THURSDAY 8/12

JENNI ALPERT, TOM VARLEY AND THE SUNDOGS
(Music Millennium NW, 801 NW 23rd, 6 pm) Fans can find bootlegs of many Jenni Alpert shows at jamlive.org and jambase.com, but the uninitiated need not be repelled by the patchouli connotations of those domain names. Alpert's concisely constructed songs cast a four-minute spell, her rapturous soul-streaked voice soaring over minimal acoustic guitar arrangements. There are no superfluous notes, no ostentatious vocal acrobatics or over-enunciated DiFranco-style sass; only classy compositions that establish Alpert as a sultry Carole King or a coffee-shop Cassandra Wilson. ANDREW MILLER

CROSSTIDE, THE KINGDOM, BLITZEN TRAPPER
(Ash Street, 225 SW Ash) See Music Pg 21

D.R.I., MILHOUS, NAKED VIOLENCE, BUNG
(Sabala's Mt. Tabor, 4811 SE Hawthorne Blvd) In the land of Punk Rock 2004--that garish Martian landscape of screamo, weepy emo blogs, and the Warped Tour--bands like D.R.I. don't have much to bank on. Not cute enough. Not young enough. Not near capable of touching on today's teen concerns. D.R.I. breathes fire from another time, another America. They're outdated, out of touch, and cling tight to the rules and aesthetics of '80s metallic hardcore. Is that a bad thing? No. But unless you were kickin' it back in the day, you probably don't give a sun-whitened dogshit. Thus, poor D.R.I.'s fanbase could probably fit in an Arby's bathroom. ADAM GNADE

SEBADOH, IMAAD WASSIF, VIVA VOCE
(Berbati's Pan, 10 SW 3rd) Opening for Sebadoh, the poster band for songs of dysfunctional love and broken hearts, it's Viva Voce, a shining example of true love gone absolutely right. VV is the married duo of Kevin and Anita Robinson, who have written and recorded two full-length albums and a four-song EP, played tons of shows all over the place, and have somehow never split up or killed each other. That their mellow, atmospheric pop is actually damn good, too, only sweetens the deal. Watch closely, Lou Barlow. JUSTIN WESCOAT SANDERS See Music Pg 19

THE XPLODING BOYS, DJ CATALYST
(Panorama, 341 SW 10th) Though the photo gallery of their website might suggest that Cure cover band Xploding Boys are deep into the Fat Elvis era of Robert Smith's thoroughly shit-canned career, you've got to assume that any outfit with the gall to try to emulate the band in all of their garish glory would have the sense to skip the last decade of ol' chubby's oeuvre. Fortunately, it seems that Xploding Boys have forgotten roughly everything post-Seventeen Seconds--an action which, for all intents and purposes, would probably do us all a bit of good. ZAC PENNINGTON

FRIDAY 8/13

CITIZEN COPE, JEN CHAPIN
(Lola's, 1332 W. Burnside) Like G. Love and Special Sauce, Citizen Cope moves through murky areas that mix genres indiscriminately, pulling from the rhythm of hiphop and the delivery of acoustic balladry. Unlike G. Love, though, Cope (AKA Clarence Greenwood) steers away from the trite lyrics, instead fleshing out his work like a more adult-alternative-friendly, Hollywood-soundtrack-steering Beck. JENNIFER MAERZ

DJ ENFERNO, DJ BEYONDA, DJ T.RUST
(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) Champion turntabalists like DJ Enferno are great because they prove to the haters that turntabalism is a bona fide new musical art form on a bona fide new musical instrument. They also prove that DJ-ing is much harder and more versatile than most people think it is. That said, no one really wants to hear fancy scratches, non-stop juggling, and chops all night when you're trying to get you're groove on. Enferno worked clubs and parties extensively before becoming 2003's American DMC champ and coming in second at the World DMC competition, so in addition to flooring people with his technical skills, he can also work a crowd. His set of funk, soul and hiphop hits and rarities will be a pleasure for turntable fans and party people alike. AARON MILES

SARAH DOUGHER, HOBSON'S CHOICE
(Mississippi Pizza, 3552 N Mississippi) The most academic singer/songwriter 'round these parts, Dougher has a 24-song cycle under her belt based on Homer's Odyssey. For those intimidated by that statistic, she also has normal albums to listen to, like the relatively new Bluff. I still don't know how I feel about the idea of writing 24 songs about Homer's Odyssey, but I like that there's a musician out there thinking so hard about what her music is actually saying. JWS

