WEDNESDAY 9/10

SAD HORSE, SWAMP BUCK, CONSUMER, STEELHYMEN
(Slabtown, 1033 NW 16th) See All-Ages Action!

THE BASEBALL PROJECT, DRESSY BESSY, ZEUS
(Dante's, 350 W Burnside) On paper, the Baseball Project doesn't really sound like a great idea. I'm a fan of R.E.M., the Minus 5, the Dream Syndicate, AND baseball, and I don't even think it sounds like a great idea. Sure, baseball is a game of characters and characters have stories, but limiting the entirety of your band's output to a sub-subgenre of which the most notable previous example is John Fogerty's "Centerfield"? Sounds like an error, right? Fact is, Scott McCaughey, Steve Wynn, Peter Buck, Linda Pitmon, and (lately) Mike Mills, have mined the sport's lore for three albums' worth of material now, and the result has been a surprisingly rich (and educational!) catalog of songs spinning tales of the known and not so known—Ichiro to Satchel Paige to Big Ed Delahanty. Lenny Dykstra, Dock Ellis, and (Robin's brother) Larry Yount are among the subjects on the latest, titled 3rd, and if you know nothing about them going in, you will want to coming out. Tonight's triple-header makes for a diverse bill, with Denver's Dressy Bessy and Toronto's Zeus—with new album in tow—lending support. JEREMY PETERSEN

OWEN PALLETT, AVI BUFFALO, FOXES IN FICTION
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) Avi Buffalo may sound like a new wing sauce at Fire on the Mountain, but they're actually an indie ensemble hailing from Long Beach, California. Not quite surf rock but not quite boring and depressing, Avi Buffalo find a nice blend of catchy, pop-infused hooks, with thoughtful, meandering melodies. Their new album, At Best Cuckold, sounds like a lot of other random indie bands you may have listened to by yourself in your room, including, but not limited to: early Death Cab for Cutie, Neutral Milk Hotel, and some of the more uplifting Elliott Smith. Avi opens for Owen Pallett, formerly known as Final Fantasy. His latest, In Conflict, features Brian Eno and bridges the gap between the classically informed arrangements Pallett does for countless artists, and his own brand of moody, expressive electronic pop. ROSE FINN

MIKE DOUGHTY, ANDREW LIVINGSTON
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) Even being a fan, it's hard for me to say that the music of Soul Coughing has aged well. Just describing it—slam poetry jazz fusion white hiphop alternative rock—sounds like all the worst ideas of the 1990s. So while I'm not going to suggest everyone rush to revisit Ruby Vroom, I will suggest everyone give a second chance to former Soul Coughing frontman Mike Doughty. His remarkable ability to craft pop-genius gems out of tragically humorous tales is unparalleled. His self-released debut solo album, Skittish (2000), and his poetry collection, Slanky (2002), are both impressive enough to excuse any bad artistic decisions prior or since. In short: Don't go to this show to see if "Super Bon Bon" still holds up (it doesn't). Go to see a great songwriter who also does the best Mary J. Blige cover ever. JOSHUA JAMES AMBERSON

COHEED AND CAMBRIA, NEVERENDER
(Roseland, 8 NW 6th) When Coheed and Cambria began rising to the surface in the early '00s, a friend told me to check them out, claiming they sounded like Rush. I sampled them and laughed at the comparison, finding the only similarity in vocalist Claudio Sanchez's high register, and swiftly tossed them off as teenie-pop, post-hardcore nonsense. Years later, with a wiser, more open mind, I found that the Rush parallel still isn't quite spot on, but also not as farfetched as I'd thought. Like Rush, Coheed and Cambria make music with heady progressive elements that somehow have pop appeal and accessibility as well. They do this while spinning a grand sci-fi concept that stretches across their entire discography, which is something our favorite Canucks also have dabbled in. Will I reach for anything in Coheed and Cambria's discography before I put on 2112? Certainly not. But I won't scoff at them, either. ARIS WALES

THURSDAY 9/11

THE BREEDERS, THE NEPTUNAS
(Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell) See My, What a Busy Week!, and read our article on the Breeders.

