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Contributors
Writers
John Chandler, Writer
John Chandler has been writing about Northwest rock since 1986 and even plays in a few greasy garage bands when the mood strikes him. Magnet, The Rocket, Portland Tribune, Portland Monthly, Puncture, and BarFly are just a few of the stops he's made along the way. Follow him on Twitter @TheBarPilot or peruse his horror movie blog.
Ollie Collins, Writer
Ollie Collins is the founder of the theater company Monkey With a Hat On and co-founder of the cannabis farm Fire Flower. Read his thoughts on The Portland Underground in each issue of Vortex.
Andrea Janda, Writer
Loves the wild landscapes of nature, science, technology, the mind and music. She is a contributor to Oregon Music News and Managing Editor of Visitant literary magazine. She can be found on Twitter and Instagram @littleredelf.
Ryan J. Prado, Writer
Ryan J. Prado is a freelance writer originally from Northern California. He now resides on the peak of the Sandy Boulevard hill where a thousand Vietnamese and Thai restaurants collide. Ryan is a regular contributor to the Portland Mercury, Paste Magazine and Submerge Magazine, and was previously a staff writer at Portland LGBTQ news magazine Just Out. His writing has also been published by Oregon Music News, Synthesis, Caustic Truths, Revolver, The Record Searchlight and more. He has recently discovered a sickening obsession with buying vinyl, and when Ryan's not working, he’s likely playing bass guitar in bands that may never play shows—or petting his cat.
Mac Smiff, Writer
Mac Smiff is a longtime journalist focused on Northwest music and hip-hop culture for outlets such as The Oregonian, Portland Mercury, Vortex Music Magazine and his own vehicle, We Out Here Magazine. A professional problem solver, his hobbies include gardening, activism and raising children who understand basketball analogies.
Bren Swogger, Writer
A Journalism major at Pacific University, Bren Swogger grew up with a passion for music. In 2013, they founded their own blog, indie/alt, and have since attended more than 200 shows. They continue to contribute live show reviews and have interviewed artists from the Northwest to the UK. Follow them on Twitter and Instagram @indiealtpdx.
Tai Woodville, Writer
With a Bachelor of Arts in literature from UCSB’s College of Creative Studies, Tai Woodville is a poet, music-maker, freelance writer & editor. Woodville has authored two books of poetry (Pollen & Her Animal Inheritance) and released two full length studio albums (HOMEWORLD, Flight Call and Out of the Woods, Sugar in Wartime). Woodville weaves together her passion for meaning-making and the mystical arts in her popular philosophy blog, PARALLAX: Exploring the Architecture of Reality. The Los Angeles born writer and singer has been part of Portland’s vibrant music and art community, living in the Pacific Northwest, since 2007. For more, see taiwoodville.com. Follow @taiwoodville.
Photographers
John Alcala, Photographer
Tojo Andrianarivo, Photographer
Tojo Andrianarivo has over five years of experience as a photographer specializing in portrait and live music. Though he was born in Madagascar, he has resided in the U.S. for the majority of his life—living in four different states—save five years spent in Nairobi, Kenya. Currently he lives in Portland, Oregon, and enjoys exploring all the amazing scenery and food the Northwest has to offer. Follow Tojo on Instagram at @tojofotos to keep up with his latest work.
Joe Duquette, Photographer, Writer
After graduating from UNC Chapel Hill, Joe returned to his motherland and earned his master’s in audio production from Emerson College in Boston. From there, he spent a decade licensing music and photos in Los Angeles, and is thrilled to have recently immersed himself in the thriving Portland music scene. Joe is the consummate professional music appreciator—you’ll find him shooting local shows, digging through record crates, or fine-tuning playlists at home. Contact him at .
Sam Gehrke, Photographer, Writer
Sam Gehrke is a Wisconsin-born, Oregon-raised freelance photographer and writer based in Eugene and Portland. After receiving a formal education in film and cinema at the University of Oregon, Sam dipped back into photography after a four-year hiatus, teaching himself through trial and error the ins and outs of the medium by shooting skaters at local skateparks. Despite a relatively short freelance career in photography and journalism, the magic of social media soapboxes has meant exponential growth for Sam, and he's contributed both his photographs and written pieces to publications such as NPR, Vice, Sciences Occultes Magazine, Eugene Weekly, Color Me With Chaos music blog, and now serves as a contributor for Vortex Music Magazine, principally photographing and providing written coverage of concerts in the Pacific Northwest. When he’s not working, Sam is usually reading comics, listening to music, buying stupidly expensive action figures, or cruising around town on his skateboard. Follow Sam on Twitter @dirtmcgehrk and Instagram @pogsandtamagotchis or check out more of his photos.