HALLOWEEN II FEATURING: JONNY X AND THE GROADIES, ABIKU, HOT PURSUIT!, SPRING BREAK!
(4126 N Commercial) Arguably the best horror sequel of all time--and when I say "arguably," I mean to say "I will argue with you to the death about this"--Halloween II finds our hermaphroditic heroine Laurie (Jamie Lee Curtis) the day after the original Mike Myers massacre, drugged-out and fucked-up in a Haddonfield hospital. Invariably, nurses are seduced, sexed, and slaughtered before crazy Dr. Loomis (Donald Pleasence) can put an end to Mike Myers' madnessÉ or so it seems. This, of course, has absolutely nothing to do with the show that you are so patiently waiting for me to address--except that Jonny X and the Groadies are somehow making the cognitive leap between today (spooky Friday the 13th) and that other day (spooky October 31st) with a sun-baked, Christmas-in-July-style Halloween celebration--costumes mandatory. The Groadies are joined by Baltimore's patient, creeping Goths Abiku, and Southern California's emphatic Hot Pursuit! and Spring Break! ZP

MARAH, LEWI LONGMIRE BAND
(Berbati's Pan, 10 SW 3rd) See Music Pg 19

RICHMOND FONTAINE, GRAND CHAMPEEN, TRACKER
(Dante's, 1 SW 3rd) It's a disservice to slap the alt-country label on Richmond Fontaine and automatically isolate them from an enormous potential audience. The band has the classic combination of tight, well-crafted music and exquisite lyrics all powered with raw emotion and excitement. Sure, there's a pedal steel, and they sound a bit like Whiskeytown, but that doesn't mean they're like the Eagles. Their album Post To Wire, which came out in January, is full of all the dark lyricism for which they're known. If that's not enough for you, Tracker will be opening. Hopefully they'll be playing some songs off of their soon to be released soundtrack to Blankets, the massive graphic novel by Craig Thompson. Yes, a soundtrack for a comic book. Expect atmospheric, layered tunes with ambient leanings. M. WILLIAM HELFRICH

BITE OF OREGON FEATURING: THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS, DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE, PEDRO THE LION AND MORE
(Tom McCall Waterfront Park) Though the world stopped paying any attention when I was about 11 (with most fans following suit around six years ago), They Might Be Giants have lately been experiencing a sort of productive renaissance--releasing a half dozen albums and EPs since the turn of the century. Which, honestly, may not bode well for the majority of tonight's audience--as god knows no one's going to this show amped to hear the theme song from Malcolm In the Middle. The Johns are bright fellows, though, and I'm sure we can count on a few trips down middle school lane before the night's over. ZP See My! What a Busy Week! Pg 17

SCHOOL OF ROCK
(Nocturnal, 1800 E Burnside) See Destination Fun Pg 15

SPICE 1, MANIAC LOK, TRAGEDY, KAN'T B. CAUGHT, INTRINZIK
(Roseland, 8 NW 6th) Nihilistic and obscenely prolific--Spice 1 has, in 2004 alone, released three proper albums and a compilation. The Oakland rapper and former Too $hort protégé began his career in earnest with 1992's self-titled bloodbath--a more terrifying celebration of violence, anger, and sexism than nearly any other record in the gangsta rap cannon--until its follow-up, 1993's 187 He Wrote. After another dozen or so records, Spice 1 performs tonight with the likes of Tragedy and Kan't B. Caught. ZP

SATURDAY 8/14

AWESOMEFEST FEATURING ACCEPTANCE, GATSBY'S AMERICAN DREAM, KANE HODDER, AKIMBO, KISSING TIGERS AND MANY MORE
(Meow Meow, 320 SE 2nd) Am I wrong when I say that the Gatsby's American Dream song "The Badlands" sounds a whole lot like the Eagles? GAD's Nic Newsham even steps back from his usual whiny howl to offer the same sort of soft roughness that Eagles vocalist Don Henley is known for. Hmmm. I think someone borrowed a lot of Daddy's records before going into the studio. Or maybe I'm just crazy? Either way, rejuvenating the old seems to be working out for them, because Gatsby's shows never fail to be filled to capacity, and the band just got signed to Fearless Records. Also in signing news, Gatsby's current tour-mates, Acceptance, have recently inked a deal with Columbia and will release their major-label debut early next year. MEGAN SELING