TBA: THEESATISFACTION
(The Works at Fashion Tech, 2010 SE 8th) Seattle hiphop act THEESatisfaction have played Pickathon, the Doug Fir, the Siren Nation Festival, and Holocene's 11th birthday party. But the TBA Festival might make the most sense for the duo of Catherine Harris-White and Stasia Irons, as their grooves and rhymes are smart and conversational, wrapping warm, jazzy sounds around stark beats and astral-plain soul. Or you can just click off your brain and move. THEESatisfaction are capable of emitting the friendliest and most generous of vibes, so expect to get fully caught up in the dance party at the Works tonight, which serves as opening night for the 11-day arts festival. NED LANNAMANN See My, What a Busy Week!

SOUVENIR DRIVER, DEAD LEAF ECHO, WE MISS THE EARTH
(Bunk Bar, 1028 SE Water) The shoegaze revival, like any resuscitation of an old subgenre, has its share of honorable legacy-advancers and rote copyists. Thankfully, New York City's Dead Leaf Echo belong to the former category. Their soaring, sweet melodic rock with breathy male vocals nods in the lank-haired direction of Ride and early Pale Saints and Verve without strictly replicating their DNA. Dead Leaf Echo simply write great songs; they don't need to rely on armadas of effects pedals to camouflage their inadequate chops, like so many in the shoegaze-revival game. DLE's 2013 album for Seattle label Neon Sigh, Thought and Language (mixed by Jon Fryer, of Cocteau Twins and This Mortal Coil fame), ranks as one of the finest in this style of recent times. DAVE SEGAL

FRIDAY 9/12

XOXO FEST: POMPLAMOOSE, MIKE DOUGHTY, MOLLY LEWIS, MARIAN CALL, DJ ANIL DASH
(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) See My, What a Busy Week!

CODE ORANGE, TWITCHING TONGUES, WAR HUNGRY, WRECK, FUNERALS
(Alhambra Theatre, 4811 SE Hawthorne) Read our article on Code Orange, and see All-Ages Action!

KATY PERRY, TEGAN AND SARA
(Moda Center, 1 Center Court) Read our article on Katy Perry.

THIRD ANGLE ENSEMBLE: TIMBER
(Alberta Rose Theatre, 3000 NE Alberta) Read our article on Third Angle Ensemble.

ATMOSPHERE, PROF, DEM ATLAS, DJ FUNDO
(Roseland, 8 NW 6th) Atmosphere—the hiphop duo of emcee Sean "Slug" Daly and DJ/producer Anthony "Ant" Davis—needs little introduction. Both are O.G. architects of Rhymesayers Entertainment, the independent Minneapolis record label founded in the mid '90s. Their labelmates include left-field favorites Aesop Rock, MF DOOM, and Eyedea (RIP), and lyrical heavyweight Brother Ali. That alone is enough to cement their position as legends in underground rap circles, but Atmosphere refuses to rest on their laurels. On their latest full-length, Southsiders, Slug forcefully declaims heartfelt bars over Ant's nuanced soundscapes with a startling immediacy that's infused with political disgust and personal introspection. Recent Rhymesayers signees Prof and Dem Atlas get the party started. Prof brings his purposefully obnoxious party vibe, while Dem Atlas shines with a unique style reminiscent of Chance the Rapper's second cousin getting grimy over golden-age production. RYAN FEIGH Also see My, What a Busy Week!

HOLIDAY FRIENDS, SMALL SKIES, RITCHIE YOUNG
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) Astoria/Portland band Holiday Friends sound like they like to party—on the deck of a cruise ship, or a beach, or in the gray Pacific Northwest. Their sunny, good-timin' second album, Major Magic (following 2012's debut, Chicks), is full of sandy, sunny pop that incorporates tried-and-true indie rock, new wave, surf rock, and música tropical rhythms. There are lots of familiar parts to these songs (see also: anything labeled "indie rock" in the year 2014), but Holiday Friends sneak in a few tricky dynamics and harmonies to keep 'em separated. Now—what to do at their record release show tonight. I think someone should start a conga line. MARK LORE

