THURSDAY 10/16

THE BLACK LIPS, THE HUNCHES, HUM MACHINE, SYSTEM AND STATION
(Twilight, 1420 SE Powell) Okay, I love the Black Lips. I just LOVE 'em, L-U-V. They play the FUCKED UP garage rock which SOUNDS like it is comin' outta the garage. Fathom, in '03, they don't play that "it got popular in the '90s" fists up/devil's horns heavy metal "garage rock" and they do NOT attempt the now-favored WAY of playing off-the-mark, fake, bogus "soul." Rather, the BL have a kinda Gibson Brother-ish "FUCK YOU HIPPIE" R&B slop style on lockdown. MIKE NIPPER



VOLUME: PAM THA FUNKSTRESS, DJ UNITY, MARQUEZ
(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) See Music pg 19



CART!
(Ground Kontrol, 610 SW 12th) CART! has a great mathy style I haven't heard the likes of for a long while. They don't go wild with screaming guitars, but they play fast rock that's got hella style, sweet changes, no distracting vocals, and a rhythm that will undoubtedly help you beat your high score. One of their songs, "Hipster Girl" (dumb name) is like surf math, which is dope. KATIE SHIMER



THANKSGIVING, WATERY GRAVES, TOM BLOOD
(Bridgeport Condominiums, 1133 NW Marshall) Since TBA Fest, Portland's gone all arty crazy, starting with that guy selling thumb pianos on the sidewalk and ending with an inexplicable proliferation of ACTUAL MIMES. Doing its part for the current Core Sample brouhaha is the Charm Bracelet duo, who are filling a giant elephant with promo material--got any posters or handbills lying around? Bring 'em along. And because the interactivity is endless, Watery Graves (Thanksgiving's Adrian Orange and Rob Walmart's Curtis Knapp) will do something fun with audience members who bring pencil and paper, "corresponding" with the performance. No mimes will be present, but the elephant will be. JULIANNE SHEPHERD



LET IT RIDE, LOVELY, LIONS
(Berbati's, 231 SW Ankeny) Lovely have joined the growing pantheon of Portland glam rock bands that gets everything right: the perfect, ass-hugging Levis, bandana shoved into a greasy shag, etc. Lovely's singer also has such polished rock star moves that he was probably practicing them inside his mother's womb. This is both disturbing and ecstatically fun. Their music is remarkably reminiscent of Guns 'N' Roses, evoking dirty carpets and whiskey, although sludgier and without any surprises. Nonetheless, they have a lot of good energy and style, so keep an eye out. MARJORIE SKINNER



DEMOLITION DOLL RODS, THE WEAKLINGS, BLACKOUT RADIO
(Dante's, 1 SW 3rd) Everybody knows the Doll Rods... right? Well... if NOT, they been around for a while stompin' ace NO-FI R&B. Hell, they even say, "If you wanna shake some ass then come on"... see, the DDRs is like that... meant for ASS shakin'...ass wigglin' too, if you like. They put on a mofo of a show...and they dress to... I dunno whether "impress" or "DISTRESS" is the proper word... but they wear, or DON'T wear, GREAT homemade, clever as SHIT, outfits. That said, if you ain't seen 'em, go... ain't nothing else like 'em. MN



RECLINERLAND, ADELAIDE
(Fez, 316 SW 11th) Orlo presents some bitchin' musical acts to celebrate the new issue of its environment-themed magazine Bear Deluxe. On the bill: one of Portland's sweetest and gentlest pop-folk acts, Reclinerland, led by the endlessly amiable and talented Mike Johnson. Also check adelaide, which has been getting some pretty strong word of mouth for its mixing of live video and electronica. JUSTIN WESCOAT SANDERS



FRIDAY 10/17

MODERNSTATE, A JOHN HENRY MEMORIAL
(1914, 1914 E Burnside) Enjoy some sensitive-boy-alone-in-his-room-thinking-about-the-meaning-of-life music (Modernstate) in the space that used to be Jeans Dean. Those bastards would never buy any of my jeans, so I'm glad it's gone. KS



BLACKNOTES CD RELEASE
(Billy Reed's, 2808 NE MLK) Tonight, Portland's stalwart funky, soulful R&B band, the BlackNotes, will release their CD. Some tracks featuring the vocals of Portland's premiere soul diva Olivia Warfield, others just instrumental and laden with silky-smooth saxophone, they'll provide a good get-down for the Friday night. JS



