Music Fans
Live Music
Another huge mark in the PLUS column, Portland boasts a phenomenal music scene, along with plenty of arts, theater, and public performances. The opportunities to see original live music are many.
“[The Portland] metro area’s population may rank only 25th in the U.S., but it claims at least 1,100 music businesses, around 2,000 performing acts, nearly 300 live venues and 200-plus promoted concerts a week — putting it near the top of any of these categories on a per-capita basis.”
— Oregon Business Magazine
Every night of the week there is music, everything from experimental noise to bluegrass, string quartet to hip hop.
Freak Scene
Maintains its own Portland-specific music events calendar. Registration is required to access, but it's easy.
InHouse Jazz
Brings together excellent musicians from the Portland area and the coast for intimate in home and backyard concerts.
Independent radio
Portland is blessed with several great indie radio stations. Through X-Ray FM alone, I've discovered several great artists: Failure, Zoe's Shanghai, Juanita Euka.
X-Ray FM
A progressive blend of talk and music. Music by 80+ of Portland’s own DJs, respected promoters and record label owners, lauded local musicians, and biggest music geeks. Shows range from indie to hip hop to metal to soul to psych and beyond, with a dual focus on curation and discovery.
KBOO FM
Volunteer-Powered, Non-Commercial, Listener-Sponsored, Full-Strength Community Radio for Portland, Oregon, the Pacific Northwest, the World.
KMHD
Member-supported radio station KMHD presents Jazz Without Boundaries (in practice, this means funk, hip hop, disco, and more). Their Brazilian music offerings are especially rich.
Portland Radio Project
Their mission: to elevate local artists and organizations through streaming, broadcasting and podcasting, engaging new generations of arts lovers and community supporters.