WEDNESDAY 5/1

MAY DAY MUSIC FEST: RED FANG, DOG SHREDDER, SONS OF HUNS
(Alhambra Theatre, 4811 SE Hawthorne) Read our article on the opening of Alhambra Theatre.

RL GRIME, NATHANIEL KNOWS, BENNYROX
(Whiskey Bar, 31 NW 1st) RL Grime is the "future-bass"/"trap"-producing alias of 22-year-old LA resident Henry Steinway, previously best known for his electro/house production as Clockwork. He's one of the pioneers of the "EDM" (ugh) co-opted version of the immensely popular Southern rap production sound marked by pitched 808 bass thumps, aggressive snare rolls/fills, and skittering, ratcheting hi-hats. Along with Wedidit collective partner Salva, RL Grime is responsible for one of the most popular "trap remixes" ever—that ubiquitous club version of Kanye West's "Mercy." While this all might sound unappealing to anyone too old to read R.L. Stine's Goosebumps series, there should be enough '90s kids and #yolo types to pack out the Whiskey for one of this genre's biggest names. MIKE RAMOS

THURSDAY 5/2

METZ, WHITE LUNG, WL
(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) See My, What a Busy Week!

MAY DAY MUSIC FEST: SOCIAL STUDIES, HUSTLE AND DRONE, GLASSBONES, PHEASANT, CATHERINE FEENY, SAMA DAMS, SUMMER CANNIBALS, JOLLIFF
(Alhambra Theatre, 4811 SE Hawthorne) Read our article on the opening of Alhambra Theatre.

SAD HORSE, ROCKOON, THE BUGS
(Slabtown, 1033 NW 16th) Mike Coumatos and Paul Haines are the Bugs. The Portland crud-rock band has been kicking out the jamz for years now, quietly unleashing their noise into ears like those little mind-controlling bugs (Ceti Eels, for the Trekkies) from Wrath of Kahn. But these Bugs are fun, and the only danger they pose is to themselves. Their paper trail of 7-inches are littered with good-time garage rock that's as lo-fi as it is high-minded. Another notable Portland two-piece, Sad Horse, shares the bill, and like the Bugs, they tend to hide more in this city's cracks and crevasses. But when they do come out, they bring the noise. MARK LORE

WHITEHORSE, SANTI ELIJAH HOLLEY
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) When it comes to rock 'n' roll, Luke Doucet and Melissa McClelland have a commitment problem. They can't come to terms with the fact that they are rockers. This identity crisis should be evident to anybody who has heard Whitehorse's excellent second album, The Fate of the World Depends on This Kiss. The two-thirds of the album that are down 'n' dirty angular blues rock is fantastic, making the remaining one-third devoted to pretty Americana seem extraneous. In their solo work, the married Canadians have shown a fondness for singer/songwriter introspection. But as a duo, they're at their best when they sing against the sad chime of an electric guitar and the rhythm of a saloon piano. Fortunately, even at their most introspective, Doucet and McClelland's vocals sparkle. But when they rock ("Achilles' Desire," "Devil's Got a Gun," "Jane"), their voices sizzle. REBECCA WILSON

THE LONELY FOREST, NOW, NOW, PONY VILLAGE
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) Twin Cities-based Now, Now have returned with their sophomore full-length, Threads, a methodical, somber collection of ephemerally dreamy indie-pop. The band's follow-up to 2010's Neighbors EP benefits greatly from the collaborative nature of producer Howard Redekopp (Tegan and Sara, the New Pornographers), who pays strict attention to deconstruction of arrangements and allows the cream to rise to the top. The fussy "Oh. Hi." operates as a fog-like sound collage one minute, but soon gives way to a moody melody whose heaviness belies its intricacy, not unlike some early Death Cab for Cutie. Perhaps appropriately, Now, Now is signed to DCFC guitarist Chris Walla's Trans- Records. But that simple of a comparison would be a fallacy; Now, Now's solid cross-section of dream-pop and mid-'90s alt-rock, meshed with the one-two vocal tandem of Cacie Dalager and Jess Abbott, is a smart listen on its own terms. RYAN J. PRADO

BONOBO, EL TEN ELEVEN
(Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside) Tonight should be a smorgasbord for those who like their music dense and fussy. Electronic DJ and composer Simon Green—AKA Bonobo—has been mixing an array of electronic bleeps and bloops with live instrumentation and field recordings for years now. Those who like it really like it; those who don't will never get it. I get the feeling, however, that Green is Bonobo's biggest fan. Also on the bill is El Ten Eleven, a two-piece that sounds like an army. Double-neck bass is the main weapon of choice, along with drums and enough effects to make Bonobo's ears perk up. ML

FRIDAY 5/3

MAY DAY MUSIC FEST: BLACK PRAIRIE, HOOK AND ANCHOR, THE LOWER 48
(Alhambra Theatre, 4811 SE Hawthorne) Read our article on the opening of Alhambra Theatre.

