WEDNESDAY 4/23

PARTY DAMAGE NIGHT: THE RESISTANCE, CATALDO, SERGE SEVERE, ST. EVEN
(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) See My, What a Busy Week!

SOUVENIR DRIVER, TENDER AGE, BUBBLE CATS
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) Read our article on Souvenir Driver.

JEFFERSON STARSHIP, THE WINDSHIELD VIPERS
(Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside) See All-Ages Action!

THURSDAY 4/24

STUMPFEST: RED FANG, TRANS AM, FEDERATION X, LIFE COACH, DRAB MAJESTY, HOT VICTORY
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) See My, What a Busy Week!, and read our article on Stumpfest.

ANVIL, CEMETERY LUST, SPELLCASTER, MANIAK
(Hawthorne Theatre, 1507 SE César E. Chávez) See All-Ages Action!

DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS, SHOVELS AND ROPE
(Roseland, 8 NW 6th) See My, What a Busy Week!

SIR MIX-A-LOT, BAD HABITAT, UNSAFE DARTZ, CARMINE, RAPPER E
(Analog Café, 720 SE Hawthorne) What can be said about Sir Mix-a-Lot in 2014? Considering that the man—Seattle-born Anthony Ray—hasn't released any new material since 2003's Daddy's Home, perhaps not a whole lot. All we can do is appreciate the single that made him. Since its release 22 years ago, "Baby Got Back" has reverberated in commercials, choice scenes in movies, videogames, and Glee. Although I'll go a step further and nerd out to his 1988 debut Swass, which includes a fine array of samples (Kraftwerk, Gary Numan, Iggy Pop), a song featuring the members of Metal Church, and the stone-cold classic "Posse on Broadway"... Okay, this motherfucker's a genius! MARK LORE

EYEHATEGOD, STONEBURNER, SIOUX, DEAD BY DAWN
(Branx, 320 SE 2nd) The first single from Eyehategod's forthcoming, self-titled full-length—also their first in 14 years—is called "Robitussin and Rejection." Aptly named, the track is the sonic equivalent of self-loathing and suffering at its most drug-laden and hateful. Eyehategod, which hits the streets on May 27 via Phil Anselmo's Housecore Records, is not only special because it's been over a decade in the making. It's also the last recording the band made before original drummer Joey LaCaze passed away last year. The rest of the record will no doubt feature more of Eyehategod's filthy, crusted-over, two-ton, bottom-rung blues. And on this tour, the fans should be able to cut the despair with a knife. ARIS WALES

FRIDAY 4/25

STUMPFEST: LORD DYING, NORSKA, BLACK PUSSY, ANCIENT WARLOCKS, CHRON GOBLIN
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) See My, What a Busy Week!, and read our article on Stumpfest.

THE GRRRL FRONT
(Tonic Lounge, 3100 NE Sandy) See My, What a Busy Week!, and read our article on the Grrrl Front festival.

SPEAR AND MAGIC HELMET, JONNYX AND THE GROADIES, LABRYSE
(Slabtown, 1033 NW 16th) See All-Ages Action!

GABRIEL SALOMAN, VALET, BEAST, ETHERNET
(Alberta Abbey, 126 NE Alberta) Originally scheduled for February, this event was canceled due to Snowblizzpocalypse Y2K14. Impressively, the organizers were able to secure the exact same bill from the original date. Headlining is former Yellow Swan Gabriel Saloman, who returns to Portland in support of Soldier's Requiem, his 2013 album of anti-war instrumentals. The four pieces on it are devastating in their own ways, whether it's through the pound of a martial drumbeat, or on the haunting "Boots on the Ground," guitar melodies accompanied by the simple sound of rainfall that are interrupted by more percussion racket and heavy drones. ROBERT HAM

ATLAS AND THE ASTRONAUT, GRANDHORSE, MANX
(Firkin Tavern, 1937 SE 11th) Last summer, local pop-rock four-piece Grandhorse released their fantastic debut album Portraiturefolio. I slept on it back then, but it has since become clear that its nine tracks of loud and layered melodic goodness go down a heck of a lot easier than that mouthful of a title. One could draw comparisons to a number of high-octane indie pop acts here, but Grandhorse manage to nest within a comfort zone of their very own. The hooks on the opening number, "Short Drive with a Kidnapper," have been rattling around in my head for days now, and when the band rises up and taps into some infectious and revolving guitar threads toward the end of "Dinowolf," I find myself fully transported, far off in a world where I'm grinning behind the wheel of a silent hybrid and humming along to that perfect sound forever. [Grandhorse also headlines a show Saturday night at Habesha.] CHIPP TERWILLIGER

