THURSDAY 7/17

DYKERITZ, LACKTHEREOF, ALAN SINGLEY & PANTS MACHINE

(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) See Champagne Pop and Cast Anchor and Drown.

THE JESUS AND MARY CHAIN, THE UPSIDEDOWN

(Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell) From the early days of their riot-inducing live shows, to their stint with Sub Pop, to "Just Like Honey" being perfectly placed in Lost in Translation, to Scarlett Johansson joining them onstage at Coachella last year, there's not much left to say about the Jesus and Mary Chain other than their current reunion is fully welcomed. The dudes who brought fuzzed-out, wall-of-sound rock 'n' roll to the '80s UK indie scene are nothing if not legendary, and after nearly a decade of not playing, they're back together, toting their leather jackets (I can only assume), Ray Bans (again, assumption), and Big Muff distortion pedals across the globe. ROB SIMONSEN

BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, KATAKLYSM, VADER, CRYPTOPSY, THE FACELESS, DESPISED ICON, ABORTED, BORN OF OSIRIS, PSYCROPTIC, WHITECHAPEL

(Hawthorne Theatre, 1507 SE 39th) The value of this year's Summer Slaughter tour—with 10 heavy bands for the price of three—is hard to ignore, despite problematic new material from two of the festival's top draws. Kataklysm's Prevail surrounds broken-glass brutality with passive, midtempo bark-pop. Cryptopsy's The Unspoken King, with new vocalist Matt McGachy, crosses technical, spleen-burst burps with—oh, man—clean crooning. When At the Gates helped create melodic death metal in the mid-'90s, they quoted beat poets and rasped like crust punks. You could sing along, but you'd sound possessed. Black Dahlia Murder picked up on this, especially with Nocturnal, and made it their own. Look for enigmatic vocalist Trevor Strnad to lead the hungry crowd in a fiendish battle cry. MIKE MEYER

BUSDRIVER, BREAKFAST MOUNTAIN, DJ TAN'T

(Backspace, 115 NW 5th) Having just finished a spring tour with Dizzee Rascal, Busdriver is already back on the road supporting Flobots. Tonight he appears solo, in a well-deserved headlining spot. Known for his irreverent lyrics ("Sorry, underground hiphop happened 10 years ago") and bizarre delivery style, Busdriver is one of the most prolific subterranean hiphop artists, most notable for 2005's Fear of a Black Tangent. The revolutionary lyricist has worked with top-notch producers like Boom Bip, Nobody, and, most recently, music critics' darling Daedelus. His live show matches the weird factor of his recorded work, which would be off-putting if it wasn't so politically driven and thoughtful. AVA HEGEDUS

YELLOWFEVER, MAGIC JOHNSON, MATTRESS

(Twilight Café and Bar, 1420 SE Powell) YellowFever's driving, post-alterna-rock sound makes me nostalgic for the idealism found in a mid-'90s summer road trip—when gas was affordable and your friend's mixtape blasted over America's barren landscapes rushing by your window. On their latest EP, Cats and Rats, frontwoman Jennifer Moore's croon is sweeter than honeycomb as it floats above her wandering minimalist guitar and the committed backbone of Adam Jones' drums. After a 2,273 mile journey from Austin, Texas, YellowFever plays a free show at the Twilight Café tonight. Please put a sweet tip in the donation cap for these talented travelers. EM BROWNLOWE

FRIDAY 7/18

PICA'S 13-YEAR ANNIVERSARY: FLESHTONE, VELELLA VELELLA, MEGA*CHURCH, DJ BEYONDA

(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) Thirteen is a difficult, transformative age. Creativity blossoms. Experimentation with sex and narcotics begins in earnest. There are pimples, and the worrying about popularity, and the refusal to listen to one's elders. Luckily for PICA, this has been standard practice for its entire 13-year history, which it celebrates tonight with the likes of DJ Beyonda and Seattle's Velella Velella. PATRICK ALAN COLEMAN

RAY DAVIES

(Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside) See A Well-Respected Man.

