THURSDAY 2/5

LEVEL01: LANDMINES 01-03 STARRING INVISIBLE, MENOMENA, MARTY SCHNAPF, THE MONSTER SQUAD DANCE COMPANY
(Stumptown Downtown, 128 SW 3rd, 6-9 pm, free) One leg of PICA's wildly successful/transformative Time Based Arts Fest is extended here: with giant landscape paintings by Marty Schnapf, local painstaking film-scoring impresarios Invisible, and rhythmic poptronica trio Menomena, collaborate with the dance ensemble Monster Squad. The convergence of art forms should be interesting, a little dip to quench our thirst until TBA '04. JULIANNE SHEPHERD

NUMBERS, CHROMATICS, NICE NICE, FORMLESS
(Disjecta, 116 NE Russell) See Music pg 16

BACK N FORTH STARRING MIKE CONSTANTINO, SIRROUND, BONEHEAD
(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) Mike Constantino is the Dallas end of Soundproof Music, a collaboration whose core DJs reside in TX and both coasts, and whose express purpose is to "push the envelope in creative house music." Constantino's top 10 includes everyone from Miguel Migs remixing Ella Fitzgerald to Dubble D to Beyonce, so ready the steady for an eclectic and soulful mix. With Back N Forth First Thursday regulars, Sirround and Bonehead. JS

CLIMBER
(Tube, 18 NW 3rd) Tube, Portland's favorite, minty-green, futuristic-looking metrosexual's wet dream, is switching out its DJs every first Thursday. What we have instead is a mellow, electronica band called Climber, whose songs take the pretty and calming electronica route, rather than the dissonant and challenging. They are normally a five-piece band, but since the Tube is so petite, they strip down the lineup a bit. All the more room to unwind after making the gallery rounds, sipping a drink, and listening to this music that makes you think you're in the dream sequence of a psychedelic video game. MARJORIE SKINNER

CLAMPITT, GADDIS & BUCK; JUANITA FAMILY; POWER OF COUNTY
(I.C. Mummy, 332 NE San Rafael) See Portland's premiere punk band turned country, the Juanita Family. I can't remember the last time these guys played, but that's probably because I have memory loss from the mad cow disease that's eating away at my brain. A fun show for sure, housed in the usually goth-centric I.C. Mummy, this is a good excuse to try something new. Not like huffing-gas new, just checking-a-new-place new. KS KATIE SHIMER

STARSAILOR, MATTHEW RYAN
(Berbati's, 231 SW Ankeny) Starsailor is perhaps the most melodic, accessible, and painfully polite of the post-Radiohead British guitar bands. The latter quality is not necessarily a bad thing; The band, influenced heavily by the Verve and Jeff Buckley, is built around the beautiful and unabashedly romantic vocals of James Walsh. However, this is a flawed foundation, in so far as his lyrical prowess does not match his vocal abilities. More often than not, Walsh seems to express the profound insights of a 10th grade boy's diary (minus the parts about wanting to "do it"). On their recently released sophomore album, Silence is Easy, Walsh struggles to find an identity among his more famous contemporaries and predecessors. Walsh isn't sexy like Jarvis, or witty like Damon. He isn't a misanthropic visionary like Thom, nor full of bravado like Liam. He is, simply, inoffensive. Perhaps he and Coldplay's Chris Martin will rise to the top of the charts by simply not upsetting anyone. KIP BERMAN

FRIDAY 2/6

LOW, GRAILS
(Dante's, 1 SW 3rd) Low is the least boring of the boring bands, and before you start working up a knot in your skivvies, let me qualify that. Like Damon & Naomi and other minimalist hushcore bands, Low mixes it up enough to keep you from falling asleep, or doodling in a desperate attempt to not nod off. This is somber stuff, though, sung in near monotone by drummer Mimi Parker, and perhaps no other band makes such little noise out of its accompanying instruments. A warning to newcomers or drunkards: If you even whisper when Low is on stage, believe you me, you're going to get shushed by an entire roomful of annoyed, supportive fans. KATHLEEN WILSON

