Restaurant/Bar Review of The Month

American Dream Pizza is a mouth full of amazing!










This months restaurant/bar review was of a place I stopped in at, during my lunch hour from work, called American Dream Pizza. The restaurant is located at 4620 Northeast Glisan Street  Portland, OR 97213. At first look, I thought it was just any other pizza dive that you would find off Hawthorne or in some local suburban neighborhood. Once I was inside, I could tell it was a totally different experience.

When I walked in the door, I could tell that the first major asset that American Pizza has, is their amazing staff. They set the place apart from all the others. The person at the front register had to be one of the funnies and most engaging people I have ever seen. He was patient with me, being I had never been there and didn't know what the menu entailed, and let me take my time with my order. He was extremely funny and made me want to come there to eat every day just to see him again. Also, during the ordering process, they were listening to Van Halen's Panama, and at the chorus the whole staff yelled out PANAMA and I just wanted to laugh and clap all at the same time. The charisma in the building and the staff having fun like that made the place a great environment to take a lunch break in and get away from a hard days work. The walls of the restaurant are lined with pizza take out boxes artfully colored by the customers who enjoyed their pizza and service as well.

I ordered the lunch special of single topping pizza and single topping salad (I got Canadian bacon on my pizza and smoked Gouda on my salad). It was great pizza. You could see the seasonings and the spices in the crust and you could taste the ingredients were fresh and that they cared about what went into their pizza. The staff checked up on me a few times to see if everything was great, which I like. They have a serve yourself style to get silverware and water, which at first confused me because I didn't know were these things were. I did finally figure it out and was glad I could do this for myself haha. Also you bus your own table, which I"m sure keeps the prices down to have people take care of their own mess. I am perfectly capable of busing my own table, so I had no problem with this.

Some specials they run was a happy hour of beer and pizza for only $5 from 8-10pm. This is great because most happy hours end right after people get off work and then you miss it. This gives people the ability to get off work at a later time and still make happy hour.

Overall I give American Pizza a 9 out of 10. I would definitely visit them again and hope to get a chance in the future.

Still Stomping Way Over Your Expectations!

Knothead Never Throws In The Hand Or Folds UP!

For those of you who are not familiar with Knothead, if anyone like that exists, he is one of the most determined and hard working underground artists out there. His determination has made him one of the most coveted promoters out there and has landed him a spot on Strange Music's promotion crew for the NW.  Knothead has had his hands in so many musical projects and invited to be on so many amazing shows, you would wonder why he is still underground music!

Knothead comes from a small town in Washington called Port Hadlock. A town, until I met Knothead, I didn't know even existed. With a population of approximately 3500 people, you can see why it may be less likely to be heard of then, lets say Spokane, with a population of approximately 471,000. During Knothead's darker days of drug use and life lessons, he credits his decision to becoming an artist to some "tweaker" kids he saw writing raps and songs. His first goal was to be better then they were at it. Knothead credits is recovery to music and meeting his wonderful wife. I have met her and she is definitely a rare treasure.

Knothead moved to Spokane to start pursuing music and his career. Knothead battled his inner demons and did something many people never do in their life time, he kicked the drug habit and grew from it. Becoming a person that you could trust, work with, and enjoy in your corner doing music and being a part of the event.

Knothead and his wife met up with local artist Tragedy 503 while doing shows and the friendship between them became strong. Knothead made the move closer to Portland and the area by relocating to Vancouver WA. From Vancouver Knothead can attend shows in both Portland and in Spokane, Kennewick area.

Knothead has come out with some amazing records and built a fan base that is full of ride or die fans who will drive hours to a show. Some of the albums to check out, and that can be found on his facebook, are Hadlock for Life, Knothead's Back 2.0, K.N.O.T. (the) Radio Vol. 1, and Never Fold Up. Knothead's music has grown in strength and maturity through the years. His lyrical content has gotten more in depth and his song style has shown that with age comes experience and the ability to put out quality work.

