GANG WAY!, HOTT BEHIND YOU, POM POM MELT DOWN, SOUR GRAPES
(4126 N. Commercial) The first time I saw Tami Hart play, it was in the comically excessive confines of the bar inside of Seattle's Experience Music Project--strangely fitting environs for her then-grungy revisionism. The stage seeming almost an afterthought, Hart's set was all but ignored by the gold-braceleted majority of the bar--but she went over well with the rest of us--enough for me to ask the venue's then booker a few passing questions about the performer. Wasn't she, like, a teenager or something? The booker hushed me, motioning toward Hart's beer-weighted table--"I could get in a lot of trouble for this!" Why this seemingly pointless anecdote? Well, because Tami Hart has grown up a lot since then. Tonight, she returns to Portland with a new band, Gang Way!--which features members of Los Angeles' stunning hardcore-ers the Wives. ZAC PENNINGTON

CHRIS ISAAK
(Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, SW Broadway and Main) This one's for the dudes. Admit it, you TOTALLY masturbated to Chris Isaak's "Wicked Game" video. No shame. It's understandable. You were, what, 12? 11? How much action had you gotten at that point? NONE! And goddamn wasn't Helena Christensen hot in high contrast black 'n' white, topless, and covered in beach sand? The fact that she was making out with Chris Isaak wasn't even an afterthought/issue. You totally jizzed by the time homeboy got to the second chorus. (And if you're rockin' a gay/bi/curious steez, you know you did the same for Chris himself.) Whatever, you know you're guilty. ADAM GNADE

ISDIFF RECORDS SHOWCASE FEATURING DIZZYSTARHOUSE, GLOMM, AZMOTRONIK, AND MORE
(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) Dizzystarhouse's track "Lonely Etype" kind of sums up the vibe of this show. It's gonna be a bunch of bespectacled basement dwellers twiddling their laptop knobs, one hand pressed to their headphones as they figure out exactly what sort of miniscule adjustment needs to be made next. Where many musical artists combine electronics with live instrumentation so as to give you something to look at during their performances, these chaps do not. However, their music tends to be gorgeous and haunting, and will provide an excellent backdrop to whatever conversation you'll be having as you suck down one of those luscious Holocene margaritas. JUSTIN WESCOAT SANDERS

JON LANGFORD AND THE SEXY, CAROLYN MARK, SCOTT MCCAUGHEY
(Lola's, 1334 W Burnside) Mekons frontman Jon Langford--whose near-30-year career has included work with the likes of Alejandro Escovedo, Waco Brothers, and Dutch punk band the Ex--performs today with his "Sexy." It remains to be seen just exactly what Langford--now pushing 50 or so--has in mind when he talks about his "Sexy." Let's not let our minds wander too far. ZP

ONEIDA, I LOVE YOU BUT I'VE CHOSEN DARKNESS, POINT LINE PLANE
(Berbati's Pan, 10 SW 3rd) See Preview pg 16

STOVOLKOR, WRATH OF KHAN, INFECTED ORGANISMS
(Conan's, 3862 SE Hawthorne) I wanted to write this in Klingon but I only know three nouns--"nav habli" (fax machine); "hu" (zoo); "qul" (house)--and one verb, "doq ej wovve" (to be brown). But my parents are shameless Trekkies, so I know this much is true: 1) Klingons have really violent sex. 2) William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy are doing Priceline.com commercials together. 3) Stovolkor is a "Klingon metal band" that rocks like it's tearing the still-beating heart out of an enemy and shoving said still-beating heart into said enemy's gasping, freaked-the-fuck-out mouth. Saah-weet! AG

TROPIX FEST FEATURING GLASS CANDY, CHANNELS 2&3, CHROMATICS, MAE SHI, DAYGLO PONY BOY, NICE NICE, ATOLE, QUEM QUAERITIS, ALARMIST
(Disjecta, 116 N Russell/ Meow Meow, 320 SE 2nd) The newly retrofitted Tropix 2004 pits two of its line-ups against one another, with overlapping shows across town. In one corner, you got yer pointed-headed kids at the Meow Meow: the baffling brilliance of Nice Nice, the olde timey improv of Quem Quaeritis, Alarmist's Cookie Monster growl, and the boombox explosion of new Las Vegas import Atole. In the other corner, you got yer skinny kids show at Disjecta: the fascinating plasticene of Glass Candy, keyboard clunk of Vancouver, B.C.'s Channels 2 & 3, and, well, more of the same from Chromatics and Dayglo Pony Boy. Also at Disjecta tonight is one of the festival's most exciting prospects in Los Angeles' Mae Shi, whose 5RC debut, Terrorbird, is a spotty, occasionally fascinating mess of fragmentation in the fine tradition of a number of their labelmates. ZP See Music Pg 16

FRIDAY 8/6

AMBULANCE LTD, ELEFANT, HIGH VIOLETS
(Dante's, 1 SW 3rd) We've all known someone who's moved away to New York or L.A. to "make it". Usually we're laughing to ourselves, because at least we can see that the person hasn't a prayer. When Ambulance LTD singer/songwriter Marcus Congleton left pastoral Eugene, Oregon for the New York hustle, no one around him harbored these doubts. Congleton is classically trained. So good in fact, we wouldn't have been surprised to see his name in the writing credits for the latest Christina Aguilera hit. But Marcus stuck to his guns, and got himself noticed instead. He's weaving tight pop songs with spacey guitar twang and strong vocal melodies that will linger with you all afternoon. See Music Pg 19

