THURSDAY 5/1

DIRTY THREE, THREE LEG TORSO, NATE DENVER'S NECK
(Crystal, 1332 W Burnside) Nate Denver has screamed and pummeled his way to underground herodom in such Bay Area bands as Dig Up That Body It's Alive (death metal), and Total Shutdown (futuristic skronk grind). Only, you'd never know it hearing Nate Denver's Neck. The Nate Denver in Nate Denver's Neck writes bittersweet, sometimes wry and funny folk music with electronic touches, and can make a song about demons seem like the saddest, sweetest thing ever. Also, he performs dressed as the Grim Reaper. The Dirty Three are touring on their latest Touch & Go release, She Has No Strings Apollo, which combines violin, guitar, and drums to emotive effect. Also, their drummer is rugged with piercing eyes, and looks like a hot assassin. JULIANNE SHEPHERD

PALATINE HILL, CHERCHEZ LA FEMME, LES AUTRES
(White Eagle, 836 N Russell) Sarah Dougher, on deck! A prologue to her solo show later this week, tonight she plays in Cherchez la Femme, a band also starring the talented guitarist from Half-Seas-Over, Aubree Brenier-Clark, and drummer Heather Larimer. Because Ms. Dougher's voice has such a distinctive timbre, the band is definitely a Sarah Dougher project--but sweet harmonies give it that extra shove out of the melancholy and into the pop. JS

FRIDAY 5/2

JOHNNY MARR & THE HEALERS, PALOALTO
(Berbati's, 231 SW Ankeny) In case you were kidnapped from Western Civ. by your Iraqi father, like in that Lifetime movie w/Sally Field: Johnny Marr was the brilliant guitarist/songwriter for what is unarguably one of the best bands of the entire last century, THE SMITHS. He is mostly untouchable. Only, I can't tell if Boomslang, his new record with the Healers, is good or not, because it is pickled and fermented in drippy studio F/X. Flange, delay, compressors, more delay, fuckin' roto-rooters... is there a song in there? Or is this just Primal Scream? Regardless, fans of shoegazer or U2's Zooropa tour, bust it. Paloalto is really stoked on Britpop and Radiohead, but in fact come from Los Angeles. JS

LIONS OF BATUCADA,

J-BOOGIE'S AFRO-BRAZ-ILL VACATION
(Medicine Hat, 1834 NE Alberta) After Lions of Batucada's marching samba and cache of capoeira Afro-Brazilian folkloric dance, SF DJ J-Boogie shall drop his own brand of live! Afro-Braziltronic Science. + Vacation. JS

POSTAL SERVICE, CEX, DJ KEVITUP, SUPPOZ
(Blackbird, 3728 NE Sandy) Being Ridden, the new record from Oakland-based producer/rapper Cex, is rife with famous guest musicians: Craig Wedren (Shudder to Think), Venetian Snares, Matthew Peters, etc. But the real superstar is Cex himself, who's shed the pervasive joke of his last album in favor of what he does best: emotionally viable, glitchy, and sophisticated beats and genuinely funny, on-point lyricism. It's cliché to say an artist has matured, but in this case, the growth within Cex's musicianship is undeniable, and the dudes who hated on his winky steez of yore now have zero ground to stand on. He still rocks his flow like the Fresh Prince--but it's what the Fresh Prince coulda been if he'd allowed himself evolution time before shape-shifting into weird Will Smith. Cex also has a really good dis rap: "Middle finger to the indierock singer/ middle finger to the wack emcee/Middle finger to the uncreative underground/and a sack of middle fingers to y'all on MTV." FUNNY! BUT NOT IRONIC! I LOVE U CEX! (This record and its accompanying instrumental CD were brought to you by Portland's own label, Temporary Residence.) JS

SOLO DOS EN TIJUANA, SAMIZTHAT,

THE FOOD PYRAMID
(PS WHAT?, 1968 SW 5th) PS What? is partying again. Thank God. This noteworthy fiesta is a great kick-off, highlighted by the Food Pyramid, a crazy, carnival-esque electronic/ keyboard/guitar outfit. Their music inspires good moods, mingling, and their electronics are chaotic and spiked with metal guitar. KS

