AND WE’RE BACK! There’s so much rad(ical) music on the horizon in the coming days/weeks/months, it's hard for anyone to keep track of! Thank goodness for resources like Mercury Music Picks, huh??
Speaking of, two of our Spotify playlists have been updated! Use them as guides for music discovery and get out to shows! Check those out here: Portland Summer Fuzz, Mercury Music Picks.
And great work this weekend, team! Always remember: FIFPNKEDK (Fuck ICE, Free Palestine, no kings—except drag kings)!
Tuesday, June 17
Metropolitan Youth Symphony featuring Esperanza Spalding
For fans of Brandee Younger, Nubya Garcia, Kamasi Washington
In celebration of the Metropolitan Youth Symphony’s 50-Year anniversary, bassist, singer-songwriter, and composer Esperanza Spalding—our Grammy-winning Portland-born queen—will give the world premiere of her new piece Dispelling the Lie of Lies. Commissioned by MYS, Spalding will showcase her eclectic skillset, ranging from jazz to bossanova, neo-soul to R&B. She’ll join symphony and jazz students onstage for the premiere, along with playing her other works, including “Ebony and Ivy.” The evening will also feature pieces by other incredible composers, including Midnight In Carlotta’s Hair by the great Wayne Shorter. (Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 7:30 pm, tickets here, all ages) JENNI MOORE
Michael Cera Palin / Aren’t We Amphibians / Swiss Army Wife / Saoirse Dream
For fans of Heart to Gold, Simple Shapes, Oolong
Ok, let’s get it out of the way: Michael Cera Palin is one of the funniest band names that’s ever existed. And, maybe an unpopular opinion: their cover of Sheryl Crow’s “If It Makes You Happy” is far-and-away the superior version—fight me. Beyond their genius name and cover song chops, the band rips! They’re hands down one of the most exciting pop punk bands on the scene right now and their LP, We Could Be Brave is proof positive that they’re only just getting started. San Diego screamo/emo heads Aren’t We Amphibians take over the middle slot, while local baddies Swiss Army Wife and Saoirse Dream do their thing in the opening positions. Also, kudos to Mission Theater, they’ve been hosting some extremely sick shows the last few years, giving a stage to bands and artists who would likely be sequestered to DIY and house venues otherwise. Though we love our DIY spaces, we should all say a big thank you to Mission Theater! 👏 (Mission Theater, 8 pm, tickets here, all ages)
Friday, June 20
Neal Morgan / The Blue Knots
For fans of Broadcast, Ô Paon, Stereolab
The sun falling through the trees dappling the meadow you’ve set up your picnic in, and the only humans for miles are your best friends eating stone fruit and tinned fish, talking about past lives and blessed futures. Your friends ask you what music they should put on, your answer is immediate: Becoming Noise, the new album by the Blue Knots. The surrealistic bedroom pop of the Blue Knots—the new project by Portland’s Danielle Stech-Homsey—is enchanting beyond description, and it’s just the beginning. This is the release show for Becoming Noise as well as for the headliner Neal Morgan’s new album Paw! A night of soft summer dreamers to start your weekend. (Turn! Turn! Turn!, 8 pm, tickets at the door, 21+)
Related: Check out our in-depth album review for Becoming Noise.
Panchiko / Tanukichan
For fans of Radiohead, Slowdive, Glixen
The lore surrounding Panchiko is immense…. Originally formed in 1997 when the members were teenagers, Panchiko was a little-known Nottingham, England, band releasing only two EPs before breaking up in 2001, slipping into obscurity. The band was rediscovered when a burnt CD-R demo of their D>E>A>T>H>M>E>T>A>L EP surfaced in a UK thrift store in 2016 and shared across 4chan. The band has since reformed and released two dreamy full-lengths: 2023’s Failed At Math(s) and this year’s Ginko. The band's story arch is a trip, as is their music. Opening is Bay Area musician Tanukichan, the dreamy noise-pop outfit helmed by Hannah Junghwa van Loon. (Crystal Ballroom, 8 pm, tickets here, all ages)
Saturday, June 21
Karate / Cryogeyser
For fans of Slint, June of 44, Tanukichan
A massive player in the slowcore craze re-sweeping the nation these last few years, Karate is one of the best bands to have done it back in the halcyon days of the 1990s. Their specific flavor of the subgenre is slow and intentional, yes, but the strained anguish oozing from the guitars and vocals is something else—a specific type of slack/er built before the days of “smart” phones and internet ubiquity. It’s psychedelic, it’s sexual, it’s rock & roll. The young nu-gazers (is that a thing?) Cryogeyser have carved a space for themselves at the table of alternative music and, fingers crossed, aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. (Mission Theater, 8 pm, tickets here, 21+)
Sunday, June 22
Nonbinary Girlfriend / Buckets / Dog Daughter
For fans of Bijoux Cone, Alien Boy, Hole
Ever had the privilege of dating a nonbinary girlfriend? Sadly, neither have I. Happily, what we all do have is one of Portland’s best bands at the moment, Nonbinary Girlfriend! NBGF has been releasing records, playing house shows, going on tour, and tearing it up in Portland’s best venues for the last few years now. And if I may, they put on one of the city’s best live shows. Their record Big and Kind has been on heavy rotation since it dropped in 2023—NBFG, if you’re reading this, please put out another record of absolute heaters for us to groove to! Indie-pop outsiders Buckets are pulling up from LA, with Portland’s own Dog Daughter in the opening slot. (Lollipop Shoppe, 9 pm, tickets here, 21+)
Also very worth it…
Harley Flanagan: Wired For Chaos at Hollywood Theatre - June 18, tickets here
Tune-Yards / Ringdown at Wonder Ballroom - June 18, tickets here
Ogre / Bliss Foxx / Give Me the Money / Ignoring Olivia at Mission Theater - June 20, tickets here
Fu Manchu / Tigers on Opium at Hawthorne Theatre - June 20, tickets here
