WEDNESDAY 10/8

S, RAYMOND BYRON, SATSUMA
(Valentine's, 232 SW Ankeny) Read our article on S.

UNCLE ACID AND THE DEADBEATS, DANAVA
(Hawthorne Theatre, 1507 SE César E. Chávez) Read our article on Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats.

EMPIRE! EMPIRE! (I WAS A LONELY ESTATE), FREE THROW, CAREGIVER, ANIMAL R&R
(Slabtown, 1033 NW 16th) See All-Ages Action!

THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS, THE PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART
(Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside) You didn't ask for it, but here's my opinion: No one on earth has written more great pop-rock songs over the past 15 years than A.C. (Carl) Newman, leader of the New Pornographers. But if the occasional slog of 2010's Together felt like the first sign of weakness in Newman's unimpeachable pop-rock kingdom, the band's new record, Brill Bruisers, is an exhilarating return to form. It's got a handful of the perfectly crunchy confections we've come to expect from the New Pornos ("Dancehall Domine," "Fantasy Fools"), but elsewhere the band dials back the guitars and rides a (new) wave through its catchiest batch of tunes in a decade. "Champions of Red Wine" and "Marching Orders" pair Neko Case's divine vocals with trippy synth arpeggios, while "Backstairs" has a shadowy '70s vibe, and "Wide Eyes" and "Hi-Rise" revolve around pillowy, baroque choruses. Even detached Dan Bejar breaks out of type with two songs—"War on the East Coast" and "Born with a Sound"—that really rock. But the conductor, as always, is Newman, a man with an incredible gift for memorably odd turns of phrase, unshakeable melodies, and lavish arrangements. Brill Bruisers is greater than the sum of the New Pornos' parts, and that's saying something. BEN SALMON Also see My, What a Busy Week! and All-Ages Action!

THE DRUMS, BEVERLY, WE MISS THE EARTH
(Star Theater, 13 NW 6th) Frankie Rose (of Vivian Girls, Crystal Stilts, Dum Dum Girls, and her solo project) and Drew Citron (of Avan Lava) make up the Brooklyn duo Beverly, whose debut album, Careers, drapes dazed, melting-sundae harmonies over dusty garage pop. Not too happy, not too sad, Beverly's is daydreamy, between-seasons music. Headlining this show are the Drums, a band that's kind of like an acquaintance you don't run into that often. You used to see him at the beach—he was kind of weird and light and nice to spend a little time with—but now you're in some dim bar with him and he's going on and on about... you're not sure what, exactly. Some of it seems interesting, but on the whole, it's repetitive and glum, and you're trying to figure out how to yawn without hurting his feelings, because clearly he is having some feelings. EMILY NOKES

FUJIYA & MIYAGI, MAGIC TOUCH, STRATEGY
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) Some bands you don't really want to change. Some bands hit upon such a pleasing formula from the start that it's foolish for them to "grow" or "diversify." One such group is Fujiya & Miyagi, a British foursome who wring subtle changes on krautrock's motorik rhythms and stripped-down guitar/bass/keyboard filigreeing. Repetition is king in their realm and vocalist David Best's conspiratorial whispers draw you in tighter to F&M's cool, coiled songs. However, their last two albums, Ventriloqizzing and Artificial Sweeteners, have more emphasis on melody and synthesizers and less on minimalist groove science. Artificial Sweeteners especially makes a bolder stab for the dance floor, with the "Acid to My Alkaline" and "Tetrahydrofolic Acid" particularly geared for grabbing club DJs' attention. I prefer F&M's earlier stuff, but the new material proves they still know how to mesmerize with efficiency. DAVE SEGAL

FEARNOMUSIC: INÉS VOGLAR, PALOMA GRIFFIN, JOEL BELGIQUE, NANCY IVES
(The Secret Society, 116 NE Russell) While contemporary chamber group FearNoMusic strives to focus their performances on works from the 20th and 21st centuries, for at least one night the players are looking further back into the history of classical music. To help benefit Cascadia Behavioral Healthcare, the nonprofit group that provides mental health services to low-income Oregonians, the musicians will be performing pieces adapted for string quartet, by composers who suffered from mental illness. The program looks to be rich with emotion, with works like Hugo Wolf's short, playful "Italian Serenade"; Beethoven's most challenging single-movement composition, "Grosse Fuge"; and the second movement of Robert Schumann's gorgeous String Quartet No. 3, a work that came out of the most productive and most manic period of the German composer's troubled life. ROBERT HAM

THURSDAY 10/9

CHRISTOPHER OWENS, THE TYDE
(Star Theater, 13 NW 6th) See My, What a Busy Week!

