WEDNESDAY 11/9
TORO Y MOI, THE MATTSON 2
(Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell) Read our story on Toro Y Moi.
RAE SREMMURD, LIL YACHTY, EEARZ, BOBO SWAE, IMPXCT
(Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside) Any hip-hop lover searching for the freshest vibrations in the Southern youth movement should look no further than Mississippiâs Rae Sremmurd. The two brothers zapped into the national consciousness in 2014 with âNo Flex Zoneâ and âNo Type,â two ominously spaced-out radio jams that introduced the world to Slim Jxmmi and Swae Leeâs squeaky bravado and the subwoofer genius of a Mike Will Made It production. Since then, the duoâs cavalier youthfulness and energetic performances have continued resonating with a growing fanbase while agitating grumpy old-school purists. The same critics dismiss Atlantaâs Lil Yachty by glibly describing his music as âmumble rap.â But itâs hard not to love Yachty, from his laconic and infectious lyrics to his bright red braids. CHRIS SUTTON
NATASHA KMETO, CRATER, MAARQUII
(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) Portlandâs Natasha Kmeto is one of the rare electronic musicians whose innate powers as a vocalist are equal to those sheâs honed as a producer. Kmetoâs deep, soulful voice is nestled unassumingly into her older songsâ production, but last yearâs Inevitable brought her powerful singing to the forefront. The shift in focus benefits a more pop-oriented record than anything in her back catalog, and firmly casts Inevitable as a strong, emotionally centered follow-up to 2013âs Crisis. Where Crisis documents a time of upheaval, romantic turmoil, and the fallout Kmeto experienced in coming out as queer, Inevitable sees her turn and face the world with confidence. Standout âI Thought You Had a Boyfriendâ opens with some of the albumâs more abstract production as Kmeto navigates a confusing romantic encounter before oscillating synths and the belted refrain transform the track into a dance floor anthem. NATHAN TUCKER
THIRSTY CITY: VURSATYL, MIC CAPES, KARMA RIVERA, SLICK DEVIOUS, DJ LAMAR LEROY, DJ DEENA BEE
(The Know, 2026 NE Alberta) For more than two years, the Knowâa longtime haven for the crustiest and gnarliest metal and punk bandsâhas hosted the monthly showcase Thirsty City, showcasing local and touring hip-hop, rap, and other electro-alchemists. Tonight sadly marks the final installment of Thirsty City before the Knowâs Alberta location closes at the end of the month (unless the showcase continues at the Knowâs new spot on NE Sandy). But theyâre turning all the way up for this one. In addition to sets from up-and-coming emcee Karma Rivera and space-rapper Slick Devious, tonight brings together veteran emcee Vursatylâfrom iconic Portland group Lifesavasâand Mic Capes, who is on track to assuming the mantle of a new generation of Portland hip-hop. With DJ sets by the always-on-point Deena Bee and Lamar LeRoy, tonight isnât so much the end of an era as it is a celebration of a new one. SANTI ELIJAH HOLLEY
THURSDAY 11/10
THE LAST ARTFUL, DODGR, MIC CAPES, FOUNTAINE, DONTE THOMAS, TON JUNGIR
(The Liquor Store, 3341 SE Belmont) This is what weâre talking about. Fresh off the despair of the 2016 election, the Liquor Store hosts the sort of great-sounds-meet-amazing-art event this town needs more of. Hit the basement for a collection of the cityâs premier emcees (Dodgr, Fountaine and Mic Capes among them), and ogle the Technicolor talents of Sarai Lopez at the ArtxSarai art sale while youâre at it. DIRK VANDERHART
MS. LAURYN HILL, SEUN KUTI
(Keller Auditorium, 222 SW Clay) The career of hip-hop icon Ms. Lauryn Hill is full of stops and starts: Sheâs released just one studio album, 1998âs The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, and is known for cancelling shows at the last minute (hold your breath, Portland). But nearly 20 years after her debut, Hillâs blissed-out harmonies continue to age into well-worn but never exhausted classics. CIARA DOLAN Also see Sneaker Wave.
