Everyone knows that the reason for starting a band is to get chicks/dudes and party with your friends. Many bands will try to sound more sensitive and “deep” by claiming their musical inspiration came from a dead grandpappy or from some higher source, but when it comes down to it they all just want to live the rock 'n' roll lifestyle. So it is refreshing when a band like Pure Country Gold just comes out and says, “We write songs to make people dance and to impress women!”

Raw talent and pure originality drive this drum-and-guitar duo of Jake Welliver and Patrick Foss. You won’t hear any fancy gimmicks, bass players, or even country music from this band, but you will find an unexpected punk, rock and Chuck Berry blues sound.

The pair never intended to be a twosome, in fact they set out in 2005 to find others for a larger ensemble. But after no luck finding suitable partners, they decided to take their stuff on the road as a duo. Luckily for these guys, their decision has paid off.

The band was asked to play at the Deep Blues Festival in both 2008 and 2009, and their loud, booty-shaking rhythm has impressed reviewers from Portland to the UK. I know they impressed me.

It can sometimes be hard to find something new and daring in the Portland music scene, so coming across a band like Pure Country Gold is like a breath of fresh air. So I guess they have achieved both their goals: Their music is definitely danceable, and they impressed at least one woman... ME.

Check out this live video from the 2008 Slabtown Bender for a taste of the duo:

You can see Pure Country Gold at 9 p.m. this Saturday the 27th with Junior’s Gang, and The Love Dimension at Ducketts Public House on North Killingsworth. 21+ and totally free!

- Deanna Uutela

The final day of SXSW 2010 moved in slow motion. Indescribably exhausted, I meandered through a more suburban part of town to Domy Books for the “What by Whatever Day Party.” In the backyard, the sunshine beamed down on a wooden stage that bounced with ever band, beginning with The Eastern Sea (bottom picture), a folksy seven-piece from Austin. Following them were fellow Austinites, The Frontier Brothers, whose vibrant energy radiated and awakened me from my zombie state. Last but not least, The Bright Light Social Hour (top picture) substantiated their recent award from the Austin Chronicle for the “Best Indie Band” (They should also win “Funniest Band.”), closing my SXSW on a high note. Final thought about SXSW 2010: fantastic event, great experience, I only wish venues in Austin were bigger: I had a great schedule planned out but I was unable to get into a lot of shows even with a wristband because they were too crowded... I guess everyone had the same bands in mind! - Meijin Bruttomesso

The penultimate day of SXSW took a turn for the frigid, making the festival challenging to endure. Bright and early, I froze in a two-block long line for “Mr. and Mrs. T and Rachael Ray’s Feedback Festival” at Stubb’s BBQ where Steve Conte and the Crazy Truth (NYC, bottom picture), School of Seven Bells (NYC), Andrew W.K (NYC), Street Sweeper Social Club (LA), Jakob Dylan and Three Legs, She and Him (Portland, top picture), and many more hit backyard and indoor stages. Miniature pulled-pork “sammies” and chicken quesadillas were almost unattainable, but a lucky taste test of the hearty h'ordeuvres satiated me for a short shopping spree at the American Apparel Flea Market and evening events. I caught a glimpse of The Cringe at The Texas Rockfest outdoor stage, and later, a full list of trios including New Madrid (NYC), at Mugshots Bar. The day’s highlight was an unforeseen recording session on the Lifestream AOL bus with Black Taxi, who astonished all aboard with their infectious songs and instrumental resourcefulness. - Meijin Bruttomesso

Day three of SXSW left me speechless. A mid-day slot at Rusty Spurs with Deadbeat Darling lifted my spirits before a two hour wait for LA’s leather-and-sunglasses-clad Black Rebel Motor Cylce Club the Filter Magazine Party. I stepped foot in Hyde Park Bar and Grill ONE more time for the “NYC Mixer,” another show I had co-arranged. The gig united bands from across the country, serving Texas a sample of Miss Derringer (LA, top picture), Pearl and the Beard (Brooklyn), Middle Distance Runner (DC), Outernational (NYC, bottom picture), Milo and the Fuzz (NYC), and The Frontier Brothers (Austin). Jetting back downtown to an over-packed Ghost Room, an all-star line-up, including Middle Class Rut, Jason Heath and the Greedy Souls, Michael Stipe (REM), Chris Shifflet (The Foo Fighters), Billy Bragg, Tom Morello and Boots Riley’s project, Street Sweeper Social Club, and more played mini-sets and jammed for Jail Guitar Doors, a program that rehabilitates inmates with music. To top off the night, a photo-op with Tom Morello preceded an after party at The Belmont. – Meijin Bruttomesso

 It’s been two years since we last heard from Jon Ragel, but boy was it worth the wait. The multi-instrumentalist’s one-man band, Boy Eats Drum Machine, released its fifth album (second via Portland-based record label, Tender Loving Empire) earlier this month, and it very well may be Ragel’s best to date.

Hoop + Wire encompasses the avant-garde, hip-pop staggering that sets BEDM apart from his Portland electro-pop counterparts, but this release is a bit more accessible than the rest. The first, and title, track begins with a catchy guitar riff atop tinny drum machine beats that seamlessly mesh into electronic blips with Ragel’s breathy vocals soaring over the music. And whereas most of BEDM’s tunes possess a poppy air, they tend to have too much going on to make them traditionally danceable, but “Hoop + Wire,” is a hard song not to dance to.

The third song, “ABQ,” illustrates Ragel’s hip-hop influence, as well as his talent on the turntable. The track is a 2:20 minute-long sample mash-up of crunchy drums, pounding synths, and opera-like vocals that the turntable-ist somehow manages to spin into a smooth, coherent tune. The track flows effortlessly into “Syncopated,” which features yet another of Ragel’s musical talents, the baritone sax.

The album takes a turn back to BEDM’s abstract, experimental art-pop with “Gold in the Hills,” a jumbled mixture of surf-rock guitar riffs, fluttering keys, saxophones, and manipulated vocal samples. Ragel’s voice makes its first appearance halfway through the song and adds a layer of darkness to the track with its deeply sung, minor key.

The album continues as a series of emotional and musical ups and downs, but each song shares a theme—the thoughts, feelings and experiences of a road trip. Ragel dreamed up this album on a cross-country drive.

With this in mind, it only makes sense the album ends with a track entitled, “70 Miles an Hour.” This song is more fluid and lucid than its predecessors, with beautiful flowing keyboard blips in the vain of The Postal Service, and Ragel pleading, “Look out, the hills you see, I’m only on the other side, will you be faithful to me?” The answer is yes, Jon, as long as you continue releasing albums like this.

-Katrina Nattress