X-Ray Cafe

The X-Ray Cafe was a music venue in Portland, Oregon, United States in the early 1990s. An all-ages and community-oriented club, the X-Ray played a "heavyweight role in shaping Portland's underground culture," fostering such musical acts as Elliott Smith, Team Dresch, and Quasi, and was described by Details as one of the best rock and roll clubs in the country. [cite news
title=Willamette Week 25 Years: 1991
url=http://www.wweek.com/html/25-1991.html#xray
work=Willamette Week
date=1999
accessdate=2007-06-27] [cite news
title=All-age, all the rage
work=The Oregonian
date=August 20, 2004
first=Nestor
last=Ramos
url=http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:NewsBank:ORGB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=1049D4AA1C19E75D&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated4&req_dat=8CE642B8CA5C4083BE84A2539D6E1A73
accessdate=2007-06-27] It was open from 1990 to 1994. [cite news
title=X-Ray Cafe does it up proud, closing in eclectic blaze of glory
work=The Oregonian
date=August 22, 1994
author=Marty Hughley
url=http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:NewsBank:ORGB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=0EB0886FDACA493F&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated4&req_dat=8CE642B8CA5C4083BE84A2539D6E1A73] [cite news
title=Exit the X-Ray
work=The Oregonian
date=August 17, 1994
author=Marty Hughley
url=http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:NewsBank:ORGB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=0EB0886EC41A19BC&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated4&req_dat=8CE642B8CA5C4083BE84A2539D6E1A73] [cite news
title=Fond farewell to Ben and Tres: X-Ray Cafe to take a nosedive
work=The Oregonian
date=July 11, 1994
author=Marty Hughley
url=http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:NewsBank:ORGB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=0EB088657B44B872&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated4&req_dat=8CE642B8CA5C4083BE84A2539D6E1A73]

The club is the subject of a 2000 documentary, "X-Ray Visions." [cite news
title=Live Music and Other Activities: A Look Back at the Late, Great X-Ray Cafè
first=Sean
last=Tejaratchi
work=Portland Mercury
url=http://www.portlandmercury.com/portland/Content?oid=23286&category=34029
date=November 9, 2000
accessdate=2007-06-30] [ [http://www.nwfilm.org/archives/schedule_2001/nowplaying_janfeb01.html Northwest Film Center archive] , Jan-Feb 2001]

Owner Richard "Tres" Shannon III, currently the owner of Voodoo Doughnut [cite news
title=Nightlife icon’s doughnut venture is Tres times the fun
first=Jill
last=Spitznass
work=Portland Tribune
date=July 1, 2005
url=http://www.portlandtribune.com/features/story.php?story_id=30569
accessdate=2007-06-27] and a regular performer at Dante's, has been a candidate for Mayor and City Council in Portland. [cite news
title=Who are they?
work=The Oregonian
date=May 10, 1994
url=http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:NewsBank:ORGB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=0EB08855C4C1585B&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated4&req_dat=8CE642B8CA5C4083BE84A2539D6E1A73
accessdate=2007-06-27]

The X-Ray Cafe was also the site of a small but controversial riot in 1993. [cite news
title=Oregon's anti-riot statute ruled unconstitutional, case dismissed
work=The Oregonian
date=January 12, 1994
author=John Painter, Jr.
url=http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:NewsBank:ORGB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=0EB08835A78A219D&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated4&req_dat=8CE642B8CA5C4083BE84A2539D6E1A73]

See also

* Music of Oregon
* Satyricon nightclub

References