Rock Out to Portland's Best Bands

PDX Pop Now!, a DIY grass roots music festival, returns to Portland for its 7th consecutive year. The event is dedicated to celebrating, promoting and enhancing Portland's local music community. The festival is free and all-ages, running 3 days (July 30 - August 1) and hosting 50 of Portland's premiere bands.

The event will take place at Rotture on SE 3rd Ave. Music will start after 6pm on Friday night and after 12pm on Saturday and Sunday. You can find a schedule of bands here.

Every band that plays PDX Pop Now! must be at least 50% from Portland, OR. In the spring, fans are encouraged to nominate their favorite bands. The nominations are then reviewed by a committee of volunteers, led by the Booking Coordinator. Because Portland is home to almost all of the musicians performing at PDX Pop Now! the event is a homecoming of sorts; many have attended previous years as fans and will now perform. Playing at the festival is held in high regard.

PDX Pop Now! is a non-profit organization and the entire event is organized and run by volunteers who are passionate about connecting the music community to the public. This includes bringing music back into Portland's schools. All of the bands and musicians who perform are also donating their time and talent! To learn more about PDX Pop Now! and make a donation, click here.

Carson Ellis provided graphic design for PDX Pop Now! 2010 - the graphic above is her handiwork!

Portland Celebrates Her Bridges

St. Johns, Hawthorne, Morrison, Burnside - Portland's bridges are the heart of transportation and industrial art in the Rose City. This Friday, July 23, the PDX Bridge Festival will kick off 2 weeks of art, music and culture celebrating Portland's bridges.

The opening event will showcase 2-D and 3-D art from over 50 different Portland artists as well as dance performances by teen dance troupe the Amazin' Jerks and the bellydance fusion troupe Deviant Dance Company. 

The Amazin' Jerkz from Aaron Wong on Vimeo.

Don't miss Wanderlust Circus's special production "Battle for the Bridge" or Bridgetown Revue Trio's acrobalance and vaudeville performances. Danny Corn - who was amazing at Emrg+n+see last weekend - will be spinning records all night from the Scion DJ Booth Car!

Mayor Sam Adams will be opening the festival with his thoughts on the importance of art and culture in Portland. He'll be sharing his vision for art and culture in Portland and how the PDX Bridge Festival is a part of that plan.

The event is free and all ages are welcome!

Where: Olympic Mills Commerce Center, 107 SE Washington Street

When: Saturday, July 23, 6 P.M. - 11 P.M.

For more information on events throughout the festival you can search on the PDX Bridge Festival Site here - from storytelling to bicycle tours to film series, so much has gone into this event! The 2 week celebration will culminate on Saturday, August 7 with brunch on the Hawthorne Bridge. They are shutting down the bridge, setting up tables and food carts and turning the bridge into a public green space. Tickets for the event run $40 and can be purchased through Box Office Tickets.

I must say that I am feeling a lot of bridge appreciation now that my main route to work (the Broadway Bridge) has been closed until September! I now ride my bicycle across the Steel Bridge a few times a week and soak in yet another magnificent view of Portland and the Willamette. 

Which is your favorite Portland bridge? 

Which bridge do you traverse the most?

Celebrate Tour de France in Style

What better way to enjoy the Tour de France than sampling French cuisine while watching all the action on a big screen TV? La Musette  is an excuse to celebrate delicious food and cycling-as-sport at once. They'll be serving multi-course meals inspired by the regions along this year’s tour, Friday, July 23 to Sunday, July 25 at $85 a ticket. The dinner will be held at Grochau Cellars in N.W. Portland.

The event post on Travel Oregon suggests going for a good, hard ride before dinner, and also dressing appropriately for a cool evening. So, does that mean we should arrive looking like MC SpandeX? After all, if we want to be considered serious cyclists (and not hipsters), it’s spandex all the way.

Speaking of wearing spandex to dinner, consider traveling down to Eola Hills Wine Cellar near Salem for their Bike Oregon Wine Country Sunday rides. After a 45 to 70 mile ride through countryside and vineyards, cyclists dig into a BBQ, with of course, a glass of wine. Cost is $65 per rider.

