“Portland was the best place to be in the ‘80s. It was considered a loggers town, overlooked by the rest of the world, but that’s why so many unique bands came out of here.” —Greg Sage, The Wipers
PORTLAND has a creative legacy of not just music, but also of music journalism.
But as the aughts rolled around, our music-centric publications started to die off. The biweekly rag The Rocket disappeared in 2000, while the industry mag Two Louies ceased publication a few years later after a quarter century in service and more than 300 issues of coverage.
Unlike the ‘80s, Portland is no longer overlooked. When the eyes of the world are watching and consuming the craft and culture of Portland more now than ever, why is it that we don’t have a high-caliber, in-depth publication solely dedicated to music? And not just the records, bands and artists, but also the community, scene, business and history behind it all?
In the spirit of Two Louies and The Rocket, we are proud to present Vortex Music Magazine—a print and online publication founded by David Mosher, a successful entrepreneur and casual musician, and Chris Young, a Portland-based writer, editor and concert addict.
The Rocket and Two LouiesWith a daughter that shot concert photography for The Rocket in the ‘90s, David was aware of the thriving music scene in Portland but felt unable to navigate the modern landscape that had changed so much since his days seeing bands like Johnny and The Distractions, the Dan Reed Network, Wheatfield, and Seafood Mama (and later Quarterflash) at defunct venues Euphoria, the Earth Tavern, and Long Goodbye. Anxious for accessible, meaningful information, David aspired to create his own source. And after 37 years of prosperity owning and managing the Art Media retail stores he founded, this idea revitalized David’s entrepreneurial spirit as he set his sights on starting his own music publication.
Enlisting local writer and digital journalist Chris Young—founder and managing editor of the all-genre website Oregon Music News, managing editor of Neighborhood Notes, and frequent contributor to About Face Magazine and the Outdoor Project—the two began to plot what would become Vortex Music Magazine.
With a name inspired by the homegrown hippie fest—the only state-funded rock concert in American history—that purportedly drew more attendees than a weekend at Coachella, Vortex Music Magazine aims to not only document the proud tradition of Oregon arts alive in this state, but also spread the word about the community, culture and artists in Portland’s distinctive music scene.
We believe music is a lifestyle in Portland. Vortex Music Magazine intends to make the Portland music scene more successful by making it more accessible, providing quality journalism, informative digital tools and phenomenal photography that investigate, document and examine the circulation of music through our veins and culture—because Portland is the best place to be.
We are Vortex Music Magazine: Music, Portland-Style.
David Mosher Publisher, Founder
Chris Young Editor-In-Chief, Founder
January 2014
