This past weekend I was afforded the opportunity to see two bands that I never thought I would have the chance to experience live: Rilo Kiley and American Football. The audiences at both shows knew every word to every song—it was emotional to say the least. Youthful heart break energy and nostalgia coursed powerfully through the veins of the thousands assembled, manifesting as unchecked collective human joy. And running into around a dozen friends I hadn’t seen in years made Rilo Kiley feel like a high school reunion. All this is to say that music—live music especially—is so fucking special and grounding, and we shouldn’t take it for granted.
I, for one, am so incredibly down for the “legacy band” thing that’s been happening the last few years—hopefully the trend will continue for the foreseeable future. Who’s hitting Bloc Party, L7, Bratmobile, Grandaddy, and Minus the Bear this summer? Is this about to be the summer we’ve collectively been waiting for??
As promised, our playlists on Spotify have been updated and will continue being updated weekly as time marches on. We’ll be dropping a few new playlists in the next couple weeks—don’t sleep!
Thursday, May 29
Dragged Into Sunlight / Mizmor / Glassing
For fans of Wolves in the Throne Room, Sunn O))), Botanist
Dragged Into Sunlight haven’t toured since 2016, making their stop in Portland a big deal. The British blackened-doom outfit keep themselves shrouded from public view with balaclavas and hoods while playing live. I always wonder about this: Is it simply to uphold the mystery and lean into the aesthetic, or is there something more profound happening? Have they actually done something where concealing their identities is necessary? Either way, it’s hot. Portland’s own Mizmor is along for the entirety of DIS’s tour. Moizmor’s approach to doom is palpably more Cascadian than the headliner’s, with his subtle, minutes-long intros building to massive breakdowns that (I reckon) have blown an amp or two. Austin, TX shredders Glassing—the real pit-openers of the lineup—open what is sure to be a soul-crushing evening. (Star Theater, 8 pm, tickets here, 21+)
Friday, May 30
Carla Kihlstedt: 26 Little Deaths
For fans of Rachel’s, Tim Burton, tuberculosis
26 Little Deaths, Carla Kihlstedt’s song cycle based on Edward Gorey’s spooky alphabet book, The Gashlycrumb Tinies, expounds upon the gruesome naïveté of Victorian children brought to light by the 1963 “children’s book.” Kihlstedt, as in the book, narrates the final moments of these unfortunate childrens' lives and how they eventually meet their demise. The music itself spans genres from cabaret to romantic (classical), and spoken word to eerie noise. Throw on your best mink and get to the gig (in Beaverton)! FYI, our favorite child-death in The Gashlycrumb Tinies has to be, “N is for Neville who died of ennui.” (The Patricia Reser Center for the Arts, 7:30 pm, tickets here, all ages)
Chlorine / Bench Scraper / Live Alone
For fans of Bleed, Korn, Purity
No one thought it possible, but it’s really happening, and Chlorine are the ones doing it! The Portland band are taking the best bits of late-’90s and early-’00s grunge and nu metal, putting their own 2025 PNW spin on it, and unleashing a wholly new subgenre upon us mere mortals. Rounding out the all-Portland bill is the hilariously self-proclaimed “back of house hardcore” band Benchscraper (song titles like “A Pleasure to Serve You” and “Time to Lean” got me mad triggered from my decades in hospo), along with the Live Alone lads in the opening spot. Catch these bands at the Westside’s favorite basement—Shanghai Tunnel—while you still can. (Shanghai Tunnel, 9 pm, tickets here, 21+)
Saturday, May 31
Black Belt Eagle Scout
For fans of Grouper, Mount Eerie, nature walks
Generationally-bound to the land of the Pacific Northwest, her Indigeneity, and her queerness, Black Belt Eagle Scout, AKA Katherine Paul, makes deceptively simple music that can take several listens to absorb. For this extremely special outing, Portland’s Third Angle New Music commissioned Paul to create a site-specific “soundwalk” for Henry Hagg Lake Trail (west of Forest Grove). While Soundscape for Hagg Lake is available to download and can be enjoyed anywhere, anytime—Paul will perform a FREE live set on the shores of Hagg Lake to commemorate its release. (Henry Hagg Lake (Sain Creek Recreation Area), 4 pm, register here, all ages)