After watching the Tour de France, be sure to watch Commuter Dreams, a short film by a Portland cardiologist. According to the Oregonian, this film will be shown at the Canadian film festival, Bike Shorts. It portrays one cyclist's Tour de France daydream that I'm sure many people can relate to. Personally, my cycling daydreams run more along the line of a cycling version of Speed Racer.

@jennyfurniss

Deschutes Loves Homebrewers

Deschutes Brewery has been an avid supporter of homebrewers for years, and would never do anything to jeopardize their rights. In fact, we were planning an event to celebrate homebrewing during which our brewers would brew on a home system at our pub and homebrewers would bring their beer to our pub to be discussed, tasted and critiqued. We contacted the OLCC to ensure we were not violating any regulations. Now it seems that the OLCC has resurrected a dormant law regarding homebrewers, much to the dismay of the brewing community, including Deschutes Brewery. We have always felt that passion for craft beer starts at home and we support homebrewers all across the United States. We are always happy to fulfill homebrewer requests for clone recipes, hops and raffle items for homebrew competitions. We also sponsor the Porter category at the American Homebrewers Association’s National Homebrew Competition each year.

Gary Fish, president and founder of Deschutes Brewery, said:

“The real story is that Deschutes Brewery contacted the OLCC to ensure that a homebrewers forum we were planning during American Craft Beer Week was legal. Given the rules we are bound to as licensee of the OLCC and as a responsible member of the brewing community, we always want to make sure that we understand the intricacies of the OLCC’s regulations. After a three-minute conversation with an OLCC representative, we were told that the agency would call us back with further information. This never happened, and the planned event was dropped as a result.

“The bottom line is that we were attempting to create an event celebrating homebrewing, and our roots in this culture. We were never contacted by any media outlets to clarify this story and the reasons for our inquiry. We hope that these OLCC laws will change in the near future, as recent coverage has suggested, and that homebrewers can continue to share their creations with the world.”

Deschutes Brewery strongly believes in the value and importance of homebrewing, and will continue to support homebrewers whole-heartedly in the future.

Best Practices for Oregon Farmers Markets

Doesn’t it seem strange that a basic concept like farmers selling their vegetables in an open-air market seems so special in today’s society? That is, after fifty years of consuming prepackaged, dyed orange food, literally created for men floating in space. O brave new world.

Lucky for us, Oregon is a state that has always lived close to its food, its farmers and orchards, so the farmers market is now common not just in green-savvy Portland, but all over the state. Last week, Moira shared a lovely post about her experience at the Portland Farmers Market at PSU. Every town seems to arrange their farmers market a bit differently, and there are plenty of good ideas to go around.

Fresh food is not just for the rich. That’s why many farmers markets accepts EBT cards (aka food stamps). Shoppers can turn their benefits into wooden chips to use in the market. Oregon's obesity rate among children may have declined, but kids from low-income families are still more than twice as likely to be overweight as those from wealthy families, so providing access to fresh fruit and veg regardless of your income bracket is crucial.

Gourmet vs. Bargain Counter? Speaking of prices, these can vary greatly between the markets. On one hand, it’s fun to sample gourmet chocolate cookies or buy ameraucanas eggs at PSU's Farmers Market. But on the other hand, how can you beat a large bag of red lettuce for $1 or a loaf of homemade English muffin bread for two bucks? These are the prices I saw recently at the farmers market in Pendleton, which prompted me to fill my bag with more veggies and baked goods than I planned on buying. Gourmet can be fun, but I’d rather find reasonable prices any day.

Another mug of mulled wine, please! This might make me sound like a snob, but there’s one memorable item European markets have that U.S. markets don’t: hot mulled wine. Oregon might be known as beervana, but I’d rather have a mug of hot mulled wine on a crisp fall. I’ve never found mulled wine in a U.S. market and I think we should bring this European tradition stateside. Who’s with me?

Read more »

Oregon's Art & Music Campout: Emrg+n+see Music Festival

Dappled sunlight warms your skin as it filters through moss covered trees. Off in the distance you hear bass, heavy bass. You wander among a temporary city of tents, campers and shade structures. You pass a large nest woven of branches, sticks, stones and moss, massive statues and glass jellyfish hanging from trees as you make your way to toward the beat. The path opens up and a 50 foot geodesic dome comes into view filled with colorful, smiling people dancing. You have arrived at Emrg+N+See 2010.

