THU 04/12

FUCK, THE HURRICANE LAMPS, RALLY BOY

(Meow Meow) San Francisco's Fuck has a sublime new album called Cupid's Cactus (Smells Like Records) that's capable of making shattered characters everywhere contemplate their existence (over a cigarette and some Carlo Rossi). Depression is imminent, kids--but it's artful depression, pure with piercing emotion, heavy with the sparkle of scratching turntable needles. That's why you should buy it on vinyl. This is their last US tour, so they say, so see 'em while you can. JULIANNE SHEPHERD

NUDGE, THE HOLY GHOST, GENTRY DENSLEY

(Medicine Hat) Nudge is another of the awesome Outward Music Company's treasures. It's Brian Foote, Honey Owens, and Elton Lawson, and they make their keyboards, processors, and beats banter elegantly like a light-saber game of spaced-out badminton. Most importantly, it never sounds like their computers are about to perform mutiny on them--Nudge have got it all steadily under control, and it's mellow and gorgeous. JS

THE STANDARD, ASHLEY STOVE, THE VESPERTINES

(Lola's Room) Ashley Stove is a good, laid-back rock band that plays the kind of music that used to characterize the "indie rock sound" (back when their record label, Merge, was just starting out) but is now a given with virtually any "indie rock" band under the age of 35. They're really good at it, though, with all the prerequisites: quirky guitar parts, buttery vocals sprinkled with anomalous lyrics, and slight, easy harmonies, a sparseness that sounds like the music might unravel--but of course it never does. Definitely worth seeing if you are not smitten with the idea of perpetually forging originality. JS

HIGH VIOLETS, VOYAGER ONE

(Tonic) The High Violets and Voyager One both play the type of psychedelic space rock that rock crits like to compare to My Bloody Valentine. With a full sound of guitars, swelling keyboards and airy, subdued vocals, they look real good on paper. Live, both bands are, perhaps, a bit restrained and their songwriting seems more indebted to late-sixties British psychedelia than the great Scots of noise--but we can't all be perfect, can we? RYAN TOBIAS

FRI 04/13

THE RAPTURE, SOILED DOVES

(Meow Meow) Goths, listen up... If you've ever wanted to play pretend for a night by going out in some old torn leather, patches, and hair spiked with egg whites, then this show just might be the perfect place for your masquerade. Same to you, punks... tonight you can play pretty and won't be out of place. Headliners The Rapture got lost along the way and somehow ended up sounding like a hardcore band pulling Depeche Mode and Cure covers. Listen for screaming synths and singing, angular guitars and four-on-the-floor drums (course, they get their torch songs in too, but... ) Seattleites Soiled Doves will be opening, showcasing their mod punk thing that's got the kids hanging down on the catwalks all hard up. RT

IWW FIGHTING FUND BENEFIT STARRING ATROCIOUS MADNESS, SKULLSPLITTER, BLOOD SPIT NIGHTS, INCHARGE

(Red & Black, 6:30 pm) In the press release for this show, it says the established-in-1906 IWW (In English, "Industrial Workers of the World (Unite Yeah)") has been "long been associated with crusty old labor tunes." That is extremely correct. But tonight, sidle up to some Wobblies playing some punk fookin' rock (the labor songs of the current era). If the promise of unbridled pissiness and onomatopoeic band names don't do it all for you, know that your $4 cover goes towards helping the IWW fight the self-important union-busters of the world, of which there are a dumbfounding amount, especially now that that Ivy-League, coke-snorting, hateful quack "George W. Bush" claims to be the leader of the free world. Go team! JS

611 TOUR STARRING NIGEL RICHARDS, CARL MICHAELS

(Ohm) Just because a DJ is from another city does not mean they're a good DJ. Nor does having a number of records under his/her belt. And, most of all, merely working at a record store will not ensure a booty-quake on the dancefloor. However, Philadelphia's Nigel Richards is all of the above and enjoys a consistent reputation as one of the tightest techno/house DJs in the states. Whether it be his ability to move the crowd like a shepherd tending his flock, or his uncommonly tasteful and well-placed tricks, he goes beyond the standard fare of what passes for a party-rockin' DJ. There are DJs that play this type of music every night the Ohm is open for business; if you ever wanted to hear it done right, this is your chance. ELLIOTT ADAMS

