THURSDAY 8/4

ADOLESCENTS, THE BRIGGS, ANGEL CITY OUTCASTS, DEK (Loveland, 320 SE 2nd Ave) Way back when, if you skated, odds are you'da been "skating and destroying" to the Adolescents--and though it sounds uncomfortably square now, they're still one of the few honestly classic SoCal hardcore bands.And even though they didn't continue through the '80s, their first LP was and is a fucking benchmark. Well, now they're touring on their first proper LP in like, 15 years, OC Confidential--which, THANK GOD, sounds and FEELS like the old Adolescents. Today's "kids" have no concept of how desperate and reactionary that generation was--in the '80s, bands like the Adolescents were revolutionary simply because they existed. As contemporary punk has assimilated pop culture's self-consciousness it's has been rendered vapid--there's no need for immediacy or revolution at the mall. Somehow, sounding exactly the same makes the Adolescents relevant again. MIKE NIPPER

OLD TIME RELIJUN, THE PLANET THE, …WORMS, JOE VAN APPEN'S WEIRD 1 MAN SHOW (Berbati's Pan, 10 SW 3rd) See Music, pg 23

TELEPHONE, THE KINGDOM, INVISIBLE (Dante's, 1 SW 3rd) Celebrating the one-year anniversary of the Mercury/Thrasher Presents Low Dough series--a weekly round-up of local and regional talent at Dante's on the cheap--returning locals the Kingdom and Invisible welcome Low Dough newcomers Telephone in a perfect local warm up for tomorrow's PDX POP NOW! festival, which seems to be otherwise crushing this week's local concert calendar. ZAC PENNINGTON

TRUCKSTOP HONEYMOON (Laurelthirst Pub, 2958 NE Glisan) This one is for all y'all poncey hipster alt-country posers AND everyone else that has a fever for the flavor of something decidedly SPICY! Dig, like getting hit in the face with a wet dodgeball on a cold morning... it's Truckstop Honeymoon! Hell yes!! Seriously, you'll wanna break out the bootleg corn mash for these folks 'cause when they arrive it WILL be time to get it ON! Okay, from the deepest, dankest crawdaddy infested levees of Southern Louisiana comes a skewed, one of a kind for damn SURE, husband and wife old-time hillbilly duo that will rip a new HEE in that HAW you may know as your ASS! Shit, the onlyest thing they ain't got is a song about ninjas, but I'm sure they'd oblige you one if you ask! MN

THANKSGIVING CD RELEASE FEATURING CACTUS FLOWER WONDERLAND BAND, THE BIG HUGE, LARKNESS GRIMM, MISE EN ABYME (Oak Street Building, 425 SE 3rd Ave #403) Adrian Orange--teenager, Marriage Records label co-head, and the man who does the everything for the band Thanksgiving--recently completed an album that sprawls across three LPs (red, white, and blue vinyl, no less), and which is soon to be co-released by Marriage and Microphone Phil Elverum's Anacortes-based label, P.W. Elverum & Sun. In the time between that record's completion and its manufacture, Orange apparently got bored and decided to pump out yet another record, this one entitled Cave Days and Moments. Tonight we celebrate that record's release on the fourth floor of the endlessly romantic Oak Street Building in industrial Southeast. ZP

FRIDAY 8/5

BRO GENDER FLY FASHION SHOW BENEFIT WITH T-REXXXA, THE DEL TOROS, CATHOLE (Bossanova, 722 E Burnside) Whether you love Basic Rights Oregon isn't the issue. It's whether you love clothes and love to rock. Check local 'tude rockers the Del Toros and their chirpy, dirty girl punk rock, plus hot models, rocking fashions from Naked City, a Sissyboy drag-tastic showcase, and hiphop duo BK+D-Lo. It's a smorgasbord for the senses, and the fact that you're supporting equal rights doesn't hurt. KS

I WANT YOUR MUSIC TO FUCK MY SOUL FEATURING MARK EVAN BURDEN, DJ ASSCLAP, SEX WITH GIRLS, POCKET PARADE, INCA ORE, REDBIRD (Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) See My, What a Busy Week! pg 19

LOVELY, GOODTIME GIL AND THE CHAMPAGNE COWBOYS, THE NICE BOYS (Dante's, 1 SW 3rd) Though many bands are, at present, channeling an AC/DC-worshippin', adolescent rock 'n' roll fantasy, there is not a better delegate from the nation of rawk than Portland's very own fantastically far-fetched, stripper chasin', shit-talkin', microphone straddlin', and letter "g" obsoletin', Lovely. To this well-coifed crü, rock 'n' roll is not a mere catchphrase, but a righteous middle finger to fascism, authority, and sobriety. In fairness, the band's hyper-stylish get-up, complete with mascara, leather, velvet, and denim may be a bit too 1988 Sunset Strip for some. But watching them re-imagine a golden age of gold-top Les Paul's performed with Slashtastic virtuosity is enough to melt the heart (and face) of even the most hardened critic. KIP BERMAN

PDX POP NOW! FEATURING VIVA VOCE, 31KNOTS, THE BLOW, CHEVRON, CHARM PARTICLES AND MORE (Loveland, 320 SE 2nd Ave) See Schedule, pg 10-11

RADIO VAGO, THE CELLAR DOOR, SOYLENT GRINGO (Berbati's Pan, 10 SW 3rd) LA's Radio Vago is a female dominated group with flinty vocals and slightly menacing but radio friendly pop instrumentation. Their most exciting aspect is that they reach into retro cat screeches worthy of any ballad-producing metal band ever shot in snakeskin on Sunset Boulevard by MTV. Which leads us into their least exciting aspect, which is that their hearkening of a pseudo theater rock's most hollow genericisms only doubles the decibel of the echo. MARJORIE SKINNER

