Happy “fool’s spring,” Portland! This week we’re delighted to hear the debut single by Keeks (FKA Maarquii), an upcoming late-night set from jazz fusion act Greaterkind at Jack London Revue, and later this spring, Danny Brown comes to town.

Upcoming local event(s) featuring local artist(s).        

Portland-based jazz trio Greaterkind never fails to provide an uplifting ambiance, whatever space they’re playing in. We've seen them popping up in other groups—keyboardist Charlie Brown III (Aminé, MonoNeon, Blossom), guitarist Peter Knudsen (Outer Orbit, MonoNeon), and drummer Cory Limuaco (Sarah Clarke, MAE.SUN)—around town, but don't miss their distinct, modern blend of jazz fusion as part of the 2024 Biamp Portland Jazz Festival. Greaterkind's sound is heavily influenced by funk, gospel, R&B, and hip-hop. The result is infectious, pleasant and feels simultaneously part of the old world and new school. While there are plenty of shows opening the festival night (including the sold out Jon Batiste show we profiled last week) Greaterkind's late-night set at speakeasy-style basement venue Jack London Revue might be the perfect way to wind down the evening—or wind up, for that matter. (Jack London Revue, 529 SW 4th, Fri Feb 16, 11:55 pm, $20-25 tickets here, 21+)

New release(s) from a Portland-relevant artist. 

Keeks is thehigh-femme rapper-singer and multi-dimensional artist formerly known as Maarquii. Now performing under her childhood nickname, Keeks, Gwendolyn Juju (House of Juju) released a debut song under the new moniker on January 31. Accompanying the release is a stunning and very sultry music video with videography and editing by Padriac O’meara and creative direction by Keeks herself. Produced by JVNITOR, the song has both industrial, electronic, and hard rock elements, showcasing your girl rhythmically singing bad bitch femme-queen mantras like “Femme queens in the house and we don’t give a fuck/ Dressed down to the toes and we throwin it up/ Little weed in the dutchie, Mezcal in the cup/ Blowing kisses to the girls and we living in lux/ Snatched in the kitty real tight in the tuck/ But it’s giving Barbie doll the way I flattened it up.” The single’s new music video contrasts its high-energy bravado with ethereal imagery, delicate choreography, and Keeks serving face, body, wind blown chiffon, and self-love energy. 

Some upcoming music buzz to add to your radar.

Danny Brown dropped two notable albums in 2023: Scaring the Hoes with JPEGMAFIA and his sixth studio solo album, Quaranta—which means the number 40 in Italian and refers to his age. Quaranta marks Brown’s most introspective confessional album yet; Brown has called it the “spiritual sequel to XXX.” But Quaranta sounds and feels like a totally different record. Brown delivers lyrics in uncharacteristically somber and meditative tones as he sorts through his personal journey battling addiction and depression. He experiments, even as he names his personal failings and regrets. One standout is single “Y.B.P. (feat. Bruiser Wolf),” which is titled for the acronym “Young Black and Poor,” details his rough childhood. In the first verse Brown starts off: “Wet clothes on the porch, we ain't have a dryer/ Spending food stamps wait 'til ya leave the store/ Too many in the bed, had to sleep on the floor/ 'Cause my cousin always be getting whipped in the morning/ Every night can't sleep, got me tossing and turning/ Late night in the kitchen, hear 'em always fussin'/ Got my ass beat, I ain't even do nothing/ Seen her crying in the kitchen and I don't know why/ Caught my aunt smoking crack and she got a black eye/ Living on Focus: HOPE and we tryna get by/ Sippin' on WIC juice, wash it down with chili fries.” (Be sure to check out the new stop-motion-style music video for “Y.B.P.”) I’m also partial to the sublime and soothing closing track “Bass Jam.” Now fully sober, the lifelong Detroiter relocated to Austin, Texas following his divorce. (Brown has also been actively talking about, well, everything on his popular podcast, The Danny Brown Show.) Now Brown’s taking to the road on a 24-city Quaranta ’24 tour including a stop at Wonder Ballroom at the end of March. (Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell, Fri March 29, 8 pm, $30, buy tickets here, all ages)

This story has been updated to more accurately reflect the number of shelter beds in the county.

Brandy Westerman knows she can’t solve Portland’s homelessness crisis, but she’s determined to at least try to fix it. 

