knickerbocker, a no-goodnik whose arrogance and greed has faltered troupes far greater than the Wanderlust Circus.  What I wouldn't give to give this rabble-rouser a piece of my mind!  Unfortunately, when I met Knickerbocker's civilian alter-ego, Russ Bruner, I was so taken in by his charisma, that I failed to see the maniacal menace he masked within.  While his aplomb and natural propensity with the ladies was similar to dirty old Knickerbocker, Russ lacked the kaiser moustache and evil glint in his eye to directly recall his stage persona.   He spoke more passionately of the lindy hop and his blog, Swing Time PDX, then his evil schemes.  It was only as I was preparing a writeup on Ringmaster William Batty that I made the connection that Bruner and Bruno were one and the same!  Curses!  I had the wool pulled over my eyes by a wolf in sheep's clothing.  Fool me once, Knickerbocker, shame on you... Fool me twice, shame on me.

   

Ringmaster

Noah Mickens (a.k.a. William Batty) @ The Crown Room

William Batty plays gatekeeper to the bizarre recesses of man's imagination.  He acts the fool with the precision and patience of a wayward saint.  As ringmaster of Portland's most irreverent post-modern carnival, the Wanderlust Circus, he must stage manage Portland's children of chaos; a hodge-podge of freaks, geeks , and weirdos whose spectacles would surely satisfy Rimbaud's longing for complete derangement of the senses.  Aside from whipping these assorted misfits into some facade of order, Mr. Batty must also lower himself to rubbing shoulders with the common man, befuddling the gentry into sacrificing their hard earned silver to fund his odd endeavors.  As P.T Barnum once remarked, "Every crowd has it's silver lining," but the barks and whistles of a roomful of backslappers can disorient even the most hardened master of ceremonies, much less the well-heeled William Batty.  As if such ballyhoo weren't enough, our host must also contend with the maniacal antics of his #1 worst best friendemy, E. Bruno Knickerbocker!  Oh, such travails!  Such treachery!  Be strong amidst these antics, Mr. Batty... be strong.  Should your knocking knees keep you from a good night's sleep, just repeat to yourself:  It's for the love of circus!  The thrill of the stage!  As Alexander led his elephants over the great, snowy Alps, you too shall lead your troupe over mountains of mayhem and conquer!  Onwards!  

LIGHTBAR

Mykle, the Creator @ Lightbar

LIGHTBAR is an Unidentified Freaky Object that can be spotted throughout PDX during the month of February.  Famous author, intrepid explorer, and U.F.O pilot, Mykle Hanson, describes the space-baby as "a Seasonal Affective Disorder treatment center and cocktail lounge".  It is a beacon for the strange; a Temporary Autonomous Zone that palpitates with absurdity and unexplainable phenomena.   People shine by their own auras, but the full-spectrum lighting certainly helps as well.  

This particular set of photos were taken on Pink Night; a Bizarro soiree, that featured eccentric performance, JapAnimation, Dada dance parties, smut, and PINK GALORE.  It was a very groovy time indeed,  so groovy in fact, that it transcends words.  Here is a collection of pictures to help set the scene:  

Serena & Doug:  Two young lovers

blasting off into the unknown

Wily Sirens         

Three Sarahs

Daniel Schaefer (and me in my fuzzy hat)

Kate, provocateur of self-love and good vibrations 

Farmer Jackie

This guy grabbed some cards, put them down 

his shirt, returned them, and danced away

This is a stickup!  

The hobo-clown took my camera out of my hands and pretended 

to know how to use it.  She did a better job than me! 

This is her self portrait.

