Well it has been really amazing getting to work with The Gentry this past year. I’ve been able to realize some loud rock dreams with those guys in tow and I’m really grateful for the time they spent working to prepare for our tour together this Summer and all the time spent traveling around the U.S. with me in a van. We had some really magical moments on and off stage. I was finally able to move past some fairly long-standing stage fright and found freedom in the band format, having just been a singing DJ up to that point. I have Gino, Steve & AC to thanks for that.

We have had our share of disasters along the way as well…much of which revolved around our drummer’s body slowly breaking bone by bone. Dude broke his hand in San Francisco (and just kept playing) then he broke his foot 4 days before the big farewell show at Mississippi Studios in Portland and had surgery on his foot (metal plate anyone?) THE DAY BEFORE. He’s an animal.

At any rate, we made some last minute adjustments to the show obviously because he couldn’t play the entire hour long set. One such change was a bit of a throwback to my humble singing DJ beginnings from years back. It was fun to play some of the new stuff and have it just be pop. If my lighting guy had remembered to bring his board to go along with the lights we lugged to the venue it would have been a lot better…or maybe not. It ended up being very intimate, very bare bones, unmasked & vulnerable. It seemed like a very appropriate way to leave things. Here’s a clip from the karaoke portion of last week’s final show:

Logan Lynn: “Nobody Knows The Trouble I’ve Seen” & “Velocity” LIVE at Mississippi Studios, Portland (August 20th, 2010)

Next up is a clip from our secret show at this year’s Salem Pride Festival. It ended up being one of the best shows of the entire Summer. Sadly, the camera was right in front of Gino’s guitar amp so the sound of this video is way more fucked up than it usually is but it was such a good day I figured I’d post it anyway.

Logan Lynn & The Gentry: “Smoke Rings” LIVE at Salem Pride (August 7th, 2010)

Q Town Magazine interviewed me for this month’s issue (on stands now in Virginia, online HERE. Check out the full transcript below! I talk about the usual things people talk about in interviews: cocaine, butt sex, being a jerk, fucking my life up, Jesus, etc.

From Q TOWN Magazine (August 2010 Issue):

It’s been quite a trip for Portland electronica artist Logan Lynn. From his first studio album, This Is Folk Techno in 1998 to his latest From Pillar To Post, Lynn transports us away to his buzzing trance-like world. Famous for edgy lyrics and playful beats, Lynn creates excitement on MTV, Logo, VH1, Spike and in the pulsating indie music scene.

Q town recently caught up with Logan to chat about hooking up with The Dandy Warhols, his connection to his fans, and how queer culture influences the mainstream.

QT: Your style has been called electro-house mixed with folk, which is a really interesting combination. How did these two come together for you?

LL: I was always really interested in both genres separately growing up and coming into my own musically as a songwriter. At some point in the late 90′s I started blending the two together. Back then nobody really understood what I was doing. I would have shows and people would just stand there and scratch their heads. I could tell they were like “What the hell is this guy doing?”, but that was mostly because they just had no reference point. That was WAY before The Postal Service or some of those groups that came along in the mid 2000′s. Once that all started getting big is when people really started to gravitate to my music. I repackaged and re-released the same record in 2005 that I had released in 2000 and the reaction was amazing so I immediately recorded all the songs I had been writing during that 5 year hiatus from making records and got the ball rolling for my self-titled record in 2006. I’m glad people get it now.

QT: How did you hook up with the indie-rock band The Dandy Warhols and what has that experience been like for you?

LL: I was working on an ad campaign for a company in Los Angeles in 2005 & we hired a photographer from Portland named Ray Gordon who I ended up partying with for days in LA. He fell in love with some of the new material I played him and just happened to be really good friends with Courtney Taylor-Taylor (the Dandys’ frontman). He knew they were starting a label, Courtney and I met, he got really into my record, they signed me in 2007 and released my last record “From Pillar To Post” on their Beat The World label in 2009. It has been really great to have access to their studio and to be able to learn from them. It has been quite the journey from there to here.

QT: Can you tell us the inspiration to the lyrics behind your sharply-titled single, “Bottom your way to the top”?

LL: Well, I was in a very long-term relationship that started ending in 2007, but eluded finality until a little over a year ago. At one point, as our 6 years together were dissolving, the words “Just go and bottom your way to the top, then” was yelled my way….so I wrote a song about it. That whole record (“From Pillar To Post”) is about that time in my life. I was immersed in cocaine partyworld and was losing my love. I didn’t react very well to the breakup initially. I acted out in ways that were, well…song-worthy.

