THURSDAY 12/27

THE FIX: OHMEGA WATTS, REV. SHINES, DJ KEZ, DJ DUNDIGGY

(Someday Lounge, 125 NW 5th) See My, What a Busy Week!.

EARTH, JACKIE-O MOTHERFUCKER, DRAGGING AN OX THROUGH WATER

(Dante's, 1 SW 3rd) Dylan Carlson is a survivor. Hard living, friends dying, career suicide—he's been there and done that. But times have caught up with his crawling apocalyptic version of rock. Carlson's long-running band, Earth, is essentially responsible for the entire movement of drone as it is played today. Sure, there are modern classical folks like Steve Reich who laid the original blueprint, but Earth's twanging guitars sound like a bleak prairie where cyclones dance out on the furthest horizon. Beneath these plaintive, echoing strings, Adrienne Davies' drums plod like side two of Black Flag's My War. Pure anesthetized pain and sorrow, cut into wax. Masters like Carlson don't always get a second chance. Fans of Sunn 0))), shoegazing, and melancholia should all bear witness. NATHAN CARSON See also My, What a Busy Week! and Music, Feature.

FRIDAY 12/28

SCHOOL OF ROCK PERFORMS BEST OF THE NW

(Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell) See Music Feature.

TWO TON BOA, SUBARACHNOID SPACE, PRIZE COUNTRY

(Dante's, 1 SW 3rd) On Two Ton Boa's 2006 Parasiticide, Sherry Fraser's vocals flow over tautly ominous, bass-driven songs as strings come into being, and then fade all around her. Their music is a close cousin to a specific strain of Chicago-launched post-punk, but Fraser's voice is something else altogether, as she sings with the kind of force associated with a bygone era of vintage rock music. Her lyrics sometimes veer into dissections of sociopolitical mores (from "HERarchy": "I don't take tea/I don't take lessons in how to be seen"), and throughout, both the deeply familiar and the disconcerting can be found in equal measure. TOBIAS CARROLL See also My, What a Busy Week!.

CLIMBER, BLUE SKIES FOR BLACK HEARTS, FAST COMPUTERS

(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) A simple online search finds at least 10 musical acts named or derived from the name Climber, including a black metal group from Indiana, a hiphop duo from Miami, and some Snow Patrol knockoff from Glasgow. No biggie, it's just that I think Portland's Climber are actually going places, and when they get there, some moniker rivals are going to have to be put out. Ah well, that's music. Instead of feeling sorry for those less-talented Climbers around the globe, let us bask in the warm glow of Portland's own Climber, whose newest album, I Dream in Autoplay, is all big, powerful, beautiful rock, with swooning numbers like "Safe Kids" that could fill an arena if given half a chance. And this from a band that started out sounding like Radiohead fans twiddling with a drum machine in their basement. Check 'em while you can still afford to. JUSTIN W. SANDERS

SATURDAY 12/29

GAYCATION: DJ GIRLFRIENDS, SNOWTIGER, AUTOMATON, MR. CHARMING

(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) See My, What a Busy Week!.

THE CURE TRIBUTE: BOY EATS DRUM MACHINE, LEIGH MARBLE & MORE

(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) See My, What a Busy Week!.

THE HUNCHES, SLEEPWALKERS RIP, DJ JAMES D

(East End, 203 SE Grand) Sweet Jesus on the cross, what have we here? The legendary Hunches, who are already one foot in the grave (rumor has it, their final show is coming soon), ready to frighten the smoky halls of East End. The Hunches blast through explosive little sets of dirty garage-punk so raw it chafes and so brutal that it could make Iggy Pop hang it up for good, put on a shirt (finally!), and move back to his old trailer in Ypsilanti, Michigan. A Saturday night, a small stage, strong drinks, and the Hunches? If you want to bid adieu to 2007 a few days early in a regret-filled Viking funeral of an evening, well, this is your chance. EZRA ACE CARAEFF

ALPHABET STEW, LIVING PROOF, GRAY MATTERS, GARDEN ENTERTAINMENT, SANTOTZIN, MOODSWING, DJ SPARK

(Berbati's Pan, 10 SW 3rd) When I saw Santotzin in this show listing, I thought it might be a misprint. Maybe I'm not that observant, but the dude hasn't been playing that many shows lately that I know of. Santotzin is one of the illest lyricists in Portland (via Albuquerque, New Mexsicko) hiphop, bringing some actual poetic gangsterish emceeing to the people. His latest album, Late Nights and Dollar Beers, was supposed to drop about a year ago, but as far as I know, never did. That's too bad, but if you go to this show tonight I'm sure Santo will have some kind of product for sale. Buy it, and buy into the real dope shizzle for rizzle trizzle mizzle. Frizzle. GRAHAM BAREY

