WEDNESDAY 5/7

MICHAEL NESMITH
(Aladdin Theater, 3017 SE Milwaukie) See My, What a Busy Week!, and All-Ages Action!

ERIK ANARCHY, FLUID SPILL, CHRONICLES OF BAD BUTCH, GOD BLESS AMERICA, FERAL DROLLERY
(Slabtown, 1033 NW 16th) See All-Ages Action!

DEAD GURUS, MILLION BRAZILIANS, HOLLOW SIDEWALKS, MONA LISA OVERDRIVE
(Alhambra Theatre, 4811 SE Hawthorne) Taking after their chief influence—British psych heads Spacemen 3—Minneapolis' Dead Gurus aim to send listeners into a trance by way of minimalist, repetitive drumming, guitars that sound like they're gushing out multi-colored liquids as they choogle forward, and vocals lost in the Oort Cloud. It's a very familiar formula, but like any good drug, once you've had that initial taste, you'll want more and more. Joining them are local freaksters Million Brazilians, a combo that grooves, dips, and dives with the goal of becoming heirs apparent to space-jazz pioneers Sun Ra's Arkestra. ROBERT HAM

TY DOLLA SIGN, JOE MOSES, MILA J
(Peter's Room at the Roseland, 8 NW 6th) Ty Dolla Sign isn't a rapper, per se, but he comes from that world. A stoney crooner from LA, Ty offers melodic hooks and smoothness to the latest wave of West Coast rap, built upon DJ Mustard's skeletal, booming minimalism and YG's well-trod gangsterism. Like Nate Dogg to Snoop and Dre, Dolla Sign offers a counterpoint to YG and Mustard. To be sure, these are simply convenient touchstones; Ty and his peers offer nothing nearly as groundbreaking or well rounded as their forefathers. Still, there's something interesting happening here. And with YG's recent "My Krazy Life" breaking through nationally, one can only expect Dolla Sign's major-label debut full-length will soon follow suit. But for Ty, much like Nate Dogg, the question remains: Is he better off helming his own record, or giving lift to others? ANDREW R TONRY

LO-FANG, KATE BERLANT
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) On first listen to Lo-Fang, I was curious. I heard cello, banjo, and violin, produced so clearly and smoothly that the songs slipped down my ears like butter. He hooked me with a sweet tenor voice that enunciates lyrics so crisply, I just wish they were worth listening to. Mr. Fang (AKA Matthew Hemerlein) is classically trained, and plays all of the instruments on his album Blue Film, but not once does his competent virtuosity yield anything interesting. Lo-Fang might resonate with some; his sound will either remind you of that summer you spent at the lake when you got your heart broken, or you'll get so bored and cheesed out that you'll need to listen to Doggystyle just to cleanse your palate. ROSE FINN

THURSDAY 5/8

I'VE GOT A HOLE IN MY SOUL
(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) See My, What a Busy Week!

LO-FANG, HUSTLE AND DRONE
(Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside) See Wednesday's listing.

THE SAN ONOFRE LIZARDS, PILL WONDER, LANDLINES
(The Know, 2026 NE Alberta) Portland rock 'n' roll outfit the San Onofre Lizards formed out of the Olympia-based band Family Stoned. While the new band may have taken root a couple hours down I-5, the songs on their self-titled cassette paint an image of them planted even further south, living easy and soaking up the desert sun like lizards. That fine-weather feeling is precisely where the three-song stretch of "Lizard's Theme," "Headed South," and "Tucson" take the listener, and it's a welcome escape from the lingering Portland rain. The tape has a Neil Young and Crazy Horse vibe that runs throughout, with "Everyone Knows (That You're Through)" heavily channeling a country-tinged, psych-rock influence. Fellow Olympia rock acts like Gun Outfit and Milk Music have left the Northwest behind for the desert of Southern California, but it seems the Lizards are content to bring that sunshine our way for the moment. CHIPP TERWILLIGER

