WEDNESDAY 6/26

ALELA DIANE, HOLCOMBE WALLER
(The Old Church, 1422 SW 11th) See My, What a Busy Week!, and our read our article on Alela Diane.

CHRIS PUREKA, EMY REYNOLDS BAND
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) Like the other singer/songwriters to whom she's typically compared—Gillian Welch, Ryan Adams, Neil Young—Chris Pureka's art thrives in emotionally desolate environments. Who can say why one person's interpretation of heartbreak and loneliness speaks so clearly to you while another's leaves you cold, or worse, bored? Thankfully, Pureka, who's recently relocated to Portland, is never boring. Actually, her sound has gotten bigger and more adventurous over the years, though the theme of fractured relationships has remained. Pureka's new EP, Chimera II, is just out, the follow-up to the first Chimera, which came out four years ago. Her impressive finger-picking is timeless, and evocative, and also lends itself particularly to space. Identifying as genderqueer would be tough in many aspects of life in 21st-century America. But in the realm of lost love, her viewpoint provides a lot of possibilities for interpreting loneliness from a more universal perspective. This shit happens to everyone. REBECCA WILSON

MACHINE HEAD, PROVEN, AMERICAN ROULETTE, SEPARATION OF SANITY
(Hawthorne Theatre, 1507 SE César E. Chávez) The first time I heard Machine Head's debut, Burn My Eyes, I thought they were the second coming of Metallica. Maybe they were. The Bay Area thrashers have been kept afloat by frontman Robb Flynn, who's adeptly steered the band with the times while also minding his own ambitions. Recent albums like The Blackening and Unto the Locust have returned Machine Head to the top of the thrash heap. The band—with a number of lineup changes—continues to tour, and is currently working on their eighth LP. If all goes according to schedule, you'll be hearing the name Machine Head in the same breath as some of the greats. MARK LORE

BUCKCHERRY, GIRL IN A COMA, AMERICAN BASTARD, WITCHBURN
(Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell) Buckcherry are headlining a show at the Wonder Ballroom. It's 2013. Either I'm out of touch or some promoter knows more than I do. Buckcherry are a band whose significance is absolutely confined to its time—and even then, that significance is ultimately negligible. Buckcherry are barely deserving of a footnote. They make Nickelback look like Aerosmith, and Aerosmith look like the Rolling Stones. I feel embarrassed just typing their name. The group's most enduring hit, "Crazy Bitch," is so wantonly misogynistic it would make Kid Rock blush. They embody the distilled evil of corporate rock; they're an artifact belonging to an age (the '00s) when subversive rock 'n' roll was marginalized to the point of being a nonentity, and where, in retrospect, bands like the White Stripes and Franz Ferdinand were lauded only because they weren't as bad as... well, Buckcherry. So, on the off-chance you were even considering it, please do anything with your night other than go see Buckcherry. MORGAN TROPER

FANNO CREEK, MELVILLE, BEVELERS
(Alhambra Theatre, 4811 SE Hawthorne) Evan Hailstone and Quinn Mulligan's energy is infectious—if you're not singing along with them, you're falling into beat and folk-moshing in the front row. Whether they're crooning an ode to the blue-collar struggle or to a love you may never find, Fanno Creek's tone is raucous, accented by the shared lead harmonies. Dane Brist is an intuitive drummer, bringing an upbeat pop element to the songs. This is Fanno Creek's only announced Portland show of the summer, currently, so if you're an old or prospective fan, it's going to be a particularly grand time. Expect some new material from the trio, as they've been studiously at work recording a new album. RACHEL MILBAUER

THURSDAY 6/27

STEVE MILLER BAND
(Edgefield, 2126 SW Halsey, Troutdale) If Steve Miller walked down the street, would anyone recognize him? This is one of the most successful musicians who's ever lived, whose biggest hits are as familiar as the backseat of your parents' Oldsmobile. This is the guy who sang "The Joker," a song that you have heard 87 zillion times and never, ever need to hear again. This is the guy responsible for "Take the Money and Run," for "Rock'n Me," for "tick tock tick, doo doo doo-doo." And yet no one knows what he looks like. He could easily hire an impersonator to knock out "Abracadabra" (in Daft Punk headgear, perhaps?) and I don't think anyone would really care. Therefore, I submit to you that Steve Miller is not an actual person but an entity that's been collectively manifested out of '70s FM radio waves, bong resin, and the pompatus of love. NED LANNAMANN

FRIDAY 6/28

RADIATION CITY, SOCIAL STUDIES, XDS
(Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell) Read our article on Radiation City.

