SOUNDS OF MY CITY Through the Pandemic, Police Violence and Racial Injustice, Black Music Remains Resilient - Vortex Music Magazine
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SOUNDS OF MY CITY
Through the Pandemic, Police Violence and Racial Injustice,
Black Music Remains Resilient
F R E E ! | I S S U E 2 5 | V RTX M AG .CO M A CHRONICLE OF PORTLAND’S MUSICAL VORTEX
Pictured from left to right: Orukka, Auti, Marzz, DD SOUNDCHECK
Photo by Carlos Andres Cortes
@carlosandrescortes_
YO UN G VO I C E S W ER E F OR C ED TO T HE FR ON T LINE S T HI S PA S T S UMMER
and many youth discovered the power they hold—not just over trends, but over public
discourse and politics at large. It’s no coincidence that young artists, already familiar
with projecting their thoughts, frequently find themselves at the center of organized
movements. Since early this summer, Black liberation activist, rapper and songwriter
Marzz stood out as a leader amongst the youth. The same style, clarity and focus
that garnered her attention in the streets has also brought her attention as a lyricist,
a skill she’s also used to organize and create an underground print zine, 4ThePeople.
Find more on Instagram @4tpbtp
katelynconvery@gmail.com
2 vrtxmag.com 3
Inside
THIS ISSUE WINTER 2021
3 28
8 27
10 24
12
soundcheck Portraits of
Portland Music
3
The Youth Movement
PHOTO BY CARLOS ANDRES CORTES Sounds of the Black 16
#PDXmusic Community
Lives Matter Movement
BY ANDRÉ MIDDLETON
My Layoff Was My
8
Trap Door to Freedom soundcheck
BY JENNI MOORE Trap Kitchen 24
PHOTO BY JOSHUA MANUS
SOUNDCHECK
10 People Music. MUSICIAN'S GUIDE
PHOTO BY JOSHUA MANUS It’s A Pandemic, Not A Panic 27
14 BY BROOKFIELD DUECE
New in #PDXmusic
12
Artist to Watch: Parisalexa SOUNDCHECK
BY JENNI MOORE Produce 28
PATRICK K. PHOTO BY JOSHUA MANUS
New in #PDXmusic
KIMMONS, 27
Artist to Watch: REST IN LOVE:
KENDRA JAMES, 21
14 Jordan Fletcher SEPTEMBER 30,
2018 REST IN LOVE:
BY DONOVAN M. SMITH MAY 5, 2003
FRESH VIBE
QUANICE D.
HAYES, 17
JASON
REST IN LOVE: WASHINGTON, 45
FEBRUARY 9, 2017
REST IN LOVE:
JUNE 29, 2018
Playing electro and dream pop, shoegaze,
indie alt., neo soul, nu jazz and more.
Black music is a form of protest.
A local artist every 15 minutes! Black art—in this city, this state, this nation—commodifies pain.
Black existence is a form of expression.
M-F FROM 10:00 AM TO 6:00 PM Music is personal. Music is public. Music is healing. Music is a reflection of life.
Music is the point dancing its way through our perception.
99.1 FM in Portland or stream on prp.fm
Music—like all art—requires inspiration.
Too often, for Black artists, that inspiration is our lives.
Follow us on social media Not pictured: Larnell Bruce (19), Andre C. Gladen (36), Daniel Stacey Reynolds (20), Terrell Kyreem Johnson (24),
Christopher Kalonji (19), Kevin Lamont Judson (24), Aidan Ellison (19), Kevin Edward Peterson Jr. (21), Omer
@pdxradioproject Ismail Ali (27), Carlos Hunter (43), James Jahar Perez (28), Aaron M. Campbell (25) and so many more
COVER ILLUSTRATION BY ALEXANDER “CASSO DINERO” WRIGHT
4 vrtxmag.com 5
FROM THE EDITOR
VORTEX
Michelle Lepe, Mac Smiff and Ms. J (from left to right)
TAPE OP EDITOR
show off posters of the late StarChile and The Last
Artful, Dodgr at The Thesis Presents: Respect The
LARRY CRANE
Shooter, an homage to music photography,
at Kelly’s Olympian
M U S I C M A G A Z I N E
CAN TOTALLY MIX
nor our progression as a people. YOUR SONGS OR LP
In itself, this ongoing challenge of trying to GUEST EDITOR
• Very Affordable
Mac Smiff
push an indigenous perspective through the • Highly Skilled
narrow and crooked lens of the homogenous lar
CONTRIBUTORS
ry- • Great Credits
media can be endlessly frustrating. Constantly WRITERS cra
ne
reframing our thoughts to be easily Brookfield Duece
André Middleton
.co
comprehended by those with competing world m
Jenni Moore •j
perspectives is a chore. Trying to get a point Mac Smiff ac
Donovan M. Smith kp
across while audiences focus on your style and otr
ec
cultural mannerisms is insulting. And quite PHOTOGRAPHERS ord
frankly, I’m tired of it.
