Books Portland is a city of writers and readers. It’s sometimes overwhelming how much talent we’ve got crammed into this town. To wrap up 2011, I thought I’d offer a list of 10 very notable titles   More

Cover Story Colin Meloy was always bound to write a kid’s book. For years, the hyper-literate bard and lead singer of Portland’s internationally lauded band the Decemberists has been spinning bedtime yarns   More

Music L.V. Anderson can't be the only Decemberists fan made uneasy by Meloy's affection for folksy rape:"Will somebody just yell 'maidenhead'?" he asks the crowd, laughing."MAIDENHEAD!" they dutifully roar.Can we imagine, for a moment, what this song would be like if Meloy hadn't couched it in elaborate language and a pseudo-historical setting? Suppose "A Cautionary Song" were set in a modern-day housing ...   More

Music I'm an awful Conan O'Brien fan. I'll admit that I'm not the most devout member of "Team Coco," but my excitement for The Big Red Head's new TBS talk show has waned to the point that I would have completely forgotten he was on if it wasn't for Colin Meloy. Last night the Decemberists debuted their new single, "Down By the Water," on the late night circuit, and it's a riveting and inspired performance ...   More

Movies & Television If you see TV cameras while staggering between MusicfestNW venues tonight, give 'em your most disaffected sneer: Portlandia, the IFC improvisational comedy starring Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein, will be shooting incidental footage at MFNW over the next several days. At a mini-junket luncheon today at Besaw's, Armisen (the Saturday Night Live Obama impersonator) and Brownstein (the Sleater-Kinney ...   More

Music Wow. PDX Pop Now! just sent us so much information that I'm mainly going to let you dig through the press release. I've bolded what I think is the most pertinent information. But that's a lot of bolding. So for your enjoyment, here are the top five things I'm excited about now that I didn't know about a half hour ago. And so you don't forget, the festival is July 30, 31 and Aug. 1 at Rotture. 5. ...   More

Music Do you have plans on Thursday night? I know, I know, there's this little team called the Trail Blazers. But for anyone who's not a basketball fan (or for people who really care about music and arts in this city) there's another event in town that's worth throwing your money behind. For the second year in a row, the good folks behind PDX Pop Now! are holding a benefit concert at the tiny Ace Cleaners ...   More