Scottish Sellout: KT Tunstall

By Christian Lipski
Photos by Deborah Lipski

Aladdin Theater, Portland OR
May 5, 2011

Click for larger image.

Portland’s Aladdin Theater was completely full, with people standing along the walls, pushing the boundaries of its 620-person capacity. The area in front of the stage was filled with chairs, but it was clear from looking at the audience that there wasn’t going to be any moshing anyway. A curious weighting on the older side for some reason, though the show was 21 and over due to alcohol sales. It’s possible that the people who grew up with the acoustic guitar-based singer-songrwiters of the ’70s find KT Tunstall‘s music to be familiar territory.
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I Could Observe You All: Gary Numan Pleasures Your Principle

By Christian Lipski
All photos by Deborah Lipski

Click for larger image.

Roseland Ballroom, Portland OR
November 1, 2010

In the tradition of older groups revisiting their seminal works, Gary Numan is playing his 1979 album The Pleasure Principle in its entirety.

The crowd at the Roseland Ballroom skews towards the later 30s, the more experienced fans with serious time in. Some darkwave, some new wave, outsiders and outcasts in black leather trenchcoats (I’m not burning the duster), mixing with younger hip kids who are tracing roots back from chiptune and electro, because as Tron said, “you always forget how good fresh energy feels, till you get to a pure source. . . ” It is generally a core crowd, though. Most of the fairer-weather fans have dried up and fallen off after 30 years without a whisper on US radio after “Cars.” But there are those fans who still prefer Numan’s earlier work, hence “The Pleasure Principle Tour.”
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San Diego Comic-Con Diary, Day Four

By Christian Lipski

Read:
Day One’s Diary
Day Two’s Diary
Day Three’s Diary

And then there was the last day. We eventually got up and packed our bags for checkout, and made our way to the convention floor for our last visit. Since it’s the last day and exhibitors want to ship as little as possible back home, there are rampant sales and many attendees only buy Sunday tickets.

Mile High Comics put their entire stock on sale for 50% off, for example. Independent publishers were willing to make deals, for the most part.The show closes at 5 p.m. as well, so the action in the convention center was tinged with both sadness and anxiety.
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San Diego Comic-Con 2010 Diary, Day Two

By Christian Lipski

Read:
Day One’s Diary

By the second day I feel much less pressure; I’ve already made a day’s worth of forays into the wilds, and though I haven’t seen nearly all of what there is, I have a good sense of the floor’s layout and content. I also know that it’s nearly useless to try to get into large sessions, since the amount of time you need to devote to the line-waiting is better spent wandering the floor below.
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Sextreme Ball 2010: My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult/Lords Of Acid

By Christian Lipski
Photos by Deborah Lipski

Praga Khan’s girlfriend
tempts the audience

Dante’s, Portland OR
July 14, 2010

Touring together for the first time in 15 years, Lords of Acid and My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult are the main events on the Sextreme Ball 2010 tour, which began in Seattle on July 13. Both bands were part of the techno music movement of the late ’80s/early ’90s, and judging from the first two sold-out shows, both are still popular among the electronica crowd.
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Eureka! Rooney At The Wonder Ballroom

By Christian Lipski

The Wonder Ballroom, Portland OR
June 24, 2010

A backdrop painted with a California sunset hung at the back of the stage, setting the scene for the music to come. Though not all the bands came with the West Coast sound, the vibe was there anyway.
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Electric Six “Rocks Ass” At Dante’s

Dick Valentine

By Christian Lipski
Photos by Deborah Lipski

Dante’s, Portland OR
November 13, 2009
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The Accidental Terrorist: Scary Songs Which Aren’t Meant To Be Scary

Idea by Matt Keeley
With contributions by. . .

In our last Halloween issue, we discussed morbid melodies and the music of the scares. But what of songs which horrify us accidentally? Some argue that songwriters who pair dark lyrics and bright melodies know exactly what they’re doing, but what about words and music which cause fright when they were only intended to delight?

For example, a few of our readers noted that “Mama” by Genesis was a bit squicky, but it’s unclear whether that creepiness was intentional or not. However, I think we can all assume that “Beep Beep” by The Playmates was probably not meant to panic small children, although it obviously has, judging on some of the replies we received.

Here are some examples of the various tunes that terrify. . .
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Top Ten Concerts

By Christian Lipski

I’ve been to a few live shows in my life, starting with the Beach Boys in 1983, and there’s nothing like seeing your favorite band doing what they love and giving them that immediate feedback. Recently I was asked what my ten favorite concerts were, and surprisingly that’s not something I’d ever done. It made me look back at all the great live moments I’ve experienced, and that was worth the trip alone. Here’s what I came back with, in no particular order.
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