PELICAN OSSMAN, MONTGOMERY WORD, SLUMLORD, JEN CURRIN
(Kenton Club, 2025 N Kilpatrick) Pelican Ossman sounds like a member of this college basketball season's "all-name team"—probably a starting small forward for women's powerhouse UConn or a backup point guard for some middling Northeastern men's team. In reality, Pelican Ossman is a Portland-based band celebrating the release of their new cassette tonight at Kenton Club. As You Are, So Shall I Be, released on Ewe of Now Recordings, is full of deliciously lo-fi pop songs, but also sturdier than that description sounds—thanks to sharp and consistent attention to beats by drummer Emile Ward. Fronting the band are Dan and Virginia Currin, who sprinkle homespun vocals atop a sparse bed of guitars, synths, samples, and other oddball sounds. The results range from plinky-plunky bedroom folk to warm, loping budget-funk to primitive indie rock. On As You Are, Pelican Ossman succeeds at making their ambition feel intimate and endearing, a pretty nifty trick. BEN SALMON

BENEFIT FOR THE PIXIE PROJECT: MUDDY RIVER NIGHTMARE BAND, 48 THRILLS, THE WOBBLIES, LEXXI VEXX AND THE MODERN GENTLEMEN, AVENUE VICTOR HUGO
(Sandy Hut, 1430 NE Sandy) Support for animal adoption has probably never sounded as raw as it will tonight at the Sandy Hut, AKA Handy Slut. The iconic relic of old Sandy Boulevard—replete with art-kitsch mural depicting Jessica Rabbit schmoozing with the Pink Panther and Albert Einstein—will house the raucous tunes of a slew of unsung Portland punk heroes like the Muddy River Nightmare Band, whose longevity is matched by their devotion to dirty rock 'n' roll onslaughts. And while you sip beers and scream along to 48 Thrills and the Wobblies, you'll find solace in knowing that your patronage directly contributes to the possible adoption of a cat named Bulldog and a dog named Harrison Ford—both of whom are current poster pets at pixieproject.org. RYAN J. PRADO

MONEY, HAWKS DO NOT SHARE
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) There are a lot of synth-pop bands out there who think their music is something new under the sun. And it seems like they keep reproducing. Maybe it's my current setting—a hazy morning, still wiping the sleep from my eyes—but Portland three-piece Hawks Do Not Share sound perfect right now. Their debut full-length, HDNS, which follows the band's two EPs, is loaded with synthesizers. But there are plenty of other textures to grab on to: crisp beats, sinewy and compressed guitars, and the hushed vocals of George Lewis III. More importantly, it's not the kind of cutesy pop that seems to be running rampant these days. Hawks Do Not Share play lilting songs with depth and room to breathe. So we can all breathe easier. ML

SATURDAY 9/13

LAURA GIBSON, VIKESH KAPOOR
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) See My, What a Busy Week!

XOXO FEST: YACHT, JOHN RODERICK AND SEAN NELSON, NERF HERDER, VEKTROID, DJ MAGIC BEANS
(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) See My, What a Busy Week!

ALL AGER RAGER
(Slabtown, 1033 NW 16th) See All-Ages Action!

ANAÏS MITCHELL, REED FOEHL
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) Fresh off a stop at last weekend's Sisters Folk Festival, Vermont singer/songwriter Anaïs Mitchell comes through Portland in advance of her new album, XOA, which features solo recordings of old and new songs. But even a collection of loose ends and rehashes is a tantalizing prospect from Mitchell, one of the best and most ambitious American songwriters around. Her 2010 opera, Hadestown, revisited the Orpheus myth to stunning effect, while the almost unbelievably gorgeous Child Ballads, her 2013 collaboration with Jefferson Hamer, reworked a handful of the English and Scottish folk songs collected by Francis James Child in the 1800s. Mitchell's greatest recent work, however, might be her 2012 album Young Man in America, a sprawling, impassioned record that explores family, tradition, and the state of the American working man (and woman). Putting aside the remarkable concepts that fuel her work, it's clear that Mitchell's gently blooming melodies and knowing-child voice could make even the most pedestrian, maudlin topics sound compelling. That she's got more on her mind than troubled love affairs makes her one of the most important voices in the American folk-music landscape. NL

THE COMETTES, CHARTS, PSYCHOMAGIC
(Hawthorne Theatre, 1507 SE César E. Chávez) Hazy, sweeping Seattle combo the Comettes have been churning out some of the Northwest's most consistently indelible pop music since releasing their self-titled debut nearly two years ago. Their latest, the two-song Sun Came Up EP, is a delectable, dizzying bricolage of '60s pop, shoegaze, and contemporary indie that covers a breathtaking amount of musical ground all within the span of seven short minutes. It's the group's best release so far, and that's saying something. MORGAN TROPER

