Doing the hard work never sounded so good. We turn to some veteran creatives this week for the antidotes to antic times.

Drive-By Truckers' "American Band" Takes On A Mad World - 1:48

Ever since coming together in Athens, Georgia, in 1996, The Drive-By Truckers have reinvented southern rock and its assumptions about identity and tradition. While the band has seen plenty of personnel changes over the years, the heart of the Truckers' sound is the musical partnership between Mike Cooley and Patterson Hood. The band played their entire new album, "American Band," for a lucky audience in the OPB studio, and talked about some of the stories and recent events that drove the song-writing.

Contest Time: Flash Fiction From Tin House's Master Book Of Plots -14:54

Portland/New York publisher Tin House is re-publishing an astonishing writers’ tool from 1928, called “Plotto: The Master Book of All Plots.” Author William Wallace Cook detailed some 1,462 plots to help struggling writers. Tin House held a national contest a few years ago with the first re-publication, and they’re doing it again this month to celebrate the paperback. For five weeks, beginning October 19th, Tin House will post a new plot each Wednesday, and writers will have until the following Monday to write a 500-word story based on it. The five winners will read their stories on State of Wonder, and we'll announce the grand prize winner.

PAM's Big New Modern Building -20:40

The Portland Art Museum announced a splashy capital project to build the Mark Rothko Pavilion between its existing two buildings. This $75 million expansion and endowment will be dedicated to painter and one-time Portlander and art museum student Mark Rothko. Equally exciting: Rothko's children have offered to loan rotating major works by the modernist master over the next 20 years.

PNCA President Don Tuski on Challenges Facing the College - 21:52

The new President of PNCA had barely been on the job two months when the college announced the suspension of its Critical Theory and Creative Research MFA program. Think Out Loud spoke with Tuski about why the move was made just days before classes were scheduled to begin. Tuski also addresses the need to boost student enrollment, the benefits of an art education, and his approach to making the most of PNCA's new home at 511 Broadway.

Artist Malia Jensen on "Ground Effects" -27:31

It's been great having contemporary artist Malia Jensen back in town. Since her return from an eleven-year stint in New York, she's shown work at Reed College's Case Works, Wieden + Kennedy, and collaborated with the dance ensemble Body Vox. Jensen's practice crackles with ideas and wit, delivered with a high level of craftsmanship. We talk to her about her October exhibition, “Ground Effects,” on view at Elizabeth Leach Gallery in Portland.

Chloe Eudaly and Steve Novick Cross Swords On Housing -36:46

The race for Portland City Council is heating up. Steve Novick, previously an environmental lawyer and political advisor, is seeking another term. Challenger Chloe Eudaly is an owner and co-founder of the ‘zine and bookstore Reading Frenzy.

Ceramics Meets Rock & Roll at the LH Project -38:45

Located at the base of the spectacular Wallowa Mountains, the LH Project has been called the Shangri-la of ceramics. Jakob Hasslacher founded the residency to bring world-class artists to one of the West's most stunning landscapes, but one group that's especially close to his heart returns year-after-year: veterans.

Art Beat Serves Up Chris Antemann's Forbidden Fruit -48:17

Ceramicist Chris Antemann has developed a gorgeous, eye-popping style of porcelain figures that shatter the dainty, mannered image of Neoclassical porcelain. Her alliance with the legendary German porcelain manufacturer, Meissen, has pushed her onto...