THURS JUNE 18

L.I.A.R. w/Deadwitch, Worthless Eaters, Pavel Chekov; Black Water Bar, 835 NE Broadway

Portland punks L.I.A.R. formed four years ago and made a name for themselves for being impudent brats of the underground. They had a hilarious habit of publicly asking to hop on bills with bands like Ceremony over Facebook event pages, and were infamously banned from the now nonexistent all-ages venue Backspace (a fact which seemed way more glamorous to me when I was 19—now it just makes me sentimental). Their lone studio recording, the self-explanatory 2012 Demo, is moody, urgent, political punk which documents the band at their most unseasoned, and consequently, most vital. The group officially reformed earlier this year with a new lineup in tow and are apparently hard at work on new recordings (which, if their recent live performances are any indicator, will rule). 



SUN JUNE 21

Chicago; Oregon Zoo, 4001 SW Canyon

I'm not gonna go so far as to say that Chicago's entire discography is begging for critical reevaluation, or even that the group is misunderstood. The long-standing "rock and roll band with horns" is easy to make fun of (because, conceptually, it's very stupid) and everything Chicago ever did after 1972's Chicago V is completely inconsequential—BUT, assuming you have the patience to look past their '70s AOR patina and the obnoxious faux-jazz detours, Chicago also produced some really, really good songs. Their second album resides somewhere between "good" and "classic" territory: One time I put "Colour My World" on a mix for a girl who never called me back (life is tough), and the classic "25 or 6 to 4" is former guitarist/gun enthusiast Terry Kath's finest recorded moment (Kath's abilities were purportedly envied by Jimi fucking Hendrix). On Fathers' Day the group performs at the Zoo in a castrated state, featuring founding vocalist/keyboardist Robert Lamm and some other guys.