THURSDAY 8/20
PISSED JEANS, PRIZE COUNTRY
(Satyricon, 125 NW 6th) See Music.
THE FLAMING LIPS, BUILT TO SPILL, STARDEATH AND WHITE
DWARFS
(Edgefield, 2126 SW Halsey, Troutdale) Not to get all truck
commercial (remember those?), but Built to Spill is like a rock. Doug
Martsch & Co. have been long-play jammin’ for nearly two decades,
with a new release, There Is No Enemy, set to make an appearance
in October. Their last album, You in Reverse, was decidedly
underappreciated with its back-to-basics production, Martsch’s
characteristically clever lyrics, and a rediscovered driving
enthusiasm. It’s pretty much the perfect bill, with the guitar-tastic
BTS and the spastic fun of the Flaming Lips playing new songs, all
while lolling around on Edgefield’s expansive lawn: I have to admit my
mythological hemi is all aquiver for this show. I’ll be making a fool
of myself and dancing like a moron, but then again… so will everyone
else. COURTNEY FERGUSON Also, see My, What a Busy Week!
HORSE FEATHERS, SEAN FLINN, MBILLY
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) Perched inside my ivory tower—or,
behind a used office desk purchased from City Liquid-ators—it’s
easy for me to demand new albums from bands whenever there is even the
slightest lull between recordings. This has been the case with Horse
Feathers, who graced us with the lovely House with No Home last
year, which (sadly) is an eternity in this internet-age society we live
in. Sure, they released one of the best albums of 2008, but what have
they done in 2009? The answer to that is tour, and the rustic folk
outfit has traversed the country, including some dates with terribly
underrated troubadour Joe Pug. Let us be thankful that Justin Ringle
& Co. refuse to cater to demands of instant gratification, instead
moving Horse Feathers along at a caring and deliberate pace, meaning
that the payoff—whenever it does come—will definitely be
worth the wait. EZRA ACE CARAEFF
ARANYA, THE ATOMIC BOMB AUDITION, NORTHERN SWORDS,
MICROTIA
(Plan B, 1305 SE 8th) A friend recently complained to me how today’s
doom metal—with its common characteristics of punishing low end,
monotony, and harsh vocals—makes him feel “this small.” He
described it in ways I might describe power electronics or
brass-knuckle industrial music: unrelenting, unnerving, impossible to
enjoy. I don’t share the feeling, but his impression has been hard to
shake. Good, then, that local female-fronted heathen metal band Aranya
is a clear deviation from what could be considered the grating status
quo in Doomtown. Multi-instrumentalist frontwoman Uta Plotkin locks
into vocal trances more reminiscent of mid-’90s Sky Cries Mary than
Portland’s caricature-worthy Southern Lord worshippers. Her tribal wail
soars outside the proper metallic grit of a band that bravely tries
Tomahawk-like American Indian music and European folk metal as well.
Listening to Aranya, it is impossible to feel small. MIKE MEYER
MOODRING, MARMITS, SPIRIT DUPLICATOR
(Ella Street Social Club, 714 SW 20th Pl) One of the true mysteries
of the Portland music scene—in all its majestic glories and
flawed imperfections—is Italy’s downright obsession with local
act Rollerball. While they might fly—or roll—under the
radar in their own backyard (and domestically), the band is
Berlusconi-big and absolutely adored in the boot-shaped country. Same
could probably be said for Moodring, the auxiliary project of
Rollerballers Mae Starr and Monte Allen. Releasing the desolate
Scared of Ferret tonight, Moodring takes the artistic leanings
of their other project and expands on them, creating a moody and
droning collection of material that is fleshed out with the help of
members of Plants and Momeraths. Tonight, see what Italians have been
loving, and what you have been missing, for so many years. EAC
MATTRESS, NUCULAR AMINALS, HAMMER OF HATHOR, THE WOOLEN
MEN
(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) If you haven’t checked out the spooky,
electronic mess that is Mattress yet, you’d best get on it soon. The
group is about to embark on a national tour and won’t be returning to
Portland until October, when they’ll also be releasing a new album. The
music of Nucular Aminals is rife with melodic guitars and off-kilter
keyboard notes that sound like they belong in a carnival’s big top. The
Aminals’ vocals are a little deadpan sometimes, but it all balances out
nicely with their upbeat instrumentation. THEODORA KARATZAS
FRIDAY 8/21
THE MANOR OF ART: CLIMBER, BOY IN STATIC, CHORES, BRYAN FREE
AND THE DOXYHAUNTS
(Milepost 5, 900 NE 81st) See My, What a Busy Week!