Knothead has new music videos out as well and having produced two music videos recently, that are going viral online, had boosted his credentials even more. The first release is Can't Count The Demons in which Knothead talks about dealing with addiction and recovering from those things that can hold you down and keep you from being successful in life. Next was the highly anticipated release of Never Fold UP, about dealing with life and every day struggles, staying strong, and never giving up.

I foresee much more to come from Knothead. He has a great support system in life, a great fan base, and the will power to rocket himself in to fame and fortune. If I had any advice to give you Knothead, it would be to Keep Stompin, right over the faces of anyone who tries to hold you down or talk shit. Cause we know you will NEVER FOLD UP!!

Full Moon in Sept. Brings Out Yelawolf!!

Yelawolf Slaughters The Music Scene in Portland on 9/7/12.

Yelawolf came through town during NW Music Fest, slyly like a a wolf in sheep's clothing, blended in with many local artists and without much publicity. For those of you who were lucky enough to catch it, you were in for a real treat. Yelawolf gave a performance to be remembered and shook the house to the ground.

Yelawolf is an Alabama native, bringing with him a Southern Style like no other can. His down roots and his ability to charm the masses with amazing songs like "Daddy's Lambo" and "Pop The Trunk". He can also be found in a feature spot on Stevie Stone's song, and a favorite video of mine, "Dollar General".  Yelawolf has the ability to jump from musical genres to different styles with ease. “I can go any direction – arena rap or even the bluegrass hip-hop shit. I would never sign myself down to any style,” Yelawolf said (Facebook insert).

For those of you lucky enough to get a ticket before the show, Yelawolf graced the stages of the Roseland Theater on Sept 7th 2012. The feed back from the show has been amazing. Fans are saying he was at his best ever and that his sound is maturing and growing. Many times when a group goes from poverty to fame, their message can be lost and their song content can change, due to the struggles that most of us can relate to, being no more. I am hoping that with the music I hear in the future that is not what is in store for Yelawolf. With a past that is as tramatic and yet adventurous as "Joe Dirt" you would hope that he keeps those times at heart and keeps his music centered on those who need it most.

What does Yelawolf have in store for us next you may ask? Yelawolf has a new project coming up with Travis Barker called Psycho White. The new artwork for that is amazing and I feel a lot of talent went into it. Check it out. You can find out more about the projects he has coming out and Yelawolf blogs here.

Yelawolf has fans and haters alike, just like anyone else does. I feel that if you really take the time to open up to his music and see that even in his simplistic ideals he is quite talented and can catch you with just a few words in a song. I got a chance to see Yelawolf really shine at a show he did with Tech N9ne at a Eugene outside venue last year, and I was blown away with his set and how great he was with the crowd, how he was able to keep my attention throughout the whole set, and that he seemed truly humbled by the respect and admiration he was getting from his fans. Merax also got a chance to meet him and get a quick pic. He was great with his fans and took the time to show them he really appreciated their time and the love they showed him.

I will always have a soft spot for the amazingly tattooed, handsome, and strangly familiar southern man, Yelawolf and his first album "Trunk Muzik 0-60". I have so many fond memories of haning with my friends and listening to that album. I hope to continue to write great things about Yelawolf and to only have good reviews. Only time will tell and I look forward to what he has coming in the future. So for all you haters out there I say, watch out for the full moon, when man becomes beast and Yelawolf comes looking for you. Baaahhhh!

Complaint Department....Take a number!

ARGH YOU ARE KILLING THE UNDERGROUND!!








As an underground music artist, I can tell you one of the things killing my ability to make music, is that fact that every one out there wants it....FOR FREE.

Being underground doesn't mean I don't want to make enough money to live, to support my family, and to have a few extra things in life because I work so hard to bring the people music that they like. If you like it enough to download it, then you should lke it enough to buy it and help me to keep feeding my kids, my family, and the many people who choose to couch surf at my spot from time to time so they don't sleep on the streets. My damn dog is starving!!

Supporting people that you enjoy is what allows that artist to continue to bring you music that you love. How am I suppose to record new tracks, I hear it every day. "Hey man, when you coming out with a new album?" "When are we gonna see a new video for you soon?" How are we suppose to do that when we can't afford to buy roman with how many people are "borrowing their friends CD and burning it".