PLEASURE LEFTISTS, ARCTIC FLOWERS, LUNCH
(The Know, 2026 NE Alberta) Cleveland post-punk quartet Pleasure Leftists formed in 2010 when bassist Steve Peffer—former vocalist in the long-running Cleveland hardcore outfit 9 Shocks Terror—was introduced to Haley Morris though their gigs at the local alternative radio station, WCSB. The band took their name from Morris' radio show, and Morris took up vocal duties backed by Peffer, guitarist Kevin Jaworski (also of 9 Shocks Terror), and drummer Mark Terveen. On the band's latest release, a self-titled 12-inch on Deranged Records that packages their Elephant Men EP along with three new songs, Morris' unique banshee-like wail takes the reins, leaving the band just enough room to twist together some moody, atmospheric rock. Given their hardcore roots, the band is effectively subdued here. If anything, it's Morris' love for danceable synth-pop—on full display with her solo project, Kiernan Paradise—that finds space to shine through and captivate listeners. CHIPP TERWILLIGER

GENDERS, GRANDPARENTS, DOMESTICS
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) The Domestics played their first show early this summer, but this four-piece consists of familiar faces from the Portland music community. The vocals, shared between Michael Finn and Leo London, are poetic, melodic, and perfectly balanced. Paired with casually expert folk guitar and punctuated with keys, their songs contain the grit of rock 'n' roll while shining with pop. Their new self-titled record is filled with catchy riffs that welcome you in like a long-lost friend—especially the instantly loveable track "It Came to Me." Catch the Domestics tonight with local garage/psych rockers Genders and Grandparents before they embark on a West Coast mini-tour with Cold Specks. RACHEL MILBAUER

FRIDAY 10/10

YASIIN BEY, LILLA, RAZ SIMONE, S.T.R.U.G.G.L.E.
(Roseland, 8 NW 6th) See My, What a Busy Week!

SALLIE FORD, SUMMER CANNIBALS
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) Read our article on Sallie Ford.

THE WHIGS, GREYLAG, JOEL MAGID
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) Read our article on Greylag.

CD BABY FALL SHOWCASE: NASALROD, DIE ROBOT, NEEDLES AND PIZZA, KIM DeLACY
(Star Theater, 13 NW 6th) Over the years, lots of local music-type folks have been lucky enough to find a day job working in the "biz" within the halls and warehouses of CD Baby. The independent music distributor provides an invaluable point of entry for thousands upon thousands of DIY musicians across the globe, and naturally, its employees are music lovers of the most devoted sort. (Disclosure: I was one of those employees, once upon a time.) Therefore, it stands to reason that a great many talented musicians are working at CD Baby, and tonight a host of employee bands perform, incorporating a dizzying swath of genres. There's the frantic art-rock of Nasalrod, the darkwave of Die Robot, the grunting punk of Needles and Pizza, and the lush folk of Kim DeLacy. Tonight's show is free, but you should consider making a donation to Ethos, a children's music education nonprofit. NED LANNAMANN

