Disclosure: I don’t know who the hell PP is. I don’t particularly care. I just know that it’s a real indication of insecurity if you don’t think you, or particular elements of the Portland scene, aren’t good enough to weather his/her/their snark, and have to try to shame whoever the fuck they are into silence.

Gee…some chick/dude/collective doesn’t like some shit in Portland and blogs about it saliently.

Various suggestions: either heed it, get over it, start your own blog to address it, respond to it eloquently in the offered comments section point-by-point, or shut the fuck up.

My name is Erik Howell. My phone number is 400-2268.

Aren’t there some new local business that have inadequate wireless coverage or non-interactive websites that you could bitch about?

My name is Erik Howell and I agree w/ the bulk of your post. I did not see the HC headlining show that PP’s review of has been such a point of contention. I’ll also qualify this by saying that I interact w/ Trey (the HC’s auteur) at Buckdancer’s regularly, and he’s a hell of a nice guy, and a hugely talented musician.

However, I don’t think that this town’s scene is so weak that it can’t stand some *eloquently phrased,* yes, *anonymous* snark from some bloggers. If you want to keep a local music scene honest, you have to submit yourself to acknowledging the shrill of the malcontents. If their ideas seem are so poorly worded, or even eloquent bullshit, no one who matters will heed them and they’ll fade away.

I think we have to admit, however, that if one doesn’t attach their name to an otherwise cogent criticism, it’s not out of cowardice, it’s out of wanting to continue to render such opinions w/out being ostracized by…let’s admit it…a fairly *insular* music scene.

To deem their opinions irrelevant because they don’t readily name themselves is to insist that only those who dare speak up are those who can be assured that their acceptance w/in the music community will ensure against any backlash against them if they criticize it. That leads to a kind of imbreeding that squanders any growth…a bunch of “yes” people telling each other how killer each other’s set was.

Let’s believe enough in our scene to tolerate…no, *welcome* the fringe opinions…and not invalidate them because they don’t have a name attached that we can heckle on the street. I believe in the secret ballot, and as long as the Web is kept free and anyone w/ a differing opinion can make his/her opinion known, tagging their name onto it or not, anonymous shouldn’t be bullied into revealing themselves or keeping their, yes, *relevant* opinions to themselves.

B) Despite this, to say the Velvets weren’t at least “good musicians” is to say deKooning wasn’t a “good artist.”