Starover Blue

Dakota Theim A songwriter with a gift for whimsical melodies, breezy productions, and introspective lyricism, Dakota Theim has been a mainstay on the Portland indie underground for years. His sound is largely inspired by the golden age of FM radio, laden with sunny harmonies and blissed out guitars. With his latest releases, he is exploring new sonic territory while musing on relationships, identity, and aging, resulting in some of the most endearing songs of his career. Dakota’s auteur-like qualities have earned him favorable comparisons to artists like Tame Impala and Mac Demarco. He writes and produces all of his own material from his Portland home studio, often times being joined by live band members Ben Bilotti, Alex Werner, Jack Stringer, and Joseph Freeman to round out his recordings. Together, the band has hosted several sold-out shows in their hometown, and toured extensively across the Pacific Northwest. While his productions are often eccentric and whimsical, Dakota’s devotion to the craft of songwriting is what sets him apart. His songs are meticulously composed, full of left turns and moments of unexpected beauty. With a steady stream of new content expected for this year and beyond, Dakota finds himself on the verge of breaking out of his local scene and reaching a national audience. Isabeau Waia'u Walker Bright gloom, a single duality of the many that define Isabeau Waia’u Walker. Songs that are soothing and soft while powerful, accessible while complex, sweet but aching. The tension of the contradiction that she holds nest in her core and reverberates through the layers of her product: storytelling, collaboration, presentation, music. Culture, race, and language surface in her work; half a life in her native Hawaii, the second in Oregon. For over a decade of being a high school teacher, she made music, slowly amassing an impressive YouTube subscribership. She orchestrated an early retirement from education to redirect attention to music, allowing her to tour as a member of Y La Bamba and to record her EP, Better Metric. “Woman,” a track off the EP, making OPB music’s Oregon’s top songs of 2020. The last year and a half has been spent recording and preparing for the release of her full length album, Body, recording at The Center for Sound, Light and Color Therapy. Body is now out and available wherever you listen to music. Starover Blue The nostalgic tones of a Juno-106 combine with ambient layers, sparkling guitars, and airy, bittersweet vocals to define Portland dream pop band Starover Blue. Founding members Kendall Sallay and Dirk Milotz began the group in 2007 while studying music at San Jose State University, then relocated to Portland in 2016 where they reformed as a six-piece. The band’s penchant for lush vocal harmonies, textural experimentation, and subtle use of odd meters appeals to fans of acts ranging from Cocteau Twins, Beach House, and Big Thief to The Joy Formidable, The Velvet Teen, and Wye Oak. A new EP is underway for 2023 release, taking inspiration from heavier-hitting indie rock versus the synth pop textures of 2019 LP Ordinary Magic and 2016 debut Spacegeist.