On Friday, June 11, the summer sun beat down on Matanuska Brewing’s Eagle River location. But the threat of sunburns didn’t deter several hundred fans from turning out to share pints with two of Alaska’s prodigal sons—Zachary Carothers and Eric Howk. Part of the Grammy-winning indie rock band, Portugal. The Man, Carothers, and Howk were back in Alaska promoting their upcoming Alaska State Fair performance on August 21. Their short trip was a whirlwind, highlighted by seemingl

Legend has it that Vanniversary was founded by a group of traveling pandas in the 1800s. Well, that’s the tongue-in-cheek story the event’s creator, Jay Straw, likes to tell. In truth, the story behind the inaugural 12-hour musical smorgasbord has to do with the purchase of a sound system and small eight-foot stage. When Nicki and Van Hale purchased King’s X in 2017, they immediately rebranded, and Van’s Dive Bar was born. But Van’s wasn’t immediately the haven for local musi