I Got 5 On It

You say it’s your birthday
It's my birthday too, yeah
They say it’s your birthday
We’re gonna have a good time
I'm glad it’s your birthday
Happy birthday to you

It surely wasn’t intentional—because who wants to be working on their birthday every year?—but the anniversary of this magazine coincides with my birthday. For five years, I’ve often been up late editing proofs or driving around the streets of Portland dropping mags during the hours when I should be cashing in on free breakfasts, beers and desserts. Am I just not doing this right?

Starting this magazine was very much like starting a band. You’ve gotta figure out what you want to sound like, play a few forgettable gigs, go through a couple of drummers, maybe a bass player or two, and then you'll start to hit your stride. Write a few catchy tunes, find some fans and record an album!

Thankfully, magazines are easier to make than records and don’t last as long. While I’m proud of every issue we’ve created—all 20 of them!—there are a few that I don’t really want staring back at me. We definitely wrote some good songs in those early issues, but it took a couple tries to make a solid concept record. Those demos along the way though, that’s what got us here.

CLICK HERE to join the Vortex Access Party—you'll get a copy of the mag delivered to your door each quarter! Cover photo by Sam GehrkeThat and the Portland music scene. A community of individuals, in the truest sense of the word, who has embraced and evangelized what we do. A community of venues, festivals and promoters, manufacturers and makers, studios and engineers, shops, bars and restaurants, and countless artists—who have trusted us to tell their stories, who have allowed us to take their photos, who have supported by sharing, who have wholeheartedly invested in us just as we seek to invest in this community.

Thank you all.

None of this would be possible without the unwavering contributions of so many talented writers, photographers, editors, designers, web developers, social media whizzes—many of whom wear so many hats in our music community. I cannot even begin to list all of the people who have contributed to this magazine’s growth in ways both large and small, but you can peruse the bylines on this site for a mere sampling of those who continually work to bolster the profile of our local music scene.

To each and every one of you, thank you.

From day one, the goal of this magazine has been to tell the stories of our music scene. To introduce readers to the people behind the creativity. To ignite interest in supporting local music and encourage sharing it. The ideas and sounds of Portland’s music scene deserve to be heard by the world, so we try to play our part in proliferating the messages that our artists labor over. But we would be nowhere without our readers, who play a significant role in making sure this music and community is seen, heard and experienced.

Thank you for five, excellent reader: We’re not worthy. Here’s to many more years of documenting #PDXmusic!