THURSDAY 2/12

LYKKE LI, WILDBIRDS AND PEACEDRUMS

(Hawthorne Theatre, 1507 SE 39th) See My, What a Busy Week! and review.

BLOOD FEST!: WHITE FANG , TOM BLOOD, GOLDEN BOOTS, DAVIS HOOKER, MERCEDEZ, BIRDIE BUSCH

(The Artistery, 4315 SE Division) You will not come across a more diverse lineup this week. Writhing gut-punk, gentle folk, disturbed noise-funk, spoken word poetry, and more will all have their place on the Artistery stage. Philadelphia's Birdie Busch eases you in with energetic singer/songwriter fare that is legitimately engaging, with subtle elements of delta blues and tropicalia. Davis Hooker also stays largely in the folk arena, and his boxcar acoustic songs are delivered quietly and sadly. Mercedez, then, is the first sign that things will go a little awry, with loops, minimal dance riffs, and misfit dissonance. And there is White Fang, who play happy pop music at a very, very high level of both energy and volume. But before they do, Golden Boots—by way of Tucson, Arizona—will encompass all the preceding elements with inventive, diverse experimental pop that simultaneously explodes expectations and hits your sweet spots, much like the Calgary band Women does, or like Wilco used to do. And Tom Blood will be on hand to recite poetry that details a life of transience. NED LANNAMANN

GREG LASWELL, JESCA HOOP

(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) Greg Laswell lays claim to a quaint swath of musical real estate reserved for those whose primary goal seems to be soundtracking televised drama. When McDreamy gets, um, dreamy (I've never seen Grey's Anatomy, sorry), chances are it's Laswell (or his peers in the Hotel Café scene) that are there to provide the score. I'm sure it's not a shameful existence—and one assumes the network paychecks are more reliable and robust than those cut from CD sales—but it does lump you into the safest of all musical genres: a milquetoast land of "comfort rock," where even Coldplay is seen as edgy. Laswell specializes in warm ballads (cue a breakup scene with contemplative looks through rain-streaked car windows, or soft sobs while holding a framed photographed to your heart) and smartly assembled rock numbers that are instantly memorable. Next week on very special episode of One Tree Hill.... EZRA ACE CARAEFF

FRIDAY 2/13

THE DIRTY DOZEN BRASS BAND, TROMBONE SHORTY & ORLEANS AVENUE, PIMPS OF JOYTIME

(Roseland, 8 NW 6th) See My, What a Busy Week!

THE GUTTER TWINS, HAPPY CHICHESTER

(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) Greg Dulli has his fair share of detractors: It's been a lifetime since Gentlemen, and he now looks (and behaves) like the Ron Jeremy of indie rock, and while the Gutter Twins are fine, they seldom live up to their superband potential. All true. But the beaming personality and creepy allure of the onetime Afghan Whigs and Twilight Singers frontman trumps all the haters. Dulli is cut from a different cloth—few can pull off the Rat Pack look of singing with mixed drink in hand like he can—than his grunge-era peers, which explains the longevity of a career that has featured everything from screeching howls (nearly 17 years later, Congregation still sounds good) to blue-eyed soul to wah-wah-pedaled, fucking-behind-a-dumpster rock 'n' roll. Few exports from the '90s have maintained a fanbase and legacy like Dulli has, so let's raise a toast to the man we wanted to be when we were young, and the man we still want to be now that we're older. EAC Also see My, What a Busy Week!

FERNANDO, MIKE D AND THEE LOYAL BASTARDS, JIMMY BOYER BAND

(Dante's, 1 SW 3rd) Longtime Portland mainstay Fernando Viciconte celebrates the release of his seventh record, True Instigator, which is currently available for free on his website for a limited time. It's a rich, effective roots-rock album filled with moments of tastefully coiled fury. It opens with a cover of Hank Williams' "Angel of Death," which initially seems like a warm, soothing hymn, but soon explodes with burnt-out guitar, and the title track gives free range to a guitar solo that sounds like a barroom brawl. Latin rhythms sit side by side with groaning string drones, Beatlesque pop bashers, introverted bedroom folk, and country-tinged two-step ballads. It's a damn fine record, and you can download it for free right now; what's more, you can watch Fernando's all-star band put it together onstage tonight. NL

