WEDNESDAY 9/14

XENIA RUBINOS, BLOSSOM, TAY SEAN
(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) Read our story on Xenia Rubinos.

THURSDAY 9/15

CFM, SLEEPING BEAUTIES, MOPE GROOVES
(The Know, 2026 NE Alberta) After years of playing guitar in Ty Segall’s myriad projects like Perverts, Ty Segall Band, Fuzz, and recently, GØGGS, Charles Moothart has gone solo with his new band, CFM. It’s no surprise that Moot-hart’s April debut, Still Life of Citrus and Slime, builds off fire-breathing fuzz and serpentine guitar riffs that aren’t unlike what he’s played in the past. CFM lacks the twisted, experimental genius that made Segall’s latest exploit with the Muggers such an acquired taste, but Still Life serves an extra course of the decadently sludgy, guitar-worshipping rock you probably didn’t know you wanted on tracks like “Lunar Heroine.” While Moothart’s record is good, I can personally vouch for CFM’s potency live—they opened for Ty Segall and the Muggers at the Aladdin last January and almost (almost) stole the show from the fuzz king himself. CIARA DOLAN

FRIDAY 9/16

BIBI BOURELLY, PJ
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) You would be forgiven for not recognizing Bibi Bourelly’s name, so here’s a quick primer: She’s collaborated with Kanye West, Selena Gomez, and Nick Brewer, recorded with Usher and Nas, and wrote the lyrics to Rihanna’s “Higher” and “Bitch Better Have My Money.” If that’s not enough reason to pay attention (or to feel awful about yourself), consider this: Bourelly did all of this before turning 21. Having proven herself a formidable songwriter, the German-born, multi-ethnic artist is out to establish herself as a singer in her own right. She released three singles of hip-hop-influenced R&B and pop, and her debut EP, Free the Real (Pt. 1), was released last May by Def Jam. As a young female artist, Bourelly inevitably must work twice as hard to gain respect, and as a result is almost compulsively concerned with addressing haters and naysayers. Though it may seem like her biggest concern should be her own obscurity, if things continue the way they have for Bourelly, soon she won’t have to worry about that, either. SANTI ELIJAH HOLLEY

MÁSCARAS, LITHICS, MØTRIK
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) After a short sabbatical, Máscaras is still shredding to the cielos and back. One part instrumental psych and three parts indigenous roots, tonight the trio of musical vets will debut an ode to the beloved venues of Portland’s past with the release of their new single, “Habesha.” The perfect substitution after you throw your Mt. Portland compilation in the trash, the song honors everyone’s favorite, most recently fallen Ethiopian restaurant/punk club. More broadly though, the band dedicates the track to “the people and places who encourage, engage in, and support creation.” Champions of the idea that more is indeed more, expect Máscaras to play sequences of stony, slimy surf that’ll seem never-ending, only to completely bum you out when they do inevitably come to a close. EMILLY PRADO

SATURDAY 9/17

COCO COLUMBIA, GLASYS, RARE DIAGRAM
(Alberta Street Pub, 1036 NE Alberta) Gil Assayas moved to Portland from Jerusalem about nine months ago, following the release of his EP The Pressure. Performing as GLASYS, Assayas swirls keyboard compositions that scratch your chameleonic Aja itches, extracting bold moments over five progressive pop gems. “The Great Abyss” bemoans the dangers of religious zealotry, as Assayas asks, “Who wants to live in a world where so many people who don’t even know I’m alive wish me to fall to the ground and be delivered to the dark abyss?” “No Chronic Pain, No Gain” quakes beneath sparkling piano and synth runs, culminating in a riotous prog-rock jam that’d make Geddy Lee blush. Assayas’ lyrics are pointed barbs, lending seriousness to his sermonizing throughout the EP, while a hybrid of meticulous jazz, prog, and pop arrangements coalesce for a wonderfully vibrant listen. RYAN J. PRADO

YAEL NAIM, SARA JACKSON-HOLMAN
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) Sara Jackson-Holman’s songs resonate quiet strength like maps that navigate loss and reconciliation. She owns and celebrates her reclusive nature, which has bred a fierce musical spirit. On her newest release, Didn’t Go to the Party, Jackson-Holman has stripped down, moving away from the heavily layered orchestral textures reminiscent of Florence and the Machine and Lana Del Rey in favor of a more tender sound. It’s raw and powerful, using space deliberately to amplify her voice in her most honest record yet. This is not a breakup album—it’s a record of crews and coven, a celebration of how we come back together when our communities shift. JENI WREN STOTTRUP

NAOMI PUNK, TALKATIVE, ICE QUEENS
(The Know, 2026 NE Alberta) Naomi Punk is what punk sounds like when it’s created in eerie, folksy seclusion miles away from civilization, but is turned up loud enough to signal something beyond the evergreen trees. The Olympia three-piece is a fixture in the Northwest underground punk, hardcore, and metal scenes, with a pair of stellar albums, The Feeling (2012) and Television Man (2014), recorded in various Washington garages and released on Brooklyn independent label Captured Tracks. Television Man was recorded with salvaged equipment from a former church recording studio. This might just sound like a sweet score, but this small detail reflects the dark and beautiful energy that brews behind a song like “Plastic World No. 6.” CAMERON CROWELL

