Opb's State Of Wonder

The flowers are abloom, and so are the arts. Get out, get out, while the sun's still shining, and turn up the volume with these stories: 1:09 - Sonic Youth bassist, vocalist and co-founder Kim Gordon has a new memoir about being on the front lines of rock called "Girl in a Band." We'll talk to fans about Gordon's pervasive legacy. 7:28 - Ursula K Le Guin talks about where ideas come from as part of Literary Arts Archives Project. 13:00 - A venerated slash metal guitarist from Japan strays into unfamiliar territory with Portland singer-songwriter Casey Neil. 18:25 - Photographer Motoya Nakamura documents the beautiful change of the cherry blossoms downtown for a show at the Nikkei Center. 20:47 - We check in with cellist-in-residence Nancy Ives. 25:50 - No Passengers plays a Stagepass set for opbmusic, who sat down with frontwoman and solo artist Edna Vazquez. 33:10 - Geronimo Johnson discusses his new novel — a story about four college students whose experiment in activism goes nightmaris

00:41 Governor Kate Brown on arts?03:12 "Blond Poison" 08:30 Edwidge Danticat from Portland Arts and Lectures16:24 Requiem for a Carpet: Rendered + 99% Invisible29:37 opbmusic's Stagepass with Summer Cannibals.32:11 Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made.38:24 Kareem Abdul-Jabar's new book39:53 Billy Childs tribute to Laura Nyro.47:40 Kevin Irving of Oregon Ballet Theatre.49:07 DeConnick & Fraction to develop TV shows

Oscar previewsMelissa Lowery's new doc"Black Girl In Suburbia"Oregon Art Beat tracks down Bibi McGill.Survey:attitudes toward arts and culture.Illustrator Carson EllisPAM's curatorial searchSaxophonist Hailey Niswanger

This week: it's Confessions of the Reluctant Jazz Guy.Our pal Matt Fleeger of KMHD Jazz Radio turns us on to some new artists and talks about how jazz as a meta-genre — a way to better understand many forms of music.11:10 - We’ll talk about jazz past, present and future with bassist Chuck Israels, drummer Chris Brown and drummer Tim DuRoche.24:40 - Matt shares some of the bands he's most excited about right now, including Coco Columbia and Grammies.30:30 - Record producer Tucker Martine talks about the sonic qualities of jazz recordings, and how he incorporates them into the seminal indie pop records he’s produced as well as Grammy-nominated records for Bill Frissell.39:25 - Plus Matt shares some picks for the upcoming PDX Jazz Festival.Matt is one of our favorite guys. In addition to his knowledge of jazz, he's an avid advocate for visual arts. Fun fact: he knows a ton about skateboard film. And he's got a broad view of how music works in industry and culture.

This week, works in translation, from printmakers to Rossini. Things get flipped on their head with surprising results....1:04 - The Pander Brothers talk to Oregon Art Beat about their eye-popping visual style, and crossing genres to follow the action.5:30 - opbmusic brings us music and conversation with husband-and-wife indie pop duo Tennis.8:40 - Documentary filmmaker Brian Lindstrom's new film, “Mothering Inside,” follows women incarcerated at Coffee Creek Correctional Facility in Wilsonville.11:10 - Madonna Comix is a series of arresting prints based off poems with names like "Madonna Bomb" and "Madonna of the Cigarettes" at Augen Gallery.16:24 - At Start-Up Week, Natives Who Code seeks to help Native youth break into the tech industry.20:56 - We listen back to poet Nikky Finney at Portland Arts and Lectures.27:26 - Portland Opera takes the show on the road with an ambitious, bi-lingual production of Barber of Seville.

1:18 - We tour PNCA’s new home in the old federal post office building downtown and sit down with President Tom Manley to discuss the college’s modern metamorphosis. These digs will make you want to go back to school!12:56 - Actor Rainn Wilson and producer Hart Hanson talk about the new Fox TV series "Backstrom:" set in Portland, shot in Vancouver B.C. (Wait, wha—?)24:11 - Cellist-in-residence Nancy Ives shares music that will lift you up on gloomy days—or help you embrace the gloom.30:06 - We revisit artist John Simpkins in his psychedelic monastic retreat in southeast Oregon.30:39 - Portland musician Nick Jaina stops by the studio to talk about his new novel and play a couple tunes.44:23 - Grammy-winning trumpeter Thara Memory remembers trying to sit in with jazz great Eddie Harris and ending up drenched in sweat. His story is part of KMHD's awesome oral history series, "A Jazz Life."47:35 - Bend sets a schedule for it's new cultural tourism fund. Applications are due March 31.

