Gossip Should Have No Friends

[November 16th, 2005] SHOCKING CANADIANS Broken Social Scene nearly had some Portland rock blood on its hands at the Roseland last Friday. During the encore of the Canuck indie-orchestra's sold-out show, our own Isaac Brock of Modest Mouse fame came to the stage and joined the band to play a mishap-filled version of "Out of Gas" from MM's The Lonesome Crowded West. The already electric Brock was trying his best, but, as BSS's Kevin Drew explained after Brock left the stage, the guitar-bender was being electrocuted for a solid two minutes . Brock reportedly gave a thumbs-up offstage but never reappeared. Seriously, is he OK?

GILDING THE BEAN As if peddling Portland's unofficial drug of choice weren't enough, on Nov. 1 local bean pusher Stumptown Coffee Roasters was crowned "Roaster of the Year " by Roast Magazine (www.roastmagazine.com). The 2-year-old national competition boasts the only U.S. coffee roaster award decided on by industry insiders and professional tasters—so, yeah, it's a big deal in specialty-coffee land. Stumptown's win might be chalked up to a home-court advantage, though. Roast, which is the only coffee-roasting trade publication in the world, is also based right here in P-town. Roast publisher Connie Blumhardt denies any favoritism, saying, "[Stumptown has] set the bar for roasters across the United States."

CAN'T GET NO...OH...NEVER MIND Although no spa insider will either confirm or deny—due to privacy contracts—whether members of the Rolling Stones entourage actually got the "hot stone" treatment at downtown's swanky Aequis Spa following their most recent Rose Garden gig, tongues at the Scoop desk have been wagging over one of the reasons Mick Jagger may not have taken an opportunity to get under anyone's thumb. Something about wanting a "man" masseur and wanting him "now." Where's Ziggy Stardust when you need him?

CORRECTION Last week's review of the Very Foundation's new album, Small Reserves, was written by Michael Byrne, not Jason Simms. WW regrets the error.