COSMIC ROUGH RIDERS, SILVER SURFER, JOLENES
(Aladdin, 3017 SE Milwaukie, FREE) Despite the fact that the founding member and songwriting force behind the group (Daniel Wylie) actually left the band, Glasgow's Cosmic Rough Riders decided to continue flying their laid-back power pop flag and continue on, unbloodied and unbowed. They enlisted a new singer, Stephen Fleming, who, it turns out, wasn't such a bad choice. The group's latest, Too Close to See Far, travels the same sort of Byrds via Teenage Fanclub pop worship of their previous releases, but the songs have a more solid base than before. "Because You" is so disarmingly perfect, you almost want to slap someone in the face in a fit of delirium and jealousy. JON PRUETT

CONCERT FOR KERRY FEATURING APE SHAPE, CREEPY OLD TRUCKS
(Berbati's Pan, 10 SW 3rd) Ape Shape's full, jazzy, many-membered, vaguely Clash-esque sound is great for dancing, especially if you're as wasted as I was last time I saw them. I probably sweated out a gallon of beer on that occasion, not to mention amazed all my friends, who exclaimed, "God, I've never seem you dance before, you were dancing up a storm!" Creepy Old Trucks are electro these days, sounding something like I'd imagine a motorcycle-riding video game soundtrack might sound; masculine, but slick. But hey, even if you question this jazz-electro fusion, your admission dollars support John Kerry's campaign, and as you and I both know, that dude better win. KATIE SHIMER

DECEMBERISTS, THE PLANET THE, TOM HEINL, BLACKBIRD RED
(Nocturnal, 1800 E Burnside) See My! What a Busy Week! Pg 15

TROPIX FEST FEATURING CHILD PORNOGRAPHY, HAWNAY TROOF, WARBLE, ALARMIST
(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) What the world needs now is another jokey XBXRX side project like I need a hole in my head. DAVID LOWERY See Music Pg 16

SATURDAY 8/7

ELEMENT 37, RIGHT FRONT BURNER
(Goodfoot, 2845 SE Stark) The boys of funk/dance group Element 37 are talented enough musicians, and their live sound has the kind of jumpy, shimmering element that has made Critters Buggin' so huge. On disc, Element 37 is a different story; predictable and cheesy, like elevator music. But you don't see a band like this to buy their album; you see them to shake your groove thang. Ahem. JWS

TROPIX FEST: GOOD FOR COWS, 7-YEAR RABBIT CYCLE, HOSPITALS, BIG TECHNO WEREWOLVES, MONSTER DUDES
(Million, 116 N Russell) Ches Smith and Devin Hoff are undeniably stunning musicians, having lent their inimitable talents at various times to John Zorn, Tom Waits, Nels Cline, Mr. Bungle, Carla Bozulich, and Xiu Xiu. As Good for Cows, the duo pours the whole of their diverse interests (Ornette Coleman, Iron Maiden, Frank Gambale, et al.) through the keyhole of their sparse, upright bass and drums setup. Melodic ghost-shapes, endlessly mutating ostinato patterns, and unrelentingly emotional solos make up their greatest jazz ever. Of late the pair have also been making time in Oakland cabal of ultra-talent 7-Year Rabbit Cycle. Helmed by Rob Fisk and Kelly Goodefisk, (formerly one spousal half of Deerhoof) 7-Year Rabbit Cycle are musical illustrators whose evocations of animal terror and reptile brain urges are at once brutally engaging and bone-chilling. SAM MICKENS See Music Pg 16

PICKATHON CD RELEASE FEATURING TRASHCAN JOE, DANNY BARNES
(Imbibe, 2229 SE Hawthorne) You may think of "pickin' music" as something that plays in the atmosphere as you barrel down a dirt road in the bed of a pickup with hay in your mouth and your cousin's hand up your dress. And that's fair. Still, you have to admit that the fashioning of instruments out of garbage (or garbage cans) is pretty resourceful. Trashcan Joe is one such local outfit, complete with washtub bass and homemade slide guitarÉ in case your DIY consciousness gets tired of art punks. MARJORIE SKINNER

SUNDAY 8/8

THE HIGHDIALS, AMOREE LOVELL, SUMMER DARLING
(Twilight Café, 1420 SE Powell Blvd) Like their stateside complements Brian Jonestown Massacre (minus all the pretense) and the Warlocks, Montreal's High Dials trip through the pop psychedelic, jamming on melodies that move across kaleidoscopes of effects. The Dials' newest EP, Fields in Glass, is more of the same delicately bellbottomed compositions that take from both the Beatles and the better moments of the Beta Band. JENNIFER MAERZ

