I’m not sure whether to say Happy Black History Month, Happy Valentine’s Day, or Happy Apocalypse, so I guess I’m saying all of the above. The world is cold, dark, and strange—and yet, we still need to find some joy in the madness. No matter what February 2025 has in store, at least we know we can count on a trio of must-see local shows! We suggest taking a break from making your call-to-action checklist—we’re all doing that, right?—and getting out into that chill.
MUST SEE:Â
Upcoming local event(s) featuring local artist(s).   Â
Lo Steele
Neo soul singer-songwriter Lauren 'Lo' Steele recently chopped off all her hair and moved to Chicago, but she’ll always be a Portland girl at heart. We were so stoked on Steele’s electrifyingly sultry performance at Pickathon 2024, and are still obsessed with her hearty soul vocals, as well as her stunning debut project Happy Girl. Lucky for us, she’s already back in town and will perform a Valentine’s Day set at the Fixin’ To. Also gracing the lineup is vocalist-string queen Alexis Mahler, who dropped a romantic song called "Clementine" last February—which we’re hoping will be on the setlist—and Shelby Natasha, an alt-folk artist out of Seattle. (The Fixin’ To, 8218 N Lombard, Fri Feb 14, 8 pm, $15, tickets here, 21+)
Thru the Laundry Room ft. Napp Jones
Appropriately dubbed Thru the Laundry Room, this unique intimate monthly concert series takes place, quite literally, at hip NE Broadway laundromat Spin Laundry Lounge. The upcoming installment on February 20 features an exciting lineup with host Israel Autumns and headliner Napp Jones, stellar multi-instrumentalist Emmanuel Davis, who coincidentally played Lo Steele’s love interest in a recent Portland Playhouse production of Amelie. We’re hoping to hear the artist and his band perform tracks like the romantic “Morningside,” and the poignant “War Zone.” Also on the bill are stalwart composer-producer Jonny Cool—who quietly contributed to Ella Mai’s certified gold single “DFMU”—and queer soul singer Vega Black. The Lone Gunmen serve as the house band for the evening. (Spin Laundry Lounge, 2326 NE Broadway, Thurs Feb 20, 9 pm, $10, tickets here, all ages)
ADDED TO THE QUEUE:Â
Some upcoming music buzz to add to your radar.
Dreckig EP Release Show
Having grown up in Mexico and Germany respectively, Papi Fimbres and Shana Lindbeck formed the duo Dreckig in Portland, merging their shared love of cumbia and kraut music. Eclipse will be released into the world on February 14; a week later the duo headline an album release show at Lollipop Shoppe. Adding even more reason to make it yours business to be there are local shoegaze and synth pop trio Perimeters, along with Cosmos Dark, the magical solo project of Vaughn Kimmons (Brown Alice of Brown Calculus), and DJ Velvet Ginger keeping the tempo. (Lollipop Shoppe, 736 SE Grand, Fri Feb 21, 8:30 pm, $10-12, tickets here, 21+)