La Isla Electronica / Puerta Negra / Conspire / Piggy Bank
For fans of Heterofobia, Dark Chisme, Dïat
La Isla Electronica, AKA L.I.E. is—hands down—Portland’s best new band, and this here’s their EP release and tour kickoff! The Spanish-language post-punks play an intensely captivating brand of bass (guitar)-heavy punk mining the depths of ’80s alternative, from goth to new wave and minimal synth to death rock. Correct me if I’m wrong (please!), but it’s nothing we’ve ever heard coming out of Portland before. Their new EP drops the same night on Portland’s Distort Reality Records. The night’s openers are a veritable who’s who of dark punk: fellow Spanish-language goth rockers Puerta Negra, post-punk favorites Conspire, and the newly formed Piggy Bank. This bill is the future of Portland punk—get with it! (Black Water, 8 pm, tickets at the door, all ages)
Monday, June 2
Femme Cell / Swiss Army Wife / Pile Up
For fans of Pill, Mt Fog, Algernon Cadwallader
Last year Mississippi Studios launched the rad showcase series, Local Love Letter, where they host Portland-area lineups for $5! Maybe this will help fill the Rontoms Sunday Sessions-shaped hole in the hearts of music-loving Portlanders. This, the thirteenth edition of the showcase, sees Femme Cell releasing the music video for “Bond”—a single from their emotionally rife new album Does Anybody Want This Unbreakable Bond? The album is deliciously lackadaisical top-to-bottom, so much so that early-album slow-burner “Your Alter” made it onto our Portland Summer Fuzz playlist. Second wave emo heads Swiss Army Wife are stuck in the middle with you, while Pileup pull up to sign, seal, and deliver this love letter. (Mississippi Studios, 7:30 pm, tickets here, 21+)
Tuesday, June 3
Billy Woods / Quelle Chris
For fans of Armand Hammar, R.A.P. Ferreria, clipping.
Gollywog, the new album by Billy Woods, is gonna be all over the year-end lists of all the major music publications at the end of 2025. Bet. The man can rap, sing, and produce; the fact that he’s playing Mississippi Studios is pretty massive—he’s about to blow TF up, and this will absolutely be the last chance we have to see him this up close and personal. Every track on Gollywog is fire and sees Woods pulling friends from all over the place for features, including the Alchemist, El-P, Shabaka Hutchings, and more. Quelle Chris opens the night with chiller beats and samples that’ll perfectly set the tone for the laidback evening of A-1 quality hip-hop. (Mississippi Studios, 8 pm, tickets here, 21+)
Also very worth it…
Ringo Deathstarr / Waves Crashing / Darkswoon at Polaris Hall - May 30, tickets here
Roman Norfleet & Be Present Art Group at Jack London Revue - May 30, tickets here
IX of Swords / Cherry Batter / Slingshot / Icecaps at Swan Dive - May 31, tickets here
The Melvins / Napalm Death at Revolution Hall - June 3, SOLD OUT
Portland Music News:
The folks behind 777 Booking announced via Instagram last week that they’re opening an all-ages venue, taking over the former Analog Cafe space at 720 SE Hawthorne. While they’ve got the keys to the location, the team is still fundraising to open its doors. A conservative estimate of $60,000 is needed for renovations before the venue can start hosting shows—hit them up on IG to support, and let's get Portland’s new home for hardcore open!
Hear In Portland dropped some science on us last week with Portland music happenings—head that way to get learnt!
Sadly, Rontoms hosted its last Sunday Sessions showcase this past Sunday, May 25. What a truly astounding blow to Portland’s music scene! Joni Mitchell never lies when she says “You don’t know what you got ‘till it’s gone.”
As part of the Mercury’s joint-publication with BlackOut: A 5 Year Retrospective on Portland’s Racial Justice Protests, the project’s editor Donovan Scribes curated a playlist of some of his favorite Portland-based hip-hop artists that released songs around the 2020 protests or that touch on the time, “speaking out boldly about police violence, the movement, and a shackle-free vision for the future.”
