THURSDAY 1/17

FEDERATION X, TRIGGERS, THE FLESHIES, THE CHEEPS

(Satyricon, 125 SE 6th) Federation X, on Estrus Records, have an extremely full, hard, rock sound, with a kickass drummer who is constantly, furiously banging on something. Their songs move in a meticulous progression of increasing speed, accelerating like a crazy storm rolling in, peaking with the guitars and drums while the vocals are going insane--kind of like those videotapes people make of tornadoes hitting their houses. The hollow, metallic, affected voice of their vocalist is just plain cool. KATIE SHIMER

DJ e*rock

(Madame Butterfly, 425 SW Stark) I had a nightmare last night. In the nightmare, I went to the Ozone 50 percent off closing sale, and I couldn't find anything I wanted. My housemate Jon was there, and he lifted up a CD like it was a stinky sock, saying in a blasé voice, "Ooh. Rare Fugazi b-sides. Hmm," and carelessly tossed it back in the bin. It was fucking awful, and sad, just like it is so sad that Ozone is closing. I can almost guarantee that whatever goes in its place will never be as important to this city's community as Ozone. As a sort of farewell, I beseech you all to attend DJ e*rock's night of spinning the newest and probably sweetest of electro. e*rock, who plays in Carpet Musics, runs Audio Dregs records, and publishes the increasingly lovely magazine Thumb, has been a longtime employee of Ozone--for me, he's been virtually synonymous with the record store. Surely, he will play eclectic electronic music more interesting (and maybe more imported) than any other collection you can imagine. Go, and try to be happy. Sake goes horribly with the taste of salty tears. R.I.P. OZONE 1993-2002 JULIANNE SHEPHERD

ELIMIDATE FILMING: URBAN LEGENDS, HIGH VIOLETS, BEN BARNETT

(Meow Meow, 527 SE Pine) Okay, so like there's this late-night dating show on the WB called Elimidate, in which four people compete to hook up with a single guy or girl, right? And like other shows of this type, the main point is to watch people get humiliated, right? Well now's your chance to watch the humiliation LIVE from 1-5 pm at the Meow Meow when Elimidate comes to Portland. Local groups Urban Legends, High Violets, and Ben Barnett (of Kind of Like Spitting) will perform as the humiliating date unfolds, and you try to surreptitiously lean into the camera frame. Sound like fun? You goddam betcha! WM. STEVEN HUMPHREY

THE DECEMBERISTS, THE VESPERTINES, KIND OF LIKE SPITTING

(Lola's, 1334 W Burnside) The Decemberists' music possesses a graceful earnestness. Their shows tend to feel intimate, and the unselfconscious honesty of the vocals settles the crowd into an attentive and kind vibe. That's not to say that The Decemberists rely on drippy folk style; just that their congeniality is accessible, and they've mastered a wistful sensitivity without sounding bitter or self-absorbed. MARJORIE SKINNER

YUJI ONIKI, IDAHO

(Berbati's, 10 SW 3rd) Quietly plugging along for nearly a decade, Jeff Martin's Idaho has released nine albums, each subtly swollen with mournful soul-searching and quiet lament. Last fall's Levitate found the band at its most sparse, and rivaled the deceptive, restrained sentiment of like-minded slowcore act, Low. (For a taste of Idaho in a more strident mood, check out 1996's excellent Three Sheets to the Wind.) KATHLEEN WILSON


FRIDAY 1/18

HALOU, DJ STEPHEN, DJ JOEL SKOOL

(A Supper Club, 820 N. Russell) If you haven't heard of it, A Supper Club is kind of swanks-ville, as the $30 fee includes gourmet supper and entertainment. (You can also pay $10 to just hear the music.) This evening, A Supper Club will be featuring Halou, out of San Fransisco. Halou is doing that cool thing that I love, which is a combo platter of electronic and strings, and they even have a live quartet and live drums. If you've got the dough, you should go. KD

SLICK RICK, NETHERWORLDS, THE CHOSEN, DJ WICKED

(Roseland, NW 6th & Burnside) How I've missed those gold chains, eyepatch, and that silky accent. That's right, the master storyteller, Slick Rick, is back in Portland, performing at the Roseland. As to why the suave pimp is gracing our fair city, I have no idea, since he doesn't seem to have a new album out, which, after 1999's mediocre The Art of Storytelling, is probably for the best. But really, do we need a reason? He's Slick Rick! First coming onto the scene as part of the Human Beatbox Doug E. Fresh's Get Fresh Crew, Ricky D rocked the house with his skills on "La Di Da Di" and especially "The Show," which gave us a glimpse of his talent for the tale. He applied this skill abundantly on 1989's The Great Adventures of Slick Rick, as the master orator dished out certifiable hiphop classics like "Children's Story" and "Treat Her Like A Prostitute"--lyrical rap novels with London-born Rick's smooth English accent, characteristic charm, and especially, his often non-PC humor. None of his subsequent albums reached the magical level that Adventures did, perhaps due to his stint in the slammer in the early 1990s for trying to ice his cousin. Hoo-boy. But no matter, hiphop's master orator is back, and it's going to kick ass. JAKIE JAKIE EGGS 'N' BAKIE MCMURRAY