KEVIN GREENSPON, DOLPHIN MIDWIVES, DON GERO
(S1, 4148 NE Hancock) Kevin Greenspon’s music could easily fall under the vast umbrella of ambient, but to these ears it sounds closer to that genre’s forbearer: new age. The lilt and lift of his gently processed guitar and the lush, enveloping tones of his synthesizers feel like the perfect accompaniment for spiritual elevation and meditative contemplation. Greenspon (who runs the fantastic LA-based Bridgetown Records label) will be aided in his live performances in Portland by the use of dual video projections that are synced with and simultaneously react to his playing. It should be a feast for the senses, with a little help from the brilliant local openers Dolphin Midwives and Don Gero. ROBERT HAM

SUNDAY 9/18

MRS. MAGICIAN, AH GOD, RAMBUSH
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) It’s hard out here for a rock band, y’all. The people want hip-hop and country music, the radio wants proven pop stars, and the music media wants whatever will earn the most clicks. Guitars are not cool right now. Boo-friggin’-hoo, I know. Rock bands had a good run, and now it’s someone else’s turn. None of that changes just how good (and overlooked) the new Mrs. Magician album is. Produced by John Reis (Drive Like Jehu, Rocket from the Crypt), Bermuda is a fun and punchy collision of power-pop’s charm, punk’s urgency, singer Jacob Turnbloom’s runaway angst, and surf rock’s distinctive bends and ripples. This is Mrs. Magician’s second full-length (and first in four years—same as Frank Ocean!) and it deserves a chance to snag your ears. BEN SALMON

LEE “SCRATCH” PERRY, SUBATOMIC SOUND SYSTEM, ALTER ECHO & E3
(Revolution Hall, 1300 SE Stark) In Lee “Scratch” Perry’s 60-year career, he’s helped pioneer reggae music (famously producing the first two Wailers albums to leave Jamaica), as well as dub music, sampling, and the concept of using a mixing board as an instrument. Few artists can claim to have had such a broad impact—his work has influenced generations of dub/reggae artists, home recording experimenters, down-tempo producers, hip-hop artists, and post-punk bands. While his releases from the ’70s are generally seen as his best work, Perry’s often overlooked 1986 album Battle of Armagideon (Millionaire Liquidator) has always been my favorite. It’s categorically a reggae album, but its unorthodox level of lyrical and musical play makes it more akin to albums like T. Rex’s Unicorn or Arthur Russell’s Calling Out of Context than anything to come from Jamaica before or since. It’s baffling and infectious, casual and often silly, an oddball masterpiece to challenge all other oddball masterpieces. JOSHUA JAMES AMBERSON

GARBAGE, CIGARETTES AFTER SEX
(Roseland, 8 NW 6th) Garbage was the odd band out when they released their self-titled debut album in 1995. Grunge was dying, but not before it spawned a slough of alterna-lite bands like Seven Mary Three and Better Than Ezra. Garbage—led by the fierce Shirley Manson—made music that was more refined and fussed over, although thematically they kept up with the times. They’ve operated on their terms ever since—this year’s Strange Little Birds is as layered and catchy as their debut, and Manson’s lyrical themes have turned even more introspective. But what the new material really illustrates is just how ahead of their time Garbage really were 20 years ago. MARK LORE

MONDAY 9/19

LYNNAE GRYFFIN, SHEERS
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) This special edition of our free monthly concert series Ear Candy is a double release show for two rising local acts, Lynnae Gryffin and Sheers. Gryffin’s EP Information is full of asymmetrical fuzz-rock, while Sheers’ art-pop EP is the duo’s self-titled debut. CIARA DOLAN Also read our review of Lynnae Gryffin’s Information.

LOCAL NATIVES, CHARLOTTE DAY WILSON
(Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside) Over the years, Local Natives have become the kind of popular indie band all your friends know and probably really love. Sunlit Youth, the band’s third LP, seems to follow a theme of growing up and accepting change, something we’ve seen before on their past records. Smooth Canadian singer Charlotte Day Wilson fuses subtle pop and sexy R&B, the kind that will put you in the right mood before the main act. If you missed Local Natives at their sold-out Doug Fir show back in June, be sure to get tickets soon because this one is sure to sell out too. GUADALUPE TRIANA

TUESDAY 9/20

PORCHES, JAPANESE BREAKFAST, RIVERGAZER
(Analog Café, 720 SE Hawthorne) Read our story on Porches.

BLINK-182, A DAY TO REMEMBER, THE ALL-AMERICAN REJECTS
(Sunlight Supply Amphitheater, 17200 NE Delfel, Ridgefield, WA) Read our story on Blink-182.

DEL THE FUNKY HOMOSAPIEN, RICHIE CUNNING, DJ BAD, DJ POE
(Star Theater, 13 NW 6th) Del the Funky Homosapien emerged from the ravaged West Coast gangsta rap detritus of the early ’90s as the antithesis to his hardcore cousin Ice Cube, choosing to wax poetic about cerebral matters instead of crack rocks and bullet-strewn neighborhoods. As one of the more visible members of progressive rap crew Hieroglyphics, his psychedelically tinted albums’ neon-lit vocabulary was the kindling that helped spark what was then a burgeoning “alternative rap” contingent. This attracted a wider skate-friendly fan base, and led to critically lauded collaborations with Gorillaz and ridiculously creative projects like Deltron 3030. Over the past few years Del’s output of fresh material has been relatively low, but this decreased productivity hasn’t taken away from the iconic stature of his unmistakable baritone or the masterfully kinetic energy of his shows. CHRIS SUTTON