DEER SOULS, TOM HEINL, ALBATROSS
(Kenton Club, 2025 N Kilpatrick) Portland needs someone like Tom Heinl around to pop a small hole in the inflated egos of the acoustic roots music scene here. Because even while sending it up, Heinl's deep love for folk and country is readily apparent. Case in point: 2012's Seeds and Stems, a goofy and lovely batch of lo-fi country jangle that wends in warped samples from found cassettes and well-chosen covers like the Roches' goofy tune "The Hudson Bros." and "Gentle on My Mind," a treacly bit of folk associated most closely with Glen Campbell, alongside winking Heinl originals like "Morning Wood" and "Angina." RH

SATURDAY 4/26

LAURA GIBSON, PHAME ACADEMY
(Mission Theater, 1624 NW Glisan) See My, What a Busy Week!

STUMPFEST: YOB, BLACK COBRA, DIESTO, DRUNK DAD, HONDURAN
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) See My, What a Busy Week!, and read our article on Stumpfest.

THE GRRRL FRONT
(Tonic Lounge, 3100 NE Sandy) See My, What a Busy Week!, and read our article on the Grrrl Front festival.

DISTANT WORLDS: MUSIC FROM FINAL FANTASY: OREGON SYMPHONY, PACIFIC YOUTH CHOIR
(Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 SW Broadway) See All-Ages Action!

GRANDHORSE, FOG FATHER, KAYLEE ROB
(Habesha, 801 NE Broadway) See Friday's listing.

FRANZ FERDINAND, CATE LE BON
(Roseland, 8 NW 6th) Welsh singer/songwriter Cate Le Bon is three albums into a wonderful and idiosyncratic career, tying together strands of Velvet Underground art rock, Super Furry Animals psychedelic whimsy, coldwater British Isles folk à la Sandy Denny-era Fairport Convention, and taut guitar precision in the vein of Television into a weird, loveable braid of sound. Her most recent album, Mug Museum, is a stellar collection of off-kilter pop-rock, helmed by Le Bon's versatile voice and unique, precise diction. Her 2012 album, Cyrk, is even better, one of the finest albums of the decade thus far. Le Bon has left Wales for Los Angeles, and while one hopes this allows her formidable skills to reach a broader stateside audience, one also hopes her uniquely Welsh charm won't get stifled in the process. NED LANNAMANN Also read our article on Franz Ferdinand.

HOWLER, THE SINGLES
(Bunk Bar, 1028 SE Water) You may have heard of Howler. You may remember their unfortunately titled, quasi-hit from 2012, "Beach Sluts." You may remember every cynical music writer in the world cheaply comparing them to the Strokes. But I'm no cynic, and I'm hardly a writer; America Give Up, the band's first record, was at the very least an extremely tasty flavor of the week, a sterling pop outing that intimated an above-average songwriting prowess and deserved to be evaluated on its own merits. The group's new LP, World of Joy, is as melodic and charmingly ramshackle as its predecessor, but the songwriting has matured noticeably—which is not to say that the group ever steps into pseudo-literate, sensitive guy, church-of-Gibbard territory. Songwriter Jordan Gatesmith's observations as a chronically bored, over-privileged white kid are simply more astute (with a line like "You don't have to get a job if you don't want to," he may even put Don Henley out of work soon). MORGAN TROPER

BLEEDING RAINBOW, AWESOMER
(Sloan's Tavern, 36 N Russell) Look, bands, if you're going smash together buzzy guitars, occasional flurries of feedback, and killer melodies simultaneously delivered by both a guy and a gal, and play it all at the speed of not-quite-punk, I am very likely to dig what you do. Philadelphia's Bleeding Rainbow has been doing all of the above since 2008—yes, they used to be called Reading Rainbow—and their new album, Interrupt, is a 10-track blast of breakneck indie rock centered around the sweet 'n' sour vocals of band founders Sarah Everton and Rob Garcia, with nods to shoegaze and Sonic Youth sprinkled in here and there. Bleeding Rainbow may not change your life, but they'll at least get you back on your pogo for an evening. Or, heck, maybe they will change your life: "Awesome," said Dave Grohl, a guy who knows life-changing music, about Bleeding Rainbow, according to their publicist. "My new favorite band!" BEN SALMON

