That's So PDX

Hey PDX, What’s up?

It’s been a while, as we’ve been awaiting with anticipation, a That’s So PDX site redesign. Well you know what? It’s been too long. I’ve decided not to wait, as it’s taking longer than anticipated to get things just right, and I want to get this PDX action rolling again!

My inspiration to roll? A very good friend putting on a very good show as a benefit for Haiti. We can’t forget about Haiti, and the powerful earthquake that devastated millions there in January — the repairs needed are still painfully present, and immeasurable at this point. Restoration of the land and the people will take years, and we can help by continuing to donate to causes that send vital aid to Haiti. We need to keep re-focusing on efforts to benefit this region, and tonight is one chance to do so, while listening to “an Eclectic Afro-Carribean, Funk, Soul, and Live Electronica Music show.” Cool, huh?

The show, VooDoo Economix, the premier of a new First Friday monthly series at Report Lounge, is the brain child of now-local musician and producer, John-Henry Dale. Dale, originally making marks in the Washington, D.C. music scene with his former band, Aubergine 3 — recently featured on ABC’s Ugly Betty — just participated in the Third Annual Forward Festival. Check out John-Henry’s solo album, Ghosthousework (on iTunes now) which he produced and released in 2009, here in Portland.

The series of musicians tonight, will feature:

John-Henry – Live
Tah Rei – Live
DJ Sesqui – Opener DJ set
&
the 486 kid – Live

VooDoo Economix, also sponsored by Portland’s LooptWorks, is donating all Proceeds from the Art Auction and 20% of the door charge to benefit HAITI via SOIL. “Sustainable Organic Integrated Livelihoods (SOIL) is a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting soil resources, empowering communities and transforming wastes into resources in Haiti.”

Please come tonight and show your support for some wonderful local musicians, and help out HAITI! Oh — and if you’re an artist and want to donate a piece for tonight’s auction, they are still accepting donations!

Contact Stew at 503-740-3573 OR @ reportpdx@gmail.com.

VooDoo Economix
Report Lounge
1101 E. Burnside
PDX, OR
4.2.2010 7p-close

Hello PDX,

You have probably noticed that there haven’t been any updates on That’s So PDX for a while. That’s partly because I have been busy working on two writing internships, one for Oregon Music News and one for BikePortland. The other reason is that on Thursday, along with the web wizardry of my New Media expert-friend David Galiel, I will begin the process of making this site much more advanced. Soon, we will do a re-launch, with an honest advertising effort. The aim is to make this blog well-known and well-read in the PDX area. Once the new and improved site is launched, you can expect posts every day, including some from other contributing writers around town. (If you want to write here, sling me a pitch).

So, stay tuned, and thanks for reading thus far… it’s about to get a lot more PDXey in here…

Ciao for now,

Alaya

The Report Lounge, on E. 11th and Burnside is worth writing about, namely because it dances to its own beat. A cool venue with a main floor, and a loft above the bar and overlooking the stage, this joint was designed with clean, elegant lines and a modern dark color palate, with dim lighting, making it immediately welcoming. But what is the vibe of Report Lounge? Well, not all posh, like the architecture and interior design might suggest.

A friend and I were trying to pin point the vibe of Report, and finally came up with Skaters on Scotch. It’s owned/run by a group of young-ish skater dudes, who’s personalities are laid back, friendly, and open. They want to know your name, they play you lots of punk rock and hip hop as they hook up your drink, and enjoy when you dance to their live music (which needs to happen more, PDX). They sling their fair share of PBRs, but also mix artful cocktails made with fresh, local ingredients. The rooms in Report are ambient, and slightly romantic in that urban California night club way, but no body’s  going to be a snob. Oh, and the building is LEED certified; reason enough to visit. The way I see it, the bottom of the venue is the Report — the place to see and being seen, and the loft is the lounge — full of couches to cozy up on and “chillax”.

