'making it up' : the blow's first new record in 7 years

If you caught one of The Blow's back-to-back PICA performances at TBA:13 last month, you may have wandered out of the Winningstad Theatre feeling a little bewildered. In a word, the performance was odd—and not in the intriguing, thought-provoking way that the Time-Based Art Festival often strives for.

Although the excitement was palpable as Portlanders gathered on a Sunday night to catch The Blow's first performance in their former hometown in more than two and a half years, the extensive and sometimes awkward monologues—for which The Blow's Khaela Maricich is known—were too long and too out there. It was soon clear that there was no distinguishable storyline, and the cohesive thread that somehow manages to tie everything together in a Blow performance was lacking. In short, the performance was punctuated by long pauses rather than catchy electro-pop.

And, it was that electro-pop that the audience so craved, seeing as The Blow was set to release their first album in seven years on October 1st. Although these initial Portland performances left the audience feeling a bit unsatisfied, the truth is that The Blow is much loved in this town. So, an empty appetite also leaves Portlanders desirous for more, craving a decidedly different, and hopefully more musical, show at the Doug Fir Lounge on Sunday, October 20th.

Now, in The Blow's defense, Maricich did tell OMN prior to their PICA performance:

Performing at the Winningstad is the chance to do something unique because it’s like a lovely little nest of a theater. It’s sort of the opportunity to make an “unplugged” performance, since there is a sense of space and reflectiveness there, which is distinct from the amped up vibe of a sweaty music club. We are looking forward to revealing ourselves in the delicate environment there.

But post-PICA, Portland's expectant of the “sweaty music club” experience. That said, the handful of tracks The Blow did reveal at the Winningstad sounded spectacular—we, maybe selfishly, just wanted more.

And of those revealed, Maricich, alongside partner and collaborator Melissa Dyne, blasted a taste of their self-titled effort in the form of the record's first single, "Make It Up"—a love song that talks about breaking the rules, which seems to be a bit of a mantra for The Blow in general. Whether making lo-fi, electro-pop songs or presenting the band's narrative style of performance, does The Blow sometimes feel like they're making it all up as they go along?

"Yep," is the succinct response from Maricich.



Going "hand in hand into the blackness... making this album was an odyssey of experimentation," Maricich says. (The first part is also a lyric from the album closer "You're My Light.") In their official press release on the album, she continues:

We divided the tasks of making the album between us pretty much according the the differences in how we dream at night. Khaela dreams about people and conversations and juxtaposed feelings: She wrote the lyrics and melodies and many of the compositions. Melissa dreams of being a beam of light bouncing off a Ferrari: Anything that gave the songs dimension (arrangement, engineering, synth programming, sample perfecting, half of the composing) was done by her.

OMN already explored a bit of what it's like to go "into the blackness" before The Blow's PICA performance, and now Khaela Maricich continues the conversation about her collaboration with Dyne on The Blow's new record.

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Read the rest on OMN.

arts in portland: music, film, theater, dance, literature + more in 2013-14

The Oregon Symphony

As summer fades into fall, it’s only natural that Portlanders head indoors for a little intellectual stimulation as well as some sensory entertainment. A lot of arts and entertainment programs kick off their yearly schedule in September and October as the calendar starts to fill up with festivals, performances, lectures, screenings and more. From theater and music to lectures and film, Neighborhood Notes has highlighted a few arts and cultural events that we think you should look for in the remainder of 2013 as well as look forward to in the new year.

Music

Oregon Symphony
September-May

Founded in 1896, the Oregon Symphony is one of the oldest in the nation. Featuring more than 70 full-time musicians, the ornate Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall—home to the symphony and called The Schnitz by locals—hosts almost a quarter of a million attendees each symphonic season. Performing a full schedule from September through May, yearly offerings include the requisite classical concertos, spirited holiday standards, and collaborations with modern recording artists as well as Portland indie rockers.

Siren Nation Women’s Music and Arts Festival
November

Siren Nation isn’t tied to a single medium. Rather, the arts organization strives to spotlight original works by women making music, art, film, fashion and more. Hoping “to inspire and empower women of all ages to create their own art” while highlighting the achievements of those already working in the arts, Siren Nation brings female-made works and female-fronted performances to venues across the city each November. The annual event includes a film fest, arts and crafts fair, fashion event, visual art exhibition, and free workshops alongside a weekend of musical performances by local, regional and national talent.

