Mount Hood

Summer ’24 concerts

Written by: Sierra Porter | Staff Writer

It’s been almost four full years since the Covid-19 pandemic, when lives were completely changed in an instant — forcing people to stay inside, away from friends, family and the things they love most. One of the many things that were missed was amazing concerts. This year, artists and bands everywhere can finally perform, once again, with no restrictions. Here are the summer concerts coming to Oregon: 

June Concerts: 

Vampire Weekend — The “Only God Was Above Us” tour is June 19 at the Hayden Homes Amphitheater located in Bend, Oregon. 

Third Eye Blind & Yellowcard — The “Summer Gods” tour is taking place June 14 and will also be at the Hayden Homes Amphitheater in Bend. 

Cavetown- Indie-rock artist, Cavetown, is stopping by June 14 to perform at McMenamins Historic Edgefield Manor in Troutdale, Oregon. 

Cage The Elephant — Cage The Elephant is performing their “Neon Pill” tour at the Hayden Homes Amphitheater June 24. 

July Concerts:

Noah Kahan — Up-and-coming artist, Noah Kahan, is performing his “We’ll All Be Here Forever” tour July 1. The venue is located in Ridgefield, Washington, but if one can make the drive it would be worth it.  

YG — Rap artist, YG, is coming to the Roseland Theater July 10 in Portland. 

Amtrac — American DJ, Amtrac, is bringing his electric music to Portland at the Holocene nightclub, on July 11. 

Blink-182 with Pierce The Veil — Mainstream rock band, Blink-182, shocked the world when they announced their “One More Time” album tour, featuring legendary rock group, Pierce The Veil. This tour will be July 13 at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. 

A Day To Remember — Florida rock band, A Day To Remember, is performing their “The Least Anticipated Album” tour July 14 at the Moda Center. 

Portugal The Man — Adding to their hundreds of previous tours, Portugal The Man is performing July 20 at the McMenamins Historic Edgefield Manor located in Troutdale, Oregon. 

August Concerts: 

Alanis Morissette — The “Triple Moon Tour” will be taking place Aug. 4 at the Moda Center. 

Wallows — The “Model Tour” is Aug. 6, and the group will be at the Moda Center in Portland. 

Jhene Aiko — Performing her “Magic Hour” tour, Jhene Aiko will be taking the stage at the Moda Center Aug. 8. Tickets are selling fast, so get them while still available.

Olivia Rodrigo —  Recent up-and-coming pop artist, Olivia Rodrigo, will be performing her “GUTS” world tour in Portland at the Moda Center Aug. 10. 

Fitz And The Tantrums — This iconic pop group will be performing their “Good Nights” tour Aug. 12 at the Roseland Theater. 

Hobo Johnson & The Lovemakers — Rap artist, Hobo Johnson, is bringing his crew to perform at the Roseland Theater Aug. 14. 

Foo Fighters — Legendary group, Foo Fighters, is performing their “Everything Or Nothing At All” tour, Aug. 16, at Providence Park in Portland. 

Peso Pluma — Latin artist, Peso Pluma, will be bringing his “Exodo” tour to the Moda Center Aug. 17. 

Elle King — King is taking the stage Aug. 20 at the Revolution Hall located in Portland. 

Twenty One Pilots — This iconic rock group is performing their “Clancy World Tour” at the Moda Center Aug. 21. 

$NOT w/ Cochise — These two up-and-coming rap artists are performing at the Roseland Theater Aug. 22. 

Kid Cudi — “INSANO: ENGAGE THE RAGE” tour will be stopping at the Portland Moda Center Aug. 22. 

$uicideboy$ — The $uicideboy$ are bringing their highly anticipated “Grey Day” tour to the Moda Center Aug. 25. Tickets are selling fast, get them while still possible. 

Dave Matthews Band — Still performing after 27 years, the Dave Matthews Band will be continuing on their legacy at the Hayden Homes Amphitheater Aug. 27. 

Kings Of Leon — The “Can We Please Have Fun” tour is coming to Portland this summer as the band will be performing at the Moda Center Aug. 28. 

Bonus September Concerts: 

Jelly Roll — Performing his amazing “Beautifully Broken” tour, Jelly Roll will be performing at the Moda Center Sept. 1. 

Def Leppard w/ Journey — These iconic rock groups took the world by storm announcing this duo tour. They will be performing at the Moda Center Sept. 3. 

Future w/ Metro Boomin — Rap artists, Future and Metro Boomin, are performing their “We Trust You” tour at the Moda Center Sept. 7. 

The Script — This soul rock group will be performing at the Roseland Theater Sept. 8. 

Mitski — Alternative artist, Mitski, is bringing her beautiful music to Portland Sept. 21, performing at the Moda Center. 

Childish Gambino — Shocking fans everywhere with his “New World” tour, Gambino will be performing at the Moda Center Sept. 24. 

