Culture

Doug Fir Lounge

After-Party: Portland, OR

Though sometimes overshadowed by Pacific Northwest neighbors Seattle and Vancouver, Oregon’s cultural capital holds many distinctions of its own — including nicknames of “Brewtopia” and “Pornland” for its prevalence of coffee, beer, and strip clubs.

Motörhead Vodka

Four band-endorsed boozes

For some, plastering a band name on a bottle of booze is nothing more than a marketing gimmick. Others, like Maynard James Keenan, pour everything into their creations. However you define the following, here are a few band-name beverages to request at your next show.

Coheed & Cambria iOS game

Fight the Amory Wars in Coheed and Cambria’s new iOS video game

Coheed and Cambria: The Afterman:DescensionCoheed and Cambria: The Afterman: Descension (Hundred Handed / Everything Evil, 2/5/13)

Coheed and Cambria’s Amory Wars might be one of the most ambitious conceptual undertakings in modern music. Spanning the majority of the group’s musical output and expanded in the form of both graphic and prose novels, it’s an epic space opera about a group of planets held together by lines of energy known as the Keywork. Conceived by front-man Claudio Sanchez, the story is also currently being adapted for a feature film by Mark Wahlberg.

Guest Spots: Georgia Anne Muldrow challenges the food system’s status quo

Georgia Anne Muldrow: SeedsGeorgia Anne Muldrow: Seeds (Stones Throw, 3/27/12)

“Seeds”

Georgia Anne Muldrow: “Seeds”

Global food politics didn’t crop up on many albums last year, but it featured prominently on one: Georgia Anne Muldrow’s Seeds, the title track of which became known as a “diss track” to Monsanto, the infamous multinational agriculture company. Here the Las Vegas-based songwriter and record producer talks food, farming, and our environment of fear, giving us a lot more than two cents — pretty generous for an artist who admits she’s living paycheck to paycheck.

Shipping up for Boston: Dropkick Murphys raises $100K+ for Boston Marathon victims

Anyone familiar with The Dropkick Murphys knows that the band has deep ties to Boston, with tracks like “Shipping Up to Boston” and “Tessie.” Following Monday’s terror attacks at the Boston Marathon, the band has released a T-shirt to raise funds for the victims of the bombings. The shirt features both the city skyline and the city’s seal with the message, “Thank you, to all who purchased this shirt. All proceeds go to the victims and families of the Boston Marathon bombings. Love, Dropkick Murphys.”

At this point, the shirt, priced from $24.99 to $26.99, has raised more than $100,000 dollars. Head here to order one for yourself.

French design duo M/M Paris shares a pixelated, neon future with C’est Wouf!

M/M Paris is a French design partnership consisting of Michael Amzalag and Mathias Augustyniak, well known for their work with musicians such as Björk (Volta), Kanye West (My Beautiful, Dark, Twisted Fantasy) and more. Now the duo has a new exhibition, C’est Wouf!, up at gallery Air de Paris in Paris.

Featuring the titular dog(?) as well as light fixtures, neon sculptures, and more, the exhibit is up through May 18. If you’re not fortunate enough to be near Paris, view some of the wild work below.

Third Man’s vintage record booth offers live recordings straight to vinyl

Founded by Jack White, Third Man Records has, since its inception, focused on a high-class brand of the unusual. Whether this means releasing a strange, single record from enigmatic Mildred and the Mice or very special vinyl editions of past work from The White Stripes, Third Man has created its own unique place in the world of record labels and stores.

Now, on April 20 (Record Store Day), Third Man is going to prove that everything old is new again.