Episode 039: Brent Bell of PDX Pop Now!
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My wife's family lives in and around Portland, Oregon, so at least a couple of times a year we head west from Boston to visit. The last few times I've picked up copies of the PDX Pop Now! two-disc CD compilations that have been released since 2004. Portland, or PDX as the city has been come to be known due to its airport's truncated ID, has long had a healthy music scene, but the compilations showed how diverse and robust the city's musical offerings had gotten. Each year PDX Pop Now! also puts on a 3-day, all-ages, free festival in Portland, usually in late July/early August (this year's dates are August 3-5, 2007) which brings together many of the artists featured on the CDs in a live setting that is nearly impossible to resist.
To quote their mission statement: "PDX Pop Now! is dedicated to stimulating and expanding participation in Portland music. As an all-volunteer organization committed to being accessible, current, and local, we provide and support live performances and recorded materials. We aspire to advance a sustainable community which values inclusivity and a high caliber of artistry to enable a creative dialog between artist and audience."
From a musical perspective, Portland's often been the step-child to Seattle, being overshadowed by its musical trends over the years, even though the two scenes have also often fostered each other. Lots of big touring artists skip playing Portland altogether when they cross the US, but maybe ultimately that's a good thing. The music scene has gone through many changes over the years (and you can read up more on the history of music in Portland and Oregon on wikipedia), but recent times have made it a varied and robust city of musical offerings. Portland's music doesn't feel or sound much like a scene that will suddenly explode with major labels trolling the city's clubs for the next big thing as much as simply a city with all the right economic and lifestyle ingredients that it needs to foster and sustain a healthy music culture for the long-haul.
In addition to the up-and-coming artists featured on and at PDX Pop Now!, a number of Portland-based artists who have gone on to national or international success have also contributed songs and played live over the previous four years, including The Decemberists, The Helio Sequence, Kristen Hersh, Lifesavas, Menomena, Mirah, The Shins, Sleater-Kinney, Talkdemonic, The Thermals, M. Ward, and others.
Beyond the great music, what interested me most about PDX Pop Now! is that the organization is volunteer-run, which by its nature changes the reasons for such a festival and compilation and is quite a different setting than a CMJ or SXSW festival. They also confess to wanting to keep it local, so I thought I'd include this show not so much because they want PDX Pop Now! to become a destination festival, but to sample the great musical acts on the compilation CDs and to provide some ideas and background for music fans in other parts of the world who might want to create their own local music event in the spirit of what PDX Pop Now! is doing.
In 2006, PDX Pop Now! also released a DVD featuring live performances from 2005's festival, all of which you can now watch on YouTube. And, although this show focuses on the artists on the 2007 compilation, I can guarantee that if you like what you hear, you’ll also enjoy the compilations from 2004, 2005, and 2006, all of which are available via CD Baby for $7 each. This year's disc is also available all around Portland or from CD Baby as well.
This year, the PDX Pop Now! festival takes place August 3-5, 2007 with shows being held at AudioCinema in the SE warehouse district. More schedule info available at their site, natch.
For those of you in Portland, PDX Pop Now! will be presenting a free, late afternoon concert on Wednesday, July 25th on the steps of Portland City Hall with music with art-punk Americana deconstructionists Old Time Relijun, improvisational trio The Watery Graves and an additional act to be announced.
I met with Brent Bell of PDX Pop Now! in December 2006 to discuss:
* what their initial goals were with the festival and how they've changed
* how they work with volunteers, bands, local music fans, and the city to organize the event
* some suggestions for other music fans who might be thinking of putting on their own event or CD compilation in their corner of the world.
Songs featured in the interview from the 2007 compilation (all with their permission) include:
1) Syndel - Let Me Hear it
2) Yacht – See a Penny (Pick it Up)
3) Hungry Mob – To The People
4) The Hugs - North
5) Evolutionary Jass Band - Phyllis' Frindge
6) The World Court - Maps
7) Laura Gibson – Come By Storm
8) Panther – How Well Can You Swim?
9) Mirah And Spectratone International - Community
10) The Better to See You With - Garden
11) Ethan Rose – Ceiling Song 3 (Excerpt)
12) Nice Boys – Johnny Guitar
13) Black Elk – Toss You to the Wolves
14) Run on Sentence – Carrie Part II
15) Swim Swam Swum – Without Your French
16) The Robot Ate Me - Empty Feelings
17) Menomena - Wet and Rustling
18) The Shaky Hands - Soul
