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As we stare down the barrel of another cuckoo lulu bananas week—politically, economically, environmentally, etc.—let us stop a moment to talk stalk in what’s really important. Community, music, water, strip clubs, Taste Tickler, love, cats (both domesticated and wild), therapy, health, music, access to nature, Trail Blazers, and bike lanes. All of which Portland has in spades, if you want it.
Far be it from me to dictate what’s nourishing for anyone else but myself (sometimes that’s even a dubious endeavor), but Portland has the potential to hold a lot for a lot of people. Stay active in your communities, use your local libraries, share ideas with friends and (especially) strangers, do the work within yourself and around you. Arm yourself in the ways you think you’ll need moving forward. As the incomparable Nina Simone said playing her unbelievably powerful protest song “Mississippi Goddam,” “If you have been moved at all / And you know my songs at all / For godsakes join me / Don’t sit back there / The time is too late now… I ain’t ’bout to be non-violent, honey.”
Thursday, February 12
Bryson Wallace presents The Love Below
For fans of Fugees, De La Soul, Erykah Badu
When a friend came over the other day and saw I had Speakerboxxx/The Love Below on my turntable, without even a second of hesitation, she emphatically stated, “This has to be one of the top 10 albums of all time.” Longtime Portland music champion and KMHD Jazz Radio host Bryson Wallace feels the same and is presenting The Love Below, André 3000’s half of the album, at Mono Space. The listening sessions at Mono Space consist of a presenter, an album of their choosing, and reflections on the album before and after listening through. Though it might not make sense to those only familiar with “Hey Ya!” and “Roses,” but The Love Below is one of pop music’s most expansive records ever. André pulls from jazz, doo-wop, jungle, gospel, R&B, and more. It’s a near-perfect album, featuring the near-perfect track “Happy Valentine’s Day”—just in time for the big day. (Mono Space, 7 pm, more info here, all ages)
Friday, February 13
Nonbinary Girlfriend / Myriads / Femme Cell
For fans of PJ Harvey, Mon Frere, Pretty Girls Make Graves
You know when you just know about a band? Their world-building reaches somewhere inside you, pulling out a lifetime of emotions you forgot you had. James, Eric, and Pete, the trio comprising Portland’s Nonbinary Girlfriend, do just that on their new album IM NOT PRETTY. Almost as if reading from James’ diary, the songs potently dispel feelings of isolation, replacing them with enlightened understandings of self and community. There couldn’t be a more appropriate setting to celebrate the release of IM NOT PRETTY than a show at Coffin Club on Friday the 13th. Joining the NBGF party are Myriads and Femme Cell who both put out excellent albums last year. Femme Cell’s Who Wants This Unbreakable Bond is the best-named album I’ve seen in a long time. If you can’t make the medieval Friday the 13th show (or need to see them twice in one weekend), Nonbinary Girlfriend are having an all ages album release at Misplaced Screen Printing on February 15 with Aqua Celestia and Death Parade. (Coffin Club, 8:30 pm, more info here, 21+)
The Off Beat Grand Opening
For fans of Tribe 8, Noname, Jousting
Andre Middleton and the growing community around the Friends of Noise nonprofit have finally done it—after having the keys to the old Dancin’ Bare strip club space in Kenton for almost a year, The Off Beat venue is officially opening its doors! The shows at TOB will always be all ages, continuing FoN’s mission of youth education through experience. Opening night features a mixed bill with queer punk royalty Team Dresch, the beat-heavy duo Brown Calculus, noisy shoegazers Spiderling, and the young grunge rockers Adnauseum. This opening represents a new, beautifully accessible mountain in Portland’s music topography. Let’s hike the summit together! (The Off Beat, 7 pm, more info here, all ages)
Monday, February 16
Right in the Eye: Live Concert of Georges Méliès’ Films
For fans of moon landing, peacock ladies, headless magicians
It’s insane and insanely cool that, before the advent of the sound in cinema and overdubbing, every theater house in the world had a small live band—or at least a piano player—live-scoring the screened silent films. Champions of the form, Clinton Street Theater has hosted a handful of live-scored silent films the last couple years to enchanting effect. For this extra special performance, French composer Jean-François Alcoléa sets his trio to scoring the short films of their countryman Georges Méliès. You know, the guy who was obsessed with moons and creepy faces. Between the three of them, Alcoléa’s trio play over 50 instruments to score the short films to dramatic effect… Show offs. (Clinton Street Theater, 7 pm, more info here, all ages)
Tuesday, February 17
Ghost
For fans of Gwar, Slipknot, Chappell Roan
The anthemic opera-metal of Sweden’s Ghost isn’t actually my thing at all. I’ve never locked in with fret gymnastics or the blown out production of this particular corner of metal, no. But what I do deeply fuck with is a spectacle and Ghost do be on that tip like no on else. They put on a show, and real Ghosties—this is what we are now calling the Ghost hive—throw looks almost as devastating as my Juggalx’s out there (nonbinary fans of hip-hop innovators Insane Clown Posse). If you’re in need of an excuse to trot out your best corpse paint, this in the gathering for you. (Moda Center, 8 pm, more info here, all ages)