JEFF HANNEMAN MEMORIAL SHOW: LIVE UNDEAD, COVEN, RAPTOR, ONLY ZUUL
(Ash Street Saloon, 225 SW Ash) The metal community is still shredding tears over the loss of Slayer guitarist Jeff Hanneman, who died on May 2. Whether it was a necrotic spider bite that finally did him in, or the tsunami of Heineken and Jägermeister he notoriously pushed through his liver over the years, nobody can argue we've lost a riff master akin to Ritchie Blackmore and Tony Iommi. The best way to celebrate a legacy like Hanneman's is to remember his accomplishments and rage with your bros. Tonight's bill features Live Undead, a Slayer cover band that will no doubt play everything you wanna hear. Plus, local rippers Raptor, Seattle thrashers Coven, and Portland's operatic death/doom dealers Only Zuul will also play a Slayer song in their sets. And if you're stuck at home or work with a computer in front of you, don't sweat it, because local metal website slayedinoregon.com will stream the festivities. Rest in pieces, Jeff. Hell no longer awaits.... ARIS WALES

FAULT LINES, BOAT, FUTURE HISTORIANS
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) The fact that Fault Lines evolved out of local garage-pop group the Angry Orts (the Orts are no more, but founding guitarist Arron Ettlin and singer Sara Hernandez both made the jump) puts me at ease. Their amazingly catchy debut album Tapes and Wires would be a terrifying statement from a newly formed band, but given the history here, it's merely scary good. "Kirstie Alley" opens the album with a crunchy guitar riff that paves the way for Hernandez's sweeping vocals and sincere lyrics, which shine the entire length of the album. Larry Crane, who produced the album here in town at Jackpot! Recording, can add yet another exceptional voice to a résumé that already includes Corin Tucker and Jenny Lewis (both spring to mind upon hearing Tapes and Wires). We're halfway into 2013 and Fault Lines have just issued one of the finest releases of the year. Come celebrate it tonight. CHIPP TERWILLIGER

VIEUX FARKA TOURÉ, TEZETA BAND
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) Last year, Malian guitarist Vieux Farka Touré cancelled a scheduled appearance at Pickathon amid a growing territorial dispute between Tuareg and Islamist factions in his home country. A year later, that conflict is the impetus behind Touré's new album Mon Pays (translation: "My Country"), an endlessly gorgeous gathering of virtuosic guitar work and Mali's psychedelic desert-blues tradition that is meant to honor the country's beauty and culture. Touré's genes give him a solid foundation from which to work; he is the son of one of Africa's iconic musicians, the late Ali Farka Touré. There's a decent chance you won't understand the lyrics on Mon Pays, but that hardly matters. Across the record's 10 supple jams, you'll hear a range of emotions—sadness, anger, national pride—course through Touré's 10 supremely talented fingers and reverberate across his six-stringed instrument of peace. BEN SALMON

OLD LIGHT, PERHAPST
(White Eagle, 836 N Russell) John Moen is best known as the happy guy who plays the drums (and a startling array of other instruments) for the Decemberists and Black Prairie. But Perhapst is the band that's all his. The 2008 self-titled debut was recorded between Decemberists tours and other projects, but now he's back with Revise Your Maps. It's an upbeat crowd-pleaser that transcends decades as well as the ultra-specific categorizations that we music reviewers are so fond of. Moen doesn't seem to be an angst-ridden guy, and his cheeriness comes across as truly sincere on the album's many satisfying choruses. Indeed, on "Ramble Scramble," he sings enthusiastically about "the power of love" in a way that did not cause me to roll my eyes even once. Other songs, notably the title track, are more melancholy, a little more twangy, and "Sorrow and Shame" fully rocks with a honky-tonk piano and loud guitars. RW