SMMR BMMR: THEE OH SEES, BOX ELDERS, SIC ALPS, METH TEETH,
& MORE
(Rotture, 315 SE 3rd) See Music.
CROCODILES, GRAFFITI ISLAND, PENS
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) Crocodiles have found themselves caught
in a raging dispute between blogs and bloggers—the former, namely
Pitchfork, called the band a rip-off of acts like Wavves (who
ironically formed after Crocodiles) and marked them down for
trying everything rather than focusing on a specific genre, while the
latter are defending a band that doesn’t deserve the high and mighty
misdirected hammer of the P-fork. Well, bad publicity is good
publicity, I suppose. The Echo and the Bunnymen-inspired group have
enough psychedelia and distortion to sound like a bad Hendrix trip, but
their melodies, especially the slower numbers, tend to have enough
intricate and fuzzy noise to warrant repeated listening. The “cater to
everyone” road might be over-traveled, but, if you let them, Crocodiles
will wriggle into your head and curl up. PHILIP GAUDETTE
ATRIARCH, SUBROSA, FEEDLING
(East End, 203 SE Grand) It’s probably safe to assume that Subrosa’s
electric-violin-infused melodic stoner metal isn’t the sound of your
average Salt Lake City band. Vocalist/guitarist (and practicing Mormon)
Rebecca Vernon writes haunting chapel-basement doom dirges, with big,
fat Goatsnake (or L7, c’mon) riffs and creep-out lyrics that peer into
secret societies with lingering, dilated pupils. The female quartet’s
Strega full-length—named after a form of Italian
witchcraft—came out on Sweden’s I Hate Records, home of
black-kvlt siblings Nifelheim, so you know it can hardly be more metal.
MM
REPORTER, DOUBLE PLUS GOOD, BREAKFAST
MOUNTAIN
(Backspace, 115 NW 5th) What was originally thought to be a simple
name change has finally evolved into a brilliant new sound. Wet
Confetti became Reporter in 2007, and it seems that now, with the
release of Dust and Stars under their belt, the band has
embarked on a musical odyssey, bidding adieu to their previous
incarnation (and even adopting a third with May Ling, their newest
endeavor that includes two-thirds of Reporter, minus drummer and Potato
Champion owner Mike McKinnon). Get there early for Breakfast Mountain;
Zack Osterlund may play two shows a week but it’s for good
reason—his mix of laptop funk and live band has been creating
quite a stir on the homestead and beyond. PG
SATURDAY 8/22
THE MANOR OF ART: BLUE SKIES FOR BLACK HEARTS, DIRTY
MITTENS, JARED MEES AND THE GROWN CHILDREN, &
MORE
(Milepost 5, 900 NE 81st) See My, What a Busy Week!.
SMMR BMMR: MAD MACKA, THE PITY FUCKS, &
MORE
(BC’s American Saloon, 2433 SE Powell) See Music.
SMMR BMMR: PURE COUNTRY GOLD, WHITE FANG, FERGUS &
GERONIMO, TEENAGE COOL KIDS, & MORE
(Rotture, 315 SE 3rd) See Music.
NORFOLK & WESTERN, JOLIE HOLLAND AND THE HUNTING PARTY,
STEFAN JECUSCO
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) If you think you’re
seeing double, you can stop squinting. Jolie Holland’s backing band,
the Hunting Party, shares a rhythm section with Portland’s Norfolk
& Western—specifically, drummer Rachel Blumberg and bassist
Dave Depper, each of whom are pulling double duty at tonight’s show.