CALIDORE STRING QUARTET
(Winningstad Theatre, 1111 SW Broadway) Back in 2010, four students at a music conservatory in LA joined forces to create the Calidore String Quartet, and theyâve been selling out prestigious concert halls around the world ever since. Tonight this smoking-hot chamber group finds itself in town with cello, viola, and fiddles in hand, primed to illuminate the lives of listeners with masterpieces by Haydn and Mendelssohnâtwo brilliant composers with the sunniest of musical dispositions. If modern sounds are more your thing, the eveningâs stellar set list also includes the Pacific Northwest premiere of a 2016 work by Pulitzer Prize-winning artist Caroline Shaw. If youâre lucky enough to attend, please prepare for a night that spans centuries, breaks hearts, and blows minds. BRIAN HORAY
BASS & FLOW: DEAFMIND, MIC MAR, SEAN P B2B APPROACHING SANITY, PENNYWEIGHT, BRYSON, THE ALIEN, SLING
(Lolaâs Room in the Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside) Bryson, the Alienâs trippy, outsider hip-hop is equal parts emotional and playful. The Portland musician experiments with vocal effects and beats that draw from slow, cinematic jazz samples and Super Mario-inspired synth. On his latest single, ânew york.,â Bryson spins a narrative about eating an edible at an art gallery and meeting an enigmatic artist from Staten Island within a lush, jazzy keyboard melody and spurts of saxophone. The single (produced by Jonny Cool) details the beautiful mundanities of falling in love as collaborator Mai Mae delivers ghostly, reverb-laden harmonies. But embedded in the track is Brysonâs declarative statement of self-loveââJust a Midwest kid on a mission/Feelinâ like Iâm what the game missinâ.â This serves as a thesis statement for the Ohio-bred rapper, who burst onto the scene this year with a debut solo mixtape, hVil mVry, and songs on two Semi-OK Collective mixes. CAMERON CROWELL
FRIDAY 11/11
FLUFF AND GRAVY RECORDS 5-YEAR ANNIVERSARY: HILLSTOMP, CEDAR TEETH, MIKE COYKENDALL
(Star Theater, 13 NW 6th) Over the course of just five years, Fluff and Gravy Records have built one of the most solid rosters in Portland music. The recording studio and labelâhelmed and curated by Vacilandoâs John Shepskiâcelebrates their wood anniversary with four shows over three days, featuring 13 bands and musicians who are either on or friends with the label. Local luminary Mike Coykendall, gut-bucket blues band Hillstomp, and Oregon Music Hall of Famer Fernando Viciconte share stages with the next generation of accomplished songwriters, from Catherine Feeny and Chris Johnedis, to singer/composer and Oregon Book Awards finalist Nick Jaina, to grievous balladeer Jeffrey Martin. This may also be the last chance to catch the great Richmond Fontaine before they hang up their hats for good. You could pop into any one of these shows and leave satisfied, but with a weekend pass youâll also walk away with 5 Years of Gravy, a compilation disc of five yearsâ worth of unreleased tracks by the labelâs artists. SANTI ELIJAH HOLLEY
KRIS KRISTOFFERSON
(Newmark Theatre, 1111 SW Broadway) Kris Kristofferson turned 80 this past June, but entering his sixth decade of songwriting the legendary outlaw countryman shows few signs of slowing down. This year alone heâs been inducted into the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame and received the Woody Guthrie Prize. Few of his albums were commercial successes, save for his 1970 debut Kristofferson and his supergroup collaboration with the Highwaymen. Tales of alcoholic down-and-outers (âSunday Morning Coming Downâ), lost love (âJody and the Kidâ), and scoundrels (âThe Pilgrim, Chapter 33â) are the backbone of his oeuvre, but Kristoffersonâs acting career has been just as bountiful, having appeared in dozens of films since the â70s. His latest tour is another victory lap of sorts, though Kristofferson also released the Cedar Creek Sessions double LP earlier this year. RYAN J. PRADO
SATURDAY 11/12
DESCENDENTS, BULLY, BROADWAY CALLS
(Roseland, 8 NW 6th) Read our interview with Milo Aukerman of Descendents.
FLUFF AND GRAVY RECORDS 5-YEAR ANNIVERSARY: RICHMOND FONTAINE, VACILANDO, NICK JAINA, JEFFREY MARTIN
(Dante's, 350 W Burnside) See Fridayâs preview.
