I first met Miguel when he was booking at the now defunct Medicine Hat. He was charming, friendly and interested in expanding the style of music being played at his venue. Rumors aside, his career at the Hat was cut short, but his energy has been far from squelched. I asked him about the open mic he hosts, and how it's turned into the Songwriter In The Round shows he hosts all over town. Who is Miguel, and what's his history? I'll give you the extremely short version. I'm an Australian born male of Spanish and Asian descent who grew up in the northwest, spent 5 years playing punk rock in the bay area, moved back to Tacoma to hone my songwriting style and ran screaming here to Portland where, aside from a brief stint in Hawaii, I've lived since 1996. You've been hosting these songwriters evening for how long? Tell me about the project. Is it a regular event that moves to different venues? Or is it something that you do whenever you can? What's your role in the project, and would you even call it a "project"? In addition to explaining the songwriters in the round, tell me what you've been spending the rest of your time doing. I've been hosting the songwriter circus on Wednesday nights at the Arnada Cafe in Vancouver for around 4 years. It's basically on open mic for singer/songwriters. the owners can't afford to advertise in the Mercury or the Willy so I've built up the attendance by littering the town periodically with flyers and by word of mouth. the night has been attracting a wide variety of songwriters and the shows have been consistently good for a long time now. Occasionally someone will call and ask me and ask if i know any good songwriters for a showcase or a round and i end up booking a night in their venue and usually end up getting a gig for myself. for those who don't know, a songwriter round is 4 or 5 songwriters on stage at the same time taking turns playing their own compositions. It's a very social way of performing and there is often a lot of discussion and joking around. It's not a jam though. Who is some of your favorite local talent right now, and why? I saw this band called System And Station at the Ash Street the other night that kicked my ass around the room. Very original melodies, changes and times. I get tired of the verse/ chorus /repeat format sometimes and it was refreshing to hear a band that had a more linear kind of style. What do you think Portland has that other cities lack? Tittie bars, bike lanes, cool dive bars and a ridiculous affection for Pabst Blue Ribbon. Sorry, were we still talking about music? What does Portland's music scene seem to lack right now? Jazz venues. A jazz scene for that matter. My friend Tim Jensen recorded a sick record last year that got fantastic reviews here and he still has a difficult time finding places to play. Have you worked with any recording studios, producers and/or engineers in town that you'd love to recommend to other people? Who and why? Kevin Nettlingham is a great engineer. He mastered my solo record and I kid you not, that guy could hear a fish piss in a waterfall. You can find him at Nettlingham audio in Vancouver. What are you listening to these days? Optiganally Yours, American Analog Set, Slint, Clifford Brown, thingy, Heavy Vegetable, Kinski, Mingus, Joni Mitchell, D'angelo, Low, Neutral Milk Hotel, The Shins, anything my friends turn me on to. What are your plans for the coming year? I'm going to finish recording another solo thing I've been working on that's just acoustic and voice. I'm also planning a trip to Spain and I'm hoping i can play some music while I'm there. Do you think artificial intelligence is possible? Yep. I'm living proof |