ASYLUM STREET SPANKERS DVD RELEASE
(Fez, 316 SW 11th) Asylum Street Spankers (or ASS for short) are a thrilling voice in the music revivalist movement. Their secret is that they don't do just bluegrass, or just '30s swing, or just whatever era other lesser bands tend to focus on. Rather, ASS incorporate elements from all kinds of old styles, including '50s doo-wop rock and good ol' Hank Williams twang, then toss in some serious soul to shake things up. Then they take the resulting electric sound and apply it to all sorts of crazy covers, like the B-52s' "Dance This Mess Around" and the Beastie Boys' "Paul Revere" (!!?). It's really, really fun, and though it may seem sketchy for an eight-piece underground revivalist band to release a concert DVD, if any eight-piece underground revivalist band has earned the right, it's ASS. JUSTIN WESCOAT SANDERS

THE MAMMALS, FOGHORN STRINGBAND
(White Eagle, 836 N Russell) The Mammals have a lot of bluegrass going on, but they have the courage and talent to mix things up a bit, too. Hence, stuff like "69 Pleasant Street" off their album Evolver, a gorgeous, whispery song that almost seems to be channeling Elliott Smith. Rarely do twangy string instruments sound so lush. JWS

JEALOUS SOUND, AUDIO LEARNING CENTER, OLIVER
(Nocturnal, 1800 E Burnside) Jealous much? If they were given to gloating, members of the Jealous Sound could pose this classic query from Heathers to less successful indie peers. After all, they have toured with Foo Fighters, Get Up Kids, and Death Cab for Cutie, and Spin did call them "the rock you must have." But the Jealous Sound remains humble, perhaps because it has known dark days such as signing with the sinking ship Mojo Records. (Who would have known not to hitch your hopes to a label with flagship acts such as Goldfinger, Reel Big Fish and Cherry Poppin Daddies in 2001?) Featuring former members of Knapsack, Jawbox, and Shudder To Think, Jealous Sound bucks listeners gently with its chainsaw guitars, building to choruses that detonate like dynamite up a lion's butt. How very. ANDREW MILLER

SHAMELADY, IOMMI STUBBS, YOB
(Twilight, 1420 SE Powell) There ain't no ladies in Shamelady. No, there are three PDX dudes blasting your ass with dark (but not black) metal tunes. There is something thicker and more beautiful about their version of this cacophonous flavor, though. It sounds like they should be living in a swamp, dating dead little girls with curly hair. Iommi Stubbs is sludgier, part of what is known in these parts as "stoner rock," but they've been around for a looong time, so maybe stoner rock sounds like them. I don't know though, being stoned doesn't make me yaaawr! and graaaaawr! like that, ever. Maybe if you're having the munchies so bad that you're naked on the floor, eating raw meat and smooshing it around. MS

GOMEZ, LEONA NAESS
(Aladdin, 3017 SE Milwaukie) British band Gomez straddle the line between electronica-flecked folk pop and starry-eyed space rock and blues. "Tijuana Lady," off their 1998 debut, was a gorgeous, dusty slow-burner, and unfortunately I haven't heard anything that matches the emotions on that track from the band since (although the title track off In Our Gun is damn pretty as well, showing off how well the band's vocal harmonies blend together). Gomez release their fourth album later on this spring--after this tour, unfortunately. In the meantime, they're hitting the road with singer Leona Naess. JENNIFER MAERZ