LADY DOTTIE AND THE DIAMONDS, LUCKY THIRTEENS, WELCOME HOME WALKER , LORDY LORDS

(East End, 203 SE Grand) It's hard not to evoke the name of the infallible Sharon Jones when describing Lady Dottie. Both singers have a similar story arc: Past their pop music prime (in age, not skill), these African American women hustled from obscurity to credibility, backed by a hotshit ensemble of younger supporting musicians—although San Diego's Lady Dottie hasn't caught on like Jones and the Dap-Kings. Well, not yet at least. But if you've heard the lore and sweat-soaked legend of Jones' intimate shows at the Doug Fir from years back, don't miss the sultry blues-soul of Dottie and her Diamonds as it melts the walls inside the tiny East End basement. Sorry, F. Scott—it looks like Ms. Dottie's American life just got its second act. EAC

FEAR NO MUSIC

(Disjecta, 8371 N Interstate) Here is the ideal way to combine your artsy-smarts with your state pride: The Fear No Music ensemble celebrates the 150th anniversary of Oregon's statehood with new music composed by Oregonians, including Bonnie Miksch, Robert Kyr, and Bob Priest. A quartet of violin, viola, piano, and percussion, Fear No Music typically performs challenging modern classical works with an emphasis on living composers; tonight's performance will include a number of guest musicians as well as choreographed dance by the Agnieszka Laska Dancers and Gavin Larsen of the Oregon Ballet Theatre. Considering that your knowledge of Oregon heritage currently consists of what you learned playing The Oregon Trail supplemented by an intimate familiarity with the Henry Weinhard's lineup, this is a good way to bone up on some culture. NL Also see Our Town Could Be Your Life.

SATURDAY 2/14

"FEB FOURTEEN BAND", MUSEE MECANIQUE

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

MURDER CITY DEVILS, PAST LIVES, CAP LORI

(Roseland, 8 NW 6th) See My, What a Busy Week!

YES

(Aladdin Theater, 3017 SE Milwaukie) See review.

STARFUCKER, STRENGTH, EXPLODE INTO COLORS, DIRTY MITTENS

(Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell) Celebrate "Love Day" (make sure to bring Sir Loves-a-Lot, "the bear who loves to love") with a slew of Portland's youngest, and most promising, local music acts. If Starfucker (now a proper quartet) was last year's most talked-about band, then the minimalist, biting art-rock created by the ladies in Explode into Colors shall hold that honor in '09. That is, if they ever release a record. But if watching these bands just isn't enough for you, put your money, and mouth, on the line with a visit to the kissing booth. For reals. Various members of tonight's performing bands will be occupying a smooching booth for charity. No tongue, okay? EAC

DAVE ALVIN, STEVE BERLIN, MARTHA SCANLAN

(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) From the creation of the mighty proto-roots rockers the Blasters, to his ongoing stints with X and the Knitters, to his Grammy-winning album of folk covers, to the two volumes of poetry that bear his name, Dave Alvin has spent his life distinguishing himself as an American artist of rare gifts. With producing gigs and the odd Dwight Yoakam cover to pay the bills, Alvin remains free to keep creating the history-soaked American music that's his life's work. DAVID SCHMADER

COVER YOUR HEARTS: CHARMPARTICLES, CLIMBER, TANGO ALPHA TANGO,

CROSSTIDE, JONAH , DERBY

(Someday Lounge, 125 NW 5th) After the rousing success of last year's Cover Your Hearts concert, the Ethos benefit show is giving it another go. This time around the material is more focused—strictly '80s covers—and the lineup of local heavy hitters is as impressive as ever. Given that tonight is the sexiest of all holidays (sorry, Arbor Day), get ready for an earful of the most powerful of power ballads. A tip of my cap to whoever is brave enough to take on Real Life's unstoppable 1983 jam "Send Me an Angel," but if anyone is foolish enough to cover "Every Rose Has its Thorn," they are so dead to me. EAC

SUNDAY 2/15

ALELA DIANE, AARON ROSS, NEAL MORGAN

(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) See review.

LIONEL LOUEKE, JUDI SILVANO

(Hilton Pavilion Ballroom, 921 SW 6th) See review.

