DELTA DART, TRANSISTOR LEGION, THE RUBELLA, TIM MCBRIDE
(Mississippi Pizza, 3552 N. Mississippi) On CD, Olympia/L.A.-based trio Delta Dart evokes enough Sleater-Kinneyisms to kill Susan Faludi. Which, when all is said and done, is a hell of a lot better than evoking a lot of Bikini Killisms, but still kind of grody. However, there is something to be said for evoking Sleater-Kinneyisms and doing it as well as these ladies--the vocal and guitar interplay, tense drumming, the passionate subject matter, etc., all circa Call the Doctor. I have seen Delta Dart play acoustically and they sound decidedly non-SK; VERY dramatic, sweet lyrics, good vocals and melodies. Either way, Delta Dart's music is well executed and well written... it's just heavily influenced. Joining them are Portland's agitated, smart punk trio, The Rubella, who are about to take their many time changes, solid basslines, and jazz-tastic drumming on a month-long tour across... Canada? JULIANNE SHEPHERD
THE FANTASTIC FOUR: VENOM3, SEOUL BROTHER #1, JAMMOTRON, BABY BOOMBOX
(Madame Butterfly, 425 SW Stark; again on Sat, July 27 at Tiger Bar, 317 NW Broadway) History buffs and music geeks! The Fantastic Four deejay ensemble has promised a "beat education" in the origins of hiphop... old school and PRE-school... a bunch of hot jazz, funk, electro, and hiphop to trace the origins of the elements... Fresh. JS
THE BUILDING PRESS, THE DUTCH FLAT, SCIENCE OF YABRA
(Berbati's, 231 SW Ankeny) Seattle's The Building Press, definitely one of the top five contenders in the Pacific Northwest pantheon of non-psych-oriented, progressive rock music, releases their new record tonight. Proggily entitled Amplitude of Frequencies Over Time, it shows how the Building Press has grown from a good, but somewhat typical, math rock band tooling down here for gigs at the ole Robot Steakhouse, to a powerhouse of good songwriting, great melodies, and more noodled riffs than a Top Ramen factory. JS See Music pg 19
THE COUNTRY TEASERS, BASSHOLES, THE HUNCHES, THE HOSPITALS
(Blackbird, 3728 NE Sandy) The Bassholes have been making raw, lo-fi, blues music since 1992. They'll be playing at this In the Red Records showcase, which is also a showcase for In the Red's two new, up and coming bands: Portland's The Hunches and The Hospitals. Check it. KATIA DUNN
STARANTULA, FREAKSHOW RODEO, AFROHOMO
(Satyricon, 125 NW 6th) Seantos, who acts as the frontman for his rock group, Starantula, has a surplus of hair coming out of his head. Huge, burly chops, a mustache, and a curly flow of top locks make you wonder what kinds of vitamins get depleted in that man's body just to provide for that hair-farm of a cranium. And the heat! Not what you would refer to as a "summer cut." But it seems to make some strange sense upon seeing Starantula play. The Moog keyboard funk, the half-assed, masculine vocals (in a David Lee "I'm gay" Roth way), jumpsuits, and some pretty solid beats seem to be one in the same with his, um... hair.... I don't know what the fuck I'm talking about. JOE FAUSTIN KELLY
LOVE, ARTHUR LEE
(Roseland, NW 6th & Burnside) Love. Live? HERE? Fucking right! Sixties psychedelic HERO Arthur Lee is finally outta the lock-up and getting ON it! Lee and company is cookin'! Backing him are his long-loving friends, Baby Lemonade... who, for all intents and purposes, are LOVE... since from 1969-ish Lee has fronted different lineups as Love. Cool? Now, if you've never dug Love, dig 'em, their catalog's stunning!! They established a stirring identity, breaking LOTS of "musical ground" in a short time. MIKE NIPPER
MARK FARINA, MADINA, D-LYTE
(Ohm, 31 NW 1st) With alter-egos blending house and triphop, respectively, Mark Farina has risen above the status of DJ-geek idol and become a cult hero. Farina is a modern anomaly in electronic dance music; he's hugely popular (much of his crowd is not normally found in clubs), widely respected (solely as a DJ as opposed to a producer), and undeniably delivers each and every performance. With a DJ career that began in house's birthplace of Chicago, spinning alongside legends such as Derrick Carter, his move to San Francisco precipitated his current ambassadorship of the deep, jazzed-up SF house sound. Ironically, he gained much of his fame through his Mushroom Jazz series of downtempo mix discs, which have become starkly formulaic and complacent. Thankfully, he'll be leaving the tired beats that remind us of Portishead at home; expect a marathon set (three-plus hours) of pulsing, late-night grooves. ELLIOTT ADAMS