SATURDAY 10/11

MUTUAL BENEFIT, JULIE BYRNE, EZZA ROSE
(Bunk Bar, 1028 SE Water) A traveling salesperson who's lived all over the country, Seattle-based singer/songwriter Julie Byrne lets her warm, hushed folk ballads traverse an equally wide variety of landscapes. Her songs travel from New York City to Mexico City, stopping to linger in vegetable gardens, black walnut groves, and natural history museums. Her debut studio album, A Room with Walls and Windows (released earlier this year on Orindal Records) is a traveler's journal filled with notes that try to capture a small piece of each new place before moving on, landing somewhere between heart-heavy and wild discovery. After touring the UK, Europe, and the US multiple times, Byrne's back in the Northwest. She'll open the night in support of Brooklyn/Boston band Mutual Benefit, an ever-evolving institution of playful, well-crafted chamber-pop. JOSHUA JAMES AMBERSON

LUNAR LIFTOFF: BOTTOM SHELF BAND, MIGHTY MISC, RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, DJ WEATHER
(Mississippi Pizza Pub, 3552 N Mississippi) Portland native Elan Eichler, AKA emcee Mighty Misc, has triumphantly returned home for good after a brief stint in Michigan. Tonight he is joined by his bandmates in the musically adventurous Bottom Shelf Band, a quintet that playfully blends hiphop with rock, jazz, and funk. Their most recent material finds the group stretching genre experiments even further with a country-style song with Misc exclaiming, "Backyard BBQ with all the brew/I don't drink Miller, I want Deschutes." Research and Development, the stone-y, jazz-inspired hiphop duo of Dusty Fox and Rufus Smalltownz, will also be in the building. The evening is a fundraiser for the Morpheus Youth Project, a youth advocacy group that brings music and arts education to young people currently incarcerated in Oregon, bringing positive creative outlets to their lives. RYAN FEIGH

NW LOOPFEST
(Analog Café, 720 SE Hawthorne) Loop Stations and loop pedals—those little devices that record a musical phrase and repeat it back ad infinitum—are becoming the standard. Not only for solo musicians aiming to replicate fully formed compositions without the help of a backing band, but also for experimental artists to let tones and noises either create a mantra-like experience or challenge the patience of anyone within earshot. Jazz artist Noah Peterson appreciates both sides of that spectrum, which is why he created the NW LoopFest, an all-day celebration of the technology. He's booked an impressive array of looping acolytes, including fusion folk-rocker Rejyna, Mexican ambient jazz-pop artist Cian, the spacey guitar psych of Medford's Ted Killian, and great locals like Consumer, Amenta Abioto, and Noise Agency. RH

PRONG, AMERICAN ROULETTE, BLEEDING COWBOY, ULTRA GOAT, IDLETAP
(Hawthorne Theatre, 1507 SE César E. Chávez) There was a brief period in the summer of 1994 when I couldn't wait for the video for Prong's "Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck" to come on MTV. It still remains one of the best '90s metal songs—definitely a product of its time—and I'm sure it influenced some pretty awful bands. But Prong were putting out records before that (including some that leaned more toward hardcore), and they've released quite a few since that have built on their technical thrash riffing. One thing the band has always been able to do is meld their sound with what's happening at the time. But it always sounds like Prong. And that's always a good thing. MARK LORE

SUNDAY 10/12

SPRINGSTEEN: ALBUM BY ALBUM BOOK RELEASE: RYAN WHITE, CASEY NEILL, REBECCA GATES, JIM BRUNBERG, SARAH GWEN, MARK ORTON
(Mississippi Pizza Pub, 3552 N Mississippi) See My, What a Busy Week!

WILDCAT! WILDCAT!, WHITE HINTERLAND, SUPERHIGHWAY
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) See My, What a Busy Week!

HOBEY FORD'S GOLDEN ROD PUPPETS, ORPHEUM CIRCUS, SALLIE FORD
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) Read our article on Sallie Ford.