KADAVAR, THE SHRINE
(Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell) If you haven't yet knelt down before the Shrine—Venice, California's self-proclaimed "psychedelic violence" band—you better bloody your knees and start speaking in tongues. Equal parts rock 'n' roll, classic heavy metal, and punked-out West Coast hardcore, the Shrine is all ripper and zero filler. The band's new full-length, Bless Off, dropped this year like a wild, frothing skateboarder into an empty pool, cruising and crushing just as hard as 2012's critically acclaimed Primitive Blast. To prove the band's cred even further, Bless Off's slow-burn track "The Duke" is co-written by Chuck Dukowski, founding bassist of Black Flag. The Shrine are hard touring, hard charging, and coming up lightning fast. ARIS WALES

A HAPPY DEATH, BELDA BEAST, MONK WARRIOR
(Kenton Club, 2025 N Kilpatrick) Redding, California's Belda Beast have steadily amassed elder-statesmen status in NorCal's fledgling underground rock scene, having released a slew of recordings of not just themselves, but also of other up-and-coming bands from the area via the Around Town Collective label/community project. Songwriter Zach Zeller's diverse output has wiggled through folk, experimental music, electronic, and punk, often yielding powerful moments of pure abandon, not unlike his sonic contemporary John Vanderslice. Belda Beast's new nine-song, self-titled LP consists of new songs alongside retakes from 2007 album As One Wakes the Night. The band is bringing along fellow Redding instrumental wunderkinds Monk Warrior, whose poised, jazz-math shenanigans ought to provide an ethereal counterpart to Zeller's more worldly compositions. RYAN J. PRADO

EAST FOREST, ETHERNET, STRANGEWEATHER
(Alberta Street Pub, 1036 NE Alberta) The music created by East Forest—one-man electronic producer/performer Trevor Oswalt—feels much more spiritual and enrapturing than could be described on paper. Ambient, yes, but with a deeply resonating pulse that puts you in a blissful, meditative state, coaxing you slowly toward nirvana. A similar case could be made for Tim Gray's long-running project Ethernet. But his oozing, synth-based compositions have a bit more bite to them, as if the only way to achieve inner peace is to first run your tongue across the business end of a nine-volt battery. RH

FRIDAY 5/9

THE NIGHT BEATS, BLACK PISTOL FIRE
(Dante's, 350 W Burnside) See My, What a Busy Week!

STONEBURNER, MURMURS, DRUNK DAD, SNAKES, RECESSIONS
(Tonic Lounge, 3100 NE Sandy) Read our article on Stoneburner.

SARAH JAROSZ, ALAMEDA
(Aladdin Theater, 3017 SE Milwaukie) The recently revived Nickel Creek somehow still feels like a trio of fresh-faced newgrassers even though they've been around for more than two decades. And their music still feels vital, something that will increase in the coming years as a wave of artists influenced by the band rolls in. At the crest of that wave is Sarah Jarosz, a 22-year-old Texan whose formative years coincided with Nickel Creek's early-'00s peak. Jarosz is a multi-instrumentalist, a gifted songwriter, and a breathtaking singer, and her newest album, 2013's Build Me Up from Bones, has an inquisitive, omnivorous vibe; it's the sound of a virtuoso, having conquered technique, searching for something new to feed her artistic appetite. Jarosz's take on progressive acoustic music is more elegant and less plucky than Nickel Creek's, and she pairs it with a steady, overcast voice that recalls Gillian Welch. If that ain't a winning combo, I don't know what is. BEN SALMON

DEVIN THE DUDE, BERNER, POTLUCK, COOL NUTZ, J HORNAY, BLAZE 1, JEFF TURNER
(Peter's Room at the Roseland, 8 NW 6th) Whether Portland has a hiphop problem or not, Houston's Devin the Dude hasn't judged. Shit, other than his current tourmate Cool Nutz, it'd be hard to find a rapper who's performed here more. Perhaps that's hyperbole, but this isn't: Devin the Dude has kept Grumptown on his radar for a long time and delivered repeatedly, his smoked-out shows bumping smoothly like Cadillac trunks on a Saturday. Which brings me to this hopefully over-cautious conundrum: What has the Roseland learned in the last few months? We all remember what happened to Action Bronson when he smoked onstage there (it got heated). Devin the Dude's shows are as weed-filled as any, so let's hope cooler heads prevail. Because I'm doing my best to appreciate the Roseland—and its ground-floor stage, Peter's Room—as the preeminent home for out-of-town rappers visiting Portland. Let's hope they don't take it for granted. Certainly, after all this time, Devin deserves our best. ART