QT: We really love the video for “Bottom your way to the top”. In addition to being a musician you’re also a visual artist. Did you help contribute to the concept behind the video?

LL: Nice one! Thanks. I am always involved in some aspect of everything, but I think much of my success has been found in letting the people I work with do their jobs (be it on songs or videos). I have yet to drink my own Kool-Aid to the point where I think I know how to do everything better than everyone else. That’s bullshit. Anyway, the director Jeffrey McHale (from Chicago) had a very clear vision. I came to him because I felt like he and I had a similar point of view. It turned out that we did. He introduced me to an illustrator named John Parot who came on board to illustrate the video which Jeff then animated. Interestingly enough, John Parot is a contestant on Bravo’s “Work Of Art: The Search For The Next Great Artist” this season. He does amazing work. I love that we got him on that video. His drawings are really what next-leveled that one.

QT: What would you say is the best part of being a performer?

LL: I love the connections I make with people. I think because my songs are so personal they tend to find people that are similar to me. That’s been the case thusfar at least. That connection, that shrinking of the world to a size I can deal with, has been the best part of all of this so far. I like feeling like my crazy is understandable my hundreds of thousands of people. Like…other people aren’t running away from my ugly parts on display so maybe I’m not such a fucking psycho after all?

QT: You’ve been a fixture on MTV, VH1, Spike TV and Logo Online and you’ve got a huge following. How did it feel to break into the biz?

LL: It felt different than I thought it was going to. It is amazing that I get to live out my lifelong dreams and have been able to get to the point I’m at currently with this whole thing…but I’ll be honest and say that I always had it in my mind that I would get here and suddenly be happy, suddenly feel like I belong. Unfortunately, that is not the case so I’ve had to mourn the loss of that delusional notion as it has become clear that there just simply is no golden ticket. I love singing, I love writing, I love that there are so many people who feel a connection with me and my songs…but it’s isolating, too. That’s sort-of the nature of the beast I guess…but I wasn’t prepared for that part. It gets lonely on the island, ya know?

QT: Do you think the queer community has more of a cutting-edge taste in music?

LL: I think it’s possible, but I tend to think of the queer community as equally diverse as the rest of the world which means that statement only applies to SOME queers. There has always been a queer underground that has influenced the mainstream, though. That part is safe to say with total assurance. I’m hesitant to say that we are more cutting-edge as a community after playing all these gay pride shows this Summer though. There are just as many lame fags with bad taste as there are lame straight people with bad taste. Being stupid is universal.

QT: Growing up in the Midwest, you were really influenced by the rave scene – where did the folk influence come from?

LL: I blame The Innocence Mission, The Sundays, Joni Mitchell, Tori Amos, Liz Phair and all the other folky singer-songwriter-y alterna-ladies I grew up listening to. Emotional songs have always been a part of my life. I listen to the same shit now that I listened to 20 years ago. I am just as inspired by The Innocence Mission’s music today as I have ever been. There is much of me that doesn’t change as time goes by. I listen to new stuff as well, but I have my roots planted firmly in old Sundays and Innocence Mission records from the 90′s. It’s real.

QT: Not many people have performed in front of a crowd of 400,000, let alone for their first time performing live. Did that totally freak you out or did it just come naturally?

LL: It totally freaked me out, as has every performance since. (Laughs) It’s gotten a lot better in recent years but I have had to deal with working through some pretty crippling stage fright. It’s still with me, but I am so many years in at this point that the fear has left except for a split second before I go on stage. Once I’m out there I am good to go…it’s the getting me on stage that’s the hard part. I had to kinda relearn how to be vulnerable in front of a crowd when I got clean in 2007. It was suddenly scary again…but having done this sober for so long now I honestly can’t imagine trying to do it wasted. Progress…

QT: Do you find it easier to write music and lyrics now after getting clean?

LL: It’s definitely easier to feel things now, so yeah. I think so. It’s different for sure. I think this new record I just finished recording sounds smarter…like I have my words back or something. When I listen to these new songs I hear someone who is much more sure of himself than on records past. I’m not so lost, the lyrics aren’t hopeless anymore. It’s more confused now than hopeless which seems like a step in the right direction…for my mind, at least. I was worried about cleaning up, like that I would lose my outlook, or like that maybe the drugs were my link to the creative world but that all turned out to be junkie bullshit I was feeding myself to authorize otherwise completely unacceptable behavior. If anything my career took off and my writing got better when I quit killing myself. Go figure.

