Best Music: Album

Deena B, The Soundbox and Urban Music Director

Factor
Erykah Badu- New Amerykah
Santogold- santogold
Jake One- White Van
Daedelus- Love to Make Music Too
Guilty Simpson- Ode to the Ghetto
Menahan Street Band- Make the Road by Walking
Raphael Saadiq- The way I see it
The Saturday Knights- Mingle

Don Jacobson, The Long & Dusty Road and Movin' On

Pete Seeger:  LIVE AT 89 [Appleseed]

Pete Seeger:  AMERICAN FAVORITE BALLADS, Vol. 5 [Smithsonian/Folkways]

Arlo Guthrie & The Dillards:  32 CENTS, POSTAGE DUE [Rising Son]

Various Artists: THE WOODY GUTHRIE TRIBUTE TOUR [Music Road]

Laurie Lewis & The Right Hands:  LIVE [Spruce & Maple]

Rosalie Sorrels:  STRANGERS IN ANOTHER COUNTRY [Red House]

Mary Flower:  BRIDGES [Yellow Dog]

Jeni & Billy:  JEWELL RIDGE COAL [Self]

Rory Block & Stefan Grossman: COUNTRY BLUES GUITAR [Stefan Grossman's Guitar Workshop]

Patrick Street: ON THE FLY [Loftus]

Maria Dunn:  THE PEDDLER [Self]

Celtic Fiddle Festival:  EQUINOXE [Loftus]

Dick Gaughan:  LIVE AT THE TRADES CLUB [Greentrax]

The Green Fields Of America:  GREEN FIELDS OF AMERICA [Compass]

Kate Power & Steve Einhorn: BRICK & MORTAR [Quality Folk]

Erin Yanke, Life During Wartime

BILLY BAO – Dialectics of Shit LP. Billy Bao is the best representation of total freedom. Brutal and relentless, creative and destructive, like the best Scratch Acid, Crucifucks, or Big Black. I can't say it better than he can: " When I came from Lagos (Nigeria) to Spain (Bilbao) life was tough here or there. I did not mind, I had a purpose in my life: to fight the system that fucks up everyday of our life.

EDDY CURRENT SUPRESSION RING – Primary Colours LP.

Apparently they've been ruling Melbourne, Australia for a long time, but this record was released in enough quantity to prove their amazing blend of Classic Australian Punk with their own energy and sound.

LEBENDEN TOTEN – Near Dark 12”. Best Portland Band. Best Band of the Year. Amazing record. Distort Noise Chaos Feedback Screech Awesome.

INVASION – La Caza LP. Second record from this incredible and amazing band from Barcelona, Spain who specialize in dark and tense hardcore. The bad news is they broke up already.

JUGGLING JUGGULARS – Salute to No One LP. Great Finnish punk that is part tough hardcore, part catchy punk, male female vocals, and not very well known on this side of the Atlantic. Always a pleasure to play on the radio.

PDX (Compilation) - 7”. The only released SLEEPWALKERS RIP song (best band to break up in 2008), and one of my favorites, but this record also included great songs from THE ESTRANGED, AUTISTIC YOUTH and 2 songs by NIX. Really great representation of what was happening at the time, and now a great record of what once was.

RED HERRING -Faster Moving Forward LP. Sure, I went on tour with this band more than a few times, and yes, the description (tuba, banjo and drums) sounds like an art-punk cluster fuck. However, they are a great live band, and although this record didn't capture all the greatness, it did make it to the ballpark. 

SPECTRES – Visions of a New World 7”. Great songs on this second 7” by the moody post-punk Canadians.

TRANZMITORS- Live a Little More 12”. Not as good as their earlier stuff, but still the catchiest and smartest power pop around today.

XYX – Sistema de Terminacio Sexual 7'. From Nueva Leon, Mexico, this record blew me away. They're a 2-piece with a blown out recording and lots of effects, which made this a favorite of all the LDW DJs.

Rolf Semprebon, Sounds Unsound

Best Music: Debut

Nerveskade

Santogold

Marc de Giere, Plugged In

Starfucker
Crystal Castles
The Bloody Beetroots

Best Music: Live Performance

Erin Yanke, Life During Wartime

FYFAN from Sweden, at the house on 129^th and Stark, March, 2008. Incredible energy, and totally memorable for too many reasons to list. Awesome.