CHILDCHILDREN, EXOTIC CLUB, SUPER DUPER FUN GUN
(Record Room, 8 NE Killingsworth) Childchildren make the kind of noise you might expect to hear from a loosey-goosey two-piece. But this Portland band's ramshackle garage rock takes on a darker post-apocalyptic feel. Call it "future fuzz." Their latest four-song EP mixes the White Stripes' Detroit swamp with the post-punk of Pere Ubu. And they own it. If you're going to borrow from other bands, you'd better shove your own personality in there as well—which they do. For the time being, Childchildren are sort of an enigma. For all we know they're a couple of extraterrestrials who make music in a dark basement in St. Johns, living on nothing but 7-Eleven nachos while keeping a pet velociraptor in the corner. At least that's how I'd like to imagine them. ML

U SCO, HANG THE OLD YEAR, OKER
(Velo Cult, 1969 NE 42nd) Instrumental progcore band U Sco's new-ish LP, Nest, has just been released on cassette tape via New Atlantis Records, after having been available digitally since November. And it's still great. U Sco effortlessly synthesize aspects of classic progressive rock à la Red-era King Crimson with the arresting force of post-hardcore and weirdo indie rock bands like Shellac and early Dismemberment Plan. The three musicians in U Sco are all technically flawless—by the end of the group's set, guitarist/songwriter Ryan Miller is covered in sweat, despite the fact that he never actually visibly exerts himself (it's all from focusing, man). And drummer Phil Cleary—also of Duck. Little Brother, Duck!—could very well be the best drummer in town. The result is a band whose music is highly complex and inherently technical, yet brimming with heart. It's truly something else. MT

LA LUZ, THE SHIVAS, TEENSPOT
(The Know, 2026 NE Alberta) Seattle's La Luz was greeted with open arms and dancing bodies during their recent, excellent performance at Rontoms. Shana Cleveland's understated, sultry lead vocals pull you into a musical landscape rich with surf-rock guitar riffs. Combined with twanging keys, drum rolls, and graceful bass, this all-women outfit writes melodic, catchy songs reminiscent of long summer nights. Their first EP, Damp Face, is a fine example of their beachy attitude, doo-wop style, and thoughtful lyrics, and to see them live again is certainly a welcome treat. RM

SPELLCASTER, SKELATOR, GORGON STARE, NIGHT NURSE
(Dante's, 350 W Burnside) Despite lineup changes and label shake-ups, Spellcaster still remain Portland's most powerful heavy metal force. With a new album on the way, they're ready to give fans new and old a good taste of where their sound is headed with the new roster, kicking off their "West Coast World Tour" tonight. The band's now-former guitarist Tyler Loney relinquished his ax-wielding responsibilities to Bryce VanHoosen and took over as vocalist. Loney's style has less soaring falsettos than their previous vocalist, and more buttery, melodic, smooth lines instead—kinda like Sean Harris of Diamond Head, but without the moaning and Robert Plant leanings. Aside from the frontman change, and new tub-thumper, Colin Vranizan, old fans can expect Spellcaster's same "spells of speed" and skillful solos. AW

SATURDAY 6/29

WOODEN INDIAN BURIAL GROUND, AND AND AND, GRANDPARENTS, SUMMER CANNIBALS
(Star Theater, 13 NW 6th) See My, What a Busy Week!