QT: Are you seeing anyone special right now?

LL: No. I’m finally at a place where I would be open to someone’s specialness, though. Bring it on, universe!

QT: What kind of guys are you into?

LL: I like nice guys who tell the truth and don’t give a shit about being famous.

QT: What was it like coming out to your fundamentalist Christian family?

LL: It was hard back then, but I was like 14 years old and it was before “Will and Grace” had won over the hearts of middle America so…it would have been hard no matter who I was telling. In the end, we have all grown together as a family and I’m glad that things went down the way they did. I am very close to my parents now. None of us are who we used to be. It’s great.

QT: From your experience, what’s your advice to someone who wants to come out to a religious

LL: Don’t listen to them. They are ALL wrong about you and they are ALL wrong about the world.

QT: Where can people find your music?

LL: It’s pretty much everywhere these days. I always tell people that if they buy stuff directly from the store on my site the chances that I will see some of the money go up and the evil middlemen stand to make less…but my music is available on iTunes, Amazon, CD Baby, Target.com, Barnes & Noble, Tower Records, etc. if you prefer to give the evil middlemen a cut. I’m also on Myspace, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, DList, Last.Fm, iLike, and a bunch of other sites online where you can stream my tunes.

After this coming weekend’s show at Flipside Nightclub for Salem Pride there is just one more chance to catch me live before I go on extended hiatus! The last hoorah will be going down in Portland at Mississippi Studios on Friday, August 20th at 9pm. I’ll be performing with The Gentry and Portland superstars Matrimony and DJ Girlfriends are also on the bill. Because of the special nature of the evening, KZME Radio will be filming, recording the audio, and broadcasting the event so…wear your best rock video outfits!

There will be much dancing…only on this last special night we will dance the dance of many magical years together one more time before I bid you farewell and step away from the bright lights and loud noise for a few years. Please come so I can thank you for the past 10 years of love in person.

Tickets are on sale now. CLICK HERE to get yours. RSVP to the Facebook Event Page HERE.

The Gentry boys and I will be hitting Olympia, Washington this weekend (Saturday, June 12th) to perform on the main stage at the 2010 Capital City Pride Festival in Sylvester Park! It’s our first all-ages show this year, so…come get gay with us, kids!!!

You can get the full scoop HERE but we will see you Saturday afternoon at 4pm in Sylvester Park, Olympia!!!

Get ready for it.

As you all know, I’ve been working on a new record and will be on this current hiatus from the bright lights of the stage for another couple of months while we finish. To mark the occasion of my official return with “The Gentry” backing me, I will be playing “Doug Fir” in Portland on Thursday, May 27th with “Fleshtone” and “Double Plus Good“! It’s gonna be a really good night. Tickets are on sale now HERE.

More info later…just figured I’d let you know when the next time you’ll be seeing me is. (Aside from a few of you who will see me next month at The Fez Ballroom with Holcombe Waller, Tahoe Jackson, and some very secret special guests…but that’s not open to the public so I won’t ever mention it again).

“The Gentry” and I will be playing all sorts of shows this Summer & Fall. See you soon! Oh, and watch videos by Double Plus Good and Fleshtone by clicking on their names in this sentence.

OK, so…Let me just start by saying HOLY SHIT THERE WERE A LOT OF PEOPLE AT THAT “BLOW PONY VS. LOGAN LYNN” SHOW ON SATURDAY!!! Thanks for coming out like a badass, Portland. I have never seen “Rotture” at capacity (which it hit at 11pm) and I have NEVER in my life seen a line that goes all the way around an entire city block to get in to any party in this town. It was pretty amazing. My lighting guy Chad Crooks got video of the line which I will post sometime, but check out this picture of the crowd! It was literally wall to wall with people in there when I took the stage with “The Gentry” at 12:30. Good Lord.

Thanks so much to my new backing band “The Gentry“. They have been busting out amazing new arrangements of my songs and have truly infused something really exciting into my live show experience. It’s a whole new world, people. Go check out their site HERE. Also, big thanks to Airick & the “Blow Pony” crew for having us play their party…and to Artemis Chase for taking such good care of me and “The Gentry” boys all night. We had so much fun.

For those of you who missed it (and for those of you who were still standing in the line when we played) here is some video. It’s kind-of like being there, but with crappy sound!

COME OUT TO SEE US THIS SPRING & SUMMER WHEN WE START PLAYING ALL OVER THE PLACE!!! LOGAN LYNN + THE GENTRY = REALLY, REALLY GOOD TIMES.