HIMSA, THE CURSE, THE PAWNS, THE CAUSE, 6-MINUTE HEARTSTOP

(Meow Meow) Himsa is an aggressive, intense metal-hardcore band that combines just the right amount of tight riffage with razor-sharp, screaming vocals. They are tough; you could picture them on a hilltop playing their instruments in a blaze of glory, flames licking at their guitars and smoke further sullying the gritty singing. Surprisingly, however, they are quite sensitive, lyrically: "Leave remains of torrid love/ And the stench of broken hearts/ and it's calling, it's haunting you/ it's killing you, it's killing me." Picture it, all sung by a man who sounds like a bursting-lunged warrior. (Okay, so the song goes on to depict death and blood and everything, but it ends with the line "I refuse to submit," which is a respectable sentiment if I ever heard one.) Drum machine included when necessary. JS

YOUNG PEOPLE, CURTAINS, CASIOTONE FOR THE PAINFULLY ALONE, CASS MCCOMBS

(It's a Beautiful Pizza, 3341 SE Belmont) Curtains, which features two members of Deerhoof and one from one of my favorite West Coast bands, Saint Andre, can sound like crazy buzzing all cut-up with scissors and glittered with childlike music-box sounds, which strum in at the most absurd moments. Or they can sound like a bunch of people who don't know how to play their instruments. The thing is, they are so studied about making it sound that way, it's obvious they can actually play them very well. The result will make you totally uncomfortable. (Personally, it makes my skin crawl; it's scary in the same way Old Time Relijun is scary.) They're full of brilliantly ringing, junky cacophony, but unlike a lot of other underground art bands, they don't sound like they're in a race to win the title of most obscurant. (i.e., They happily marry respect for subversion as an important aspect of punk, with respect for music as an art form.) They're simply intriguing. A better description, courtesy Nate P., who's setting up the show: "they sound like a mid-'90s instrumental Captain Beefheart." Touché! Young People features my beloved Pink from Pink & Brown. I haven't heard Young People, but the description he offers is "dark and throbbing with female vocals." I'm sure they'll be great, but frigging Whitesnake could play with Curtains and it would still be incredible. JS

NORFOLK & WESTERN, FERNANDO, RECLINERLAND

(Blackbird, 3724 NE Sandy) I was always skeptical of Norfolk & Western, probably because they have the word Western in their name, but they're actually one of the most competent live bands in Portland. Even though their music is mostly slow and steady, and incorporates folky devices like violins and harmonicas, they manage to retain a slow, smooth rock edge. Adam Selzer's vocals drift along with the long guitar notes, charmingly muted and not overly morose. Opener, folky solo artist Reclinerland has freshly returned to PDX from "Ground Zero," so if you missed him, go see him. KS


SATURDAY 1/19

THE STANDARD, MINUS THE BEAR, BONOBO PROJECT

(Blackbird) Minus the Bear features members of Botch, Kill Sadie, and Sharks Keep Moving, but the music is certainly nothing you'd expect. Not as lifeless as the talented-yet-prudish noodling of Sharks Keep Moving, but not as unabashedly energetic as Botch, Minus the Bear pulls interesting, prog-leaning guitar work into a surprisingly poppy fishbowl of catchy rhythms, keyboard melodies, and effects. Says keyboardist Matt Bayles, whose full-length interview could not be included in this issue due to the stupid economy: "We don't consider it a side project. I think that when this began we were all unsure of what would come out of it. Everyone has been so involved in other bands. Botch is still writing and playing shows, But Kill Sadie has broken up, and Sharks Keep Moving has members in the Blood Brothers and Pretty Girls Make Graves, so they are not likely to play as often. So we want to do as much as we can with Minus the Bear." He said a lot of other things, too, but I don't have the space to print them because GW Bush is too busy giving money to big corporations instead of this paper. JS

PSU DJ NIGHT

(Bitter End, 1981 W Burnside) Not shackled by playlists, college radio DJs make up for their inexperience with curiosity, and an unparalleled willingness to explore new genres and music, giving that old college try to a new band. Tonight, the PSU station takes the show on the road¨or, at least to the lounge at the Bitter End. With three of KPSU's four music directors spinning their best stuff, it is a rousing sampling from hip-hop to "dancefloor jazz." Through March, these shows run every third Saturday (that's February 16 and March 16 as well). PHIL DOT BUSSE


SUNDAY 1/20

SHICKY GNAROWITZ & THE TRANSPARENT WINGS OF JOY

(Stumptown on Division, 10:30 am; Tennessee Reds, 11th, 9 pm) See Music pg 15

CRYSTAL BALLROOM 88th ANNIVERSARY STARRING THE WORD, BUDS OF MAY, ETC.

