Libido Cornucopia

Interviewing Libido Cornucopia (USA) Written and Interviewed by Shazeen (UK)

Anytime I heard someone say, “If I could move to Portland I would do it in a heartbeat”, my curiosity for the eclectic city grew. I wondered why all those I spoken to about Portland were at least greatly fond of it. Amongst its many prized qualities, the ones which stand out combine individualism, eccentricity and community. In the early 1970s, an urban growth boundary was instituted in Portland’s metro area, separating land that can be urbanised from rural land and is intended to encourage efficient use of infrastructure and prevent urban expansion onto farm and forest lands. This gives more years of supply of developable land.

And the result, ladies and gentlemen? There is a creative use of space and neighbourhood connectedness. For a storytelling journalist as myself, places like this find its way delicately to my heart.

And that is how I met the people that get together in this creative space. Tons of designers, artists, musicians and small businesses find an independent mind-set in Portland. They value a different kind of success; one that fosters collaboration and solving real challenges of their city and the world. I don’t think ‘corporate jobs’ is the main flavour of any day, in Portland.

Michael, the lead singer of the group, moved to Portland at 28. It felt like a fresh start; a new chapter in his life. Instead of being a mere college dropout with an unrealistic dream, he was going to prove to others and himself that this meant the world to him and that it meant moving far away; far away from everyone he so dearly loved. If he was willing to do this, he will stop at nothing to meet his goal. Upon arriving in Portland, he described it as being wonderful. It was far bigger than any place he had ever lived. The people were remarkably more kind and sincere. While being a big city, the city in many ways had some small town vibes as well.

[more on URL] - The People's Playground

Fans of today's featured band, the oddly named Libido Cornucopia, describe them as unique and different. No shit Sherlock, their new single Chocolate Soy Milk is certainly both unique and different. If the Talking Heads had been a screamo band this is what they might have sounded like and it doesn't get much more unique or different than that. It's edgy, it's angular, it's noisy, it's exciting, it's unconventional, it's extraordinary and it's on the list for the Devil's favourite tracks of the year.

This is music you can listen to even if you're lactose intolerant. - The Devil Has the Best Tuna

Labido Cornucopia was up next, choosing to ditch the bass guitar in favor of two killer guitar players backed by a good, strong drummer. I might be dating myself here, but one of the first things I thought when I looked these folks up on the internet was that they reminded me of the band that both featured in the theme song and existed in the world of classic Nickelodeon show “Pete & Pete”. Now don’t get me wrong, that isn’t speaking to any immaturity of the band I was watching: despite Polaris being on a teen episodic adventure show, they were an amazing band in the 90’s. Labido Cornucopia got the energy of the crowd up with their unison shout-singing vocals, punk rhythms, and good humor. All three members were really great at their instruments, but what really got to me was all of the chances that the lead vocalist took with their vocals. Ranging from a punk shout to a theatrical falsetto and everything in between, you never knew quite what was coming next, and it was that tension and drama that really kept me engaged with the set. They were pretty mathy with their instrumentals, but not quite “noodly”, which was a breath of fresh air, like some love child between The Pixies and Coheed and Cambria. It was amazing to see a band just unabashedly be themselves! You can check out their music - Portland Notes