WAYNE HORVITZ, BRIGGAN KRAUSS, AND DYLAN VAN DER SCHYFF TRIO
(Disjecta, 119 NE Russell) Formerly the gritty crown of '90s assault-jazz quartet Pigpen, Wayne Horvitz and Briggan Krauss are here reunited with the addition of omni-present, Vancouver-based percussionist Dylan Van Der Schyff. In the past few years both Horvitz and Krauss have been endlessly exploratory--their respective outputs tackling electronic noise-jazz, aggressively modern funk, electro-acoustic chamber music, and a bevy of other tangential genres. Having consumed and reconstituted nearly every morsel of latter-20th-century musical fiber, it should be interesting to see how much of the past and future they can cram into the present at this trio meeting with the hyper-attuned Van Der Schyff. Whatever the case, it should exemplify the sort of world-beating interplay usually reserved for far less intimate and far less affordable venues. SM

THE LASHES
(Sabala's Mt. Tabor, 4811 SE Hawthorne Blvd) When it comes to generating buzz, the Lashes are pros. More people have heard of the Seattle sextet than have actually heard them. Because of that, the band has plenty of who condemn their antics--they once paid homeless people to picket a Sub Pop party, waving "Sign the Lashes!" placards--overlooking how hard the Lashes work. With the release of The Stupid Stupid, their debut EP (on Lookout!), though, that diligence is paying off. Produced by John Goodmanson, it ranks alongside anything by the power-pop bands the Lashes adore, from adolescent favorites (Superdrag, Weezer) to the wave of '80s groups before them (the Shoes, the Only Ones). KURT B. REIGHLY

JESSIE MALIN, DAMNWELLS
(Berbati's Pan, 10 SW 3rd) I dismissed Jesse Malin for ages. A former member of mediocre punk-glam New Yorkers D-Generation turned singer-songwriter? No thanks. There's been nothing more irritating to me than the aging punk or failed young rocker turned country or folk troubadour tourist. The fact that Malin's solo debut was called The Fine Art of Self-Destruction didn't help matters for me at all. The album seemed to get most of its press from its association with bad-boy producer Ryan Adams. But penance is in order, because Malin's self-produced follow-up, The Heat, is damn good and lives up to its title, albeit in a slow-burning and occasionally icy-hot way. NATE LIPPENS

MONDAY 8/9

BLITZEN TRAPPER, TALKDEMONIC
(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) Blitzen Trapper's new self-titled album is giddy and silly, with a lot of fast, rockin' guitar rips and bad singing. Even the album's token slower, prettier track revolves around the refrain "Christmas is Comin' Soon," replete with gentle bells jingling in the background. BT sounds like a group that's in it for the fun and not the money, which is an infectious way to go, but which also means they are out to amuse themselves first, and you second. JWS

TUESDAY 8/10

THE BASTARD SONS OF JOHNNY CASH, I CAN LICK ANY SON OF A BITCH IN THE HOUSE, THE GODDAMN GENTLEMEN
(Dante's, 1 SW 3rd) Now that Johnny Cash is gone we need to look at his Bastard Sons with a little more perspective. Like, do they really deserve to be his "bastard sons" even though they're not related to him and are actually from the very non-country San Diego, California? No way, José. Despite the fact that JC--Johnny not Jesus, dumb-ass--gave his holy blessing on their band name, TBSOJC are long on honky adult contempo countrification and short on everything that made Cash a legend. There's a serious passion drought here. The songs sound phoned in, watered down, soft all around. Weak. AG See My! What a Busy Week! Pg 15

GROWING, STRATEGY, DIE MONITOR BATS
(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) With their second album on Kranky Records, The Soul of the Rainbow and the Harmony of Light, due in October, Growing's Kevin Doria and Joe Denardo give Portland a preview of their enveloping waves of finely wrought feedback and static that tap into the cosmos' universal hum. Growing's holy whorls of drones are simultaneously Sunn 0))) heavy and angel-wing light. This music of solemn grandeur will get even the staunchest Marxist feeling mystical. DAVE SEGAL

WEDNESDAY 8/11

MOVEMENT
(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) If Movement's queer dance night isn't enough to get you down to Holocene, consider this: tonight's event is prefaced by a celebration of queer arts journal LTTR's third issue, with performance pieces by the very talented K8 Hardy and Muffie White. ZP

RED SATYRS, CAESURA, TARTUFI
(Twilight Café, 1420 SE Powell Blvd) Caesura's guitar work is super angular and mid-paced. The combination of the instrumentation and the affected, nasally, slightly androgynous vocals create an archly retro sound. It's like a cross between some very watery Queen and a more petulant Devo. It will be interesting to see where they go with this. MS

PETER SALETT
(Disjecta, 119 NE Russell) I've spent hours on end cursing lone musicians who give themselves a band name. I mean what could be more pretentious than calling yourself Thanksgiving when you're one guy playing acoustic guitar. Then again, seeing "Peter Salett" on a list of shows doesn't exactly get me tying my shoes. And listening to his music doesn't even get me thinking about tying 'em. Peter plays a host of contemplative, moany, sensitive guy-with-guitar songs called things like "Colorful Dream" and "If You're Dreaming," and "She Won't Wait Forever." He was recently interviewed by Edward Norton in Interview magazine, however, so I guess he's famous. KS