Mississippi Studios Portland, OR Words & photos by James Sissler Swatkins & The Positive Agenda celebrated the release of their debut album at Portland’s Mississippi Studios Saturday with support from fellow hometown heavyweight Jarrod Lawson and Amenta Abioto. Comprised of some of the top voices from Portland’s neo-soul scene, The Positive Agenda embodies the vision of its charismatic leader, keyboardist and talkbox virtuoso Steveland Swatkins, who also plays keys with Allen Stone. The group has performed their joyous brand of soulful funk sporadically over the past few years, building anticipation for their first release, simply entitled The Positive Agenda EP . The night began with a solo set by multi-instrumentalist and looping artist Amenta Abioto, whose music features conscious lyrics over hypnotic African and hip hop-inspired rhythms. Using a mix of live instruments, vocals, and pre-recorded loops, she played a short set of original songs culminating in a theatri