The gig is sort of a one-off for both bands: Norfolk & Western are
in the midst of finishing their latest studio opus, and Holland is
still riding high off last year’s excellent The Living and the
Dead. So without any particular agendas or brand-new records to
promote, both ensembles should be in a relaxed, rambling mode, and
Jolie’s supple, romantic songwriting will be expertly paired with
Norfolk’s stately psyched-out folk. NED LANNAMANN
FRUIT BATS, JOHNNY AND THE MOON, PANTY
LIONS
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) You might fear that lead Fruit Bat Eric
D. Johnson’s been so busy playing sideman to the Shins and Vetiver that
he might not have much left to put into his main gig. Worry not: Fruit
Bats’ new album, The Ruminant Band, shuffles and strides as
easily as any folk rock this year, and the tunes are uniformly winning
as well. Johnson’s singing by himself now that co-vocalist Gillian
Lisee has departed, but his nasal croon sounds invigorated, and so do
songs like “My Unusual Friend,” “The Ruminant Band,” and the
album-closing “Flamingo,” which dips into olde-timey sonics (faint
vinyl hiss, tip-tap drums, cockeyed Optigan) without sounding merely
cute about it. MICHAELANGELO MATOS
GABE ROZZELL & THE DECENCY, THE MIGHTY GHOSTS,
THREADS
(Kenton Club, 2025 N Kilpatrick) The husky-voiced Gabe Rozzell is
the sort of intimating figure that would be at home during the outlaw
era of country music—a myth-ical character that can melt hearts
with his songs, uproot trees with his bare arms, and probably makes his
own jerky as well. Basically, he’s the greatest human on this planet.
Backed by the trusty Decency, his self-titled debut (out tonight) is a
welcome surprise of tempered roots music—vintage pearl-snap
country, dustbowl folk—done to perfection. It might seem dry at
first listen, but that’s what the whiskey is for. One drink in and
you’ll be erecting your very own Gabe Rozzell statue next to the Paul
Bunyan monument in North Portland, only bigger. EAC
SUNDAY 8/23
SMMR BMMR: REPTILIAN CIVILIAN, LAST REGIMENT OF SYNCOPATED
DRUMMERS, & MORE
(BC’s American Saloon, 2433 SE Powell) See Music.
SMMR BMMR: PIERCED ARROWS, PERSONAL AND THE PIZZAS, THE
INTELLIGENCE, THE MEAN JEANS, & MORE
(Rotture, 315 SE 3rd) See Music.
EYEDEA AND ABILITIES, KRISTOFF KRANE, ONRY OZZBORN, SAPIENT,
LIVING PROOF
(Satyricon, 125 NW 6th) Yet another act has abandoned hiphop for
rock, for live music—the antithesis of hiphop. After a five-year
break, Minneapolis’ Eyedea and Abilities have returned with By
the Throat, an album packed with rock and punk. The previous albums
(First Born and E&A) by this talented duo contained
hiphop in an experimental and intellectual state. These works also
contained a lot of promise—the rapper, Eyedea, and the DJ,
Abilities, were preparing to push hiphop to its limits. That promise is
now broken. What we have, instead of hiphop at its border of lyrical
and turntablist meaning, is diluted punk and rock. Why do so many acts
make this mistake? Rock will not save hiphop. To turn to rock is to
turn to the past and try to bridge a rupture that will forever separate
the two forms. Do not look backward; look forward. CHARLES MUDEDE
DREW GROW AND THE PASTORS’ WIVES, BIRDS & BATTERIES, BRYAN FREE
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) Tonight’s show celebrates
the release of Drew Grow and the Pastors’ Wives’ brand-new single,
“Bootstraps,” but there’s more to it than that: It’s the launch of new
label Amigo/Amiga, run by Pastors’ Wives drummer Jeremiah Hayden and
gathered from the ashes of NAT’L Recordings, Hayden’s previous label.
