We’re excited to be back at Swan Dive for the next installment of the Outset Series, featuring an evening of experimental performance, noise, spoken word, and improvisation.

Wednesday, August 19, 2026
7:00 PM • Joe von Appen
7:30 PM • Billy
Jam Session to Follow

Swan Dive
727 SE Grand Ave, Portland, OR 97214

$10 suggested donation, sliding scale NOTAFLAF

Since the early 2000s, Portland writer, actor, and solo performer Joe von Appen has presented his surreal, darkly comic character monologues at venues including On the Boards in Seattle and Highways Performance Space in Santa Monica. Described as “a morbidly comic tour of American desire and delusion” and “a massive inside out hallucination,” his recent work adapts these fever-driven performances to live music settings, combining spoken word with warped ambient soundscapes.

Billy is the experimental noise project of Portland musician Rose Moore. Using no-input mixing, spoken word, and harsh industrial textures, Billy explores themes of isolation, depression, and personal vulnerability. Moore is also the creator of The Ensemble, an ongoing round-robin improvisation project that has brought together improvisers in Portland and Berlin.

Following the performances, we’ll open the room for a community jam session. Bring an instrument, join in, or simply stay and listen.