RICHARD BUCKNER, RICHMOND FONTAINE
(Dante's, 1 SW 3rd) Richmond Fontaine's Willy Vlautin writes of ragged, broken characters whose lives are wasted in the most run-down of Reno's casinos and those who have fled to the Pacific Northwest in hopes of escaping the demons that are damned to follow wherever they go. Backed by guitar, bass, drums, and pedal steel, Richmond Fontaine create a sound that's too influenced by punk, the Replacements, and Hüsker Dü, to be called alt country, but encompasses enough bittersweet Americana to appeal to a wide audience. KATHLEEN WILSON
AEREOGRAMME, JOHN VANDERSLICE,
LUTHER RUSSELL, SELDOM
(Blackbird) With his cleverly crafted, thoughtful pop tunes, and a drummer that could entertain a crowd on his own, John Vanderslice is well worth the price of admission. It's hard to pinpoint exactly what mid-'90s, Midwestern, midstream band Scotland's Aereogramme sounds like. Hum, Engine Kid, Lullaby for the Working Class, and early (ha ha) Smashing Pumpkins all come to mind. Though melodic post-hardcore, slo-mo soft rock and alternative may make strange bedfellows, Aereogramme seems to make it somewhat cohesive. As far as the "been done" factor goes, yes, I did double take on the CD's copyright date (it's 2001). That's okay, though, as I'm sure there are several American rock bands foolishly playing mid-'90s Scottish music these days. DAVID MANNERES
THE TYPICAL CATS & ONRY OZZBORNE,
DJ WICKED
(Ash Street, 225 SW Ash) For my money, it's Onry Ozzborn and the Oldominion crew that are going to put Pacific Northwest hiphop on the map. For awhile, it was as if Onry couldn't fall off the CMJ hiphop charts--I swear he was on there for like 90 weeks. Why? Because they're frigging good, incorporating a unique production aesthetic with a definite underground slant, without trying to stay stodgily in the old-school groove. And, um, the rhymes. Performing with Chicago MC/DJ crew, Typical Cats; and the only person in Portland who is ubiquitous yet whom I still never tire of: DJ Wicked. JS
HARNESS THE DARNESS, ANDY CIGARETTES, GHOST TO FALCO, THE PEPPERMINTS
(Fast Forward, 6616 NE MLK) Here at the Mercury, we have a lot of extra time on our hands, and we like to fill it by talking about band names. Good band names (Corpse Fucks Corpse), bad band names (the Joe Faustin Kelly-coined "Hussein Asylum," "Hair Force One," "Hannibal's Lecture")--and the most absurd band name ever, that of our receptionist back when he was in a hair metal band in Yakima, Wash.: HARM'S ARMS. I thought that was the best I'd ever heard until the name "Harness the Darness" crossed my desk. I have no idea what this band is about, but with a name like that, they damn well better be A. doom metal or B. VERY inspirational. If not, though, you can soak in the sweet sounds of the one-man-plus-tons-of-samplers Ghost to Falco (who is like a very layered, technology-savvy, boy Cat Power) and San Diego's weirdly hooky and off-their-rockers Peppermints, who I missed last time they were here, but heard were fucking brilliant. JS
THE BLACK KEYS, PRISSY'S PRISM
(Satyricon) Two-man blues has taken off, from the Soledad Brothers and the White Stripes to the Immortal Lee County Killers. Add to that talented list the Black Keys, two young men from Akron, OH, who strip the blues, funk, and soul down nekkid with one guitar and one set of drums. Frontman Dan Auerbach really propels this act, though--with his deep, weathered, Hendrix-influenced vocals, this little white boy could go up against the Dirtbombs' Mick Collins any day and almost win. JENNIFER MAERZ
HYPNOGOGIC ORCHESTRA, ARNOUX, BRAINWARMER, NEQUAQUAM VACUUM