Tojo Andrianarivo ing
Carlos Andres Cortes .co
Faith Faucet m
Michelle Lepe • Neve 5088 Console •5
I WANT TO AMPLIF Y Joshua Manus
• 2-inch analog (16 & 24-track) 03
Moments by Mariah Photography .23
BLACK VOICES WITHOUT • Pro Tools 12 HD & Logic Pro X 9.5
• Voted “Best of PDX” ‘15 ‘16 & ‘17 38
SACRIFICING THE CLARIT Y
ILLUSTRATOR
Alexander “Casso Dinero” Wright 9
OF OUR VOICES Recording Portland’s Finest Music Since 1997
EDITOR-IN- CHIEF
Chris Young
From creating music we think the ASSOCIATE EDITOR
mainstream wants to hear, to promoting music Katey Trnka
the mainstream thinks they want to hear, we ART DIRECTOR
often see these machines of music and press Jeff Hayes
pumping out disposable works. But what EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS RECORDING STUDIO
makes a classic, births new genres, and stands Bruna Cucolo
Bren Swogger
the test of time are the works of those who
boldly project their own paradigms, making WEBMASTER
them widely accessible to others on the artists’ Arthur Parker
terms. SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGIST
So for this edition of Vortex, if I am to Ignacio Quintana
lead this charge, I want to do something DIGITAL CONTRIBUTORS
different. I want to unburden Black authors N.L. Brooks, Aaron Colter,
Joshua Hathaway, Andrea Janda,
and photographers to cover Black musicians Skylor Powell, Ryan J. Prado,
and artists by removing the onion-like layers Adam Sweeney, Sarah Vitort
of white male-centric perspective that so often ADVERTISING
prevent us from communicating effectively
A C C O U N T E X E C U T I VE S
with those who relate to us. I want to publish Olivia Hunt
WELCOME TO OUR WORLD
Black stories told by Black artists accompanied
ME D I A K I T + O T H E R R E Q U E S T S
by Black photography that get reviewed by ads@vrtxmag.com
Black editors and then allow Black people
ONE OF THE MOST D I F F I C U LT With this issue of Vortex Music Magazine, I to take the profits. I want to dabble in the ALL OTHER COMMENTS + INQUIRIES
info@vrtxmag.com
challenges as a Black creative is being heard want to allow our voices to be heard. I want to aesthetics of Afrofuturism and tell our stories
amplify Black voices without sacrificing the of Portland music in the way we see them. Vortex Music Magazine is
through the mainstream media. From the published quarterly by
editors who bend our tones to read as passive, clarity of our voices. I want our voices to speak This may seem unfamiliar to some. Some Vortex Music Magazine, LLC
to the publishers who fail to grasp the relevance from our frame of reference, regardless of who might even feel uncomfortable. You may be 1111 SE Grand Ave. #122
Portland, OR 97214
of our stories, our voices are not heard as we is consuming our work. asking why I got rid of all the white people, and All rights reserved.
intend them nor when we intend them to be heard. So often Black artists are required to actively the fact is—really the point is—I don’t have
VRTXMAG.COM
It is a challenge that all Black creatives face. choose who we’re speaking to. Code-switching to explain.
In a largely homogenous city such as doesn’t only occur in the office; certainly, a Welcome to our world.
PHOTO BY MICHELLE LEPE
Portland, a city known for white music level of colonization is expected of any artist
bands and white music fans, the voices of looking to “go mainstream” or “crossover.”
Black creatives—musicians and journalists The alternative, typically, is to lean into our
in particular—are easily drowned out, or Blackness in self-exploitation, cheapening our
modified to fit neatly within the Portland own existence to highlight basic stereotypical
narrative. differences that define neither our existence Mac Smiff, Guest Editor
6 Vortex Music Magazine > I S S U E 2 5 7
#PDXMUSIC COMMUNITY
My Layoff Was My
Trap Door to Freedom There needs to be significantly better representation in terms of
media workplace diversity, and it’s high time for BIPOC professionals
For BIPOC writers, the freelance game might just be the way to survive in Portland to lead and own their own publications. It also doesn’t escape
this mass media industry without experiencing burnout me that despite my efforts to the contrary, my body of work reads as
overly sensitive to the feelings of white people. And as a half-white
BY JENNI MOORE person with lots of white friends, living in the whitest city in the US,
all of this makes total sense.
So after the pandemic caused us all to lose our jobs, I decided to take
O
N MARCH 13, I RECEIVED A escapism became a constant opportunity to do job I always thought I wanted. The layoff was a a break from it all, escape my laptop for a while, and listen to music
phone call: I was being temporarily more work. secret trap door that led to my freedom. purely for the enjoyment of it—not because it was my job. I wanted to
laid off from my full-time, salaried Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed working at Because of the network and reputation I get lost in Jazmine Sullivan’s voice and dance to Afrobeat around my
role as music editor at the Portland Mercury, the Mercury more than any job I’ve ever had. had built writing for We Out Here Magazine, house without worrying about everything I’m going to say about it. I
along with most of my coworkers. I wasn’t I learned a lot, had great coworkers, and likely the Mercury and others, I now receive plenty asked myself, “Why am I charging myself with doing this work full-time
exactly surprised, but it was a strange feeling. would have stayed there much longer had this of freelance inquiries and other career- if it stresses me out so much?”
