demo

Monday, March 10, 2025

Monqui Presents:

mxmtoon

liminal space tour

Luna Li

7pm doors, 8:30pm show

$32.50 Advance, $35 Day Of

All ages welcome

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mxmtoon

mxmtoon

Since she was 17-years-old, mxmtoon has made exquisitely catchy pop songs that capture the kind of complex and tender feelings we often keep hidden from the world. Over the years, the Oakland native and now Nashville-based artist’s unguarded self-expression has earned her a devoted global following, led to collaborations with the likes of Carly Rae Jepsen and Noah Kahan, and propelled her through an expansive career that’s also included hosting a podcast and authoring a pair of graphic novels. Now 24, mxmtoon found her relationship to songwriting profoundly transformed in the making of her third album liminal space, a body of work informed by a period of major upheaval and uncertainty in her family life. When met with a bigger and bolder sound threaded with elements of folk and indie-rock—achieved thanks to her all-female creative team —the result is an up-close exploration of what she sums up as “the messy, dark, complicated, and also very beautiful chaos inherent in mother-daughter relationships.”

“From the beginning I wanted this album to be about familial bonds,” says singer/songwriter otherwise known as Maia. “Then last year my mom was diagnosed with cancer, which solidified that idea and led me to dive deeper into our relationship. I watched her face and live through something so unexpected, and I ended up building the album around questions like, ‘How do we as people cope with tremendous amounts of change?’” To that end, the title to liminal space refers to the unnervingly surreal quality that defines moments of transition. “After my mom’s diagnosis, I felt like I was navigating an endless hallway with no clue how to get out,” she says. “The idea of liminality became a theme for the album: so many of the songs have to do with decision-making, and either turning away from hard decisions or leaning into them more fully.”

The follow-up to rising—a 2022 LP praised by The Guardian as “the smart teen-movie soundtrack gen Z never had”—liminal space finds mxmtoon working with co-producers Carrie K (Noah Kahan, Suki Waterhouse) and Chloe Kraemer (The Japanese House, Wet Leg) and bringing a newfound sense of agency to the album’s creative direction. “In the past I’ve had this perception of myself as not being capable of leading the charge in the studio, but this time I finally felt ready to step into that role,” says Maia. “Because of that, this record feels the most true to me out of anything I’ve ever done.” Mixed by Laura Sisk (Lana Del Rey, Troye Sivan) and mastered by Heba Kadry (Björk, Beach House), liminal space emerged from a creative environment in which she felt entirely free to follow her instincts while pushing through certain deep-rooted fears. “For the first time I challenged myself to play a lot of the instruments—which was pretty daunting, but I felt so much more comfortable than I ever had in the studio,” says Maia, who plays piano, guitar, and banjo on the album. “It’s so rare to be surrounded by other women while you’re working, and every day felt like summer camp in the most healing and positive way. I knew from the start that if I was going to tell stories about girlhood and womanhood, I wanted to involve people who’d innately understand that experience, but it turned out to be even more gratifying than I ever expected.”

One of the first songs written for liminal space, a breezy but wistful track called “rain” set the tone for the album’s narrative-driven lyricism. “That song came from a time when I was struggling with whether to leave New York and move back home to California after my mother’s diagnosis,” says Maia, who co-wrote “rain” with Kraemer and singer/songwriter ROSIE. “It almost felt like a betrayal of self to make a decision that went against what my family wanted, but getting to that level of vulnerability in the writing process helped me work through everything I was feeling.” With its lilting piano melodies and gilded guitar tones, “rain” also served as a breakthrough in embracing a more organic aesthetic in the album’s production. “My last record was very dancey and rhythmic and pop-leaning, but ‘rain’ felt closer to the more stripped-down indie music I’ve listened to for a long time now,” says Maia. “It felt like a good first step toward making what I wanted to hear, instead of focusing on what other people might expect of me.”