RASPUTINA, BONFIRE MADIGAN, MARK GROWDEN
(Dante's, 1 SW 3rd) Cello ladies and accordion boy for the dark and palpable pitter-patter. Bring your Lenore comics. JS



31 KNOTS, THE PLANET THE, THE HEAVENLY STATES
(Berbati's) 31 Knots' sound--to a lover of complexity--is full-on sexpot, ample azz, bedroom-eyed, softcore porn. It's the J.LO of math rock. We're talkin' tangled up, dense, can-of-snakes boinging riffs, wicked bass demonology, and sinewy drumming. It's rapturous, smart, aggro, and at the same time, a hoot to see live. ADAM GNADE See Music pg 19



BLACK CAT ORCHESTRA, MISS MURGATROID & PETRA HADEN, MARK GROWDEN, VAGABOND OPERA
(Gotham Bldg, 2240 N Interstate) To some people, the concept of an entire night of music dedicated to the accordion sounds like a fate much worse than death, and those people should certainly clear out of the North Portland area tonight. The Black Cat Orchestra will bust out their international gypsy influences, and the kooky yet bookish Miss Murgatroid will perform with violin-playing ingénue Petra Haden. The excellent, bohemian, Eastern European-sounding Vagabond Opera will also play, along with solo accordionist Mark Growden. As if that's not exhaustive enough, there will be other wandering box squeezers cavorting around a spit roasting hog, and the Polka Hoop Boys. MS



SOUL POSITION, ILLOGIC, DJ PRZM
(Nocturnal) See Music pg 17



JONNY X & THE GROADIES, MORSE CODE HEARTBEAT, SILENTIST, KEENWILD, COMPACT 56
(Vertigo Gallery, 1510 Washington, Vancouver, 7 pm, all ages) Silentist. Is Worth. The Drive. To The 'Couve. By far the most talented solo artist I've ever seen, it's confounding that Silentist, the project of M. Burden (ex-Get Hustle), isn't being commissioned by some modern art museum somewhere, because his music is completely transformative and transcendent. At his PDX Arctix performance, among the hypnotic pulse of a strobe, he played live drums to epic, pre-recorded avant-garde piano/organ improvisations (his own, of course) which rang with thrilling dissonance and urgency, more than worthy offerings to the lineage of avant-piano beginning with Henry Cowell. Then, in the middle of a long percussive phrase, the drums suddenly shifted to pre-recorded mode, and Burden got up to play the most ridiculously shredding death metal guitar riff. Audience members wept. JS



SATURDAY 10/18

TR•D, GR•S OCH STEN•R, KINSKI
(Crystal, 1332 W Burnside) The reemergence of Swedish trance-rock legends Tr...d, Gr...s Och Sten...r is a godsend. Their name translates as "Trees, Grass and Stones," but to me it spells bliss in boldfaced caps. If you care anything at all about psychedelia with roots in hypnotic repetition (like Popol Vuh conducted by Terry Riley, or John Cale-era Velvet Underground getting raga-fied after Jerry Garcia feeds 'em Owsley's finest microdots), get your ass to this gig. TGOS find the ideal, transportive minimalist riff and ride it until you see the light, and then the force behind the light. These weird-beard communal hippies earlier had made third eyes bleed as Parson Sound, International Harvester, and Harvester, but no matter their moniker, TGOS will force you to reassess your bias against jam bands. Guaranteed, you will be bummed when they stop playing. DAVE SEGAL



CURSIVE, THE JEALOUS SOUND, CRITERIA
(Nocturnal) Cursive's newish rec, The Ugly Organ, is meta art at its most conscious and raw-nerved. On the album, Tim Kasher addresses the glaring eye of the audience, the downfalls of promiscuity, and the price and cost of the spotlight, all the while dissing the pants off himself for even daring to get down and indulgently dirty. Nice. ADAM GNADE



FOREST SUN
(Bitter End) A poorly packaged product if there ever was one, Forest Sun's new album comes replete with pictures of the crooner with an Abercrombie-looking turtleneck and a soul patch. It all looks like a half-baked remnant from the Dave Matthews set, and yet contained within is something much different: 11 tracks of lilting, gorgeously orchestrated hybrids of bluegrass, gospel, and folk, all in support of Sun's rich throwback croon. His name and album literature seem neo-hippie; his appearance seems preppy. Fortunately, Forest Sun's music is a far cry from either. JWS