BOZART, FIREBALLS OF FREEDOM, THE OWNERS, WADSWORTH

(Ash Street) Thank god the days of hippie-band popularity are finally fizzling away, and that the Ash Street has changed with the times. They're booking lots of rock shows of late and, even better, they're booking rock shows that rock. Bozart is a phenomenal duo that plays mathy instru-metal, much in the same vein as The Fucking Champs--Yee haw! The Owners are balls-out rockers, while Fireballs are dumb-guy rockers, and Wadsworth is the evening's grab bag band. Check out this show, and the Ash Street's cute resident bike messengers--you won't be sorry. KATIE SHIMER

THE BELLA FAYES CD RELEASE, LOWCRAFT

(Dante's) I've lost count of how many bands singer/songwriter Lael Alderman has had since moving to Portland from Eugene. It's got to be at least three. Anyway, our boy Lael is back with his best combo to date, largely because it features the formidable guitar and drums of ex-Drive members Adam Wayne and Shane Fisher, a duo whose grasp of unconventional melodies and tempos should counter-balance Alderman's more earnest tendencies. The Bella Fayes demonstrate plenty of promise and smart sounds on their debut EP, and if they can somehow ratchet down Alderman's Thom Yorke/Bono theatrics a few degrees, they should prove a welcome addition to the local arena. JOHN CHANDLER

RED76 ONE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY SLEEPOVER

(Disjecta, 116 NE Russell) Red76 started out by having all-day science fairs at The Lab (the lamented art/soiree venue that was ousted last summer by some pissy pee-holes). Since then, they've held two Film Scoring Series, a Mobile Voter Tour, several art/music/ dance/whatever extravaganzas, and a bunch of other kooky ideas that lean in the direction of concepts. That's why this one-year celebration makes sense for them. It's a sleepover party. Seriously--just bring some blankets. The bands will play "until we are tired," and in the morning, fresh coffee and breakfast will await you. Check your lice at the door, and see some of the bands that have helped define Red76's identity: art-improv duo Beds, earnest poppers Sauvie Island Moon Rocket Factory, silently crashing, infant-instrumentalists A John Henry Memorial, scratchy rockers Thanksgiving, the phenomenally improvised MomeRaths, and Project Perfect. And stick around for tomorrow, because...

SAT 04/14

RED76 ANNIVERSARY STARRING BERING SEA, SUPERSPRITE, LAUREL CANYON, HOCHENKEIT, ON DEATH IN VALIUM L.A.

(Disjecta)... are playing, too! Bering Sea does loud static improv, Supersprite is one of the city's best live electronic acts (blending the sensibility of Japanese pop culture with some extremely cool beats), Laurel Canyon's violin, multiple guitars, and unrestrained drums will make you hold yourself a little tighter, Hochenkeit is AMAZING when they're doing improv, and On Death in Valium L.A. is a mystery to me but we can all hope to god they don't sound like Jane's Addiction. Oh yeah, and see art by a ton of rad-ass motherfuckers. Happy B-day, Red76. JS

HELLES BELLES, CHERRY BOMB, KLEVELAND

(Crystal) If you ask me, an all-girl AC/DC cover band is a fantastic idea. Every town should have one. Taking the Aussie combo known for opening the floodgates of testosterone in songs like "The Jack" and "You Shook Me" and giving the whole business a vital shot of estrogen should yield some rather provocative results. What I want to know is, do the gals have AC/DC-derived names like Bonnie Scott or Alice Young or Philomena Rudd? Will the damsel portraying Angus Young show her bum? I understand they wisely stick closer to the Bon Scott songbook rather than to the tunes of his able (but ultimately inferior) replacement Brian Johnson. My personal requests include "Ride On," "Riff Raff," "Bad Boy Boogie," and "Beatin' Around the Bush." Thank you in advance. JC

D.O.A., D.I., STREET WALKIN' CHEETAHS

(Pine Street) It is an interesting riddle: You have a group of punks, D.O.A., from the heyday of punk who curled their lips and rallied against the Establishment; as bored, angst-ridden youth and skill-less laborers, they had nothing to offer the job market other than their disgust. Of course, they were saved from selling their souls by their thrashing musical skills, and didn't have to take day jobs. But that was then and now they are, well, 19 years older. Are they on the road this time because they love the music or because they simply can't get another job? Oh well. Who cares? The music is still the same irreverent and undistilled punk that made them pioneers. PHIL BUSSE

SUN 04/15

THE FASCINATION, COLIN MELOY, NEW SOFTSHOE, HONEYBUNCH

(Medicine Hat) Colin Meloy is one of the best singer-songwriters in Portland. He balances traditional acoustic crooning and folk storytelling with pop hooks and sauciness that seem neither forced nor derivative. He's got an awesome voice, always on-key (sooooooo important) and never too sugary. Honeybunch, alternately, is a new-to-Portland, old-school pop band. You might remember them from the early '90s. Who knows what incarnation they've taken in the 2Gs, but it's worth a look-see if you were a fan. JS