Underground doesn't mean under-paid, it means under appreciated by the masses!! If we don't die out from hunger any time soon, maybe I'll release a new song next month, but first I have to have a garage sale!

Complaint Department....Take a Number!

MUSIC MUSH, FEELS LIKE EVERYTHING ELSE IN MY MOUTH!







What is with music today? Do people not care about content or about quality any more? If I wanted to listen to music that my 6 year old niece could make up on her own with paper and a crayon, I would record her and play it on loop. The songs I am hearing today have no structure, no message, nothing!!! If I hear one more song about bitches, hoes, money, and drugs that actually talks about NOTHING I will break this CD into a million pieces over their head. Music used to have meaning, a message, and used to talk about something involving life. Now its all about beat and gimmicks, catchy tunes, but no content. I say boycott new music and we'll just by the old stuff. The good stuff. Music that actually has something to say, instead of just things like "Black and Yellow" and "Superman", what the hell is wrong with the youth of today? Maybe lack of education in schools makes more informative music to hard for them to understrand!

Underground Artist Of The Week: Libretto

This weeks underground artist of the week is Libretto. 

I had never heard of Libretto before, but was excited to see 5 of my favorite music people in the industry were friends of this artist. The first thing that Google brought me too when researching this artist was a YouTube show called Don't Move Here, which I found very interesting. How we can be Portlanders who are so into the scene and into what is going on in music and never hear of these side projects baffles me. It is either poor promotions of these ideas of just us with our heads in the sand. The show takes a look at local music and why people are doing what they are doing, but let's get back to Libretto. Libretto came from L.A. to Portland and joined the Portland underground music scene. With mutual friends like Chillest Illest, DJ Fatboy, and Yamio, I was ready to hear some amazing music from an artist that seems to deserve more lime light. 

The first song I found from Libretto was called Volume, which you can also download for free from the link. I was very impressed with the lyrical quality of this artist. He had really well done beats, simple but clear, and a talented voice and ability to add inflection to his words (something that I have continually said artists in the underground seem to be lacking any more). He added variety to his song and the lyrics were catchy.  The next song I checked out by Libretto was called Ride To Dat. I found the video for this on You Tube. The song starts off slow, but the beat is good. The song had pretty hard lyrics that made you think and then the chorus was more laid back. So the mix was okay, but I would have liked the chorus to reflect the true talk coming from the lyrics about life and hard times. I believe he was trying to show that no matter how hard life is that we are all ride or die with our lives and we need to just enjoy the better things in life and relax. 

All in all I was pleased with what I heard and I feel this artist really deserves to be checked out. The full bio, CD information, and location to order songs or albums can be found here. So I would have to give Libretto an 8 out of ten on my underground artists worth paying to see scale, and if you see him playing some were soon hit me up, we'll ride to dat!!

Getting The Right Education with Kutt Calhoun- Show Review Sept 6th 2012

Kutt Calhoun Teaches a new kind of education in Salem OR!

Last Thursday night was a great time to catch Kutt Calhoun in town, one night only at Moonlight Events, 4764 Portland Rd NE in Salem, OR. Kutt Calhoun passed through our small local town of Salem on Sept 6th and gave the crowd a show that was seldom seen on such a personal and intimate level.

I had never been to this venue before and on first look I thought it looked a lot like a wedding reception hall. The venue holds a maximum of 600, but after talking with the owner, would hold more like 1500 once they make some changes and upgrades. The stage had a catwalk in the middle to allow artists to get closer to their fans and the sound system was better then expected ( I believe that was brought in by Tragedy 503 Promotions though or an affiliate). They had ample security for the event, and they were easy to talk with and seemed to be enjoying being there (which is rare for security).

People were lined up before I arrived and there was BBQ going on the side of the venue. People seemed to be having a great time talking in the parking lot and relaxing before the event. There was no bar inside, so people were starting their night in their cars and across the street at the local bar. Before the event began we all had a quick scare when a local fan, in line, fainted due to not having eaten that day. We came to her aid and then a member of her family came and picked her up. It was sad she had to miss the event, but everyone came together to get her water and make sure she was okay.