King Fader, CrossFade

Nick Jaina CD Release Show at Doug Fir (and not just cause I was mixing it either)
Rabbit in The Moon at 2410 (late 2007 but who's counting)
Green Velvet at 2410 (late 2007 but who's counting)
Z Trip at Rotturre
Napalm Beach at Dantes (and not just cause I was mixing it either)

Best Music: Local

Deena B, The Soundbox and Urban Music Director

Pat Mc Groin- Abangatang
Mic Crenshaw- Thinking out Loud
Alphabet Stew- Mentil Soup
Bright Doom- The Doldrums
Maya- Ayam music

Erin Yanke, Life Durning Wartime

Lebenden Toten

Rachel Taylor Brown

King Fader, CrossFade

Nick Jaina
Tu Fawning
Auditory Sculpture
Mic Crenshaw
Starfucker

Marc de Giere, Plugged In

Strangers Die Every Day - Aperture For Departure
Starfucker - Starfucker
Paint and Copter - Semper En Obscurus
Hide and Go Hustle

Best Cinema

You can listen to the special episode of Movie Talk devoted to the cinema of 2008 here.

Ed Goldberg, Movie Talk

PERSEPOLIS (Animated)
D: VINCENT PARRONAUD, MARJANE SATRAPI

DIARY OF THE DEAD
D: GEORGE ROMERO

STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE (Documentary, 2008)
D: ERROL MORRIS

A SNOWMOBILE FOR GEORGE (Documentary)
D: TODD DARLING

WALL-E
D: ANDREW STANTON

THE DARK KNIGHT
D: CHRISTOPHER NOLAN

LET THE RIGHT ONE IN (Swedish 2007)
D: TOMAS ALFREDSON

BURN AFTER READING
D: JOEL & ETHAN COEN

IRON MAN
D: JON FAVREAU

FROST/NIXON
D: RON HOWARD

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
D: DANNY BOYLE

DOUBT
D: JOHN PATRICK SHANLEY

THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
D: DAVID FINCHER

WALTZ WITH BASHIR (Animated Documentary, Israel)
D: ARI FOLMAN

MILK
D: GUS VAN SANT   

Doug Holm, Movie Talk

Let the Right One
A Christmas Tale
My Winnipeg
In Bruges, The Bank Job
The Dark Knight
Gomorra, Il Divo
Burn After Reading
Quantum of Solace
JCVD , My Name is Bruce
The Edge of Heaven
Tropic Thunder
Polanski: Wanted and Desired
Milk

Worst Cinema

You can listen to the special episode of Movie Talk devoted to the cinema of 2008 here.

Ed Goldberg, Movie Talk

THE LIFE BEFORE HER EYES
D: VADIM PERELMAN

YOU DON’T MESS WITH THE ZOHAN
D: DENNIS DUGAN

THE INCREDIBLE HULK
D: LOUIS LETERIER

MEET DAVE   
D: BRIAN ROBBINS

STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS
D: DAVE FILONI

TOWELHEAD
D: ALAN BALL

LAKEVIEW TERRACE
D: NEIL LaBUTE

THE SPIRIT
D: FRANK MILLER

D. K. Holm, Movie Talk

Synecdoche New York
Frost /Nixon
Mongol
Brideshead Revisited
The Spirit

Best Art

Eva Lake, Art Focus

The exhibition Wild Beauty at the Portland Art Museum curated by Terry Toedtemeier was an easy winner as the best show in 2008. The show narrated sweeping changes of the Columbia River Gorge with great examples in the progression and development of photography. The various photographs also highlighted how our collective idea of nature and the natives changed over time, with landscape becoming more and more a constructed view. This was, in my view, a world class exhibition which would look great at The Met in New York or the National Gallery in DC. It's that good.

Special Achievement

TOP 5 PUNK RE-ISSUES OF 2008 - Erin Yanke, Life During Wartime

LEUZEMIA- Peruvian punk from Early 80's. Ragin!

THE NIXE – First All Girl Dutch Punk Band. Rules.

THE RATS – Fred and Toody's first band together! Classic Portland Punk.