U2, PJ HARVEY

(Rose Garden) We love PJ Harvey. All of her albums are incredible. She was fabulous in that Hal Hartley short film, Book of Life. We've dedicated years of worship to her. And she betrays us by touring with some of the biggest pimp-ass motherfuckers (in a bad way) in the universe. What the fuck. We are now bitter and cynical towards the music industry, like jilted lovers. We will burn all our major label records in protest, even the DGC-released Sonic Youth stuff and our that dog. cassette we've been holding onto since 1994. Why? Because we're 99 percent sure that this tour is because of Island Records, the home of both Ms. Harvey and The Band That Bono Ruined. It's a crying shame. JS

MON 04/16

PSYCHEDELIC FURS, TINFED

(Roseland) I hate when people dis the '80s. I came of age in the '80s, and I discovered music through pop radio. So, while most people give short shrift to the Psychedelic Furs' most popular period--the Midnight to Midnight album, with its big hit, "Heartbreak Beat"--that for me is when the band went from soundtracking Molly Ringwald to something more, from quirky semi-goths to poptastic toughs in leather jackets. Say what you want about what's classic, but for me it'll always be "Angels Don't Cry," and if I'm feeling obnoxious enough, that's what I'm going to be shouting for at this reunion show. JAMIE S. RICH

TUES 04/17

KOONDA HOLAA AND THE BEETCHEES, STARANTULA, COBRA HIGH, BROOKLYN SOLIPSIST SOCIETY

(Satyricon) Tonight will be so cool. First off is Brooklyn Solipsist Society: just John Graham and his guitar, drum machine, and his gruff, spiked voice. It's a bulletproof wash of punk rock/industrial grittiness, and live, there will be a bit of improv. Rest assured, however, that it will not be wanky jazz improv--it will be the kind of improv you do when your roommate is gone, you crank your amp to 10, and just wail. Then the awesome Cobra High will lug their keyboards onstage for some super-tight, electrifying computer-prog. Starantula picks up at the part of the '70s where Cobra High leaves off, perhaps exposing some chest hair with pimpy saxophone and insanity. Finally, Koonda Holaa and the Beetchees join us from the faraway land of the Czech Republic, and promise a cavalcade of multimedia performance, crashy free noise, and superb politics. It's a lottery, and you're a winner. JS

WED 04/18

THE NEED, 31 KNOTS, V4V

(Pine Street) Someday you'll be a pleated-pant-wearing, mortgage-paying, middle-aged indie rocker and your daughter will be buying one of The Need's albums because she says it's "retro," and you'll be saying, "This band is what kept rock alive through the millennium. They're not like that newfangled noise you listen to!" And then you'll talk about this show, at which The Need totally blew your mind. Or maybe it'll be this scenario: Your daughter will come home and say to you, "Tell me again what it was like when you used to see 31 Knots and V for Vendetta, before they got famous?!" and you'll say, "Well, V for Vendetta were some crazy chicks, some chicks who were into versatile rock, music that was both melodic and lovely and ripping with ire, and just like 31 Knots, they made music that we had never heard before--music that really broke some new ground for music." And then you'll sigh and dream about the good old days, when Portland was still virginal and the whiskey was still pure. KATIA DUNN

GOING TO SEATTLE?

Thurs 4/12: Medeski, Martin, & Wood (Paramount), Aiko Shimada, Awkward Star, Tablet (Rainbow)

Fri 4/13: Orbiter (Sit & Spin); Alien Crime Syndicate (EMP); Helles Belles (Showbox)

Tues 4/17: Dee Dee Bridgewater (Jazz Alley); The Combustion Collective (Tractor Tavern)

For more info, visit www.thestranger.com

April 17 New Releases: All Natural, Fred Anderson/Robert Barry, Autechre, Beta Band, Vic Chesnutt, Elvis Costello, Creeper Lagoon, Miles Davis (reissues), Defacto, Alejandro Escovedo, Everything but the Girl, Jason Falkner, Firewater, Charlie Haden & Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Scott Hardkiss, LA Guns, Mandalay, Manic Street Preachers, My Morning Jacket, Nathan Larson, Mouse on Mars, Organic Audio, Paul Newman, Portastatic, Jonny Polonsky, Stereophonics, Thinking Fellers Union Local 282, Tool, Unwound, Vert, Volebeats