Gossip Should Have No Friends

[April 1st, 2009]

• MOUNT UO: Phil Elverum has never been one to follow a normal path. As leader of the seminal lo-fi pop band Microphones, Elverum changed his recording moniker to Mount Eerie, added a second “E” to his last name (from Elvrum), and made a heavy black metal record. So it’s not really a surprise that this week he’s decided to write and record a new record on location—and about—Portland’s famous “White Stag” building, now owned by the University of Oregon. Elverum’s residency is a project of the School of Architecture and Allied Arts’ publication studio, run by local arts maven Matthew Stadler. Elverum will return the last week in April to work with students on the record’s packaging. Even cooler? WW’s tagging along with Elverum as he wanders every tunnel and corridor of the White Stag block the next few days. Check WW’s LocalCut.com next week for Michael Mannheimer’s full report.

• FRIES, WITH A SIDE OF COMPOST: “It’s a little confusing, but you’ll get it,” the woman behind the Rose Quarter Burgerville counter told the dude looking quizzically at the spot where the trash can used to be. “Sorry, we just started composting.” The PDX fast-food chain has always been vocal about using local and organic food products. Now, after three years of recycling and composting waste internally at most of its 39 outposts, Burgerville has just launched a pilot DIY customer composting program at two of its Portland locations. Gone are the big trash cans, replaced by multicolored bins with photos and instructions written on them explaining what goes where. According to Burgerville sustainablity coordinator Amaranth Wilson, the company hopes to reduce garbage collection by about 50 percent at these locations within a few months of using the “full house system,” lowering its garbage bill, turning food waste into compost at a Washington state facility—and, we’ll bet, gaining as many kudos for its eco-trash habits as for its tasty sweet potato fries.

• DIVIDE & CONQUER: Longtime blue-chip gallery Pulliam Deffenbaugh has announced a major restructuring to cut costs and buy time to ride out the recession. Co-director MaryAnn Deffenbaugh is no longer part of day-to-day operations at the gallery and Rod Pulliam is now head honcho. The gallery will reduce its programming to a show every other month. During off months, PDX Contemporary Art, the gallery adjacent to Pulliam Deffenbaugh, will lease the space to mount auxiliary shows, under the moniker “PDX Across the Hall.”

• CORRECTION: In last week’s Scoop about Cafe 401, we misidentified one of the restaurant’s owners. Chef Morgan Brownlow told WW one of his partners was “Marcus Lomax.” His name is actually Marcus Ginther. “Lomax” is, according to Brownlow, an inside joke. WW wasn’t in on it and regrets the error.