It’s a refreshing mixture of worlds; one that makes you scratch your head, and smile. Skaters on Scotch: They’re true to their street roots, but they like fine things, and they aren’t apologizing. Who fits in to this vibe? Pretty much anyone, so long as you aren’t attached to an experience. The crowd that happens here is different every time, and that, deejay or not, is entertaining.

The one thing that could get better? The exposure and acceptance of the space. It seems the crowd is a hit or miss at Report. With Tuesdays housing $2 pints and live music, they should be busier. Especially considering the neighborhood it lies within, with primarily young folks and many other attractions close by. It’s a great place to meet friends, and see live music, often times for free, and even catch the occasional appearance of one of PDX’s cultishly followed food carts outside.

Perhaps its the lax vibe that prevents it from getting to the next level? A little promotion, and an accurately updated website (which looks cool, by the way) would do wonders. It’s the right location to pack the floor, it’s just too bad, especially for the musicians, that doesn’t always happen. So, let’s fix that!

Check it out PDX: Report Lounge, aka Skaters on Scotch, Tues. – Sat., 4pm till 2am. For the updated events calendar, see the Portland Mercury here.

Junk to Funk, a recycled fashion show hosted at the Crystal Ballroom, has to be one of the coolest things PDX does annually. Since 2006, the show has combined things truly essential to PDX’s identity: fashion,  sustainability, art and music. This year’s show, which took place on Saturday November 14th, and included a performance by the Junquestra, a funk band whose instruments were made entirely out of re-purposed materials, which was utterly impressive.

Hosted by Mayor Sam Adams and the Portland Mercury’s Marjorie (Majorly) Skinner, which was entertaining in its own right for the funny yet slightly awkward stand up banter and inclusion of myriad trash monster characters, Junk to Funk was an amalgam of creativity, entertainment, and gutsy examples of sustainable living.

This annual “Trashion” show, the genius of Creator/Director Lindsey Newkirk and her sustainable production company, Elysium Events, in collaboration with SCRAP (the School and Community Reuse Action Project) features couture designs made by local designers, using trash, recycled or re-purposed materials. Ladies and gentlemen, turn off your leaf blowers and listen: these designs were mind-blowing! It was like Project Runway, only greener. There were designs worthy of a runway in New York, and it’s almost guaranteed that some of these designers will be well sought after to create next season’s sustainable wedding gowns. Beyond great exposure for local designers, with judges from the fashion industry present, this “Trashion” show will continue to catapult green design into the mainstream. What better place to do so than PDX?

With a live big-band of funky (read: uber talented and spirited) musicians as the backdrop, this runway show was non-traditional, showcasing models of different shapes and statures strutting with a special, springy style. The beats of the J2F band and Junquestra were so inspiring, how could they not dance down the runway? Besides, how each model worked the runway added to each design’s reception, charm, and attitude.

Aside from the shear fun-factor radiating from the participants, Junk to Funk was a well produced and educational show that aimed to bring forward the awareness of recycling, re-use, and re-thinking an old paradigm of the meaning of trash. It was inspiring to see so many people of PDX come together and put on a truly unified show that represents so much of who we are as a city.

Be sure to keep up with Junk to Funk and the Junquestra (they do events!) through their websites, and don’t miss out on next-year’s show. Remember, it’s all ages, so bring your aspiring green designer kids, too!

Click to find out about volunteering and check the Junk to Funk website later or contact them now to learn about submitting a design to the 2010  show.

Click here to read the blog of one of this year’s local designers, Brady Lange.

This is one of the coolest PDX activities, long time standing Write Around Portland workshops. The PDX literary community is so very much alive; it’s part of why I love it here so much! The greatest thing? There’s something for everyone; truly. It’s an empowering thing.