TANGO ALPHA TANGO, MINDEN, VIOLET ISLE
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) From the very first few bars of "Boom Boom," the opening track from Tango Alpha Tango's debut full-length, Black Cloud, two things are immediately apparent. First, songwriter Nathan Trueb's knack for capturing the grit of dirty desert blues is infectious. Secondly, this niche of authenticated blues-rock doesn't come off as cocky, like so many of its ilk; it just sounds fun, full of clichéd rock 'n' roll lyrics about getting high and lusting after women, and comes teeming with an arsenal of back-porch riffs and driving rhythms. Their magic, though, lies in their ability to shift gears into grimy psych on tracks like "Brahma Bull." On Black Cloud, Tango Alpha Tango is no one-trick pony. RYAN J. PRADO

LUBEC, LOST INTEGRITY, MODERN MARRIAGE, MOUNT MAZAMA
(Record Room, 8 NE Killingsworth) Lubec's upcoming album, The Thrall, quickly found a place on my list of most-anticipated releases the moment I heard the preview track "Local Celebrity." There is something immediately infectious about the blending of jangly and distorted guitar noise with overlapping boy/girl vocals. It's a nice shoegaze-influenced twee pop song that sounds best at loud volumes. The band, originally hailing from Virginia, would have been right at home back east had they formed a few decades earlier. They bring to mind the early days of Slumberland Records and acts like Black Tambourine, Lilys, Velocity Girl, and the handful of other C86-influenced groups hailing from that fertile Washington, DC, scene of the early '90s. Luckily for us, Lubec have taken those roots and relocated to Portland, giving us plenty of chances to watch their new songs take shape live. CT

SUNDAY 6/30

THE DO-OVER
(White Owl Social Club, 1305 SE 8th) See My, What a Busy Week!

FLEETWOOD MAC
(Rose Garden, 1 Center Ct) Read our debate on Fleetwood Mac's second best album.

BÉISBOL, OLD AGE
(Rontoms, 600 E Burnside) Read our article on Béisbol.

MYKKI BLANCO, BEYONDADOUBT, ISAIAH ALLURE ESQUIRE, NATHAN DETROIT
(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) Performance artist and poet Michael Quattlebaum's female rapper alter ego Mykki Blanco makes the kind of flexin', fashion-forward, club-ready rap tunes that tons of Top-40 types are currently biting. And while he currently goes in over whomping electronic beats by the likes of big-name producers Brenmar, Flosstradamus, Supreme Cuts, and Sinden, Blanco's first EP, Mykki Blanco and the Mutant Angels, manages to tastefully blend elements of industrial, punk, and hardcore. Blanco pulls off all of these styles so well that it's no wonder he takes offense at being simply tagged as a "gay rapper"—the music stands on its own merit. MIKE RAMOS

MONDAY 7/1

Happiest birthday wishes to Missy Elliot and Debbie Harry.

TUESDAY 7/2

NICK JAINA, JENNIE WAYNE, JAY WILLIAM HENDERSON
(LaurelThirst Public House, 2958 NE Glisan) See My, What a Busy Week!

DRUNK DAD, BIG BLACK CLOUD, PRIZEHOG
(The Know, 2026 NE Alberta) Veteran garage-noise peddlers Big Black Cloud have unleashed the hounds of disharmony and devilishly great spaz-punk on their latest LP, Black Friday. The crew's affinity for fuzzed-out chord mashing, bionic low-end blasts of beautiful fuckery, and raucous abandon are but a few aspects of Black Friday that stand out; their deftness at articulating rage and lethargy in equal measure via writhing tunes like "Pile of Shit," "Bomb My Brain," and "Wastoids" is about as vehemently punk as it gets. At the core, Big Black Cloud represents an underground renaissance for the rowdies, while also appealing to the somewhat more honed arbiters of noise-fuzz artists like Mudhoney and... sure, Big Black. RJP Also see My, What a Busy Week!

PRINCE RAMA, LAVENDER MIRROR
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) Prince Rama are not your typical wide-eyed Williamsburg mystics. Their performance is embued with a sincere connection to the occult, a spiritualism honed by their mutual upbringing in a Hare Krishna commune. The two sisters Taraka and Nimai Larson craft a heady brew of dense tribal electronic psychedelia, like a darker incarnation of Enya or Cocteau Twins sent through the rabbit hole. With their past two releases on Animal Collective's Paw Tracks label, Prince Rama's contributions to the self-proclaimed "Now Age" also include art installations and performance pieces, apocalyptic concept albums, and now a film, Never Forever, which will be screened this evening as part of the show. WYATT SCHAFFNER