For all the great, DIY happenings in town, Rigsketball is definitely one of the best. Combining friendly competition with one of the more frequented pastimes around, Rigsketball's tournaments are nearing their end, and they've got some good musical acts accompanying them. 

The first day of the music fest, along with the slimming down the finalists through eight rounds, took place last night. Boone Howard, Kulululu, Kyle Craft and the Woolen Men all rang the first night of the fest, with tonight taking it to the next level.

Rigsketball is taking over the Eagles Lodge again tonight for the semifinals, with performances from Bleach Blonde Dudes, Ghost Frog, Lavender Flu and Cat Hoch. 

As always, Rigsketball is entirely free. Games start in just a couple hours at 6pm and music starts at 8pm. Head down to southeast again tomorrow for the tournament finals, Melt's EP release and sets from Malt Lizard, Tribe Mars, Candace, Donte Thomas and Chanti Darling. 

Everyone has got to know about Cat Hoch and her band by now.

Hoch, along with bassist Theo Craig, guitarist Eric Sabatino, synth and vocalist Anna Tyler and Adam Breeden on drums, has established a top slot in Portland's music scene over the last couple years. Coming out leading in best new band polls, getting premium bookings at local music festivals and clocking in hours of hard work in general have kept Hoch and her band in the eyes of a music adoring public. The band is currently reaching out to fans for help and if it all works out, fans will be pleasantly delighted.

Thank goodness this isn't coming in the wake of an equipment theft like Hoch's last crowdfunding campaign. Instead, Hoch is reaching out in hopes of raising enough money to produce and release a full length album. Recording isn't the easiest or inexpensive feat, so Hoch's GoFundMe is asking for $4,000 to hop back in the studio with one of Portland's finest - Riley Geare.

More details into the prizes offered are given on the GoFundMe page, but include cute prizes like "a physical copy of the EP, as well as a digital download of the new record and a vociemail from me singing to you telling you I love you and thank you" for a $50 donation, and "we throw a house show personally for you in Portland, Or (as long as you can find a house). Dedicated to you and personally love you forever" for a $350 donation.

For those that still somehow haven't seen Cat Hoch and her band play live, you can catch them tonight at Bunk Bar opening up for some pretty legendary Portlanders, Colin Hegna (of Brian Jonestown Massacre) and his band Federale. 

If you're a fan of trippy lo-fi folk rock much like that of, say, Kurt Vile or Kevin Morby, and you're NOT already listening to Portland's Jackson Boone, you're majorly missing out on some serious misty magic. A natural born songwriter, Jackson has been making music and playing festivals around the country since 2014. Today, he's releasing a new full length and gearing up to hit the road in support of it.

Organic Light Factory was inspired by the continual changes Jackson and his band the Ocean Ghosts experience as a result of their constant songwriting and touring. The songs are like a diary of their journey so far, showing personal transformation as well. "Don't" and "Mystic Winds (from the East)" are all we've heard on it so far, so you'll have to catch the rest of the tracks at the album release show/tour kickoff.

Head over to Mississippi Studios tonight at 9pm to hear the album performed live and in full, say goodbye the band and catch some sets from Cat Hoch, Sinless and Wave Action as well. 

Deli Portlanders,

It's been a months long road in the process of nominating and voting on who all of you feel are the city's best musicians for the year. After thinking back on all the shows played and albums released from 2016, we've finally got a solid list of Portland's finest. Take a gander at who you all fell for (and just how much you fell for them), while also showing some love to yourselves and the lovely jurors that participated.

Thanks to our jurors: Linneas Boland-Godbey (Next Northwest), Aaron Sharpsteen (Photographer), Tony Prato (Bunk Bar), Duffy Rongiiland (Gnar Tapes), Rob Cullivan (Portland Tribune), Leigh Belacic (PDX Pop Now), Jeni Wren Stottrup (Gritty Birds Podcast), Annie Ostrowski (Riot Act Media), Blake Hickman (Good Cheer Records), Clifford Prince King (Photographer), Mo Troper (Impose Magazine/Portland Mercury), Chad Davis (Musician), Jordan Stamm (Drunk Dial Records), Hunter Skowron (Dazzleships Records), Todd Walberg (Photographer), Yousef Hatlani (Faces on the Radio), Corbin Corbinn (Crush House/Photographer), and Andrew Olson (dr0ne PR).

Let's get down to the nitty gritty of what you all have been waiting for...

Lithics

Lithics exude mystery. From their experimental punk drone to their intentional lack of an internet presence, they're the band you may not have known existed until you saw them accidentally. They've been coasting in Portland's formerly under-appreciated but always DIY post/art punk scene for almost three years now with just two releases under their belt. Their three track, self-titled tape from 2015 gave us a taste, but it was their 2016 release Borrowed Floors that helped propel them into being Portland's best band of the year.

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2. Cat Hoch

This isn't the first success Cat Hoch and her band have experienced with the Deli. She came out on top entirely in 2015, when she was voted the Best Emerging Artist of that year and was the readers' choice for best in shoegaze and psych rock for this year. From opening up for Ride to commanding even bigger stages, Cat Hoch and her talented group of musicians aren't stopping anytime soon.

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3. Abronia

Ambiently soft yet broodingly heavy, Abronia have expanded their lineup to match their beautifully atmospheric and expansive sound. Our overall pick for best in electronic and experimental and perfect for moments of mental reflection (but easy to enjoy in damn near every other scenario), Abronia's dominanation of the experimental side of the poll makes total sense, and we can't wait to hear new releases from them.

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4. Ice Queens (Alt Rock/Metal, 7pts)

5. Fur Coats (Hip Hop/R&B, 6pts)

6. The Toads (Indie Rock/Post-Punk, 6pts)

7. Mr. Wrong (Punk/Garage, 6pts)

8. Shrine of the Serpent (Alt Rock/Metal, 5.5pts)

9. A Volcano (Alt Rock/Metal, 5pts)

10. dolphin midwives (Electronic/Experimental, 5pts)

11. Gold Casio (Electronic/Experimental, 5pts)

12. Chanti Darling (Hip Hop/R&B, 5pts)

13. Lola Buzzkill (Hip Hop/R&B, 5pts)

14. Laura Palmer's Death Parade (Psych/Shoegaze, 5pts)

15. Wave Action (Punk/Garage, 5pts)

16. Donte Thomas (Hip Hop/R&B, 4pts)

17. Little Star (Indie Pop, 4pts)

18. Candace (Psych/Shoegaze, 4pts)

19. Zozma (Psych/Shoegaze, 4pts)

20. On drugs (Punk/Garage, 4pts)

21. James Curry IV (Electronic/Experimental, 3.5pts)

22. Mini Blinds (Indie Pop, 3.5pts)

Our more trippy genre poll, psych and shoegaze, ran gazed out slow fuzz with the strange visuals psychedelia forces your mind to make. The two winners all of you felt rocked 2016 honestly come as no surprise, since they've been packing venues and mesmerized crowds all throughout the last year. Big congratulations go out to Zozma and Cat Hoch! Both of these names are of course familiar in the Deli Portland world, because our Deli readers have brought them to the top before.

We've thought of Zozma as one of the best psych acts in Portland for awhile now. All of you voted them as our Artist of the Month back in September of last year, so seeing them as the winner of our readers' poll solidifies their stance as the rulers of our spiritual psych world.

This also isn't the first Deli success Cat Hoch and her band have seen with the Deli either. She came out on top entirely in 2015, when she was voted the Best Emerging Artist of that year. From opening up for Ride to commanding even bigger stages, Cat Hoch and her talented group of musicians aren't stopping anytime soon.