The release of my new single “The Last High” is featured over at the “Girls Sold Out” blog from the U.K. today, alongside the new video and the Y-Tron Remix! They also posted a FREE DOWNLOAD of the “Boy In Static” Remix of “Alone Together” there as well, so…go get yours!!!

CLICK HERE to make it happen for yourself.

A few months back “Dancefloor Mayhem” hosted a Remix Contest for my song “Burning Your Glory“, just before my new record “From Pillar To Post” was released. There were a bunch of good ones, but not all of them made the final cut for the 4 Volume “Blood In The Water” Remix EP Collection we released alongside “FPTP”. One of those mixes belongs to “System C” and is totally awesome so I figured it should make its way to your ears.

Have a listen to the “System C” Remix of “Burning Your Glory” below!!!

Well, it is Sunday, February 21st and my new video “The Last High” is making its World Broadcast Premier on Network Television tonight! Tune in to MTV’s “Logo” channel at Midnight to watch “NewNowNext” Music so you don’t miss the premier! The show repeats throughout the week, so set your DVR!!!

I’m in some REALLY good company on tonight’s show. Check out the playlist below.

“NewNowNext” Music (2/21/2010)

Passion Pit “Little Secrets” (Logo Premiere)
Dan Black featuring Kid Cudi “Symphonies” (Logo Premiere)
Charlotte Gainsbourg “Heaven Can Wait”
Julian Casablancas “11th Dimension” (Logo Premiere)
Neon Trees “Animal”
Spoon “Written In Reverse”
Voodoo Farm “Bangers and Cash” (Logo Premiere)
Logan Lynn “The Last High” (Broadcast Premiere)
Sick of Sarah “Paint Like That” (Broadcast Premiere)
Cazwell “Tonight” (Broadcast Premiere)

For those of you who don’t get “Logo”, you can watch tonight’s episode online HERE after it airs. The video can also be found on MTV, VH1, & Spike TV!!!

Oh, and thanks again to Director Rebecca Micciche & Bystander Productions for all your hard work on this new video! I love you guys.

I’ve teamed up with “East End” and will be pumping out my favorite jams with Y-Tron on Sunday, March 7th at 10pm! I’ll be the one in the DJ booth drinking ginger ale on the roxxx, ordering snacks and making you hi-five each other all night.

See you there! It’s FREE and gonna be so fun!!!

xxLL

So…Portland’s enormous monthly dance party “Blow Pony” for DYKES, BEARS, CUBS, CHUBS, HAWKS, COCKS, DAGGERS, QUEENS, KINGS, PILLOW BITERS, SHIRT LIFTERS, POOF POKERS, CRAP STABBERS, LESBIANS, FEMMES, TRANNIES, FAGS, GARDEN KEEPERS, DILDO DIVERS, 2nd CLASS CITIZENS, HOMOSEXUALS, POLE SMOKERS, THE DANTE KIND, THE UN-NATURAL, THE BENT, SCUM, TRADE, OTTERS, FAIRIES, AND A GOB OF YOU has teamed up with me for this month’s event: “Blow Pony VS. Logan Lynn”!!!

See you on the 27th, kids. It’s gonna be CRAZY. I’ll have Portland superstar Jen Folker from “Dahlia” in tow, as well as the boys from Electronic Rock outfit “The Gentry” as my backing band, so…DON’T MISS IT. Oh, and…A quick word of advice: This party is not for everyone, though everyone is welcome. If you aren’t gay, you have to be more than OK with seeing boys kissing boys, girls kissing girls, boys dressed like girls kissing boys, and so on and so forth to attend. There will be much of that going on everywhere you look. It’s $3 before 10:30, $5 after, but SUPER GAY all night.

To RSVP to the party on Facebook, CLICK HERE.

Oh my God. We had such a good time at “Holocene” on Tuesday for “The Rumble: Portland” with “Jaguar Love” and “DJ A Train”! Thanks to all of you who came out on a school night to “make party” with us! It was great to see ya. Big thanks to “Future Sounds“, “Pampelmoose.com“, “Cravedog, Inc.“, “XO Publicity“, “Music Millennium“, “WOXY“, & “SPIN Earth” as well for sponsoring the event and making the party FREE for all!!! A good time is ALWAYS better when it’s FREE!!!

Speaking of FREE, Samuel Thomas (from “The Portland FREE Music Project“) was in attendance and filmed me performing “Write It On My Left Arm” with “Cars & Trains“. This was our final performance together for a while, so…I’m glad we have this to remember the evening for years to come. Tom Filepp is a truly special performer who I love dearly.