TOKYO POLICE CLUB, GEOGRAPHER, RARE MONK
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) Considering the promise of Tokyo Police Club's Elephant Shell, the Canadian quartet have operated at a relatively leisurely pace since their 2008 debut. As festival staples, the band brings a sweat-provoking peppiness to the stage, routinely cramming pogo-ready melodies and lots of jangly pop into three-minute songs. The band's latest LP, Forcefield, strays little from their sharp, melodic blueprint of synth-and-guitar volleys of hummables, save for the slightly irresistible opus "Argentina I, II, III," an eight-minute opening track that finds the band exploring its more epic tendencies. Those more ambitious aural avenues are indicative of a drop-off in edginess, however, and lots of Forcefield (save for the gritty "Gonna Be Ready") suffers from a bout of the sleepies. Live, however, Tokyo Police Club is a surefire stunner. RYAN J. PRADO

SUNDAY 4/27

YOUR RIVAL, LEVON'S HELMET
(Rontoms, 600 E Burnside) See My, What a Busy Week!

DUCK, LITTLE BROTHER, DUCK!, SPECIAL EXPLOSION, LEATHERDADDY, HEAVY PETTING
(Laughing Horse Books, 12 NE 10th) See All-Ages Action!

FEDERALE, DAYDREAM MACHINE
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) The basement brainchild of the Upsidedown's Jason Adams, Daydream Machine's lineage makes them a Northwest supergroup of sorts, including formal connections with Hawkeye, Music for Headphones, the Whole Wide World, Spindrift, and the Brian Jonestown Massacre, among others. Fresh off of the release of their debut full-length, Twin Idols, the band arrives amid swirling guitar rave-ups and an inviting dark pop sensibility that recalls the heyday of acts like the Jesus and Mary Chain, Love and Rockets, and even certain incarnations of the Go-Betweens. This particular outing finds Daydream Machine opening the 10th anniversary show for spaghetti-western gunslingers Federale—maybe not the most obvious musical pairing, but the two bands do share contributions from Federale's Collin Hegna, not to mention a certain widescreen, cinematic quality. JEREMY PETERSEN Also see My, What a Busy Week!

TUMMY, AH GOD, MISTER TANG
(Habesha, 801 NE Broadway) Aside from having the most delightful band name of all time, Seattle's Tummy makes spazoid, raucous surf rock that will fill up your belly with bubbly good cheer. The group—which stars Martin Selasco, Joshua Krautwurst, and Lilly Morlock of the Webs—runs through happy, loud, bopping punk rock with the urgency of a klezmer band, plus all the attendant yelps and thumps and buzzes you could ask for. "Ghost Planet," which kicks off their charming Flamingo Lightning cassette EP, is about as perfect as pop songs come, and "Jellyfish" features an extended wurble solo ("wurble" is a word I just made up to describe the sound a jellyfish makes). With madman carnival organ, heartwarming female/male vocals, stop/start-on-a-dime arrangements, and song titles like "Fire Goblins," there is literally nothing not to love about Tummy. NL

TRUST, MOZART'S SISTER
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) Making a bid in the new-wave '80s-synth comeback sweepstakes, Mozart's Sister pumps out kicky jamz for ultra-hip ears. Hailing from Montreal, Caila Thompson-Hannant began experimenting with sounds in her room in 2011 during downtime from band Think About Life, and Mozart's Sister was born. Her sessions on YouTube are a little precious; she wears sunglasses in her apartment, which seems unnecessary, unless she's Pharrell, or coming down off acid. Thompson-Hannant does well at emulating that angst-ridden, rich vocal sound that drives so many '80s bands. She's also highly innovative, experimenting with looping synth sounds and not just using them as a backdrop for generic pop riffs. You might have to put on your douchegoggles for this show, but you might also have a really rad time. ROSE FINN

