Dangerous Minds put this up yesterday, and it's great. It's a 1983 episode of some wretched, low-budget cable TV show from Eugene, Oregon. While it's enjoyable enough to watch for its dated production values and awkward banter, there's a solid interview with Jonny and Dee Dee Ramone. The two come off great, while both interviewers just look like airheads. A time capsule of punk spirit butting up against the rest of the world. Just watch.

End Hits: "...like all the real people outside in the real world."

It seems like Portugal. The Man are well on their way to greatness, which will come as a surprise to no one. Now labelmates with both Phil Collins and Cody Simpson (eeeeeeeeee!), their Atlantic Records debut In the Mountain In the Cloud has become a constant fixture on the FM airwaves, and the band just joined ranks with Team Coco by appearing on Conan last night. The band blazed through "So American" and looked pretty damn dapper doing it—the bright lights of not-quite-network TV suit them.

The only thing that would make this performance better is an appearance by the Masturbating Bear.

End Hits: In case you were wondering, Atlantic Records will NOT accept your demo via Twitter.

Chomp down on your favorite biting block and watch this seizuretastic video from Crock. As you might recall, Crock is a collaboration between Sam Coomes (Quasi) and Spencer Seim (Hella), and their debut LP Grok will be released via Jackpot Records on September 27.

As for the video, um, well, it's the very first clip ever directed by Sam Coomes and there are bunnies in it. Just make sure you watch it with your safety buddy present, we don't want to see another Denn� Senshi Porygon.

End Hits: Paka Paka!

The latest video from Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks is for Mirror Traffic's second single "Tigers," and shockingly enough the clip features... wait for it... oh come on, you can wait for it... no, no, don't click away... TIGERS!

Sparky Anderson and Al Kaline? Um, no. This cute little clip centers around a man in a tiger suit (sorry to ruin the illusion) that gets into all sorts of adventures in the big city, much like a real tiger would if it escaped from the zoo. Or not.

End Hits: Cat noise!

I'm not gonna lie, we were pretty damn excited to hear that Richmond Fontaine had returned with a new album. Due out September 20, The High Country is a conceptual recording—or, as they call it, a "song-novel concept album"—that takes full advantage of frontman Willy Vlautin's gift for writing (sad) stories about fascinating (and sad) characters. Shockingly, the album has no songs about Vlautin's other favorite topics: Reno, horses, drunk jockeys, and a drunk Reno jockey who rides a horse that has a gambling problem.

Come on Mr. Cinnamon, you always split aces! Stupid horse.

Anyway, back to the video. True to its title, this clip for "Lost in the Trees" pieces together (via hazy flashbacks) a particularly harrowing night of heavy partying deep in the woods. It's a bit creepy, so don't watch this if you are about to head into the wilderness for a weekend camping trip.

End Hits: Can someone mash this song up with Kanye's "Lost In The World"?

The Decemberists' latest video was directed by... Mose Schrute?!? Michael Schur (former writer/producer of The Office, and current mastermind behind Parks and Recreation—plus the genius responsible for the greatest sports blog ever, Fire Joe Morgan) was behind the lens for this clip to The King is Dead's "Calamity Song."

The video is a homage to David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest, which I have yet to read—Oh, why doesn't anyone make a video in tribute to my favorite book?—so I won't pretend to know what is exactly happening here. Tennis? It's about tennis, right?

h/t: NPR

End Hits: Björn Bored.

I like my metal soft—then again, perhaps not—and I like Soft Metals, the slinky keyboard duo/couple that is gaining plenty of momentum on their The Cold World Melts EP and more recent self-titled LP. Released by Captured Tracks, the LP centers around the wondrous "Vocals," which is a pleasant coincidence since that track now has a video to call its own.

The Christian Petersen-directed clip was inspired by Dario Argento and features "a kind of isolated, supernatural misfit." Jerry Only?

End Hits: But we're the Misfits/Our songs are better...

I adore Aloe Blacc. I've written about his music, his daytime dance party, and if Marjorie would let me past MOD's velvet ropes of exclusivity, I'd write about the man's stylish fedora as well.

The Los Angeles soul singer stars in this fresh new video for "Green Lights," where he hops off his broken scooter and takes to the streets of ____________. Uh, can anyone figure out exactly where he is? At first I thought it was Paris, but I might be wrong. Maybe it was shot at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel—they make the best pizza baguettes there.

This is just like Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?, but with slightly better music.