After blogging and interning for years for no pandemic not put a pause on everything. enhancement opportunities in my inbox. This
pay—paying your dues, they said—I “pulled In American society, many of us are led to is a far cry from my pre-Mercury journalism
myself up by my bootstraps” and worked my believe we’re supposed to learn how to do one career: begging editors for a chance to write or MY CAUCASIAN COLLEAGUES
way up from Mercury freelancer to copy chief thing really well. Pick a lane, and stay in it. intern for no pay. HAD THE BENEFIT OF MY
to music editor, embodying a title I had long I felt stuck in a role that I had always asked For some, the freelancing game might just
described as my “dream job.” for and was riddled with shoulds: I should be be the way to survive this industry without EDITOR LENS AND JUDGEMENT
For some reason I felt... relieved when I got happy. I should see it through because it’s the experiencing burnout. Publicly processing WHENEVER THEY ’D COVER
the call. My boss, whom I adore, was regretful arts and entertainment works or hard news at
and clearly upset over the forced mass exodus a rapid rate in the age of “cancel culture” can SOMETHING ABOUT THE BLACK
during the call. But for me, it felt like he had be terrifying—especially when you are not just EXPERIENCE; I NEVER GOT THE
lifted a weight off my shoulders. Because of the only Black person but the only person of
Covid-19, the paper’s ad revenue dried up, and color on staff. Non-BIPOC editors want us to SAME PRIVILEGE.
the layoffs became permanent. write these rich and juicy ethnic stories, but it’s
Again, I wasn’t surprised by this because become all too typical that the entire editorial Now I am learning that I’ve earned the right to only take on projects
the print journalism industry was struggling lens of the multifarious BIPOC communities that feel good. I’ve been able to work on some seriously life-affirming
long before the pandemic, operating on an falls on me, my knowledge and awareness. My pieces for new-to-me publications like Portland Monthly, Eater
unsustainable model and laying off workers Caucasian colleagues, who often expressed a Portland, Travel Oregon, and of course, here in Vortex, while continuing
left and right. The full-time, salaried lack of diversity of their own volition, had to contribute to the Mercury as a fond freelancer. (And FYI: I write a
journalists who are on staff are often expected the benefit of my editor lens and judgement weekly, no-stress column for the Merc called Refresh Playlist, focusing
to be Swiss Army knives, writing and editing whenever they’d cover something about on new local and national releases that offer a few breaths of bliss in
as many stories and doing as much extra the Black experience; I never got the same this weird moment in time.) For the time being, I seem to be surviving
work as possible. All this leads to many privilege. So the idea of taking on a larger as an independent contractor and temp worker.
salaried journalists working closer to 50-hour feature story on something like Black I don’t feel sad about losing my job; I feel blessed for the experience
weeks or, for others, nonstop. motherhood in Portland or indigenous that helped me fine-tune my skills, make wonderful connections, and
Getting laid off made me realize that while sustainable food practices often becomes showed me I can accomplish whatever dream I have for myself if I just
my job was very much appreciated by the incredibly daunting. keep at it. The loss was actually a gift that helped me realize what I
community and coveted in the world of local T hese regional publicat ions a re truly want is flexibility and freedom. No matter what career changes
journalism, my work was not “essential” to overwhelmingly run by white progressive may come, I’ll always write and want my work published in some form.
human life. Having a break from it made me people who consider themselves allies, and (It’s part of my Beyoncé “I Was Here” mentality.)
realize that my stressful newspaper job also who make increasing efforts to include As an independent contractor, I have more time to write for other
wasn’t essential to my own happiness. I thought BIPOC voices in their pages. Yet it outlets, and explore my various passions for food, wellness, working
spending 40-plus hours a week glued to my remains painfully obvious: BIPOC with animals, plants, or even becoming a backup singer. In this new
laptop, getting into all the shows I wanted, editors have a harder time getting world, I’ve learned that my voice and skills are in high demand, and
and being the point person for covering the and/or keeping a job at one of Portland’s I have options. But I’ve ultimately learned that once I get to a certain
massive beat that is Portland music would be print outlets. While it’s unsettling to see spot in my career, I may come to find that it’s not the destination I had
my ideal job. What I didn’t expect was that it increasingly fewer Black journalists in local fantasized about. I may decide to change course. That’s life, and it’s fine.
would become overwhelming, taking the fun staff media positions, I’m not sure whether
out of devouring music and attending shows. having a token person at each outlet is the
What used to be my sanctuary of fun and answer either. Jenni Moore is a freelance writer, editor, home chef and animal lover living in Portland.
8 Vortex Music Magazine > I S S U E 2 5 9
SOUNDCHECK
Pictured from left to right:
Peter Knudsen, Charlie Brown III (greaterkind),
Sarah Clarke (Dirty Revival, Outer Orbit, founder
of equity nonprofit Musicians In Solidarity),
Samuel Eisen-Meyers at The Map Room
Photo by Joshua Manus
@moneyrocket
PEOPLE MUSIC.
F R O M PR OT E S T S IN T H E S T R EE T S TO T H E S A F E T Y of the
studio, the folks at People Music. are on a mission to communally
create and distribute music. Formed in July as protests devolved
into federal confrontations and the pandemic took hold of the
city, the group is multifaceted in the collective sense, with the
ability to produce across genres employing a variety of in-house
musicians. It also serves as an emotional safe space for artists.
Modeling themselves to mimic a Motown vibe, People Music.
is structured like a record label but fights the system by taking
a “for artists, by artists” approach, looking to articulate a path
towards artistic and financial freedom through collaboration
and a fundamental tenet that artists own the work they create.
