Testimonials

"Recording live albums sucks. It's a high pressure, you only get one chance ordeal. If a string breaks, or someone's off key, or an audience member drops a beer bottle, you are stuck with it. That being said, recording a live record with an audience in the basement of a certain South East Portland home known as The Banana Stand is one of the most positive musical experiences I have ever been a part of. The basement was packed on a hot August evening with friends and soon to be new friends. They sang along to the songs and did their best to dance while stuffed into the concrete room shoulder to shoulder. And I think that the recording turned out so great. A lot of credit needs to be given to The 'Stand for creating a perfect situation for capturing great musical performances. They had every detail worked out: the mic placements, the lighting, great poster art, the crowd. We feel lucky to have been a part of The 'Stand's young history. I suspect that they have a long adventure ahead of them."

"There was Paris and the cabarets in the 1920's. London's 100 Club was the spot in the 1960's. San Francisco took over during the late '60's and carried on through the early 1970's with Bill Graham's Fillmore. Then NYC took the torch with CBGB's as the center of the new musical universe. Seattle's grunge revolution had the Off Ramp in the 1990's. And now it appears that Portland may be getting it's own turn in a new musical world where the Internet reigns supreme, flash mobs happen at the drop of a tweet, and house parties have become the preferred means of seeing live music for die hard fans. Portland's best kept secret, and possible ground zero of the latest wave of bands set to take over the world, must be The Banana Stand. A bit presumptuous, you might say. But give it a few years and when we all look back at the great moment that came and went, The Banana Stand will be the firm record of what we all experienced in that moment. And The 'Stand's recordings will be the hard document of what the Portland music scene really was like."

Pat Kearns
Singer/Songwriter, Blue Skies for Black Hearts
Owner/Engineer, PermaPress Studios

"The Banana Stand is more than just a house venue here in town. (And no, we can't tell you where it is.) It's an impressive, fully loaded recording facility that captures bands in that most spontaneous of settings: the live performance. Banana Stand Media has been kicking out really solid live recordings of local bands for some time now..." [more].

Ned Lannamann
Music Writer, The Portland Mercury

"In the basement of a garden-variety two-story house in Southeast, magic is happening. Midwestern transplants Louie Herr and Aaron Colter have spent the bulk of the past four years cultivating an idea: capture and bottle up the Portland house show experience, and give it away for free (or donation). They invite bands and friends to their now-secret shows to participate in the gleaning. There might not always be money in this Banana Stand, but the magic and the music is there in a big way."

from Local Hero: Banana Stand Media, published in the October 2011 ElevenPDX Magazine.

"The guys at the Banana Stand have really got it going on in the ‘having-their-shit-together’ department. They’re some of the most professional folks we’ve ever worked with and to top it off, they’re really nice, friendly dudes."

Sara Hernandez
Lead Singer, The Angry Orts

"For me, the Banana Stand combines two of my favorite things about making music: epic house shows and recording. The 'Stand gang manages to approach all aspects of those two things with extraordinary attention to detail and creativity without sacrificing an ounce of the in-the-moment energy that separates a good house show from a great one. I also love how much of an online presence they have. Any band in town could learn something about internet self-promotion from observing how the Banana Stand maintains an online presence. The Banana Stand's contribution to Portland music is immense, both online and off."

Alex Arrowsmith
Singer/Songwriter, Alex Arrowsmith and his Pugs
Engineer, Arrowsmith Studios

"Banana stand was, and remains one of the best experiences we've had as a band. The sense of support and community are off the charts, and we were truly humbled to be a part of it. From the booking, promotion, execution, post production, and release of our tracks, everything was handled with the utmost professionalism. I really don't have one negative thing to say. Before we came in to do our show, we had been struggling with a lot of issues within and outside of the band as a group. Our experience with Banana stand is really a big part of what helped us as a band get over a few hurdles we were facing. My only regret is I wish every city had an opportunity like this for its bands. Banana stand is one of the things that makes Portland such an awesome place to be a musician in. This is the kind of thing, the kind of "something special" that is going to be documented and looked back on with awe 20 years from now. Its the CBGB of Portland."

Jesse Tranfo
Drummer, The Hague

"The Banana Stand was one of the first places we ever played in Portland and the recordings from our two sessions there are a huge part of the band's history. The 'Stand is here to document the musical history of Portland and all the good people, bands and beer cans involved."

Boone Howard
Lead Singer, Guitarist, The We Shared Milk

"Working with the Banana Stand was the best recording experience we have had. These are some solid dudes."

Jake Carpenter
Lead Singer, Guitarist, Ether Circus

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