DECIBEL WARMUP: GRAZE, STRATEGY, NORDIC SOUL, LINCOLNUP, BEN TACTIC
(Rotture, 315 SE 3rd) For the past decade, Seattle's Decibel Festival has examined the various strains of electronic music with concerts and classes happening all over the city. While this year's event doesn't officially get rolling until September 24, the organizers have teamed up with local promoters Bubblin for a Portland-based event to get people hyped on this year's fest. Headlining the night is Graze, a Toronto-based duo whose latest album, Edges, expands the vocabulary of house and garage by emphasizing melody and actual hooks. Joining the pair is local dub-house maestro Strategy, who's been on an incredible run the past 18 months, culminating in the recent release of Pressure Wassure, a four-track EP of angular acid beats and swollen bass lines. ROBERT HAM

DRAKE, LIL WAYNE, G-EAZY
(Sleep Country Amphitheater, 17200 NE Delfel, Ridgefield, WA) Is this even a fair fight? It's like apples versus oranges, with apples being the smooth-and-sensitive hip-pop hitmaker Drake and oranges being the G.O.A.T.-tempting monolith-on-the-wane Lil Wayne. In this case, as in life, I prefer oranges, but whatever your taste, this should be a hell of a show. Earlier tour stops have seen the eternal question "Who's on first?" answered via text-message votes from the audience, and the guys have even worked up some playful between-song shit talk. Sample Wayne diss: "I been doing this shit since the little boy was in a wheelchair." Sample Drake diss: "I know his career is longer but my shit is stronger!" Is Drake a good enough actor to say that line with a straight face? Find out tonight! DAVID SCHMADER

QUADRAPHONNES
(Jimmy Mak's, 221 NW 10th) Why have one saxophone when you can have four? That's the deal with the four women of Quadraphonnes—Michelle Medler, Mieke Bruggeman, Mary-Sue Tobin, and Chelsea Luker—who find ways to make their arrangements sound lively and diverse, instead of a monolith of horn. You can probably tell from the title of their second album, Let's Get the Funk Out There, that the quartet has upped the funk factor (they often play with a rhythm section these days), but the group dabbles in New Orleans jazz, blues, tango, and classical music as well. Tonight's record release show, however, should be a relatively uptempo affair, with cuts from the record—which also includes slices of vocal pop—and special guests. NL

SUNDAY 9/14

PAPI FIMBRES RESIDENCY: GRAPEFRUIT, PAPER UPPER CUTS
(Al's Den, 303 SW 12th) Starting tonight, the multi-faceted, chameleonesque drummer Papi Fimbres will kickoff a free, weeklong residency at Al's Den. But Fimbres won't be playing solo or one-off collaborations. Instead, each night will feature a band he currently performs with. During this weeklong marathon of gratis shows, he'll showcase not only his incredible percussive talent, but also an endurance that sees him consistently put on impressive performances. Whether it's the danceable cumbia-soul of Orquestra Pacifico Tropical, the psychedelic surf of Máscaras, or the metallic rock of Hats Off, Fimbres brings a rush of adrenaline and magic to each of his projects. He's a passionate drummer to watch live, and an integral part of the Portland music community. Fimbres characterizes an admirable and contagious existence—do something you love, and have fun while you're at it. RACHEL MILBAUER

RICHARD BUCKNER, SANTI ELIJAH HOLLEY
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) It has been 20 years since Richard Buckner released his stunning debut album, Bloomed, a sparse set of sad-bastard folk tunes that preceded two more alt-country classics in the California native's catalog: 1997's dark, downcast Devotion + Doubt and the relative rocker of the bunch, 1998's Since. Each is powered primarily by acoustic guitar and Buckner's old-growth voice, which anchors his affinity for abstract lyrics and unconventional song structure. It's hard to believe, but Buckner has now been putting out albums via Merge Records for a decade, most recently 2011's Our Blood and 2013's Surrounded, which find him digging back into his folksy roots after years of restless experimentation. Both of those recent records are quite good. They may not reach the heights of his earlier work, but then again, that's a ridiculously lofty bar, one most songwriters would kill to be able to clear. BS