End Hits: Always bet on Blacc.

Recently we were debating the relevance of a reunited Jon Spencer Blues Explosion—the band will be at the Wonder Ballroom on August 18—and how their recent reformation hasn't garnered the fawning praise of another seminal '90s indie act that is headed this way in the coming weeks. Truth is, JSBX were always a polarizing act, one that elicited its fair share of commentary, both positive (in a land of slack-shouldered mumbling frontman, Spencer was king) and negative (they sound like Blues Hammer).

Yet no matter where you side on the band, it was hard to deny how incredible they could be while onstage. In case you doubt me, please watch this absolutely ridiculous performance of "2 Kindsa Love" and "Flavor" from Australia's teen/music show Recovery. It makes Odd Future's set on Fallon look quaint and well-behaved.

End Hits: John Spencer Timbers Explosion.

The Nielson brothers just might be the greatest export to emerge from Oceania—sorry, studs—but following the disintegration of the Mint Chicks, the Kiwi/Portland siblings have gone their separate ways. New Zealand gets Kody Nielson, while us Oregonians are lucky to have Ruban Nielson amongst our ranks. Ruban is the man behind the once-secretive project (read more about it here) Unknown Mortal Orchestra, which just released its self-titled debut LP a few months back.

Before their Yourstru.ly session, there was little video evidence of UMO—no, not UFOs, everyone knows those fly over Portland all the time—but now it seems as if the trio has shed their camera shyness a bit. The band was filmed by Bowlegs performing "Ffunny Ffrends" (in New Zealand, even the '90s sitcom is spelled Ffrends) in the basement of their label, Fat Possum.

End Hits: A performance in the basement of the Alamo would have been more impressive.

As previously mentioned here on the blog, the Prids are filming a video for every single song on their latest recording, Chronosynclastic. So far the band has done the obligatory tour footage video, a sentimental clip that tugs at the heartstrings, and a video that wouldn't be safe to view if you worked at Hustler.

Video number four is for "Waste Our Time," which combines stylistic live footage with... sweat? Water? Tears? Probably a bit of all three. If those instruments are plugged in, someone is getting electrocuted.

End Hits: Much like Andrew W.K., we get wet.

Local rhyme collective Animal Farm are still basking in the glow from their critically-adored Culture Shock LP and now they have yet another video to share with us.

Much like the "Pop Music" clip, this video for "What I Do" is a tongue-in-cheek look at aspiring emcees (I'm a big fan of this to-do list) although I have a serious problem it. There is a scene in the video where the clownish up-and-coming rapper openers up a WW box (one assumes he was seeking the infinite wisdom of Night Cabbie) only to see our Up&Coming section inside their paper. That simply will not stand!

End Hits: All rhyme, no reason.

The not-as-ginger-as-they-should-be guys and gals of The Parson Red Heads joined forces with local label Arena Rock way back in April of this year. The result of this union is Yearling, the band's first LP as Portlanders (previous homes include Los Angeles and Eugene) which will be out on August 16. A new video usually accompanies a new album, and the Parsons have one to share with you for their first single, “Seven Years Ago.”

Although it seems to be primarily filmed in Oregon City (our favorite destination), the scenery here could be almost anywhere in the country and it's the sort of footage of everyday America that Chevy loves to use in truck commercials (scored by John Cougar Cougar Cougar Mellancamp). This our country. Or something like that.

The Parson Red Heads release show will be at Mississippi Studios on Friday, August 19.

End Hits: Alan Parsons Red Head Project

A quick primer in case you were unaware: Sapient is one finely skilled emcee. A member of the Sandpeople crew, he released his most complete work to date in 2010, a solo disc entitled Barrels For Feathers. You really should own that record. In fact, buy it right here. It's cool, we'll wait.

Now that we're all caught up you can take a few minutes to watch this impressive clip for "Grown Up," the most introspective track from Barrels For Feathers. Well-directed by Shawn Shannon, the video tastefully uses both color and black and white footage as it surrounds the emcee with a large cast of extras, both old and (very) young.

End Hits: Hey nerds, check out my wizard rap group, Snapient.

Because a squawking chicken woke me up this morning and I'm going to Cibo Matto tonight at the Doug Fir, the duo's "Know Your Chicken" has been on a perpetual loop from hell in my brain head. So let's watch Michel Gondry's awesome palindrome-esque video for their song "Sugar Water" to try to dislodge this pesky ear bug. Shall we?