PETER CHRISTIANSON, BRAD VACHAL
(1201, 1201 SW 12th) Peter Christianson is one half of the Seattle-based underground house duo Lawnchair Generals. Their most recent EP, entitled U Dirty, was released on Doc Martin's Westbound Music, and people are apparently losing their shit over it. Perhaps it's the hypermodern, minimally glitchy synths, deep bassline, and brisk vocal embellishments? It's pretty tight. JS

THE MENTORS, MONKEY FUR
(Ash, 225 SW Ash) It's really an awful shame about El Duce. The famously fat, disgusting pervert and his band The Mentors, with all their "shock" and perversion, made some very momentous strides in the defense of free expression. And for that they deserve our respect and gratitude, regardless of what anyone might think of their brutal drunk metal music and sinister black hoods. They're still gross and scary, but their "star power" took a major hit when El Duce got so drunk that he didn't notice that train. MARJORIE SKINNER

FM KNIVES, VENA CAVA, THE TRIGGERS, ROBOTS IN DISGUISE
(Twilight, 1420 SE Powell) FM Knives deliver more than just Class of '77 revisionism. The band has a stranglehold on melody and delivers song after song of razor-lined punk with the kind of singsong approach to vocals that verges on power-pop, skinny-tie, early Joe Jackson territory. It's a combination that sounds familiar until you listen closely and realize that these colliding worlds are something musicians rarely succeed in traversing. FM Knives seem to stumble perfectly into that horizontal line of music history where the smile of harmony and bubblegum met the ax-wielding sneer of leather, studs, and acne, and everybody fell in love in the spittle-soaked bat caverns. JON PRUETT

ZIEGENBOCK KOPF DANZE PARTY, LOCAL DJS
(Million, 120 NE Russell [below Disjecta]) See Music pg 21

RUBE WADDELL, GOVERNMENT ISSUE

ORCHESTRA
(Red & Black, 2138 SE Division) Rube Waddell is named after an eccentric baseball player who, in addition to pitching for Philly, also liked to wrestle alligators, among other eclectic hobbies. It's an appropriate choice, since Rube Waddell the band is a slapdash combination of acoustic Americana and the kind of deranged, brooding storytelling of a lurching Tom Waits, or a pissed Irishman with a dirty collar. The instrumentation is like a cart of strings and spoons, reflecting the band's notoriety for impromptu corner performances and gleeful junkyard jams. MS

SATURDAY 5/3

MR. LIF, SLEEP, NORMAN, QUIVAH
(B Complex, 320 SE 2nd) One critic described Def Jux's Mr. Lif as "a thinking Noam Chomsky with a beat." This is pretty accurate. His EP Emergency Rations confronted the anti-terrorism propaganda machine that has fueled all our recent wars, and with the same dedication and directness that has made Chomsky a hero of the radical left. This is the beauty of hiphop, or at least the kind of underground hiphop that Mr. Lif represents. It's still willing to say something that is important, and not because the period or time is exceptional, as is the case with the Dixie Chicks, but because hiphop at its best and roots has always been more than the CNN of streets. It is the streets' journals of philosophy, critical theory, economics, and politics as well. Mr. Lif's raps will keep you well informed. CHARLES MUDEDE

TROPHY WIFE, MUDDY RIVER NIGHTMARE BAND, DEL TOROS
(Twilight) Tonight, guitarist Sherri and bassist Erika of the Del Toros are celebrating "a very special birthday." This is all the information we have. What special birthday could it be? 16? Legal to drive? 18? Legal to screw? 21? Legal to drink? 40? Over the hill? Find out tonight, and listen to some fast, hard, obnoxious punk while you're at it. JUSTIN WESCOAT SANDERS

SHICKY GNAROWITZ, NICE NICE, THE THERMALS
(Stumptown Downtown, 128 SW 3rd) DAMN! I don't know what it means, but more and more, I think Stumptown Coffee IS the essence of Portland--possibly cause they keep adding swanky ass joints like their new one downtown, which comes complete w/decks for DJs and enough space for dancing ladies. Tonight's their second proper show, with our bastions of raditude: Nice Nice (whose record will soon be released by Portland's own Temporary Residence Ltd.), the fancy pop-punk Thermals, and the sweet Eastern European stylings of Shicky Gnarowitz. JS

