I like to think I have a special deep soul connection with Portland, Oregon dating back to my childhood obsession with the movie Stand By Me. That movie had a huge impact on me when I was a kid, and ever since then I get the warm fuzzies whenever I think of Oregon. You can read why here: “‘Stand By Me’ And The Timeless Beauty Of Oregon, The Ottawa Valley, And Small Town Life“.
Fast forward 25 years later and my Oregon kinship has more to do with the arts than nostalgia. The city of Portland is pumping out a hugely impressive crop of music and creative talent these days, so much so that it’s become somewhat of a worldwide phenomenon (see Nueva Forma, LAIKA, and Arrange to name just a few). There is definitely something magical in the water over there, and I often think about how great it would be to live and work there myself. I’m itching to move out of Montreal again, and Portland is definitely near the top of my list of potential cities for me to transplant my business unifiedFEEL™. In the meantime, as I sit here this morning and ponder my future I’ve been listening to the brand new music of another Portland-based wunderkind — Johnny Jewel.
Johnny’s the frontman of CHROMATICS, and earlier this morning they released a brand new 35-minute mixtape of unreleased material from their recent album Kill For Love. The mix is entitled Running From The Sun and it’s absolutely free (stream it below or click the free download button as well). I’ve listened to it three times already and it’s equally as terrific as Kill For Love. To pick up your own copy of Kill For Love be sure to visit iTunes, and for an archive of all CHROMATICS stories on FEELguide CLICK HERE. And because I’m still obsessed with their cover of Neil Young’s “Into The Black” I’ve included it below as well.
SEE ALSO: CHROMATICS Release Cover Of Neil Young’s “Into The Black” As Whitney Houston Fades Into The White
SEE ALSO: The WOW Files: “Drive” Music Genius Johnny Jewel Released A 2.5 Hour Film Score “SYMMETRY” Last Night