Green Day — This alternative rock band will be performing their “Saviors Tour” Sept. 25 at Providence Park. 

Boogie w/ a Hoodie — Performing his “Better Off Alone” tour, Hoodie will be taking the stage at the Moda Center Sept. 25. 

Contact the author at howlstaffwriter@wou.edu

Poetic justice

Written by: Taylor Duff | Staff Writer    Sophie Taylor | Designer

Content warning: this article contains mentions of violence and sexual assault/grooming.      

Kendrick and Drake have a tangled past that includes almost 10 years of static. As Kendrick Lamar’s popularity increased, Drake embraced him — giving him an interlude on his 2011 album, “Take Care,” and inviting him on the ensuing Club Paradise tour. 

The beef between the two began when Kendrick made a personal attack on Drake and 11 other rappers during his feature appearance on Big Sean’s song, “Control,” in August 2013, and tensions escalated. In October 2023, Drake, with fellow rapper J. Cole, released “First Person Shooter.” In the song, J. Cole boasts about his proficiency at rapping. He calls himself, Drake and Lamar the “big three.” 

Lamar responded to “First Person Shooter” in March 2024 by criticizing Drake and J. Cole during featured verses on “Metro Boomin” and Future’s song, “Like That.” Lamar rejected the notion that there was a “big three,” stating, “f–k the big three, it’s just big me.”

In response, Drake released a song titled “Push Ups (Drop and Give Me 50),” in which he mocked Lamar’s height. Within hours of Drake’s diss, Rick Ross responded with a single called “Champagne Moments,” claiming Drake had undergone plastic surgery, including a nose job, false abs and a Brazilian Butt Lift.

Drake’s “Taylor Made Freestyle” implied that Lamar was too cowardly to release music in the same week as Taylor Swift’s “The Tortured Poets Department.” Drake used artificial intelligence to hurl insults in the voices of Lamar’s heroes: Tupac and Snoop Dogg. 

Lamar released “Euphoria” — after the HBO show of which Drake is an executive producer — which read like a laundry list of grievances against his sparring partner. Lamar described Drake as “predictable,” a “master manipulator” and a “habitual liar.” Less than 72 hours after “Euphoria” dropped, Lamar released a second song, “6:16 in LA.” In this track, he alleged that someone within Drake’s organization was leaking negative material.

Drake’s response was the song, “Family Matters,” which elevated the conflict to new heights. He quotes: “You mentioned my seed; now deal with his father,” Drake said. “I gotta go bad, I gotta go bad.” Drake hypothesized in the song that Lamar could be a perpetrator of domestic abuse — the star has never faced such an allegation. 

Within 20 minutes of Drake’s release of “Family Matters,” Lamar responded with a third diss track, “Meet The Grahams,” which began with the foreboding warning, “You messed up the minute you called out my family’s name.” Each verse was addressed to one of Drake’s closest family members, including his mother, father and six-year-old son, as well as an alleged “daughter” no one knows about. Lamar claims Drake covertly fathered a second child and was hooked on gambling, sex and drugs.

On his fourth diss track, “Not Like Us,” Lamar accused Drake of having connections with underage women. This is one of Lamar’s most popular quotes from “Not Like Us”: “Ain’t you tired? Tryna strikes a chord and it’s probably A Minor.” Drake alleges that an informant purposefully fed Lamar several statements with the expectation that the star would rap about them. 

The “Not Like Us” cover art is also an overhead picture of Drake’s house marked with red tags that would normally represent sex offenders on such websites, making more allegations about Drake. Producer Metro Boomin entered the battle by releasing a beat dubbed “BBL Drizzy,” urging fans to rap over it. Drake had previously criticized Boomin on “Push Ups,” instructing him to “shut up and make some drums.” 

Drake countered with “The Heart Part 6” May 5, denying Lamar’s claims of grooming accusations and saying that his crew deceived Lamar over the secret child. Matters took a bad turn when a security officer outside Drake’s home was shot. It is unclear whether the incident was related to the rappers’ dispute. The latest, Drake raps over “BBL Drizzy,” halfway through his part on Sexyy Red’s “U My Everything.” Shots going back and forth make this a rap battle for this generation and it’s apparent everyone has chosen a side: Kendrick or Drake. 

