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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 3, 2003)
January 3 . 2003 * Jm t M Câline^ Ô u i Caii+Uf, Ô u i CatuKf Ô u i C-aiincj, Ôut CcUiucj, Ô u i Caiuuj. Ô u i CuU+Uj O u i Cui-uuf Pizza, Salad, Sandwiches, and Oregon Microbrews sold here REVIEWS W hat E) oes G ood L uck B ring ? No. 2 • In Music We Trust hat the gay one would he the least complex, most meat-and-potatoes sort in any group defies the conventional stereotypes, but that’s what we have in the case of Neil Gust. He began his career as a guitarist, singer and songwriter in the long-defunct Portland rixk institution Hcatmiser (from which the famed Sam C œ m es, now of Quasi, and Elliott Smith also graduated). G ust’s group, No. 2, is happy to he a more or less straight-up (no irony intended) rock hand; compared to the elaborately clever Coomes and the sometimes solipsistic Smith, they might as well he AC/DC. No. 2’s debut, What Does G axl Luck Bring.', is worth at least one listen, hut while opener “A Lit tle Confusion’’ is only saved from too-familiarity hy (sexually?) anarchic lyrics “I don’t mind a little confusion/I kind of like a little pain” and “More, More” just proves that syncopated hand claps make any song riveting, Gust has a few extra ordinary tricks up his sleeve elsewhere. The catchy, country-flavored “8:45 a.m.” boasts “I don’t wanna go to work” as its only lyric; “Travel ing” and “Stranger’s March” have pure, sad, addic tive guitar melixlies scrawled copiously in their margins; and on the excellent title track, a down beat waltz-time ballad, Gust turns his keening falsetto into the sound of the other shoe dropping. W hat the hand does is play very gcxxl power-pop, and though a number of very gixxi power-pop hands are out there, the album offers enough melodic and lyrical interest to deserve a place in any pop fan’s collection. It’s at least as singular a rush to listen to as your Weezers or your Veruca Salts. — Christopher McQuain T C hokecherry Ashleigh Flynn • Self-released or the past couple of years Portland pop- folkie Ashleigh Flynn has earned a steady spot opening for a long line of Aladdin Theater-type alt-country singer-songwriters (Wilco, Jonatha Brixike, Nanci Griffith). W ith three years between her first album and the new release Chokecherry to refine and complement her live sound (most recently she’s been e n listing DJs and eclectic riKkers to hack her up), she’s an artist aiming for a new sonic target. F Assisting producers Gregg Williams (Dandy Warhols) and Nancy Hess (Carmina Piranha) have wrapped a mix of audiophile indulgences around the queer artist’s spare percussive acoustic stylings. Drum samples, ambient key boards, distorted guitar, the occasional record scratch— all create a landscape more varied and complex than her debut effort. Flynn seems to have cracked the ccxle of pro moting herself kxally— her name is out there, and that’s half the battle. But not only does Chokecherry often sound like she’s inhabiting another singer’s world, there’s also a distance in her work that feels like a safe, well-worn posture. It’s not that Flynn isn’t talented; she is. But Chokecherry sounds like a knockoff, and the pro duction shenanigans feel overt and contrived. The young musician is missing an opportuni ty; she’s got eyes and ears on her, but she comes off like another card-carrying member of the worn-out U nion of Imitators (sounds like: Sarah McLachlan, Tori Amos, Ani DiFranco). And that doesn’t serve anyone— not the listener, not the artist. So while Ashleigh Flynn is stacked with tal ent and possibility, can she rise above the homogeneity and deliver something we can he a part of? — Ccrri Taratcxrt Free Delivery (6 0 th -R iv c r, Glisan-Woodstock) L e g e n d a r y G o u rm e t Pizza G O U R M E T P ÎZ Z A ro\cro b e e rs on T o p C*(t Vegan ÇréeMly delivery available 3 70 1 SE Hawthorne 3342 SE Belmont ~ (503)233-5444 www.beautifulpizza.com 5 0 3 -2 3 1 -0 9 0 1 ..... La C a la c a C o m e lo n a Ristaurante M e x ican o N ew L o c a tio n : 2 3 0 4 S E B e lm o n t J & M Cafe 5:30 pm - 10:30 pm M on to Thur 5:30 pm - 11 pm Fri & Sat (503) 239 9675 o p e n in g for lu n ch so o n Dinner B eing O ut R ocks Various Artists • Human Rights Campaign/ Centaur Entertainment ompilation CDs are a mixed bag. O n one hand, they’re an excellent way to check out a bunch of different artists all at once, some of which you may like, some of which you’ll be compelled to get to know bet ter. Also, many compilations are used to bene fit gcxxl causes. However, what happens after you’ve checked out the artists, after all the money has gone to a gcxxJ cause? Is there really such a thing as a comp you listen to again and again? My friends, there is a graveyard for CDs of this sort: It is known as the $1 bin at used-record stores. T hat said, Being Out Rocks isn’t so bad. It benefits the National Coming O ut Project of the Human Rights Campaign. It features some big names and covers a lot of genres— pop, folk, rcx:k, dancehall. Highlights include Sarah M cLachlan’s soaring piano ballad “Angel," Q ueen’s all-too-presently-rclevant “Is This the World We Created?” and Janis Ian’s haunting folk tune “Society’s Child." Not surprisingly, most of the songs are either about relationships or queer politics. All in all, it’s a decent collection. So help out H RC by buying this record. Give it a few hearty listens. Then, before it starts collecting dust, before it makes its slow journey to a box in your basement (next to your laserdiscs, your pogs), do yourself a favor. Drop it off at your lixzal used-record store’s $1 bin. Comp CDs need community, too. — Katy Davidson IH C Sola/ f7ta/ian fj3i,s(ro New Fall/Winter Menu , fJi/w auA /e tC: ÿfio io e/l â 0 3 - 2 A 6 -6 Y ) Y > '6 to toto. ,\a/a/u\s'fito. c o m tuesday through Saturday 537 se ash 503 230 0463 FOR A GREAT STEAK, LOOK FOR THE REVOLVING STEAK SIGN EXCEPT IN BEAVERTON, WHERE THE CITY W OULDN’T LET US HAVE ONE °l'/am ities S d ffU / tA \ Our revolving steak sign has become a landmark in Portland. Wl A sign o f quality Where you know you can get a great steak dinner at a fair price Unfortunately, we couldn t get that same sign in Beaverton But honestly, we 're not that hard to fin d 105th & SE Stark • 503-252-4171 OLD CQtnCTR? KITCHEN home o f the 72 oz. steak Beaverton-Hillsdale Hwy at Griffith Dr. - 503-644-1492 I 3 1
