M arch 5, 2014 Çnrtlanh (Observer Page IS B T J S I N E S S G u id e r State Farm® Providing Insurance and Financial Services Home Office, Bloomington, Illinois 61710 Ernest J. Hill, Jr. Agent 4946 N. Vancouver Avenue, Portland, OR 97217 503 2 8 6 1 1 0 3 Fax 503 2 8 6 1 1 4 6 e rn ie .h ill.h 5m b @ sta te farm .com 24 Hour Good Neighbor S e rviceR STATI FARM IN S U R A N C I $5.00 TEES CLUBS FAMILY REUNIONS SCHOOLCLUBS BUSINESSES SCREEN PRINTING 503-762-6042 971-570-8214 PHOTO BY D onovan M .S mith /T he P ortland O bserver D Portland emcee Mike Bars says he’s just getting starting after getting global exposure with the release of his debut album ’16 Bars. ’ Double Tires “16 Bars” ration for his next book, or at the very least find him applauding the effort. “I think it had a lot to do with the visuals,” he says. “It’s the fact that there’s so much blood, people’s continued from page 9 heads chopped off and sh** like that. I can’t even him transform ing hit Frank Ocean ballad “Thinkin watch sh** like that. [But] since I was making it, and Bout You” into his own with the assist o f autotune, kinda saw what was happening behind the scenes [it reflecting on a painful split with an ex-girlfriend. was okay]. You know, we kinda did it to be funny, like The ambidexterity of Bars’ soundscapes is not lost the talking head on the table [laughs].” on him. They are, in fact, part of his larger goal of pulling With fans that now include folks from the North, in a range of listeners. West, East, and the South, and across the Atlantic in “As an artist, I really wanna continue to be myself. Europe, Mike Bars will almost surely be having more And another thing I wanna do is infiltrate people’s fans reaching out to him, like what happened at the minds to the point where you can make a positive Sizzle Pie that day. change in this world. That’s something that would be In the meantime, the Portland artist is busy flying really dope to me.” across the country, shooting visuals for different He points to “There Will Be Blood,” the track that as songs, looking at the possibly touring soon, and of February has cracked over 400,000 views as an generally growing his brand and exposure. example. Both the video and song, which features Funk To download 16 Bars for free go to mikebars.com. Volume emcee, SwizZz, sees the two artists spitting Also be sure to “like” Mike Bars’ page on Facebook lyrics that might even give Stephen King some inspi­ and follow the artist on Twitter @Mike Bars. Opportunity Shines continued Jk from page 3 uity goals. As a former board chair of Home Forward and 12-year member of the his experience living in public hous­ ing as achild and learning the impor­ tance of setting goals as his parents board’ he led 1116 char8e for an successfully saved to buy a home. agency name change that was more Fittingly, the new Opportunity inclusive and welcoming than the Center at Stephens Creek Crossing Housing Authority of Portland. will honor his contributions to the To inspire others, he liked to share communityc. New & Used Tires Overstock & Used Tires $20&up All tires mounted & balanced on the Order Now for all your BBQ needs! car, out the door - no additives. Free stock wheels w/ purchase of any new or used tire Ron Washington Owner limited to stock on hand 30 years in business 2 locations to Serve You 503.369.1347 info @ ronricosbbq. com 50178 Col umbia River H wy Scappoose OR • 97053 6841 NE MLK, Portland 503-283-9437 4510 SE 52nd & Holgate 503-771-1834 Experienced Stylists Wanted PkdananFadeSalon The Best Place to Work in Portland. Or 5 0 10 NE 9th Ave. Unit A (503) 284-2989 Charles Washington V Past Publisher of the Portland Observer In memory of an outstanding and dedicated member of Portland's Longest Standing Minority Publication. - -- PRICED TO SELL '^Jortlanb (Ohscrucr