THURSDAY 8/13

RED FANG , LIONS, THE AX

(East End, 203 SE Grand) Red Fang are indeed Portland's bloody-sabertoothed saviors of hard rock, with riffs that clobber heads together. They're playing the tiny East End basement for a mere four dollars; this'll likely be the "remember when" gig in a few short years, when they're headlining the Roseland for 30 bones with a tour bus double-parked on Burnside. Austin, Texas' Lions, meanwhile, are a couple steps down the evolutionary ladder of butt-rock, flirting a mite close to the party-hearty hair metal days of yore. Their cover of "Girl from the North Country" finds a catchy, Built to Spill-esque melody that Dylan didn't write, but most of their stuff swaggers without humor, galloping on basic chord patterns without transcending its minimalism. Still, a band like this can only be better live. NED LANNAMANN

FUN WORLD: THE MEAN JEANS, THE POWERCHORDS, ATOMS, DJ KEN DIRTNAP

(Ground Kontrol, 511 NW Couch) Ground Kontrol is a tricky sort of venue—not all bands can succeed whilst splitting attention with rows of vintage arcade games. The Mean Jeans, however, with their party-first, fuck and fuck-off sneer, are about as perfect a fit as Portland has to offer. The polar opposite of self-important strumming, the Mean Jeans persist solely for the party, pizza, and PBR. Run the Blitzkrieg in 1942 while the Jeans bob to Ramones-revering bursts of fuzzy pogo punk. Street Fighter 3 to the tune of three chords (although the ridiculously difficult skateboarding classic 720 might be most appropriate tonight). Power up to power pop. Or, if you're like me, drop your quarters in NBA Jam, draining three-pointer after three-pointer (from the handsome stroke of Tom Gugliotta), once again smoking Mercury Music Editor Ezra Ace Caraeff at the game he claims to master. Boom-shaka-laka! ANDREW R TONRY

GOLDEN HOLY, CAROLINE WEEKS, CORRIDOR

(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) Whimsical and refreshing perhaps best describe the feeling that overcomes you while listening to Golden Holy. The local eight-piece act compose riveting songs on an epic scale; loud thundering drum-kicks strain and pulse alongside anthemic chants that rouse and serve as a call to arms. They sound ridiculous, in the best way possible. I imagine tonight's Golden Holy show will begin on stage and finish in the middle of the street, marching down Morrison, while both kids and adults shout and clap over a shower of confetti and fireworks, like the Death Star just blew up. I'd follow this band any day. PHILIP GAUDETTE

PETE SWANSON, ILYAS AHMED, BARN OWL, PLANKTON WAT

(The Artistery, 4315 SE Division) Plankton Wat is the solo project of Eternal Tapestry's Dewey Mahood, and the new Plankton Wat record has just been released on orange vinyl in a limited edition of 500. It's called Dawn of the Golden Eternity, and it's as serene as that title might suggest. Gentle psychedelic textures wash over the listener like a balm, while whistles and cymbals augment infinite guitar and rippling delay. It's more than just another record of droning folk patterns from the John Fahey school. In fact, Dawn of the Golden Eternity is pretty marvelous stuff—chill-out music made without a sequencer in sight. NL

FRIDAY 8/14

SUBARACHNOID SPACE, THRONES, RABBITS, PALO VERDE, FIST FITE

(Berbati's Pan, 10 SW 3rd) See Music.

THE MANOR OF ART: THE PRIDS , WORLD'S GREATEST GHOSTS, MAGIC JOHNSON, BOY EATS DRUM MACHINE

(Milepost 5, 900 NE 81st) See Feature, and Our Town Could Be Your Life.

HORNET LEG, TUNNELS, AS/SS, CHROME WINGS

(Worksound, 820 SE Alder) As with Purple Rhinestone Eagle, Hornet Leg relocated to Portland at the insistence of the members of the New Bloods, and each band has stuck close together while putting their unique stamps on space-out jams of yore. Hornet Leg is led by Chris Sutton—who's played in damn near every rock band in the Pacific Northwest, and whose warm, fuzzy guitar and deadpan vocals are at times reminiscent of Lou Reed. On Leg's latest, Ribbon of Fear, they manage to capture that timeless innocence of early Camper Van Beethoven and Violent Femmes. No small feat. Sutton recently unveiled a new lineup, which will surely make his noise more intriguing. As for the interesting AS/SS, the Portland two-piece is going to turn your gray matter into stew. MARK LORE Also see My, What a Busy Week!

