FleshtoneThe Siren Nation Arts and Music Festival has most certainly grown beyond its musical roots with a art shows, films, workshops and a craftacular bazaar. But the bid draw is still the tunes and that party starts tomorrow, Thursday the 6th, with the sounds of Fleshtone and Dj Anjali.
The all ages, downtown venue Backspace (115 NW 5th Ave) hosts the special First Thursday show and dance party starting at 6 p.m with a reception. At 9 p.m., the party heats up as the bright and shiny sexpots Fleshtone take the stage. With their glam rock meets Priscilla Queen of the Desert energy and fun choreographed dance numbers, they’re the perfect gender ambiguous and queer/female-positive act to kick off SN. They are followed by Portland’s biggest Bhangra diva DJ Angiali, who is another not-to-be-missed act.
On Friday, starting at 8 p.m., the shows move over to the Wonder Ballroom (128 NE Russell) in expectation of the crowds expected. The line-up for this first show is exceptional with the rundown consisting of The Trucks, Northern State, Lisa Papineau, The New Bloods and Tahoe Jackson.
Locals The New Bloods bring a raw and experimental energy to the scene with their jarring violin notes and post-punk shout-singing, but I’m even more excited about the dynamic pairing of Northern State and The Trucks. The Bellingham grrl rock sound of the Trucks dovetails nicely with the NYC hip-hop stylings of Northern State to create a post-everything sound that is perfect for Portland.
Felina’s ArrowSaturday’s show, which is also 8 p.m. at the Wonder brings it down a notch and mellows out your rock’n’roll vibe to one of sweet, sensory folk. The lineup of Amelia, Laura Veirs, Laura Gibson, Scout Niblett and Felina’s Arrow will make you sway in time with your sisters.
Locals Scout Niblett and Laura Gibson are certainly deserving of their hype. Both are mixtape favorites and critically acclaimed in the local music rags and festivals. But though they’ve been on my radar for quite awhile and Felina’s Arrow is completely new to me I’m excited to hear what they have to offer. Self-described as glam, pain and harmony their soulful vocals are already tugging at my lusty heartstrings, even from the tinny speakers through the Internet.