“Through a unique model of writing workshops, published anthologies and public readings, Write Around Portland helps people transform their lives and our community.” Visit their website or follow them on twitter: @writearoundpdx

PDX has an active German American Society, check out their Events Calendar or follow them on twitter: @GermanSocPDX

Dear PDX:

Happy Halloween. You’ve already been celebrating for at least the last 24 hours, and I know you won’t disappoint throughout the day and into the wee hours of the morning tomorrow.

A friend of mine from the East coast commented that Portland is freakishly devoted to Halloween. And by that he meant Big People Halloween (read: these tricks are not for kids). Well, it’s true. I’m not sure if that’s because, well, we’re freaks here in PDX, or if it’s a not-so-subtle reflection our uber creative and innovative populous (thank you, very much).

The costumes you will showcase, dear PDX, will range from your souped up werewolves and goblins, to big-headed politicians and crustaceans. There will be school girls, food items, as well as home made radios and robots. Of course PDX will spit out its fair share of glitter, and glow sticks, and dare I mention strumpets? Yes, you heard that right. If you don’t believe it, just show up on W. Burnside and 13th and witness the ongoing parade of half-to-completely naked S&Mers, naughty nurses, and domineering professors heading up to the Crystal Ballroom. That’s right, it’s the Erotic Ball, McMenamin’s most outrageous Halloween celebration (they have something at all of their locations) sponsored by KINK & Scarlett Marketing. If you don’t want to pay the fee to get in (or if what you might find inside scares you a little) you can sit downstairs in Ringlers and watch. For hours. And, aside from your occasional drink, it’s free high-caliber entertainment.

Pretty much any establishment in PDX will be celebrating Halloween, so really all you have to do is find a bar, restaurant, music venue, grocery store or Victorian house near you, and you can get your view-on. If you are feeling uninspired, check out PDX Pipeline’s list of places to celebrate. Don’t forget to dress up yourself, or you risk getting harassed all night. There’s something about a costume that makes the average citizen much less guarded, and part of being freakish about Halloween is that we take ourselves, and our homemade costumes a little bit seriously — don’t think we won’t act out the part.

Be safe, PDX, and stay scary.

Here’s the group’s description from facebook:

“We’re creating a platform for cultural exchange between the cities of Portland, Oregon and Brooklyn, New York. We see this DIY cultural sister city initiative as amplifying an existing web of connections and projects, building on the shared DNA of the two communities with their strong neighborhoods, vibrant food cultures, thriving art-making and music communities, and forward-thinking arts and educational institutions.”

If you are inspired by PDX for its art, music, neighborhoods & communities, food, etc., consider joining; we have a lot to learn and share — what a cool project, bringing people and creativity together.

Join the group on facebook.

Any good native PDXer and certainly many of you who move here, over time, will develop a healthy obsession with the Blazers. Every 7 or 8 years, maybe even 10, the Blazers are amazing. When this happens it brings our community together. Grumpy early morning bus commuters may actually take out their ipods and — talk to each other — I know, crazy. When the Blazers are good, the city feels electric; we are happier, and more united. (If only health care reform could do the same). Portland does have a lot of pride, no matter what the subject, and there is definitely no shortage of pride, and celebration, when the Blazers are on fire. It’s really fun!

When the Blazers are bunch of fumbling, fickle hearted thugs, and therefore end up sucking on the court, you hear merciless talk about the Fail Blazers, however.  It becomes a city-wide mockery, and those who fiercely defended the Blazers before might try to dis them as hard as possible in social settings. Oh PDX, why so posturing? Cause you’re PDX, that’s why.

But, this year, our young-ish team is better groomed, more relaxed into itself than last year, and looking promising. Hell: Oden is in shape! Way to go, you giant human. Please, go easy on the fouling, and may your cut up physic help you stay out of the hospital.

Our first game, at home, was last night (10/27/09) against the Rockets, and was fairly low scoring, partially due to our team’s 26 turnovers (I know, jeez!) but we still pulled out a win, 96-87. Go Blazers! Looking forward to a tight season, and feeling the buzz. Portland could use a pick me up.

Click here for a complete schedule of games.