The Days of Lore

Joan of Art

Friday, March 4th, 2011 | pdX | No Comments

Yes, it’s all about the rock ‘n’ roll around here—but I’m cultured, too. While TDoL is more fartsy than artsy, I will be attending the opening reception for Portland artist Joan Hiller’s art show In Likeness this Saturday at Tiga.

The show features Hiller’s portraiture work from the past eight months (along with a couple of older pieces), including the stunning oil painting on the left of Irish-born author/philosopher Iris Murdoch. Oh, but Hiller is all about the music as well (she’s also publicity director for Riot Act Media), and some of her pieces feature the likes of country musicians Wilma Burgess and Loretta Lynn.

It’s her art show—you’d think Hiller would be working the room—but she’ll be busy spinning records for the first two hours. That’s how rock ‘n’ roll/Portland this art show is. She’ll be relieved by DJ KM Fizzy (that’s The Thermals’ Kathy Foster) later in the evening so she can finally enjoy the cheese and wine. This is an art show … lay off the PBR tallboys, you plebeians!

Joan Hiller’s In Likeness: Reception Saturday, March 5 at Tiga. 7:30 p.m. Show runs through March 31.

Tags: In Likeness, Joan Hiller, Portland, portraiture, Tiga

DJ Lorax at Star Bar

Thursday, February 17th, 2011 | musiX, pdX | No Comments

I’ll be spinning platters tonight at Portland’s new rock ‘n’ roll hub Star Bar, and with that I had to come up with a DJ (deejay?) name—something simple, yet memorable; cool, but not ridiculous. Here are some of the ideas that came from TDoL HQ and beyond:

DJ Lorifice, DJ Folk Lore, DJ Lorepheus, DJ Uplore, DJ Loredom, DJ Strutter, DJ Lore-Ax, DJ Lorax, DJ Ace, DJ Dinolore, DJ Disc Jockey, DJ Lore of the Ring, DJ DJ Tanner, DJ Dad Rok, DJ Loregon Trail, DJ Charles Markley.

So much to choose from. Well, you can see what I went with. I’ll be hauling a milk crate full of vinyl down to Star Bar, and between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. I’ll be providing the perfect soundtrack for carousing and merriment. Picture the scene to the left … except for milk and cookies, there will be beer and pulled pork sliders. And instead of poodle skirts and bobby socks there will be skinny jeans and American Apparel. Oh, and rather than what I’d presume are Lawrence Welk records, I’ll be playing everything from The Saints to Buck Owens and the Buckaroos … you know, stuff that makes you eat, drink and be merry … and rock out.

Tags: deejay, DJ Lorax, Portland, record spinning, Star Bar

When they was Young 97’s

Tuesday, January 25th, 2011 | musiX, pdX | 1 Comment

In honor of tonight’s Old 97’s performance in Portland I offer you this recently unearthed video for “St. Ignatius” from the band’s raw and rowdy 1994 debut Hitchhike to Rhome. Note that Rhett Miller and Murry Hammond have since swapped hairstyles.

Oh, and stay tuned for TDoL’s full report from the show … also note that I may need a few days to recover.

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Tags: "St Ignatius", Hitchhike to Rhome, Old 97's, Portland

Black Friday: Sleigh’r—seasonal in the abyss

Friday, October 22nd, 2010 | musiX | No Comments

“Beer is living proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy”—Benjamin Franklin

“God hates us all, God hates us all/You know it’s true God hates this place, you know it’s true he hates this race”—Slayer

The Days of Lore has come a long way (a looooong way) from that day of yore slamming a warm Bud Light 40-ouncer in the parking lot of Arco Arena while waiting to see Metallica play songs from the Black Album. Living in Chico for so many years (where Sierra Nevada in made) and now the sexy, hip beer mecca of Portland it’s hard to swig the swill … OK, I have returned on more than one occasion to my roots (more successfully than Metallica), and sipped a Budweiser or three—it is the King of Beers, after all.