In September, she was named the new Emergency Humanitarian Operations director for Portland. Westerman now oversees the city’s seven Safe Rest Villages and the Temporary Alternative Shelter Site (TASS) in Southeast Portland. Together, the pod-style outdoor shelter sites offer nearly 490 beds to those who don’t have stable housing. With another TASS under development in North Portland, and the expansion of two Safe Rest Villages, the city expects to boost its shelter offerings to nearly 780 by the end of the year. That number doesn’t reflect the more than 2,300 adult, family, youth and domestic violence shelter beds across Multnomah County offered by nonprofit groups like Portland Rescue Mission, or Transition Projects.

It’s still not enough to meet the need. 

The latest point-in-time count estimates nearly 6,300 people are unhoused each night in Multnomah County, with the majority of those people in Portland. Of that number, 1,821 were reportedly staying in shelters, with another 530 in transitional housing, according to data released by Multnomah County last year. City staff say the outdoor Safe Rest Villages and TASS shelters are nearly “always at capacity,” because there aren’t enough shelter beds to serve the number of people living on the streets. 

Those numbers alone are driving everything from policy and budget decisions at the city, to affordable housing development, and state legislative priorities. As Portland tries to tackle the existing shelter shortage, as well as the root causes of homelessness, Westerman and her team have their work cut out.

The team says the goal is not just to expand the number of available shelters, but to make sure people can exit them successfully.

“I see shelter as a necessary part of the service ecosystem, while recognizing that secure housing with adequate and tailored services for every individual and family experiencing houselessness is our goal,” Westerman stated in a news release.

As for how to pay for it all as city bureaus are slashing budgets, the city's shelter operations team will use up its existing American Rescue Plan Act dollars–federal economic recovery funding that flowed to the city during the pandemic–while looking at a “multitude” of other funding sources to keep the shelters funded. The city's TASS and Safe Rest sites receive a large chunk of funding from the Supportive Housing Services Metro bond. Currently, it costs about $1.5 million to $3 million to operate each Safe Rest site annually, in addition to initial site development costs and pod purchases.

Westerman, who earned a bachelor’s degree in international affairs and economics at Portland’s Lewis and Clark College, spent more than 20 years leading global humanitarian operations with Mercy Corps. Before taking a job at the city, she oversaw program performance and program design at the locally-headquartered non-governmental organization. 

Westerman’s been on the job with the city for four months. Since then, she says she’s identified ways to improve the system, by prioritizing wraparound support and services for those who enter the city’s shelters, in an effort to get them out of the shelter system and into housing.

“Anybody who’s going into shelter can expert certain services to be provided to them," Westerman said Wednesday during an interview. Those services include behavioral health support, access to health care, case management, and housing readiness, among others. Westerman says those added supports are vital, "so that they can move through that process of healing and stabilization and come out of shelter."

The new homelessness services director says she’s also leaning into a data-driven approach to find out what’s working, and what’s worked well in other areas. 

“What does the data tell us about what can help a person move into housing, because ultimately, we want to see shelters as a temporary program,” Westerman said Wednesday. “We want people put into housing and we want people successfully staying in housing.”

That last part could prove tricky. The city tries to conduct exit interviews, but most shelter operators don’t currently have a system, or the resources, to track everyone who leaves a shelter. Some are accounted for by way of receiving continued services at a supportive housing site, but many who don’t find permanent housing either end up back on the street, find family or friends to stay with, end up in an institution, or are unaccounted for.

The city reported 237 shelter exits from its Safe Rest Villages from July 2022 to September 2023. Of those who left, 32 percent (77 people) moved into housing, 7.5 percent (18 people) found temporary housing, 14 percent (34 people) ended up back on the streets, and 34 percent (81 people) had unknown whereabouts after leaving.

What’s more, many formerly homeless residents who find supportive housing don’t always thrive. 

The other barrier Westerman’s team faces: preventing people from becoming homeless in the first place. The Portland Housing Bureau and other contracted agencies have eviction prevention programs, but that’s a separate bureau and team.

“It’s not the focus of my team, but I want to give it some time anyway, because it is absolutely critical,” Westerman said. “It is much easier and more efficient to support somebody before they lose their housing than it is to address homelessness.”

The Mercury provides news and fun every single day—but your help is essential. If you believe Portland benefits from smart, local journalism and arts coverage, please consider making a small monthly contribution, because without you, there is no us. Thanks for your support!

GOOD MORNING PORTLAND! Some Mercury staff are out of town this week which means some other basic standards are also on vacation, which means I get to write the news! Wee! I'm wearing a little fedora that says "press" and everything. Prepare to get your shit informatively rocked.

