Posts by Greg Homolka

For the better part of 25 years, Marco Benevento has been honing his keyboard and producing skills and his penchant for joyful, energetic performances. This live music magic was on full display on Sunday, February 18th when Benevento took the stage at Portland, Oregon’s The Get Down as part of the city’s Biamp Jazz Festival. […]

About 20 minutes after the opening notes of Everyone Orchestra’s Saturday, February 17th performance at Portland, Oregon’s Alberta Rose Theater, conductor Matt Butler took a moment to address the crowd. He said that backstage before the show, he told the assembled group of musicians that the first set of the night would be a mellow, […]

Portland’s Folk Festival has been taking place since 2018 in the City of Roses, but the 2024 installment proved to be a challenge as a snow and ice storm shut the city down. The bad weather led to the cancellation of two out of three nights of the festival. Rather than write it off, organizers […]

Fans of live music sometimes find themselves putting together their dream musical lineups. They imagine the guitarist from a favorite band playing with a keyboardist from a different group. And what if the rhythm section from another favorite band joined in for a jam? One music lover in the Pacific Northwest has decided to manifest […]

Jerry Joseph & the Jackmormons capped off a four-night end-of-year run with a New Year’s Eve party at The Showdown in Portland, Oregon on Sunday, December 31st. In addition to Jackmormons Steve Drizos (drums) and Stevie James Wright (bass), Jenny Conlee-Drizos sat in on keys for the entire show.  Late in the second set, Eric […]

On Tuesday, November 21st, indie rock mainstays Built to Spill played the first of two sold-out, pre-holiday shows at Portland, Oregon’s Aladdin Theater. The trio brought along high-energy Albuquerque rockers Prism Bitch to get things rolling after a short, inspired set from Portland’s own Bijoux Cone. Edit this setlist | More Built to Spill setlists

On Sunday, November 19th, Margo Cilker capped off a big year of touring behind her sophomore album Valley of Heart’s Delight with the second of two sold-out nights at Portland, Oregon’s Polaris Hall. Sophie Gault opened with a solo acoustic set.

On Friday, November 17th, hard-hitting rock and roll duo Deap Vally brought their “Live For The Last Time Tour” to the Star Theater in Portland, Oregon. The show was one of the first stops for the duo in their extensive tour that will mark the final chapter of more than a decade performing, and included […]

The Cult played to an attentive, appreciative crowd on Sunday, October 15th at Portland, Oregon’s Roseland Theater. After 40 years playing together, founding members Ian Astbury (vocals) and Billy Duffy (guitar) were in fine form, leading the band through a solid, powerful set of pure rock n’ roll. The group played a couple of tracks […]

On July 14-16, a Pacific Northwest-centric lineup convened at Cave Creek Farm in Trout Lake, Washington for the inaugural Cave Creek Ramble. The eclectic lineup featured intimate performances from Margo Cilker, Bart Budwig, MAITA, AC Sapphire, Erisy Watt, Jeremy Ferrara and much more.

High Sierra Music Festival completed its 31st installment on Sunday, July 2nd, and proved once again why it belongs in the upper echelon of music festivals. From thoughtfully curated main stage headliners to intimate troubadour sessions, and everything in between, High Sierra delivers big for artists and fans alike. High Sierra caters to a wide […]

Jerry Joseph & The Jackmormons came hot out of the gate for their hometown Portland, Oregon show at the Star Theater on Saturday, May 20th, and treated fans to one long set of pure rock n’ roll. In addition to Jackmormons Steve Drizos (drums) and Stevie James Wright (bass), frequent collaborator Al Toribio (Mexican Gunfight, […]

Over the past few years, Portland garage psych-rock outfit Spoon Benders have been working hard to grow their fan base through steady touring and constant creative output. Spoon Benders have relied on determination, onstage charisma, ever-tightening musicianship, a little punk rock swagger, and a circle of talented creative friends to manifest their rock n’ roll […]

Jesse Daniel and his band have been lighting up live music venues across the U.S. with honest country tunes rife with pedal steel guitar and plenty of telecaster twang. Daniel’s flavor of country is basted in the Bakersfield sound, and based on honest songwriting that’s both endearing and danceable. The current tour is in support […]

Singer/songwriter Willy Tea Taylor rounded up some of Portland’s finest for The Fellership to deliver a special show at Portland, Oregon’s Polaris Hall on Thursday, April 13th. The band featured Matt Candenelli (Wanderlodge, Don of Division Street) on drums, Lewi Longmire (Left Coast Roasters, TK & the Holy Know-Nothings) on bass, and Kris Stuart (RootJack, […]

The 16th installment of ALO’s Tour d’Amour finished up in Seattle on April 1st, and saw the group celebrating its 25th year together as a band. The night before, on March 31st, ALO stopped at Portland, Oregon’s Doug Fir Lounge and treated fans to some songs off of their fresh release, Silver Saturdays, including “Growing […]

Back in the early 1980s, in my pre-teen years, I made my first attempt at staying up all night. It was at a county fair in a rural Nebraska town, where lots of farm kids were allowed to spend the night, often on makeshift beds in the back of stock trailers, without the close supervision […]

Austin, Texas-based rockers White Denim brought an expanded lineup to Portland, Oregon’s Wonder Ballroom on Friday, March 3rd. Frontman/guitarist James Petralli led the sextet through a spirited set that encompassed a full range of the band’s catalog, and made for a room full of happy fans. Edit this setlist | More White Denim setlists

There’s nothing quite like a Saturday night performance from Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. Despite a record-breaking snow storm shutting the city down just a couple days earlier, the legendary New Jersey rocker kept Portland, Oregon abuzz when they delivered an epic, nearly three-hour performance for a sold out crowd on February 25th […]

It’s been a minute since Margo Price has graced a Portland, Oregon stage, what with the lost years of COVID, etc. From the “anarchist jurisdiction” out here in the Pacific Northwest, we’ve watched through a social media lens as Price has released albums and videos, written books, become a board member of Farm Aid, and […]