DIZZY ELMER, THE HAVOCS, SWITCHBLADE HEARTS, BETTIE MAYHEM & THE DISASTERS
(Satyricon, 125 NW 6th) Dizzy Elmer is Portland's premiere, old-school rockabilly band, in the awesome pared-down style of Buddy Holly. There is no punk stirred in to modernize their music--they're just the soundtrack to a '50s speedway, and great fun. JULIANNE SHEPHERD
DIAGRAM OF SUBURBAN CHAOS, N-GRAVA, DAMPKRANE
(Blackbird, 3728 NE Sandy) See Music pg 19
6-MINUTE HEARTSTOP, BURNING IN WATER, ROOM 101
(Ash Street, 225 SW Ash) 6-Minute Heartstop are a local rock band whose music is a pastiche of good harmonies and vocals, and a whole lot of distorted minor chords used to convey emotion. The band seems to have a lot of ideas, but they aren't put together very well--their music is just all over the place. However, I have only heard their self-titled album on Rise Records, and the crappy, mushy way it's recorded makes it hard to listen to--it sounds like there's a bad effect over every vocal (when there doesn't need to be) and a flange over every guitar. If there is one piece of advice I have for all rock bands, it's "NEVER USE A FLANGE PEDAL" unless you are a psych band. Nothing, I mean NOTHING makes me leave a room quicker than a flanger. (In case you are wondering, the flange is that pedal that, when overdone, makes guitarists sound like they just licked a sheet of acid.) I do know from reliable sources that, live, 6-Minute Heartstop have some interesting twists on straightforward post-indierock, however. If that's true, it's unfortunate their compact disc doesn't do them justice. JS
FRIDAY 2/8
BEULAH, JOHN VANDERSLICE
(Berbati's) Perhaps it's not all that novel, but Beulah is mired in glorious pop arrangements and vintage-sounding horns that conjure images of not only Bacharach but Alpert, Beck, Pavement, and even those wonderful Shins we're all so in love with. Shiny harmonies and bop-bah backing vocals are just two of the elements that make this San Francisco band so habit-forming. KATHLEEN WILSON
POISON IDEA, TRIGGERS, BLASTONECROSIS
(Satyricon) Out of all the old-style punk bands Portland has to offer, The Triggers are one of the best. Combining tight, stripped-and-pounded-apart punk riffs with the tough and commanding stage presence of its vocalist (she'll point straight at you), they have tons of energy, hooks, and screams... and you don't have to be wasted to enjoy it. JS
BINARY 2 STARRING ABACUS, KID606, METRO AREA, J-BOOGIE'S DUBTRONIC SCIENCE, SAFETY SCISSORS, SUTEKH, HIGH PLAINS DRIFTERS, SOLENOID, RICHARD BOYCE, CNSE, DAVEBOT, DLYTE, CHRIS HAYCOCK, LOTION PIMP, MORE
(PSU, 1825 SW Broadway) See Music pg 19
SANDRA COLLINS, DAVE ELLIOTT
(Ohm, 31 NW 1st) Sandra Collins, aka "The Trance Goddess," has been mixing trance and progressive house since 1989--that's 12 years to learn how to get you on the dancefloor. So, if you find yourself parking that ass, the blame lies squarely on you, Texas. JS
MY REGRETS, TV EYE
(Dante's, 1 SW 3rd) The ultra-suave posse known as My Regrets will deliver new material tonight, in a follow-up to the EP It's Alright to Look Good, which enjoyed air time last year on KROQ in L.A. and KNRK here in P-town. Their latest effort is the LP Revue in Distortion, which marks an improved My Regrets--energetic tunes infused with the likes of the Kinks, Girls Against Boys, and a smidgen of Jesus Lizard. The LP contains less studio slickness than previous recordings, offers more challenging, less candy lyrics, and frontman Caleb Spiegel bends and scratches his voice to new heights. The element that really pulls in the audience though, is the live performance. The near-lunatic charisma of Spiegel is one entertaining spectacle--the normally mild-mannered boy comes alive with each song, and each article of his clothing thrown off. KARRIN ELLERTSON
JACKPOT! STUDIO ANNIVERSARY PARTY STARRING THE STANDARD, BRAILLE STARS, SECRET GUEST (Hint: It ain't Spiral Stairs)
(Blackbird) See Music pg 17
SATURDAY 2/9
BENEFIT FOR TAO: THE INTIMA, HEART BEATS RED, THE HAND, A BAKE SALE
(Red & Black, 2138 SE Division) Tao Communications (
www.tao.ca) is a democratic, grassroots, smart, and pro-people website that plays hosts to lots of progressive organizations and thought. The Intima is one of my favorite political punk bands, with lots of distorted yelling and pretty violin and drumming that's just about to tumble off edge, but bass that keeps it from going there. Plus, it's really boring to be apathetic, and by going, you will get to help a good cause AND see great music. Besides, what sort of monster can turn down a bake sale? JS
GREYBOY, J-BOOGIE, JOEL SKOOL
(A Supper Club, 820 N Russell, 381-6331) Ubiquity Records' Greyboy is a total badass, with the tightest, most cut hiphop beats mixed together with left-of-center samples, such as creepy organ, Far-Eastern strings, funky guitars, etc. Greyboy takes an old pattern and redresses it until you can feel the groove inside your heart. Don't miss it. JS