TYVEK, FIREBALLS OF FREEDOM, HOODED HAGS
(The Know, 2026 NE Alberta) Detroit-based garage-punk band Tyvek takes its name from the brand of housewrap used to waterproof buildings. It seems fitting, as Tyvek (the band) has certainly managed to weather storms over the years. Consisting of singer/guitarist Kevin Boyer and a rotating lineup, the band has developed their unique take on noise-punk for nearly a decade. The group's adrenaline-fueled early 7-inches were collected on Fast Metabolism by Portland label M'Lady's Records, and compilation closer "Honda" perfectly showcases Tyvek's endearingly spastic beginnings. The slightly more polished studio records that followed saw the band shift gears. Nothing Fits taps into the paranoid, pissed-off sounds of early hardcore, and 2012's On Triple Beams builds upon that foundation. That album's centerpiece, the anthemic "Wayne County Roads" is an engaging call-to-arms that could have been ripped right out of Springsteen's playbook, had the Boss come up in Detroit's suburbs instead of Jersey's. CT

SATURDAY 5/10

AND AND AND, OLD LIGHT, XDS
(The Know, 2026 NE Alberta) See My, What a Busy Week!

ST. JOHNS BIZARRE: URAL THOMAS AND THE PAIN, AAN, ILLMACULATE, SUMMER CANNIBALS, EDNA VAZQUEZ, RED YARN
(N Lombard & Philadelphia) See My, What a Busy Week!, and All-Ages Action!

OH DARLING, SEAN FLINN AND THE ROYAL WE, DJ COOKY PARKER
(Secret Society, 116 NE Russell) Portland-originated band Oh Darling returned from a stint in LA in time to release their fourth album, Beauty in Commotion. And it's a guileless pop delight, full of sugar-sweet melodies and alternately propulsive and dreamy beats. The immediate winner is opening track "Runaway," which will make bereft fans of the Sundays happy for the first time since that band quit in 1997. The sunny, strummy tune is a pleasure pill that will surely be licensed by TV and film in no time (if it hasn't been already). "I Feel Right" is even better, juggling a deft, interlocking song structure with perhaps the album's most impassioned performance; its wordless hook is something Nate Ruess could turn into a massive global hit, but there's no way he could make it sound any better than Oh Darling does. The four-piece celebrates Beauty in Commotion's release with a show in the Secret Society's ballroom, just up the stairs from the studio where the album was recorded. NED LANNAMANN

OREGON SYMPHONY: GUSTAV MAHLER'S THE SONG OF THE EARTH
(Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 SW Broadway) If you want to finally check out some live classical music, please stay the fuck away from the Schnitz tonight and Monday. All right, come for the miraculous Haydn symphony that opens up the program, but toddle off after its final movement and carry on with your evening. Stream that new political zombie comedy everyone's talking about. Maybe score a rimjob on Grindr. It's for your own damn good because, after intermission, the stage belongs to music so unusually mind-blowing and so exceptionally heartbreaking that classical greenhorns might not be ready for the shock: A drunken tenor and an otherworldly alto join the band to perform a symphonic song cycle based on Chinese poetry, sung in German, and steeped in existential wanderings so potent, composer Gustav Mahler worried that folks would go home and shoot themselves after hearing his work. I'm willing to take that chance, though—not just because it's been 34 years since the Oregon Symphony's last performance of The Song of the Earth, but because Jessica Sindell on flute and Marty Hébert on oboe promise to be unstoppably brilliant throughout this epic endeavor. Even if the worst-case scenario does come to fruition, the silver lining will be having Mahler's quixotically gorgeous melodies still ringing in my head as I pull the trigger. ANGRY SYMPHONY GUY

SATYRESS, MONICA NELSON AND THE HIGHGATES, VICIOUS PLEASURES
(East End, 203 SE Grand) It looks like there's a few more dark corners in Portland for bands to crawl out of than we realized. As if from some looming, black rain cloud, Satyress materialized suddenly, stormed a few stages, and are already releasing their first full-length, Dark Fortunes. The band plays doom metal the way it should be played, with minimal atmosphere and build-up, measured song lengths and tempos, and catchy, bluesy, groove-laden riffs accompanied by solid solos. All of the elements sit nicely under a bleak and heavy umbrella that's held up by the sultry, sinister vocals of Jamie LaRose. Satyress has certainly hit the ground running and are gaining speed swiftly. AW

SUNDAY 5/11

GEORGE CLINTON AND PARLIAMENT FUNKADELIC, URAL THOMAS AND THE PAIN
(Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside) See My, What a Busy Week!

