Portland’s Bacon Ball Moves To a New Space With “No Pun Nintendo”

Bacon Ball has never failed to impress us!

The whole crew is focused on “leveling up” the experience. For one thing, we’re told that “there’s a fucking crane!”, that is somehow going to be used in the night. The new, more hall-like setup, gives Ethan’s light production the ability to be far more immersive. He told us how he cannot stand being at a show when you are forced to stare forward for hours on end for fear of missing something cool.

And the art expansion is going to be massive. Savory was limited in its ability to bring in artists for the sake of capacity at AudioCinema. Here, there is room for, and there will be, much more space for honoring the art and the artist, giving more opportunities for inspiring moments between the artist and the consumer.

Kas, the Creative Director for Savory, has used this interplay as a focal point for creating a space where anyone who is open, will be able to have an “authentic response” to the art. You can expect to kick it with the likes of Chaz Lake, Venus Drip, Mingo, Aaron Rayburn, Arthur Lee Dietrich Croy, Nice Touch, Seanna Musgrave, Drew Ensley, and Ryan Freed.

Something we have always appreciated about Bacon Ball is the way they handle the musical lineups. Don’t expect to see set times posted, but do expect that it is curated in such a way that makes sense for properly building the energy of the night. As Peter says, “The whole DJ names, be someone thing – all of that.

It’s the antithesis of what music is supposed to be about.” What we can promise though is that this show is going to highlight some spectacular local talent that deserves far more recognition for their skills behind the decks than they typically get. Your ears will be delighted to hear Ben Tactic (who puts on the the monthly Spend the Night at The Liquor Store), REsy – who recently moved from New York, A Fox – a very welcome Bay Area transplant, and of course the Savory DJs – Sheppard, Jake Clark, and Noble Theft. You can expect that the night will take you on a sonic journey to far reaching corners of house music, proving its immense range and groovability. For a taste of the music, you can head over here!

While all of the elements are meticulously selected, we are reminded that it’s not just about the music or just about the lights or the art or even the people. “It’s about all of these things and you are immersed in a confluence of interactive elements,” says Ethan. And by providing all of these facets, like “a living room diorama” with an endless supply of microwave popcorn, Funions, Doritos, Mountain Dew, that hopefully can appeal to people who normally would not come out to a dance show.

So often people view this scene as “drug culture” or a “particular thing,” aka a lifestyle that they can’t get behind. Savory wants you to know that you do not have to “be someone” to fit in here. “It’s our job to help be weird enough or different enough that people will come try it out,” they matter-of-factly tell us. If you do take the plunge, you can expect your time at the ball to be marked by unique, unreproducible moments in community with other human beings.

If this event alone isn’t enough for you to satisfy your Savory needs, then we have great news. Thursday, April 20th, Savory will be at Quarterworld on SE Hawthorne playing arcade games, drinking Mountain Dew and eating pizza and they want you to come check it out! And as we head into summer, the crew has two more regular offerings for you too!

The Grilled Cheese Disco pumps the tunes in the Liquor Store basement regularly. And, there are 6 upcoming iterations Your Sunday’s Best, a collaboration with Believe You Me at White Owl to bring you beautiful brunch-time tunes. Until then, we’ll leave you with this Kas-bomb: “If you can create a space where people can just be themselves and connect with the art and connect with other people about it – that is a freeing experience. That is an experience that changes culture, changes society. That is the ultimate freedom, to be able to self-express.”