GRANDADDY, ELBOW, STARLIGHT MINTS
(Aladdin) The fierce battle for the mesh trucker cap will be decided tonight, on the head of Grandaddy lead singer Jason Lytle. Hailing from a small farm town in rural California, Lytle has the right to wear the trucker cap. It's in his bloodÉ unlike, say, the emancipated Brooklyn hipster who purchased his cap at a Williamsburg boutique for $125. Then again, Lytle is the lead singer of a popular indie band, so wearing a trucker cap with an ironic phrase, or advertising some piece of farm equipment, is pretty played out. What's next, Jason--logging on to Friendster midway through the show? EZRA ACE CARAEFF



MR. SCRUFF, DJ SPINNA
(Holocene) See Music pg 17



THE OBSERVERS, THE TRIGGERS, KILLER DREAMER, THE DISKORDS
(Solid State) Who knows what will happen when the Mercury's favorite teenage punkers, the Diskords, join forces with two of Portland's hottest punk bands, the Observers and the Triggers? JWS



SK & THE PUNKASS BITCHES, PORNSTORE JANITOR, THE DELTOROS, THE CREEPS
(Twilight) It's SK of SK And The Punk Ass Bitches' birthday tonight, and so fitting that he plans to spend it in a drunken rock and sweat glaze at the Twilight. He's not the springiest chicken in the coop, but he has all the energy of a 27-year-old, for sure. Backed up by his punk ass bitches, SK does rock music that's jerky, cocky, and fast. MS



SUNDAY 10/19

MIKE WATT & THE SECONDMEN, HEAVY JOHNSON TRIO, THE HIGH & THE MIGHTY
(Ash Street) Aside from touring the West Coast with Secondmen, opening for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Watt's recently had the privilege of being a Stooge with the actual Iggy on top, plays in a band with Kira from Black Flag, and in another with Nels Cline. And, next month at All Tomorrow's Parties, he and George Hurley will perform Minutemen songs. Even with the retroaction, the man remains perpetually relevant--Mike Watt playing Minuteman songs is great because, I mean, come on; have you heard Double Nickels on the Dime? JS



JOE HILL NIGHT
(Red & Black) Chin up--if you're in a battle with the Boss for decent treatment and fair wages (for an example, see News pg 7), let Old Joe Hill's words rouse your rabble, as interpreted by Lisa Miller & Her Kin. Proceeds benefit Sisters of the Road. JS



MONDAY 10/20

'80S PARTY STARRING THE PUNK GROUP, DJ GEO
(Ash Street) The Punk Group are not an '80s tribute band, and yet somehow they're the ultimate '80s tribute band. Their songs and style be wrought of '80s punk and new wave, but there's a bit of wry '90s sarcasm creeping in. Basically, they are funny as hell. These two jokers make fun of everything and everyone, including jocks, lesbians, Star Wars, and perhaps most of all, themselves. And it's really good and catchy, like easily up there with a lot of "serious" bands. Meanwhile DJ Geo, sometime host of Esoterica over at the 715, spins it for your totally tubular pleasure. ROLAND COUTURE



GUIDED BY VOICES, THE GO
(Berbati's) Bob Pollard is the Rasputin of indierock. One day it will end--but it will surely be after the rest of us are long dead. JS



PEACE HARBOR, CATERPILLAR INCHWORM, THE BIG HUGE
(Red & Black Café) Peace Harbor's Zak Riles sings in a gauzy manner, gentle and breezy, delicate and vaguely pained, with a sweeping, countryside guitar. Pretty harmonies, drums, "fiddle"--it's that kind of music that evokes the modern drifter mentality--canyons. The lonely open road. Somber camping vacations. A dog with a bandanna around its neck. Caterpillar Inchworm and the Big Huge include members of hailed Baltimore soundshapers Sonna. JS



TUESDAY 10/21

DANCEPUNK WITH DJ NIGHTSCHOOL
(Holocene) No longer just a schmaltzy serial killer movie, DJ Nightschool is becoming a fixture on the PDX dance party landscape, known for fusing a heavenly union of Justin Timberlake with Paula Abdul, of Janet Jackson and Nelly. Far from sacrilege but well versed in rocking the party, DJ Nightschool also has an extensive collection of true-school dancepunk--THEN and NOW--which he will then shoot like lasers from the decks; before you know it, you'll be shaking like a frickin' Polaroid. A word of note: if he approaches you wearing a helmet and black leather jacket, he may try to decapitate you. JS



