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Video from La Pump’s performance at Electrogals

If you missed last week’s Electrogals conference this video won’t cover it. But at least you can get a taste by seeing video of La Pump‘s Saturday night performance of “Magnet.”


Get your raunchy comedy, your Rebel Grrl and your Sass Patrol ready for a weekend of the old and the new, the Bent and the blue

Claw vs. Claw plays Saturday at the 1 year anniversary of Rebel Girl

Don’t forget Electrogals, which continues all week. And check out an interview with founder Heather Perkins from earlier in the week.

Thursday

Fist: Electro queer night – New dance night at a new venue. And we like new and different don’t we? Jams from DJ Hookerface so be prepared. This is an electro night and Hooker and I used to rave a decade ago so shit’s gonna be real, and hella danceable.

Smutty Clown open mic – Here in P-Town we like to make everything dirty. So naturally, we already had dirty poetry, now we need dirty comedy. I’m a huge fan of the innuendo myself, as anyone who has spent time with me after 5 o’clock can tell you. I also appreciate sexy comedians. So who knows what to expect from those signing up but it’s hosted by Whitney Streed and Sterling Clark (basically the template they used for Portlandia‘s “…all the hot girls wear glasses… line) so you know it’ll be off to a good start.

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DJ of the Week — Mr Charming

DJ Mr Charming. Ginger Girl Photography / Amy LaBree Ferrell

Every week we introduce you to a local LGBTQ party DJ and ask them about their experiences in the scene and feature an audio mix they’ve made. If you’re interested in being featured contact alley@qpdx.com.

Gaycation is one of the longest running queer nights. It happens this Saturday at Holocene, and has been, for the past 5 and a half years. It’s a damn good night at one of the most interesting music clubs and still as fresh and fun as it always was. At it’s helm is Mr Charming aka Mary McAllister, who knows how to throw a good party, as most of my 20s can attest to. And this Saturday is her birthday, so you know she’s gonna bring it.

She has also come to be a friend of mine, the beginning of which I will mark with a special random video ending for those of you who stick it out through the post. It has nothing to do with anything, other than it’s October and therefore Haunted House time. So let’s view it as something of an outtake circa 2008.

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Interview with ‘Electrogals: Gals Gone Wired’ conference founder Heather Perkins

Heather Perkins among her many instruments

This week a celebration of women in Electronic Music and Art, Electrogals: Gals Gone Wired has already begun. This long running concert series focused on bringing more attention to the scarcity of women in electronic music was started by Heather Perkins over 15 years ago while she studied electronic music at Mills College and is now a staple in the Portland electro scene. We were able to nab her from her busy conference schedule to answer some questions about the festival below. You can visit their website for info on all the participating performers and check out the full schedule in the events calendar.

qPDX: How and why did you get started with Electrogals? Do you have a mission statement or publicly stated goal?

Heather Perkins: Electrogals started in 1995 at Mills College, where I was studying Electronic Music. Although Mills is a women’s college, the grad program is co-ed, and I was surprised at how few women there were. The faculty – also mostly male – would even remark on the imbalance, and ask me for ideas on how to rectify it. And although the guys in our program were all pretty great one on one, in class there was still the pervasive culture where the guys did most of the talking and got most of the critique time for their work. So I put on a concert featuring all female composers. The title “Electrogals” was kind of a light-hearted way to seriously address the imbalance. We were active and presented our work as a group, instead of passively sitting there by ourselves and not being heard. It was also a great show, and a lot of fun.

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Win tickets to see June and Jean Millington from Fanny in concert

The Godmothers of all girl rock bands, June and Jean Millington, are coming to town. Best known for their 60s and 70s group Fanny, these sisters were pioneers…yes, even before the Runaways. They were the first all-woman band to record entire albums for a major label and gain international credibility. Even David Bowie said of them (in Rolling Stone, January, 2000): “They were one of the finest fucking rock […]


The weekend cuts deep with execution parties, feminist birthday parties, and playing like a girl with Fanny

June and Jean Milligton, from the iconic girl band Fanny, play Saturday as part of their "Play Like a Girl" tour

Don’t forget that it’s the last days of the Portland Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, and previews should all be out. You can check that plus any reviews thus far in our complete 15th Annual PLGFF coverage.

