ß £5» Wednesday, Nov. 14,2012
P R IN T : Arts & Culture
Rags & Ribbons shaking up Portland
music scene
B e e tn ik ,
brew
beats th e
BRRR
ChristopherTaylor
Arts & Culture Editor
EAT, PRINT,
LOVjE
In a day and age where every
thing is always on the move,
trends rise and fall and music
is a fast-paced ball of constantly
changing energy, one band has
managed to lift itself above the
grime and stand out in more ways
than one. Rags & Ribbons, a local
band, is on the rise and could very
well be the band to watch in the
upcoming year.
Rags & Ribbons is an alter
native rock band composed of
former college students who all
took music theory classes and use
this knowledge to compose their
music.
“We really strive to create
something new, something inter
esting that can catch - and keep
# people’s attention,” said Jon
Hicks, one of the co-vocalists and
pianist. “We use theory as a device
to create new sounds, all while
deriving^ from influences such as
Muse, Arcade Fire, Queen and
Joshua Dillen
So Editor in Ghief
Beet lovers unite. Feet an
incredible harvest soup that
blows minds with gtnovy
sweetness and a savory psy
chedelic slam to the taste
buds.
Eat, Print, ¿ove kicks it
up a notch this week with a
rich and hearty soup that can
be customized for maximum
cold weather yumminess^
Spicy Italian or breakfast sad-;
sage (or your favorite vegan
replacement) and pan roasted
sweet veggies give this dish a'
cpmplex gourmet touch, yet is
easily prepared by the fledg
ling foodie.
•
~-j
This fool-proof fusion
will have the pickiest eaters
warmed to the soul. Beetnik
soup is made for the bounties
of harvest and delivers with
a cornucopia o f existential
tastes.
S vo e e V a n d
S a u o ru
bcehuL Soup
Vegetable oil
8 to 16 ounces spicy ground
Italian or breakfast sausage*
1 cup beets peeled and cut
into half inch cubes
1 cup carrots cut into half inch
cubes
1 cup celery cut in to ,
quarter inch slices
1 medium sweet onion
I
coarsely diced
4 or 5 large kale leaves, de-ribbed
and chopped into 1 inch pieces
64 ounces chicken
or vegetable stock
;
2 cups water
2 cups roasted delicata squash
(or a 12 ounce can of plain pump
kin puree)
’ .
Salt to taste
:
Half cup local pi not noir
or other red wine
3 to 10 cloves crushed garlic 8
(to taste obviously^)
A few pinches of dried marjoram
(optional):
1 cup fresh spinach
Chopped green onions, chives, • ’
mint or basil for garnish (optional)
Heat a medium skillet con-
taining two tablespoons v e g
etable oil (no oil if sausage is
fatty) on med high heat. When
the oil shimmers, add sau
sage and brown until cooked
through. Set meat aside and
save pan with drippings
(applies for vegan meat sub
stitutes as well if pan flying). j
While*sausag< is cooking
heat a four quart or larger
stock pot or Dutch oven with
oil as above and add beets,
carrots, celery and onion.;
Sautee these on medium to
medium high heat for seven to
IO minutes, stirring every two
minutes to caramelize the veg
gies and bring out their natu
ral sweetness. This process is
very important to develop the <
rich and sweet flavors from
the vegetables. Stir in the kale
and continue cooking forthree
to five minutes.
Add the stock and two
cups water, increase heat to
med high and bring to a kJW
boil, then reduce to med low -
heat to gently simmer. Stir ul
the roasted squash or pump
kin. Salt to taste. Simmer until
the next step is complete.
Cook the red wine in the
pan with the drippings on
medium high heat. Scrape
the pan and continue cook
ing ' until the wine thickens
and reduces by at least half.
This concentrates foe flavors
left in foe pan while creating
new levels o f flavor. Add this
reduction, garlic and sausage
to stock pot. Bring back to
simmer and cook until veg
gies are tender. Stir in mar
joram and spinach. Heat fori -
a few minutes and serve with '
desired garnish. .
Autumn food love is here;
your mind and taste buds will
never be foe same.
more.”
The band’s music definitely
has elements that hint at styles
such as pop, rock and even a little
bit of classical piano playing here
and there, all while retaining an
original sound all their own, giv
ing them an edge unlike many
other bands around.
“What we do, I think, is truly
different,” said drummer Chris
Neff. “We take, adapt, mash and
add until we have something that’s
all our own, which I think defines
our sound.”
Their recently released LP
“The Glass Masses” shows just
what this band is capable of.
From guitar driven rock tunes like
“Lady in the Midnight Sun” to
piano driven pop tunes like “Let It
Bum” and slightly indie tunes like
“Even Matter” help to showcase
their creativity and show that they
aren’t limited to one genre or one
style, but can adapt and change as
they see fit, while still retaining
their own sound, which is hard for
some bands.