TBA: TIM HECKER
(PSU Lincoln Performance Hall, 1620 SW Park) Montreal-based ambient-electronic musician Tim Hecker has long been the darling of weirdo noise dudes. (That scary-skinny ex-roommate of yours who kept a ferret named Jester and owned Caligula on Blu-ray LOVES this guy.) Hecker's never performed in Portland before, which makes his TBA appearance pretty special. His last recording, Virgins, pulled his music out from a bunch of electronic boxes and placed it in the hands of live musicians, who turned Hecker's repetitions and evolutions into something bloodier than his past work. There's a horror-soundtrack vibe to the circular nature of Hecker's music, but the inevitable sense of decay trumps all. NL

SAM COOMES, IMPULSIVE MACHINATIONS, SPECTRUM CONTROL
(Turn! Turn! Turn!, 8 NE Killingsworth) It's an all-duos night at Tx3, the watering hole/record boutique at the border of North and Northeast Portland. It starts with a set from Spectrum Control, the ragged instrumental psych group led by former Eternal Tapestry guitarist Dewey Mahood, who use riffs that skirt the line of boogie rock, but are reined in by Dustin Dybvig's sturdy, no-nonsense drumming. Joining them are Impulsive Machinations, the improv freak-jazz project of nomadic keyboardist Thollem McDonas and Hungry Ghost/Corin Tucker Band drummer Sara Lund; and a set by Sam Coomes and Janet Weiss playing in a non-Quasi role, which should allow the two to get as noisy and far gone as they dare on a Sunday night. RH

LONESOME LEASH, PALEO, ESMÉ PATTERSON
(The Waypost, 3120 N Williams) The namesakes of Townes Van Zandt's "Loretta" and Dolly Parton's "Jolene" may have had their own bones to pick, but they never got a chance to express them. Until now. Esmé Patterson's Woman to Woman imagines the responses of seven ladies immortalized in song, a clever idea that translates into a breezy little Americana album. With a delicate, warbling voice and pedal steel, Patterson—who also sings with Denver band Paper Bird—fills in details the originals left out, embodying Jolene to tell Dolly that she should "never chase a man" and calling out Elvis Costello's subtle slut-shaming of Alison with sassy lines like "I'll take off a dress whenever I want to." ROBIN EDWARDS

MONDAY 9/15

PAPI FIMBRES RESIDENCY: STLS, GLASS KNEES
(Al's Den, 303 SW 12th) See Sunday's listing.

TBA: MAYA BEISER
(PSU Lincoln Performance Hall, 1620 SW Park) Cellist Maya Beiser's approach to pop and rock covers might seem old hat to Portland audiences. After all, our city is home to the Portland Cello Project, who have transformed everything from Beck to Brubeck into cello-based fantasias. Smartly, though, Beiser's joining forces with PCP for her TBA performance, which'll showcase material from her recent album, Uncovered, in which she tackles Nirvana, Led Zeppelin, and other rock-radio staples, turning them into cello extravaganzas. She'll also do material from contemporary compositions like Michael Harrison's Just Ancient Loops and Wilco drummer Glenn Kotche's Three Parts Wisdom. NL

TUESDAY 9/16

PAPI FIMBRES RESIDENCY: MONTHS, MÁSCARAS
(Al's Den, 303 SW 12th) See Sunday's listing.

HUSTLE AND DRONE, THE DIG,

THE WE SHARED MILK
(Bunk Bar, 1028 SE Water) In a somewhat bittersweet, poetic exchange, one Portland band takes a big step forward, while another says, "Later, dudes." Tonight's album release show for electro-pop trio Hustle and Drone also happens to be the reluctant stage for the We Shared Milk's final performance. The departure will no doubt leave a big void by one of the city's most prolific live-performing bands. But as we bid adieu, much can be said for the surge of ballyhooing for Hustle and Drone, whose debut full-length, Holyland, has been accompanied by masterful live performances and promotional action figures, and whose single "The Glow" was accompanied by a blood-splattered, luchador-festooned video shot inside the Moda Center. The album is a bold new direction for the band, led by Ryan Neighbors (formerly of Portugal. The Man), which you can hear for yourself if you're one of the lucky few who can cram into Bunk Bar tonight. RJP