Although much of liminal space dives into nuanced questions of self-realization and faith and the work of setting emotional limits, mxmtoon imbues her storytelling with plenty of playful humor and idiosyncratic detail, revealing the dazzling expanse of her inner world. On “i hate texas”—a fiddlelaced track co-written with April Harper Grey, aka Underscores—she shares a post-breakup escape fantasy whose lyrics slip from sweetly poetic (“I haven’t left my apartment in a real long time/I’m making friends with the stars at night”) to unapologetically blunt (“i hate texas/But the exits have more room to run away from you”). “Working on ‘i hate texas’ felt like when I first started making music, like I was completely in my element,” Maia recalls. “I felt inspired to get a little sarcastic and write a song with some kick to it, just as pure fun.” Meanwhile, on “the situation,” Sarah Midori of Kero Kero Bonito lends her angelic vocals to a tongue-in-cheek but strangely exhilarating meditation on mortality and gender. “When we came up with that song I was thinking about death and the life cycle, and how women are constantly told that at some point we’ll peak and after that it’s all downhill,” says Maia, whose co-writers included Morgan Nagler (Phoebe Bridgers, Madi Diaz). “It’s a horrific idea but it’s the reality of the situation, so we decided to make that the hook.”

Mainly recorded at Carrie’s home studio in Nashville, liminal space ultimately finds mxmtoon returning to the insular approach of her early work (including the many songs she self-recorded in her family’s guest room and posted to SoundCloud) while shaping each track with a newly heightened confidence and clarity of vision. “I remember being in a session for this record and wondering if I should ask my co-writer if the melody I’d just written was good enough—and then telling myself, ‘If it feels good, let’s just trust it and move on,’” she says. “Throughout the whole process, I was very conscious of allowing myself to sit with the songs and make sure that I loved them as they were, rather than showing them to other people right away and letting their opinions weigh too heavily against my own.” In a particularly meaningful shift from her previous projects, she also deliberately held off on sharing the album with her family. “In the past I’ve always let my parents into the process every step of the way,” says Maia. “With this record there were certain songs I was nervous to share with my mom, and I wanted to make sure to show her in person instead of just sending off a text. But at the end of the day, she loves this record more than anything I’ve ever made, which is so encouraging to me. It’s shown me that something can be so scary and overwhelming in the moment, but then turn into something beautiful in the end.”

By the time she’d completed her most emotionally intense and ambitious work to date, mxmtoon arrived at a more elevated perspective on the infinitely strange experience of making her way through the world. “For a while I wanted these songs to sound like I was resolved and had worked out the answers to everything, but eventually I realized I can’t expect that of myself,” says Maia. “I hope when people hear the album it helps them to see that understanding yourself is a never ending process, and that you deserve the time and space to be lost in it. It’s a little terrifying but it’s also really freeing, and I think those two things can absolutely exist together as one.”

Luna Li

Luna Li

Listening to Luna Li is the moment you hang suspended between dream and a haziness, or when you're dancing through a slight tipsiness. You feel beautiful, confident, happy. This is  Luna Li and she's here to help you love.

Born and raised in Toronto and a multi-instrumentalist - she plays the guitar, keyboards, violin and harp as well as providing all the vocals - Li's musical background is split between multiple paths.

Growing up within the disciplined rigour of trained classical music, she ultimately dropped out of studying violin at Montreal's McGill University aged 18; inspired by her boyfriend's band and the burgeoning garage rock scene back home, she initially subdued her learnt skills.

"But as I spent more time playing shows and writing music I realized that the classical side really is a huge part of me that I still really love" she says. "I'd grown up around a community of teachers at my mom's partner's music school and it was always great having the freedom to try out different instruments and take different kinds of lessons over the years."

So it is that Luna Li has re-connected with her roots. You only need to watch the artist's jams videos - that regularly reach 200,000 viewers on TikTok and have topped one million plays on Twitter before - or her 88rising's ASIA RISING FOREVER Livestream (Beabadoobee, Mxmtoon, Rich Brian, etc.), which received over 7.75M+ livestream views and was #1 trending worldwide on Twitter to get a sense of the fluidity with which she moves between each instrument's language.

