Off the Cuff: With Dez and Zane

Dez talks with multi-media artist Edward Bernier about all of his creative ventures, to include his influence on the Portland music scene. Edward is so supportive of other artists and seems to have unlimited energy when it comes to creating. He is a shining light, and radiates positivity in the community.

Falling Alice is a multi-genre musician out of Portland, OR. His style ranges from Hip-Hop to EDM. Falling Alice, like many artists, has a DIY process for his work. He makes beats, edits his music, and even directs his videos. You can find him playing all different types of shows in the Portland area

Shaydo is the Host of the Happy Hours Show, After Hours Podcast, and They Gave Us a show. He has been in the music scene for awhile, starting off making his own music. He has been hosting radio shows for year starting in college. Shaydo has toured with some living legends and started off as an actor before getting into music.

Jonny Cool (AKA Jupiter Black) is a music producer and fashion icon from New York -> Portland, OR. He has made music for some of the greats, and continues to bless us with his unique style through his music. Jonny Cool has an eclectic sound that ranges from disco to hip hop.

Lord Lawrence is a musician out of Portland, Oregon who is loved by the city for his big personality and his unique music sound. His music is genre bending with hints of hip hop and pop. However, you can definitely hear in his music that he was heavily influenced by Slipknot and music of the like. Lord Lawrence's music seems to be evolving just as fast as the music scene in Portland, so there's no doubt that he will continue to grow as an artist in this city and beyond.

The New Godz are an up and coming group of artists in Portland, OR. Each member of their group brings a different sound, musical style, and aesthetic. The New Godz are already known for their high energy performances and they are starting to make a big splash in the local music scene. Their goal is to go up from there and plan on being the best of the greatest. Their sound is a mix between trap, hip hop, pop, and metal.

Independent music festival, Lose Yr Mind is an independent music festival that supports local and national artists. The festival has grown to become one of the larger annual music events in Portland. We were invited to cover the festival and had the chance to interview over 10 artists in the VIP lounge located in a speakeasy. We talked with founder of The Thesis Mac Smiff, !Mind Parade, Shadowgraphs, The Macks, Shadowgraphs, Orkis, Roselit Bone, Yuvees, Poolboys, and a few others on previous episodes.

On this episode of Off the Cuff Dez and Zane take a field Trip to Portland Oregon's Star Awards. We did live interviews with local artists to include Jahdi, Bremer Baden, Jonny Cool Jupiter, Edward Bernier, JAK Trizzy and Brwa. Stay until the end to listen to music from The Dutchess. The Star Awards are unique in that it includes recognitions heavily based in community involvement, supportive networks such as Promoters, Media, and Advocates for the Hip Hop Community. The Star Awards will take in account the body of work of nominees but will not be limited to what industry may deem as value, such as streaming numbers, sales, or even popularity. The 2022 "STAR AWARDS" presented by Leadertainment featured collaborations with Mic Check and PDX Rated Ill Records. This year's STAR AWARDS performances highlighted "Women in Hip Hop" in continuing to elevate the contributions, voices, and dopeness of women repping the culture.

Bush Tetras are an American post-punk band from New York City. Formed in 1979, the Bush Tetras were influential and popular in the Manhattan club scene and college radio in the early 80s. New York's post-punk revival of the 2000s was accompanied by a resurgence of interest in the genre, with the Tetras' influence heard in many of that scene's bands. The Bush Tetras came back to Portland, OR for the first time in years to play at the Lose Yr Mind Fest. We were honored to talk with them about what they have been getting into these days. Listen in to find out about a new project that the band talks about for the first time publicly.

Glam Doll is a rapper out of Portland, OR. She is relatively new on the scene, but she has already teamed up with one of Portland's hottest rappers, Roulette Delgado, and she has been on Hip-Hop showcase The Thesis twice! Glam Doll is a natural born performer. She promotes confidence in other women by being herself and not holding back in her music. We are excited for Glam Doll's new album drop! Tap in.

Lose Yr Mind is an independent music festival that supports local and national artists while teaming up with rad businesses to make it all possible. We spoke with the founder of the festival, Elizabeth Elder. Her goal is to cultivate community in an alternative venue setting while showcasing some of our favorite bands. Lose Yr Mind began as a series of house shows that graduated to warehouse parties in 2014. The festival has grown to become one of the larger annual music events in Portland + continue to throw shows year round at various venues in town. Elder talks with us in detail about the festival's origin story and about some of her plans for the future of Lose Yr Mind Fest.

Soft Kill is one of the bands defining the sound of 2010s post-punk. The band originally emerged from the post-punk scene in Portland, OR. They have released five albums and several singles and EPs. Their songs are based on drug addiction and many are about actual people who have passed away. Nicole from Soft Kill tells Dez and Zane about some wild stories about being on tour, about how Portland's music scene has changed over the years, and about how the band has become successful DIYing everything including the creation of their one-of-a-kind merchandise. Soft Kill is part of the 2022 Lose Yr Mind festival, which Off the Cuff will be covering live.