Find more on Instagram @wearepeoplemusic
10 Vortex Music Magazine > I S S U E 2 5 vrtxmag.com 11
NEW IN #PDXMUSIC NEW IN #PDXMUSIC
ARTISTS TO WATCH
Hear more fresh sounds from the scene's hottest rising acts at VRTXMAG.COM/PDXMUSIC
Parisalexa
BY JENNI MOORE
R&B SINGER, SONGWRITER AND pandemic hit, Parisalexa dropped her debut G E N RE :
producer Parisalexa has come a long way LP, 2 Real, the follow-up to Bloom and Flexa, R&B, soul
since making her big splash with a near-perfect her two EPs from 2018. From the Doja Cat-
E S S E N TI AL T RAC K :
performance of “Cashitis” as a finalist in reminiscent “2 Optimistic,” to the Black girl “Chocolate”
Sound Off! 2016, an annual music competition magic anthem “Chocolate” (which beautifully
at Seattle’s Museum of Pop Culture (formerly spotlights Black-owned Seattle businesses F O R F ANS O F :
known as the Experience Music Project). The in its music video), to the sultry staccato Ari Lennox, Summer Walker,
Tori Kelly, Blossom
now 22-year-old artist created her catchy, rhythms of “4 Playin,” 2 Real is a solid effort
soulful original using her voice and a loop that shows Parisalexa’s range—but the singer-
machine, with lyrics about the societal toxicity songwriter says she’s eager to release music
of prioritizing money and material items over that’s more socially relevant during these While Parisalexa has been a Seattleite
all else. The well-executed sonic progression on apocalyptic times. ever since moving to the Emerald City from
display sounds like a woke, radio-ready hit, but Nature-inspired visuals, like one for the New Jersey at the age of 7, this September
“Cashitis” only scratches the surface of what plant-themed 2018 single “Water Me,” portray marked her move to Portland, where she now
the singer-songwriter is capable of. the artist as an exceedingly introspective, joins a house of like-minded women of color
“A lot of the times I was just shooting in the down-to-earth Pacific Northwest girl at heart. creatives that includes singer and former
dark as a young, creative person, just trying to As a Black woman brought up in the region, tourmate Blossom.
get out what was on my heart, and [‘Cashitis’] “Blossom is one of the people that I met in
really resonated with people,” Parisalexa says. Portland... and I met a lot of the girls who help
“I feel like that set me in a direction to keep “THE BEST WAY FOR ME TO her with her visuals or creative stuff. And a
writing about real, real stuff.” MAKE IT THROUGH THIS TIME lot of them all live in this one house that I got While the pandemic, second wave of the perhaps from her new resting pad. it through this time is just to stay creative,”
Parisalexa is a singer’s singer, constantly to stay at. So ever since then, I’ve just visited Black Lives Matter movement, and ultra- Once the pandemic has subsided, Parisalexa Parisalexa says.
IS JUST TO STAY CREATIVE .“
practicing her craft live and often producing it, like multiple times.” Parisalexa says the devastating fire season would emotionally says she can’t wait to perform around town, At the time of our phone interview, I’d sealed
herself. Her authentic vibe and vocal prowess relocation to Portland now feels like a natural affect anyone with a pulse, Parisalexa says the record some new visuals (a Riley Brown myself inside my house to avoid hazardous
have landed her placements on new projects Parisalexa says she knows what it’s like to way to branch out and create her next narrative, forced pause of this period has brought about treatment is a rite of passage for Portland air quality brought on by a truly ghastly fire
from the critically acclaimed funk duo Tuxedo feel invisible and be made to conjure her own also noting the friendly, liberated vibe of her some songwriting opportunities (including one artists), and collaborate with a slew of season, and Parisalexa was doing the same in
(Mayer Hawthorne and Jake One) and R&B self-confidence from within her own world. new creative community. particularly exciting opp with a female artist musicians based in the Rose City, such as Seattle as she mentally prepared to make the
artist Xavier Omär (including opening a 10- Essential 2 Real track “Chocolate” gives “It just brings me such a sense of peace to that she can’t yet name) that she probably hip-hop acts Wynne and KayelaJ. She’s in the move three hours south. Once the smoke clears,
PHOTO BY COREY MYERS
date tour stint), as well as making an impact listeners a taste of that self-affirming inner be around similar-minded women,” she says. wouldn’t have gotten otherwise. She’s also process of writing and recording new music, there’s no doubt Parisalexa will be contributing
on NBC’s Songland. She signed a publishing monologue, calling out anyone trying to bite When she’s visited Portland recently— done some stellar live stream performances, and says she has a song with Donte Thomas (of her own sweetly sung heat to Portland’s R&B
deal with Kobalt Music Group, spent a summer Black women’s inimitable aesthetic (“You can’t whether for an appearance at Girl Fest in 2018, such as one in June at Seattle’s Nectar Lounge Portland hip-hop collective Produce Organic scene.
writing music for other artists, and recently bottle it, fraudulent”) and repeatedly singing or a joint tour with Ivy Sole and Blossom last that benefitted Black Lives Matter Seattle- Records) that fans should look out for.
joined Ultra Music and Payday Records. “I got the blueprint from the motherland” in year—it’s obvious Parisalexa is cultivating a King County. Her next one, Parisalexa says, “After the pandemic hit, it was draining MOST RECENT RELEASE:
In May, a couple of months after the its joyful chorus. fan base here, and for damn good reason. will more than likely be recorded in Portland, for a bit, but the best way for me to make 2 Real out now
12 Vortex Music Magazine > I S S U E 2 5 vrtxmag.com 13
NEW IN #PDXMUSIC
Jordan Fletcher
“I WANT THERE TO BE A LIGHT
AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL .
BUT I WANT YOU TO KNOW
WHAT IT TOOK FOR ME
TO GET THERE .“
this shit, responsible for a lot of the people I know that are in jail,
or a lot of the people I know that have been killed,” Fletcher tells.
