THURSDAY 11/13

PEPE DELUXE DJ TOUR, JA JAZZ, DJS ELLIOT, MR. MU MU
(Holocene) Pepe Deluxe borrows a backbeat from the American blues and an attitude that is distinctly U.S. of A. bravado. In turn, they wipe off the grit from the blues and smooth down the rough edges from the audacity, retooling these songs and sentiments into something sleek, gorgeous and, at times, silly. By taking the blues' normally stern, moody music and turning it into lighthearted club soundtracks, Pepe Deluxe also has managed to flip the sentiments of the blues inside out. Tonight, their DJ set reflects this idea. PHIL "CAN'T TOUCH THIS" BUSSE

CARLA BOZULICH, NOE VENABLE
(Fez) This evening will feature the Nels Cline Singers as backup band on Carla Bozulich's journey into the past via their reinterpretation of Willie Nelson's mid '70s concept saga The Red Headed Stranger. It's a reverent brimstone approach that sets Bozulich's deep and passionate voice atop a bed of warm acoustic and electronic instruments. Nelson himself was so impressed with her undertaking that he contributed guitar to several album tracks. NATHAN CARSON

MASERATI, VIVA VOCE, EUX AUTRES
(Lola's) Viva Voce have a richly textured handle on combining elements of electro-mood music, sweeping, guitar-starry moments of grandeur, folk, and lots of buttery-voiced, pop cuteness. Theirs is a fairly relaxed style, meaning that they go for soothing over surprising. The musicianship is quality, the female vocalist has a great voice, and you could sail right out to cloud nine on their deftly eclectic little trip. But if you're not into the Robo coma scene, you'll miss the fact that there's not a lot of disruption or heart here. When did rock become so graciously inoffensive? MARJORIE SKINNER

THE PRIDS, BOBBY BARE JR, OTHER MEN MY AGE, THE VOLUMES
(Berbati's) Assertiveness is always an attractive quality. The singer for Other Men My Age is nothing if not assertive, his voice stands out as clearly as the guitar. OMMA's overall dark gothy sound explodes in a new wave melding of keyboards, guitar, bass, and drums. Undoubtedly their CD release is worth attending, and you can be guaranteed that with billmates The Prids, none of the performers will be tugging on their shirt sleeves or hiding behind their hair. KATIE SHIMER

FRIDAY 11/14

DJ DAN, DAVE ELLIOTT, DEREK FISHER, GENESIS
(Ohm) On his Mixed Live CD released by Moonshine, DJ Dan's "That Phone Track" unleashes a sample of off-the-hook (literally) phone beep, spun into a pulsing and high-impact rhythm--complete with dialing and an operator sample unfurled into a straight funk bass that'd make George Clinton's headpiece skip stones into the stratosphere. It's a good example of why Monsieur Dan was spinning to an SF club of 5000 in the recording of Mixed Live (although certain of his selections will induce flashbacks of the Summer of Love Parade, feel me?) JS

FRED EVERYTHING, CHIP MCCLURE, JEFF NIBLER
(Holocene) Montreal-based house DJ Fred Everything fixes a delectable blend of underground funky house and soulful disco, having picked up crates full of records over the past eight years in his travels across Europe, bootlegging Missy Elliott, and like, wiping out the white label speakeasy in record stores across the world. Good for you and I, cause his mixes are across the map (hence the name) and he never lets it go oompa-loopa for too long, dabbling in broken beat and alternate rhythms such as flamenco and dub. JS

SWORDS PROJECT, MONO, MU MESON
(Berbati's) Props time! Big props go out to the Swords Project for this year's Entertainment Is Over If You Want It--a swooping, diving, soaring seven-track war against post-punk cliches and instrumental predictability! (And hell yeah to the violin on the sixth song!) Bigger props straight-up to Japan's Mono for taking raw, still-warm chunks of King Crimson's ass and making a tasty shepherd's pie of rangy noise and booming prog epic-ry! Lastly, biggest props to me for getting through this Up & Coming without using sword-related puns or mononucleosis jokes! ADAM GNADE

BIRDS OF WAR, THE NEINS, PARTY FAVORITES, FIREBALLS OF FREEDOM
(Twilight) The Neins continue to truck with their upbeat, kinda messy, loud-ass fun rock. This show is free and their CD is five dollars. Musical entertainment doesn't get much cheaper. JWS

