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