COMMOTION , OHMEGA WATTS

(Someday Lounge, 125 NW 5th) Commotion walk that unmistakable line between engaging Afrobeat and overly jammy, well, jam band music. The songs are long, the horns are hot, and while they're no Antibalas—their keyboard-driven songs tend to meander a bit—Commotion's uptempo tunes have some inventive twists and an undeniable charm. They'll be joined by Ohmega Watts, who will perform a solo set in addition to being backed by Commotion. Live band hiphop can be a bit of a third wheel, but this may prove the best part of the show if Commotion can tighten the screws (plus shave a couple minutes off the solos) and keep up with Ohmega Watts. HANNAH CARLEN

SATURDAY 8/15

REFLECTION ETERNAL, SLUM VILLAGE, SLAUGHTERHOUSE, RAEKWON, SUPERNATURAL, PETE ROCK

(Roseland, 8 NW 6th) See My, What a Busy Week!

CUSTOMER APPRECIATION BBQ: ANDREA WITTGENS, THE ATONEMENTS, SHOEBOX LETTERS, & MORE

(Music Millennium, 3158 E Burnside) See My, What a Busy Week!

THE MANOR OF ART: ATOLE , JEFFREY JERUSALEM, CHURCH , QUIET COUNTRIES , ROLLERBALL, HOLLIDAY JUNCTION

(Milepost 5, 900 NE 81st) See Feature, and Our Town Could Be Your Life.

MY LIFE IN BLACK AND WHITE, BITCHIN' SUMMER, GET DEAD, PLEASE DO NOT FIGHT

(Dante's, 1 SW 3rd) Reinventing Axl Rose? More like reinventing Tom Gabel. The motley ensemble of My Life in Black and White might have a clear soft spot for the gruff vocals of Against Me's frontman, but their boozy punk definitely can stand—and drunkenly stumble—on its own. Tonight they'll raise a shot of grain alcohol to the release of their fiery new full-length, Hold the Line, a brash assembly of rough vocals and frayed blue-collar punk rock anthems. The highlight of the album is the union war that unfurls throughout "Bombs on Blair Mountain," a West Virginia coalmine battle between jackbooted bosses and black-lung workers armed with shovels, "ready to die" for the cause. EZRA ACE CARAEFF

AC/VC: CASPER MACCABEE, SEARCH PARTY, DRUNKEN PRAYER , & MORE

(AudioCinema, 226 SE Madison) For the fourth annual AudioCinema Visual Collective show, a dozen visual artists display their work in the warehouse while a dozen musical acts take the stage. This year's performers run the gamut from the dramatic art-rock of Casper Maccabee to the heavy metal of Battle Axe Massacre to the Southern gothic rock of Drunken Prayer to the ambient electronica of Noise. Also appearing are garage poppers Search Party, whose John Craig just released a solo EP, Ümlaüt, that dips catchy melodies in an indelible pop sheen. Tonight's visual artwork will incorporate painting, sculpture, video, photography, and fashion, and all ages are welcome at the event until 11 pm. NL

A LEAF, THE CHARTS

(Ella Street Social Club, 714 SW 20th Pl) A Leaf get good marks for having a charming story: The Seattle act began as a duo made up of lifelong friends Nate Daley and Shannon Donahue, before reemerging two years ago as a full-fledged band that captures the essence of their friendship. Sifting through warm folk songs of love and tenderness, Daley and Donahue capture the finer pop moments of Sparklehorse while tweaking the folk formula just enough to stay on their own path. On "Yesterday Today and Tomorrow," soft vocoder vocals weave through guitar, handclaps, and a harp, which swiftly rises to fill every nook and cranny in the song. Confidently and sweetly, A Leaf craft sheer pop bliss. PG