AB BAARS TRIO
(Blue Monk) Hailing from the spectacular ensemble ICP (International Composer's Pool, not Insane Clown Posse), Dutch saxophonist Ab Baars employs his Trio to perform a selection of traditional Native American music, improvised and melted in their special avant-garde way. JS



SHORT ATTENTION SPAN THEATER: KID KOALA
(Aladdin) Like some of your DJ friends, Kid Koala can chop and juggle beats, mix, and scratch like no one's business. What earns him so much widespread respect (he's one of the only DJs to open for Radiohead) is the element that separates the kickass DJs from the good ones: STYLE. Mr. Koala's style is all about the funny, conveyed light-heartedly through cool samples. He can work four turntables with no headphones, and make groggy rhythms stagger to life with gusto. The effect can almost derail an inattentive crowd, but will always keep them laughing. Koala's new record, All My Friends Are DJs, continues where his first full length left off--with oddball ska, trippy marching band back alley jams, and hip-behop instrumentals. AARON MILES



PAPA M, TARA JANE O'NEIL, BRIGHTBLACK
(Berbati's) You did see that album cover, didn't you? Is it really any surprise that David Pajo split the moneymaking machine that was Zwan while the good people of this world still remember him as that guy who wrote Spiderland? Perhaps leader Billy Corgan's announcement last month that the band was officially calling it a day only surprised those who too wished that the guy from the Smashing Pumpkins asked to pay their rent as, alas, all the forced smiles pouring out of the band's debut disc, Mary Star Of The Sea, couldn't hide the behind-the-scenes shouting matches that were surely going on about who got the bigger bunk on the tour bus. Pajo's ascent back to earth is everyone else's gain, though, as he comes to Berbati's to coo one quiet indie-folk gem after another, with former Zwan bassist Paz Lenchantin by his side. TREVOR KELLEY



POISON THE WELL, AUTOPILOT OFF, TAKEN, THE DEAD UNKNOWN
(Meow Meow) Tired of wimpy emocore bands who only leave the safety of Mommy and Daddy's DVD, surround sound, huge screen TV-equipped basement once a year to play a show at the Meow Meow? See Poison the Well. With a relentless touring schedule, a metalcore style that incorporates anger, plus the metal guitar of the masters, after the show, I promise, you won't feel cheated. KS



WEDNESDAY 10/22

DJ ME DJ YOU, DENDRITES, DJ HOT AIR BALLOON
(Holocene) L.A. wiseguys Ross Harris and Craig Borrell (who formerly tweaked minds in Sukia) revel in kitsch analog-synth emissions and playful sampladelia, like Beck before he went glum. It makes sense, as both artists apprenticed under the Dust Brothers. DJ Me DJ You's latest disc, Can You See the Music, another high-spirited troll through pop culture's goofily arcane detritus. DAVE SEGAL



KILL HANNAH
(Berbati's) It's rare to find such honesty in a press kit, but a line from Chicago quartet Kill Hannah's one-sheet reads, "They may have a sexually ambiguous nature--like meÉ but unlike me, they are the future of Chicago rock." --BILLY CORGAN. Billy, as you may know, is coming up wheezing after the quasi-rise and steep descent of Zwan, his inexcusably crappy old band with Paz, Matt Sweeney, and Dave Pajo. That he can still have a sense of humor about himself after that debacle is actually very becoming. As for Kill Hannah, they pair precious boy vox with moody rock, riding on their new-wavy single "Kennedy," and caulking the gaps with inspirational guitar riffs and buzzy synths. Tolerable, on a major-label scale. JS



LONESOMETOWN: DJ TEENAGE
(Chez What?) It's depression season again, and DJ Teenage is celebrating by spinning deep soul, blues, and country at the Chez What Lounge. Expect old school Rollling Stones, G'N'R's "Patience," and, I don't know, Travis Tritt. KS



THENEWSTRANGE, COCAINE UNICORN, THE VOLUMES
(Ash Street) Thenewstrange's raucous jangle pop is solid with some ecstatic moments, for fans of late-'80s/early-'90s alt radio (pre-grunge, and British, but not really shoegaze)--lilty basslines, matter-of-fact vocals, overdriven amps. The Volumes purvey Television-y, guitar-melody-centric, punky art-rock, but singer Morgan Schick plays a more evocative Verlaine--and not at all whiny, which is good for us. JS