WEDNESDAY 1/8

PATTERSON HOOD, WILLY VLAUTIN
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) See My, What a Busy Week!, and read our article on Patterson Hood.

LUCY WAINWRIGHT ROCHE, SHELLEY SHORT
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) See My, What a Busy Week!

THURSDAY 1/9

CALIFONE, THE LUYAS
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) In 16-some years, Califone haven't really changed. Which is to say they've had no need for reinvention. Unlike surfers of the stylistic zeitgeist, Tim Rutili's rusty, warm, tactile, vagabond folk continues to crack with the utmost distinction. Like a hobo's fire, the Chicago group's vast catalog warms and warbles, flickering in haunted harmony. Whether it's the singular production, the numerous collaborations, or the places they play—sometimes in living rooms, sometimes at music festivals on a farm—Rutili is a true auteur, his vision all-encompassing. And like many other such greats, he's had help, including his former Red Red Meat bandmates Brian Deck and Ben Massarella. Califone remains reliable almost to a fault. Indeed, we may be too comfortable with their presence. God forbid they should go, but let's not wait until that day to show our appreciation. ANDREW R TONRY Also see My, What a Busy Week!

SUMMER CANNIBALS, HURRY UP!, SPOOKIES
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) Summer Cannibals have a new EP, and since we're into winter at this point, your flesh should be safe should you choose to go to their release party on Thursday. As a bonus, the first 50 show-goers through the door get a free copy of the four-song Make You Better cassette. The sweet-and-salty set takes fuzzed-out blasts and makes them better with pinches of '60s girl-group pop. It's a warm sound played with a nervous energy—sunny but not necessarily carefree. The Cannibals are joined by Hurry Up! (with members of the Thermals and Bangs) and the lo-fi all-stars in Spookies. MATTHEW W. SULLIVAN

THE CENTURY, NO GOOD LOVERS, SURFS DRUGS
(Kenton Club, 2025 N Kilpatrick) When I asked Berg Radin (lead vocals/guitar in Surfs Drugs) if he had any new tracks I could listen to, he sent me a video of himself playing a song in his room wearing an Indiana Jones hat and Mickey Mouse hands. If this is any indication, he makes music that's warm and playful, with a trippy, guitar-driven vibe and veiled, distorted lyrics. You might know Radin from Portland's beloved basement-rockers And And And, and while Surfs Drugs has traces of that band's thrashing rock 'n' roll momentum, their music is a little more fuzzed out, like it decided to go for a long drive and get high. Catch this rad lineup for free at the most world-famous bar in Portland. RACHEL MILBAUER

LA DRUGZ, LUNCH, WOUNDS
(Slabtown, 1033 NW 16th) If you slept on Lunch's cassette full-length Quinn Touched the Sun last year, here's another chance to get acquainted with the local punk-rock quartet. The band kicks off the year with a new 7-inch release containing remastered takes on four of the strongest tracks from Quinn. The upbeat opening title track, "Johnny Pineapple," might have been tuned up a bit for this re-release, but its urgency and scrappiness still shines through. On the flip side,"Monochrome Lust" sees the group slow things down a bit, flexing their sound as they dip into post-punk territory. While competent garage-rock bands continue to spring up just about everywhere you look, Lunch finds a way to stand out in that pack, thanks to the infectious gung-ho spirit that drives their live shows and recordings. CHIPP TERWILLIGER

PORTLAND METAL WINTER OLYMPICS: SATYRESS, MURSA
(White Owl Social Club, 1305 SE 8th) Two years ago, Portland's most enthusiastic headbanger, Nathan Carson, created the Portland Metal Winter Olympics as a way to introduce budding local heavy-rock bands to the city's tastemakers and fans through the guise of a friendly, single-elimination bracket-style competition. After a year off with Carson concentrating his efforts on his band Witch Mountain and his day job as a booking agent, the PMWO is back. If tonight's lineup is any indication, the field of competitors this time around is deep. Going head-to-head is Satyress, a female-led group of Sabbath/BÖC-worshipping doomsters, and the creeping, growling sludge of Mursa. Keep your hands warm and your devil horn salute at the ready, metalheads; the winter looks to be long, dark, and loud. ROBERT HAM

FRIDAY 1/10

THE BUILDERS AND THE BUTCHERS, TIBURONES, OLD AGE
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) See My, What a Busy Week!

