It rains in Portland. I knew this before I moved here. I was forewarned by people, the internet, common sense. The Great Northwet. Puddletown. Pourtland. So what's the big deal? Get a raincoat. But the locals don't wear raincoats - or use umbrellas. Well, I don't want to look like an outsider, a visitor, an interloper, an illegal ukulalian. One wants to blend in. So I have a nice strong Stumptown Coffee and settle my nerves with an ultra-hoppy IPA, maybe get a tattoo, bike, walk or drive a zip car to the nearest volcano - or the coast - or the Pearl District. Then I hurry back, because it's going to rain, rain, rain. For days and days and days. Rumor has it that after 19 consecutive days of the hypnotizing, mind-numbing, bone-chilling drizzle, the rain monsters come out. I'm still sorta new here so I haven't seen them yet. But they're here and they're getting closer. There's one good antidote for all that rain – Electric Cello "Amazing. Cello Shots is such a visceral experience. It feels like life, a natural pace that transitions to heights that everyone chases to feel alive. It is a beautiful song. Holy Christ! I'm all about Rain Monsters. I don't dance much but Rain Monsters makes me want to move, it makes me see images of travel, different countries, a montage of myriad experiences in a wild array of foreign places. These songs are so, so, good!" – Mark Smith, Two Penguins Productions