1:21: Poet Richard Blanco talks about writing a poem for Presidential Obama's second inauguration, and how sexual identity and heritage inform his writing process.10:00: Jessica Hernandez and the Deltas burn it up for an opbmusic studio session.14:38: Miranda July talks about writing her first novel, and other recent projects.30:10: p:ear bring stories of street kids, kids on the edge, and transitional youth to the stage in a Fertile Ground festival performance.35:19: We listen to Christopher Hitchens from the Literary Arts Archive.43:17: Intel's Futurist explains the collision of creative thinking and engineering in his work.

0:00: Intro1:15: We preview releases by two of Portland’s biggest bands: Sleater-Kinney and theDecemberists.9:20: Hand2Mouth Theater workshops their follow-up to Gus Van Sant’s “My Own Private Idaho” for the Fertile Ground Festival.17:25: Michael Chabon talks about his novels, as well as his recent ventures into film and comics writing.35:25: Christopher Kirkley checks back in now that his Tuareg homage to “Purple Rain” is set to premier at the Hollywood Theater.40:50: Japanese tattoo artist Horisuzu walks us through his craft.44:40: Frank McCourt offers his insights into teaching as part of Literary Arts’s Archive Project.

0:00: Intro1:20: Oregon Story Board strives to grow the field of digital storytellers.9:30: Comedian Amy Miller explains why pursues her stand-up career in Portland.15:50: John Simpkins journeys into the heart of solitude.25:00: "Oliver Kitteridge" author Elizabeth Strout explores the importance of the “ickily human” in fiction.33:00: NPR Music and OPB Music launch Pickathon video channel with sets from the festival’s Woods Stage.37:10: Mary-Sue Tobin remembers how meeting Herbie Hancock reignited her love for the saxophone.42:25: Matt Love recounts an infamous Portland jewelry heist.

0:00: Intro2:00: Author Daniel H. Wilson, who brought us “Robopocalypse,” talks about the launch of his new mobile game, “Mayday! Deep Space!” with collaborator of Nick Lambert from Mountain Machine Studios.11:00: Pulitzer Prize and PEN/Faulkner Award winner Richard Ford talks about his new book “Let Me Frank With You,” which catches up with his most famous character, Frank Bascombe. We also talk about Ford’s approach to social issues.

0:00: Intro1:10: Mac Smiff of We Out Here debriefs on the year in Portland’s hip hop scene.12:40: Portland’s Independent Police Review reports on hip-hop and police relations.19:15: Cellist Nancy Ives walks us through her process of composing music.28:55: Hector Hernandez inherits the tradition of the great Mexican muralists, like Diego Rivera.33:45: Justin Simien chats on Live Wire about his film, “Dear White People”.38:50: Gary Ferguson explores how nature helped him grieve after his wife’s death.

•0:00: Intro•1:10: Wild gets its Portland premier! We were there on the red carpet, and we’ll hear from Cheryl Strayed on what’s next for her.•18:00: Imago Theatre tells us how holiday show Frogz changed its entire history.•23:25: Shawn Levy talk about the many faces of Robert DeNiro.•31:00: Sallie Ford and her blasting new band play at an opbmusic session.•33:45: KMHD‘s A Jazz Life takes us through a jam session with John Coltrane•39:00: Mic Crenshaw debriefs on his recent trip to Africa and new sounds coming from hip-hop in Kenya, South Africa and elsewhere.Image: scene from "Frogz"Photo credit: April Baer

0:00: Intro 1:25: Portland Cello Project’s new album adapts the songs of Elliott Smith.12:00: Photographer Richard Mosse and cinematographer Trevor Tweeten bring their surreal war photography and video to Portland Art Museum.27:20: Writer Tom Spanbauer describes living with AIDS. 35:55: Broken Bells share their collaborative songwriting process.41:10: Pulitzer-winning novelist Richard Ford tackles race and other social issues on a micro level.46:45: Saul Bellow blasts political correctnessImage credit: Richard Mosse

0:00: Intro1:20: John Waters talks about his schlocky — and acclaimed — career and tells us what to expect from A John Waters Christmas, which he's bringing to Portland's Aladdin Theater on Dec. 8.34:10: Abraham Verghese recalls the experience that made him want to be a writer.44:10: We hear about Reed College's efforts to preserve the art of calligraphy, even amongst post-Millennial elementary schoolers.