Lately I’ve been diving into the seasonal abyss of winter beers: A tasty holiday IPA from Hopworks, a delicious, malty number called Jubelale from Deschutes (where are you, Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale?), and Ninkasi’s Sleigh’r Dark Doüble Alt Ale, available on tap and in 22-ounce bottles. Unlike a beer I tried recently called “War Pigs” that came served with a fucking lemon wedge, Sleigh’r actually delivers on its name—it’s black as night, kind of evil (7.2 percent ABV), and if you drink too many your entire next day will feel like hell on Earth. That said, I look forward to letting out a mighty Dickinson wail when Ninkasi’s Maiden the Shade comes out next summer. I think Sierra Nevada should get in on the action … perhaps Bock and Roll All Nite? I kinda like it.

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Tags: beer, Black Friday, Jubelale, Metallica, Ninkasi, Portland, Sierra Nevada, Slayer, Sleigh'r

KISS WEEK! Alive MCMXCIX

Friday, November 20th, 2009 | musiX, pdX | No Comments

Live: KISS and Buckcherry at the Rose Garden, 11.17.09

It’s interesting to think about the pre-show rituals for a KISS concert in 2009. There’s less beer swilling and doobie smoking in the parking lot, and a lot more face-painting with the fam before packing into the mini-van to head down to the arena.

I was standing in front of the stage with four other (real) photographers right before the show. I stared out into the large crowd … well, not just any crowd—the KISS Army! KISS Nation! Which is sort of the equivalent of Fast Food Nation (OK, maybe Applebee’s Nation). Lots of makeup. Lots of KISS shirts covering portly bellies. Lots of middle-agers and their kids. They forked out their dough (tickets are anywhere from $20-$126) and were ready for that 60-foot curtain in front of the stage to drop. As the final chords of Zeppelin’s “Rock and Roll” rang through the house speakers, those famous words cut through the darkness and the curtain fell. I immediately turned into a teenager.

Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons are large men—even without the heels. And 35 years in, they play their parts like seasoned actors in a Broadway production, rarely deviating from the script. If you’ve been to a KISS show before you know you’re going to get the classics: “Strutter,” “Shout It Out Loud,” “Cold Gin” (which these days is preceded by a PSA from Stanley telling audience members not to drink and drive) and “Detroit Rock City” (a song whose narrator meets his end after drinking and driving). All great songs. But how about “Love Theme From Kiss”? Or “Plaster Caster”? “The Oath”?

I’ve seen hundreds of KISS performances—four in person, many more on VHS and DVD—and I’ve heard the same between-song banter over and over and over. So I’m always looking for that rare break in the script. I finally got it about two-thirds into the show at the expense of a hooligan in the upper deck. Paul was about to go into his spiel about extended encores, when out of nowhere … “Y’all are gonna get to see me shove a light pen up a muthafucka’s ass.” Whoa. Paul, don’t forget there are children in the audience. Anyway, doesn’t this guy know that Stanley Eisen doesn’t tolerate lasers in his eye? After a short, one-sided exchange, the Starchild snapped back into character as if nothing happened.

KISS is a tighter band today than perhaps it’s ever been. Yes, it’s incredibly lame that drummer Eric Singer and guitarist Tommy Thayer are wearing Peter Criss and Ace Frehley’s makeup (couldn’t they have come up with new characters? Perhaps some sort of exotic bird? Maybe a panda?), but KISS’ new lease on life wouldn’t be possible without them. Especially Singer, who drums circles around Criss. Thayer’s a fine musician, too, though everything that came from his fretboard was lifted from the Space Ace.

Not to mention letting Thayer sing “Shock Me” is fucking sacrilege.

