An Evening with Ida & Tsunami at Polaris Hall

Name: An Evening with Ida & Tsunami at Polaris Hall
Start: 2025-04-19T20:00:00-07:00
Location: Polaris Hall

Schedule

Sat, 19 Apr, 2025 at 08:00 pm

UTC-07:00

Location

Polaris Hall | Portland, OR

TICKETS :🎟 truewest.info/47JBzOY
On Sale Friday, September 27th 9am PT
This Event is 21+
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In the mid-1990s, the musical lives of DC-based Tsunami and the NYC-based Ida were intertwined. In addition to sharing many bills and tours together, Tsunami’s label, Simple Machines Records, released Ida’s first three albums, and the band members frequently collaborated on other musical projects. Now, 25 years later, both bands are celebrating the reissue of their 1990s releases by The Numero Group with the Coin Toss tour in March and April 2025.

In a nod to equity, whimsy, and jamming econo, the two bands plan to share equipment and van space, as well as determining each night’s stage order by a flip of the coin. The audience is encouraged to join the bands for the entire evening as Ida and Tsunami fuse their sets together. Special guests – representing the bands’ wide network of musical friends and heroes – are expected to join them on stage at most shows, to lend a crazy guitar part, or guest vocals, or one of their own songs. There will be sewn-on patches, swag, and participation prizes, and a joyful noise.

Ida

In the 1990’s and 2000’s, Ida’s live shows were widely considered ground zero for indie rock first dates and heartbreak. Their air-tight, three-part vocal harmonies, lo-fi, post-punk aesthetics and humor, coupled with the vulnerability at the core of their songs, earned the band an international audience and a special place on many, many mix tapes. The band got its start in 1992 in Elizabeth Mitchell and Daniel Littleton’s Brooklyn apartment. Mitchell’s folk instincts and unusual open tunings became the basis for their early songs; Littleton, a veteran of the 80’s Maryland punk scene, added distortion and feedback to their shared poetic observations of everyday life. Friends Jenny Toomey and Kristin Thomson of Simple Machines encouraged the duo to record, and the band released their debut album Tales of Brave Ida in 1994. Daniel’s brother, Michael “Miggy” Littleton, joined on drums for the band’s first tour, opening for Tsunami. After the 1996 release of the critically acclaimed I Know About You, Beekeeper’s Karla Schickele joined as bassist, vocalist, and contributing songwriter, establishing Ida’s most recognizable and enduring lineup.
Tsunami
Self-sufficient and quick-witted, Tsunami were among the most inventive and resourceful bands to emerge from the American independent scene of the 1990s. Founded in Arlington, VA in late 1990 on the intertwined guitars, sharp-tongued lyrics, and forceful vocals of frontwomen Jenny Toomey and Kristin Thomson, co-owners of the highly regarded Simple Machines record label, Tsunami were equally noted for their music and their unwavering commitment to D.I.Y. principles, which established them among the most respected voices in the alternative community. Throughout the 1990s, Tsunami wrote and recorded prolifically, releasing three full-length albums and over a dozen seven-inch singles and EPs, most on their own Simple Machines label. Since their final tour in 1998 – over 25 years ago – Tsunami has only played four shows, but are gearing up for a US tour in spring 2025.