Bob Gersztyn, Photographer
The year was 1994 when Bob Gersztyn was allowed in the photo pit of a major concert for the first time, when the Grateful Dead played at Autzen Stadium in Eugene. Since then, Bob has photographed close to a thousand different acts in every size and type of venue. His work has been published in multiple daily newspapers, magazines, books, albums and internet publications, including Blues Revue, Blueswax, Blues Rock Review, FolkWax, Guitar Player, The Rocket, Statesman Journal, Ticketmaster’s LIVE Magazine, The Wittenburg Door and many others. Bob plans to keep photographing concerts until his ears stop ringing.
Alyssa Herrman, Photographer
Alyssa is a self-taught photographer with an undeniable passion for music. Being a musician herself, she has the ability to see the world through the artists’ eyes. She has worked with many local and international touring bands and has been published in magazines such as Decibel, Rolling Stone, OSPREY and New Noise Magazine. Through her photography, she hopes to show the emotion you feel when you go to a show. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter @fotophortress.
Sydnie Kobza, Photographer
Sydnie Kobza is most passionate about still life photography, including the commercial and advertising aspects that it often includes. Concert photography has always been her goal, with her biggest love rooted in music. She loves attending shows and capturing the intensity of live music in photos, as well as showcasing the best of each artist or band.
Chad Lanning, Photographer
Anthony Pidgeon, Photographer
Veteran music photographer Anthony Pidgeon has been shooting tours, band sessions, CD packaging and marketing collateral since the early ‘90s for artists, promoters, record companies, and magazines. Check out more images on his digital portfolio and contact him at .
Jason Quigley, Photographer
Having grown up in Klamath Falls, Jason Quigley moved north to attend the University of Portland—where he met his future wife, Megan—and the two have lived here ever since. They now have two young daughters, and even though they doesn’t sleep nearly enough, they love them very much.
Jason honed his music photography chops in the early-2000s Portland music scene, and cites several years working at PDX Pop Now! as a particularly formative experience. In 2013, he quit his day job, and since then has expanded his repertoire to include editorial, weddings, portraits and food. Although he loves it all, music photography remains his passion.
Ignacio Quintana, Photographer
Hailing all the way from Santiago, Chile, Ignacio moved to Portland in 2014, following his three great loves: beer, bridges and bands. Trained as an architect, Ignacio now does everything from building houses to building websites, and snapping some pictures in between. When he’s not shooting a concert, he can be found working at the online Chilean newspaper El Definido and on his social platform ChileArq, where architects, designers, photographers and the like can connect from around the world. Follow him on Instagram @ignacioquintana and on Twitter @ig_quintana or contact him at .
Blake Sourisseau, Photographer
Blake Sourisseau discovered photography at a young age through using his grandfather's old 35mm film camera. Over the years he taught himself how to develop, scan and print his film in his own darkroom. Eventually he switched to the world of digital, and that's when he became even more passionate about photography. He took his camera anywhere he went, and that also means he tried to sneak it into concerts. With Vortex, Blake no longer needs to hide his camera from the bouncers, but he still tries his hardest to get the best shot possible from the crowd. You contact him at .
Daniel Stindt, Photographer
Born and raised in northwest Montana and based in Portland, music and photography have always been the loves of Daniel Stindt's life. Naturally, he loves to combine the two. Being able to experience and capture the passion of live music is possibly his favorite thing. He also has a love for street and lifestyle photography. He has always tried to take a more candid approach with his shooting style. There is something about capturing life as it's happening, completely unposed, that fills his heart with joy. To Daniel, a photograph should tell a story. It should express emotion. These qualities are what made him fall in love with photography, and it is what he strives to portray with every photo he produces.
Corey Terrill, Photographer
With 10-plus years of photography experience and 15-plus years as a musician, Corey has found the perfect way to marry his two biggest passions in life: concert photography. Born and raised in Southern California, Corey has discovered a love and appreciation for the uniqueness of Portland and the rest of the Pacific Northwest.
Terry White, Photographer
Some call it an accident, a mistake. But when Terry White scored his first photo pass, fate was demonstrating that it had found a way to merge one man’s passion for music with his gift for photography. Although heavy metal is the genre that Terry most closely identifies with, his musical taste varies widely. “I’ll listen to anything that doesn’t suck,” he jokingly says. Since that first show, he hasn’t slowed down. You’ll find Terry roaming all over the Pacific Northwest shooting anything that dares to get in front of his camera.
