Portland - the new indie rock mecca

If there's any alluring indie mystique to Portland, it'sindie-folk songstress Laura Veirs, who inbetween
most likely due to late singer-songwriter Elliott Smith,recording sessions and touring, gives guitar lessons to
who attended high school on the west side of townkids from her home in the centre of the town. Even
and recorded his most-loved work there.the British indie music scene is represented in
Before Smith, Portland's primary musical contributionPortland, with both former Smiths guitar legend
to the universe was the Kingsmen, and theirJohnny Marr (now a full-time member of Modest
worldwide party anthem, "Louie Louie". But SmithMouse), and Chris Jarman of Leeds indie charmers
sketched a virtual map of the city with his whisperyThe Cribs, recently moving to the town.
voice, and even went so far as to adopt a localThis trend of artists moving to Portland after already
street name, Elliott Street, as his first name (legendhaving gained some level of fame might explain why
has it he considered his birth name of Steven as "toofew people are even aware of Portland's incredible
jock-y"). To his fans, Smith's music made Portlandconcentration of mu-sical talent. Virtually none of
seem infinitely more romantic than it ever could be inthese groups can really be considered "Portland
real life.bands", since none are natives. There are a few
After Smith came the deluge, as swarms of indieexceptions - hugely popular indie rock group Modest
rockers descended upon the town. In the late '90s,Mouse originate from the town, as do alternative pop
politically charged riot-girls Sleater-Kinney arrived fromgroup The Shins (whose singer and keyboardist Brett
punk rock hot-bed Olympia, Washington. TheyMercer lives in Elliott Smith's former home). Both
brought Stephen Malkmus and his genre-definingbands toiled the local live circuit, playing many bars,
college-rock collective, Pavement, who were all fromclubs and hotels in Portland before really making the
Stockton, California, along with them. The two bandsbig time.
began hanging out a lot at the Beulahland bar in theSo, despite the lack of a distinctive Portland sound
North West part of town, and in the process, turnedakin to Seattle's grunge scene or the post-White
Beulahland into one of the hippest hang-outs in all ofStripes explosion of blues-influenced garage rock
Portland.from Detroit circa 2001, the sheer caliber of its
Other indie rock alumni who call Portland their homemusical luminaries have firmly planted the city on the
are husband and wife duo Anita and Kevin Robison,musical map.
aka Viva Voce, who relocated from Alabama, and