The Vans Warped Tour was the first festival for many of us back in the day. As young'ns, it's likely we didn't necessarily think about all that went into figuring out the bands to book and play the whole shebang. Part of that process, at least locally, seems to be through a series "battle of the bands" style competitions specifically for landing a spot on the fest. Quite a few Portland bands have been furiously playing against one another for said spot, and djent/prog metal act Vow of Volition are one of the acts that made it to the finals.

Warped Tour was always the type of festival that included much in the realm of pop punk, punk punk, emo and metal, so Vow of Volition's advancement to the final round is no surprise. Their incredibly technical, at times jazzy metal stands out in Portland's pretty linear popular music scene, and is much worthy of the attention its getting.

Those that want to support Vow of Volition in driving home the permanent spot can go to the Battle for Warped Tour finals Saturday at the Hawthorne Theatre.

Chicago native, now UK based, itoldLexi recently released a new single called "Get It Right".

This is the R&B and soul singer-songwriter's third single released in 2023, and the latest is series of single since the release of her 2019 debut EP, "With Love, Lexi".

Singer, Rapper, Songwriter Senite released a new single called "Chaotic". This is her first single of 2023 after releasing three single in 2022.

You can catch Senite at Schubas on June 22nd with Joshua Crumbly and Braxton Cook.

Kara Jackson recently released her first single since 2019 and her very first music video, "no fun/party".

Jackson, a former national youth poet laureate, is an incredibly strong lyricist and vocalist.