Contact the authors at tduff23@mail.wou.edu or howldesigner@wou.edu

Divorced dad rock

Written by: Ruth Simonsen | Digital Media Manager

“Comedown” — Bush

“Nutshell” — Alice In Chains

“Superunknown” — Soundgarden

“Show Me How to Live” — Audioslave

“Let Down” — Radiohead

“Heart-Shaped Box” — Nirvana

“Under the Bridge” — Red Hot Chili Peppers

“Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)” — Deftones

“Falling Away from Me” — Korn

“Chop Suey!” — System Of A Down

“In the End” — Linkin Park

“Second Chance” — Shinedown

“2112: Overture/TheTemples Of Syrinx/Discovery/Presentation/Oracle/Soliloquy/Grand Finale” — Rush

“Owner of a Lonely Heart” — Yes

“Land of Confusion” — Genesis

“Solsbury Hill” — Peter Gabriel

“Tom Sawyer” — Rush

“Mr. Roboto” — Styx

“Black Hole Sun” — Soundgarden

“The Spirit Of Radio” — Rush

“Peace of Mind” — Boston

“Burnin’ for You” — Blue Öyster Cult

“Message In A Bottle” — The Police

“Roundabout” — Yes

“Toxicity” — System Of A Down

“Cherub Rock” — The Smashing Pumpkins

Contact the author at howldigitalmediamanager@mail.wou.edu

Middle-Earth cinematic universe expands

Written by: Jaylin Hardin | Sports Editor

Fans of “The Lord of the Rings” rejoice: Warner Brothers Studios has confirmed a new batch of live-action films set in the Middle-Earth cinematic universe. The first of these, titled “The Hunt for Gollum,” is slated for a 2026 release and will focus on Andy Serkis’ character, Gollum. Serkis played this role between 2001 and 2003 in “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy and later reprised it in the 2014 prequel movie, “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.”

Peter Jackson, the filmmaker for both “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit” trilogies and his partners Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens are producing the movie and are quoted as being involved every step of the way.” Walsh and Boyens both worked on the first two trilogies with Jackson, and Serkis is set to direct and star in the film. 

Other live-action films have yet to be revealed but are likely to explore author J.R.R. Tolkien’s works that have not been touched by the industry. 

Warner Bros. announced in February of 2023 that the new studio leaders, Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy, had brokered a deal to make multiple films based on Tolkien’s universe, which will be developed through the New Line Cinema label.

An animated Middle-Earth movie is set to be released into theaters on Dec. 13, 2024, from director Kenji Kamiyama — best known in the United States as a background artist for “Kiki’s Delivery Service” and lead animator for the “Star Wars: Visions” episode, “The Ninth Jedi.”

Set 183 years before the events of “The Lord of the Rings,” “The War of the Rohirrim” will follow a legendary king of Rohan and his family as they defend their country. Brian Cox is set to voice King Helm Hammerhead, and Miranda Otto will reprise her role of Eowyn, who narrates the film. 

But even before “The War of the Rohirrim” premieres, season two of “The Rings of Power” will launch on the streaming service, Prime Video, on Aug. 29. The show takes its source material from Tolkien’s “The Silmarillion” and follows elf queen Galadriel, played by Morfydd Clark, as she and her allies defend Middle-Earth from Sauron and his forces. Season one of “The Rings of Power” was first released in September of 2022 and ran for eight episodes. 

On May 14, a trailer for season two was posted to @ringsofpower on Instagram, with the caption “Darkness will bind them. The Rings of Power returns August 29 on Prime Video.”

Whether this new lineup will stun audiences following the first two trilogies will be something only time will tell.

Contact the author at howlsports@wou.edu

Western’s spring dance concert

Written by: Claire Phillips | Entertainment Editor

On May 9, 10 and 11, Western hosted its Spring Dance Concert in Rice Auditorium. Each choreographer, costume designer, lighting designer, professor and dancer brought their all to the concert.

The show opened with a lively number, titled “Not a Tango,” choreographed by Les Watanabe, a professor of dance at Western. The dance was composed of four dancers: two wearing red dresses and two wearing black suits, preening for attention. The dynamics and expressions of each character made the audience laugh throughout the show.

Tim Cowart, the department head of Western’s Department of Theatre and Dance choreographed a meaningful piece, titled “Slump.” The dance engaged the audience right out of the gate with a projector screen depicting the busy, loud streets of a big city. One could observe the pressure of society weighing down on each dancer through their intricate mannerisms. Each was trying to make themselves stand out from the crowd; a futile attempt.

“Hold on…,” choreographed by graduating senior Alia Takashima, was a spiritual, grounding piece memorializing community and friendship. The dance featured incredible formations such as using the dancers’ arms to look like tree branches in their green and brown costumes and holding each other up in lifts.

A “Hunger Games” themed piece, titled “MEMENTO MORI,” choreographed by Charlotte Hreha, was captivating and intense. The iconic whistle that sounded before the music even kicked in gave the audience a hint as to what was to come. The music also utilized the line “enjoy the show” from the arena in “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.” An ear-piercing scream at the end of the performance left everyone speechless.

“Wabash 64130,” choreographed by Winston Dynamite Brown, was a nostalgic performance based on Brown’s mother, siblings and hometown, Kansas City. The dancers lined up and posed for a “family photo” partway through the dance, illustrating each family member and their unique personalities.