The uprisings have bled into his music too. A little over a week
after news of Floyd’s death broke, Fletcher released “8:46,” titled for
the nearly nine minutes Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin
spent digging his knee into the neck of Floyd while three fellow
policemen stood by. In under three minutes, the freestyle, which is
not featured on the album, captures the pain that has flooded millions
BY DONOVAN M. SMITH into the streets across the globe, and forced America into a deeper
reckoning with its centuries’ deep anti-Blackness.
FO R T H E PA S T S E V E R A L M O N T H S , “Shit is crazy how when this shit happen they say to move along / But
the streets of Portland have been full of calls for up in arms when they see busted windows at Louis Vuitton / They
a complete reimagining of this world—and for don’t like it when we come to settle scores / ’Cause another brother
Black lives to matter. During a daytime rally at was murdered using excessive force,” he laments on the track.
G E N RE : E S S E N TI AL T RAC K : F O R F ANS O F :
Lents Park marking 100 days of resistance since Hip-hop “Daddy Was A Crip” Vince Staples, Kendrick Lamar, “This shit’s still going on, there’s people still being shot by the
George Floyd’s execution, I was introduced to Schoolboy Q cops and dying,” he says. “Nothing has changed.”
Jordan Fletcher who, for 12 songs, made North And change is all he wants. After charging through a sea of self-
and NE Portland the center of the universe. neighborhood park because people would think a Little Big Burger close to their new apartment doubt to release his debut project full of piercing 808-driven prose
Performing his debut album Somewhere he was “trash.” that kicked out a family that has been there for this year, he hopes listeners hear both his anger and the hope between
Off Alberta in its entirety, Fletcher made a “That whole neighborhood is literally my many years, it disgusts me,” he says. the poetry.
declaration to the crowd that very well could life,” he says. It’s stories like these that have propelled “I’m not a mad nigga if you know me,” he says, pegging himself as
have been a thesis to the entire project: “What As he continues, the feelings behind not only Fletcher’s music, but his movement lighthearted and “goofy” outside of the booth. “So when people hear
y’all did to Alberta is disgusting!” his angst crystallize into a case study in as well. the album I just want them to know, yeah, this from the mindstate
Speaking with Vortex, Fletcher explains the expected outcomes of a neighborhood After news of George Floyd’s death, he of a nigga that’s angry, that’s had to do a lot of shit just to survive,
his sentiments further: “When you think of marred by crooked policies like redlining and says he was pulled to the streets, and almost but also wants to change, and wants to make it a better place for
being a kid, and that nostalgia hits, I just think manufactured poverty, explaining how both his every night since (save for a week of historic someone else so someone else doesn’t have to do something like go
PHOTO BY GABBY ALBANO
of Alberta. I just remember when I was on mom and grandmother were forced to move wildfires that engulfed the West Coast) he’s trap and shit or do something else. I want there to be a light at the
Alberta.” from their respective homes along with other joined the chorus of protesters being met with end of the tunnel. But I want you to know what it took for me to get
The 25-year-old emcee recalls memories family members as gentrification began to take chemical munitions and other weaponry from there, nigga.”
of eating Jack’s Chicken with his dad, hitting hold of inner North and NE Portland. regional police bureaus and federal agents.
the ice cream parlor further up the street, and “Just to see White people take it back so they “[Going to the protests] was directly talking MOST RECENT RELEASE:
being scared to go to football tryouts at the can have a restaurant to eat at, or they can have to the people that are responsible for a lot of Somewhere Off Alberta out now
14 Vortex Music Magazine > I S S U E 2 5 15
Sounds of the
Black Lives Matter Movement
Through the pandemic, police violence and racial injustice,
Black music remains resilient
Words by André Middleton I’ve found myself starting a lot of my notes and letters and emails
Illustrations by Alexander “Casso Dinero” Wright with this statement. It’s as if I say it enough it will become a reality.
The Frontline Drumline are the heartbeat of the revolution,
reminding us that Black joy, in itself, has always been a
form of active resistance. The BIPOC-led collective of
anti-fascist drummers provide rhythm and focus to the
Portland-area marches, rallies and protests that have In recent years, sounds have become a central part of my life. I helped
dominated the media in 2020. Pictured from right to left: start and now run a small nonprofit called Friends of Noise. We seek
Bandleaders Mal, Ray, Scot, Dominique
PHOTO BY FAITH FAUCET
to foster healing and growth for the youth in our community via the
arts by hosting professional development workshops, inclusive, all-ages
concerts that provide live performance opportunities for youth artists,
and hands-on experience for emerging youth sound engineers. We also
find youth paid gigs.
Prior to the pandemic, my weekends were filled with the sounds of the
joyful music of emerging youth artists like Wavy Josef, Out of Luck, Mei
Anna and others at their first paid gigs, or the start-and-stop staccato
rhythm of a sound check. I had grown accustomed to hearing the sigh of
relief after a successful show, the shuffling feet that didn’t want to leave
and have the night end, and the teens saying thanks for an opportunity
to play music that was so dear to them.
In the early stages of the pandemic, silence and the worry about
when I could return to the life that I had built were ever-present. Fear,
doubt and not knowing if my organization and career would survive the
economic slowdown became a daily ritual to overcome. I knew I had to
do something, but I was at a loss as to what course of action would set
me on a path back to the life and music scene that I had come to cherish.