For the 7th year in a row, thousands of people from all over the the world will converge on a pristine farm, 5 miles off I-5, east of Salem, OR to be part of Oregon's premier electronic music festival. But while Emrg+N+See touts an amazing musical line-up, the event is much more than just a concert. The camping festival has a variety of workshops from learning how to dance to metaphysical discussion as well as puppet shows, art installations and clothing/goods vendors.

Music you don't want to miss:

With headliners like Mala (UK Dubstep), Sean Hayes (indie folk) and Free the Robots (jazz/electronic/hip-hop) you won't want for good music in the late hours, but don't forget to check out the lesser known artists and support your local music makers.

*Emancipator - a Portland music producer, will surprise you with his thickly layered emotional melodies and live guitar and violin accompaniments

*March Forth Marching Band - "March Forth is a date, a command and a band. Imagine Duke Ellington meets Sgt. Pepper in an international big-top Fantasia!" One of Portland's favorites, dynamic and full of charisma, their music will get you on your feet dancing AND wandering around the festivals grounds in the middle of the night.

Highlighted workshop:

Hoop Fusion with GroovinMeGzz

World recognized hoop dancer, GroovinMeGzz will start you off with some hoop yoga stretches and then flow through into some basic hoop dance moves. Workshop is for all levels of hoopers and hoops will be provided.

Art Installations to watch for:

Alter to Water - As a way to honor the earth and the water that sustains life as well as acknowledge the critical state of our water supply, a water alter will be created up at the pond. Those who wish to participate can bring a jar of water from whatever source they choose and place it on the alter. The water jars will be on display the entire weekend for participants to meditate on and be reminded of the dire situation our oceans, rivers and lakes are in. On Sunday everyone is invited to gather together in a ritual to energize the jars.

Special happenings:

Each year there is an opening ceremony at the main stage area on Friday afternoon. It is a ritual that honors the land, gives gratitude to the cosmos and sets the intention for the entire festival. A powerful way to start your weekend adventure!

Everyone at Emrg+N+See is a participant; the energy and vibe of those who choose to take part in the event are what brings the experience to life! This will be my 3rd Emrg+N+See as both participant and volunteer and I can tell you it takes some serious magic to make this event go off!

July 16, 17, 18 and 19

Box office opens Friday, July 16 @ 12 p.m. sharp

Festival Tickets/Passes (camping included) - presale $140, $160 at the door

See you on the dance floor!



Emrg+N+See Love Hype! from EMRG+N+SEE on Vimeo.

Car Shows and Races Make Everyone Happy

When a guy starts channeling Car Talk, my brain tends to turn off. If you’ve ever dated a car guy (or girl) you know what I’m talking about. Gyroscopes, thing-a-ma-gigs, what does it matter as long as my car runs? Well, there’s an event this summer that can bring together both car lovers and normal people: the classic car show. Just like that perfect date movie blends action and romance (I’m thinking Public Enemies—Johnny Depp all dressed up as a gangster!) the perfect summer event blends big machines and pretty designs.

Being an all-American tradition, there are classic car shows all over the state. From Newport to Medford, OldRide.com has compiled an extensive list of classic car shows in Oregon. And if you really want to make the car-lover in your life happy, buy tickets to the Portland Historic Races this weekend (July 9 – 11). When you suggest checking out the races or a car show, your honey’s going to think all those lectures on gaskets and spark plugs have finally sunk in.

—Jenny Furniss, @jennyfurniss

World Cup Finale - Where are you watching?!

If you live in Portland, you feel it - we are in the grip of World Cup Madness. It’s all anyone can talk about and it’s not just Portland that is watching the series on the edge of their couches/desk chairs/barstools, Americans are tuning in in record numbers. The World Cup has long been the most watched sporting event in the world and the U.S. is finally taking an interest too. Brad Adgate, the Senior VP/Director of Media Research at Horizon Media in Manhattan, did a short piece on NPR’s The World this afternoon and quoted some astounding statistics.