HOVERCRAFT RECORDS SHOWCASE: LA DRUGZ, HORNET LEG, CHARTS, MYTHOLOGICAL HORSES, BURNT THRONES CLUB, SEALION, VASAS, HONEY BUCKET
(Star Theater, 13 NW 6th) See My, What a Busy Week!

DAN LURIE, NATE WEY
(The Waypost, 3120 N Williams) Following up 2011's super-amiable Spirit of '98, Dan Lurie's latest is a just-as-charming collection of songs he originally released on a series of digital EPs. Postcard Club's 12 tunes were recorded on a Tascam cassette eight-track recorder in Lurie's spare bedroom, and then sent to Virginia for co-producer Daniel Dominic Mancini to add his own shading. The result is an intimate but fully ripened album of Lurie's terrific tunes, packed with chunky folk turns and sweater-warm melodies. Lurie has released Postcard Club—the songs derived their inspiration from a series of thrift-store postcards—on cassette (fittingly) in a limited edition of 50. Tonight's release show is your surest bet to get one before they're gone forever. NED LANNAMANN

WHITEY MORGAN AND THE 78S
(Dante's, 350 W Burnside) Whitey Morgan makes outlaw country music, and he looks the part, too. Photos of the Flint, Michigan, singer/songwriter are a parade of black T-shirts, mean-mugs, greasy ballcaps, forearm tattoos, and leather vests. But Morgan is more than just a sound or a look; he revels in playing the kind of rebellious character made famous in the '70s by honky-tonk legends like Waylon, Merle, Hank Jr., and the Man in Black. None of this stuff would matter much if Morgan couldn't deliver musically, but his 2010 self-titled album on alt-country super-label Bloodshot Records is a well-played and engaging exercise in "real" country music, with shuffling rhythms, swooping steel guitar, and Morgan's powerful, whiskey-soaked baritone as far as the ear can hear. It's all so authentic, you might find yourself with a little skip in your step as you enter Dante's tonight, lest the saloon doors hit you in the ass on your way in. BEN SALMON

SATURDAY 1/11

THAO AND THE GET DOWN STAY DOWN, SONNY AND THE SUNSETS
(Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell) See My, What a Busy Week!

OLD RUSSIAN NEW YEAR: CHERVONA
(Star Theater, 13 NW 6th) See My, What a Busy Week!

OREGON SYMPHONY, EMANUEL AX: BACH AND STRAUSS
(Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 SW Broadway) There's a shit-ton of reasons to be stoked about this particular show: Beethoven's Symphony No. 8 on the program; Emanuel Ax at the piano; Carlos Kalmar atop the podium. I could certainly devote all these words to any of those supreme joys, but here's a little secret: It doesn't matter what the fuck is on the program, or who the hell happens to be at the piano, or atop the goddamned podium. Why? Because after witnessing every classical concert the Oregon Symphony's performed the past three seasons, the one constant that can always be counted on is the band itself, in all its 76-piece glory. In this town, where any inked yahoo with a washboard can call himself a "musician" when he's not whipping up a mocha soy latte, it's utterly inspiring to behold these crazy, brave masters of music on the Schnitzer stage, who week in and week out guarantee blown minds and broken hearts. Resolve to start the new year off right by witnessing brilliance for once in your worthless life. ANGRY SYMPHONY GUY

UFOFBI, THE WOOLEN MEN, SPOOKIES
(The Know, 2026 NE Alberta) The tagline for new record label Space Cassette is "pop music by the unpopular," a praiseworthy sentiment if ever there was one. Tonight, the folks behind this imprint—former Shaky Hands members Mayhaw Hoons and Alex Arrowsmith, with the Minders' Martyn Leaper—bring that notion to glorious life with this show. It's a celebration of the release of a new split 7-inch featuring the ragged garage pop of Spookies and the ever prolific Woolen Men, and the night also includes a likeminded batch of freaks from Stockholm known as UFOFBI. The trio call to mind the tossed-off, lo-fi sonic experiments that would cut through the rock triumphalism on early GBV releases. UFOFBI calls it "dreamtrash," I call it my new favorite band. RH

