Experimental outlaws Jackie-O Motherfucker take over Portland in the name of the weird. As tsunamis of rising rents and obnoxious noise laws sweep over dear old San Francisco and Seattle, drowning clubs and whole scenes, Portland remains a safe haven for musicians. In fact, it's become an Eden for many a jaded transplant looking for chances to play and digs that may not be cheap but at least aren't prohibitive. Still, while the clubs hum along, most of the city's music happens in basements.
Basements serve as combination practice spaces, recording studios and impromptu clubs.
Deep below a North Portland house they toil, with an ever-changing and expanding lineup. Depending on who's where when, the band can consist of as many as 10 players at once. While many rock bands have a hard enough time wrangling three people through a set, Jackie-O's chaos is strictly by design. We were playing on top of tape loops and found sounds. Indeed, when Jackie-O takes a stage, there is nary an eyebrow in the place that doesn't arch in wonder at how they all fit.