In early May, I learned of the murder of Ahmaud Arbery, a young
Black man who was chased by white vigilantes and shot while he was
jogging in a predominately white neighborhood in Georgia. Later that
month, another story broke about a white woman in Central Park who
called the police, in a threatening manner, on a gay Black man who
was birding.
16 17
Portraits of Portland Music
The growing grief I felt for the increasing list of Black folks killed Sadly, however, it was close to impossible to hear the voices of the
As these stories were making the rounds on social media, other stories by law enforcement was getting hard to manage. The feeling of helpless speakers. As luck would have it, my nonprofit has a storage area filled
about Black people being killed by police started filling up my timeline futility and dread that there would be a new name added to that list, with sound gear so a great friend and ally of Friends of Noise and I came
with regular frequency. It was not hard to get swept up in the internet We live in a society with a perhaps my own, was becoming a heavy weight to bear. Unable to up with the idea of building a mobile PA system.
outrage, and truth be told, I wasn’t fighting it. All the dots were lining
up so I followed the developing stories and grew more and more stressed
so-called criminal justice attend shows, I found some solace by diving into my CD collection
and sought out the conscious hip-hop of my youth. Public Enemy, Poor
While the mobile PA was being constructed, on June 10, I was offered
an opportunity to speak at a rally in Grant Park. As fate would have it,
and anxious. system that often gives Righteous Teachers and Native Tongues were in constant rotation, I was already writing a speech to post on YouTube so I was actually on
Soon after Memorial Day, I learned of the murder of George Floyd reminding me of a time when the sound of mental liberation and Black my second draft of something. I tried to channel all the speeches I had
by officers of the Minneapolis Police Department. How could they do grace to the wealthy, joy was considered mainstream enough to be on the radio and MTV. I heard in the past. I thought about cadence, rhythm, call and response.
this knowing that the world was watching?
To this day, I have been unable to watch the video of his murder. It
white and connected. miss the days when seeing a Black medallion and a head nod was all I
needed to know that I was among my people.
It was at this rally that I got to see so many musicians, poets and other
activists who had answered the call to share their talent and inspire
was a horrible story that shocked the nation, and the world, and caused I found myself in a pretty dark place in early June and I reached crowds numbering in the thousands to be better and shout out that “Black
people to take to the streets in numbers that I had not seen since the out to a friend to chat about my sadness, anger and frustration. I’ve Lives Matter!”
protests against the first Gulf War in the 1990s. known this friend for close to two decades and I’ve seen his own This is what a healthy and inclusive community sounds like: Emcees
After George Floyd was murdered, something changed. Maybe it was struggles with debilitating depression. I’m a pretty upbeat person so like Jahdi, Mic Crenshaw and Marzz kept the crowds bopping while
the pandemic? Perhaps it was a swelling sense of grief and outrage at this sustained malaise was new to me. We talked for hours, and at some poets like Brianna Grisby, Kinsey Smyth and Aaron Spriggs used words
how Black lives have been so disposable and devalued for the entirety point, I confessed a desire to break things and lash out at a society that to paint what a just world could look like.
of this country’s existence? The rapid-fire succession of Black people didn’t think that my life mattered—a society that created a so-called Once the mobile unit was complete, I let the activist community know
killed in May of 2020 had a definite impact on opening my eyes to the criminal justice system that often gives grace to the wealthy, white that my gear and I would be available, free of charge, to amplify their
miscarriage and unequal justice here in America. and connected. voices so that their messages could be heard. I focused my energies
mostly on youth and family actions, and I ended up at large and small
rallies in all four quadrants of Portland, and even some of the suburbs too.
Like many others, on May 29, I attended
the rally for George Floyd at Peninsula Park
in North Portland. The energy from the
thousands of people who had assembled
there to express their sadness, rage and
calls for sustainable change was palpable. I
still get chills thinking about all those people
joining their voices in reminding me that my
life does matter, because it always did.
Karma Rivera owned the Pearl District street Longtime activist and emcee Mic Crenshaw
in front of Mayor Ted Wheeler’s condo on rocked the mic at Cathedral Park on Labor Day
August 28; a week later, he moved out PHOTO BY TOJO ANDRIANARIVO
PHOTO BY MOMENTS BY MARIAH PHOTOGRAPHY
18 vrtxmag.com 19The promised land isn’t
in the future. It’s in the
present, a present that
we make together.
From small rallies in Lents to over 2,000 people at Cathedral
Park, I’ve been fortunate to hear so many sounds of this
movement. The Frontline Drumline provided the rhythm, Black
youth provided the fire, and the crowds responded to the calls of
“Black Lives” with a resounding “Matter!”
I heard a 10-year-old poet named Aidan Carter share his poem
“Hello Black Child.” I heard strength overcome fear in the voices
of many speakers who shared how they had been impacted by the
systems that prop up white supremacy. I heard the mournful wail
Top: Rapper and artist Jahdi’s world changed
when he became an activist this summer in
of over 50 stringed instruments playing in unison at the violin
the movement to liberate Black lives vigil for Elijah McClain at Peninsula Park.
Bottom: Throughout the protests,
individuals often decided to bring their own
speakers in a tradition known as SoundBloc
COMING OVER THE AIRWAVES FROM PORTLAND, OREGON AT 89.1FM AND WORLDWIDE AT KMHD.ORG PHOTOS BY MOMENTS BY MARIAH PHOTOGRAPHY
vrtxmag.com 21Portraits of Portland Music
By my count, I have provided sound support at some 20 actions
and counting, and what I heard at all of them was a resolve to
identify our power and direct it at the systems and structures that
depend on white supremacy to survive. It was an honor to join other
sound providers like local DJ Ronin Roc and Sound Bloc to support
the movement.