THRONES, SURVIVAL KNIFE, DANIEL MENCHE, DJ DENNIS DREAD
(Rotture, 315 SE 3rd) Daniel Menche is nothing if not prolific. The Portland musician has released a stockpile of material over the past two decades, creating languid and lurking soundscapes that can corrode your inner circuitry. It pairs well with choice chemicals. Menche shares the bill with shrapnel-makers Survival Knife and Joe Preston's doom-personified Thrones. Survival Knife (featuring Justin Trosper and Brandt Sandeno of Unwound) released a pair of 7-inches on Sub Pop and Kill Rock Stars last year that are filled with hooks and plenty of other twists and turns to keep you off balance. And Thrones continue to sporadically release material while swallowing up cities and decimating eardrums—more importantly, Preston is celebrating 20 years under the moniker. Earplugs and a diaper recommended. MARK LORE

THREE FOR SILVER, WILL KIMBROUGH, BERGERETTE
(Secret Society, 116 NE Russell) The first time I saw Will Kimbrough, he was playing guitar with Todd Snider and opening for Jimmy Buffett in front of tens of thousands. The last time I saw Kimbrough, he was at the old Berbati's Pan, playing alongside Rodney Crowell as Johnny Cash in Crowell's "I Walk the Line (Revisited)." Kimbrough's worked with Guy Clark, Rosanne Cash, John Prine, the Jayhawks, Emmylou Harris, Mavis Staples, and on and on. He's an all-star's all-star. All of which risks overshadowing his solo work, which is consistently as good as any in the genre. Three for Silver, with Lucas Warford and his five-string bass banjo, headline. Opener Bergerette sings, in its words, "French pop music straight out of 700 years ago." RYAN WHITE

RABBITS, GAYTHEIST, JONNY X AND THE GROADIES, POLST, THE GOUT
(Slabtown, 1033 NW 16th) Gaytheist's last album Hold Me... But Not So Tight was easily one of my favorite local releases of last year. Coming just eight short months after their equally excellent 2012 offering, Stealth Beats, the noise-rock trio delivered the textbook definition of a one-two punch. I'm able to keep coming back to these releases because it's just so refreshing to hear music as heavy as this paired up with vocals that can effortlessly be deciphered and appreciated right out of the gate. Sure, guitarist/vocalist Jason Rivera's lyrics are packed with wit and humor, but they also have the ability to strike a serious subject with laser accuracy. Tonight Gaytheist shares the stage with the chaotic sludge-rock sounds of Rabbits for an all-ages affair that should feel like a bit of a reprise of last year's delightful Eolian Empire cassette compilation release shows. CT

LONG HALLWAYS, APPENDIXES, MONTHS
(Foggy Notion, 3416 N Lombard) Most of the first track on Long Hallways' new album, Live from Dystopia, paints a gorgeous, mellow, walking-paced picture of this two-year-old Portland band. "David the Lion" is a churning chunk of post-rock spiked with interstellar guitar explorations that climb ever heavenward as the song gains momentum; Explosions in the Sky—an acknowledged influence, per Long Hallways' Facebook profile—would be proud. But in its last 30 seconds, the song detours into a quick post-punk-ish groove that foreshadows the more aggressive sound of the rest of the album. From there, Dystopia bounces around the world of instrumental, experimental rock, never passing on an opportunity to ride jazzy bass lines, crescendoing guitars and occasional electronic embellishments to an emotional climax. On Saturday, Long Hallways will celebrate the album's digital release—they'll have download cards!—at Foggy Notion with shoegaze group Appendixes and the unGoogleable band Months. BS

SUNDAY 1/12

HYLAEUS PARTY: THE SECRET DRUM BAND, DUBAIS, MARISA ANDERSON, ALLAN WILSON
(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) See My, What a Busy Week!

BEN DARWISH
(Al's Den, 303 SW 12th) See My, What a Busy Week!

OREGON SYMPHONY, EMANUEL AX: BACH AND STRAUSS
(Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 SW Broadway) See Saturday's listing.

MARIA TAYLOR, ST. EVEN, PJ BOND
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) Party Damage Records has seen fit to give St. Even's spectacularly great second, self-titled album a widespread digital release, following its super-limited physical issue on Gorbie International (which was accompanied by a harrowing memoir by Alan Hefter, father of Steve Hefter—that's St. Even to you). St. Even was one of the best local releases of 2013, and with Party Damage's re-release, it's poised to be one of the best of 2014, too, with 14 sharp, sturdy, at times ingenious compositions boasting gorgeous arrangements by co-conspirator Jake Kelly. So many of these songs are already unkillable classics in my book: the subtly twisted "A Light Goes on in My Car," the gracious "Home Is Where You Hang Your Head," the curvaceous "Worth the Wading," and the wrenching, album-closing "Forest Fire." If Hefter plays even one of those songs tonight, it's worth going. NL

