Located some three hours south of Seattle on I-5 is the laid-back city of Portland, Oregon. While the region was made famous recently thanks to the exaggerated sketch comedy show, Portlandia, co-created by Sleater-Kinney’s Carrie Brownstein and musician-actor Fred Armisen, there is much to love about the quirky locale.
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While the town has famous groups like the Decembrists, She & Him, Everclear and more, there is more to see and hear in the City of Roses. To wit, here are five bands from the area, some of which even feature famous rockers, that many fans outside the city might not know. Five bands that will knock and rock your socks off.
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1. SLANG
This supergroup band includes Janet Weiss of Sleater-Kinney and Katy Foster of the Thermals. It also includes DrewGrow of Modern Kin and Anita Lee Elliot of Viva Voce. Below, you can check out the group via a KEXP in-studio performance. The fast-paced punk rock group might make you lose your mind for a few moments and get you to dance in your living room.
2. Cassandra Lewis
One of the most talented up-and-coming country voices, Cassandra Lewis stems from Portland, where she was discovered by PNW DJ Marco Collins, and has since moved to Nashville where she is working on her new music. Her catalog is one to dive deep into. She’s a modern-day Patsy Cline.
3. Y La Bamba
One of the most nuanced and thoughtful songwriters in the PNW, Y La Bamaba’s Luz Elena Mendoza Ramos is a sublime artist as much as she is a maker of music. It’s as if she is channeling spirits when she creates and performs her songs. She casts spells people want to feel.
4. Black Shelton
An up-and-coming indie rocker, Black Shelton makes music that includes double-necked guitar, performance art and wild vocals. He’s someone to listen to if you want to shed your preconceived notions of the world. His is a new prism with which to understand time and space. Experimental and catchy—it’s a difficult balance but Black Shelton pulls it off.
5. Filthy Friends
Another supergroup that includes R.E.M.’s Peter Buck, Corin Tucker of Sleater-Kinney, Kurt Bloch of the Fastbacks, Scott McCaughey of The Minus 5 and Linda Pitmon of The Baseball Project, this rock group is as sticky as melted wax. Combining fuzzy buzzy rock with wailing vocals, this is one that will live with you for a long time.
Photo by Jenn Carrillo / Courtesy The Syn