BLEACHED, EX-COPS, GUANTANAMO BAYWATCH, BIG EYES
(Star Theater, 13 NW 6th) Read our article on Bleached.

KVELERTAK, CANCER BATS, BLACK TUSK, NORSKA
(Hawthorne Theatre, 1507 SE César E. Chávez) Read our article on Kvelertak.

THE CAVE SINGERS, BLEEDING RAINBOW
(Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell) Read our article on the Cave Singers.

SATURDAY 5/4

PORTLAND CELLO PROJECT, SCHOOL OF ROCK
(Aladdin Theater, 3017 SE Milwaukie) See My, What a Busy Week!

QUATRO DE MAYO: LOS ESTUPIDOS, DJ A-TRAIN
(White Owl Social Club, 1305 SE 8th) See My, What a Busy Week!

MAY DAY MUSIC FEST: Y LA BAMBA, OLD LIGHT, CHRIS PUREKA
(Alhambra Theatre, 4811 SE Hawthorne) Read our article on the opening of Alhambra Theatre.

VIETNAM, GAP DREAM, SMALL ARMS
(Dante's, 350 W Burnside) Michael Gerner leads the New York six-piece VietNam, who sound like they've been putting in long hours preparing to open for Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Which means a lot of turmoil-laced blues rock and spectral ballads full of resignation, to temper the tempestuousness. Gerner's no Cave on the mic, though, and his quasi-nerdy tone undercuts the last-days gravity for which he's striving. DAVE SEGAL

MARINA AND THE DIAMONDS, LITTLE DAYLIGHT
(Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell) Marina Diamandis—you can see where she got her band's name from—has been struggling to convince the world of her coolness and emotional depth over the course of two albums, The Family Jewels, and, more recently, Electra Heart, an overwrought album whose high points are obscured by an overwhelming sense of feeling forced. A laundry list of of-the-moment sounds and arbitrary shout-outs to ancient Greek things is not the foundation of a great album. On the upside, it is far less irritating than The Family Jewels—maybe because it feels so irrelevant. RW

THAT 1 GUY, CAPTAIN AHAB'S MOTORCYCLE CLUB
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) That 1 Guy is a spectacle, pure and simple. The Las Vegas virtuoso, born Mike Silverman, has more tricks up his sleeves than a pai gow dealer at the Bellagio, only with the cult following to back it up. Since the introduction of his marvelously indulgent creation, the Magic Pipe—an industrial, homemade double bass made from piping—he's blazed a one-man trail of oddly melodic, percussive, and super spaced-out funk-hop. Other homemade sundries include the Magic Boot (an electronically wired cowboy boot) and the Magic Saw (guess). His singular talents have landed him cameos on Tom Wait's Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers, and Bastards, as well as partnerships with similarly bizarro contemporaries like Buckethead (the two even cut an album of their own under the name Frankenstein Brothers). Caution: could be habit forming. RJP

SUNDAY 5/5

RICHMOND FONTAINE
(Al's Den, 303 SW 12th) See My, What a Busy Week!

TENDER LOVING EMPIRE FORT GEORGE BEERTHDAY PARTY
(Bunk Bar, 1028 SE Water) See My, What a Busy Week!

MAY DAY MUSIC FEST: SAGE FRANCIS, PROLYPHIC, DEVICE GRIPS
(Alhambra Theatre, 4811 SE Hawthorne) Read our article on the opening of Alhambra Theatre.

DON'T, LA LUZ, BATH PARTY
(Rontoms, 600 E Burnside) With a new single on Portland-based Water Wing Records (an offshoot of Mississippi Records) and a cover story in Seattle's The Stranger, La Luz is proverbially blowing up. The two tracks on that 7-inch also appear on the band's rippingly good Damp Face EP, recorded in a trailer park in Bothell, Washington—five tracks that stick you in the middle of a surfy, stony, dance-y, girl-group garage party. The all-female foursome's members come from other Seattle area bands like the Curious Mystery and the Pica Beats, and despite not being together a full year yet, La Luz has already mastered a spindly, organ-dipped sound with lots of ghostly backing vocals and tremolo'ed guitar. It's true that there isn't anything trailblazing on Damp Face, but that doesn't keep it from sounding terrific. With a live show that's already sent our neighbors up north into conniptions of praise, it's only a matter of time before Portland sees the light. NED LANNAMANN