BIG BROTHER & THE HOLDING COMPANY
(Berbati's Pan, 10 SW 3rd) I admit it, until recently I didn't have ANY fever for the flavor of BB&HCo. Then I FINALLY "listened" to their records--without an "Ug--here comes that screechy hippie singin'," attitude and I heard, NOT an Etta James wanna-be, but rather a great band playin' some of the BEST, and important, West Coast psychedelic and "friends of Mary Jane" blues! I got itÉ and now I dig it. OKAY!? BB&HCo have reformed off and on since the late '80s and have been playing here and there, even issuing a few new LPs along the way. Well, they reformed again and are touring, with a new front lady, and, tho' the fellas are sporting gray hair (where it ain't fell out)--as a band BB&HCo are STILL ablaze with the ferocity of a fire intentionally set sometime in 1965! MIKE NIPPER

DAVID J, UPSIDEDOWN, THE OUT CROWD, JACKIE
(Ohm, 31 NW 1st) Former Bauhaus/Love and Rockets dude David J. has seen some interesting times. But now, living in Southern California's pastoral North County San Diego and doing damn well as a solo artist, DJ, writer, producer, and painter, he seems at his most contented. His newest music--introspective glam-ish folk--feels like a man who's finally satisfied with his place on Earth. (The fact that 5,001,192 goth kids worldwide trainspot his every move doesn't hurt either.) Stick around for hometown glams The Upsidedown. It's their CD release party and you know how you like parties. AG

DJ WICKED CD RELEASE
(Momo's, 725 SW 10th) While the expression MILF (Mom I'd like to fuck) was something I heard ping-ponging around the seventh grade, I'm not going to dismiss DJ Wicked just for using this immature acronym in his new album title (Got Milf?). Why? Because DJ Wicked seems genuinely obsessed with MILFs, generously offering the first 25 MILFs to show up at his CD release a disc. (Listen up MILFs, remember to bring a picture of your kid!). Also, he does his absolute best to get MILFs dancing and drinking by mixing old school faves like Blondie, Prince, and Madonna with his skillful scratching, blending, and remixing. KS

HELL'S BELLES, I CAN LICK ANY SOB IN THE HOUSE, MOS GENERATOR
(Dante's, 1 SW 3rd) I've always wanted to like AC/DC, but the whole weapon's grade misogyny steez bummed me out. See, I can't vouch for a band that treats more than half our population like mindless meat awaiting their all-holy hot beef injection. It doesn't fly, and that's why Hell's Belles feels so subversive. These are ladies covering AC/DC, ladies that can play their instruments, sing, scream, and sound just as good--if not better--than the aging Aussies themselves. AND they aren't looking at the double-X chromosomes in the audience as nothin' more than triple-X cum receptacles. AG

OLDOMINION, SLEEP, SIREN'S ECHO, BISHOP, SMOKE, PALE SOUL, JFK, DJ KEZ
(Ash Street, 225 SW Ash) Welcome home your old hiphop pals Old Dominion from tour, and don't miss the opening performance from the all-female Siren's Echo, the pioneering Portland female hiphop outfit whose combination of sassy whip-smart lyrical deliveries and turntable backbone have a tendency to convert their audiences for keeps. MS

SUNDAY 8/15

JULIA FORDHAM
(Aladdin, 3017 SE Milwaukie) An impressively versatile vocalist, British singer/songwriter Julia Fordham duets with both India.Arie and Joe Henry on 2002's Concrete Love. Her smoky delivery and flawless phrasing place Fordham among her generation's most seductive singers, though she's never attracted the audiences Norah Jones currently commands. A cautious "come away with me" might engage more mainstream ears than a throaty "take me now," but Fordham's edgier act has struck a chord with other artists and a relatively small yet fervent following during her seven-album career. AM