Have a look:

See you again at the end of the month, Portland! Until then, MY LIPS ARE SEALED.

xxLL

This NEW remix of my song “Feed Me To The Wolves” was made by “Supercosa” and has a sorta dark, super awesome thing going on with it. Have a listen. It’s GOOD. Like…REALLY good.

Logan Lynn: “Feed Me To The Wolves (Garmonbozia Mix by Supercorsa)” (2010). Remix by Tobias Berblinger and Brian McCauley. Original version appears on Logan Lynn: “From Pillar To Post” (2009 Beat The World Records).

Tonight is going to be SO fun. “Futuresounds“, “Pampelmoose.com“, & “Cravedog, Inc.” (as well as a bunch of other cool industry and local music community folks—”Music Millennium“, “XO Publicity“, “WOXY“, & “Spin Earth“) are sponsoring the show so it’s FREE for you to come and party. They have been throwing these “Rumble” parties all over the US and from what I hear, they are ALWAYS amazing.

Here is a little preview of what you’ll be seeing and hearing this evening at the Holocene…

I’m really excited to open for these guys. They rule.

…but before you get your Jaguar Love, you’re gonna get this:

Brace yourselves for a really good time, Puddletown. It’s REAL. See you tonight!!!

Awww…Last year when they reviewed my new record, “The Deli” Magazine said it was “the best record, electronic or otherwise, to come out of Portland in 2009″ and now today they previewed my show at Holocene THIS COMING TUESDAY with “Jaguar Love“. They had some REALLY nice things to say.

To view the post, CLICK HERE. There is a bit of it just below as well to tide you over…

From “The Deli” Magazine: (1/31/2010)

“It’s no secret that we at The Deli Portland are pretty big fans of electro-gloom pop progenitor Logan Lynn. And where Lynn’s mastery of making you feel dirty within synth-heavy, minor-melody blasts of no-wave electronic rock is arguably one of the more interesting deviations from the main plug of the Stumptown scene, Jaguar Love take a wet mop to the whole shebang.

Forged from the ashes of beloved Seattle dance/noise/punk group the Blood Brothers, Johnny Whitney and Cody Votolato have taken the short route from spastic, experimental trash-punk meanderings, and written a whole new chapter in their ascension simply by switching to electronic muses. There’s little to find, it seems, between the sassy toddler screech of Whitney, and the manic plunk of Votolato’s guitar work, as deviated from their output in the Blood Brothers.

Show at 8:00 p.m. 21 and over. DJ A Train opens.”

Tonight is going to be SO fun. Doors open at 9pm, show starts at 9:30. 21+ / $5

9:30 – Winnie Byrd
10:10 – Swallows
10:50 – Yeah Great Fine
11:15 – Logan Lynn

SEE YOU TONIGHT, PORTLAND!!! Looking forward to it…

xxLL

The “Oregon Music News” team were in attendance at the big spectacle at the Doug Fir in Portland this past Thursday and posted their review of the evening on their site today. It’s GOOD. You can check it out below or by clicking HERE.

From “Oregon Music News”: (1/13/2010)

-Alaya Wyndham-Price, “OMN”

I just saw a preview of my show tomorrow at Doug Fir that “Oregon Music News” posted today on their site. You can redirect there by clicking HERE, or keep reading below. If you don’t have tickets yet, get them HERE.

From “Oregon Music News” (1/6/2010)

-Alaya Wyndham-Price, OMN”

So…there you have it. Come out and play with us…TOMORROW NIGHT!!! “Oregon Music News” will be there…will you???

xo
LL

The “Willamette Week” wrote a feature preview spotlight about my upcoming show this week at Doug Fir with “Cars & Trains” and “The Gentry”. Pick up a copy of this week’s issue, Check it out online HERE, or you can read what they had to say about stuff and thangz up in these parts just below.

From “Willamette Week” (1/6/2010)

THURSDAY, JANUARY 7TH: Doug Fir Lounge

-Jay Horton, Willamette Week

“Icon”, huh? Nice one.

DON’T MISS THE FUN. DOORS AT 8PM. SHOW STARTS AT 9PM. I’M PLAYING WITH BOTH OF THE OPENING BANDS, SO…THIS IS ONE OF THOSE TIMES WHEN 9PM ACTUALLY MEANS 9PM. $6/Door

GET TICKETS HERE!!!

9PM: “Cars & Trains”
10PM: “The Gentry”
11PM: “Logan Lynn”

SEE YOU THERE!!!

xxLL