JOEY BADA$$, VINCE STAPLES, CJ FLY, KIRK KNIGHT, NYCK CAUTION
(Roseland, 8 NW 6th) You know a rap artist is solid gold when he's got dollar signs in his name. Joey Bada$$ hails from Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, is the creative director for the brand Ecko Unltd., and is not yet old enough to drink. His debut mixtape came out in 2012 and is titled 1999, the year he was four years old. But Bada$$ is no child when it comes to the rap game; his flow lives up to the Bada$$ name, resonating with a deep confidence like his New York predecessors (Biggie and Nas). This tour comes in advance of his first studio album, B4.DA$$, produced by a number of hiphop vets including Statik Selektah and DJ Premiere. The album, much like Bada$$, is surprisingly mature and complicated for its age. ROSE FINN

SAINTSENECA, BUSMAN'S HOLIDAY
(Bunk Bar, 1028 SE Water) Dark Arc, Saintseneca's sophomore album (and debut for the Anti- label), is a stomping folk record that rises to the surface in a sea of soundalikes. Frontman and multi-instrumentalist Zac Little's lyrics and arrangements find comfort in solitude and wring delight out of destruction, all while painting a vivid image of the rolling hills and abandoned barns of his rural Appalachian upbringing. Dark Arc may be deeply rooted in Little's past, but it is also the product of the Columbus, Ohio, DIY community that the band calls home. The yearning vocals heard on the stark standout track "Fed up with Hunger" are provided by Saintseneca's other singer and multi-instrumentalist, Maryn Jones. Jones also fronts the fantastic pop-punk trio, All Dogs—a band that, like Saintseneca, relies on earnest vocals that are capable of unleashing heartfelt punches. It's a compelling trait that has both acts drawing deserved attention to the Columbus scene. CT

MONDAY 10/13

OF MONTREAL, PILLAR POINT
(Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell) See My, What a Busy Week!

SCREAMING FEMALES, PUJOL, NEWMAN/SCHONBERG/REYNA GROUP
(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) I remember seeing Ben Kweller live in 2002 and marveling at just how easy he made writing and performing great pop-rock songs look. Daniel Pujol has a similar quality. The young-ish singer/songwriter from white-hot Nashville seems to have a preternatural talent for penning effervescent, ear-tickling pop songs and then pushing them through the gritty lens of punk. The results are an oh-so-holy union of glammy '70s power-pop hooks (e.g., Cheap Trick, T. Rex) and timeless, mid-fi garage-rock production value. Like his previous album The United States of Being, Pujol's 2014 release Kludge delivers one fist-pumping melody after another, and you can practically hear the guy grinning mischievously the whole time. The feeling is contagious, too; skip this show if you hate having fun. BS

PHILHARMONIC QUARTETT BERLIN
(PSU Lincoln Performance Hall, 1620 SW Park) Philharmonic Quartett Berlin was started in 1984 by the concertmaster and string-section leaders of Berlin's Philharmonic Orchestra, and through three decades of performances and recordings, they've distinguished themselves by embracing both works from the classical canon and more challenging modern fare. While Monday and Tuesday's two evening performances lean more toward the work of the Romantic and Classical era—including an all-Beethoven program on Monday night—the ensemble will take on Bartok's String Quartet No. 1 on Tuesday. It's an early 20th-century effort from the composer that begins in an agonized, heartbroken tone but slowly comes into full flower, using joyous quotes from Hungarian folk songs and a feverish yet joyous atmosphere that infects its spirited third movement. RH

TUESDAY 10/14

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

PHILHARMONIC QUARTETT BERLIN
(PSU Lincoln Performance Hall, 1620 SW Park) See Monday's listing.

MORE LOVE FOR LINDA: QUARTERFLASH, LIV WARFIELD, LINDA HORNBUCKLE BAND, NORMAN SYLVESTER, & MORE
(Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside) What was intended to be a rally to raise funds for a local luminary's recovery has now become a de facto wake: Linda Hornbuckle, Portland's "Number One Soul Sister" and an impassioned singer of gospel, blues, jazz, and funk, passed away on October 4 from kidney cancer at age 59. A fixture at the Waterfront Blues Festival and the centerpiece of the Old Time Gospel Hour, Hornbuckle was a vocalist of stunning talent and remarkable breadth. Her gospel roots in the church were deep and strong, enabling her to lend her voice to many different genres. The funds from tonight's event—featuring Liv Warfield, Quarterflash, and event organizer Norman Sylvester—will go toward offsetting Hornbuckle's medical bills and aiding her family. It will be a stirring tribute to an immense Portland talent. NL