(Jasmine Tree, 401 SW Harrison) Being in the first few hours of quitting caffeine, the Hypnogogic Orchestra is the last thing I need to be listening to, because I feel like I'm submerged in water, or on morphine. Their experimental, electronic noise is cool and quiet, and perfect if you want to slip into a Xanax trance. Often emitting the airiest of sounds, just above silence, the music is similar to a slow motion horror movie soundtrack with some eerie dream-like voice samples and the occasional heartbeat. KATIE SHIMER
THE BRIEFS, THE SPITS, ANTIWORLD, LOW ROLLERS
(Meow Meow, 527 SE Pine) New wave punk assault! Seattle's Briefs and Spits crank out their signature sound of '77- styled punk rock. You'd be a fool to miss the Spits live; they sound like a darker, futuristic version of the Ramones, and their crazy stage get-ups will crack you up. The Briefs' choice to sign a major label deal with Interscope records has been a controversial subject among certain punk rockers, but who cares!? If they're getting paid for what they love to do, more power to 'em... isn't having fun a bit more important than scoring brownie points with a bunch of hipster dorks?! JOEL JETT
JAMES LOW CD RELEASE, FERNANDO
(Goodfoot, 2845 SE Stark) For straightforward, VERY solid pop-rock, James Low's new CD, Blackheart, is an awesome bet. The melodies are pretty standard, but Low is a gifted songwriter with a great, just-got-off-ridin-the-rails, wayward-soul sort of voice, and he's backed by a talented ensemble of bass, fiddle, viola, Wurlitzer, pedal steel, accordion, etc. Country tinged, sincere, and emotive--if this is your steez, get up in its grill toot-sweet. JS
BAD BOY BILL, BABY ANNE, DONALD GLAUDE, PAPA GAZ
(Crystal, 1332 W Burnside) Tonight is crazy slick DJ night, where Chicago's Bad Boy Bill will be playing some splendid funky house tracks, and babe-alicous "bass queen" Baby Anne will be tearing up the breakbeats. KD
ALTON MILLER, WAYNE KERR, TYSON KOSKI, AC$, ESSARY
(Fez, 316 SW 11th) Releasing records for the past 11 years, and deejaying and touring for at least 13, Alton Miller came up in the Detroit scene during the '80s, inspired by meeting Derrick May and moving on to the infamous Music Institute. He will take you to the deepest of deep house. JS
NEON HUNK, HAIR POLICE, MAMMAL, YELLOW SWANS, SLEETMUTE
(Blackbird) Imagine having nightmares of Teletubbies on Ferris wheels after subsisting on Pixy Stix, Red Bull, and LSD for a week. Milwaukee's Neon Hunk would be the soundtrack to your Technicolor trip, with their drum-and-synthesizer noise porn--a collection of carnival video-game collisions, eerie cheers, and generally cacophonous style. Hair Police continue the wily assault, with instrumental pileups on every song, while feedback and white noise squirm through tracks like maggots through shit. These Kentucky kids even tinker with toys to make their low-fi junk punk clamber. Part arty performance, part test of your patience for extended sound orgies, HP's instrument-mangling is often compared to the two big Pussies (Harry and Galore). JENNIFER MAERZ
BENEFIT FOR THE SOUND SYSTEM STARRING THE BADGER KING, THE JOGGERS, THANKSGIVING, MENOMENA, DUTCH FLAT
(Meow Meow) If there's one thing the Meow Meow needs, it's a new sound system. Go, support, and see this cross-section of some of Portland's best bands--a top-notch lineup. JS See Music pg 19
DUB NARCOTIC SOUND SYSTEM, HALF-SEAS-OVER, CRÈME BLUSH
(Disjecta, 116 NE Russell) Armed with keytars and a bottomless pot of lip gloss, NYC's mellow new wave/electro duo, Crème Blush, has been at it since 1998, and came from art school (Nicole) and doing Henna art on the hands of famous actors (Satski). Sounding strangely like the Final Fantasy VII soundtrack with affected, new wave vocals, I actually like their music, despite my disdain for statements on their bios such as, "Her artwork and music allow her to bring joy and beauty to others and express her fantasy in the grand design for life." They're sort of poppy and mystical at the same time. JS
BEN KWELLER, MY MORNING JACKET, PONY LEAGUE