THIN LIZZY, PARTY TIME, DJ OATMEAL
(Berbati's) See Music pg 19, MWBW pg 15

SATURDAY 2/7

TSOL, THOUGHT RIOT, RED TAPE
(Ash St., 225 SW Ash) In 2001, T.S.O.L. released its comeback album Disappear at the same time as Nitro Records reissued the band's 1982 disc Beneath The Shadows. One record is a classic slice of California hardcore filled with sharp riffs, snotty vocals, and brutal social commentary; the other steps far away from punk's formula with fey piano bits, slowed tempos and emotionally vulnerable subject matter. The surprise comes in discovering which is which--the newer Disappear sounds as if has been plucked from a time capsule, while Beneath the Shadows falls closer to the stylings of today's emo-punk hybrids. At its still-vital live shows, T.S.O.L. eschews the mopey mesh of guitars and humming synthesizers it favored in its mid-period years, sticking with a raw, powerful attack. Frontman Jack Grisham's voice quivers with rebellious rage, hides festering contempt with a soothing tone and wavers with sarcastic emotion. Grisham's caustic commentary remains worth the price of admission in itself, and young punks can flash back to the dangerous days when a popular group's signature song could be an ode to necrophilia. ANDREW MILLER

WIVES, ALARMIST, SPIT UP ANGLES, JONNY X AND THE GROADIES
(Kingdom, address 3829 NE 15th, 9 pm) Alarmist peels apart their noise to expose creepy and moderately confrontational fruit, with guitar, drums, and double vocalists that might cannonball you if you're not looking. Los Angeles' Wives are a special treat; they put together jarring rhythm and great, bellowing blasts of guitar, bass, drums, with the unfettered/bottomless energy of a band of ravenous five year olds--not forced, just amazingly hyper--and possibly the only really good art-core band to write a paean against Vice culture. Word to Los Angeles' Wives. JS

SANDRA COLLINS, SEXY KREW: LEVI & LEONETTI
(Level, 13 NW 6th) Internationally renowned DJ Sandra Collins, aka the Eve to Paul Oakenfold's Adam, releases her first CD in two years. Titled, simply, Perfecto PresentsÉ Sandra Collins, the two-disc set is jampacked with the kind of LCD sound system that first mobilized the clubbin' masses: trance, progressive trance, trance with dramatic vocal samples, funky trance, house-y trance. Sandra Collins fans will totally get up in this grille. JS

PIGMY LOVE CIRCUS FEATURING DANNY CAREY (OF TOOL)
(Dante's) Unless its drummer serves double-duty as the lead singer, a band will usually hesitate to give top billing to the drone behind the kit. That's especially true when the vocalist has a made-for-stardom moniker such as Michael Savage. But then, Savage never played in Tool. In this on-again, off-again side project in which he's been playing since 1992, Carey gets to beat his drums like a circus monkey, instead of tapping out hyper-complicated parabolic codes during prog-rock epics. PLC existed for five years before Carey's involvement, terrorizing Los Angeles clubs with its loud, ugly output. The group recently released its first new slab in more than a decade, The Power of Beef, which pairs juicy riffs with often-rancid lyrical content. AM

SUNDAY 2/8

MR. T EXPERIENCE
(Meow Meow, 320 SE 2nd) I have a Mr. T Experience song stuck in my head, and it's been there since 1996. The song is "Ba Ba Ba Ba Ba" and I heard it on some cheesy punk rock video collection back when I was in high school. I have never owned a Mr. T Experience album, seen them live or know much about the band. In fact, everything they do is pretty foreign to me. But what I do know is that this goddamn song has been in my head for eight years now and shows no sign of leaving. I'm secretly hoping that some future head trauma will erase my mind of the song, and my childhood, leaving me to continue my life with a clean musical slate. Until that joyous day happens, Mr. T Experience will get my recommendation for being the type of band who writes music so catchy it can destroy your life. EZRA ACE CARAEFF

LYNYRD SKYNYRD
(Roseland, 8 NW 6th) Perhaps to best understand Lynyrd Skynyrd is to know the origin of the band's name. Formed in the afterglow of the '60s, the band was (is) a collection of gritty and greasy hippies. In high school, they had a thick-necked gym teacher, Leonard Skinner, who was notorious for berating "long-hairs and faggots." In mocking tribute, the Southern boys named their going-nowhere band after him. Of course, in the decades since, the seminal blues-rock band has become, in many ways, a mocking tribute of themselves, with the routine encore "play 'Free Bird'" at arena rock shows. It's too bad; even decades after their original frontman Ronnie Van Zant was killed in a plane crash, his lyrics and songs still have an earnest, down-to-earth compassion. PHIL BUSSE