The median age of US “footie” fans is 37, significantly younger than the 52 years of Olympics viewers. Viewing fans are predominately male and most are watching on TV, either at home or in a public location. Saturday’s US/Ghana match was the most watched game with 19.4 million viewers! That’s higher than the average number of people who watched the NBA finales and more than the Worlds Series. Hungry for more viewing statistics? Check out the numbers that ESPN has listed; they include TV and multimedia data that is pretty impressive.

So where are you watching the game? At home or at a friends place? Your corner bar? Sunday, July 10 @ 11:30am PST is the time to make sure you are within viewing distance of a television if you want to see the match from start to finish. It’s likely that your favorite bar is showing the game and will have food and drink specials to entice you to come. And what better excuse to have a beer at 11:30 in the morning than the World Cup Finale?

If you feel like being part of a bigger crowd, The Oregon Sports Authority and the Portland Timbers are hosting a viewing event at Pioneer Courthouse Square which promises some extra surprises from our local soccer team.

Farmers Markets, Part 1

It’s Saturday morning, the sun is shining and at 8:30 a.m. the opening bell of the Portland State University Farmers Market rings. For many it is a weekly ritual; thermos in hand, bags shoved under the arm, they scour the stalls for farm-direct produce, meat, cheese, mushrooms, plants, flowers and baked goods. But for me and for many other Portlanders, it’s not just about buying groceries, it’s about finding that connection to your food and knowing the faces that grow and harvest what you eat. I love chatting with Roger and Norma from Springwater Farm as my husband selects morels, shiitakes and white truffles from their overflowing baskets. Or hearing from Leslie at Viridian Farms how her strawberries are doing. Last weekend we learned that Maryhill Orchard would be getting peaches in this weekend; so we were able to plan our July 4th BBQ dessert ahead of time. Which is the other great thing about the farmers market, each week brings the surprise of new produce as the weather warms!

The Portland Farmers Market site touts the PSU market as a “landmark Portland experience” for locals and tourists alike. And a recent study by the City of Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability reported that farmers markets account for 3 percent of annual countywide consumer purchases of fruit and vegetables with a $17 million regional economic impact. Proof that people are going to the markets in droves and doing a larger percentage of their shopping directly from the farmers. Living in a state surrounded by fertile agricultural land gives us all amazing accessibility to fresh produce and farm direct products. Buying directly from our neighbors helps support local business and keep money our our economy as well as cuts back on the cost and environmental impact of shipping goods from out of state and internationally. This more sustainable lifestyle asks that we give up fruits and vegetables that are not in season and buy according to what our local farms can grow. It’s a different way of living that Oregonians have embraced.

While many tourists come to the PSU market, there are plenty of other markets around Portland and throughout the state that draw less of a crowd with all of the same delicious products. Check here for a listing of farmers markets across the state. See you at the market!

2010 Fourth of July in Oregon

Almost every town in the U.S. has some kind of Fourth of July celebration, but let’s face it—some towns get in the spirit of the holiday more than others. If you want to try something new this year, consider taking a day trip to a neighboring village and enjoy a new activity. For instance, Baker City is celebrating the Fourth like the pioneers once did, complete with “black powder shooting.” Go see a Civil War Reenactment in Gervais or attend a rodeo in St. Paul. OregonTravelDaily.com has already done the work for you with their comprehensive list of activities around the state.

For those who plan to spend the Fourth in the Portland area, there is no shortage of happenings to choose from. You can catch classic fireworks displays either post-baseball game at PGE Park or at the return of Fort Vancouver's Independence Day celebration. And for the music lovers there is the Portland Blues Festival, the 2nd largest blues festival in the country, right along the waterfront downtown. If you're in Bend for the Fourth then we have just two words for you: Pilot Butte. Each year we all await 'the butte' catching fire!! Yet, it really only happened once or twice. Thank you, Bend Fire Department. Pilot Butte State Park is located in the center of town and sets a perfect stage from back yards close up and atop roofs from afar. The fire works begin at 10:00 p.m. so find yourself at a friends BBQ and enjoy the show. If you're looking for a reason to indulge in potato salad carbs this Fourth, get your heart pumping with the Spark Your Heart 5k Run/Walk at 9:15 a.m. in The Old Mill District.


Cheers!
-@ccgPR

#