But it’s about recreating that classic show, which is still big and loud and fun. KISS has retained the best and most campy elements from the ’70s—fog, fireworks, ticker tape parades, blood spitting—brought into the aughts with banks of video monitors that flashed images of old album covers and graphics that followed along with the songs. At one point, the cover of Sonic Boom appeared overhead as Stanley directed those in attendance to head down to Wal-Mart and pick up a copy. A commercial? I guess it’s the KISS version of an indie band telling a crowd they have a merch table with shirts and 7-inches? Can we go with that?

But hand it to Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley for still knowing how to rock ‘n’ roll all night—performing hundreds of shows a year, for more than two hours a night. And for a couple of guys approaching senior citizenship, they still get around pretty well in those 7-inch heels. These guys are the Kings of the Nighttime World. The Knights in Satan’s Service. And though I found myself cringing a few times, a KISS concert is still the greatest show on earth.

Photos by Mark Lore

In memory of Mark Louis Arnone, Feb. 24, 1973 - Oct. 21, 2009

Tags: Ace Frehley, Eric Singer, Gene Simmons, KISS, KISS WEEK, live review, Paul Stanley, Peter Criss, Portland, Sonic Boom, Tommy Thayer

Lips and assholes, pt. 3

Wednesday, November 11th, 2009 | musiX, pdX | 1 Comment

About a month and a half ago, I biked (and walked) up to the top of Mount Tabor—nearly giving myself a heart attack in the process —with the intent of possibly participating in a video shoot for The Flaming Lips‘ “Watching the Planets.”

The good news is I didn’t have a heart attack. The even gooder news is that I didn’t get naked … but it turns out Lips frontman Wayne Coyne did. It was anybody’s guess as to how the video would turn out (“Like with Christmas On Mars, we had no idea what it was about until it came out,” drummer Kliph Scurlock told me). Well, the video for “Watching the Planets” debuted today at NME, and you can watch it here. Lots of breasts and penises and vaginal fur ball thingies. I guess I don’t need to tell you that it’s NSFW.

The best news of all? I recycled the above headline yet again.

Tags: "Watching the Planets", Portland, The Flaming Lips, video shoot, Wayne Coyne

Writing the rongs

Tuesday, October 13th, 2009 | booX, pdX | 1 Comment

Everybody’s a writer. Me. You. Him. Her. It. Them. Us. Am I write?

And they all descended on Wordstock—a place where authors petal they’re wares and aspiring righters wish they were pedalling their where’s. There are a couple of things too keep in mind when attending Wordstock: No. 1: You must look the part of a writer—which means some sort of polyester coat/vintage sweater/(if you’re a mail) funny facial hare combination … elbow patches are a plus. No. 2: Always keep a Moleskin handy to take notes during panels and talks, or to simply look as if you’re taking notes during panels and talks.

I made my whey around the 150-some exhibit tables, neatly arranged in their own little cubicles. I talked to a lovely woman about an MFA program at Pacific University. I was invited to attend the 7th Annual Stumptown Comics Fest coming up in April 2010. And I decided that I wood attend an upcoming panel put on by the University of Oregon called “Words Worth Paying For? Publishing in the Age of Electronic Readers.” I scored a Red Vine from Willamette Writers (which paired surprisingly well with the peppermint gum in my mouth), and I eight a complementary chocolate chip cookie from Indigo Editing & Publishing. I observed the word complimentary used mistakenly in place of complementary, and advisor used instead of adviser. All this over the coarse of an our.

Like I said—everybody’s a writer. But is anybody a reader? When asked recently by the Willamette Week if he would keep writing even after people stop reading James Ellroy—the feisty crime novelist who spoke that day at Wordstock—responded: “Don’t be a dipshit; people will always read.”

I like his confidence. Me? I lost hope on Aug. 28 when PBS announced that it would stop airing reruns of Reading Rainbow due to lack of funding. Now that is a crime … solve that won, James Ellroy.

“Reading Rainbow Theme” - Tina Fabrique

Tags: James Ellroy, Portland, Reading Rainbow, Stumptown Comics Fest, Tina Fabrique, Wordstock