MONDAY 2/9

KYLESA, IRON LUNG, FROM ASHES RISE, BRAINOIL
(Below Zero Records, NE MLK & Fremont, 7 pm) With a band named Brainoil in the lineup, there should be no question what the rest of the music on this bill sounds like--synapse-searing, gray-matter-frying metal. Brainoil possess vocals like the virus-infected creatures in 28 Days Later and their sludgy music is just as wonderfully gloomy and apocalyptic. Iron Lung are rockers moving at two speeds--the flight of locusts and the stomp of a sleepy giant, while Kylesa jam your sockets with growl and chaos and heavy noise. JM

SAM LOWRY, MIRA FLORES, THE HUMAN GENOME PROJECT, KARNEY, MARK BOOTH
(Ash Street) Singer/songwriter Sam Lowry hangs a dark cloud over his songs, like a slightly more stabilized Nick Cave. His confessional lyrics have been compared to Bill Callahan (smog) and his lo-fi indie folk does have a similar pension for earnest self-expression. You can download his MP3s at www.exilesuite.com. JM

TUESDAY 2/10

MEST, FALLOUT BOY, MATCHBOOK ROMANCE, DYNAMITE BOY
(Aladdin) When I went to listen to Mest's CD on my Imac, I was prompted to sign up for their website, and treated to a bunch of "making of the album video footage," that I could care less about. What I was eventually able to discern after 20 minutes of battling the CD Rom is that they're a pop-punk band like Smashmouth or Blink 182, they have lots of tattoos, and think it's the funniest goddamn thing in the world to kiss each other on the mouth or run around naked. The peppy, vocal heavy punk is as proficient as that of either of the other two bands I mentioned, but to me, pretty annoying, immature, and lackluster. KS

WEDNESDAY 2/11

SUCKAPUNCH, CLEVELAND STEAMERS, SIREN'S ECHO, DJ SNEAKERS
(Berbati's Pan) Whereas some mainstream rap stars rap about sex, drugs, and money, those underground intellectuals in Cleveland Steamers cover, well, "Sex, Drugs, and Money." To their credit, they do so with unusual eloquence. However, Gen. Erik and Portland poetry slam champ/Suckapunch emcee Mic Crenshaw also explore less obvious topics, most notably the destructive advertising imagery detailed in "Brainwashed." Gen. Erik probably spent many of his sauciest rhymes last weekend in Eugene during his appearance on a bill that also included a wet T-shirt contest, so the Steamers should be at their well-rounded best for this gig. Catch the vapors. AM

MAE, THE WORKING TITLE, COPELAND
(Paris, 6 SW 3rd) Mae kind of yell in your ear, and they kind of look right at you when they do it. It brings up the same itchy feeling as an awkward silence shared (or split) between two lovers sitting at a table together: You don't want to look Mae in the eye, but you feel bad about ignoring them because they're really going overboard for you. But with their bright and shiny poppy mall-punk born of the aforementioned shout-y vocals and solid, super-compressed guitars, Mae is a bit sweeter than that. If you like chewing through the candy coating on your rock music, get yourself a ticket to this one. All ages. LANCE WALKER

BATTLE OF THE KNOBS W/KRIS MOON, ZAPAN, GLOMM, MORE
(Holocene) See Music pg 19

OFFICE PARTY STARRING DJ HOT AIR BALLOON, GUESTS
(Meow Meow) There's something really odd about office parties. I mean, you spend most of your week stewing in cubicles next to each other, breathing each other's pheromones and dubious lunch food items. Then when you're all thrown into a social setting everyone gets a little thrown, embarrassing things happen, and everyone is basically half cocked and crazed. DJ Hot Air Balloon wants to recapture this phenomenon on a regular basis. This is his first office party (iron out those pleats and wear business casual!), but oh no, not the last. Expect to hear top 40 hits like Jay-Z and Justin T., as well dancehall, rock, etc. (Whatever keeps you dancing.) MS