IN LOCAL NEWS:

• Hot off the presses, from our own Courtney Vaughn: Portland Aims to Have 780 Village-Style Shelter Beds Open by End of 2024. This is great! Why not more? Read the article to find out, you slacker.
• A Portland man was arrested yesterday for allegedly operating a human trafficking ring out of a massage parlor in Lake Oswego. There are at least 10 victims, believed to be women from other countries coerced into prostitution.

  It's interesting to think about Oregon's bottle return program as a replacement for an actual social safety net...but I think that's a major stretch. Either way, overturning the Bottle Bill would be extremely misguided. https://t.co/QMIruLVrGM

  — Taylor Griggs (@taylorjgriggs) February 7, 2024

• Former Mercury best friend Dirk VanderHart who is now at OPB breaks down what state politicians are doing with our tax money, and they're prioritizing housing, homeless services, and childcare. Cool.
• Only SIX days until Valentine's Day! Do you need information? We got you: our Valentine's Day issue IN PRINT is on the streets! There is so much dang content in there. I wrote something truly stupid; I hope you like it.

  Calling all lovebirds (and other love species)! It's the Mercury's VALENTINES issue, featuring reader valentines, sex survey, love & breakup tips, cut 'n' send valentines, and more! Available in more than 500 spots around town very soon, and online NOW! 💘https://t.co/cYrNBb9RMw

  — Portland Mercury 🗞 (@portlandmercury) February 7, 2024

• In keeping with the spirit of the upcoming holiday, the Oregonian put together a list of great places to get heart-shaped snacks. Meanwhile, our paper put out a list of places to break up with someone. There are plenty of ways to get local Valentine's news, is what I'm saying.
• Here is the headline: "Portland Audubon Announces New Name, Dropping Both Portland and Audubon." Take a moment to think about what the funniest name would be. I was thinking like, Crow Crew. Beak Buds. The Breaderalist Society. Actual new name can be found here. 

  Anyone else feel like The Muppets are saying too much? 

  Phones sure have changed a lot over the years! One thing that'll never change? How much @MissPiggy calls me on them. Sheesh! pic.twitter.com/p1gMvJidC1

  — Kermit the Frog (@KermitTheFrog) February 7, 2024

   

• Elmo showing all this concern for the rest of us and this is what's happening? Get your own house in order, Elmo. 

In NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL NEWS:

• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shot down a deal that would have gotten a temporary ceasefire in Gaza in exchange for the return of the remaining Israeli hostages. Netanyahu's reasoning was that he wouldn't stop fighting until Hamas was eliminated so as to prevent another massacre of Israelis by Hamas. 1,300 Israelis died in the October 7th attack; nearly 28,000 Palestineans have died in Israeli's military response, so yeah, "massacre prevention" doesn't seem to be the vibe with that guy.
• Yesterday Senate Republicans blew up their own bill because they hate governing but like complaining. The bill was initially for funding for Ukraine and other foreign aid but Republicans were like "not without border security!" and Democrats were like "yeah okay whatever" because they are nothing if not foolish pragmatists, and when a bipartisan deal on the bill was shockingly reached, Donald Trump - an unemployed criminal - convinced Republican Senators to bail because he didn't want Biden to get the W. It's very cynical and embarrassing for them. 

Toby Keith's Remains Solemnly Placed In Red Solo Urn https://t.co/pNcRqsInQx

— The Onion (@TheOnion) February 8, 2024

• Speaking of embarrassing Presidential candidates, Nikki Haley yesterday lost the Nevada primary to "none." Meanwhile, Democratic challenger Marianne Williamson suspended her longshot campaign against Biden the incumbent. Perhaps the two of them should become friends.
• And back to the original embarrassing presidential candidate: the Supreme Court is going to hear arguments on whether Trump can stay on the ballot in spite of trying to overthrow the government. This is one of those things where if we win ("we" being people with eyes who saw the insurrection happen) we still lose because they'll probably do it again and possibly successfully this time. I'm not excited!
• Jennifer Crumbley, whose then-15-year-old-son Ethan killed four teenagers and injured seven others at his Michigan high school back in 2021, was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter for having given him the gun in the first place and not keep it secure. Lock up your guns, you freaks. Or even better: don't have guns! Don't give your fragile teenager a gun!
• Good news? Is it possible? It seems that the pod of killer whales stuck under ice in Japan has escaped. Hooray! I don't want to get greedy with good news, but hopefully they're off to fuck up some yachts.
• Yesterday, the largest study ever on trans and non-binary people was released, and it showed that while many of them reported obstacles in their daily lives, including discrimination and weirdos being generally up in their business, they are overwhelmingly satisfied with their lives and transitions. Listen to people when they tell you who they are! 
• And MORE good news: there's gonna be a Moana 2! But now I worry that my child will be too old for it by the time the movie comes out in November, and instead of celebrating an expansion of the film's gorgeous universe, I am mourning the passage of time. 