Grow and the Wives are planning a series of 7-inch singles (sold for a
mere $2—cheap!) over the coming months, and they’re starting
strongly with “Bootstraps,” a catchy bootstomper with rattling acoustic
guitars and wide-open mass backing vocals. But the real cherry is the
Richard Manuel-esque B-side “Friendly Fire,” a deliberately plodding
country gospel number that’s absolutely breathtaking, as Grow’s voice
urgently raises a vaulted ceiling of harmonies before tumbling back
down to earth. NL
MORNING TELEPORTATION, DED PIDGEONS
(Rontoms, 600 E Burnside) Portland transplants by way of Kentucky
and Austin—and rumored signees to Isaac Brock’s Glacial Pace
imprint—Morning Teleportation have injected a sprawling, ambient
quality into the otherwise tired genre of indie rock. With plenty to
keep you on your toes, Morning Teleportation can get a tiny bit jam
band-ish, but despite this, they stay the course through each song and
manage to work some surprising sounds into their music as well. Whether
they’re crafting unique banjo bits that sound a little like they belong
in an old western film or steadily upping the ante on a creeping
drumbeat, we end up with something a little psychedelic, but still very
coherent. TK
MONDAY 8/24
RAINSTICK COWBELL, KEYBOARD
(Mississippi Pizza Pub, 3552 N Mississippi) Armed with only an
acoustic guitar and more than an empty guitar case’s worth of vitriol,
Rainstick Cowbell makes searing music that’s intensely personal.
Rainstick Cowbell (actually one Scott Arbogast) released the
Fireants album earlier this year, and it goes from intense,
clear-eyed rants to unhinged exorcisms. On the final track, a screed
called “A Self-Indulgent Song, I Know, but I Want My Family to Hear
This,” Arbogast calmly intones lines like, “So useless to you/Son of
someone else… Where are you?/You should’ve died.” It’s exhilarating
to hear music this raw, and by keeping close to the source, Arbogast
makes a kind of folk music that’s incredibly heavy even as it sticks to
the delicate acoustic-guitar-and-voice template. NL
TUESDAY 8/25
BENEFIT FOR KRIS JENSEN: YACHT, AU, COPY, MAY
LING
(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) See My, What a Busy Week!
PRETENDERS, CAT POWER, JULIETTE LEWIS
(Edgefield, 2126 SW Halsey) See My, What a Busy Week!,
and visit portlandmercury.com for an interview with the Pretenders’ Martin Chambers.
JAY REATARD
(Jackpot Records, 203 SW 9th) Jay Reatard’s umpteenth release,
Watch Me Fall, is marked by his West Coast tour of fine record
emporiums. This is good news: These shows are both free and all ages,
so young and/or impoverished fans get a chance to see him up close and
personal. Watch Me Fall further refines Reatard’s pop
sensibilities, with his urgent and catchy melodies given a chance to
bloom over a less agitated backdrop—acoustic guitars are often
employed, and Reatard frequently sings the song all the way through to
the end without screaming. With a tinge of glam and just a mild helping
of punk, it’s becoming clearer and clearer that Reatard’s oeuvre is
fully in the pop camp—and he’s become one of the best, most
prolific pop songwriters around. NL
PINK WIDOWER, THE GLOSSINES, THE BUGS
(East End, 203 SE Grand) “This ain’t rocket science, this is rock
‘n’ roll,” declare the Bugs as both a lyrical proclamation and a band
mantra. The duo operate under this formula to a great level of success,
having churned out multiple albums of no frills, straight ahead rock
‘n’ roll throughout the past decade—most recently on Hovercraft
Records, but formerly on Tombstone, the label fronted by Fred and Toody
Cole of Dead Moon. Tonight does not herald the release of their latest,
Barbaric! Mystical! Bored!, which for some reason will be
celebrated next month with a show at a sandwich shop, but expect plenty
of the band’s trademark rock ‘n’ roll spirit. MARANDA BISH
WEDNESDAY 8/26
JOE PERNICE, JOHN CUNNINGHAM
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) See Music.
ALEXIS GIDEON
(Fontanelle Gallery, 205 SW Pine) Please do not be alarmed by the
term “multimedia hiphopera.” Alexis Gideon has made one, and its
release on his new DVD, Video Musics, is being celebrated
tonight at, appropriately, an art gallery rather than a rock club.
Gideon accompanies himself with crude but immaculately detailed
animation that’s hypnotic and wryly comical. His low voice raps over
glitchy beats, and he occasionally rips a Prince-worthy guitar solo,
all while spinning a bizarre yarn, based on Hungarian folk tales and
populated by heroes and beasts and magic. It’s weird, arty, and
impossible to encapsulate, and if you think it sounds too strange, or
stupid, or pretentious for you to take, think again—there is some
genius craft at work in Gideon’s madness. And to prove it, he’s joining
fellow madcap Dan Deacon on a high-profile tour later this year. NL