JESSE LACEY, KEVIN DEVINE, BRIAN BONZ

(Hawthorne Theatre, 1507 SE 39th) When fronting the sadly underappreciated Brand New, Jesse Lacey is a puffed-chested alpha male, sort of like the Greg Dulli of the emo set. The comparisons continue since the two share an onstage brazen demeanor and the rare ability to be somewhat charming and repulsive at the same time. As a solo performer, Lacey swaps the rock star ambitions for a more subtle approach. Like the cool old brother you never had, he shows off his range as a music connoisseur, as he (most likely) introduces wide-eyed seas of teenagers to their first earfuls of Neutral Milk Hotel (he covers both "Oh Comely" and "Two-Headed Boy") and Leonard Cohen ("Chelsea Hotel")—proof that not every guyliner-sporting kid these days is going to be corrupted by the Pete Wentzes of this world. As long as there is a Jesse Lacey, there is hope. EZRA ACE CARAEFF

FLOSSTRADAMUS, DJ BEYONDA, RUDE DUDES

(Rotture, 315 SE 3rd) Chicago's Curt Cameruci and Josh Young (aka Autobot and J2K) are not exactly breaking new ground in dance music. Following the current formula for party-jam DJ duo success—á la Hollertronix, Villains, etc.—Flosstradamus managed to land on the cover of URB Magazine with just a few catchy remixes, a MySpace page, and a reputation for throwing bumpin' parties. An affiliation with party rapper Kid Sister (Young's real-life sister) didn't hurt their cause either. The thing that sets Flosstradamus apart is a certain Midwest sincerity. Their recent mix for Vice Magazine made them all the rage around the electro-hip circuit, but they are humble enough to say how much they appreciate their 15 minutes, and unpretentious enough to continue to throw down even the corniest of guaranteed dance floor bombs. AVA

MUDDY RIVER NIGHTMARE BAND, HAIRSPRAY BLUES, EAT YOUR HEART OUT, AUTOLITE STRIKE

(Ash Street Saloon, 225 SW Ash) "It's like we're living in the land of the '50s, black and white, same thing every day," yells Kyle Stabile on "Spilling Coffee on My Blue Jeans." You might think Stabile is complaining, but Hairspray Blues has something of a vintage fetish, evoking Elvis, Screamin' Jay Hawkins, and biker B-movies throughout their new album Sick Little Package, which celebrates its release tonight. Kyle's wife Leslie accompanies him with choppy gut-punch drumming, and the White Stripes comparisons are very tempting, but Hairspray Blues are punkier, bluesier, and more sincere than the peppermint-clad duo from Detroit. Their music takes a rotting Black Sabbath carcass and drapes it over a rockabilly skeleton, then brings it all to life with a full bottle of trucker pills. NED LANNAMANN

EMRG+N+SEE FESTIVAL

(10425 Edmunson SE, Salem) If you're not into rolling the dice on small-time raves in the middle of nowhere, the Emrg+N+See Festival is the real deal, a three-day outdoor event featuring music, visual arts, workshops, and locally made goods and fashion. The music is mostly live electronic, with some hiphop and other acts as well. Highlights from the mile-long list of performers include Eliot Lipp, Lifesavas, and Heavyweight Dub Champion. Workshops can teach you how to perform CPR, find enlightenment, or do the robot, depending on your needs. In the outdoor party spirit, you'll have to check the website (emrgnsee.com) for the exact lineup, ticket prices, and camping details. AVA

SATURDAY 7/19

AIMEE MANN, BLIND PILOT

(Aladdin Theater, 3017 SE Milwaukie) Armed with a new album that features all the computer keys you never use, @#%&*! Smilers, Aimee Mann continues her glorious march of continuously releasing intelligent pop albums and battling for musicians' rights along the way. Not a only that, but Mann hand-picked local openers Blind Pilot, proof that her taste in music is just as refined as her ability to make it. EAC

PHIL WILSON, THE BRILLIANT CHANNEL, THE VANISHING KIDS

(Slabtown, 1033 NW 16th) See The Golden God of Twee.

EVOLUTIONARY JASS BAND, DOUG THERIAULT, WALLY SHOUP DUET

(Exit Only, 1121 N Loring) See Our Town Could Be Your Life.

EMRG+N+SEE FESTIVAL

(10425 Edmunson SE, Salem) See Friday's listing.

GRAY MATTERS, SANDPEOPLE, STEP COUSINS, LIVING PROOF, DEF MINDS CREW, DIEZEL P, STATE OF MIND

(Hawthorne Theatre, 1507 SE 39th) With the release of their debut LP, Intelligent Decline, Portland/Seattle emcee duo Gray Matters float creatively into waters that are familiar to fans of Northwest favorites Oldominion. Dour rhymes blend with a well-chosen landscape of beats to create an album that maybe should have dropped in mid-November, given its grizzled tone. The A-class production by Simple and Sapient (of Sandpeople fame) makes the album so strong at its core that if Vanilla Ice dropped a new disc with those guys supplying beats, he'd be up to his neck-tattoos in street cred. Altogether Intelligent Decline is a solid and complete—if not totally amazing—effort that shows the continued growth of the Northwest rap scene as a whole. GRAHAM BAREY