-0:00: Intro-1:30: Slim Moon talks about his career transition from punk rock godfather to Unitarian minister.-9:15: Horse Feathers break out with an energetic new record.-20:45: Ursula Le Guin tears into the publishing industry at the National Book Awards-24:45: Margaret Atwood reflects on writing women in fiction after second wave feminism.-35:30: Las Cafeteras conducts a clinic at Portland State fusing politics with Son Jarocho sounds.-40:05: David Ackerman gets on the bad side of Charles Mingus...then back on his good side again.-47:40: The Oregon Jewish Museum exhibits Shirley Gittelsohn's paintings in a celebration of her life’s work.

0:00: Intro1:00: Revolution Hall will open in February1:40: Portland Opera becomes a summer festival with smaller shows.6:30: Cellist-in-residence Nancy Ives brings Oregon Symphony pals Greg Ewer and Joe Berger along for a conversation about innovation and classicism in music. 18:45: Iranian comics author Marjane Satrapi remembers her path to her chosen medium.25:50: Portland musician Laura Gibson moves east to try her hand at short fiction.29:30: Native American design is featured by Native(X).33:30: The Confluence Project searches for sounds of Celilo Falls.36:55: Artists Repertory Theatre helps build a musical from scratch.42:30: Elizabeth Pitcairn walks us through adventures with The Red Violin.45:55: Lowriders in Space brings lowrider culture to young adult literature.

1:05: New Decemberists music. Plus the band's keyboardist Jenny Conlee talks about her struggle with cancer, and an effort to help others who are diagnosed young.11:00: Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche from the Literary Arts archives.20:30: Ben Killen Rosenberg, inspired by a devastating short story his wife wrote, curates a group show in Astoria with Holly Andress, Hickory Mertsching, Christine Lahti and others. 26:05: David Wolman on Pipino, Gentleman Thief, and the heist of a lifetime.34:10: Art Beat tracks the progression of Portland Opera’s productions.36:50: Vin Shambry tells a story at Backfence, remembering friend and colleague Benjamin Buckley, who took his own life in September.44:00: Charles D’Ambrosio reflects on his family’s influence on his stories.

State of Wonder is turning one year old. We're going to revisit some of our favorite moments from our first 52 weeks of broadcasting.Image credit: "Binocular" by Bill Hoppe00:55: Author Ann Patchett on our shared name.03:50: Vinyl fiends get their wax on at Discog‘s Crate Diggers record swap.10:50: Musicians with Oregon East Symphony make the most of getting snowed in while in Pendleton.19:50: Rebecca Gates analyzes the ways revenue streams are changing in the music industry.29:30: High school sophomore Kiarra Saito Beckman takes on Paganini.35:10: Benjamin Dewey explains how comics can be hilarious and tragic at the same time.45:15: West African musicians take on Prince’s Purple Rain.Music Used:Verner Pantons: "Leave Her Alone" live at OPBEDJ: "A West County Girl" live at OPBDonkeys: "West Coast Raga" live at OPBGrouper: "Holding"Genders: "Technicolor Vision" live at OPBJuana Molina: "Wed 21/Eras" live at OPBTisDass: "Yamedan" live at OPB

1:30: New “homebrew” games for old video game systems7:40: Author James McBride on identity and success18:40: Part 2 of our conversation with R.E.M.’s Peter Buck 23:50: Wallace Stegner on the similarities between autobiography and fiction32:55: When jazz bassist Andre St. James met the legendary Rahsaan Roland Kirk38:45: Nancy Ives tells us about the terrifying audition process at the Oregon Symphony48:15: Hiroshi Ogawa’s ceramic art

Guest Curator Corin Tucker looks back on the Sleater-Kinney catalog, and helps us get at what's changed for musicians in Portland from the mid-90s and today.