PURLING HISS, THE LAVENDER FLU, THE WOOLEN MEN
(High Water Mark, 6800 NE MLK) Purling Hiss started out as a solo project from left-of-center guitarist Mike Polizze, but has now evolved into a full-on rock band. With hook-heavy songs characterized by guitars that jangle more than explode, the group continues to smooth out the rough edges of their rock ânâ roll sound. But thereâs a part of me that misses the unhinged, overblown weirdness of tracks like âMidnight Man,â from the bandâs 2011 Lounge Lizards EP. Thereâs still no mistaking Purling Hiss, even on their most recent and accessible record, High Bias, but the trio has definitely settled into the kind of garage rock thatâs been losing its thrill in the past decade. Perhaps after another pop record or two, Polizze will get the urge to unleash something with sharper teeth. Until then, live performances might be your only opportunity to get drenched by Purling Hissâ guitar hysterics. MARK LORE
STURGILL SIMPSON, THE LONDON SOULS
(Keller Auditorium, 222 SW Clay) Sturgill Simpson's 2014 album Metamodern Sounds in Country Music was a left-field blockbuster in every way, shape, and form. A near-perfect slice of super-likeable, slightly psychedelic throwback country, the record raked in effusive reviews and propelled Simpson from little-known fringe artist to theater-filling powerhouse. Once the dust settled, Nashville had a new next great hope, and he was left with the daunting task of recording a follow-up. His third album, A Sailorâs Guide to Earth, came out last spring, and it's an expensive-sounding amalgam of roots-rock, vintage soul influences, swollen string sections, and Simpson's easy way with melody and emotion. Any skepticism about his artistic vision or long-term viability can be shelved; this guy's seriously got the goods. Tonight, he'll play a room in Portland that holds about 3,000 people, and it'll be a packed house. BEN SALMON
VEKTOR, BLACK FAST, WERESQUATCH
(The Raven, 3100 NE Sandy) I regret to inform all metal bands that Philadelphia thrash cosmonauts Vektor have done it again. If you havenât heard, or just didnât feel the shockwave when it crashed to Earth as if jettisoned from some otherworldly spacecraft, Vektor released a new full-length this year called Terminal Redux. When Vektor releases a record, it pretty much signals a vast leap forward in all things creative, innovative, or otherwise expansive for the metal genre. Terminal Redux is no different. Itâs 10 tracks and over 73 minutes of speeds, rhythms, and time signatures youâve only had nightmares about trying to play. There are dual guitar harmonies so brutal, strange, dissonant, and beautiful that even with six extra strings and a few extra digits, youâd probably still need a lifetime to figure them out. Oh, did I mention itâs a concept album that also has choral arrangements? Yeah, Vektor has again dwarfed all of your musical efforts and talents. Now itâs time to scrap everything and start over. Sorry. ARIS HUNTER WALES
SUNDAY 11/13
DREAM. DO. DAZZLE: A CELEBRATION OF LISA LEPINE: ED AND THE BOATS, CHERVONA, THRILLBILLY, & MORE
(Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside) Portlandâs beloved âProMotion Queenâ Lisa Lepine worked for nearly three decades in the cityâs music communities as a promoter, publicist, band manager, and booker for the McMenamins organization. The late Lepine also fostered the Laurelthirst Pubâs roots community in the â90s. Following her untimely death this past July (due to complications from uterine cancer surgery), tonightâs memorial show serves as a celebration of her life, with performances from more than 20 of her former clients. All proceeds from ticket and merch sales will benefit the Jeremy Wilson Foundationâs Lisa Lepine Musicians Relief Fund, which aims to support local musicians and their families in the wake of medical emergencies. CIARA DOLAN
FLUFF AND GRAVY RECORDS 5-YEAR ANNIVERSARY: FERNANDO, THE HILL DOGS, DAN STUART AND TOM HEYMAN, KEVIN LEE FLORENCE
(Star Theater, 13 NW 6th) See Fridayâs preview.
MONDAY 11/14
JENNY HVAL, MATTRESS
(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) On her brand-new record, Blood Bitch, Norwegian avant-garde musician Jenny Hval coolly sings about bloodâspecifically menstrual blood (periods!! I said periods!!). Thereâs also a super-meta track called âThe Great Undressingâ where Hval announces her album is about vampires. Either way, this latest effort finds her burrowing further into the depths of spacey pop that sounds like itâs coming from an ice cave. CIARA DOLAN Read our story on Jenny Hval.
THE GOTOBEDS, PRIVATE ROOM
(Bunk Bar, 1028 SE Water) The latest from the Gotobedsâthe very punnily titled Blood//Sugar//Secs//Trafficâis the bandâs second full-length and debut for Sub Pop. Itâs also a serious contender for 2016âs punk album of the year. Like the Replacements at art school, or a jocular keg party at a private liberal arts college, the Gotobeds make jittery, anxious guitar rackets under shouted one-liners from vocalist/guitarist Eli Kasan like âFuck Rolling Stone/That trash rag.â The album mixes the artsy feel of British bands like the Fall or Swell Maps with the tallboy reputation of the groupâs hometown of Pittsburgh. Funnier than Mission of Burma and less aloof than Pavement, the Gotobeds inject much-needed blood into the seemingly moribund indie rock and punk scenes of 2016. WILLIAM KENNEDY
TUESDAY 11/15
A TRIBE CALLED RED
(Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell) In the wake of No DAPL protests, the message of Ottawaâs A Tribe Called Red couldnât come at a better time. The First Nation DJ trio describes their sound as âpowwow step,â a meld of traditional powwow singing with house, dancehall, and hip-hop. Their latest release, We Are the Halluci Nation, features a diverse group of artists, including Yasiin Bey (formerly Mos Def), throat singer Tanya Tagaq, Toronto-based Colombian singer Lido Pimienta, and readings from the late indigenous poet John Trudell. Thereâs no question that ATCRâs protest music wants to start a conversation about indigenous rights with everyone, not just native listenersâitâs a collaborative effort to share their cultural ideology. Thatâs why tracks like âR.E.D.,â which features Yasiin Bey, Iraqi Canadian emcee Narcy, and Black Bear resonate so powerfully. JENĂ ETHERIDGE