World Cafe

Our Sense of Place Portland series focuses on the history of Portland, Ore. pop music as observed by longtime resident Terry Currier. He's uniquely qualified to survey the Portland music scene and the state of the record business because he owns Music Millennium, Portland's premier independent record store, where he has worked since 1972. He is also the founder of the Coalition of Independent Music Stores.

Imelda May began her affair with rockabilly early on in life — by the time she was 9, she'd already begun to emulate Elmore James and Billie Holiday. In 2007, after years of singing in clubs, May stole the spotlight with Love Tattoo. The 12-track collection shot to the #1 spot in Ireland, stealing the hearts of audiences and contemporaries the world over.

In this special World Cafe broadcast, we explore a side of Portland, Ore. with The Decemberists frontman Colin Meloy.

Hailing from New York, acoustic pop sensation Julia Nunes got her start posting videos on YouTube in 2006, playing covers from idols such as The Beatles, Ben Folds and The Beach Boys.

Hailing from the rain-soaked, indie folk hub that is Portland, Ore., the members of Y La Bamba are pretty far from their Latin inspirations. But this pop outfit is centered around the powerful, otherworldly vocals of Luz Elena Mendoza, and some of her main influences came from a childhood in Mexico — accordions, mariachi and Latin rhythms.