COCONUT COOLOUTS, FLEXIONS, C.O.C.O., STAG ACTRESS

(Twilight Café and Bar, 1420 SE Powell) The title of Coconut Coolouts' upcoming album is Party Time Machine, and that tells you about all you need to know about this Seattle band. There's a tightness at work here that allows the band to veer from demented marches to bass-heavy anthems, both of which occupy some middle ground between the Fall and the B-52s. And, given that this is a band with a song entitled "(Please Don't Break Me Out of) Party Jail," it's safe to say that those rhythms are there for a reason. The organ-drenched "Head Full of Stones" demonstrates that this six-piece—boasting pseudonyms, onstage costumes, and the ultimate party accessory, a hype man—has a fine pop sensibility at work. TC

THE INTELLIGENCE, FIST FITE, REVERSE DOTTY AND THE CANDY CANE SHIVS, I'M IN A BOAT

(Someday Lounge, 125 NW 5th) I hate to even use words like "angular" and "post-punk," but Seattle's the Intelligence certainly have a specific vision that uses both words to their advantage. The Fall, Gang of Four, Devo—it's all there, yet the Intelligence's sound is pleasantly skewed in a forward-looking direction. Local future-stars Fist Fite are in a similar mode, but fueled by a whole lot more Sparks. Singer/keyboardist/contortionist Jonnie Monroe humps her synth and screams into the mic with the drunken virtuosity of a, uh, drunken virtuoso. She's also always the best-dressed woman in the room. This is basically a New Year's party a few days before the real thing, meaning you're going to be so hungover and fucked by the start of 2008. NC

SUNDAY 12/30

JERRY JOSEPH, RICHMOND FONTAINE, MY REVOLVER, CRAIG GREENBERG

(Mt. Tabor Legacy, 4811 SE Hawthorne) Richmond Fontaine's uniquely Northwestern brand of alt-country has earned acclaim in Europe, and their longevity has elicited a deep-seated appreciation among hometown fans—but like songwriter Willy Vlautin's screwed-up characters, they've always remained outsiders. This is in large part due to Fontaine's unflinching consistency and bleak individuality, making them the ideological heirs to legendary Portland bands the Wipers and Dead Moon. Their most recent record, Thirteen Cities, finds the band venturing into Calexico-like, mariachi-inflected desertscapes, which isn't surprising, since the band recorded the album at Calexico's Arizona studio with members of the Tucson band making guest appearances. Tonight, Richmond Fontaine open for Jerry Joseph, another Portland mainstay who's closing out 2007 with a round of shows that'll look back on his entire career, backed by a band that includes Fontaine's pedal steel player, Paul Brainard. NED LANNAMANN

MONDAY 12/31

WU-TANG CLAN, COOL NUTZ, SANDPEOPLE, LILLA D'MONE, DJ MELLO CEE

(Roseland, 8 NW 6th) See Music Feature.

HATCHET, DEVASTATOR, EMBRACE THE KILL, MASSIVE MEAT SPLIT, WARCORPSE, EXTRACTOR

(Satyricon, 125 NW 6th) See Music Feature.

PANTHER, COPY, DJ BROKENWINDOW, DJ HOSTILE TAPEOVER

(Someday Lounge, 125 NW 5th) After a handful of albums as the solo project of The Planet The's Charlie Salas-Humara, Panther has evolved into a duo with the addition of Joe Kelly, formerly of 31Knots, on drums. The upcoming 14 KT God finds the duo—who are often augmented by strings—pushing through 13 explorations of the low end with vocals occasionally distorted past the point of recognition. It's a less frantic work than this year's Secret Lawns, patiently reined in at times yet more expansive than before, and with a vastly expanded rhythmic pallet. Salas-Humara's calls to the listener, wistful and enthusiastic, tap into something primal and create an essentially familiar point of reference for this group, even when they're at their most obscure. TC

