In case you haven’t heard, Clear Channel will now be booking the State Theatre in Portland full-time. They’ve got the lease for the entire place now, and they’re doing "major renovations" as we speak. The new look will be unveiled on June 5 when they bring John Fogerty to town for the first time ever. Rumors have them booking upwards of 150 shows a year, and trying to get more convention-type business for the building.

If you’re not going to the Best Music Poll Festival (which seems hard to believe) on May 14, you might want to head down to Lowell, Massachusetts, for the Sweet Leaf Festival, which features just about every stoner rock band you’ve never heard of — and some you have — like Eldemur Krimm and Ogre from around these parts.

Subversiv Records, out of Germany, just dropped a double album compilation that purports to feature the "new school" of US and European hip hop. Guess who’s on it. How about Portland’s own Brzowski, Nomar Slevik, and jdwalker. Cool beans.