…a call for submissions! Witch Haus PDX Issue #4…

[Rad poster by Claire Lyman]

We are going to be tabling the Portland Zine Symposium!

Come hang with us at Day 1 of the Portland Zine Symposium. It’s the Ambridge Event Center (1333 NE MLK Blvd.) on Saturday July 9th. Since starting Witch Haus it has been a dream of mine to get to table at this truly special event. We are truly honored to get to share plastic table space with some of the coolest and most creative people in self-publishing. So come down, peruse some zines, and be sure to check out our frens at Semi-Ok Collective and Antiquated Future!  -Cameron

Witch Haus PDX Presents: Great Grandpa (Sea) / Twelve Gardens / Boreen!

Super stoked to finally give Issue #3 of our zine its own proper party, and I couldn’t be happier that we get to do so with three amazing bands and at one of my favorite places in Portland, Mother Foucault’s Bookshop. The show is Saturday, July 16 at 7pm. Come hang out, listen to some rad tunes, buy some zines, and read some Russian Literature. I made the poster with a photocopier and one of Hannah Turner-Hart‘s photos from the latest zine.

-Cameron

RSVP here!

Great Grandpa

Twelve Gardens (We also reviewed their album!)

Boreen (We their album too!)

 

Witch Haus Issue #3 Is Here!!

An announcement from Cameron Crowell // Editor

A bunch of the fre$h new copies of Witch Haus in a box I found behind IPRC. Also a pretty flower 🙂

The spring issue of Witch Haus PDX is hott off the presses y’all and ready to be sent out to any of our beloved readers for the low-low price of $5 (plus 75 cents for shipping). Issue #3 is loosely themed ‘The Movement Issue’  and features wonderful interpretations of the word with writing from Ciara Dolan, Harrison Smith, Sierra Adler, Journey Fetter, Emily VanKoughnett, Cameron Crowell, Fiona Woodman, Nathan Tucker, and Eric Snyder (of the important Portland-based mental health/suicide prevention non-profit Live Again).  In addition we have a wonderful illustration by Caitlin Degnon and photo collection by Hannah Turner-Harts who is responsible for our super cool cover photo. We also have a collage of photos from the disposable camera’s we gave to Sioux Falls, Cool American, and Alien Boy for their recent tours. We are so beyond proud to publish all of these artist’s work, I think I can say this with confidence that this is the BEST issue we’ve been able to put out yet. Not only is it twice the size, but I think I have a high school design class level of proficiency with InDesign at this point! So come hang tomorrow at the 101 on the PSU Campus where we will be premiering the zine and get yourself a copy. But if you can’t make it email us at witchhauspdx (at) gmail.com. And we can send one to you in the mail, or if you are within reasonable biking distance I can hand deliver you one! 

Track Review: “Indiana” – Blowout

By Cameron Crowell // Editor

                                                 Blowout are a special force in the Portland punk community, since putting out one of the best EPs of the past few years in We all float down here, the band has become friends with basically all Portland bands associated with indie/punk, a testament to the four-pieces’ devotion to supporting Do-It-Yourself / All-Ages music in a city that you probably are aware needs it (The Pound Pit / Blowhouse were host to some of my favorite shows RIP). This August Blowout will be releasing their long awaited debut LP No Beer, No Dad on Lauren Records and Making New Enemies. Yesterday, they premiered their single “Indiana” over at Stereogum (In which they were hailed as “extremely likable”), a two-minute shook up orange soda shower of pop-infused-punk merriment. The dueling guitar work of Travis King and Brennan Facchino give the track a dense-but-revved up exterior, which sink perfectly into the unencumbered-emotionality of bassist Laken Wright’s vocals. The song is reminiscent of Clarity-era Jimmy Eat World, as Wright’s mixes her signature Woah-Ah-Ah-Oh’s with the surly backing vocals of Facchino. While you’re listening check out some photos we took of the band last summer, here.

Bite-Sized Demo Review: No More Macho Bullshit – In Flux

By Cameron Crowell // Editor

No More Macho Bullshit – In Flux // self-released

The In Flux No More Macho Bullshit Demo came to me as a total surprise, in part because the Portland hardcore-punk four-piece had no online presence until I saw a Facebook post from the band’s drummer Mac Pogue (Alien Boy, Snow Roller, and Drunken Palms) with a link to this killer demo.

The homies at Semi-Ok Collective are releasing their zine next week and Snow Roller is going on tour!

Semi-Ok Zine release going down next Thursday (May 5th) @ Claire’s Space with three rad Portland bands, Snow Roller, Naked Hour, and Boreen. Bring some bucks to pick up what’s sure to be another awesome zine 🙂 Email for the address (so this doesn’t blow up): witchhauspdx@gmail.com // semi.okcollective@gmail.com

 

Album Review: Cartoons – Boreen

By Cameron Crowell // Editor

Album art by Maire O’Sullivan

Cartoons – Boreen // somewhere to hide media              Recommended Tracks: “Halley’s Comet,” “Cartoons,” “I’ll be in the Air,” “Happy as a Clam”

“Anybody who has survived [their] childhood has enough information about life to last him the rest of his days.” – Flannery O’Connor              

“No boy. No cry.” Former theme song of Naruto

Mommy Long Legs / Boyfriends @ Feral House, Boise, ID (3/25)

By Cameron Crowell // Editor

[All photos by Cameron Crowell]

Last week Ciara and I went to the five day Boise music festival, Treefort Music Fest on assignment with the Portland Mercury. I was super stoked on finally getting to see Seattle punk bands Mommy Long Legs and Boyfriends,  who were making Treefort there last stop on their tour. However, thanks to a Colorado blizzard the bands were snowed-in in Denver and all looked hopeless as they were unable to be squeezed onto an official festival bill. But, all was not lost thanks to the awesome people at the Boise collective-living space Feral House who put on a last minute Seattle Showcase with both bands, in addition to garage-psych band Invisible Hand (who opened up). I was able to snap a few shots amidst the hellfire of moving bodies in the Feral House living room. 

From Here to Bellingham: On Tour with Alien Boy

Words by Cameron Crowell // Editor

Photos by Alien Boy // Area Band

NSFW or whatever

Earlier this month the Portland pop-punk / Smiths-aficionados  (Despite a certain bass player with a certain incriminating screen name on the old-Portland Mercury website… You’re lucky that got deleted Mac Pogue!) Alien Boy went on a quick tour in the great state of Washington. Alien Boy is primarily the songwriting vessel of Sonia Weber, and their 2015 debut Never Getting Over It is absolutely killer! In February the band released a couple of demos so be prepared for a hott new album in the near future. So in continuation of our “On Tour” series we gave the band a disposable camera to document the sweet emotions of being on the road. (When your done scoping these pics, check out our first edition of the series with Sioux Falls and Cool American. It’s super easy to do, you don’t even have to read to much!)