LINGER & QUIET, DJ BEYONDA, DJ LINOLEUM, DJ 1996 OLYMPICS

(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) The bar scene on New Year's Eve is a drag. Inflated cover charges, crowds of suburbanite amateurs, and the pressure to have the best night ever can be really off-putting. Not to mention the St. Patrick's Day-esque binge drinking that just makes you want to stay in and avoid all the resulting jack-assery. But you can't stay in because it's New Year's Eve. If you're with me so far, Holocene might be your best bet. With a solid lineup of some of the best local party DJs—Beyonda, Linoleum, 1996 Olympics, and house-favorites Linger and Quiet—a good time is pretty much guaranteed, but not forced on you in the form of dollar store decorations and next-morning remorse. It's like a house party, but with a full bar, a legit soundsystem, and no minors clogging up the line to the bathroom. AVA HEGEDUS

FIR BALL: CRACKER, CAMPER VAN BEETHOVEN

(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) Cracker, despite releasing several well-received albums since 1993's platinum-selling Kerosene Hat, will always be remembered for the über-annoying country-grunge staple "Low." (Sing it with me now: "I'll be with you girl/Like being low/hey hey hey like being stoned...") Lead singer David Lowery's other project, however, Camper Van Beethoven, is pretty dope. Their 2004 release New Roman Times had some satiric-folk gems on it, and took me right back to their '80s heyday, when Lowery's slacker-dude vocals and the band's blending of punk churn and playful countrified wank fit right in there with such indie legends as Sonic Youth and eventually, Pavement. CVB, despite a decade-long hiatus in the '90s, clearly hasn't stopped having fun—as evidenced by 2002's Tusk, a song-for-song cover of Fleetwood Mac's... yup, Tusk. Now that's something worth sipping champagne to on this very special New Year's Eve. JWS

PRINCE VS. MICHAEL JACKSON: DJ DAVE PAUL, DJ INDICA JONES

(Berbati's Pan, 10 SW 3rd) Sure, it's New Year's Eve. Sure, downtown will probably be filled with drunken, reckless yahoos. It will probably be raining outside and crowded inside, and the DJs for Prince vs. MJ will probably do that irksome thing where they kill the music in the middle of a jam so people can shout the lyrics themselves. (I hate that. I wish they'd stop doing that.) Even considering these many hurdles, if you can get a crew of friends together for this party, you will have a fantastic, knock-down drag-out New Year's Eve, the kind where the next morning you can't tell which is worse: your hangover, or your muscle aches from multiple hours on the dancefloor. Prince and MJ are just that good, and four solid hours of jams make for one kickass party, pure and simple. HANNAH CARLEN

DJ HEATHER, DAHLIA, MARCHFOURTH MARCHING BAND, RAVI, MERCEDES, LOKI, ZITA

(On Air, 1300 N River) Since its inaugural show on Halloween, On Air, Portland's newest (and hugest) dance venue, has brought guests who had previously been out of reach of local electronic music promoters, like techno heavyweights Green Velvet and Derrick Carter. On Air is going all out for New Year's Eve with a lineup that reads like an all-day festival. At the top of the list is DJ Heather, known for her work with Mark Farina, Om Records, Fabric, and Chicago's Smart Bar, to name a few. Her specialty is house music, but sets include any number of dancefloor-friendly genres including techno, downtempo, and disco. Dahlia will be on hand to count down to midnight, and MarchFourth Marching Band's bizzaro circus extravaganza will be keeping the energy up with two performances in the evening. Shows at On Air are all ages with a cash bar for the adults. AH

THE DIMES, SCOTLAND BARR AND THE SLOW DRAGS

(The Green Room, 2280 NW Thurman) I saw the Dimes this summer at one of those noontime Pioneer Courthouse Square gigs. They had a great time, warmly thanking the audience for sharing their lunchtime—and the audience responded in kind. Singer Johnny Clay recalls Michael Penn, with the diction and rhythm of Ben Gibbard, and a dash of Jets to Brazil-era Blake Schwarzenbach thrown in there as well. In other words, he sings clear lyrics of a poetic bent, and his observations ("You sold or gave away half of the carload you brought/And it seems you're headed back home, ready to find what you'd lost," from "Stacked Brown Boxes") are both poignant and down to earth. JIM WITHINGTON