When I decided to dedicate my summer to amplifying the voices
of those demanding the destruction of systems that support white
supremacy, my only goal was to make a contribution to the cause.
I had to do something, for if this was the civil rights movement
of my era, I couldn’t sit on the sidelines. I had to bring my lived
experience to bear.
In hindsight, loading up my car and answering the calls from
organizers was actually an act of self-salvation. I was able to fill
the silence that haunted me in the early spring with the sounds
of a movement for justice and accountability. I got to witness a
wide range of organizers and thousands of community members
protesting an unjust society that has treated Black lives as disposable
and not worthy of grace or compassion. I was able to participate and
collaborate with youth and elders, Black and white, gay and straight,
trans and cis, native and immigrants, and people I had no clue I’d
meet in building systems of mutual aid.
Now, I truly know what Martin Luther King Jr. meant when
he said that he had seen the promised land. I’ve seen it too. The
promised land isn’t in the future. It’s in the present, a present that
we make together. It’s in the faces of the people we work with and
support to keep the movement sustainable. It’s in the labor that we
share in remaking the world not as it is, but as it should be.
We can do this because we already are.
Stay together, stay tight!
Black Lives Matter!
A Black Lives Matter art
André Middleton is a founder and the executive director of Friends of Noise, a nonprofit that installation beneath the St. Johns
Bridge in Cathedral Park at the
supports youth musicians and a safer, more inclusive all-ages music scene.
Labor Day rally
PHOTO BY TOJO ANDRIANARIVO
22SOUNDCHECK
TRAP KITCHEN
MIKEY VEGAZ HAS LIVED A FEW LIVES IN THIS
Portland scene. From the streets to the studio, Vegaz has consistently
maintained his otherworldly hustle, and his yearslong venture into
mobile food service has resulted in the cultural phenomenon known
as the Trap Kitchen. With a DIY attitude and sharp instinct to cut
out the middlemen, Vegaz’ enterprise has gone national (serving folks
throughout Los Angeles, Oakland, Las Vegas, Atlanta and New York
City), landing him in a position to put on for the communities he’s
tied into as well as give back to the greater Black community here
at home. Over the summer, the local Trap Kitchen cart (currently
located on NE 82nd Avenue just south of Sandy) partnered with
local heroes like rapper Aminé and Trail Blazer CJ McCollum to
Pictured from left to right: Mikey Vegaz and Chef Derrs provide free meals to the Black community. That’s boss behavior.
Photo by Joshua Manus Find more on Instagram @trapkitchenpdx
@moneyrocket
24 Vortex Music Magazine > I S S U E 2 5 vrtxmag.com 25NEW #PDXMUSIC RELEASES MUSICIAN'S GUIDE
It’s A Pandemic, Not A Panic
BY BROOKFIELD DUECE
I
N A Y E AR CLOUDED WITH POLICE
br ut alit y, protests, gover n ment al
incompetence, wildfires, and a global
pandemic, a silver lining has emitted rays of
hope for independent artists.
For decades, to sell records, artists have
had to abandon creative rooms for diplomatic
ones. Yet, in this era of competing for attention
ARTHUR C. LEE: "THE BURNING SUN" POINTED MAN BAND: DREAMS through viral moments, radio or playlist
FOR FANS OF: YO LA TENGO, WILCO, BRIAN ENO FOR FANS OF: HARRY NILSSON, ROSTAM, XTC
payola, and endless DIY resources, greasing
Arthur C. Lee’s songs are a reflection of Dreams, a joyful new EP, is the latest in a line the palms of the industry and encouraging fans
simple moments that are sometimes the of thought-provoking music crafted by Dan to follow popularity over musical potency have
most meaningful. His new single “The Elliott for family members both grown and taken a backseat. Today, we’re in a renaissance
Burning Sun,” the first of many releases still growing under the moniker Pointed Man of artists responding to fans desiring art that
to come in the next several months, Band. This upcoming EP seeks the larger world requires time to appreciate because we’re
embodies just that with his vibrant surf within ourselves and discovers positivity in
sheltered in place. Marketing things that are
rock groove. Written soon after the birth of his son and life’s small moments. Each dynamic song overflows with driving
toxic towards women, race and culture are
days after the total solar eclipse of 2017, Lee vividly pianos and synths, rich strings, and horns combined with lush
captures this monumental moment, where the immensity harmonies to exude the intersection of Mother Nature and looked down upon more each day.
of nature was never more present. Out 12/18, listen to human nature. Out on 2/12/21, find the new single “Love!” The cloud that is 2020 is actually opening
“The Burning Sun” and watch the video at: arthurclee.com on all digital music platforms now pointedmanband.com the eyes of a ton of people, making this
year potentially the best and worst year
simultaneously for both humankind and our art.
