Random Music and Random Life in Portland 2009-02-01 15:01:48 I got together with Josh, a Conquent alumnus who's working at Powell's in their ecommerce division. We met at the Muddy Rudder, which happens to be on the same block Markie and I live on, and underscores one of the things I love about living in Portland. ![]() The music last night was the Rose City Hot Club, which usually has more than the two guys we heard, but two guys filled the room with a 30's revival jazz sound (think Django Reinhardt) -- one with a stand up bass and the other switching between guitar and fiddle. This picture, by the way, is of the band's "vintage" microphone, made from tuna cans and old springs -- it looks great and really works, too (although he turns down the bass all the way so it sound tiny like an old-timey microphone would). And then there was the woman who they invited up to sing a few songs; not the warbley, off key singing you'd expect in a local pub, but a great voice, and a good pace, hitting complex changes. It's the kind of thing you expect to see promoted for weeks beforehand and pay a hefty cover, not something you just drop into when meeting a friend for a beer. And that's the soul of Portland -- stuff happens. There's always something going on, and it's not orchestrated by a big corporate sponsor or exclusive to some club or organization. Life just happens here, and the fact that it's so noticeable makes me wonder if life is happening elsewhere... ![]() |