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Events

The Crystal Ballroom

1332 W. Burnside
Portland OR 97209
(503) 225-0047
Contact us

Where On Any Night, Anything Can Happen!!

In these walls...

The historic Crystal Ballroom -- now over a century old -- is one of those rare concert halls that can point to a proud, diverse history while also laying claim to an ongoing musical legacy. Every time you enter this majestic ballroom, let your imagination sense the tremors resonating from a century's worth of gatherings, and realize that you are joining a thriving, generations-long procession of show-goers. Welcome!

 

Tech Specs

Floor and stage plan
PDF download

Lighting diagram 
PDF download

Sound manifest
Crystal:
PDF download
Lola's Room: 
PDF download

Technical and logistical packet
For Crystal Ballroom & Lola's Room
PDF download

Ballroom height and beam-to-beam dimensions
16' 11" from beam to floor
19' 11" from floor to ceiling
14' 6" in between beams

Promoter Info

Rental Expenses To Outside Promoters

RENT VARIES, PLEASE CONTACT A BOOKING COORDINATOR
$900  SOUND & LIGHTS
$365  PRODUCTION MANAGER ($54.75/hr OT)
$255  STAGE MANAGER ($38.32/hr OT)
$255  FOH TECHNICIAN ($38.32/hr OT)
$255  MONITOR ENGINEER ($38.32/hr OT)
$255  LIGHTING DIRECTOR ($38.32/hr OT)
$150  HOSPITALITY ($20/hr OT) [mileage is 33 cents per mile]
$1,000*  SECURITY ($100/hr OT)
$100  BOX OFFICE STAFF ($20/hr OT)
$200  ADMINISTRATION FEE
$ ----  PARKING HOODS
$ ----  CHAIR RENTAL ($2 per chair)
$ ----  ADVERTISING
$500  PIPE AND DRAPE/BARRICADE
$175  STAGEHANDS
$ ----  BOX OFFICE CREDIT CARD FEE (3% of Box Credit Card Sales)

* Security cost is an estimate. Additional security may be required depending on the nature of the event. 

Overtime: All expenses incurred by the Crystal Ballroom for Catering, Advertising, requested stagehands, overtime (anything over 10 hours), backline, barricade, risers, etc. will be added to total rental rate.

Deposits: A non-refundable 50% room deposit and a $2,500 'untenured promoter fee' (UPF) is due immediately in order to secure the room. If ticket sales exceed 500 the 'UPF' will be refunded; if ticket sales are below 500 the room keeps the entire $2,500 to make up for less than 1/3 capacity and corresponding lack of sales. The 'UPF' will not be refunded if the event cancels within 60 days of the event.

Settlement: Venue will pay renter with a company check at the immediate conclusion of door sales. Venue will not provide any cash at settlement.

Late Night Fee: There is a $1,000/hour additional fee for any events after 3 a.m. We may also require additional security for events of that nature.

Merchandise: Merch rate is 20% they sell. We can provide a seller with advance notice and will keep 30% of sales. The outside promoter will receive no revenue from the merchandise as that is the prerogative of the house. House keeps a percentage of all transactions.

Tickets: All tickets must be placed through the venue onto the Cascade Tickets system. All comps, label buys, and holds must be approved by the venue. There is a $2/ticket venue fee at the Box Office.

Refunds: All refunds will be directed to the outside promoter. In the absence of an outside promoter representative, the venue shall use its own discretion regarding refunds and all refunds shall be deducted from settlement.

Insurance and Licenses: Renter must provide liability insurance not less than $1,000,000 for any single occurrence naming McMenamins Inc. d.b.a. Crystal Ballroom as additionally insured. Tickets will not be placed on sale until binder is received. Promoter is responsible for all ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC fees.

