1. I have been watching this amazing entity transform since I put nails in the Bar at Dante's with Frank in 2000. Here's what I see, I tried to keep it short...

The immediate future of the Portland music scene is going to be an increase in attention from the west coast major/indie labels who are ready to invest in some of the bands who have been working hard for the past five years. Not a "Signing Frenzy" our obscurity is keeping that at bay for now. More advertising and film work for bands. This already started months ago...Stars of Track and Field, The Nice Boys. These acts and more will become underground ambassadors for Portland by the end of summer. The second wave will be more press nationally directed at Portland than we have already seen. I was in Williamsburg last Halloween and everyone was all like..."You're from Portland? Cool." It was pretty weird. Who knows, maybe we'll get a star on the cartoon maps of the west coast you see on TV soon...

After those acts have gone off on long tours the folowing contingency of artists will step into their place and everthing will shift again. Right now there are 20 kids in our warehouse playing Pink Floyd and The Who in Paul Greens School of Rock. They have been nailing the tunes since day one and average about 13 years old. So we will have wave after wave of this for some time to come. Portland band leaders like Carl Hinds of Black Heart White Noise, are teaching the next generation of musicians to represent Portland as we speak.

2. The risk takers are the leaders. Sure, Decemberists and Dandies are getting loads of attention from the press but that flow is already way past changed. From Richmond Fontaine to Man of The Year, heck even my band are made up of people who take major risks financially and as artists to be overseas representing Portland in print, on the radio and onstage. Here's to all the musicians who work their fingers to the bone serving drinks to all the designers from Nike with expense accounts bigger than their paychecks! And to the Nike designers who support their careers!

Portland's music scene is a mega-mutant virus changing so fast and already so diverse to begin with that there is no "scene". I've spoken to label reps who say "What the (bleep) is going on in Portland, every band is so different, I don't know where to begin." I think that diversity and our nature to transform so quickly (short attention span) is what's keeping the city from going through what happened in Seattle. It is however, inevitable as things happen like Storm going on CBS. That's why the streets are widening -this town is ready to give birth to a major city.

3. Roadblocks? The OLCC has quelled many an ingenious event idea that would have made for more great shows, festivals, more opportunity for artists and more activity in the arts scene in Portland. You can't have a rock show without beer and you can't have beer without their permission. Do the math. Are they the liquor police, or the dream police? They wanted AudioCinema to follow the same guidelines as "The Bite" to serve alcohol at a rock show in our warehouse. They wanted me to provide activities for underage attendees or they weren't going to permit the event. Who sends their teenager to a warehouse party in downtown at midnight on a Sunday??? They basically wanted to force us to allow minors...I think some basic discussion with them about permitting and updating the policies to address the current situation and it's speedy evolution could fix the problem for all parties involved.

The Fire Department is cool. We have been working with them a great deal this year to permit events safely. However, there needs to be an "alternative venue code" for the arts community to have access to space. The Assembly venues in town will not suit the expanding needs of the arts community nor facilitate their major economic contributions to Portland.

4. Again, the diversity of Portland is the sound. The sound is "don't expect a sound-expect good." Is that too long in comparison to be-bop, grunge or hip-hop? Let the press decide what to call it...there are great country bands here, great deconstructionists, great straight rock bands, great Jazz players, singer-songwriters abound. That's before the producers get their hands on them. With the proper funding and a good ear, you could have a 25 artist label after one weekend out at the clubs. But no, I don't believe in a Portland "Sound" and refuse to for it's own sake.

5. Finally, Storm. I am personally biased because I want her back onstage with my band and to be able to continue writing for The Balls. But I think the best thing that could happen for her and Portland subsequently, would be to come in second, be on CBS 9 more weeks and get to do whatever the heck she wants after teh show without the likes of Tommy Lee and his "Crue" indelibly tainting her hard earned name...-Adam Mackintosh AudioCinema LLC