A powerhouse Portland start-up secures six coveted presses to begin operations. More pics here http://www.opb.org/radio/programs/state-of-wonder/article/cascade-record-pressing-starts-oregons-first-vinyl-factory/?t=812115

Over the past decade, Astoria quietly became a hotbed for creatives looking for inspiration, community, space, and affordability. Now that economic times are on the rebound, how can Astoria keep its lifestyle affordable?

This show was recorded before a live audience at the glorious Liberty Theater, home to the Astoria Music Festival and seasonal programming of all kinds.

1:29 - We start out the show with one of Astoria's most vocal recent converts, writer Matt Love. He recently penned a self-declared love letter, "A Nice Piece of Astoria: A Narrative Guide."

7:12 - Astoria Music Festival's artistic director Keith Clark and chamber music director Cary Lewis tell us about the history of festival, before being joined by Oregon Symphony concertmaster Sarah Kwak and Russian cellist Sergey Antonov for performances of Brahms Sonata for Piano and Violin, No. 2 in A major and Scriabin’s romance for Horn & Piano.

28:16 - We sit down with Fort George Brewery co-founder Jack Harris, Clatsop County Commissioner Sarah Nebeker, and visual artist Darren Orange to talk about what what makes Astoria such an inspirational place for visual art, music, and the written word, and what might keep it that way in years to come.

36:56 - After recording their first EP in an old cannery building in Astoria (and drawing their name from the Pilot boats that help guide freighters down the Columbia), Israel Nebeker and Ryan Dobrowski gained national attention with their band Blind Pilot. They were living in Portland at the time, but they've since moved to the Astoria area. They share the reasons for their move, as well as play a couple songs, including a new one, "And Then Like Lions."

How did a festival this wide-ranging take root in a town under ten-thousand? We talk with AMF artistic director Keith Clark, Cary Lewis, pianist and AMF director of Chamber Music. Also, music from Cary, Oregon Symphony Concertmaster Sarah Kwak, and cellist Sergey Antonov. Full festival info available here! http://tinyurl.com/qyt3mol

Sarah Nebeker, Jack Harris, and Darren Orange talk with us about how Astoria built its creative community, and the pressures the city is dealing with to maintain critical mass.

Taking its name from the pilot boats that guide freighters through the treacherous mouth of the Columbia River, the band Blind Pilot sprang from Astoria’s swirling nexus of tides and mountains.

“This landscape has always resonated with me,” says guitarist and singer Israel Nebeker, who grew up south of Astoria. “This place has always been a really important place where the river meets the ocean. That’s the biggest draw for me, the energy that buzzes in the tides and in the land.”

Nebeker and bandmate/drummer Dobrowski joined us for our live Astoria show to talk about what drew them back to Astoria and what they’re working on, as well as to play two songs with cellist Sergey Antonov: “3 Rounds and a Sound” and the brand new “And Then Like Lions.”

You can read the full story here: http://www.opb.org/radio/programs/state-of-wonder/article/blind-pilots-israel-nebeker-and-ryan-dobrowski-on-making-music-in-astoria

This spring, Third Angle New Music knocked our socks off with its unique partnership with "New Yorker" music critic Alex Ross.

In his history of 20th century music, "The Rest is Noise," Ross wrote about the role West Coast composers played in shaping classical music, as well as jazz and rock idioms, writing that, among other things, they expanded the boundaries of their era, creating work that still has power and playfulness in equal measures. So Third Angle put together a special program that included the likes of Steve Reich, Portland-born Lou Harrison, and more, and brought Ross to town to talk about the works between performances.

Also on the show: Past and future — "The Goonies" persistent hold on Astoria, Oregon. It's a story in anticipation of our live show recording in Astoria on June 15.

Phoebe Flanigan mixes with Goonies fans at the film's 30th anniversary celebration. This film's locations still draw thousands of tourists. At the same time, its popularity can feel like a mixed blessing for Astorians. Take a listen!

Perhaps no fictional character has stood the test of time like Sherlock Holmes. From his creation by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in 1887, he has deduced his way, pipe in hand, through countless radio plays, movies, TV shows, video games, and even a Japanese puppetry. A century later, he still triumphs in the ratings game, whether at the hands of Benedict Cumberbatch on BBC or Robert Downey, Jr in the Guy Ritchie films. Even Sir Ian McKellan is taking a stab in the upcoming “Mr. Holmes.”

Longtime Portland journalist and co-editor of "Portland Monthly" Zach Dundas happens to be a lifetime Sherlock fan. For his second book, “The Great Detective: The Amazing Rise and Immortal Life of Sherlock Holmes,” Dundas set out to ask: what is it about this brainy, unlikely hero that continues to capture our imagination.

We are stoked, stoked, and stoked about summer — too much good stuff happening. Here's what's coming up on this week's show to help you kick down the door on your weekend.

1:33 - A quick hello to the entrepreneurs behind Cascade Record Pressing, the new vinyl record press in Milwaukie.

2:37 - One Flaming Arrow — a new feast of a festival featuring music, vis art, film, and more from contemporary Native American artists.

7:40 - KMHD previews the Reed College Tango symposium.

19:13 - Zach Dundas dives deep into the world of Sherlock Holmes with his new book, "The Great Detective:The Amazing Rise and Immortal Life of Sherlock Holmes".

29:10 - Oregon Art Beat's Eric Slade profiles conductor Andres Lopera of Metropolitan Youth Symphony. Their season finale show is June 6 at the Newmark Theater. Watch the full Art Beat profile here.

34:54 - Artist Lou Watson unveils an experimental composition built around the sounds of Sandy Boulevard, from leaf blowers to how that McDonald's billboard would sing if it could sing songs. It's called "Suite Sandy Boulevard," and it plays on June 7 at the Hollywood Theatre.

38:07 - Painter Joan Nelson talks process and her new show on view through June at Adams & Ollman.

41:43 - Karen Karbo regales us with tails from her recent Amtrak railroad residency. (We loved the pics on her Instagram feed.)

Writer Karen Karbo talks about spending two weeks train-bound: what she wrote, what she saw.