ANATOMY OF A GHOST, BELIEVING IN JUNE, SUMARA, INKED IN BLOOD

(Meow Meow) In the vast wasteland of chaos-castrated pop-punk and totally extreme product booths known as Warped Tour, endangered species lurk, luring ambition-starved explorers with their refreshingly riveting sounds. One of this year's most promising discoveries, Anatomy of a Ghost, roams uncharted sonic territory, combining herky-jerky post-hardcore time-signature shifts with a reckless live show that recalls a pretension-drained version of the drunk-Jim Doors. Anatomy abuses its instruments, throttling them as though trying to wring a last breath from a despised nemesis, and its guitars respond with panicked tones that resound with death-row desperation. ANDREW MILLER

SATURDAY 11/15

FLYING LUTTENBACHERS, GET HUSTLE, SHOPLIFTING, SKIN CULTURE
(Million, 120 NE Russell) If no wave and other extreme musics have anything resembling a librarian, Weasel Walter from the Flying Luttenbachers is the dude. Possessing an encyclopedic and meticulous knowledge of the genres and applying said knowledge to his extensive discography (which in itself is War and Peace sized, and encompasses eight different phases of operation over 13 years). According to the Luttenbachers website, we're getting part of the "Transition Out of Free Music" era--drum-accompanied, generally not librarian-approved (not hating on librarians, FYI). JS

CHAMBER MUSIC NW DOING GEORGE CRUMB
(First Baptist Church, SW 12th and Taylor, 8 pm) To say that George Crumb is one of the most innovative and important living composers is a bit like saying the Beatles had something to do with the British Invasion. Crumb's Vox Balaenae (Voice of the Whale, 1971), written for electrified flute, cello, and piano, asks for the players to wear masks and create sounds that are completely unearthly; Crumb writes in his own musical language. Hearing Crumb live is rare; hearing such esteemed performers as Ransom Wilson (flute) and Fred Sherry (cello) playing Crumb is rarer still. The concert also includes an arrangement of Haydn's clever Surprise Symphony and, Franck's F-minor Piano Quintet. STEVEN LANKENAU

THE CHILDREN'S HOUR, TWO PERCENT MAJESTY
(Red & Black) Like labelmate Kimya Dawson, Josephine Foster from The Children's Hour sings soft yet weirdly imposing, off-kilter folk numbers about her mom and dad. And, like hometown hero Bobby Birdman, she drenches every note in a kind of euphoric dreamcloud of a vibrato, harkening back to days when touring meant riding the rails with your father, the medicine man and your sister, the burlesque dancer. JS

LAST OF THE JUANITAS, TRUMAN'S WATER, EXCELSIOR, DUTCH FLAT
(Berbati's) Ironically, while this is a triumphant comeback for two of Portland's best and most-in-hibernation bands, Last of the Juanitas and Truman's Water, it is also a farewell for the math-rockin'-it Dutch Flat, who will indeed play their last show ever (previously reported by the Mercury to be like, four months ago, sorry dudes). JS

BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE, STARS, JASON COLLETT
(Jackpot Instore, 4 pm, free; Dante's, 9:30 pm) In the five months since the American release of their sophomore record You Forgot It In People, the unapologetically uncool bunch of cannucks known as the Broken Social Scene never once asked you to meet them in the bathroom or to be their girl--they just asked you to listen very closely. For those who did, placing them atop your Hidden Gems of 2003 list seemed imminent, if not pathetic (seriously, you should really get a girlfriend or something) as their hushed indiepop bends screamed louder than their records ever could. On wax, they are a shoegazer's delight, casting influences as unknowing as David Gray and as understandable as Dinosaur Jr. into the pot, while permanently setting the whole thing to simmer. Saturday at Dante's, however, could be another thing entirely, as the hype machine tries to play catch up on the heels of a contract with Mercury. TREVOR KELLEY

ENGORGED, GHOUL, LORD GORE
(Conan's) Screaming guitars, plenty of flesh-ripping sound effects, and artwork for the new album Autophagous Orgy that features a pile of huge-breasted naked women ripping each other to pieces--is there anything Portland's own Lord Gore can't do? My only complaint is the same one I always have regarding shock rock: why do the demonic vocals have to be so slushy? I mean, come on Lord Gore; if you guys are going to spend so much time crafting lilting lyrics like, "You become my fucktoy when the lights go out/ With scalpel in hand I take your insides out," wouldn't it make sense to make them at least somewhat decipherable? If I hadn't gone to lordgore.net and read the posted lyrics for "Morgue Whore," for instance, I would never have known that song is about fucking a woman's corpse. Now I do. And I'm glad. JWS

