There's still time-a-plenty to get your Friday donewith and head on down to Portland for this year's installment of what's quickly becoming our favorite regional city-wide music festival, MusicFest Northwest. For four sweet nights (well, five technically, if you count the goings-on around town that started Wednesday) some of the best local and national-worthy acts sweep in and take over our hip sister city. There's a little something for everyone, and we can state from direct experience that you will have a hell of a weekend should you make the venture down south! The price is reasonable (although we can't recommend the line-skipping VIP wristband privileges enough), the city is bikeable, driveable and parkable, and there's plenty to do in your late-late off-hours around town to keep things... well, let's just say 'entertaining.'

Sleep in, fill your sunny days with KEXP in-studios at the Doug Fir {full lineup available here}, and get your nightlife on at our recommended {** = MEGA recommended} shows below -- scheduling conflicts included:

more...

Whether you're married to the New Pornographer's one-of-a-kind sound or you're head over heels for the solo show: in some capacity, you loves you some Neko Case. We know. Us too. Some days it's the wandering piano-guitar intro of "These are the Fables" that envelops our hours and some days it's it's the trickle-down gorgeousness of "That Teenage Feeling" -- but no matter how we hit the shuffle button, everything this woman does pulls our heartstrings in the best possible way. Which is why we're over-the-top excited that she's coming to the Paramount next week with a newer love of ours, Y La Bamba. So excited, in fact, that we want to send you and a friend to the show!

more...

Tragos Amargos, a side project of Portland's Y La Bamba, opened last Saturday's completely sold-out show at The Crocodile.  The amazing folk music lineup also showcased fellow Pacific Northwest favorites Loch Lomond and headliner Hey Marseilles.

The rest of the photos from the set can be viewed here and in the TIG Flickr Photo Pool.

more...

This weekend is bursting with awesomeness big enough to boot camp our butts into high gear for Bumbershoot (is it really less than a couple weeks away?). I'm working on my show recommendations for Saturday and Sunday (coming soon - and they might surprise you), but let's first make sure you know the dealio for the big ole Friday.

This Friday night (August 28) the Crocodile has put together a show blending our favorite old / new and SEA / PDX into a rocker of a night: Ramona Falls, BOAT, and Y La Bamba.

Ramona Falls is the first solo venture by Brent Knopf, 1/3 of Portland's critically-acclaimed and indie-kid-favorite Menomena.  If you haven't heard Intuit, the recently released debut record by Ramona Falls, yet - fret not! You can hear a full stream of it now on the Barsuk Records website (how kind of you Barsuk!).

more...