POINT LINE PLANE, JONNY X & THE GROADIES, PANTHER
(Ozone, 714 E Burnside) O3 at 5, Satyricon later tonight: It seems for their CD release, Point Line Plane are "making their face your world." But there's more to celebrate: the release of Jonny X & The Groadies' new split 12" with Corpse Fucks Corpse, Gift of Goats, and Get Get Go on Omnibus. Prepare for a concise, throbbing industrial metal party. JS

ALMOST TRANSPARENT BLUE, THE DEAD AIR FRESHENERS
(Jasmine Tree, 401 SW Harrison) Leave your metronomes at home; tonight you're going to shake your heads, not bob 'em. Experimental post-jazz deconstruction from Almost Transparent Blue; ambient noise and found sound dabbling from Dead Air Fresheners. Always masked, DAF never reveals their true identity, which is cutesy, but fun. JWS

HELIO SEQUENCE, MAGIC MAGICIANS,

THE JOGGERS
(Blackbird) Rumor has it that the drummer from the Helio Sequence will soon be playing for Modest Mouse. So, starfuckers, be the first in line. Regardless of their anticipated fame, Helio Sequence's sweeping psychedelia is pretty and fun and quite tolerable even in a small room. Another good reason to attend this show is that it's one of the last opportunities to glimpse the old Joggers. You see, they're losing weight, pumping iron, and getting cool haircuts. The fans will start dropping dead not only because of their fabulous melodies, but also because of their hot bods. KATIE SHIMER

THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS, JOHN RODERICK AND SEAN NELSON (OF THE LONG WINTERS)
(Aladdin, 3017 SE Milwaukie) Don't front. I can see you coming from a mile away. Because you, my friend, are nothing more than a self-consciously closeted They Might Be Giants fan. The first record you ever bought of your own accord was Flood. You know all the words to "Fingertips," and can recite them verbatim at will. And though you've been careful to do away with your once vast collection of EPs and singles (not to mention all of those Dial-a-Song bootlegs) in the off chance that you will be unmasked for what you really are, you know you still love them. ZAC PENNINGTON

CHILDRENS CLUB BENEFIT
(Sunnyside Methodist Church, SE Yamhill and 35th) It is sometimes difficult to know who lives in a more imaginary, la-di-da dream-world--preschoolers, or indie musicians. With a synergistic effect, today, the two forces unite at a dance party at an old stone church. It's not too much of a stretch to think that dragons, pirates, and mermaids will also show. With soundscapes by Rollerball and the Mighty Lotus, and with artwork by the students for sale, the event is a fundraiser for the Children's Club--a daycare center in southeast for low-income families. PHIL BUSSE

SUNDAY 5/4

PARTY TIME, DRAGSTRIP SYNDICATE,

FACE DOWN IN SHIT
(Blackbird) Oh, Party Time. If there's one thing I can say about you, it's that you always deliver. Kind of like whiskey, or Domino's Pizza, or Performance Discount Muffler and Brake. Tonight, Party Time is playing with the Dragstrip Syndicate, an energy rock band with three guitars who are rumored to rival Cherry Valence, be you a fan. Also, this is Face Down in Shit's last Portland show, so buy them a package of gummy bears and some chaw. KS

GERSHWIN BLX, MADGESDIQ, MIC CRENSHAW, LOGIC, GEN.ERIK, RAW ACTION BREAK SQUAD
(Ash Street) The BLX in "Gershwin BLX" stands for "Bassline Xcursionists"--a pretty lofty assertion to make, but this LA hiphop octet backs it up with bouncing, gritty beats, a pulsating dose of bass fonk, and a mélange of emceeing styles that weave between frank and dogged to breezily conscious. And, though there's five emcees, they're organized enough not to overwhelm ('cause, unless yr running through a millionaire soundsystem, it never sounds good when 939 live rapping dudes all spit at once). Their last release, 2002's Sunch Punch (named after a tasty concoction of Red Bull, Nestea and Bacardi) mixed producer ABCDEFG's noisy, surprisingly creative, precision-cut beats with smooth, confident lyricism and lighthearted antics--somewhere between Gift of Gab and Shock G, perhaps. JS