GREY, ANON REMORA, BURIALS, GALDR, FROM THE HEAD OF THE WOODS

(Plan B, 1305 SE 8th) Tonight's Anon Remora tour kickoff is not only a chance to help a local lady/queer band get as far into red-state America as Salt Lake City (and down into purple nether regions), but a shot at witnessing one of the more musically progressive elements challenging Cascadia's already unique black metal scene. The band's new limited-run CD, Beneath the Solace, bravely—naively, perhaps—cross-breeds apparent Agalloch and Tragedy influences, and finds power both above the fog and in the gutter when the flowers blossom. The pro-quality Smegma Studios recording sees each post-metal riff tremble, each hollow chant gasp; when Anon Remora uncover the rot of war in their travels, you can hear the end of life in their voice. MIKE MEYER

EXPERIMENTAL DENTAL SCHOOL, WAX FINGERS , SWIM SWAM SWUM , MIGHTY TIGER

(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) There's no shortage of music labeled as "experimental" in Portland. It's an easy label to adopt, especially if you feel that your music is just too abstract for the masses to understand. Experimental Dental School is not one of those kinds of bands. Their music has a vague psychedelic quality, but still remains fairly accessible, while their dark recordings sound ethereal and a tad on the whimsical side. The two-piece packs a wallop, employing distorted guitars and electronics, heart-pounding drumming, and a style really seems to be entirely their own. THEODORA KARATZAS

WEHRMACHT, ENGORGED, ORDER OF THE VULTURE, CERTAIN DEATH

(Hawthorne Theatre, 1507 SE 39th) The jury's still out on whether or not mid-'80s Portland crossover thrash band Wehrmacht invented the double-kick blast beat. One thing is certain: These guys were stupidly fast (the guitar solo on classic mosher "Night of Pain" simply gives up and leaves the studio, quietly shutting the door on the way out). All right, two more things: Wehrmacht wrote about sharks, decades before Warbringer—"It loves to eat you alive, showing no fear!"—and they've reunited the original lineup for a D.R.I.-meets-Jaws 2 live blowout. A new compilation CD is planned, but if you're quick enough, head to the group's MySpace page for a free 22-track "Hardcore Classix!" download, compiled this year by vocalist Mezzi "Tito" Matos. Much like people thinking it is safe to go back in the water, the link will soon die. MM

ROXY EPOXY & THE REBOUND, THE LEADERS, STRAITJACKET, ROOSTER SAUCE

(Slabtown, 1033 NW 16th) After stripping herself free of new-wave revisionists the Epoxies—leaving a wake of discarded DayGlo tape behind her—Roxy Epoxy returned with her first solo offering, this year's bouncy Bandaids on Bullet Holes. Now backed by the more straightforward rock leanings of the Rebound, Epoxy's bombastic delivery and dark songwriting feel more at home than her previous endeavors. Joining her will be the jangly, Sriracha-loving garage pop of Missoula's Rooster Sauce. EAC

OR THE WHALE, Y LA BAMBA, CHRIS ROBLEY & THE FEAR OF HEIGHTS

(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) Mixing a hint of CocoRosie's delicate vocal stylings and expanding on the open mic folk template, Y La Bamba's Luz Elena Mendoza has been crafting songs for the past two years. Her band's music is delicate and pretty without being overly complicated, while Mendoza's voice has a distant, otherworldly quality that is both haunting and enchanting. Tonight they will be joined by San Francisco's Or, the Whale, an indie rock/country band that also has some beautiful vocal arrangements and instrumentation. They fall into what I like to call the "good country spectrum," meaning they sing songs about topics other than honky-tonk women and achy-breaky hearts. TK

SUNDAY 8/16

WARPED TOUR: NOFX, 3OH!3, UNDEROATH, BAD RELIGION, BROADWAY CALLS, & MORE

(Washington County Fairgrounds, 873 NE 34th, Hillsboro) See Music.