FETISH MASQUERADE BALL: WRITTEN IN ASHES, OMNIBOX, SUMERLAND, TORTURE COOKIES, SURVIVING DESIRE, MORE
(Roseland, NW 6th & Burnside) People in Portland are horny. If that statement includes you, time to put on your B&D gear and head to the Roseland. This Ball strictly enforces a latex and leather dress code, so no jeans or boring street clothes--you simply must wear something slutty. Enjoy a titillating evening of latex go-go dancing, tattooing, a human petting zoo, jello wrestlers, DJs spinning goth/industrial/darkwave/techno, and the gothy dark musings of local bands Sumerland, Written in Ashes, Torture Cookies, Surviving Desire, and Spanking Machine. One word of advice--go put a note by the front door now--you can't forget your riding crop or nipple clamps! KATIE SHIMER
MICHAEL BISIO & JOE GIARDULLO
(First Christian Church, 1315 SW Broadway) There's not much you can say in advance of an improvised jazz concert, except to guarantee that Michael Bisio (contrabass) and Joe Giardullo (bass clarinet & soprano sax) are no strangers to either free jazz (both have been performing for over 20 years) or each other (they've released a record together, along with Dominic Duval and Joe McPhee). Go team! JS
BLACK ANGEL, FREIGHT TRAIN CASANOVA, THE DOLOMITES
(Fez, 316 SW 11th) Freight Train Casanova is slightly ironic, but also challenging and sincere, with vocals that are all over the place with remorse and sadness, and an accompanying saxophone. Their added sincerity makes it refreshing. Black Angel is a local R&B act, and The Dolomites are just returning from a tour, where they almost got stuck in the Midwest with a broken-down truck. KD
HIGH VIOLETS, THE MELODY UNIT
(Dante's) This show will be wholesome--or maybe not wholesome, maybe clean and refreshing--which is nice, considering all the dark, nasty fetish balls going on this week. The Melody Unit has a flavorful getup--sweet and spacey with an '80s, faraway sound, and vocals like that gal from Belle and Sebastian. High Violets play low-end guitars, ominous Twin Peaks-style background tunes, and vocals that dreamily coat the music, without interrupting it. KS
MADE FOR TV MOVIE, STATESIDE, MENOMENA
(Blackbird) MFTVM is three people: Dan DeVriend on guitar and vocals, PJ Aylward on drums, and Tanya Smith on bass. They're emo, sure, but they're not the super-slow, I'm-so-tortured-emo types. No, these kids have some balls, and they play hard and confident. Dan, for one, is a livewire on stage, and the intensity of his rough vocals are paralleled by the drums/bass of the other two, making for a sharp sound. They are full-bodied, strong, robust emo kids, like a good cup of Folgers. They should be extra exciting right now, as they've only recently emerged from the basement, where they've been recording all winter long. KATIA DUNN
SUNDAY 2/10
AL FOUL & THE SHAKES, JUANITA FAMILY & FRIENDS, BUCK DAGGER & HIS HANDFUL OF HONEST MEN
(Ash Street) I just thought of something. Rockabilly is music everyone likes. Grandmas, kids, alcoholics, square dancers, country fans, metal fans. It's universal. Unlike most of the club music going on around here, it's even accessible to your parents. They remember Elvis, and I've never met a parent that doesn't like Elvis. My parents have a giant photo of him in their bathroom wearing one of those white jumpsuits and a lai. And, while Al Foul reminds me quite a bit of Elvis in his musical execution, their stage show is about as entertaining as the King's--with Al spanking ass on stage and forcing audience members to do such dances as the Breathalyzer, the Chickenwalk, and the Roach. KS
TRACY & THE PLASTICS, INSECURIOUS, BLONDIE VS. ELVIS COSTELLO
(Blackbird) See My What a Busy Week pg 15
MONDAY 2/11
THE FULLBLISS
(Satyricon) If you enjoy Bush (the band) or like violins but find the Dirty Three too edgy, you might check out the Fullbliss, a mainstream-friendly version of depressive rock with lyrics everyone can understand. (Example: "I remember the time when you made me feel like shit/and told me that I don't fit/into your clique." Subtle.) They are inoffensive, which to me is worse than being worthy of hatred, because it implies mediocrity, and mediocrity is the enemy of the people. JS
PHOENECIA, OTTO VON SCHIRACH, STRATEGY, DECAPOD CLAW
(Blackbird) See Music pg 19
TUESDAY 2/12
EPSILONS, METROPOLITAN, YASHA
(Medicine Hat, 1834 NE Alberta) Holy crap! Epsilons are absurd. Their little CD-R starts out with a song called "Spinal Implosion," an extremely short, instrumental punk song with a thousand changes that ends right when you're about to figure out what's going on. It's like that with several of their other songs, too--changes, screwy timing, and exploration of genres (sludge metal, jazz, punk, power pop). Just when they start to seem too self-aware and ironic, Epsilons will insert a weird drum fill or something as a surprise. They do have hokey, ironic lyrics, which I could do without--their instrumentals are wacked enough that they don't have to pull out the dumb, winky tricks. But there is potential here. Metropolitan is a lo-fi pop band reminiscent of old-school Guided By Voices with some sweet melodies and charm. Take a chance on this one, friends. JS
