My Favorite Portlander's Version of Portland
How a Brazilian rock and roll musician perfectly captures the essence of this city.
To ring in the new year this 2026, I knew I didn’t want to stay home. But I also didn’t want to get drunk at a bar like any other Saturday, so that night I found myself at Johnny Franco (and his “real brother” Dom)’s New Year’s Eve show at McMenamin’s Mission Theater—to me, it feels like a fantastic hidden gem of a small venue, but it could also be very well known amongst other music lovers in Portland.
Johnny Franco has become known in Portland as the weekly host of a summer-long concert series in Laurelhurst Park, along with various one-off appearances at music festivals and local bars. Recently, his band has been landing indoor venue gigs in cool spots like the Hopscotch immersive art installation and The Old Church Concert Hall.
For his first ever New Year’s Eve special this year, like many of his shows, it wasn’t limited to strictly music performances. There’s always various improvised comedic elements and theatrical experiences that happen throughout his concerts. I don’t even quite know how to describe these in detail, but there’s a reason he’s a self-proclaimed “Professional Entertainer” and not just a musician. You’ll just have to go watch him to find out what I mean.
One of my favorite parts of the show was a video screening that he and his brother Dom wrote and directed for the special, which was an endearing ode to Portland. Set on some gloomy beautiful stretch of the Oregon coast, Johnny perfectly captures the essence of Portland in a monologue about the city’s lesser noticed features. I don’t want to spoil it for you, but a couple of my favorite moments he describes are the smell of bread that rolls out of the Franz Bakery and the tap water here.
As someone who has also lived in Portland for about as long as Johnny Franco has (close to seven years now), the video serves as a pleasant reminder for why I still love being here for as long as I have been. For however long you’ve been in Portland, if you ever feel jaded about this city, I hope these small details help you remember why it’s still a fantastic place—especially as we come out of another winter.
You can fast forward to 2:45 if you want to get straight into the monologue.
 | A guest post by
|