Thursday

In Other Words 18th birthday party – One of the last remaining feminist bookstores in the country is still going. I hesitate to say strong, although metaphorically they’re as strong as ever, because in this economy they are in constant need of our love and help. So don’t let the $12 price tag deter you because IOW is not a whole community center and the party’s bound to be hoppin’ with a lineup of performers and DJs. There will also be a raffle, food, beer and wine. The raffle prizes will feature fabulous items from local businesses, restaurants, the Portland Timbers, food carts, bicycle shops, Bitch Media and more

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Wild Flag and Carrie Brownstein talks with Minnesota public radio and perform in studio

From left: Rebecca Cole, Carrie Brownstein, Mary Timony and Janet Weiss from Wild Flag
From left: Rebecca Cole, Carrie Brownstein, Mary Timony and Janet Weiss from Wild Flag

From left: Rebecca Cole, Carrie Brownstein, Mary Timony and Janet Weiss from Wild Flag

Carrie Brownstein, Janet Weiss, Rebecca Cole and Mary Timony, all members or the “indie-supergroup” Wild Flag go on Minnesota public radio talk about their first album and their current tour, not being a supergroup and the 20th anniversary of the seminal Nirvana grunge album “Nevermind.” This last is my favorite, with Weiss admitting she paid $1.99 to watch the video when 2 days later it was all over MTV.

You can listen to the spot in its entirety below and see video from one of the songs performed, “Short Version.”

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DJ of the Week — Amy Kasio

Every week we introduce you to a local LGBTQ party DJ and ask them about their experiences in the scene and feature an audio mix they’ve made. If you’re interested in being featured contact alley@qpdx.com.

This week sees newish DJ Kasio Smashio on the eve of her brand spankin’ new night called Deep Cuts which will premiere this Friday the 7th at Rotture. This ally friendly party is co-helmed by earlier DJ of the Week Bruce LaBruiser and features Freddie Fagula as a guest at the opener. It is for those who want to focus on the music and move beyond top 40. Can I say PDX music snob in the nicest way possible? That’s what I’m envisioning.

When and how did you get started DJing?

I’ve had a passion for finding new music and sharing it with others my whole life. I come from the generation of kids who made mixtapes like their lives depended on it. I would put everything I had into making the perfect mixtape based on what situation it was for. Was it for a crush? A friend? A party? A roadtrip? What kind of roadtrip? I even went so far as to make mixes for my favorite bands that passed through town so they would have something different to listen to on the road.

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An Horse Graces Portland! (capsule review)

Kate Cooper and Damon Cox of An Horse

The dynamic Australian duo, An Horse, made a stop on their fall tour at Bunk Bar (1028 SE Water Ave. Suit 130) last Saturday.  Kate Cooper and Damon Cox released their first album, Rearrange Beds after touring with Tegan and Sara in 2008. They made their first television appearance in 2009 on the David Letterman show, performing the song, […]


Saved by the Bell or God Save the Queen, music Lovers get Beyond Thunderdome in a weekend of Underwear Crush

We don't need another hero, we just need Mrs. Beyond Thunderdome Saturday

There’s always lots to do on the weekend but only one weekend is bigger than the weeklong celebration of International LGBT film, PLGFF. We’ll have previews all week long so stay tuned.

Thursday

Cafteria‘s Saved By the Bell edition – It’s time to bust out the cuffed acid wash jeans and use that aerosol to make those bangs into a wave. I’ll even lend you my scrunchie if you meet me at the Peach Pit. Ok, so it’s a special moment of fun nostalgia made right for my exact generation. So let’s all recreate the junior high experience we never had k?

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