programchaos

Yeah, I've been doing a yearly trip to Portland to visit my best friend and his family for a week at a time. Been doing it since 2006, but I skipped 2007. You're right about it being completely kickass, too. Last time, I couldn't get enough of Ground Kontrol, and I go there multiple times every year. And we saw a few shows during the Musicfest Northwest festival downtown, as well. (Monotonix owned, Frank Black played forever, and Bad Brains kinda sucked, actually.) My friend plays bass in a band that played the festival (and currently plays gigs around the city), Carcrashlander.

But I also really love Movie Madness (and yes, they really are the best independent video store in the world), Voodoo Doughnut, Jackpot Records, Billy Galaxy, Old Town Pizza (my friend and I ate in the haunted booth once), Rocco's (yeah I love pizza), Powell's Books (of course), and practically limitless other places. And I have seriously walked all over that city, from the various corners of downtown to way over on the east side of the Willamette to the ritzier neighborhoods of the north and south.

I do love it there, so I definitely know what you mean. But what about the band? Would you guys all move up there if things turned out no to go so well down here?

Oh, and yeah I grew up in the San Joaquin Valley, right on the edge of Stockton in a little town called Escalon. Heard of it?