Cherub
Thursday, November 5, 2015
Crystal Ballroom; Portland, OR
Written by Kelsey Rzepecki

Portland could not get enough of Electro Pop duo, Chreub, delighting us all with a long set last Thursday that went into the early morning. The night started with the bass-heavy Hippie Sabotage as the ballroom emerged into a vibrating, up-beat atmosphere playing all of their hit songs including ending their set with the timeless track “Your Soul”.

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Singer/songwriter LOREN, at only 15 years old, is rebelling against the stereotype of cliche teen pop. Her style is inventive and refreshing; but most respectably, it’s individualistic. She embraces an indie pop sound that pairs seamlessly with her soft vocals.

A single off of the EP,  “Broken Telephone”, is a charming example of her youthful point of view – a story of a typical mean girls vs. outcasts scenario. Free spirited guitar and drums emit a light and care-free sound despite the angst of the story being told through the lyrics. The hint of subtle angst in her lyrics mixed with lighthearted pop creates the perfect recipe for describing the high school challenges of growing up; good and bad.

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Sudden Suspension embodies the infamous punk-pop teenage angst driven genre as the boys keep it real and uncensored through emotion filled lyrics along with the signature whiny vocals paired with electric guitars and plenty of drums. Their EP titled There’s a Bigger Picture Here, is a bluntly honest documentation of the day-to-day life struggles and emotions felt by anyone who has ever grown up as a hormonal teenager.

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Mandolin Orange Show Review
Doug Fir Lounge - June 10th, 2015
By: Kelsey Rzepecki

The humble duo Emily Frantz and Andrew Marlin who make up the band Mandolin Orange, charmed the crowd last Wednesday night with their constant comical banter back and forth with the audience. The two embody a style and sound blending new and old traditions of the folk- bluegrass genre that is multigenerational, proven by the diversity of the audience.

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Motion City Soundtrack
Hawthorne Theatre - Portland, OR
Monday, February 17th 2015

Motion City Soundtrack made a stop in Portland for their 10th year Anniversary tour in celebration of the 2005 album, Commit This To Memory. It was only appropriate that the small, intimate venue of the Hawthorne Theatre hosted this event giving a subtle nod to the nostalgic feel of small, underage emo-punk shows despite the nights “sold out” status.

Lead singer William Beckett of the band The Academy Is… joined along as the opener belting out classic emo pop hits from the bands old days as well as his own work deriving from his solo career. Motion City Soundtrack put on an incredibly electric performance from the start coming greatly from the enthusiastic keyboardist, Jesse Johnson, who was head banging uncontrollably throughout the show and at one point was whacking a cowbell like nobodies business. The overall onstage chemistry of all the band mates was something to be admired and caused a rowdy atmosphere among the crowd.

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Taylor’s album, 1989, reveals her significant musical transformation as she deserts her country roots and embraces full-fledged pop. If you were at all skeptical at first by her first outrageous pop single, “Shake It Off”, be assured that the rest of the album is worth the listen. She is still the Taylor we all know and love, sprinkling her songs with doses of fiery pangs to ex-lovers through catchy lyrics and chorus’. While many mainstream pop artists now have incorporated R&B and hip-hop influences in their music conforming to whats popular,1989 sets Taylor apart from the rest as she uses unique romanticism and whimsical, dreamy sounds that work well with her soft voice showing us a side of her we haven’t exactly heard before.

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Bad Suns
Thursday, January 29th 2015
Hawthorne Theatre; Portland, OR.
with Maudlin Strangers and Coasts

In the historic, intimate venue located in the notorious hipster Hawthorne neighborhood in Portland, the indie rock Los Angeles group, Bad Suns, made a stop in Oregon on tour to celebrate their first album Language & Perspective released in August 2014. This young group aging from 19-22 years old prove to possess a strong perspective developing a distinctive, signature sound feeding off eclectic 70’s and 80’s sounds that contribute to the catchiness of their music.

Not well versed in their music, I was going into the show with an open mind and ear as a friend of mine shared with me how this band helped her immensely when going through a rough break-up in the past month. I was skeptical based off their catchy single “Salt” I kept hearing on the alternative radio station in Portland that they have the potential to be a one hit wonder type of band but nonetheless I was hopeful and eager to hear them in person.

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Nick Jonas announces his manhood through his self titled debut album shedding his innocent boy band persona as the past front man of the Jonas Brothers. Pop and R&B elements are infused throughout the album as his catchy hit “Jealous” is now playing on mainstream radio stations everywhere. Nick has noticeably transformed physically and musically as an older, sexualized male pop singer along the likes of Jesse McCartney and a younger Justin Timberlake.

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BANKS
Crystal Ballroom - Portland, OR
Thursday, October 16th 2014

Banks, technically known as Jillian Rose Banks, started songwriting at the age of 15. She self-taught herself to play the piano and has already toured internationally with The Weeknd. In May 2014 FoxWeekly named her an “Artist To Watch”. One could dub her sound as alternative/electronic pop intertwined with new age “indie” R&B similar to The Weeknd. She cites Lauryn Hill and Fiona Apple as her inspirations.

Opening the show with “Alibi” from her new album and the name of her first tour, “The Goddess”, Banks’ signature soft, whimsical voice emerges, contrasting with her subtle lyrical profanity to add an element of darkness and badass edge to her music. She constantly does a subtle, sultry shoulder roll and devilish romp around the stage during breaks in vocals to add to the darkness of her music.

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