I went in for sound check and got to spend a moment hearing what the local artists and Kutt had in store for us that night. After helping make sure the set list was with the sound guy for the night, we got the artists their passes and prepared to open the door.

Fans piled in and headed straight to the front for what would be a great night of friends and excellent music.

First up was MOB. I was not familiar with this artist so I decided to stay inside and check out what he had to offer. He had a good style and I hoped his sound and lyrics would match. I was quite impressed with his music. I thought he had great talent on stage and engaged the crowd well. I wondered why he was opening a show when he seemed to have a lot of talent. It came down to fan base and who brought the most fans though. I will say that with a talent this good, people who support MOB should really come out and show support at his shows. One of the main ways that artists get good spots on shows it by pre-selling tickets and showing a substantial fan base. I hope to see MOB some where near the middle of the set next time I attend a show with him, because musically he's worth it. If you are a fan of MOB, make that happen by attending his events.

Next up was EWOK. I had not heard the band before and I don't believe I've ever seen them play until now. They were nice guys, whom we talked to before the show, and they had a fan base that seemed to enjoy their music. EWOK gave their all while on stage even when dealing with technically difficulty and some mistakes during the set.

On stage next was local favorite Beatwalkers.  This was my first time hearing this group as well. The group got a lot of love from the get go. They had a unique sound that was pleasing to the ears and that had a lot of depth. I didn't focus a lot on the lyrics as I was distracted by other items of business going on. The only critique I really had for them was that they did not move around much on stage. They seemed to just stand in a line behind the next while on the cat walk and didn't give much variety with movement, which could be why I was so easily distracted with other things while doing their set. All in all I give them a thumbs up and I would be interested in seeing them play again.

Finally, local favorite Knothead, was about to take the stage. I heard the loud speaker from outside and immediately ran in to see the set. I really enjoy Knothead's energy on stage. You can see his love for the music and his dedication in every word and every movement. I sang along with my favorite songs and snapped a few pictures. I even saw a little fan about 5 years old with her parents in the crowd. Knothead has a new CD out right now that I highly recommend you pick up called "Never Fold Up". Knothead is one of the most dedicated artists I know in the NW and no one can out shine his hustle in the music industry.

Ebonix, a long time friend of mine, was up next. Ebonix was previously a member of the group PWC and also 2Sic. His talent has definitely grown and matured over the years and I will have to say that I was very impressed with were he has gone with his sound. He has matured as an artist with practice and with dedication and has matured as a person as well. I look forward to seeing were he goes in the future and hope to see him at a show near by very soon. If you are not familiar with Ebonix, I recommend you check him out.

Next up was local legend Tragedy 503. I can always expect an entertaining show when Tragedy gets on stage. Tragedy was ready to rock the stage and came on to the cheers  of his fans chanting his name, Tragedy, Tragedy, Tragedy. The show was amazing and he played all my favorite songs. The crowd went wild and they were pumped up and ready for Kutty to come out. Check out more Tragedy news and music and even purchase his new CD at www.tragedy503.com .

Last, but definitely never least, was Kutt Calhoun. For more detailed review of Kutt Calhoun's set, see the blog "Don't Assume You Know Kutt Calhoun" on my blog. Kutt opened the show with banter from his set and himself, engaging the crowd, and getting everyone ready for 45 minutes of true lyrical genius. Kutt played favorites like "Bunk Rock Bitch" and "Colors". We even got a taste of Kutt's special "walk" that he does for the crowd on occasion. The crowd got a real treat with Kutt that Thursday evening and if you missed the show you really missed out on an event that may not come around again. The venue offered a rare one on one contact with Kutt that doesn't happen often in music, with an artist of such caliber. For those of us who made it we took notes and learned a great lesson. Kutt really "Took "EM Back to School" that night and Kutt will always be my favorite. I believe so many others may agree when they say that they are "hot for teacher".