'Moana 2' Is Coming to Theaters This November, Reveals Disney in Surprise Announcement https://t.co/t2VnwLxxM6

— People (@people) February 7, 2024

• Enjoy yourselves today, friends. Treat yourself like you are someone that you love. Dolly Walnuts the one-eyed pug believes in you:

As the one-man operation behind Portland-based Moon Glyph Records—a leading curator of ambient, new age, and “transportive psychedelia”—Steve Rosborough juggles different roles and responsibilities.

He works with artists putting out their music and plans out the label’s busy release schedule. He handles distribution and production of cassettes and LPs, as well as marketing and promotional efforts. He manages Moon Glyph’s finances and other typical small-business duties. He even does the majority of the art and graphic design for the label and its releases, which number over 130 since Rosborough started Moon Glyph in 2009.

So when he sits down to make his own music under the name Omni Gardens, Rosborough tries to use the process as an opportunity to slow down, scale back, and declutter. Inspired by the brevity and workmanlike approach of prolific indie rock songwriter Robert Pollard (of Guided by Voices), Rosborough endeavors to not get bogged down in tiny details and sound design.

“You do it for a little bit and then stop, and if an idea doesn’t work out, then whatever—you move on to the next thing,” he said. “I just wanted to simplify and stop overthinking things.”

During the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic–in pursuit of “relaxed home listening for difficult times”–Rosborough made a second Omni Gardens album, Moss King, using primarily a single synth: the Moog Grandmother.

<a href="https://omnigardens.bandcamp.com/album/moss-king-2">Moss King by Omni Gardens</a>

“It’s not capable of a ton, but it sounds good,” he said. “I think having that limitation really helped my process, because I wouldn’t toil away at tweaking little things. I was focused a lot more on, like, ‘Is this melody working?’”

Indeed, Rosborough’s melodies are reliably enchanting, and Moss King was a surprise hit, selling well and landing on influential lists of 2020’s best albums.

The attention placed a bit more pressure on Rosborough as he went to work on his latest Omni Gardens album, Golden Pear, a 12-track collection of relatively short, meditative tunes built from warm, arpeggiated synth tones, bleary dream-zones, and some new sounds, including vibraphones, marimbas, and field recordings. Pressing play on the album is like being dropped into a beautifully serene, self-contained world where German electronic composer Hans-Joachim Roedelius is a household name, beloved by all.

<a href="https://omnigardens.bandcamp.com/album/golden-pear">Golden Pear by Omni Gardens</a>

Golden Pear takes a succinct approach to ambient and new age music, where track lengths that stretch beyond 10 minutes are common. All but one song clocks in under three and a half minutes, which makes it a lovely, laid-back listen that doesn’t demand a highly developed attention span.

“I want Omni Gardens’ music, in general, to feel like a lazy afternoon or your favorite sweater,” Rosborough said. “You know, like a kind of cozy, fuzzy feeling.”

In a broad sense, that describes much of the music that comes out on Moon Glyph Records, whether it’s floaty flute music for national parks or percussive electronic experiments or atmospheric ambient music or out-there spiritual jazz. Over the years, Rosborough has cultivated a clear aesthetic for the label, one that covers a lot of ground but still feels very Moon Glyph.

“I’ve been really happy with how the label has evolved, and it does feel like more and more people are checking it out and listening to the music,” he said.

“It seems like people will check out new releases on the label just because they’re on the label, and that’s ultimately my goal (because) I discovered so much music that way,” Rosborough continued. “That’s what I wanted to emulate, you know? To be a place where someone can be like, ‘I know the general vibe of this label and they’re putting out a new thing, so therefore I’ll give it a shot.’”

Omni Gardens opens for Roy Werner as part of a special show at Leach Botanical Gardens, 6704 SE 122nd, Sun Feb 11, $33 per person, free with membership to Feels Like Floating, tickets here, all ages, w/ Patricia Wolf