EL DEBARGE, LAKESIDE

(Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside) El DeBarge, whose kinfolk have rotated in and out of the penal system, recently proved that he's not the anomaly fans might have hoped him to be. A domestic violence charge now sullies his reputation, but in those fluffy mullet days of yore he was a pretty-faced, sweet-falsettoed, R&B dream, the eldest of a tawny Jacksonesque brood. Although his '80s crown has since tarnished, the jewels of his catalog still shine. In fact, one would be hard pressed to cite a moment when a DeBarge sample or interpolation wasn't hogging urban radio rotations. His frothy R&B will be preceded by the funk of Lakeside, architects of the stanky classic, "Fantastic Voyage." JALYLAH BURRELL

WEEK 2

THURSDAY 1/3

BOY EATS DRUM MACHINE, SIBERIAN, DAY OF LIONS

(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) Boy Eats Drum Machine has become one of Portland's favorite local acts, and for very good reason. Frontman Jon Ragel brings impressive turntable skills to a live band setting in a way that never sounds forced, gimmicky, or like those nü-metal DJs. His soulful, steady vocals weave in and out of the evolving, fluid arrangements, while the monolithic pounding of drummer Peter Swenson firmly nails every song to the ground. Their energetic live show guarantees that more than just the members of the band will be bathed in sweat by night's end. Sharing the bill is Seattle's Siberian, who play a frosty, guitar-driven style of rock that is both emotional and tuneful. They also have one of the best song titles of all time, "Belgian Beer and Catholic Girls," which in five simple words sums up the entirety of my own personal understanding of the human experience. NL See also My, What a Busy Week!.

FRIDAY 1/4

CAVES, GEJIUS, DA'REL JUNIOR, OHMEGA WATTS (DJ SET)

(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) See My, What a Busy Week!.

RIVER CITY BLUEGRASS FESTIVAL

(Oregon Convention Center, 777 NE MLK) See My, What a Busy Week!.

WEINLAND, JAMES LOW, MIKE COYKENDALL BAND

(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) What to do, what to do. Here on my desk sits the beautiful new album from Weinland, La Lamentor. But before I unleash an almighty flood of compliments for the local band, it needs to be said that the record does not come out for some time. Months. And months. The fourth of March is the proper release date—courtesy of Badman Recording Co., recently relocated to Portland from San Francisco—so I'll reluctantly hold my tongue for now. But without revealing too much, get ready for a record of slow burning and intimate Americana that seldom rises above a whisper, but whose impact lies not in volume, but in the glistening songwriting of John Adam Weinland Shearer and the warmth of the band's shimmering songs. Yeah, it's that good. EAC

THE GREEN PAJAMAS, THEBROTHEREGG

(Someday Lounge, 125 NW 5th) Almost a quarter century and a baker's dozen releases into their career, the Green Pajamas are not likely to burst onto any scene any time soon, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't start paying attention. The band, formed in Seattle in the mid-'80s, drew significant influence from such psyche-pop masters as Syd Barrett, XTC, the Birds, Revolver-era Beatles, and the Dukes of Stratosphear, in an attempt to import a bit of Los Angeles' Paisley Underground scene to the Northwest. Even if success didn't exactly follow, any band that can stay together this long and consistently put out high-quality records that rival the Go-Betweens in intelligence and song craft should not be ignored. The PJs generally favor recording over performing live shows, so don't miss a rare opportunity to catch a band that, sometime in the future, will likely be considered a legendary undiscovered gem. Portland's own version of the Green Pajamas, thebrotheregg are no strangers to twisted and experimental pop and should make perfect bedfellows for the bill. KEVIN FRIEDMAN

SATURDAY 1/5

CHLOÉ, PHILIP SHERBURNE, THE PERFECT CYN, 31AVAS

(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) See My, What a Busy Week!.

RIVER CITY BLUEGRASS FESTIVAL

(Oregon Convention Center, 777 NE MLK) See My, What a Busy Week!.

HORSE FEATHERS, MBILLY (7 PM),

THE BOTTICELLIS (10 PM)

(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) See My, What a Busy Week!.

CHILDREN OF THE REVOLUTION FESTIVAL: FLESHTONE, PANTHER, STARFUCKER, TARA JANE O'NEIL, DRAGGING AN OX THROUGH WATER, & MORE

(AudioCinema, 226 SE Madison) See My, What a Busy Week! and Once More with Feeling.