Film

Northwest Film Center (NWFC)

Events Ongoing

An arm of the Portland Art Museum, the educational and curatorial institution offers year-round classes, equipment rental and frequent exhibitions in the form of several notable film festivals. The NWFC’s fall offering each October is the musically themed Reel Music Festival. Celebrating the “interplay between sound and image” for more than 30 years, these films frequently explore music, culture and art through live concert footage, documentaries, music videos, and imaginative obscurities. Filmmakers are often in attendance to introduce films or answer questions after screenings. Other annual cinematic events organized by the NWFC include the regional film showcase at the Northwest Filmmakers’ Festival each November, the Portland Jewish Film Festival, and the outdoor, summer series, Top Down: Rooftop Cinema, as well as ongoing programs and exhibits.

Performance Arts

PICA’s Time-Based Art Festival (TBA)
September (Happening Now!)

Each September for more than a decade, a creative cacophony descends upon various venues during the final days of summer as the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art’s annual TBA Festival brings truly eclectic, experimental and sometimes just odd performers (in dance, music, theater and more) and visual artists. These local and international talents make a canvas of the city for 10 or so days and present a vast chasm of works and sensory experiences at all hours of the day and night.

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Get more highlights of the 2013-14 arts season in Portland, including more music, film, theater, comedy, literature, lectures, and other performance picks, on Neighborhood Notes.

the blow : 'putting together and taking apart' a new record and performance at tba:13

The Blow’s Khaela Maricich and Melissa Dyne. Photo by Kyle Dean Reinford.

"We go hand in hand into the blackness" is how Khaela Maricich describes The Blow's new self-titled record.

The hand she's holding is that of collaborator Melissa Dyne, who, for the first time, has expanded her role in her partner's project, taking their relationship to a new musical level. But even with this trusted collaborator by her side, Maricich still feels like the pair are leaping into an abyss—or at least completing the trajectory of their fall.

That leap started with The Blow's first album in seven years, which will be released on October 1st, and the performances that'll support this record will follow a yet-to-be-charted arc.

If making the album was an "abstract and complicated process"—"an odyssey of experimentation" and exploration "where we went out on a massive journey and went through a lot of other worldly adventures"—then we should be excited for the result because, as Maricich says, "we have returned with a crystallized object from the other dimension."

Returning with new ideas, sounds and sights to share and stories to tell, the pair will start mapping the rest of their expedition in a familiar place: PICA's annual Time-Based Art Festival. The former Portland residents, who now call NYC home, actually met at the festival in 2004 and feel privileged to be performing a piece entitled "We Put It Together So We Could Take It Apart," which, in appellation alone, suitably illustrates the evolving nature of their work, during a two-night stand at the Winningstad Theatre on September 15th and 16th.

The uncertainty of The Blow going "hand in hand into the blackness" certainly bodes well for us—the audience, listener, and concertgoer—as we bask in their inventive, narrative-based performance-electro-pop.

And even though there's the uncertainty of a new collaboration and material, The Blow will demonstrate that they thrive in this exploratory environment, starting at TBA:13 before kicking off a nationwide club tour in October that will revisit Portland at the Doug Fir on Sunday, October 20th.

For now, Khaela Maricich took some time to answer a few questions about The Blow's return to Portland and their TBA performance, her collaboration with Dyne, and the new record—which OMN will explore in more depth after it's October release.

Listen to The Blow's second single from the upcoming self-titled album:

The last time you played Portland was in early 2011. It'd been a while—like two and half years—since the last time you'd played Portland prior to that, in 2008. Now, another two and half years down the line, you're back! So, welcome home, I guess… does it still feel like a homecoming?

Yeah, our last show in Portland was in early 2011, and strangely, it seems to us like it wasn't very long ago. But I guess two years is enough time to create two entire human beings (in succession, by the same reproductive system), so that's actually a pretty long time. Yes, coming back to Portland totally feels like a homecoming. The air is so fresh and you can get beer and pizza in a movie theater, and we've really missed that.

This return to Portland must be special for The Blow, especially considering that you and your partner and collaborator, Melissa Dyne, first met at TBA in 2004. Tell us what you have planned for your back-to-back TBA 2013 performances.

The TBA performance is definitely special for us. PICA have kind of been like extended family. Melissa's sister worked there for a long time back in its early days, and they've been supportive to both of us for a long time. Performing at the Winningstad is the chance to do something unique because it's like a lovely little nest of a theater. It's sort of the opportunity to make an "unplugged" performance, since there is a sense of space and reflectiveness there, which is distinct from the amped up vibe of a sweaty music club. We are looking forward to revealing ourselves in the delicate environment there.

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Read the rest on OMN.