DELETED SCENES, BOYS BEACH
(Bunk Bar, 1028 SE Water) Since 2005, Washington, DC-based art-rock quartet Deleted Scenes have been creating pop music that brings a fractured and warped approach to some raw and direct themes. Following in the footsteps of DC post-punk acts like the Dismemberment Plan and Q and not U, the group combs through shards and debris to work splintered moments into accessible and danceable grooves. For the band's latest album, Lithium Burn, the group recruited Dustin Diamond—AKA Saved by the Bell's Screech—to play himself in the video for the aptly named single "Stutter." The video follows a busted-up Diamond as he wanders in search of an audition, as singer/guitarist Daniel Scheuerman chomps his way through some jarring and aggressive vocals. The song takes on a full-on spasmodic form, and by way of its bleak lyrics, effectively conveys poor Screech's emotional breakdown. CT

GRISWOLD, BEACH PARTY, HEMINGWAY
(The Know, 2026 NE Alberta) It's unusual that a band comes out of virtually nowhere and drops an impeccable LP, but local emo upstarts Hemingway—perhaps the most archetypically perfect name for an emo band—have done just that with their debut, Pretend to Care. The group has managed to mine the best aspects of early Weezer and Dear You-era Jawbreaker while cultivating an entirely unique identity. Nonetheless, first track "Constellations" may as well be a crash course in crunchy, well-constructed, heartfelt power-pop, and the crude, teenage-like verse is often as unflinchingly vulnerable and affecting as that of their idol Blake Schwarzenbach. Pretend to Care is also one of the best-sounding rock records to come out of Portland in years, probably because it wasn't recorded in Portland (the group recorded with preeminent punk producer Jack Shirley at his Bay Area studio, the Atomic Garden—he gets it). MT

YOU WHO!: URAL THOMAS AND THE PAIN
(Kennedy School, 5736 NE 33rd) A true godsend in recent years for those who happen to be both parents of young children and fans of live music, the self-described children's variety rock show You Who! returns with its first installment in over a year, making good on their weather-postponed Valentine's Day show from earlier this year. The semi-regular matinee has established itself with a formula that includes arts and crafts, animation, skits, giant barn owls, and most notably, music, in the past hosting the likes of the Decemberists, My Morning Jacket, the Shins, Quasi, Laura Veirs, and more. This go-around features Ural Thomas and the Pain, the newly-minted act fronted by 73-year-old soul singer (and Portland native) Ural Thomas. Most of the parents who'll be at the show weren't even born when Thomas enjoyed his first success as a performer, yet here they'll be, escorting their brood to see what just might be the best live band in town circa 2014. JP

MONDAY 4/28

JOHN WILLIAMS, BING WANG, OREGON SYMPHONY
(Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 SW Broadway) See My, What a Busy Week!, and read our article on John Williams.

MOON DUO, KIKAGAKU MOYO, ETERNAL TAPESTRY
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) See My, What a Busy Week!

MASTER, DEAD CONSPIRACY, HATE STORM ANNIHILATION, AGE OF ARES
(Slabtown, 1033 NW 16th) Master have been around since death metal's first foul rumblings in the '80s, with bassist/vocalist Paul Speckmann bouncing around the country and recruiting various lineups, even as he often split his time with side projects like Abomination and Death Strike. With their 1990 self-titled record, followed by 1991's On the Seventh Day God Created... Master, Speckmann & Co. solidified a legacy as death-metal pioneers, matching breakneck speeds with brutal aggression. Speckmann relocated to the Czech Republic a few years back, and last year he released the 12th Master full-length, The Witch-Hunt. After a dozen albums, the Master formula hasn't changed much. MATTHEW W. SULLIVAN

HIGGINS WATERPROOF BLACK MAGIC BAND, CHRIS BROKAW, CHIMURENGA RENAISSANCE
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) It's a side project-centric evening happening tonight at the Doug Fir. The big draw is Higgins Waterproof Black Magic Band, the outfit led by Tunde Adebimpe, frontman for TV on the Radio. With this new band, Adebimpe is able to showcase some quieter expressions that teeter on dangerous edges, thanks to his powerful voice and a band that burns with post-punk intensity. Also on the bill is Chimurenga Renaissance, a venture led by Tendai "Baba" Maraire, best known for his work with Shabazz Palaces and THEESatisfaction. Here, he folds together the influence of modern African pop and some seriously fucked trap beats of his own creation. RH

TUESDAY 4/29

THE PIZZA UNDERGROUND, TOBY GOODSHANK, WAMPIRE, TIGER HOUSE
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) See My, What a Busy Week!