THEBROTHEREGG, SAN KAZAKGASCAR

(The Know, 2026 NE Alberta) The Sacramento quartet of San Kazakgascar plays "Post-Asiatic" music, which—as far as I can tell—is essentially moody, droning rock with a decided Eastern influence. They're definitely going for a psychedelic sound, but even the epic raga of "Reign of Yana" remains on the sober side of things. There are echoes of Sun City Girls, Frank Zappa, Dick Dale, and Wham's "Careless Whisper," and the music never gets too complicated or conceptual. It's an interesting mix, and despite the myriad influences, San Kazakgascar never sounds derivative, instead staking out its own turf and smearing the lines between rock, world, and jazz, all without devolving into icky fusion. NL

SUNDAY 7/20

BOAT, DIRTY MITTENS, THE WINEBIRDS

(Someday Lounge, 125 NW 5th) It's a near-impossible balancing act to be cuddly, catchy, and cool, but Seattle joke-popsters BOAT manage all this and more. Their latest 7-inch is called Topps—after the brand of baseball cards—and includes hand-drawn trading cards and a stick of gum. How can you not love that? Meanwhile, Portland's own Dirty Mittens are also on hand to celebrate the release of Pinky Swear, their latest collection of exotic lounge pop. NL

EMRG+N+SEE FESTIVAL

(10425 Edmunson SE, Salem) See Friday's listing.

CHILDLIKE EMPRESS, KATE'S MIRROR, PAPER UPPER CUTS, BOOZE HOWL

(Satyricon, 125 NW 6th) Scott Wayne Indiana makes art with pretty little plastic horses (if you've walked the streets of Portland you've surely come across his "Sidewalk Horses" installations), so it's a bit striking to hear the man front the cold slab of minimalistic art-rock that is Kate's Mirror. Sounding quite a bit like New York-era Lou Reed—complete with that bold speak/sing vocal delivery—Indiana makes lyrics like "I headed toward the Stumptown on Division/I was thinking about what I must be missing" sound like Portland's very own "Dirty Blvd." Kate's Mirror's brand-new In Use recording is one of the most pleasant local music surprises of the year, but if that wasn't enough of a call to action for you, their rare live performances will feature back projections, rare slide shows, and other "captivating visual content." EAC

THE SABBATH: LIGHTNING SWORDS OF DEATH, VALDUR, GIGAN, HEATHEN SHRINE, DJ NATE C

(Rotture, 315 SE 3rd) Lightning Swords of Death play tough, riff-based black 'n' roll without drama, as the band's tour-only split CD with Valdur could trample an S&M convention with giant power chords and a machine gun fired straight up in the air. Valdur are more indebted to the tremolo-picking hollowness of Burzum, using Wolves in the Throne Room-speed drumming to escape traditional contempt. Though the night belongs to Gigan, whose The Order of the False Eye is the latest in amazing psyche-metal spaceships captured by Sanford Parker (Nachtmystium, Yakuza) in Chicago. MM

EARLIMART, SABERTOOTH, THE PARSON RED HEADS

(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) Earlimart, the Los Angeles-based duo of Ariana Murray and Aaron Espinoza, play cosmic shuffles, widescreen confessionals, and neatly modulated pop songs. It doesn't hurt that each has a distinctive vocal style that's entirely appropriate for the music they create: Espinoza's world weary and breathy, Murray's earnest and flowing. As heard most recently on the album Hymn and Her, they're able to weld a fairly timeless pop sound to a slightly expressionist production style (think Mercury Rev's Dave Fridmann). It's beautiful in places and haunting in others, and on "Before it Gets Better," when Murray softly declaims, "It's a deathtrap," it manages to be both. TOBIAS CARROLL

RINGO STARR & HIS ALL-STARR BAND

(Edgefield, 2126 SW Halsey, Troutdale) Oh, Ringo, Ringo, Ringo. I love you. I truly do. Your drumming on "She Said, She Said" is one of the greatest achievements in the history of recorded music. But I'm sorry, Ringo. Despite your legitimately underrated drumming ability, despite "The No No Song (We Don't Smoke it No More)," despite the cinematic genius that is Caveman, I just can't bring myself to recommend this show to our readers. Sure, there's the All-Starr Band, which includes legendary albino Edgar Winter, famed stroker Billy Squier, the dream weaver himself Gary Wright, and the dude from Men at Work. And there's the promise of one more chorus of "Yellow Submarine"... But no. No, I'm sorry. You understand, don't you? Of course you do! You're Ringo! NL