Production Advance: Performers or their representative must contact venue's production manager 5 days prior to the event in order to advance production needs, otherwise runner will arrive at 6 p.m. and all rider items/requests will be greatly limited if provided at all.

Layout: The Crystal Ballroom is located on the 3rd floor. The first floor is Ringlers Restaurant and the 2nd floor is Lola's Room, both of which may have a public or private event simultaneously with the Crystal.

Cancellation/Postponement: The contract covers the specified event for the specified date. No substitution will be accepted for a cancellation. If the event is postponed the room deposit will be transferred to the date of the new event but the $2,500 'UPF' will be applied toward the date of the originally scheduled show and an additional $2,500 will be required in order to reschedule.

Capacity: The venue's capacity is 1500*. All artist and promoter guests and comps will be deducted from sellable. Comp and guest space must be reserved in advance. House is entitled to 20 guests. House guests will not effect sellable. Promoter must have guest list to house no later than 2 hours prior to doors. VIP cap is 25.

* Seated capacity is 850. Seated shows must be 21 and over. There is a $2/chair rental fee.

Venue and corporate sponsor banners may be present during event.

Marketing your event at the Crystal Ballroom

Please contact Mike Walker for information about marketing your event through McMenamins resources.

Box Office

Please note! Both the Crystal Ballroom and Lola's Room specialize in open-floor shows with a very limited amount of seats. The rare seated events will be clearly denoted as such, within the event description on our schedule page.

Box Office Information

Tickets for all McMenamins shows are ticketed by Cascade Tickets, and may be purchased at the Crystal box office (located under the Crystal's awning) and McMenamins Edgefield, by phone at 1-855-CAS-TIXX, or by clicking the "Buy Tickets" link located at the event listing on our schedules.

Tickets bought directly at the Crystal box office or any of our four ticket outlets will only incur a $1 facility charge. (Please note! Tickets to Edgefield Concerts on the Lawn will incur additional service fees.)

Crystal Ballroom Box Office Hours 
Daily, 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The box office is open later on nights when there is a performance.

The box office accepts cash, VISA, MasterCard, American Express and DiscoverCard.

Will Call

Will call is located at the box office.

Refunds

All ticket purchases are non-refundable.

Parking

There are three pay lots nearby, and street parking is available.

Accessibility

Those with disabilities may call (503 225 0047) or email in advance to arrange early admittance.

There is an elevator located in the lobby.

Hold your Private Event at Crystal Ballroom

Weddings  Meetings  Social Events

The Crystal Ballroom is a truly awe-inspiring venue with its vaulted ceilings, grand chandeliers, giant wallscapes and famous "floating" dance floor. Accommodating groups from 100 to 1000 people, this 7,500-square-foot space includes access to the Ballroom's classic corner stage, floor-to-ceiling windows, swooping balcony, and full bar service.

Tucked in the Crystal’s second story is Lola’s Room accommodating events of up to 200 guests.  Lola’s comes with a handsome fully stocked bar, original artwork, and a floating dance floor all it’s own.

For overnight accommodations, our Crystal Hotel is just a block away!

Contact our sales team to inquire or book your event.
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Art

Artwork plays an important role in the character of McMenamins locations throughout Oregon and Washington. We believe art makes life richer and more enjoyable. So, you'll often find paintings covering our walls, ceilings doors, overhead pipes, and equipment -- works as diverse and entertaining as our places for family and friends. Many artists have contributed to this vast variety of delightful eye candy. Jump in and enjoy some now!

History

 

 

Explore the Crystal Blocks

Our Crystal Hotel and legendary Crystal Ballroom are just across the street from each other, each offering their own unique spaces for live music, Northwest style fare and McMenamins hand crafted beverages.  Explore these properties and all they have to offer. 

Crystal Ballroom Property

Crystal Ballroom  Lola's Room  Ringlers Pub  Crystal Brewery

Crystal Hotel Property

Crystal Hotel  Al's Den  Ringlers Annex  Zeus Cafe

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