Pro-Health

Lauren Hudgins @ Planned Parenthood (3727 MLK Blvd) 

"Abortions for some, miniature American flags for others!".  Sadly, this Simpson's quote is still relevant in 2011.   In February, the House of Representatives voted to discontinue funding for Planned Parenthood, mostly due to the contentious issue of using taxpayer dollars to fund an abortion provider.   This reactionary measure not only oversimplifies a complex and deeply personal issue, but misses the point of Planned Parenthood entirely.  Planned Parenthood provides abortions, yes, but they also provide resources to prevent unplanned pregnancy, as well as prevent the spread of sexually transmitted diseases and provide sexual education and support in general.  Cutting funding for Planned Parenthood will increase unwanted pregnancies, will increase the spread of STDs, and will ultimately increase abortions.     It is time for some politicians to stop pretending that abortions didn't exist before The Summer of Love and that sex doesn't exist at all.  We all make mistakes... sometimes that mistake is an unplanned pregnancy or unprotected sex.  Planned Parenthood is there to prevent these mistakes, but also provide support, prevention, and education that helps us make healthier and more responsible choices with our lives moving forward.  

Citizen journalist, Lauren Hudgins of Describe the Ruckus, was one of the hundreds of women and men that showed up outside Planned Parenthood on MLK to show support for the clinic.  The physical presence of supporters of different sexes, genders, income levels, even political affiliations (yes some Republicans do support Planned Parenthood!) was incredibly inspirational.  As this issue moves toward the Senate, please show support for sexual health and social responsibility.  Please stand with Planned Parenthood.  The less resources there are for health education and clinical treatment, the more everybody will suffer in the long run.  

Showgirls

Siren & Pistol @ The Embers

"Do I make you nervous?" Pistol asked me as she shuffled the tarot cards.  "Not at all," I replied half-truthfully.  In fact, she did make me a bit nervous, not so much because she was a drag queen, but because she was personally very hard to read.  She carried herself with an air of detachement and her expression was mute while I explained the symbology of each card.  Yet at times, she'd become a little giddy, perhaps even a bit flirtatious.  The interplay between Pistol's stoicism and glee, coupled with my own disoriented gender expectations surely amplified my usual awkwardness.  Nevertheless, I appreciated chatting with her and I was impressed by how feminine she came off despite her enigmatic nature and masculine physique.   

Pistol and Siren perform at The Embers on Wednesday night with Let Her Eat Cake.  You can also catch Pistol on Thursday nights with Adam Apple's Fruit Basket and Friday nights as part of Jersey-Jo's troupe Prime Time.  Siren hits the stage Saturdays with Krystal Lynn & Company. She describes their performances as "a standard drag show," elaborating that, "we dance around and lip sync to other people's songs.  Sometimes we get sassy and engage the crowd in witty banter".  It's quite the act; a steamy paradox that is surely liberating, but also somewhat lonely.  It's a dangerous world for a drag queen-- her world is a shadowy night club where everybody knows her name; sort of like Cheers, if Sam Malone and Cliff Clavin danced around in heels, singing "Like a Virgin".   

Practice Space

Scott Young @ New York Rifles Practice Space

Since just about everyone in Portland (except me) is in a band, it's fairly common to overhear musicians practicing in their homes.  For instance, there's this weathered old Victorian home on SE 37th Ave that I pass by whenever I'm ambling over to Fred Meyer to buy groceries.  It seems like every time I walk by this dilapidated two-story, the tenants are inside rocking the fuck out.  Cranked up guitars clamor at the peeling windows, screaming strung out melodies into the street, while drums and bass rattle the walls like the jackhammers that tore up CBGBs.  Every once in awhile, I'd stop for a second and listen, wondering who these rockers were and if I'd ever come across their band in the local listings.

One evening on my usual sojourn to the food farm, I walked by the house and it was eerily silent. The cellar door, however, was open and white light/white heat was leaking onto the asphalt.  Amps were piled up by the door, slightly obscured by the motorcycle parked in the driveway.  A shadowy figure was lugging gear out of the practice space.  I stopped for a second and thought about introducing myself, but hesitated and continued walking.  A few paces toward the store, I thought better of the whole situation and decided to man up and go for it.  I returned to the dungeon, knocked on the door, and shook hands with the vampire.  Scott was really busy loading up for a gig, his band New York Rifles, was playing at the Ash Street Saloon and he needed to get down there for soundcheck.  Nonetheless, he was rock star enough to get a quick tarot reading and pose in front of his lyrics for a photograph.