WYCLEF JEAN, KARDINAL OFFISHALL, JUST.LIVE

(Roseland, 8 NW 6th) This had better be Kardinal Offishall's year. The criminally underrated Canadian emcee and producer should have hit huge in the early part of this decade, with both "Ol' Time Killin'" and "BaKardi Slang" being total jams that never fully caught on outside of his native homeland. With a new record under his belt, and a new single, "Dangerous" slowly rising the charts (complete with a hook song by everyone's favorite konvict, Akon), it seems like he is primed to finally blow the hell up. Sure, his dancehall- and reggae-infused hiphop can be a little too Sean Paul at times, but Offishall has more than enough chops and flow to put Paul (and Wyclef Jean, who he's stuck opening for) to shame. RS

MONDAY 7/21

HARRY & THE POTTERS, JASON ANDERSON, MATH THE BAND, UNCLE MONSTERFACE

(Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell) Two Boston brothers don striped ties and wire-rim glasses and sing about Harry Potter. If you're too much of a Muggle to dance, yell, jump, and geek along to songs based around the Boy Who Lived, don't come. Otherwise: lightning bolts, electric guitars, and the best all-ages time you'll ever have on a Monday night. SARAH MIRK

TUESDAY 7/22

"Monday morning feels so bad/Everybody seems to nag me/Coming Tuesday I feel better/Even my old man looks good."

WEDNESDAY 7/23

THE ZOMBIES, THE SUGARLUMPS

(Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell) Portland hearts the Zombies, and the Zombies heart Portland. At their MusicfestNW show in 2006, founding member Rod Argent told the hugely appreciative crowd, "I think you're the best audience we've ever had!" Tonight, we'll rekindle that romance as the British Invasion legends play classics like "She's Not There" and "Time of the Season"-songs so deathless, the band's morbid name makes absolute sense. NL

GRAND OLE PARTY, SOUTHERN BELLE, HOCKEY

(Backspace, 115 NW 5th) Three-piece bands with arty/bad-girl singers are easy enough to compare to Yeah Yeah Yeahs without the singer having Karen O's hair, and since Kristen Gundred does, there's not a lot a reviewer can do. But San Diego's Grand Ole Party are earthier than their New York albatross—funkier, bass-equipped, and in love with an imaginary version of the blues. Gundred also drums, and her swampy boasts cling tightly to the strut she lays under most of the band's repertoire. (Monotony is a problem here—Grand Ole Party have one album, 13 songs, and about three ideas—but lack of potential isn't.) Opening for Rilo Kiley last year, they were loud, sinewy, and loveable, and whenever the stomp started, Gundred's blushing between-song demeanor gave way to a true siren's presence—which means more than that I thought she was hot, but by no means less. THEON WEBER

A HAWK AND A HACKSAW, SHEARWATER, TU FAWNING, BENJAMIN WETHERILL

(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) Over the course of five albums, Austin's Shearwater has evolved a distinctive, wide-ranging sound encompassing both the expansive keening of late-period Talk Talk and the slow majestic tones of more traditional stateside forms. Live, that sound translates into a stark, pristine experience, with each note resounding distinctly and Jonathan Meiburg's haunting vocals and naturalistic imagery in the foreground. Albuquerque's A Hawk and a Hacksaw include Jeremy Barnes, late of Neutral Milk Hotel, and share with that band an interest in eastern European folk music. However, their interest manifests itself in a full-fledged immersion in the style, including a 2007 collaboration with the Budapest-based Hun Hangár Ensemble, characterized by frenetic playing and intricately woven arrangements. TC

MARCUS INTALEX

(Ohm, 31 NW 1st) Marcus Intalex is the upper crust of drum 'n' bass society. With almost two decades of involvement, he has set a standard for the softer, more soulful side of the often pounding and testosterone-driven genre. Even though his brand of DnB is a more subdued take—probably due to the influence of early house sounds—his music still has a groove that motivates the dance floor. Aside from constant touring, collaboration, and production, Intalex also owns the Soul:r and Revolve:r record labels, which have been key in getting out more of the mild and forward-thinking drum 'n' bass. Tonight will be the Brit's first appearance in Portland. AVA

OAKHELM, KNELT ROTE, STONE BURNER

(Kelly's Olympian, 426 SW Washington) There is a strange phenomenon growing in Portland's black metal scene: Members of the best bands are moving to other cities. It happened to Agalloch, who are currently spread out over four states, and it will soon happen to Oakhelm, whose drummer will temporarily move after tracking their second album with Billy Anderson (Melvins, Mr. Bungle) later this month. According to the band's MySpace page, tonight's show will likely be their last hometown appearance until next summer. With a wandering songbook comprising raw black metal, boisterous sea shanties, and plaintive acoustic folk, it is anyone's guess what tonight's send-off will entail. But Oakhelm being Oakhelm, it is not to be missed. MM