NU SHOOZ, VALERIE DAY

(Jimmy Mak's, 221 NW 10th) When was the last time you had a song stuck in your head? And I mean really stuck. Not, you know, in there for a few days or so. No, we're talking more like months, or years. If it's been a while, you may want to stop reading this, because I'm about to drop a head-sticking bombshell: Nu Shooz's "I Can't Wait." If I were able to hum it right now you'd be screwed, because I'm convinced that "uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh" chorus is the musical equivalent of flypaper to flies—once you hit it, you're done for. It's been months and months since I heard the song last, but it doesn't matter, as I still find myself humming it at least three times a day—which, although it's a great song, is about three times too many. ROB SIMONSEN

SUNDAY 1/6

CHILDREN OF THE REVOLUTION FESTIVAL: YELLOW SWANS, THRONES, SUBARACHNOID SPACE, MAGICK DAGGERS, ROLLERBALL, & MORE

(AudioCinema, 226 SE Madison) See My, What a Busy Week! and Once More with Feeling.

RIVER CITY BLUEGRASS FESTIVAL

(Oregon Convention Center, 777 NE MLK) See My, What a Busy Week!.

EYE CANDY SUNDAYS: VJ NORTO, THE PHANTOM HILLBILLY

(Beulahland, 118 NE 28th) The concept behind Eye Candy Sundays is pretty straightforward: VJ Norto sets up a projector at Beulahland and shows a wide variety of music videos. Thing is, I went to this a couple weeks ago and it was the absolute best way to wrap up a lazy Sunday evening. The songs and videos are top-notch, and they brighten up the enjoyable but usually sleepy vibe at Beulahland without distracting to the point where you're just sitting silent with your friends, watching TV at a bar. VJ Norto plays fast and loose with the genre switchups—I saw videos from PJ Harvey, De La Soul, Olivia Newton-John, Kraftwerk, Lionel Richie, and Cindy Lauper in the same hour—and the result is the best night of MTV you never had. If you're bored but restless, or still working off that 2008 hangover, I couldn't think of a better way to spend a Sunday night. HC

MONDAY 1/7

THE FRIENDLY SKIES, THE AX, ARISTEIA

(Someday Lounge, 125 NW 5th) The finest moments for the Portland quartet of Aristeia are those when the band loses itself in expansive meandering periods of instrumental noise. These dramatic breakdowns are both precise and open ended, an epic rise and fall of swelling notes that makes Explosions in the Sky look like a bunch of Texas bedwetters. That's some tough talk, but hopefully the Ax have their back, just in case things get scary. Sure the Ax are just a duo of drums and guitar—both of which are played at a level of volume that can only be described as "unhealthy"—but considering their love for distorted, and raw, loud rock, it's a safe assumption these boys can throw down. Fisticuffs abound! EAC

TUESDAY 1/8

BACK DOOR SLAM, THE IMPRINTS,

BRYAN FLANNERY BAND

(Berbati's Pan, 10 SW 3rd) Back Door Slam, meet Blues Hammer. Blues Hammer, this is Back Door Slam. Granted, one of you is a fictional band from Ghost World, the other is a real-life blues revisionist band with a dreamy pin-up frontman in Davy Knowles. All solos, no substance, Knowles is like Clapton in the '90s, or any number of Jonny Langs who specialize in shallow guitarsturbation exercises that rob the Delta blues of their very soul. No word yet if Back Door Slam will join Blues Hammer in singing about "picking cotton for the man," but it can't be all that far away. EAC

WEDNESDAY 1/9

CASIOTONE FOR THE PAINFULLY ALONE, CONCERN, PARENTHETICAL GIRLS

(The Artistery, 4315 SE Division) A band turning 10 is like a human turning 30: You've endured one natural disaster or another (flood, fire, broken parts, folk music). You've moved around a lot. The partners with whom you've collaborated don't return your calls. Worse yet, your parents have stopped sending money. For Owen Ashworth, 30, and his aptly named Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, 10, there is no escaping adulthood. His last full-length, Etiquette, shifted immediately from lovelorn piano mope ("New Year's Kiss") to razor-sharp electro pop ("Young Shields"). Turns out age brings confidence. Refined was the lo-fi play of his earnest Answering Machine Music days, back when he was a Northwest-observing—and David Bazan-sounding—San Francisco kid. His Portland years and resulting Twinkle Echo revealed a massive Smiths reverence ("Toby, Take a Bow"), and now that he lives in Chicago, he has manned up to a Bruce Springsteen tribute. Let's hope it's a little sad. MIKE MEYER See also My, What a Busy Week!.