After the intermission, “Melt,” choreographed by Valerie Bergman and Darryl Thomas, immersed the audience in an ever-shifting night sky, then an ocean and finally, a forest. A featured dancer donned a pair of pointe shoes, weaving between the other dancers. The choreographers stated that the dance was an “…urgent cry to protect our climate and an homage to the beauty and wonder of our natural habitat.”

As a tribute to their grandmother, Manda Oliver choreographed “Annee des Marguerites,” which translates to “Year of the Daisies.” The dance utilized flower props as a symbol of healing, along with beautiful green and purple costumes. Every dancer lifted each other up and made sure nobody was left behind.

“CYCLICAL,” choreographed by senior Madison Malveaux, began with no music, only the carefully composed rhythm of stomping feet. The piece had the perfect combination of chaos and order and conveyed how the two interacted with each other. 

Before the last dance, it was revealed that Cynthia Gutierrez-Garner, a beloved dance professor, will be leaving Western after 14 years. “Las Caras Lindas” featured eight dancers in bright, traditional dresses sitting around a table. Gutierrez-Garner said, “Thank you for sitting at the table of my pedagogy.” It’s safe to say that Gutierrez-Garner left her mark on all of Western.

Every single dance was unique and stood out from one another. The crowd could never guess what was coming next and was entertained for the full two hours of the show. Thank you, Western Department of Theatre and Dance, for your incredible effort and continuous talent.

10/10.

Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu

Actor Bernard Hills dies at 79

Written by: Jaylin Hardin | Sports Editor

The death of actor Bernard Hill was announced on May 5, 2024 by a representative of Lou Coulson Associates, the British talent agency of which Hill was a member. The agency’s statement did not include or mention his cause of death since Hill led a private life, despite his roles in major blockbusters. He was 79 years old.

Hill was a well-known actor in British television, specifically on the British Broadcasting Channel, BBC, but his biggest roles were that of King Theoden in “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy and Captain Edward Smith in “Titanic.” 

Hill is considered a movie icon by many. “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” and “Titanic” earned one billion dollars at the global box office: Hill was the first person to be in two movies that achieved these numbers. “The Return of the King” and “Titanic” both won 11 Oscars, which means Hill starred in two out of the three movies ever to achieve such success — the 1959 film “Ben-Hur” is the third.

Former co-stars of Hill’s took to social media to share their grief for the loss of the actor.

“So long to our friend, our king, Bernard Hill. We will never forget you,” actor Elijah Wood posted to X, previously Twitter. Wood then quoted “The Return of the King:” “For he was a gentle heart and a great king and kept his oaths; and he rose out of the shadows to a last fair morning.” 

Karl Urban also shared his grief for Hill on Instagram, “To the King. Rest in peace, Bernard.”

Urban and Wood starred in “The Lord of the Rings” alongside Hill, Urban playing Eomer, the nephew of King Theoden, and Wood playing Frodo Baggins, the trilogy’s main protagonist. Hill’s Titanic co-stars did not comment on the actor’s passing.

Hill worked for years in British theater and television. Those close to him said he would often claim his role as Yosser Hughes, from the 1980 movie “The Black Stuff,” as the role that changed his life. He would go on to reprise this role in a miniseries, “Boys from the Blackstuff.”

Hill was set to reprise his role in the BBC drama “The Responder,” starring alongside Martin Freeman, another actor in the Middle-Earth Cinematic Universe — Freeman played Bilbo Baggins in “The Hobbit” trilogy. 

“I don’t think anyone spoke Tolkien’s words as great as Bernard did,” said actor Billy Boyd,  who played Peregrin “Pippin” Took in “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy. “He will be sorely missed.”

Contact the author at howlsports@wou.edu

Beachy tunes

Written by: Ruth Simonsen | Digital Media Manager

“The Song You’ve Been Waiting For” — Coast Modern

“All Your Life” — Still Woozy

“Little Foot Big Foot” — Childish Gambino

“Lucky” — Rainbow Kitten Surprise

“Be Sweet” — Japanese Breakfast

“Guru” — Coast Modern

“Roly Poly” — Mt. Joy

“Why Do You Feel So Down” — Declan McKenna

“Summer’s Over” — Jordana, TV Girl

“Cinderella” — Remi Wolf

“Dive” — Coast Modern

“My Kink Is Karma” — Chappell Roan

“Feel It” — d4vd

“OMG” — Suki Waterhouse

“Westcoast Collective” — Dominic Fike

“1st Time” — Bakar

“Is It True” — Tame Impala

“Talk” — beabadoobee

“See The Light” — Stephen Sanchez

“Weekend Friend” — Goth Babe

“Sexy Villian” — Remi Wolf

“Window” — Still Woozy

“Hollow Life” — Coast Modern

“Alive!” — Bakar



Contact the author at howldigitalmediamanager@mail.wou.edu

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