DRUMS AND TUBA, THAT ONE GUY

(Mt. Tabor) The thing about Drums and Tuba is that they're kinda self-explanatory, like when you say you're going to get a burger and a milkshake? Except it's Drums and Tuba. The burger and the milkshake were good before, and they'll be good and kinda along the same lines again, and the same goes for D&T. Maybe the burger has something CRAZY like chevre or snap peas on it to make it more NOW, and maybe the Drums and Tuba have thrown some zanier noodleshit time signatures in the mix to make it Ornette Coleman-meets-Polvo time. Jazzburgers, people! Jazzburgers! JOAN HILLER

THOSE PEABODYS, WADSWORTH
(Ash Street, 225 SW Ash) Sometimes you have to forego the idea that a band is possibly ironic and admit that it freaking rocks--with its balls dragging along the ground at that. Those Peabodys convey exactly such a type of rock, with shotgun drums and drag-racing guitars at the helm. LANCE WALKER

POINT LINE PLANE, BLACK ICE, PHANTOM LIMBS
(Twilight) One of the better West Coast bands to ride GoreGotha Air, Phantom Limbs spread their bodies with paint and douse their music with an aggressive amalgamation of dark wave, scorching punk, and straight-up hellbound death-synth. It would be nice to see them battle screamer-duo Point Line Plane, just back from tour, although it'd probably end up in mass orgy/bloody disaster. AKA Point Line Plane + Phantom Limbs = Crash Worship? JS

SUNDAY 11/16

THE WINTER BLANKET, JUNE PANIC, CORRINA REPP
(Red & Black) Too often swept under the dirty old singer-songwriter rug and written off as just another whiney guy with a guitar, Fargo (yes, that Fargo) native June Panic is actually worth seeing, so long as you're already in a somewhat maudlin mood. Kin to Bill Ricchini, the late-great Elliott Smith or even, dare I write it, Bobby Dylan, Panic welds stories love and longing--and drinking, and dying--rom sparse melodies and guitar solos,and his tendency for prolificness has rendered him pretty good at it by now. LAUREN VIERA

LAMB OF GOD, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, GOD FORBID

(Aladdin) Immaculately conceived nine years ago under the decidedly more secular moniker Burn the Priest, this Richmond, Virginia outfit tired of touring with devil-horny acts and selling T-shirts to shock-value-seeking kids who weren't necessarily fans. Rechristened Lamb of God in 2000, the group still merges morbid thrash riffs and death-grind blastbeats, not to mention its new taking-away-the-sins-of-the-world duties. Opening act Killswitch Engage, led by African-American vocalist Howard Jones, recently toured with Cradle of Filth, meaning crowds had the rare opportunity to see both a black-metal singer and a black metal singer. AM

MONDAY 11/17

RACHEL'S, MATT POND PA, EVE MILLER
(Berbati's) Rachel's, the Louisville group helmed by pianist Rachel Grimes since 1994, is notable in that they were possibly the first group of the '90s to take unfettered classical music--they are, in essence, a chamber ensemble--and perform it in the context of a punk club, doing such compositions as Music for Egon Schiele in places likeÉ well, Berbati's. Interestingly, their music is beautiful yet moderately traditional in the realm of New Music (AKA "modern classical"), combining field samples, Matmos collabs, and accompanying theatrics with a Chopin/Stravinsky root in melody (viola player Christian Frederickson went to Julliard). Their latest album, Systems/Layers (Quarterstick), is an abstract combination of field recordings and heartbreaking piano solos. This is their first stop ever in Oregon; you'd do well to see them, as they paved the way for hometown classicalists, armchair and otherwise, in the form of Swords Project, Invisible, Grails, that dude who plays violin on the corner of 23rd & Lovejoy. JS

THE UNITS, THE OBSERVERS, AMERICAN NIGHTMARES
(Twilight) This show and these bands kind of epitomize the Twilight: Unpretentious fun, good vibes, and a bit of crazy aggressive intensity. It's just good ol' rock music, made by and for ordinary people without all the bullshit. ROLAND COUTURE

TUESDAY 11/18

JEF BROWN
(Voodoo Doughnut, 10:30 pm) Extremely talented multi-instrumentalist Jef Brown (of Jackie O-Motherfucker) playing a SITAR in the new "CLUB DOUGHNUT LOFT OF DOOM" at Voodoo Doughnut. I've simply nothing more to say. JS