JOHN TCHICAI TRIO
(Disjecta, 120 NE Russell) See Music Pg 21

THE WAXWINGS, BINARY DOLLS, MARTYN LEAPER
(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) Detroit's Waxwings seem like a mild-mannered band, its tunes ingrained with sugary '60s chamber-pop hooks that fall just on the poignant side of precious. So it's surprising that this unassuming quartet inspired one of the most vitriolic record-label-owner rants in recent memory. Furious about the group's profanity-packed encore at its record-release party, and its inability to generate White-Stripe-type hype, Bobsled Records founder Bob Salerno lambasted the Waxwings in a garrulous garroting that circulated on the internet. The surly Salerno, perhaps exhausted after his emotional outburst, spent little time promoting the group's 2002 album Shadows of the Waxwings, which disappeared into ill-deserved obscurity. Despite its down-slanting title, the band's just-released Let's Make Our Descent sees its fortunes on the upswing, with Rainbow Quartz providing an accepting home for its warm distortion-fuzzy sounds. AM

MONDAY 8/16

THE DICKIES
(Sabala's Mt. Tabor, 4811 SE Hawthorne Blvd) When I think of all the '70s punkers that were full of campy sass and cheek, the Dickies are the absolute KINGS! They put the pun in punk! Seriously, they wrote the best, FUN fucking songs that were loaded with hilarity and sideways, not-so-obvious "Fuck off, you square-assed hippie a-hole rock jerks!"--broad smiling, chummy "fuck offs," of course. And all they had to do was punk up their hooky, silly songs and toss in some live "theatrics" (thanks to Genesis! I swear it's true!) in the late '70sÉ when mustaches weren't ironic and "rock" was decidedly NOT funny! MN

RACETRACK, ANCILLE, DAVID & GOLIATH, THE IF/THEN STATEMENT
(Twilight Café, 1420 SE Powell Blvd) The clock is ticking for Racetrack. When you hear the record they just made with Chris Walla (of Death Cab For Cutie)--on tape (of all things) and in record time--they're going to be your favorite band. Why wait, though, when you can see them rock out live ahead of time? Fans of NW power pop whose indierock melodic strains can't subdue the fury of the driving beat (one could mention Flop without going too far afield, though Superchunk seems to be the operative influence) should flock to this band. SEAN NELSON

TUESDAY 8/17

GLADHOUSE, EL CAPITAN, SWEETNESS
(Tonic Lounge, 3100 NE Sandy Blvd) By contrast, the future seems open wide for Portland's Gladhouse, who will release its full-length debut In Memory of Flying at this show. Like Elliott Smith, the city's patron saint of sorrow, this piano-peppered pop trio crafts engaging melodies that initially obscure the dejected lyrics. Also like Smith, Gladhouse provides song titles that act as a decoder ring; "Heartache in Mine" and "Dry Your Eyes Little Star" make it easier to recognize that these achingly beautiful compositions will leave a salty tear-trace aftertaste. AM

LOVELY, THE FMS, CART!
(Twilight Café, 1420 SE Powell Blvd) Lovely's songs follow a pleasant wave like progression, using low-fi guitar sounds and the singer's sultry Blondie-like attitude to create something cool and listenable, if a little rough around the edges. Cart! plays fun, enthusiastic mathy rock, that's always worth catching, especially for friggin' free. KS

WEDNESDAY 8/18

THE RACE, TALK DEMONIC, OLD CANES, QUIET COUNTRIES
(Berbati's Pan, 10 SW 3rd) The Race offer a fuzzy blanket of moody, introspective, electronic-flecked pop, crooning like Radiohead-meets-the-Saddle Creek catalog on their latest record, If You Can. The songs move at the pace of a breakup that refuses to end, and the vocals waver between somber explanation and expressions of slight hope, but steady beats and soft-loud guitar dynamics keep the Race out of the realm of sorry self-pity, instead finding beauty in sadness. JENNIFER MAERZ

RADIO BERLIN, SIBERIA, HUSTLER WHITE, KNOCK IT CLOSER
(Grand Central Bowl, 808 SE Morrison) In case you just can't wait for the Rapture show next week, might I suggest this performance by Vancouver's needlessly referential Radio Berlin. I don't know, maybe they can get away with this sort of thing up there in Canada, but here in the U.S. of A, we don't really tolerate this kind of train-jumping. I mean, you don't see a bunch of mediocre disco punk bands trying to pass themselves of as legitimate musicians in this country, do you? Ahem. ZP

PATTI SMITH AND HER BAND
(Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside) See Music Pg 19