We were fortunate enough to have the honor of putting together a lineup of musicians for Mix & Mash, a two-day arts event in downtown Salem this last weekend. Our showcase was at the Mission Mill Museum, and featured Easterly, Calvin Johnson, Boy Eats Drum Machine, Andy Combs and the Moth, Pacific UV, and some more bands from Salem.
Before the music started, there was a Q&A session with Calvin Johnson, who owns K Records, and Devin Gallagher, owner of Boy Gorilla Records.

 
Later, Calvin gathered the faithful unto his feet and played a set, really and truly unplugged.

MP3: Calvin Johnson - I'm Down
Portland/Salem power-pop five-piece Easterly started out the evening's music lineup.

LISTEN: Easterly on myspace
Boy Eats Drum Machine is Jon Ragel on microphone, turntable, sax and drum. He, by himself, injects more energy into a room than many full bands do.

MP3: Boy Eats Drum Machine - Demonic with Horns
STREAM: In-studio session on opbmusic
Andy Combs and the Moth plays some of the most fun music in existence.

MP3: Andy Combs and the Moth - The Bloodship
LISTEN: Two albums available for free download here
Pacific UV closed out the night with their lush and dreamy pop soundscapes.

LISTEN: Stream Pacific UV from their website
View the full set of photos here or here.

This year saw a rather incredible number of our local musicians receive boatloads of praise in the national press and on blogs around the world. And rightly so, as incredible album after incredible album kept arriving in my mailbox from Portland bands and record labels these past 52 weeks.
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