SOLVENT ABUSE – Old English Band with great repacking liner notes.

SUBHUMANS – All the best songs by this Classic Canadian Band. Not the English Subhumans.

BEST NEW PUNK HOUSE - Erin Yanke, Life During Wartime

Wedgewood Manor

Dubious Honors

BIGGEST MUSICAL DISAPPOINTMENT OF THE YEAR - Erin Yanke, Life During Wartime

DSB from Japan couldn't get into the country for their US tour, including a few shows and KBOO performance this year. Stupid borders.

BIGGEST MUSICAL DISAPPOINTMENT: Performance - King Fader, Crossfade

DJ Swamp at Berbati - wasted off his ass. couldn't perform some of his tricks. was sloppy. had to "restart" his famous flaming records ending. Not a huge turnout to begin with, and people were leaving left and right during his set, I had patience though to stick through and witness that last part. Priceless. Glad I didn't pay for that.

Fears for 2009

Theresa Mitchell, PressWatch

Propaganda mindsets will prevail in 2009.  Thus, instead of asking why Afghanistan is occupied by US troops-- since even the FBI admits there is no evidence proving that Bin Laden, with the collaboration of the Afghans, perpetrated the 9/11 hijackings-- US citizens will ask "what is the best way to help Afghanistan help itself?"  The chauvinism, racism, and pure violent evil of such a question will not come up in public discourse.  Likewise, the fact that the Gaza prisoners' rockets have retaliated at a rate of 1/100th the rate of Israeli violence for the last several years will remain obscure.  It will be an unwelcome fact.  Here's another one we won't talk about: we negotiatied to free all Iraqi prisoners that weren't charged with a crime.  But we haven't.

Maybe it's a terrorist fact, skulking around in the bushes somewhere.  Some facts are just plain offensive to decent people.  Like those pictures of Gaza toddlers' severed heads-- they will be denounced as hysterical demagoguery.  How dare they.  Is there no decency?

We think as we are told.  Thus we do not say "Every penny of the Treasury/Fed/legislated bailout for those rich bankers must be accounted for!  What, their wages come to $1000.00/hour?  How outrageous!  It must be their damnably corrupt Banker's Union!"  No, we do not say that.  We are meek.  Quiet.  We hand over the keys to the mint and step backward, bowing, bowing.  Not looking up.

Accountability, I prophesy, won't happen.  I have a vision of Christo--remember him?--wrapping up the Statue Of Liberty like a mummy, to show that after the failure to impeach, the failure to prosecute the telecom spying, the failure to prosecute torturers and warmongers, Liberty is but a mummified zombie (he could include a loudspeaker at Liberty's mouth endlessly repeating  "BRAINZZZ..." in an asthmatic monotone)--but no. Uh uh.

I'm pretty sure these predictions are correct, so you can start calling me Swami.  Other predictions are a little more difficult, but not impossible--like the economy; you'd think with all the hand-wringing, I'd be inclined to get all contrary, and say things will be all right.  But that's not the case at all; I'd say there isn't nearly enough hand wringing right now.  Now is the time to wring your fool hands off, say I.  One word: hyperinflation.

Yup, hyperinflation.  Not only does 'hyperinflation' have an impressive five syllables, it is the word to describe what happens when you attempt to print your way out of national bankruptcy.  Who is going to buy up the debt on all those trillions?  "Not us," say the Chinese.  "Not us," say the Japanese.  "Who you looking at," say the Saudis.  I, Swami, say that hyperinflation may come hop-hop-hopping our way, maybe before the year is out.  If I lose my Swami status over this, I'll be okay with it.  Just buy me a drink or something (or trade hoarded beans for it).

Now, if I were an adept Swami, I'd tell you whether the sunspot maximum, coming this way after a too-long sunspot minimum, will knock out power grids worldwide or not.  There's no telling, really, though it is tempting to speculate that oscillation in one direction--towards the just-ended and too-long minimum--might be followed by a pendulum swing the other way.  Last time the Sun got really cranky, nineteenth-century telegraph lines caught fire.  Everything else kept on keeping on, though, because it was the nineteenth century, and everything from the electrical, sewer and water supply to ship navigation was NOT dependent on feeble electrical patterns pulsing in silicon flakes.  So this is an either-or: either it's not a problem, or we're all gonna die.  Screaming.