DANNY BROWN, RAZ SIMONE, ZELOOPERZ
(Roseland, 8 NW 6th) Read our article on Danny Brown.

MONDAY 5/12

OREGON SYMPHONY: GUSTAV MAHLER'S THE SONG OF THE EARTH
(Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 SW Broadway) See Saturday's listing.

DAMIEN JURADO, JEROME HOLLOWAY
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) It's almost easy to take Damien Jurado for granted at this point. The Seattle singer/songwriter has steadily, if somewhat quietly, amassed an impressive body of work over the past 17 years, which rivals any of his contemporaries (and buries all of them in terms of sheer size). Eleven full-lengths and a smattering of EPs—not to mention a strange but enjoyable record of found audio—have seen Jurado following his muse where he's seen fit. He's never been content to fall back on the easier path of the confessional songwriter, and that's often meant turning his gaze outward to create character-driven song-stories, where he's at his best. This year's excellent Brothers and Sisters of the Eternal Son follows that trend, and marks his third release with Oregon producer Richard Swift. JEREMY PETERSEN

JACCO GARDNER, WL, AU DUNES
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) Jacco Gardner's Harold-and-Maudlin baroque pop shamelessly derives from the Brian Wilson/Ray Davies school of music. That's never a bad thing, although you always run the risk of simply aping the greats. But the Dutch songwriter does it right, folding in his influences gently, rather than just dumping them in. Gardner should get equal credit for his production skills. He recorded his latest LP, Cabinet of Curiosities, at his own studio, the Shadow Shoppe—and if those names don't clue you in to where this kid's head is at, the music sure will. These rich and textured pop songs sound great on wax. It'll be interesting to see how Gardner pulls them off outside of ye olde Shadow Shoppe. MARK LORE

HOWE GELB, GRANT-LEE PHILLIPS
(Alberta Rose Theatre, 3000 NE Alberta) There's more than one way to pursue an artistic life, and Howe Gelb stands as proof. While the norm might be to find an existing scene, Gelb instead created one, launching the first incarnation of Giant Sand almost 35 years ago from Tucson's sun-baked environs. Gelb's output since has been head-spinning, releasing numerous solo albums of various stripes, at least as many more with Giant Sand, and still others with OP8, the Band of Blacky Ranchette, and Giant Giant Sand. Add to that the odd production credit and direct responsibility for the existence of Calexico and the Friends of Dean Martinez, and it's clear why Gelb is considered something of an icon in certain circles. His latest, The Coincidentalist, is a typically understated collection that finds him joined by Steve Shelley, M. Ward, Bonnie "Prince" Billy, KT Tunstall, and Jon Rauhouse, among others, and ranks with his best work. Bonus: Grant-Lee Phillips opens, making his first Portland appearance since a torn ACL forced a cancellation of a Grant Lee Buffalo reunion show a couple of years back. JP

TUESDAY 5/13

OLD 97'S
(Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell) The first three Old 97's albums belong in the canon of alt-country's mid-'90s heyday; the third, Too Far to Care, is desert island disc-worthy, no matter the genre. The next two—especially 2001's Satellite Rides—ably explore frontman/songwriter Rhett Miller's preternatural pop instinct. What has happened since has been solid but unremarkable, which is why the veteran Dallas quartet's new album Most Messed Up is the most pleasant surprise of 2014. All the hallmarks of the classic 97's sound are there: Ken Bethea's reliable, country-fried leads, Philip Peeples' shuffling drumbeats, Murry Hammond's oohs, aahs, and high harmonies, and Miller's winky, winsome vocals. Most Messed Up sounds like a lost recording from 1996, unearthed for a new generation of roots-curious rockers who need to know it's possible to swagger and twang at the same time. That the Old 97's might just be the best example of this in 2014 is positively stunning. BS Also see My, What a Busy Week!