“I think in the end, it’s what
makes us, us. We strive to
create and change things up, all
while thinking, ‘Is this song us?”’
said Neff. “And nine times out of
10, that’s the case, and that’s what
you get from our LP - a collec
tion of -songs by us, showing who
we are not only as individuals, but
as a band.”
Rags & Ribbons performed
recently at the Doug Fir Lounge
on Burnside in Portland, and the
crowd was not disappointed by
their performance.
“We put everything we have
Rags & Ribbons is a Portland band who promote and organize their own
shows, tours and albums. Rags & Ribbons in on the rise and gaining popu
larity with the release o f their new LP “The Glass Masses, ” which is avail
able on iTunes.
into every show,” said guitarist
Ben Weyerhauser. “We give 100
percent because we know that
that’s what the fans want, the best
show we can give. And wê deliver
every night.”
Their sound was just like their
record - if not better. The vocals
were strong, with harmonies that
were tight and precise, the lyrics
were relatable and thought pro
voking and their instruments all
meshed and blended together, all
while standing on their own, to
create intricate layers to their
diverse set of tunes. Friendly
and down to earth guys, who
are more than willing to talk and
share about their experience as
musicians and as a band,
it may be well worth the
time to give them a listen,
www.ragsandribbons.bandcamp.
com/ or at www.facebook.com/
RagsRibbons.
ZOO: Pachyderm pregnancy promises
early holiday present
Continued from Page 1
By fall o f 2013, the new
elephant enclosure is expect
ed to be completed with the
construction starting after this
y ea r’s Zoo Lights celebra
tion. What is more exciting for
the elephants however, is that
elephant Rose-Tu is expecting
her second baby. Her due date
is anytime between Halloween
and Christmas according to
Oregon Zoo volunteer Wendy
Doemer.
“You could kind o f take a
shot and say early December,
but we don’t really know yet,”
said Doerner.
D oerner. volunteers
by
observing animals and mak
ing notes about their behavior
when she is not debuting as an
elf for the holiday festivities.
The zoo is currently hoping to
U
'
I
Bw* l>M
Ch nMIW
I
nh
_______I
Rose-Tu is expecting a baby, and the zoo is very excited. The due date is
expected to fa ll somewhere between now and Christmas. Anyone who can
guess the precise date will be first in line io see the new baby elephant.
publish an ongoing study to
These videos are available
help determine an elephant’s for the zoo keepers to refer to
behavior before she is due to so they are aware o f how the
give birth. This would help renovations are impacting the
those working with elephants animals who live in the zoo.
to better determine when they
A nother ongoing obser
will be delivering.
vation project is geared to
The mystery involved in constant supervision o f the
finding the precise due date A frican w ild dog exhibit.
for the delivery is so intrigu Previously, the habitat only had
ing that according to the male dogs. However, the zoo
Oregon Zoo website there is an recently introduced a female
ongoing Facebook contest. The dog into the exhibit. As a result
person who guesses closest to the male dogs are competing to
the actual delivery date will get become the alpha dog. To pre
to be first in line at the baby vent fights, volunteers watch
elephant’s debut.
the exhibit so they can warn
E le p h a n t
p r e g n a n zoo keepers o f any signs of
cies last betw een 20 and aggression. If a fight does need
22
m o n th s ,
th e to be broken up, the keepers
longest for any mammal. will use a food incentive to
Currently, the main method distract the dogs.
o f determining a delivery date
Malia Coleman came with
is to do a blood test. Three days her parents to visit the zoo
before a mother elephant will on Sunday despite the rainy
give birth her blood-progester w eather because it “sound
one levels drop considerably. ed funny” and she enjoyed
The hope is that by seeing all the animals. Her
finding a way o f determining favorite animal at the zoo is
an elephant’s behavior before the otters but horses are also
she is due to give birth will her favorite. As she observed
help those working with ele the elephants, Malia pointed to
phants predict the delivery date Rose-Tu and gave her insight.
sooner than three days prior.
“You can tell because o f her
Rose-Tu is the fifth ele tummy,” said Malia.
phant in this study which col
She thought the elephant
laborates with Taronga Zoo in having a baby was 4‘cool.”
Sydney, Australia, where three While she obviously enjoyed
elephants have given birth the huge animals pacihg around
since 2008.
just a few feet from her in their
D oerner also helps to enclosure.
observe other animals to deter
The annual Zoo Lights
mine if and how the ongoing celebration will begin Friday
construction jn the zoo is Nov. 23. Gates open at 5 p.m.
affecting their behavior.
and close af 8:30 p.m. and
“We are doing a videotap the event runs through the
ing study that will last seven Christmas holiday. Learn more
years,” said Doerne. “We about the Oregon Zoo by visit
video tape three or four times ing www.OregonZoo.org.
a week.”