(Crystal) It's the Crystal Ballroom's birthday, and so they're having a marathon, free show which begins at 2:00 in the afternoon. Of the 20 million bands that will be playing this event, I'd most recommend the lovely locals Helio Sequence and the Swords Project. The Helio Sequence are kind of spaced-out, heavy drums and self-deprecating lyrics, and the Swords are honestly one of the best bands in Portland. There are about one million members, and they have a beautiful, hasty, and spontaneous sound which involves all the normal instruments plus violin and an organ. Also playing are some blues greats: The Word and Chocolate Genius. The Word is a one-time-only deal, including John Medeski and Scotty Hard, and one can tell from their CD that these guys are tight, tight, tight, which is saying a lot for a blues band. KATIA DUNN


MONDAY 1/21

AESOP ROCK, CANNIBAL OX, SLEEP, MASSIVE MONKEES, DJ MAGNETO

(B Complex, 320 SE 2nd) See Music pg 15

SYLVAIN SYLVAIN, RED PLANET

(Berbati's) Sylvain Sylvain was the scrawny, Jew-'froed second guitarist of the New York Dolls, who backed up the Dolls' sexy glitter twins: Johnny Thunders, with his famous Chuck Berry guitar trash, and David Johansen, with his black chick preening. Thunders died in 1991 of a heroin overdose, and Johansen refuses to talk about the Dolls. Sylvain Sylvain, on the other hand, loves to talk about the Dolls. In fact, he loves his former band so much he's on tour right now doing 30-year-old rock songs like "Trash" and "Frankenstein," which Sylvain co-wrote with Johansen and Thunders, in addition to some numbers off his Dolls tribute album, Sleep Baby Doll. JOSH FEIT


TUESDAY 1/22

(pla)TONIC TUESDAYS WITH SEOUL BROTHER NO. 1, FREMONT SLIM

(Tonic, 3100 NE Sandy) Say it's Tuesday and your friends are getting together and, for once, you don't feel like going to the Sandy Hut. The back room at the Tonic is dark and spacious, great for chilling out, and DJ Seoul Brother #1 and Fremont Slim shows crazy HK films with insane, colorful wallpaper and naked breasts, while spinning underground hiphop. It's like your very own dance party, that you don't have to clean up after. KS


WEDNESDAY 1/23

MATES OF STATE, TRACK STAR, ALL GIRL SUMMER FUN BAND

(Meow Meow) I love Mates of State. My problem with their new record is that they abandoned all the huge, sweeping hooks and arena-rock choruses that made My Solo Project so great, and substituted them with plinking, single-note melodies. It sounds sort of thin, and doesn't sweep you off your feet the way it used to. (I am also sort of creeped out by the cover art, which depicts two mannequins behind a purple sunset.) Of course, you could argue that bands should progress, and I am almost 100 percent, unequivocally for the idea of band evolution. Then again, another thrilling pop band, Dressy Bessy, is about to release a new record that sounds almost exactly like their last record, and I ADORE it, so I don't know what's going on with that. There's still a lot of glee with Mates of State; it's just not maniacal anymore. All Girl Summer Fun Band have a new record coming out on K that is full of their sock-hoppy, sugar-happy, pink melodies with choruses like "He broke my heart/ My car won't start." Depending on the song, their constant cuteness is either simply endearing, or ridiculous to the point of being endearing. And they have a theme song! JS

TRUMAN'S WATER, THE PLANET THE, PARTY TIME

(Blackbird) Truman's Water have been an element of the Portland music scene almost as long as real water. Their lineup seems to be in a constant state of flux, which means you never really know what you're going to get. Well, except that Truman's Water has always been based around one particular guy (I forget his name) who has been living in France. His return is the occasion for this reunion. KAREN GREEN


GOING TO SEATTLE?

Fri 1/18: Medusa & Feline Science (I-Spy); Cave Rage (Sit & Spin); Noriko Kawai doing Xenakis, Kurtag, Dillon, Scriabin! (Brechemin Auditorium, UW Campus)

Sat 1/19: Juno, Kinski, Halou, Pedro the Lion (Crocodile); Silent Lambs Project (Sit & Spin); Aesop Rock (I-Spy)

Tues 1/22: Mates of State (Crocodile)

Wed 1/23: Milemarker, Get Hustle (Paradox)

For more info, visit www.thestranger.com

New Releases Jan 22: Ativin*, Azure Ray, Bad Religion, Bevel, Bevis Frond, Luka Bloom, Blue Six, Bruknahm, Cerberus Shoal*, Check Engine*, Cornelius*, Dirtmitts, Du-Tels, Elbow, Electrelane, Terrie Ex & Ab Baars, Felix Da Housecat*, Alastair Galbraith & Matt De Gennaro, Gasoline, Neil Halstead, Richard Hawley, Hefner, Susie Ibarra*, David Kilgour*, KMFDM, KO and the Knockouts, KRS-One*, Mary Lou Lord, Lords of Altamont, Mates of State, Matt Pond PA, Stephin Merritt*, Miighty Flashlight*, Mouse on Mars*, Pixeltan, Racebannon, Rivulets, Nitin Sawhney, Seaworthy, Sectorseven, Sarah Shannon*, Matthew Shipp*, Sianspheric, Sneaker Pimps, Sunshine Fix*, Teenage Fanclub, Rosie Thomas, Vermont, Willard Grant Conspiracy + Telefunk, John Zorn*

*=may actually turn out okay