Also very worth it…
Zyanna at Keys Lounge – Feb 12, more info here
Helado Negro DJ set at Speck’s Records & Tapes – Feb 12, more info here
Nate Lumbard / Time & The Bell / Felix Hatfield / Larry Yes / Rachel Blumberg at Laurelthirst Pub – Feb 12, more info here
Shop Regulars / Syko Friend / Anastasia Coope / Sprogg at Wyrd Hut – Feb 12, more info here
Altar Girl / Vueltas / Shadowlands at Coffin Club – Feb 12, more info here
Sudan Archives / Cain Culto at Revolution Hall – Feb 13, more info here
DJ Having Sex / Francis Mxs / Tourmaline at Process – Feb 13, more info here
Ryosuke Kiyasu / Depleted UR / Strange Bedfellows at Wyrd Hut – Feb 13, more info here
It’s You! It’s Me! And There’s Dancing! / Red Pine / Hound / Screenshot / For you, Always For You at High Limit Room – Feb 13, more info here
Schaus / Lily Breshears / Surgery Season at Turn! Turn! Turn! – Feb 13, more info here
Lo Pony / Layperson / Adrianne Daley at Mississippi Studios – Feb 13, more info here
Zyanna at The Downbeat – Feb 14, more info here
Larry Beckett at Kenton Club – Feb 14, more info here
Beer / Cherry Cheeks / The Gobs / Carny Cum at Swan Dive – Feb 15, more info here
Joshua Burnside at Showdown Saloon – Feb 15, more info here
The Pains of Being Pure At Heart / Living Hour at Showdown Saloon – Feb 17, more info here
New Music Portland:
A couple weeks ago, the As Above nugazers put out a shoegaze anthem with “Upside Down” for which there is now a music video. Hanger ring toss, table toppling, air (bass) guitar, and pie-ing all in a garage, taken in one single shot. Go tell them you love them and that they should get an album going.
Hyper-pop experimentalist athing just released a sweet little EP called agirl. Within its four songs are worlds built on the backs of giants like Sophie and Arca—easy to get lost in, hard to forget.
Ambiance unfolds on Melt In Your Hands, the latest full length by Ayla Loon. It drips and drops like the melting of winter into spring, Loon’s release timing is perfection.
I was just introduced to Bocha recently and am obsessed. Clearly I’m not as locked in to Portland’s rap and hip-hop scenes as I’d like to be, but Bocha is our city’s best export in the genre. Teamed with GotDamnitDupri‘s production, Bocha released Red Grapes: Volume 1 late last year. Got willing we’ll have Volume 2 soon. Peep the only music video in history to rep Gresham below.
Mercury writer Jesse Carsten—AKA Half Shadow—just released their dreamy new 5 New Songs of Half Shadow EP, complete with a hallucinatory music video for their “Fruit” single. It’s a truth trip, baby.
Portland-based record label (and RVNG Intl. affiliate) Freedom To Spend produce some of the planets best archive and repress releases every year. 2026 is no exception, starting the year strong with Jack Spence‘s Bamboo Sun, a synth masterpiece suitable for doing dishes, making out, and deep listening. Maybe all three at the same time even.
How does Philip Glass end up in New Music Portland? Well, the fine folks at Portland’s Third Angle New Music staged a rare performance of the composer’s 1988 sci-fi epic 1000 Airplanes on the Roof in a McMinnville airplane hangar in 2023. Since then, Third Angle has recorded 1000 Airplanes in its entirety—the first time ever—and is pressing it to vinyl on Glass’ own Orange Mountain Music record label. Keep a good eye on the Mercury for a forthcoming review of the album.
Announced via an Instagram post last week, Gabriel Saloman—one half of Portland’s most prolific and engaging noise outfit, Yellow Swans—has stage four lung cancer. A GoFundMe has been launched in support of Saloman’s treatments and care. Since mid-2024, Yellow Swans have put out four EPs in a series called Out of Practice, the most recent volume having also dropped last week.
Portland Music News:
Speaking of GoFundMe‘s, the Black-led club space Barn Radio has launched a GFM in support of keeping their doors open. The small club in Old Town is instrumental in bringing DJs and artists from all over the world to Portland, and is one of the several organizations putting Portland on club and rave maps.
RIP to one of the realest: Division’s Landmark Saloon is serving its last call Friday, February 13. Scoot on down to enjoy a last couple nights to see the last artists to grace their stage and wish everyone the best. Full story here.
It’s bummer when trying to hold organizations to account and they not only ignore you, but they also stifle the voices of those criticizing them, especially when the org claims to be community oriented. Last week on their Instagram, Pickathon posted a video of a Times Square Amazon Music advertisement featuring a Pick26 artist. When I, along with at least one other Mercury employee, commented our distain for Pickathon’s alignment with and amplifying of Amazon, had our comments removed. Then Pickathon disabled comments for the post all together. BUMMER. Remember to vote with your dollar between voting at the ballot box. FUCK AMAZON.
Big news, Portland’s got a new music festival and conference, and it’s right around the corner. Soundscape Northwest feels like a response to the absence of Music Fest Northwest, or anything akin to South By Southwest’s format. SSNW’s inaugural outing launches April 27 to May 2 in the densely-venued Central Eastside. The year-one lineup includes Jimetta Rose & The Voices of Creation, Shabazz Palaces, Facs, The Cosmic Tones Research Trio, Y La Bamba, and more. Check out our full festival announce here.
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Nolan Parker
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