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Portland Monthly

Music

Dead Air

Musicians Loved PCC’s Sonic Arts Program. The College Killed It Anyway.

As enrollment dwindles and federal decisions loom, community colleges are axing programs to cut costs.

09/08/2025 By Karly Quadros

Requiem

Michael Hurley Was the Folk Hero of Portland

Novelist Justin Taylor remembers the cherished songwriter, who named Sweedeedee, was a LaurelThirst regular, and filled out Mississippi Records’ catalog.

08/11/2025 By Justin Taylor

in the woods

Can’t-Miss Bands Playing Pickathon 2025

The state’s most charmingly idiosyncratic music festival has an expectedly packed lineup. Also: chefs, authors, and sound baths await.

07/10/2025 By Matthew Trueherz

Music Preview

The Biggest Concerts in Portland This Summer

It’s festival season. Japanese Breakfast, Lucy Dacus, and the Pixies are coming. Aminé’s festival is back. And there’s more!

06/30/2025 By Matthew Trueherz

Gimme Five

Portland’s Best Free Concert Venues

Parks, pubs, and street corners with live music that don’t cost a thing.

05/27/2025 By Matthew Trueherz

Nice Digs

Portland’s Best Record Stores

Where discophiles and vinyl collectors dig through crates and grab stereo equipment (and beers) across the city.

04/08/2025 By Jenni Moore

Gimme Five

5 Portland Record Labels to Know

Local music publishers with sharp taste and inspiring missions.

04/01/2025 By Matthew Trueherz

Teen Spirit

In a Former Strip Club, Portland’s All-Ages Music Scene Finds New Life

With the Off Beat, nonprofit Friends of Noise is set to open the city’s first dedicated underage concert venue in over a decade.

03/31/2025 By Shannon Daehnke Illustrations by Amanda Lanzone

Music Preview

Jack White, Beabadoobee, Pink Martini, and Other Spring Concerts

Also: J Balvin, Leon Bridges, and more in our seasonal roundup of major concerts.

03/25/2025 By Matthew Trueherz

Q&A

Ripping the City with Zyah Belle, Portland’s Rihanna-Approved R&B Vocalist

The singer dishes on spring, simplicity, and Akadi’s suya wings.

03/10/2025 By Dalila Brent Illustrations by Betty Turbo

Popular Content

    Musicians Loved PCC’s Sonic Arts Program. The College Killed It Anyway.

    Portland’s Best Record Stores

    Michael Hurley Was the Folk Hero of Portland

    Mapping Elliott Smith's Portland

    What Makes Baby Ketten Karaoke Such an Enduring Force in Portland?

    In a Former Strip Club, Portland’s All-Ages Music Scene Finds New Life

Festival Preview

Who’s Coming to Project Pabst This Summer?

Japanese Breakfast, Death Cab for Cutie, Devo, and Iggy Pop headline the waterfront festival in 2025.

02/25/2025 By Matthew Trueherz

keeping time

Revisiting Yo La Tengo’s Oh So Portland Old Joy Score

Kelly Reichardt’s deft portrait of the city from 2006 stands outside of time—so do its songs.

02/25/2025 By Matthew Trueherz

all that jazz

What to See at the 2025 Biamp Portland Jazz Festival

Erykah Badu headlines 10 days of jazz concerts across the city.

02/10/2025 By Matthew Trueherz

Music Preview

The Biggest Portland Concerts of Winter 2024–2025

This season, the Dandy Warhols are taking us back, and Tyler, The Creator is taking us forward.

12/06/2024 By Matthew Trueherz

Concert Review

20 Years In, Modest Mouse Floats Different, but Floats Nevertheless

A Rev Hall anniversary show celebrating the band’s biggest album was a time machine to 2004, for better or worse.

11/11/2024 By Jordan Michelman

Album Review

Haley Heynderickx’s Seed of a Seed Is Worth the 6-Year Wait

The Portland singer-songwriter confronts a self fractured by fame in her first album since achieving it.

11/01/2024 By Matthew Trueherz

Stage Fright

Live Nation and AEG Are Racing to Build Portland’s First ‘Small Arenas’

The world’s two largest music presenters partnered with local groups to open the city’s first midsize venues. Is there room for both?

09/30/2024 By Sam Pape Illustrations by Matthew Billington

Q&A

Oh, Rose’s Olivia Rose Has a Lot of Problems Still

Living in Olympia while the rest of her band lives in Portland isn’t one of them.

09/09/2024 By Brooke Jackson-Glidden

Music Preview

The Biggest Portland Concerts of Fall 2024

Winter is on the way, but so is Billie Eilish.

09/06/2024 By Matthew Trueherz

Farm Life

As Pickathon Grows, Its Music Lineup Doubles Down on Young Talent

The beloved festival runs a venue in Portland and just launched a nonprofit. But its heart remains the annual Happy Valley campout, stacked this year with Gen Zers.

07/26/2024 By Rebecca Jacobson

Latest Issue

Fall 2025

The New Willamette Valley

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