HURRY UP, KIM BAXTER, SUMMER CANNIBALS
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) Hurry Up is a see-'em-live kind of band. This is partly a matter of logistics—they have yet to release a recording—but mostly, it's because they are tight, fast, and smoking hot. But that's what you'd expect from Maggie Vail of Bangs and Kathy Foster and Westin Glass of the Thermals. They play rock with the conviction of people for whom rock is a lifestyle, which it clearly is: All three members juggle multiple bands, and frontwoman Vail is the label manager at Bikini Kill Records and a founder of Cash Music, an open source web platform for musicians. One of Foster's other bands, All Girl Summer Fun Band, includes Kim Baxter, who is opening. Her first solo album, The Tale of Me and You, is a completely enjoyable and buoyantly eccentric collection of lo-fi vocals set to impeccably produced guitars and synths. RW

MONDAY 5/6

RICHMOND FONTAINE
(Al's Den, 303 SW 12th) See My, What a Busy Week!

THE BABY BLUE BADFINGER TRIBUTE
(Alberta Rose Theatre, 3000 NE Alberta) The Raspberries, Big Star, and Badfinger represent the holy trinity of classicist power-pop. Much of the Raspberries post-"Go All the Way" output was marred by Eric Carmen's desperate preoccupation with scoring another giant hit; Big Star (specifically, Alex Chilton) wrote music that was alien and distinctly Southern, with digressions into acoustic vulnerability. Badfinger, meanwhile, were the group every reputable critic of the day speculated would succeed the Beatles in terms of influence and commercial success, and they're the perfect synthesis of the Raspberries and Big Star. "No Matter What" remains the singular power-pop template and ranks up there with the best pre-Sgt. Pepper Lennon/McCartney compositions. "Without You" is the most poignant, twistingly fucked breakup song ever written; even Mariah Carey couldn't ruin it. Tragically, the group's principal songwriters, Pete Ham and Tom Evans, committed suicide (both by hanging themselves, eight years apart), therefore immortalizing the band's legacy. Tonight a host of local musicians pay tribute to Ham and Evans' immortal classics, while raising money for local sound engineer Scott Peterson. MORGAN TROPER

MASAKI BATOH'S BRAIN PULSE MUSIC
(Star Theater, 13 NW 6th) Ghost frontman Masaki Batoh's latest endeavor finds him making music from brain waves in order to heal people from the trauma of the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011. On Brain Pulse Music, he combines an experimental bio-electric procedure with traditional Japanese instrumentation to create alien zen ambience and Harry Partch-meets-Harry Bertoia sonic sculptures. You may not have suffered directly from that awful quake and the resultant tsunami, but you can still benefit from Batoh's unconventional aural therapy. Expect to be gloriously confused most of the night. DS

JASON URICK, BRAVEYOUNG, OAKROT
(Valentine's, 232 SW Ankeny) Jason Urick's 2012 LP I Love You depicts the Earth as seen from outer space. I'm thinking he took the photo himself. Urick calls Portland home, but his music remains otherworldly. And while his soundscapes are, for the most part, abstract and drone-y, there are melodies in there. One thing I've heard him say is that he considers himself more of a music fan than a musician. I like that. So often the human element gets lost in electronic music. Urick's philosophy makes him less mad scientist and more human, and it adds even more weight to his already weighty computer-generated music. Maybe he's more down to Earth than I thought. ML

TUESDAY 5/7

THE MUSIC TAPES' TRAVELING IMAGINARY
(Mission Theater, 1624 NW Glisan) See My, What a Busy Week!

CLOUD CULT, JBM
(Aladdin Theater, 3017 SE Milwaukie) See My, What a Busy Week!

RICHMOND FONTAINE
(Al's Den, 303 SW 12th) See My, What a Busy Week!

CAITLIN ROSE, DANIEL ROMANO
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) Read our article on Caitlin Rose.

OS MUTANTES, CAPSULA, GRANDPARENTS, DJ KAREN ANTUNEZ
(Star Theater, 13 NW 6th) Tropicalismo pioneers Os Mutantes' 1968 self-titled debut and the similarly titled 1969 follow-up are truly timeless psych masterpieces that, perhaps inexplicably, have aged far better than many pop albums from the same period. As the '70s progressed, the group's sonic eccentricities multiplied, culminating with the Tudo Foi Feito Pelo Sol album and the posthumously issued O A e o Z, although the band never totally abandoned the Beatles/bossa nova composite it helped to champion. After a one-off reunion show in 2006, the band formally reunited in 2007, albeit without founding members Rita Lee and Arnaldo Baptista. Their new record, Fool Metal Jack, is the second produced by this new, re-formed incarnation, and it's every bit as weird as the band's earliest material, and occasionally as beautiful. MT