Russel Swensen

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Burning Questions

Russel Swensen
Photo by Gregory Bojorquez GLASS CANDY & THE SHATTERED THEATRE, PAPER LIONS at Spaceland, May 9 Glass Candy & the Shattered Theatre have been described as a hit-or-miss live act, and Friday’s miss was the kind that leaves marketplaces in flames. Allah only knows what we did to deserve this......
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Think Pink

Russel Swensen
THE EPOXIES, THE SCENE CREAMERS at the Troubadour, March 16 Portland's Epoxies are irrepressible, but they manage to be so without being trivial; this is a band playing new wave as if it is in fact new — new wave as a shout! Roxy Epoxy's body hums like a battery,......

Faulty Towers

Russel Swensen
DIRECTOR PETER JACKSON SHOWS SO MUCH reverence for The Lord of the Rings, his fidelity to his source is never in doubt. The question is what exactly he's been faithful to. The charm of Tolkien's trilogy has always lain in the gingery determination of Frodo (Elijah Wood) and his fellow......
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On Their Own Authority

Russel Swensen
SAHARA HOTNIGHTSat the Echo, November 7 Coming in, you have to wonder if these girls aren’t simply a less forgettable version of the Hives. They play fast, semisweet rock. Front-thing Maria has that smoldering Blackman sexuality -- very “may fuck like she‘s boneless.” None of these things makes you want......