Recently launched PDX label Smoking Surgeon is preparing to release its first compilation, You Play Music Like A Girl, just before the holiday hits. Don't let the title upset you though, Portland. The main focus of the compilation is to spotlight Portland's various female-inclusive acts, attempting to counteract the phrase's negative connotation in a satirical and talented way, bringing new life to the phrase.

...Like A Girl will feature some of the city's finest in fem power, from bassists and guitarists to keyboardists and songwriters. Vocalists, too. Enjoy the sounds of locals Old Wave, Haley Heynderickx, Coco Columbia and Pony Village on the comp, plus many more.

A release show will be held in celebration of its launch at the Liquor Store on December 22nd. Playing the show will be Lubec, The Century and Moniker with entrance only being $5. Just so you know, $8 will get you entry plus a copy of the comp!

Smoking Surgeon Records was bred by lovely lady musician Emma Browne and Justin Chase, who happened to come from a home of musically inclined women. Aside from a mutual passion and respect for women in music, the two also share the stage as part of the band Rare Diagram. Both in the band and as a record label, the two only manifest a greatness worthy of all our attention.

-Cervante Pope

Since 2012 Portland’s Havania Whaal has been making their own rules. Their ethereal sound can be likened to post-punk meets shoegaze...sort of. They call themselves “noise pop”, but when you’re forging new territory the descriptors fall short of the mark. All three members share vocal duties, which adds to the layers and dimension of their reverb-drenched domain. Stepping it up further, they recently created a live stage production with dancers and costumes, the soundtrack of which was the band performing their new cassette release “13 A.D.” Rumor has it that live productions will be a hallmark of Havaia Whaal shows henceforth. They’re touring the east coast with Portland’s Lubec for 10 days starting July 9 in Massachusetts.

See their tour kickoff show at The Know July 2nd. Buy their tape, pop it in the cassette deck of your ‘85 Volvo, and cruise around town lamenting the summer, wearing the darkest shades you can find. 

-Just Dave

There are a few things you need to know about the arcane, shoegaze-deconstructivist rockers Lubec.

By now I’m sure you’re all well aware of the shoegaze renaissance that our happy country has been experiencing for the past five years. Despite what some music snobs will tell you--things like, “There’s nothing new to expand on in the genre beyond the MBV “atmosphere”--I’m happy to report that even in today’s day of imitating imitators, there are still plenty of avenues for the genre to explore (and h8ers can suck it).

Giving truth to my bold statements above are local genre-breaching, boundary-spurning, bright-eyed, bushy-tailed, dreamy art-rockers Lubec. They combine the the layered texture of MBV, the erratic unpredictability of Swirlies, the philosophy of youth advocate/empowerment bands like Sonic Youth, with an irreverence to orthodox compositional guidelines. The result? A slice of non-clichéd (unlike this statement) sonic heaven.

But don’t take it from me--the guys are releasing their debut album The Thrall on September 21 at Mississippi Studios with Night Mechanic and Old Wave (formerly the Adam Brock 4), and they were nice enough to sit down with me (albeit lacking one member) and chat about it amongst other things...

Read the full article and interview here!

Words by Bryce Woodcock, photo by Keli Pennington.

It's in the cards for Lubec, Us Lights and Bed, Monday night at Valentines. Through a Three Card Spread of the Golden Tarot, the fate of Monday night's show was dealt the Two of Wands (dominion), the Five of Coins reversed (worry), and the Nine of Coins (gain). 

 

Now, I'm no Tarot reading professional, but one could assert that through the mystic energy of this particular spread, the show is bound to be a success. The Two of Wands suggests thoughtful planning went into the event. A reversed Five of Coins suggests perhaps while the bands acknoledge they may not make their fortune this night, they are working towards a greater good in the longer term. Lastly, the Nine of Coins suggests that the bands will feel the sence of fulfilment that comes with acomplishment as the night of sweet, dark gaze-pop comes to and end and the crowd floats off home with heads bobbing. 

- Travis Leipzig