ANDY MCKEE, CRIS LUCAS
(Aladdin Theater, 3017 SE Milwaukie) I have a pretty high tolerance for musical stupidity—Load is (by far) my favorite Metallica album and I am an unabashed (pre-Poodle Hat) Weird Al fan—but I find Andy McKee and all of his Candy Rat Records compatriots completely, unbearably, peerlessly idiotic. First off, I hate that thing that twinkly, "technical" acoustic guitarists do where they tap their fingernails on the body of the instrument and act like this is somehow a viable musical technique. It isn't, and it sounds like shit. Secondly, this is ultimately very cerebral, calculated music masquerading as sensitive and impassioned (song titles include "Drifting," "Ebon Coast," and "Song for My Father"—ew). Lastly is McKee's self-righteous opposition to drugs, and here I quote: "I too have never touched weed, pills, blow, or needles. I'm always insulted when people find that hard to believe. 'How can you write such insane music straight?!?' Frick! Some of us are just creative using only the chemicals already present in our bodies." Pfft! See ya after class, nerd! MORGAN TROPER

PALS FEST FUNDRAISER: FANNO CREEK, TIGER HOUSE, TALKATIVE
(Firkin Tavern, 1937 SE 11th) PALS Clubhouse is a near and dear house venue to local music enthusiasts. It's wedged inconspicuously next to the train tracks in Southeast Portland, with shows curated by musicians and fans alike, who create a genre-bending array of lineups that usually end in early-morning bonfires, dance parties, and fuzzy bike rides home. On top of their gracious open-door policy, the PALS family hosts PALS Fest, a celebration and sampling of some of the best music Portland has to offer. A huge amount of work goes into planning this event, which will be hosted at numerous venues over the course of a week this summer. The fact that these shows are always free is the cherry on the pie, and is all the more reason for you to go out tonight for a good cause—your pals making great music. RM

THE KNOW'S NINTH ANNIVERSARY: GRAVES AT SEA, HELLSHOCK, THE SIEGE FIRE
(The Know, 2026 NE Alberta) Tonight the Know celebrates its ninth birthday and it's doing it as few others would: with a slate of gnarly, scrawling doom metal. But the point isn't so much the bands, which, in turn, is precisely the point. For nearly a decade, the Know has offered a stage to musicians who don't always have one. That might mean players of caustic punk, metal, and noise, or simply those without fans or credentials—to put it another way: the hungry and/or the awful. (I know. I've been parts of both, and we took that tiny stage.) And if Portland continues its buzzing, quirky growth and indeed wants to maintain its reputation as fertile ground for artists of all stripes, venues like the Know become ever more important (RIP, the Artistery). In a land where gourmet food carts, bullshit sake bars, and new condominium developments sprout overnight, we must keep our eyes—and our hearts—on the stalwarts of the ground floor: the places bands go to learn something, to play for no one. Where the beer is cheap and the soundman nonexistent. Where mettle is tested without the help of a hip, new, shiny veneer. A place, for good or ill—but always without prejudice—to just get down to it. Even if that shitty next-door neighbor with the over-sensitive ears makes sure things end early. Cheers to the Know, and here's to 99 more. ART

MONDAY 1/13

BEN DARWISH
(Al's Den, 303 SW 12th) See My, What a Busy Week!

OREGON SYMPHONY, EMANUEL AX: BACH AND STRAUSS
(Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 SW Broadway) See Saturday's listing.

CARCRASHLANDER, GRAVES
(Valentine's, 232 SW Ankeny) Carcrashlander's latest, A Plan to Tell the Future, surfaced online last May, but tonight Cory Gray's macabre dirges receive physical release, as the album comes out on vinyl through Jealous Butcher and tape via Curly Cassettes. (What, no CD? It's like Sam Goody circa 1982 in here!) Gray, the main man behind the Carcrashlander moniker, has collaborated with dozens of Portland musicians, but his own work carves out unique territory, and the album is a subterranean folio of keyboard-driven compositions that at times buzz with futuristic electricity and at others seem exhumed from centuries past. The daring, dark A Plan to Tell the Future won't make your winter any brighter, but it will inject it with some tumultuous excitement. NL

TUESDAY 1/14

BEN DARWISH
(Al's Den, 303 SW 12th) See My, What a Busy Week!