CatXScan is a Portland legend and musician first, and also a funny dude with some hilarious stories. He doesn't like to put himself or his music into a category, but his music is likened to hyper pop and Cloud Rap. CatXScan has inspired many local artists, and is ahead of his time. He has a very loyal following, and I would attribute that to his unique musical sound as well as his ability to include his fans on his musical journey. Listen to Crush by CatXScan Watch the music video for Angels & Demons by Bon Wavi and CATXSCAN

Echo the Savage is a musician who has been blowing up in Portland, OR. His charismatic stage presence and his ability to make screaming lyrics beautiful, has put him up in the ranks in the local music scene. Not only does Echo the Savage have epic style musically and aesthetically, but he has already accomplished so much in such a short time in his career. He has just released some new music videos and can be found performing and collaborating all around town at the moment, and he has plans for some major growth in the near future. Listen to the song H.M.B by Echo the Savage Watch the music video for Swag Ain't Dead by Mooky and Echo The Savage

FIYA is a vocalist, comedian, event producer, and a healer in Portland, OR. She has a large family full of talented individuals who follow in her footsteps. FIYA has founded events such as Last Laugh Sunday and Slay Date. Her events are community-centered and are all inclusive. She is currently working on new music with other local artists such as Swiggle Mandela. Off the Cuff is show about everything music. Hosted by Carissa Dez and Zane Thomas out of Portland, OR. Our guests include music artists and producers from Portland and beyond.

On this week's episode of Off the Cuff, we talk with Kyler Fischer about his recording studio called Fortune Ave Studio. He also recently started a record label based out of his studio. Kyler talked with us about his new record lathe, and told us about all of his exciting upcoming projects. Kyler will be recording live music shows to vinyl at the actual venue during performances. Skyler will have the capability to produce double sided records, with one side that can play in a CD player. Skyler even helps some artists to add special designs to their albums/CDs. If you are an artist in the Portland, Oregon area, I suggest hitting up Kyler and Fortune Ave Studio for digital and analogue recording.

On this episode of Off the Cuff we talked with Precious Child of Los Angeles, CA about her music, her inspiration for creating art, and we also talked a bit about activism. She creates sound and videos that are dark and artistic. Her music will shake you to the core, but it is also very easy to dance to.. Precious Child is inspired by injustice and it seems she uses her art as a form of protest against the system. Precious stands up for trans people, and expresses this with her music. Off the Cuff is show about everything music. Hosted by Carissa Dez and Zane Thomas out of Portland, OR. Our guests include music artists, producers, and anyone who is involved in music of all sorts.

On this week's episode of Off the Cuff, we talked with P!ll, OG Baby Blu Benz, & VIIDead about their recent collaborations that they have done together. P!ll is an amazing vocalist who hopes to work with all types of local artists. OG Baby Blu Benz is a vocalist/hip hop artist out of Portland who is working with P!ll and VIIDead to create a top tier venue that is inclusive to all at Rainbow City in Portland. VIIDead is heading this project, and also does some very impressive visual work. We were blown away by their talents, and are excited to see what is coming next for this crew.

This week on Off the Cuff, Dez and Zane talk with Still.s about their process of sound production, and also about the importance of community support in the music scene. Still.s is a multi-talented musician who produces romantic R&B/pop music. we are excited for his first full EP coming out soon!

Our guest Finsta talked with us about how the queer scene, to include the language, has evolved alongside music. Finsta is an India-born musician who has been inspired by disco, classical, and punk music. Finsta works hard to represent the queer community for her culture, and embraces an aggessively queer vibe while making music.

We had a full house on this episode with the group D3M. D3M is a genre bending group with influences from metal, punk, and R&B. This group of young artists are making waves in the Portland music scene and produce music that is constantly evolving. Keep your eyes on D3M. They are high energy, and have so many exciting projects in the works.

DDwili is a hip hop artist, show host of Bars over Bars, and a promoter in Portland, OR. His songs have a funk and jazz feel to them, with a unique flow. DDwili. We are excited to see his ideas come to life, and to see his influence on the local music scene.

This week on Off the Cuff Dez and Zane have the pleasure of talking with Swiggle Mandela about the Portland music scene. Swiggle Mandela is a local rapper, actor, and all around artist who has been putting out music since middle school. He has made a name for himself by putting in the work, with his unique lyrics and his energetic performances. Swiggle has recently put out a clothing line and has some exciting new projects coming up, so make sure you are keeping up with him!

Wassla is a rapper from the Portland area who started as a poet and was encouraged to make music using his poems. Wassla takes inspiration from his indigenous culture and from his difficulties with mental health. Wassla hopes to create music that helps others who suffer from depression.

VNPRT is a DJ, event producer, and community catalyst who curates spaces for the community to incubate and grow. VNPRT explains his DJ process and teaches tells us about his upcoming projects, which includes producing new music!

Kult Krimes brings a very unique style to Portland music. He pushes the limits with his creativity, and his music flirts with many genres from industrial hip-hop, to pop, and really everything in between. His music videos are visual eye candy, and his music overall is thought provoking and he seems to create outside of the box.

Jimbo has spent a lot of time in the Portland music scene. He does everything from making beats to interviewing artists. Jimbo has recently had success with his show "Cross the Street." He talks with us about all of his projects and how he got to where he is now.

Long time musician and skilled freestyle rapper A' Revolution talks with us about live performances, and Sypher Saturdays which showcases true freestyle talent.

Local Portland event and music producer Mac Smiff has been involved in the music scene for over a decade. He speaks about hip hop as a form of activism and putting on up and coming artists. Smiff produces The Thesis, which is a hip-hop showcase that is held each month at Kelly's Olympian.