(Meow Meow) If you haven't heard of them yet, My Morning Jacket is an adorable band of dudes who reference classic rock and alt-country, with a tinge of psychedelic splendor--it's good. They'll be playing with Ben Kweller, who is but a mere 20 years old but has already seen his folk/indie pop punk get relatively famous. KD
RADAR BROTHERS, PSEUDO SIX, EARLIMART, DREW ISLEIB
(Blackbird) Tonight, liquor will be your best friend. Whether it be a PBR on tap, a whiskey and water, or some pansy-ass girl drink (my personal favorite), you will need some heavy inebriation to fully appreciate tonight's show. Jersey's Drew Isleib will start things off, doing the damaged boy + guitar + alcohol thing better than anyone else around. Keep the drinks flowing for Pseudo Six's working class anthems and Earlimart's rustic atmospheric rock, which will remind you of the hopelessly deadbeat Central California town for which they are named. Finally, the slow-burning, derailed country of the Radar Bros. closes things out. It won't take a handful of codeine alongside your drink to get swept away in the dreamy procession of their tumbleweed psych-Americana. CARMELO MARTINEZ
ONELINEDRAWING, JUPITER SUNRISE, CROSSTIDE, ORANGE ISLAND
(Meow Meow) Onelinedrawing is the solo project for the primary singer/songwriter of Jade Tree Records' New End Original. Also a former front man for Far, Jonah Matranga classifies Onelinedrawing somewhere between Nick Drake and Cheap Trick, or "like a boy Sinead O'Connor before all that pope business"... a man who calls himself a boy and plays solo guitar. Jupiter Sunrise has a website that provides band photos, news, tour diaries, and the like. Just about everything except the slightest hint as to what the band sounds like. But just going off the photos, with typical clues such as thrift attire, strained expressions, and "the passionate jump" action shots, it's safe to say we have ourselves some emo. JFK
NATE DENVER'S NECK, CASIOTONE FOR THE PAINFULLY ALONE, HEADPHONE, JONNY X & THE GROADIES, PARALLAX
(Disjecta) Nate Denver, the multitalented bassist/vocalist of the awesomely overdriven, noise-bashing Total Shutdown, has a solo project. It's called Nate Denver's Neck, and it consists of Nate Denver playing guitar, cheap keyboards, sampling weird sound effects (on CD, at least), and singing humorously acerbic lyrics such as, "I do not take shit from no one... if I get hit by a car/ I will punch it so hard I send it up to the stars... I do not bow down for no one/ if I have to fight a fairy, I'll use telekinesis warfare..." God love 'im. JS
CAROL'S CHUMP, THE FORTH, KILL CRITIC
(Ash Street) See Music pg 21
JEALOUS BUTCHER SHOWCASE
(Blackbird) Jealous Butcher Records represents a finer time in indie music, when local record labels where just that. They weren't bogged down with publicists, greed, and the bottom line; instead they existed solely to serve the scene they are part of. The label's eclectic roster hosts everyone from indiepopsters Hutch & Kathy, to basement-rockers Captain vs Crew; tonight's well-deserved showcase will feature performances by Beltline, Adam Selzer (of Norfolk & Western), and some special guests. A selfless indie record label releasing quality music by local musicians--go figure? CM
THE NEINS
(Union Jack's, 938 E Burnside) The Neins' peppy garage rock is unique because of their campy-ass keyboards, and their guitar playing, while rather simple, meshes well with their hyper-active drumming and punk-speak vocals. They make a sound that's not totally new but, unlike a lot of garage bands, it isn't totally drunk either. KS
TOWN & COUNTRY, TARA JANE O'NEIL, MINES
(Blackbird) For fans of Rachel's, Laurel Canyon, bands on Temporary Residence, and the Swords Project before they had vocals, Town & Country will please to no end. Featuring very slow, pretty, modern classical-and-jazz-influenced, patient songs on instruments such as harmonium, celeste, clarinet, and guitar. It will be a beautiful show, rich with talent, assuming all the drunks can be silent by the time T&C comes on stage. JS
THE BOOTHS, CONTROL OVER SPACE, THE WIZARDS
(Conan's, 3862 SE Hawthorne) See Music pg 21
New Releases July 30: Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Cattle Decapitation