DIRTY MITTENS

(Rontoms, 600 E Burnside) What hasn't been said about local band Dirty Mittens? Since 2007 the soulful armada of popsters has swept us off our feet with their rambunctious, hodgepodge ballads and funky expertise (and by this, I mean a song can never have too much horn). The Mittens are deep in recording, but hopefully they'll provide us with a glimpse of new material at Rontoms—last year's Pinky Swear and a glorious Fleet Foxes cover can only tide me over for so long, and according to Chelsea Morrisey, there will be a "super secret headliner" at the show as well. Could it be Raffi? PG

WHITE EAGLE OPEN MIC SHOW: FIVE YEAR ANNIVERSARY

(White Eagle, 836 N Russell) In all my years slinging words for this godless rag, I do not believe we have ever recommended an open mic night. Well, there goes that streak. Deep in the haunted brothel district of North Russell Street, the White Eagle has been hosting an open mic night that in its five-year run has acted as a lively training ground for some of Portland's finest songwriters. Tonight's anniversary show will import these elite musicians—Laura Gibson, Nick Jaina, Ali Wesley, Justin Power, and nearly 25 total performers—for a homecoming of sorts, where they can once again relive their shaky early days of forgotten lyrics and crippling stage fright. EAC

MONDAY 8/17

THE OCTOPUS PROJECT, WORLD'S GREATEST GHOSTS, IRETSU

(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) See My, What a Busy Week!, and Music.

TUESDAY 8/18

We'd like to wish a very happy birthday to Wu-Tang Clan member Masta Killa. He's 40 years old today.

WEDNESDAY 8/19

PORTLAND HIPHOP MEETING OF THE MINDS: COOL NUTZ, SERGE SEVERE, & MORE

(Ash Street Saloon, 225 SW Ash) See My, What a Busy Week!

NICE NICE, NUDGE, GULLS

(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) See Music.

JEFFREE STAR, ARTIST VS. POET, WATCHOUT! THERE'S GHOSTS, LET'S GET IT

(Hawthorne Theatre, 1507 SE 39th) In the noble tradition of Harvey Milk, Jeffree Star is a trailblazing pioneer for gay rights, perpetuating messages of equality through his music. Sample song titles: "We Want Cunt" and "Love Rhymes with Fuck You." Wait. Um... let me start over. Ahem. Jeffree Star is a savvy social critic, using the internet and social networking mediums to comment on pop culture. Sample Twitter posts: "umm I LOVE @KimKardashian's new hair!!" and "Going to see GI Joe right now, I loveee moviessss." Um... wait, so that's not right either. Okay, how about this? Jeffree Star is an LA culture whore-turned-pop tart, churning out vacuous dance-club tripe that's obsessed with trash talk and promiscuity. Sample lyric: "I know you want to suck me, what you waiting for?" When Star says, "Fuck me, I'm a celebrity," it only serves as a shallow reminder that he's the famous-for-no-reason musical equivalent of Jon and Kate's divorce, or Paris Hilton's soulless naked body as seen through a night-vision lens. NL

THOR, ARNOCORPS, DAGOBAH

(Dante's, 1 SW 3rd) Remember in Predator when Arnold busts into that guerilla camp and blows the ever-loving shit out of everything and then stabs that one guy in the stomach with a giant knife, and the knife goes through the guy and into the pole behind him, and the dude's all impaled, and Arnold is all "Stick around"? Okay, so: Picture every great philosopher—Kant, Plato, Hegel, Sartre, Yoda. All of them are that dude with the knife in his gut. Now picture Arnocorps. They are Arnold. And their message—one of nonstop, epic action-adventure—is the greatest philosophy ever devised. In songs like "Total Recall" ("Get your ass/get your ass to Mars!"), "Terminator" ("I'm a friend of Sera Könner/I was told that she is here!/Can I see her please?/Fuck you asshole!"), and "Collateral Damage" ("I'll bite off his ear, then I'll spit it out/The strength of Arno, that's what it's about!"), Arnocorps utilize their intense, thrashy, pop-metal-punk as if it were a weapon, and their bullets are beautiful, exhilarating tales of heroic heroism. Arnocorps will transform you. Arnocorps will make you manly. Arnocorps will save you. ERIK HENRIKSEN Also see My What a Busy Week!