HORSE FEATHERS, THE OLD BELIEVERS

(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) If the cuddly Old Believers ever had a coming-out moment, it was their magnificent opening performance for Blind Pilot at the Aladdin Theater last month. Feeling the need to compensate for playing on such a large stage, the band blossomed into a dozen-member cast of performers, then proceeded to stun the audience by forgoing their gospel pop sounds and immediately launching into a cover of the finest song from 2008 (in my humble opinion), T.I.'s "Whatever You Like." And if that wasn't enough to baffle half the crowd, they then followed with a picture-perfect take on the Talking Heads' "This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)." Only then—with the crowd on its heels—did the larger-than-ever band deliver the knockout blow courtesy of their own sugary-sweet pop numbers. Chances are the band will be smaller in size tonight, but that doesn't mean you won't be walking away wondering where the Old Believers have been all your life. EAC

MONDAY 2/16

MATTRESS MONDAY: SAD HORSE, HUNGRY GHOST, THE GOLDEN BEARS, EVOLUTIONARY JASS BAND

(East End, 203 SE Grand) If a sad horse was capable of making music, I doubt very much it would sound like Sad Horse. Instead, I imagine it would sound like the deep, wobbly tones of Mr. Ed drunkenly crooning Hank Williams' "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" while backed by a choir of sobbing My Little Ponies—in other words, fucking amazing. Sad Horse are pretty amazing, too, but their snotty, gritty garage rock doesn't aim for that kind of transcendence. In fact, it's transgressive rather than transcendent, and the duo, which includes Geoff Soule of Fuck, shrieks through brief numbers in such a way that would spook the shit out of any horse, sad or not. Meanwhile, the Golden Bears' majestic sounds spook on a deeper level, with deliberately haunting songs that are at times comforting and at others entwined in intricate shadows. Their Wall to Wall album was one of the best records of last year—local or no—and their powerfully gorgeous music continues to reward. NL

DON CABALLERO, sBACH, DD/MM/YYYY

(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) Sorry, Mickey Rourke, but the '90s didn't suck. Heavy music wasn't as mainstream as, say, "Round and Round" was in the '80s, but if Rourke's character in The Wrestler had looked past "that pussy Cobain" a little, we could be watching "The Ram" drive his van back to the trailer park to the blazing instru-metal of Don Caballero instead of sappy Cinderella. And maybe (spoiler!) his heart wouldn't break. Don Cab's 1993 debut album, For Respect, was technically dazzling yet fundamentally working class—a proper gateway to a then-burgeoning, Steve Alibini-engineered underground of basement math rock. Post-rock flirtations and a lengthy breakup followed, and the band's Hella-like Punkgasm—with drummer/now-vocalist Damon Che Fitzgerald the only original member—surfaced last year to mass confusion. Ram was right about one thing: Don't know what you got ('til it's gone). MIKE MEYER

APPLESEED CAST, LEAVING THE SCENE, LET DOWN LOSER

(Satyricon, 125 NW 6th) Here is everything you need to know about Appleseed Cast in 150 words or less: (1) They used to be named December's Tragic Drive, after a Sunny Day Real Estate lyric—and from that you can accurately guess what genre of music they fall under. (2) Their 2001 release, Low Level Owl: Volume 1, is a staggering masterwork of ambitious structure and design; basically it's the OK Computer of the emo set, but without the notoriety, Grammys, or Soundscan numbers. They later released a Volume 2, but it's not as good. (3) They will be forever cursed for being associated with the shameful Deep Elm label (home of the cringe-worthy Emo Diaries compilations). (4) Their latest recording, Sagarmatha, is surprisingly gorgeous, loaded with refined post-rock that builds to Mount Everest heights (fitting, seeing how the album is titled in honor of the peak's region in Nepal). EAC

TUESDAY 2/17

MSG (w/HUTCH), MATTRESS, GRAVES

(Valentine's, 232 SW Ankeny) See My, What a Busy Week!.

WEDNESDAY 2/18

POP SHOT: BOY EATS DRUM MACHINE, LOVERS, LEY LINES, DJ KEV

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

DEAD CONFEDERATE, BLUE SKIES FOR BLACK HEARTS, SHARPENING MARKERS

(Lola's Room, 1332 W Burnside) Dead Confederate combine the bruising, mid-tempo, neo-Southern rock of bands like My Morning Jacket with moody post-grunge, even incorporating a little bit of shoegaze into their sturm and drang. Amps are set to full crunch, with the reverb knob spun all the way to the right; unlike fellow Athens, Georgia, revivalist rockers the Whigs, the boys of Dead Confederate shy away from pop melodies and visit darker places, and the songs are usually immediately powerful, if not always lastingly so. Two of Portland's more rock radio-friendly bands lighten up the bill and provide a bit more sustenance. The British Invasion-influenced Blue Skies for Black Hearts have an inventive and varied approach to songwriting while always being led by melody. Sharpening Markers, on the other hand, are led by pure energy, careening like a rollercoaster, with patented Northwest guitar riffs and urgent vocals that provide potent rock songs ideal for driving or dancing. NL