GOOD CHARLOTTE, GOLDFINGER, EVE 6

(Chiles Center) From musical malpractice to fashion folly, there were already so many reasons to dislike Good Charlotte. In a novel twist, the group's latest single, "Boys and Girls," provides ammunition for intellectual objections to its output. In this poorly rendered gender caricature, Good Charlotte wrongly implies that rich men aren't funny. In fact, many millionaires are hilarious, such as Chris Rock, who skewered GC with the line "Good Charlotte? More like mediocre Green Day" at this year's MTV Video Awards. It also posits that women aren't witty at all, but men will laugh at their pathetic attempts at humor regardless. With any luck, this will provoke brutal retaliation from female comedians and hecklers. Finally, Good Charlotte prophesize doom for the species by implying women are exclusively attracted to inanimate objects that offer no hope for reproduction. (Girls don't like boys/girls like cars and money.) It's a grim prophecy, though as far as inscrutable omens of the apocalypse go, it doesn't top the fact that Goldfinger and Eve 6 remain commercially viable tour support. AM

POLYPHONIC SPREE, THE SLEEPY JACKSON, CORN MO
(Aladdin) If the world were a fair and just place, Denton, TX's Corn Mo would be recognized as one of the great entertainers of our time. Looking like a leftover from ABBA, Corn Mo takes the stage with a pearly white and gold accordion, and sings about being confused for Gary Busey and titty-twisters with all the conviction of Mahalia Jackson. He's cut the magic act from the show, but his recent tours with the various circuses and cabaret shows have undoubtedly raised his levels of showmanship even higher. If Portland plays its cards right, we will be treated to mind-blowing, lighters-in-the-air versions of "Sweet Child o' Mine" and the Crüe's "Home Sweet Home." CHAS BOWIE

WEDNESDAY 11/19

T. RAUMSCHMIERE, GLOMM, DERRICK FISCHER, THEPERFECTCYN, 31 AVAS
(Holocene) T Raumschmiere's Radio Blackout sounds like the kind of nasty electro-glam-punk-boogie album you'd expect from a kraut who runs a label called Shitkatapult. Berlin's T. Raumschmiere (AKA ex-punk Marco Haas) has a (micro)chip on his shoulder, and his new disc will provoke "Fuck yeahs" from people who feel this electronica thing has become too stoic and cerebral. Haas knows it'd be dull to rage 24-7 like a PowerBook-sportin' Gary Glitter, so he includes some eerie, slo-mo-funk interludes that mess with your mind while letting you catch your breath. But most will dig him for wildly wired tracks like "Rabaukendisko," which buzzes and squeals like Add N To (X) possessed by the Locust. It's like electroclash never happened. DAVE SEGAL

SUCKAPUNCH, SIRENS ECHO, DJ P
(Berbati's) Mic Crenshaw's Suckapunch incorporates that emcee's thoughtful lyrics with live instrumentation, while his Hungry Mob collaborateur Toni Hill lends her sugary-smooth voice to Siren's Echo. With DJ P, who can ease a Pearl Jam track into a house beat, possibly providing Eddie Vedder with his first opportunity to ever set foot in a dance club. JS

CHRIS RAY, AL-C & BLACK DUCK, FINE LINE, FACX
(Conan's) FACX Murda emcees with calm style about Colt 45, Bacardi and girls, and is about to release a new album. So check out some West Coast hiphop you may have missed thus far, and support a love of booze, girls, and chill beats. KS

YELLOW SWANS, ALARMIST, WIVES, KITES, NOISE FOXES
(Million) Los Angeles' Wives are my idea of a perfect electro-hardcore band--bent into zigzags from art school (or like, art life), unflinching, yet whose power is based in knowledge and creativity, instead of blunt aggression or assertion of man-meat. JS

PRETTY GIRLS MAKE GRAVES, COBRA HIGH
(Dante's) Like all the best punk bands, Pretty Girls Make Graves are 99% energy, which is why their recorded material is on the whole pretty okay but never amazing (barring the fuck-a-rhino party perennial, "Speakers Push the Air") but their live performances are so transformative as to induce apparitions (of grandeur, of Darby Crash, of La Virgen de Guadalupe). Seattle via Portland naisty prog quartet Cobra High were the talk of CMJ this year, and would probably look good on the cover of the Fader. JS