Music
MUSIC REVIEW: Bad Bad Hats, The Ophelias – McMenamins Mission Theater
Bad Bad Hats, a rising indie-pop rock trio from Minneapolis, put on an energetic and joyful show at McMenamins Mission Theater in NW Portland on Wednesday, May 25th. The opening band, the Ophelias, brought their playfully dark baroque-rock from Cincinnati and were the perfect musical foil to the sunny Bad Bad Hats. Bad Bad Hats…
Read MoreA New Mission for The Mission Theater
April brings about a change in the season, and for us it brings about a change in our McMenamins music world. At the end of April the Mission Theater will be transforming from a live event and music venue to a first run movie theater. While we are excited to re-open our doors with this…
Read MorePJ Harvey: The Dark Evoker of the Beautiful written by Tara Nicole Golden
Written by Tara Nicole Golden, Photos by Kat Nyberg Sometimes it is best to walk into something without any expectations or even knowledge. That was how I approached this PJ Harvey show at The Crystal Ballroom. I had heard PJ’s music before, and appreciated it, but although I have seen her albums in stores for…
Read MoreGetting to know 1939 Ensemble
1939 Ensemble invited us into their North Portland practice space to talk about the formation of their band and how they developed their unique sound. We also got to capture them performing one of their new songs, “Hourglass,” before they hit the road to go on tour with Tortoise and RJD2, a tour that is…
Read MoreA chat and a song with John Craigie for Great Northwest Music Tour
We had a chance to sit down with John Craigie in his home where he recorded his latest release, No Rain, No Rose. In this video, get an intimate glimpse inside John Craigie’s recording process, find out what to expect from his Great Northwest Music Tour and hear him play a song off of his…
Read MoreBernadette Bascom
Who is Bernadette Bascom? Students’ music teacher and vocal coach, gospel/R&B singer, Vegas stage performer, Emmy Award winner, pal to Stevie Wonder…. High among her many accomplishments is the Music Project at Secondary Academy for Success (SAS), an amazing program initially launched for musicians at what’s now McMenamins Anderson School. Bascom was recruited to lend…
Read MoreAbout the Draaiorgel het Blauw Frontje
Just one of the fun aspects of gathering McMenamins history is when it comes from out of the blue. We recently received an email from a guest at the Kennedy School inquiring about our Draaiorgel het Blauw Frontje. (Great name for a beer, right?) Have a look… ***** My family and I visited the Kennedy…
Read MoreA Moment with Springsteen
Back in October, fresh off his booksigning at Powell’s, Bruce Springsteen stopped by the Tavern & Pool for lunch with his buddy Chuck Palahniuk, author of Fight Club and other works. Sounds like the start of a Portlandia skit, but it actually happened. And one of our T&P regulars, Catherine Graham, was there not just…
Read MoreTalking with The Freaks!
Its quite safe to say that The Freak Mountain Ramblers are an institution in the McMenamins music community. Going into their 12th year as a Great Northwest Music tour regular, not once but twice per season, we wanted to chat with The Freak Mountain Ramblers about how this relationship came to be, and to rehash some great memories they’ve made with us over the years.
Read MoreInterview with Saint Motel in the Green Room, Crystal Ballroom May 28, 2016
McMenamins photographer Kat Nyberg had the opportunity to sit down with Saint Motel before their show at Crystal Ballroom on Saturday for a fun, spontaneous interview and photo shoot. Find out why the Crystal is one of their favorite venues, where babies come from, and other interesting topics. It was an amazing show for everyone, and the interview was a fun bit of spontaneity for both Kat and the band.
Thanks for a great night guys!