Hopes for 2009

Jamilah Bourdon, Guess Who's Coming to Radio??!!

that there will be more awareness of terrorism and senseless killings by the police, and they will finally be held accountable for their actions, properly.  also, that this government be held accountable for its actions, just as this government loves to hold other nations accountable.  on another level, i hope that lumbia the cat remains healthy for another year; and that if michael (you know which one) actually DOES perform this year (in 2009), i will get to see him.

Station Awards

Many of our volunteers go beyond the call of duty to create the great progamming here at KBOO.  While it is impossible to rate everyone's incredible service, we've created a few categories to show how much people shine.

Excellent Presentation & Production

Dmae Roberts

Innovative Public Affairs and Cultural Revial

Carmen Martin-Stiles

All-around Amazing Help

Charlie Holzweissig

King of Dada

Ricardo Francisco

Innovation in Online Training

Patrik Angstrom Poore

Outstanding Evening Public Affairs

Circle A radio

Outstanding Online Debut

The Melting Pot

Studio Training Help

Emily Young

Audio Uploader Extraordinaire

Steve Nassar

Most Popular Stories on the Web

1st Place: Marianne Barisonek interviews author Dmitry Orlov on how the US could suffer the same fate as Russia

2nd Place: Carla blogs about gay middle school student killed in school shooting

3rd Place: Ed Goldberg interviews local author Andrew Vachss on Between the Covers

Most Popular Blog

Abe of The Abe and Joe Show

Revival of Live Remotes

Sean Ongley

Committee Chair Extraordinaire

Rabia Yeaman

Snow Substitute Lifesaver

Ben Schulte

Engineering

Bryan Stevens
Tommy Hood 

Membership Assistance

Robert Barncord
Scott Beauvais 

Evening News Superstars

Rebecca Nay
Linda Olson-Osterlund
Edison Carder

Outreach Superstars

Ras Danny
Randall Howington
Genevieve Mathews

Unsung Heroes

Carlton Olson
Henry Weeks
Devin LaCroix 

The Morning News Team

Cris Andreae
Steve Nassar
Liam Delta
Mike Hoffman
Martha Odom
Del Walker
Bryan Smith
Dave DeAngelis
Jim Thompson
Crystal Elinski

Behind the Curtain Public Affairs

Jim Braun
Steve Nassar
Kate Welch
Stephanie Potter
Liam Delta (snow support)
Kyle Burris (stayed all night on snow watch)

Retiring Programmers

Eslin Carvey
Pablo Innis
Clemy Jones
Gareth Jenkins
Gretchen Amann
Robyn Shanti
Julie Bernard
Marlene Smith
Miae Kim
Scott Forrester
Andrew Geller
Julie Sabatier
Carlos Chavez

A Little Help From Our Friends - Arthur Davis, Station Manager

At KBOO, we count many local groups and organizations among our friends. This year, two groups in particular gifted the station with significant fundraising and promotional opportunities. 

First, thanks to Pink Martini. The band’s annual Fundfest raised $16,000 for the station (and supported Friends of Trees, Outside In and the Bicycle Transportation Alliance with similar gifts).  At the pre-show Patron Event, Thomas Lauderdale’s performance of Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” showed how virtuosity, showmanship and musical creativity can elevate a standard from a crowd pleaser to the realm of art, even while the performance continues to entertain.   Then the full band performed, and our Outreach Coordinator, Toni Tabora-Roberts wrote, “A highlight was a masterful violin solo…To me it crystallized what makes Pink Martini…so special - they take music traditions like torch, classical & jazz to this alternate universe. An interesting, democratic and accessible level, allowing a diverse cross-spectrum of us regular folk to appreciate a wonderful range of music.”  Thanks to organizer John Brodie and Pink Martini!

Next up was Willamette Week which showcased KBOO in their annual GiveGuide. We were once again fortunate to be featured with a stellar group of nonprofits, and the GiveGuide raised $14,000 for your community radio station.  Weekly papers were once seen as stepchildren to the dailies, and it’s great to see papers like Willamette Week grow to the point of making major contributions to our community.   Thanks to Cate Meeker, Richard Meeker and everyone at Willamette Week!