Last week, Blossom released her newest LP, Maybe. It’s a beautiful reflection on what the mind can do when left alone. Blossom makes fever dreams feel spine-tingling and sultry. She has great command over her voice, delivering each word succinctly and powerfully. As the months get hotter, we’re all going to get more and more grateful that she’s released this album in time for summer. “Betty Rizzo” is an especially alluring song, which makes sense given its namesake. It’s one that will probably bring more than a few bodies to the dance floor.

Blossom will be having an album release party for Maybe next Monday, June 10th at the Armory. She will be joined by Butter Baby, DJ Dubblife, Fountaine, KayelaJ and Bocha.

-By Avril Carrillo

 *photo by Dawn Riddle

Portland felt #blessed in its own little way when Explode Into Colors reunited last year. There've been bursts of excitement on their end by way of a couple shows here and there since their reunion, but the next two nights are where the real party is going to be at.

The New Year's Eve weekend is going to be lit with two nights of colorful sets by them, as presented by XRAY.fm, but the supporting acts of each night are sure to provide some turn up as well. The bill for the 12.30 show includes the experimental cumbia of Sávila and grooves spun by Daniela Karina. NYE itself is tinged with r&b and hip hop, with soulful vocals and dancing from vocal and producer collaborators Maarquii + Jvnitor and a guaranteed sultry set from songstress Blossom.

Tickets are still available, so add one or both of these shows to your NYE itenerary. 

It was just last year when a newly imagined Project Pabst made it's debut down at the Tom McCall Waterfront Park. With a fairly eclectic lineup for the actual festival and the night shows as well, patrons flooded in and out of the entrance gates with the gears in their heads turning as to how they felt about the festival's new style. It's almost impossible to pull anything off without a couple hitches along the way, but Project Pabst soldiered through another year of big acts and big piles of beer cans. The same is still true for 2017, just a couple of things seeing changes.

This year's fest is scaled down in a few ways, but has grown a lot in others. Unlike the Project Pabst's of the past, the 2017 edition won't have any night shows at all. These night shows were held at various locations around the city and gave more opportunities for local acts to participate in the festival. Last year, Kyle Craft was the only local to make it to festival's main stages. Project Pabst night shows also offered more in genre variance, since many of the festival's metal shows happened at night. Local support this year comes but from just one local artist each day, though the ones chosen are two of the best in the city and have both been voted our Deli Portland Artist of the Month in the past.

Opening up Saturday's festivities is the Last Artful, Dodgr. She happened to have played one of the night sets last year, but her distinct vocal style and bomb beats are perfect for the bigger stage. For Sunday's sets, harsh post-punk group Lithics will be kicking things off. They've become more of a common name around town over the last few months, especially after basically being named the best new band in Portland by Willamette Week and participating voters.

What sets this round of Project Pabst apart from the others are the headlining acts. This isn't to say that Duran Duran, Ice Cube, Tame Impala and Ween didn't totally kill it last year, or that Tears for Fears didn't a few years back. But each day this year has a pretty damn good trifecta of artists to close out everything. 

Attendees will get a chance to see Spoon, Nas and Beck on Saturday, while Sunday patrons will get a little bit of good, old and controversial. South African "rap" duo Die Antwoord have been contentious musicians from the start, but the reasons that make them such could create problems for Portlanders at the festival. Die Antwoord is known for committing racial and homophobic acts under the guise of shock value, like using the n*word in their songs, dressing in blackface in music videos and referring to people as f***ts, so it will be interesting to see how the crowd will react if they pull anything go the sort on stage.

To detract from whatever potential drama that could happen, the coolness of singer-songwriter and all around pop culture jokester Father John Misty, along with the iconic existence of still-kicking-it rocker Iggy Pop guarantees the festival will end on a good note.

For those that want to keep the party going, a Project Pabst Cooldown party will be happening back across the bridge at the Know. This bill is all local, featuring Blossom, Myke Bogan and Foreign Talks from Vancouver, Wa. 

This is one of the festival's best bills yet and tickets are still available, so get yours before the chance is lost.

 Our next choice in MOGO Fest offerings comes by way of a show curated by the festival's designated hip hop and R&B specialists, The Thesis, which is a series of showcases centered around the genre co-sponsored by We Out Here Magazine and XRAY.fm. Each performer and DJ on this bill has a cultural tie back to Africa, which is something important to celebrate now more than ever in recent times.

Blossom's music beginnings date back to age 12, where the Trinidad & Tibego made Keisha Chiddick played alongside her uncle's steel drum band. Fast forward to now, where Chiddick's meaningful neo-soul work under her floral moniker has added such beautiful light to Portland's underground. 

Coming from Ibadan, Nigeria, Sifter's migration to United States almost a decade ago was in pursuit of furthering his work as an artist, as well as taking his singing career to the next step. He started recognizing his abilities also at age 12, while singing in his church's choir. Now, he's signed to Nigerian based label Bugatti Recording Group. ISSA's (or I$$A) time in the states has been in the same vein, taking creative inspiration from his home of Dakar, Senegal. Growing up speaking French and loving American and European takes on hip hop and R&B along with other island types of music have breathed extra life into I$$A's vision.

Spinning at this show comes from the Afro-Caribbean, dance and house stylings of Valan Primus (aka DJ Pr11me) and Crate Diggers host and DJ to Portland rapper Tope, Verbz. With so many cultural vibes flowing from this bill, it's impossible for it to not be a good time.

Be at Dante's by 9pm tonight to catch everything as it starts. Tickets are $10 and this show is of course 21+.

Have yourself a hefty pour of some sensually funky soul syrup with Tribe Mars, who amid a lineup change still boast the same incredible output. Now featuring the talented Vaughn Kimmons (of POPgoji and as Brown Alice), the group's interesting arrangements are only elevated by the ardent vocality of Kimmons.

Rescheduled from its original weather-postponed date and location, Tribe Mars will be joining Blossom tonight at new downtown nightclub NYX for some Sunday Sessions vibes, hosted by multitalented singer-songwriter-producer Fritzwa.

It's free, so let your soul glow up in the city's newest spot with music starting at 9pm.