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Beer
In another example of how fortunate I am to live in Portland, Oregon, the 18th annual Holiday Ale Festival met and surpassed expectations in several ways. (And I only attended two days out of five – I shudder to think of all th...
Movie
There comes a time when children find themselves taking on some of the roles of parent to their own parents. That’s at the heart of Nebraska, the new drama from Alexander Payne (Sideways, About Schmidt, The Descendants). Filmed...
Flicks
Formed in Olympia, Washington in 1990, Bikini Kill didn’t sell many records. But the abrasive punk rock band did jumpstart the riot grrrl movement, paving the way for acts like Sleater-Kinney to become underground sensations. B...
CLE
A nine-person band devoted exclusively to playing original holiday songs, the Ohio City Singers started out as an informal collective of musicians. It’s slowly emerged into a festive enterprise. This year in addition to playing...
Movie
Down-and-out drifters Frank (Emile Hirsh) and Jerry Lee (Stephen Dorff) Flannigan grow up together on the run – from their circumstances, from the law and from their own demons. What passes for home in The Motel Life is any pla...
Movie
We’re not ones to quote other reviews but we laughed out loud at the summary of one review of The Book Thief, the new film based on the popular book by Markus Zusak: “Book Thief is tasteful but dull.” Well, yes, it certainly is...
Q&A
Not just another snotty punk band, NOFX isn’t your average melodic hardcore group. These guys can write some great songs — as is evidenced on the terrific 2004 comp The Greatest Songs Ever Written (By Us). Their latest single, ...