On May 1st the Alhambra Theater (formerly Mt. Tabor Theater) will be celebrating their hundredth year as a Portland venue. To commemorate the occasion they are throwing a five day music festival featuring the talent of Red Fang, Y La Bamba, Black Prairie and over a dozen more. For the second day of the festival The Deli Portland and Eleven Magazine worked together to put together a special showcase featuring 8 of the best bands our city has to offer. Social Studies, Hustle and Drone, Glassbones and Pheasant will be sharing the stage in the concert hall while Catherine Feeny, Sama Dams, Summer Cannibals and Jolliff will be gracing the lounge with their phenomenal range of sounds. Get to the Alhambra on Thursday, May 2nd at 7:30pm to take part in the best birthday party of the year for the reasonable price of completely free (seriously). I’ll see you there.  

Pheasant is friendly, just five guys making music in Portland. They impress rock that is down-home, with the lamentations in the breadth of Matt Jenkins's voice narrated by the compelling trumpet of Matt Mooney (two Matts are best!). What opens up are enduring jam sessions that could be a soundtrack down a long highway with your windows down, past mountains down the coast. The band's second release, Gravel Beach, has prevalent bass and speedy drums that are more spy getaway than neighborhood indie. The title track is a story of escaping the the "po-lice", multiple tracks breakout into classic guitar solos and back-up vocals overlap in harmonies. Celebrate the release of Gravel Beach with Pheasant, with Fanno Creek and Summer Cannibals at Doug Fir Lounge on 3/28. Pheasant will also be playing a free, all ages in-store performance at 7pm at Music Millenium same day. - Brandy Crowe