PARTY BOYZ NIGHT: AND AND AND, SAMA DAMS, GENDERS
(Bunk Bar, 1028 SE Water) The local music podcasters of Party Boyz are celebrating their one-year anniversary with a stacked bill of terrific Portland bands: evergreen party-starters And And And, the intricate sonic chemists in Sama Dams, and the rock pathfinders of Genders will all play for what is bound to be a warm and packed Bunk Bar crowd. Party Boyz are also releasing their first zine; within its pages are contributions from Banana Stand Media, Radiation City, Wooden Indian Burial Ground, local artists, and more. Even better—the first 50 people get a comp CD that includes music from the bands that have appeared on the Party Boyz podcasts, with some previously unreleased songs. In other words, it'll be a party to remember, complete with goody bag. NL

TOY
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) On its 2013 album Join the Dots, English quartet Toy starts things off with a taut, seven-minute-long krautrock jam that's shrouded in noisy, brooding atmosphere, like Echo and the Bunnymen tied to a laser-guided metronome. (Or: what I wish the Soft Moon sounded like.) The tune is at once both gripping and mysterious; you'll swear you can see Toy's serrated guitars and one-note bass line slicing through the smoke. From there, the band alternates between similar drone-jams and psych-pop songs that are more toe-tapping and less menacing, but also more conventional and less compelling. When Toy immerses itself in the motorik beat, it sets itself apart. But when it goes pop, you can't help but think of others who do it better. That sounds harsher than I mean it. Both sides of Toy are good, but one showcases the pulse of a potentially great band. BS

MASTODON, GOJIRA, KVELERTAK
(Roseland, 8 NW 6th) "High Road"—the first single from Mastodon's forthcoming new LP, Once More Around the Sun—surfaced online a couple of weeks ago before the Atlanta beard-metal band released it properly a day later. It's not a long, multi-section piece of yore, just a heavy riff (any metal band that sneaks in a minor chord is okay by me) and a massive chorus... ya know, Mastodon. French metallers Gojira and Norway's Kverlertak round out the bill, playing to the two extremes of Mastodon's body of work. Gojira provides the technical ecstasy, while Kverlertak delivers loads of chugga-chugga boom. It's metal for purebred metalheads and metal part-timers alike. Can't we all just get along? ML

PETER BUCK, SUPER-EARTH
(Secret Society, 116 NE Russell) Outside of occasional live performances with the Minus 5, and the odd DJ gig at Savoy on SE Clinton, Peter Buck's taking up residence in Portland has been reasonably quiet. The former R.E.M. guitarist is, of course, a living legend in the college/alternative rock spectrum, having been part of a string of affecting and influential '80s and '90s albums along with bandmates Michael Stipe, Mike Mills, and Bill Berry. Since R.E.M.'s breakup in 2011, Buck has fed on a steady diet of exclusive, vinyl-only solo album releases. The sophomore Peter Buck effort, I Am Back to Blow Your Mind Once Again, was released earlier this year, and he performed a few opening dates with Alejandro Escovedo. Buck's intimate stint at the Secret Society Ballroom is a two-night affair, and will set you back a jaw-dropping five-dollar admission. Go to this. RJP

VIOLET ISLE, PILLAR POINT, SCORPION WARRIOR
(Valentine's, 232 SW Ankeny) In 2007, Scott Reitherman released an album called Moonbeams under the unwieldy band name Throw Me the Statue. Snappy and sparkling with melody, it is one of the great indie-pop records of the past decade. Reitherman followed it up with a solid sophomore effort called Creaturesque in 2009, played a bunch of shows, and then sort of disappeared. Now we know why. Pillar Point is Reitherman's new project, a couple years in the making, and it finds him dabbling in electronic pop that has been likened to M83 and Washed Out. Those aren't ridiculous comparisons, but the truth is Pillar Point sounds like Throw Me the Statue, except with synths in place of guitars and a noticeably more melancholy point of view. Still there: Reitherman's irrepressible instinct for pop-craft. Dude's got hooks for days, and it's good to hear 'em again, no matter how they're delivered. BS