Birthdays, Concerts, Kickstarters, and the Weekend That Will Be

Good morning Dig Nation. There's a ton of interesting things going on this weekend but I'm going to highlight just a few of my favorites going down this weekend. To begin, today is the birthday of TWD writer, Brooklynite badass, and one of the best people I know, Steve! Please help show him the love by sending him a message at his twitter handle SteveWhoDigs. I hope it's a swingin' birthday Steve.

Next up I have some news for you from Baltimore based classical guitar ensemble Duo Amaral who are asking for your help Kickstarting the funds for their second album, Textura. The duo's debut album was released in 2011 and was entitled Suplica. I was proud to have authored the liner notes for this project and look forward to hearing their new work. In their own words:

The title of our second album expresses the range of textural possibilities of two guitars. It can often happen, when arranging keyboard music for solo guitar, that harmonies may be sacrificed or lost. But arrangements for guitar duo allow for the preservation of the original structure of these compositions in terms of harmonic and melodic range.

The works offered in Textura span the Baroque, Romantic and Nationalistic eras. These are saturated with dense, full and complex harmonies as in Cesar Franck's Prelude Fugue and Variation; the light and fluid melodic lines of Isaac Albeniz's Suite España; the lively intricacies of Vivaldi and Sammartini, and the thrilling virtuosity of Handel and Scarlatti. 

Please consider donating to this worthy project. The Duo Amaral are two of the most thought provoking and musically sensitive guitarists of their generation. Collectively their talents can make an indelible musical impact on your life, but the duration of an album or live performance does not reflect the lifetime of dedication, practice, and discipline that their craft requires. Please support the duo and help ensure that music of substance continues to have an audience and a home. You can also support the Duo Amaral by liking them on Facebook and by visiting their webpage

Next I've got a few things Portland specific you should check into to keep it interesting this weekend. To begin, Velocult is throwing a party from six to eleven tonight in promotion of Civilian Bicycle Co.'s new line of cyclocross bikes for the forthcoming season. Velocult is quintessential Portland offering up the finest in craft beer, artisanal coffee, all things bicycle and bike culture related, and the occasional live performance. The hang is cool, the staff is always amiable, and all are welcome. So cyclocross fanatic or not, you might want to come out tonight for a cold one and some good company.

Check out this video from an in house performance of Weird Shapes from Surfer Blood.

Speaking of Surfer Blood, they happen to be performing tonight at the Star Theater in PDX with Wild Ones and Holiday Friends. The performance is part of the Musicfest Northwest and the complete schedule of events can be found here. Quiet frankly the MFNW would take a small novel to cover and it most definitely has something for everyone so click here for the full list of bands and then get out there PDX. Shoot us a line on twitter at ThseWhoDig to stay in touch over the weekend and let us know what performances you're enjoying.

Finally, it's an anniversary for the Mama Bird Recording Co. family. They will be celebrating two years of bringing music into the world at the Alberta Street Pub Saturday Sept 7th beginning at 8:00 pm. Admission is only 5 bucks and there will be musical performances from Vikesh Kapoor, Barna Howard, Birger Olsen of Denver, and Hip Hatchet. Don't forget to RSVP to the event on Facebook.

Sleep when you can, eat your veggies, look both ways before crossing the street, and come correct because it's a big weekend in PDX and you're not going to want to miss a minute of it. You dig?