Artist Garrick Imatani | Mdou Moctar | Hop Along | Lucy’s Punk Rock Show For Kids | Roll Hardy – OPB News

Happy moon week! If you didn’t make it to OMSI or the High Desert Museum to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first crewed space mission to the moon, you can still celebrate our shared celestial history. We’re visiting an exhibition honoring Tomanowos, getting starry-eyed over Frances Quinlan’s music, and more.


Lucy with her father, Alex Yusimov, enjoying the Kid's Punk Rock Matinee that they organized together.

Lucy with her father, Alex Yusimov, enjoying the Kid’s Punk Rock Matinee that they organized together.

Claudia Meza/OPB

Lucy’s Punk Rock Show For Kids — 1:45

When you think of a kid’s concerts, you’re probably picturing a clown with a ukulele or a ridiculously repetitive song. But what’s out there for a kid who’s an avid fan of punk? Five-year-old Lucy is one of those kids, inspired by her parents, who are very involved in the local DIY music scene. And to fill this need she saw, Lucy curated a kid’s punk matinee made up of local bands. The event is perfectly designed for younger audiences with temporary tattoos of band logos and the latest in kids’ noise-cancelling headphones. Take your kids to the next all ages Kid’s Punk Rock Matinee Aug. 10, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., at the Cherry Sprout Park in Portland.


Artist Garrick Imatani's collaboration with the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde led to two remarkable exhibitions exploring Tomanowos, the largest meteorite to make landfall in North America.

Artist Garrick Imatani’s collaboration with the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde led to two remarkable exhibitions exploring Tomanowos, the largest meteorite to make landfall in North America.

April Baer/OPB

Tomanowos, The 15-Ton Visitor — 11:40

Tens of thousands of years ago, a meteorite hurtled out of space and rode glacial floods to the Willamette Valley. The Clackamas people called this visitor Tomanowos (meaning “spiritual power”). After a few changes in possession when white settlers came to Oregon, Tomanowos ended up in the American Museum of Natural History — without consultation of the tribes — where it resides today.

Artist Garrick Imatani has worked with the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde on a work installed at Straub Hall at the University of Oregon, and on a new exhibition, “Witness,” at the Chachalu Museum and Cultural Center. We talked to tribal curators and to Imatani about their process.


Artist Roll Hardy can usually be seen biking around Portland with a sketchbook, ready for any time inspiration comes.

Artist Roll Hardy can usually be seen biking around Portland with a sketchbook, ready for any time inspiration comes.

Steven Tonthat/OPB

Roll Hardy: Capturing Old Portland — 30:25

Roll Hardy paints industrial landscapes that capture the grit, grime and beauty of old school Portland. When Hardy isn’t working on his paintings, he’s partaking in one of the most Portland things possible: working on clients at Hive Tattoo, his shop in North Portland. His paintings might appear pretty straightforward, but Hardy experiments with collages and surreal imagery, invoking his own life and capturing the feeling of these abandoned landscapes.


Hop Along performs at their soundcheck at the Wonder Ballroom in Portland, 4-9-19

Hop Along performs at their soundcheck at the Wonder Ballroom in Portland, 4-9-19

Nick McClurg/opbmusic

The Commanding Range Of Hop Along’s Frances Quinlan — 34:34

opbmusic’s Jerad Walker called Frances Quinlan’s voice “arguably the most exciting thing in rock music today.” Hop Along started out as a solo effort by Quinlan around 2005 but evolved into a collaborative effort with her brother Mark Quinlan on drums. They recruited bassist Tyler Long and guitarist Joe Reinhart to round out their stylistic tug of war. And as a band they’ve released three critically acclaimed albums. Their latest, “Bark Your Head Off, Dog,” was a featured topic of conversation when Quinlan sat down with Walker while the band was in Portland recording a live session for opbmusic over at Wonder Ballroom.


Tuareg guitarist, Mdou Moctar, starred in Christopher Kirkley's 2015 film "Akounak Tedalat Taha Tazoughai," which translates as "Rain the Color of Blue with a Little Red In It." 

Tuareg guitarist, Mdou Moctar, starred in Christopher Kirkley’s 2015 film “Akounak Tedalat Taha Tazoughai,” which translates as “Rain the Color of Blue with a Little Red In It.” 

Christopher Kirkley/Sahel Sounds

Tuareg Guitar Hero Mdou Moctar Coming To Portland — 45:03

Christopher Kirkley was captivated by the music he heard while traveling in the Sahara around 2010. But he was specifically blown away by Mdou Moctar, a Tuareg artist from Niger, and wanted to bring this experience to a wider audience. Kirtley talked with us in 2014 about creating a film to showcase Mdou Moctar and his contemporaries, and why he finds the music so compelling.

Next weekend you have a chance to hear Mdou Moctar, a guitarist not many people have seen live here in the United States, at Pickathon in Happy Valley.

Music Heard On ‘State Of Wonder’

A Spotify playlist to share all the music we feature on our show and anything else that inspires us while we’re making it.