Here are some random notes on the festival that I took during the proceedings. I might use them to craft my article for the Oregonian, I might not.

Tu Fawning
"Frequency of Jesus"
lots of rattling
violin sounds like its being piped in from an edison cylinder

Guidance Counselor
vocals leave a lot to be desired - sound like Underworld
dinosaurs?
completely unrehearsed
A. Gill guitars/Ratatat beats

Dykeritz
most misfit collection of musicians I've ever seen
shaky at times but songs are there
Captain and Tennille?

Panther
mosh pit?
"Road Runner"
crowd - lots of garish colors, big ironic eyeglasses, questionable haircuts
just enough restraint to not smash guitar or too much restraint not to?

Nick Jaina
I want to like this but I just don't
sounds like they have been videotaping Giant Sand practices
what is the deal with this impish fiddle player?

Devin Phillips Band
tough room for a jazz band like this
lights off?
"Iko Iko"

The Builders and The Butchers
bassist now looks like lead singer of Boston or Doug Henning
crowd eating out of their hands
something missing

This week, I'm going to be speaking with the editors of a few places that I've been writing for about stopping my work for them - just the places that aren't paying writing gigs, mind you. Considering the time and energy that I have to commit to my family, my day job and the writing work that compensates me, I find myself sloughing off a lot of the free assignments that I've been given and the work is suffering as a result. Not fair to the fine people who edit and work for those publications at all.

So, my name will no longer be featured on the pages of Junkmedia, Ghettoblaster, Performer and Dagger. The hardest to walk away from will be the last two. Tim, the editor of Dagger, has become a good friend over the years and has helped not only bolster my gigantic CD collection but also gotten me in to see some of the best shows I've seen in my 13 years here in Portland. And Performer has really helped shape my work as a writer as well as given me the chance to say that I've written cover articles for a publication.

By the end of the summer, I'm hoping to only be doing free writing for myself - on this blog and some other ventures I'm considering starting up for my own amusement. Feels so strange to be moving into this realm, but it is also making me feel better about my talents as a writer to think that I might be able to get some more paid freelance work (which is also part of the plan). We'll see what happens, folks. I'll be sure to keep you apprised of my future endeavors as they come about.

A great number of blogs and sites have been talking this little list-making exercise up – pick a favorite album from each year that you've been alive. Since I'm a sucker for a good list and an excuse to think about what albums that have shaped my 33 years on this planet, I thought I would give 'er a go on my little blog here. Feel free to join in the fun in my comments section.

1975: Horses – Patti Smith
1976: Ramones – Ramones
1977: Pink Flag – Wire
1978: This Year's Model – Elvis Costello and the Attractions
1979: Entertainment! – Gang of Four
1980: Sound Affects – The Jam
1981: Trust – Elvis Costello and the Attractions
1982: English Settlement – XTC
1983: Power, Corruption & Lies – New Order
1984: Treasure – Cocteau Twins
1985: Steve McQueen – Prefab Sprout
1986: Skylarking – XTC
1987: Bird Dog – The Verlaines
1988: It Takes A Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back – Public Enemy
1989: The Stone Roses – The Stone Roses
1990: This Is Our Music – Galaxie 500
1991: The Low End Theory – A Tribe Called Quest
1992: Your Arsenal – Morrissey
1993: Mercury – American Music Club
1994: Bakesale – Sebadoh
1995: 94 diskont – Oval
1996: Walking Wounded – Everything But The Girl
1997: Dots And Loops - Stereolab
1998: The Boy With the Arab Strap – Belle & Sebastian
1999: Emergency & I – The Dismemberment Plan
2000: King James Version – Harvey Danger
2001: We Love Life – Pulp
2002: Geogaddi – Boards of Canada
2003: Ha Ha Sound – Broadcast
2004: A Grand Don't Come For Free – The Streets
2005: Lost and Safe – The Books
2006: The Drift – Scott Walker
2007: Tio Bitar - Dungen

As I've written something for the LivePDX Music blog about my favorite albums of the year (to date) and my sister mentioned that she hadn't heard any of the music on my list (to your left), I have updated my Muxtape (also to your left) with one track each from my favorite albums thus far (in order).

With apologies to my wife who I had set up the last Muxtape mix for as an honorific.

Sinead O'Connor w/ Lil' Wayne
UGK w/ the Spencer Davis Group
ODB w/ Yo La Tengo
Tag Team w/ Big Country
Jay Z w/ Radiohead

Of the three pay what you will releases that have hit the streets over the last year, the new Girl Talk album trumps them all. Feed The Animals is everything that the Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails albums strived to be and failed - forward thinking, invigorating and something that I will be returning to and listening to more than once.