AGNOSTIC FRONT, THE CASUALTIES, TSOL
(Meow Meow, 527 SE Pine) New York's Agnostic Front is the godfather of hardcore punk, and even though the band was playing CBGB before many of its new fans were born, time has not mellowed AF's members. The current lineup is as close to the original as has been assembled since 1984: Roger Miret on vocals, Mike Gallo on bass, Vinny Stigma on guitar, and Jimmy Colletti on drums. The new album, Dead Yuppies, rages with the familiar sort of sociopolitical lyrics, heavy guitar, and boot-stomping beats that will send the crowd into a chaotic fervor. While AF defined the East Coast punk ethos, Orange County's TSOL created the prototypical West Coast punk sound in the early 1980s through gothic-tinged ballads and classic reggae-influenced anthems like "Code Blue." For a time in the '90s. some poseurs were touring under the name TSOL, but don't worry--tonight will feature Jack Grisham, Ron Emory, and Mike Roche, the original progenitors of punk. DAVID SLATTON
FISHBONE, PEPE & THE BOTTLE BLONDES
(Crystal, 1334 W Burnside) Every time you turn around, Pepe and the Bottle Blondes are having some "exotic" event for over-40 rich people. While I have seen Pepe and know he's nothing to shake a stick at, I do find it suspect that they keep having to tell people they're sexy, like Rod Stewart (who we all know is most definitely NOT sexy in any way). So, this is Pepe & the Bottle Blondes' Exotic Mardi Gras. And while I don't find anything erotic about Fishbone's music, they'll at least put a little funk into the night. JS
PHAT TUESDAY STARRING DONALD GLAUDE
(Cobalt, 32 NW 3rd) A famous Seattle DJ (number 56 on Britain's DJ magazine's top-100 list), Donald Glaude spins and scratches his way through loads of high-octane dance music. He is also rather famous for his stage persona, which is one of energy and crowd interaction. If you liked that awesome-but-short-lived Playstation game, Bust-a-Move, in which you danced competitively against Japanese ravers, this is a little like the background music. JS
WEDNESDAY 2/13
HEART BEATS RED, TAMI HART, POLKADOT CHOKEALOT
(Blackbird) If you attend this show, not only will you see the increasingly awesome harmonies and distortion of Heart Beats Red, the gorgeous, faint-inducing crooning of the interminable Tami Hart, and the weirdly slutty, beat-empowerment sex-rapping of Polkadot Chokealot... you will be benefitting Bradley-Angle House, a domestic violence program that believes social change will end violence more effectively than anything else. With all King Bush II's attacks on women's rights lately, this is the best place to spend a small fraction of your unemployment check. JS
TIGER ARMY, NEKROMANTIX, 800 OCTANE, THE CIVIES
(Meow Meow) Tiger Army's Nick 13 has arms covered in tattoos. Just above his left bicep is a foolishly grinning skeleton wearing a red hood that looks like an old-fashioned football helmet; on his other arm is a blue-faced demon. Somehow, these tattoos seem like windows into their music: Even with a sneering Lost Boys fascination of all things nocturnal, Nick 13 retains that boy-next-door pinch-ability. Billed as "snarling psychobilly," the band plays hyper-tempo stand-up bass and yelps so raw that they would send the hound of the Baskerville whimpering. After mucking around the Bay Area for the past three years, they just finished recording their second album. Still dark and aggressive, they've evolved a more melodic (or, at least polished) sound since their first album. PHIL DOT BUSSE
DECEMBERISTS, WOW & FLUTTER, BROTHEREGG
(Berbati's, 231 SW Ankeny) The Brotheregg is a lovely local band that is discordant and pleasing at times, and also a little too melodic at other times. Wow & Flutter are sad, sweet, atmospheric guitar pickers. On a good night, you'll get to see them pull off remarkable crescendo--it's something they seem to be working up to all the time, and when they hit it, they really get it right. The other band that's playing, the Decemberists, are folky, warm, and nice. KD
GOING TO SEATTLE?
Thurs 2/7: Suffering, 31knots, Crictor (Graceland)
Fri 2/8: Felix da Housecat (I-Spy); Woke Up Falling (Graceland)
Sat 2/9: All Girl Summer Fun Band, COCO, DNSS (Local 46)
For more info, visit www.thestranger.com
New Releases Feb 12: 90 Day Men*, Desaparecidos, Freedy Johnston, Infinite Xs*, Lawrence Arms, Lil Keke, Los de Abajo*, MC Tracheotomy, The Mendoza Line, Pat Metheny Group*, sub.bionic, Tosca, Vibracathedral Orchestra, Simon Wickham-Smith, Windsor for the Derby*, Wu-Tang*
*=may actually turn out okay