For nearly the past decade, I’ve been a
resident of both Oakland and Portland as
Artists rooted in direct-to-consumer limited-edition runs that generate faster sales;
THE PANDEMIC HAS TAKEN
platforms such as Bandcamp and Shopify meanwhile, fans take the time to listen to
AWAY THE NORMALITIES OF were dominated by digital streaming giants albums, read liner notes, frame artwork, and
GR AVITATING TO POPUL ARIT Y like Apple and Spotify while major labels collect merch no one else can get. Live shows
AND GIVEN US TIME TO REALIZE bought all their front-page real estate... then that were deemed unsuccessful if only 100
WE WEREN’ T CHOOSING WHO Covid-19 changed the world, including the people attended are now sellouts due to social
world of music. distancing rules in those larger venues that
TO SUPPORT—WE WERE BEING
Everyone was sheltered in place, yet police are still operating. Even your Instagram live
TOLD WHO TO SUPPORT. continued to kill Black men and women on is now a venue.
camera and go home unindicted. The music The pandemic has taken away the
a family and hip-hop scene member. Both industry, wary of cancel culture, took a big step normalities of gravitating to popularity and
MILLENNIAL FALCON: COMICS HALF SHADOW: DREAM WEATHER
ITS ELECTRIC SONG
of these cities, which I call home, are huge back from artists creating music perpetuating given us time to realize we weren’t choosing
FOR FANS OF: OINGO BOINGO, ADULT SWIM CARTOONS, THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS FOR FANS OF: MOUNT EERIE, LITTLE WINGS, MEGA BOG, MARISA ANDERSON
participants in this uprising. Protesting and lies, glorifying the downfall of the Black who to support—we were being told who to
music are two things these cities do very well. community, or disrespecting women. This support. That choice belongs to the people a
The Portland punks depict autobiographical Dream Weather Its Electric Song, the latest Marketing both? Not so much. change happened in what felt like a day’s time. lot more now. And the courage, independence
exploits in their fantastical comic book series. release from Portland’s enigmatic Half Shadow,
Our collective pride in maintaining high The sun rose the next day to artists being and uniqueness of both Oakland and Portland’s
With their scrappy music as a soundtrack, resonates as a dream swelling into daylight
levels of social awareness and musical appreciated for their art. Merch sales are up, artists have benefitted from this change by
Millennial Falcon is the name of the band’s hot- vision, wrapping listeners in dark sparkling
boxed spaceship, rebelling in a universe where a hues and mossy undergrowth. At times raw, innovation—and being respected for it—has sometimes for no other reason but partiality; staying the course and not panicking in a
brutal corporation governs all. The series captures minimal or softly psychedelic, the songs here attracted labels and their artists from around spending money on clothing doesn’t make pandemic.
PHOTO BY KEVIN ALLEN
the desperation of bands touring against all odds while creating inhabit the esoteric spaces between genres—incantatory folk, the world to visit these lands to consume the sense if it’s coming from designers who don’t
a rich parody of the exploitative culture of entertainment. New astrological rock and oceanic spoken word—without ever knowledge of art and social purpose, only support movements of change today.
installments of Millennial Falcon Comics are published on their site losing a sense of melody or the poetic, emotional lyricism Half to quickly return home to their already built Artists pressing vinyl and cassettes for Brookfield Duece is a multi-disciplinary artist,
along with new singles and albums. Stream Millennial Falcon’s music Shadow is known for. Catchy, lo-fi and revelatory. Out now on musical infrastructure with our culture. nostalgia are now selling out of them and A&R for Front Page Music, co-founder of hip-hop
on any service and read the comics at: millennialfalconcomics.xyz Illusion Florist Records, stream at: hlfshdw.bandcamp.com Oakland and Portland weren’t equipped to inspiring fans to buy record players. Low- collective Grand Nationxl, and co-host of Grand
protect and market our art. budget releases have become exclusive, Nationxl Radio on XRAY.fm.
2 Vortex Music Magazine > I S S U E 1 7 A D V E R T I S E M E N T S vrtxmag.com 27SOUNDCHECK
Pictured clockwise from top left: Bro Pluto, Donte
Thomas, Reclusive Images, Bocha, Chief Cutz
Photo by Joshua Manus
@moneyrocket
PRODUCE
W H E T H E R Y O U ' R E L O O K I N G F O R B E AT S , A H O T 1 6 ,
fresh clothes, new sneakers, high-end accessories, a haircut, or a game
of Madden, if you walk into Produce Portland—located in downtown
Chinatown—you’re in the right place. Opening a storefront and co-
branding as a record label—Produce Organic Records—while the
artists play roles in the business is exactly the kind of sustainable
model the local hip-hop scene needed. In 2020, they were prolific
in dropping fire releases from Bocha, Donte Thomas and Marcus
McCauley, while Chief Cutz stays booked at the barber’s station.
With Bro Pluto directing the drip, this is one-stop shopping at its best.
Find more on Instagram @produceportland
28 Vortex Music Magazine > I S S U E 2 5 vrtxmag.com 29the following supporters of vortex music magazine play a vital role in encouraging,
VORTEX MARKETPLACE enabling and cultivating the music that circulates through the veins and culture of our city
so please show them some love and support them back.
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30 Vortex Music Magazine > I S S U E 2 5 vrtxmag.com 31The longer this shutdown continues,
the more we need to stand together.
No artist, genre, music business, or venue
can endure this shutdown in isolation. We
all need each other and we need to stand
together. MusicPortland is here for you, and
we need your ideas and voice to re-imagine
and rebuild our music ecology even better
than before.
Join us and get involved with MusicPortland
and our new LEAP initiative at
MusicPortland.org/LEAP
photo credit, clockwise from top left: Jason Quigley, Natalie Waitt-Gibson, Sam Gehrke, Mississippi Studios, Strum PDXYou can also read
