Drum Tao performed a spectacular show for their 30th Anniversary THE TAO Phantom Sound concert. "This Martial Art of Drumming is a Japanese Taiko drum and dance ensemble formed in 1993. This performing group combines music and dance to reflect Japanese tradition, but also incorporates Korean, Maori, and Indonesian influences." - Drum Tao ..read more

No Vacation made a stop on a warm spring day at Aladdin Theater in Portland for a sold-out show. A contrast from their last visit in February 2023 during a snowstorm. This was the second show of their spring tour, bringing Luna Li as support. Luna Li started the night, playing her familiar dreamy guitar rifts and sweet melodies. She is currently working on a new album and gave a couple of sneak peeks for the audience, introducing the flute, a new instrument to her lineup that she has only been playing since January. No Vacation took the stage playing Sad Valentine pretty much twice after the ..read more

The name Nuovo Testamento may sound like Christian music, but the only thing this trio worships is 80s dance nostalgia, and devotedly. One half Italian tradition and the other half sleek Los Angeles studio production; Nuovo is the paring of Italians Andrea Mantione & Giacomo Zatti and LA’s Chelsey Crowley (Terremoto / Crimson Scarlet). With all three of Nuovo's members coming from punk and goth rock scenes, they bring a new approach to the neo 80s sound that makes dark emotions and shadows a priority, when historically those elements aren't usually found in Hi-NRG music. Nuovo's most recen ..read more

Rhiannon Giddens made a stop in the Portland area to promote her latest album, You're the One. She played two sold-out shows at The Patricia Reser Center for the Arts in Beaverton, Oregon. She was joined by a band full of collaborators from throughout the years and supported by fellow North Carolinian, Charly Lowry. Charly walked out on the stage beating a hand drum with a mallet, and sang acapella for a couple of songs, capturing the crowd with Brown Skin Girl. The former American Idol contestant asked the crowd if she should sing Jolene or Crazy, the crowd cheered about equally for each and ..read more

“Hey, man. Do you think you could do 7:30?” read the text I received while riding the bus along SE Belmont at about 6:00 p.m. I was heading to a familiar place, Portland institution The Vern, to interview longtime Indie rockers, Novacane, who in true Rock band fashion had originally told me 7:00 p.m. was a good time to talk.  I wasn’t upset - this part of the job is technically par for the course. Getting each member of a busy Rock band together in one place is challenging enough. Getting them to all show up on time is a completely different battle. Normally, I get to an interview spot ab ..read more

As promised, with me in the Café at Artichoke Music is Jennifer Carrizo, Senior Talent Buyer for the Crystal Ballroom, the Mission Theater and the Spanish Ballroom in Tacoma, all  part of McMenamin’s wonderfully funky empire. It’s hard to believe we haven’t had many from the venue management side of de bizz eh nezz. But here we are. What does a talent buyer do? Senior or not. I’ll tell you this, the reason you can go out and hear music is because the talent buyer has made a deal which brought that band to you. Let’s meet Jennifer Carrizo.   Oregon Music News · JENNIFER CARRIZO: What ..read more

The new Xylyn Hathaway album Air & Darkness is a pianoless quintet outing featuring bassist Hathaway, with George Colligan on drums, James Powers on trombone, Quinn Walker on trumpet, and Wyck Malloy on tenor sax. The album ranges between “old school- free jazz”, once called the new thing, and leans into some hard bop later on in the program. Hatahawy opens with "The Air That Binds Us:", which like much of the album, evokes a strong Ornette Coleman vibe. After an opening statement with the three horns, Hathaway and Colligan engage in a duet with the bass running free, leading into the fir ..read more

I’m happy we’re back here in the café at Artichoke Music.. Next week, Jennifer Carrizo from McMenamin’s will be here to talk about what’s going on at the Mission Theater…the answer is a lot! But this week a new conversation from a couple of months ago (and I apologize for the delay) with one of our best singers and songwriters, Anandi. She has a lot to say about Jazz singing, especially the Latin variety. At the time we talked she had just released a new album called A Better Way. We’ll hear a track from it at the end of our conversation Please meet Anandi.   Oregon Music News · Anandi: O ..read more

We’ll be back at the Artichoke Music Café next time but this episode had to be recorded today, before a fund raiser to help complete a documentary on the life and death of one of Oregon’s favorite musicians, percussionist and multi-instrumentalist member of Pink Martini and Lions of Batucada among others; Derek Rieth who committed suicide in August of 2014. Today Director Joanie Fox will talk to us about Derek, the film and the fund raiser which is being held at Pink Martini World Headquarters in downtown Portland on Thursday, April 4, 5-30 to 7pm. Let’s welcome for the first time, Joanie Fox ..read more

We’re not at the Café at Artichoke Music this time. We’re in Seaside Oregon at the Seaside Jazz and Blues Festival on March 16rh for a very special occasion . We told composer/pianist Gordon Lee that we wanted to talk to him onstage about the set he was about to play and also his new album. In reality we were going to present to him the first annual award in the name of the late beloved drummer and teacher Carlton Jackson for Excellence in Musical Education and Musicianship. Gordon, a friend and long-time musical collaborator with Carlton did not know anything about it. We surprised him. It wa ..read more