MONDAY 5/5

TALIB KWELI
(Aladdin) With his slippery, hypnotic rapping style and socially conscious lyrical dexterity, Talib Kweli, working with Mos Def, has been amassing a worshipful following for years. His first solo project, Quality, is typically smart and inspirational, and also features some of the most danceable beats to come down the underground hiphop pike in some time. Many of the tracks travel right back to the '70s circa George Clinton, and some even channel a pre-dollfaced Michael Jackson. Kweli's live show recreates it all beautifully, with plenty of breaks for instrumental improvisation and really good freestyling. JWS

BAD RELIGION, THE CASUALTIES
(Roseland, NW 6th & Burnside) Like pretty much every other old school punk band still alive and kicking these days, Bad Religion peaked early and has spent the last dozen or so years just going through the motions. It wasn't too surprising when this was the fate of say, TSOL, a band too low on the IQ scale to know any better. But when your lyrics read like an Ivy League thesis paper--much like BR singer Greg Graffin's do--it's easy to expect more. The only advantage to Bad Religion still being around after all these years is the fact that you won't be turned off by how much Graffin looks like your Dad. Fact is, he has always looked old, like a college scholar who after a night of regrettable drinking woke up in a punk band and decided to never look back. CARMELO MARTINEZ

BONNIE "PRINCE" BILLY
(Jackpot, Burnside & SW 9th) BPB is one of the many monikers of Will Oldham, the melodic wrist-slicer with a bucket-deep voice who's also behind Palace and The Anomoanon (released by Portland's own Temporary Residence label). This instore is his only Oregon appearance, and like Oldham's shows, it's gonna be off the chain, so you better get there the night before. JS

BRIGHT BLACK, KARL BLAU, PEACE HARBOR
(Red & Black) Bright Black is like a male-fronted Mazzy Star. The dude even seems to have a similar vocal effect on the mic, and the music is slow and twangy and all sultry depressed. Not saying they're bad, 'cuz they're good. It's just the similarities are striking. KS

TUESDAY 5/6

UNSANE, OCIFFER, JJ PARADISE PLAYERS CLUB
(Blackbird) Don't forget your earplugs tonight! Unsane and the J.J. Paradise Players Club bring a heaping dose of noise rock courtesy NY City. The J.J. Paradise Players Club put out an amazing release on Tee Pee a year or so back, and the low-end bass attack really sets the tone. And then there's Unsane, who made former bands like Botch seem less than original or mind-blowing. Unsane covered the noise rock of originators like the Swans or Foetus and added some choice riffs. Willie Crane

DESERT CITY SOUNDTRACK, THE RUM DIARY, WE'RE FROM JAPAN
(Murray's Pizza, SE Hawthorne) Desert City Soundtrack shatter the myth that emo kids are all frail, limp-wristed pansies who adore journal writing and sweater vests. They will fuck you up, drink you far under the table and then sleep with your loved ones. Essentially, they are great. Rum Diary are far more squeaky clean; like DCS, they come from the Three Mile Pilot school of angular precision and arty vocals, but they're the kind of band you would be proud to introduce to your parents. That is, if your parents were into meeting indie bands. Mine aren't. CM

TOMAHAWK, THE MELVINS, SKELETON KEY
(Roseland) After a five-year hiatus Skeleton Key released Obtanium, the long-awaited follow-up to 1997's Fantastic Spikes Through Balloon and the propulsive, sadly hard to replace, self-titled debut EP. Though not as cacophonic or explosive as past material, the songs on Obtanium still blend anger and attitude in a compelling formulation. Often serving as an opening act to headline-grabbers, it's time this San Diego band got its equal share of ink. KATHLEEN WILSON

WEDNESDAY 5/7

MISSISSIPPI JOHN HURT TRIBUTE,

THE KID LOPEZ BAND
(Melody Ballroom, 616 E Burnside) One of the most beloved figures of blues history, Mississippi John Hurt played the kind of music meant for front porches and twilight. Although he came out of an environment of poverty, where many became musicians simply because of physical impairments that prevented them from being able to work, Hurt's music is known for being upbeat. Although most of his life was lived in obscurity, his isolation led to a style that's very old Delta. Thus, the annual tribute. MS