Portland-based flugelhorn and trumpet player Max Ribner makes his solo debut with 1st Language (Self-release, 2021), a colorful tapestry of groove and texture utilizing over 50 collaborators across multiple continents. Ribner’s warm, articulate trumpet sound sits atop some killer rhythm sections interspersed with the sounds of gospel choir, brass band, and a 12 piece string […]

Portland-based singer-songwriter/pianist Jarrod Lawson made waves in 2014 with his self-titled debut album, quickly garnering an international fanbase who have been clamoring for a sophomore project ever since. 2019’s VISIONS groove tape quelled those appetites briefly  (available on Bandcamp under the pseudonym Orpheus) and demonstrated Jarrod’s range and production skills. In late 2020, he returned […]

There are no words to soothe this grief-stricken year. As the COVID-19 pandemic ebbs on, artists everywhere are faced with a responsibility to innovate and inspire with renewed vigor as well as to celebrate and memorialize the legacies of those we have lost. Among those losses was an unsung titan of modern music: producer Hal […]

It is no secret that 2020 has been a year of landmark change. The music community hangs on as tectonic plates shift beneath our feet and disturbed sediment seeks new settling places. It is fitting then that the music of TILTED (Ropeadope Records, 2020) constitutes both a sideways glance at the tumult and a rebirth […]