ROLLERBALL, SIX FOOT SLOTH, REMORA (Anthem Records, 832 SE 34th) Tonight is a great chance to receive a free object lesson on how to keep musical families together. Six Foot Sloth are local indierock patriarchs of sorts, managing to keep the flame alive for years now despite at times appearing more like a temp agency than a band. Their more recent live material has risen the Sloth out of their well-honed mopiness and into more buoyant, pop-fueled territories. I've waxed poetic about Rollerball's musical merits quite a few times in these pages, so I won't start up again except to say that even if you've checked them out before, those kids just get better and better. JOSH BLANCHARD

SATURDAY 8/6

BLITZEN TRAPPER, TRACKER, ROBERT DEEBLE, LEVATOR, JEFF LONDON (Berbati's Pan, 10 SW 3rd) Three low-key, no-name touring bands get the short end of PDX POP's oppressively long stick--an otherwise reasonable six-dollar price tag made somehow ridiculous by the fact that sonically erratic headliners are playing tomorrow for free, and just 'cross the bridge there's a ton of bands playing for free. The added prospect of Tracker's cinematic musings and alcohol close at hand come close to tipping the scales, but otherwise, I just feel bad for these poor dudes. ZP

BOSSANOVA'S FIRST BIRTHDAY FEATURING KOTO Y SOTO, THE DESERT ISLAND PLAYERS, DR. THEOPOLIS, DANTRONIX (Bossanova, 722 E Burnside) In the year since opening its doors, the Bossanova seems to have gone through a lot of growing pains--from "social club" to big time rock venue and back again--but with year one over, it's bound to feel like smooth sailing for a while. Tonight they celebrate their first birthday in style with, among others, the Desert Island Players, who'll attempt to recreate the Pixies' Doolittle in its entirety--an idea that is strange on a number of levels. First of all, the Pixies essentially already have this covered, and with their seemingly bottomless pockets, probably would have stopped off at the Bossanova themselves for a few bucks more. Second, don't the Pixies have a record called Bossanova? I mean, wouldn't that have made more sense? ZP

JUCIFER, KLEVELAND, PRETTY MONSTER, JACUZZI BROS (Dante's, 1 SW 3rd) The married couple of Ed Livengood and Amber Valentine that spit out the Athens, GA art-assault rock of Jucifer are a duo that other aspiring married couples/rock bands can take inspiration from (listen up Viva Voce). Not content to merely share their lives and their art, Jucifer have surrendered all possible hope of personal space and privacy by living together on the road, in the cozy confines of a Winnebago. The music that stems from this intense dynamic is, not surprisingly, brimming with frantic rage and intensity--a self-aware throwback to Helmet's finest hours. With "approximately 15 speaker cabinets and 7,000 watts of power" (so says the website), Jucifer absolutely thrash in the live setting, which I would think would be one very healthy way of working out the issues that surely must rise in their present domestic situation. JWS

PDX POP NOW! FEATURING THE SNUGGLE UPS, NICE NICE, NORFOLK & WESTERN, THE KINGDOM, AND MORE (Loveland, 320 SE 2nd Ave) See Schedule, pg 10-11

THE PURRS, THE OUT CROWD, THE SHRILLS (Towne Lounge, 714 SW 20th Place) I think the Shrills are the most improved band in town. However, unlike the N.B.A.--where a player would cherish an award that recognizes continued hard work and commitment--rock 'n' roll's "you care, but I don't care" attitude would probably make them feel a bit uneasy about such a distinction. Nonetheless, what once was a rather nondescript bar band is now--thanks no doubt to a prolonged commitment to growing their hair--a highly compelling neo-psychedelic ensemble, complete with requisite impossibly attractive tambourine/flute player, organ flourishes, and guitar jangle. If you're suspicious that they are just posturing, the sheer joy and earnestness with which they perform makes it quite apparent that they're doing this with heart and soul. Good stuff. KIP BERMAN

SUMMERCAMP FESTIVAL FEATURING DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE, BUILT TO SPILL, THE DECEMBERISTS, PEDRO THE LION, VIVA VOCE (Les Schwab Amphitheater, Bend) See My, What a Busy Week! pg 19

WE QUIT, DIFFERENCE ENGINE, CORPSEKISSER (IWW Hall, 614 E Burnside) We Quit are a native two piece who bang around like so many punk whatevs, their music forgettable but probably an okay project for parties and getting used to being in a band, with inklings of enthusiastic experimentation boding favor for the future. Something of a silly pairing with shoegazer outfit Difference Engine, they'll provide a nice blast of glee to counteract all the anxiety. MS

SUNDAY 8/7

BACON & EGG, BOOK OF MAPS, SOURCECODE (Sabala's Mt Tabor, 4811 SE Hawthorne) See My, What a Busy Week! pg 19

PDX POP NOW! FEATURING THE PLANET THE, TALK DEMONIC, BLITZEN TRAPPER, POINT JUNCTURE, WA, STRENGTH, AND MORE (Loveland, 320 SE 2nd Ave) See Schedule, pg 10-11

MONDAY 8/8

KOUFAX, LIMBECK, KISSING TIGERS, RESCUE (Berbati's Pan, 10 SW 3rd) SoCal ensemble Limbeck's latest record boasts songs like "Names for Dogs" (a charming meditation on the cyclical nature of life) and "People Don't Change" which display the catchy immediacy of emo, but with none of its off-putting, heart-on-the-sleeve ickiness. And I'm pretty sure they must be sticklers for details, because the album, produced by Gary Louris (the Jayhawks) and Ed Ackerson (Polara), was recorded on analog tape, not digitally, to ensure extra aural warmth. KURT B. REIGHLEY

THE YARD DOGS ROAD SHOW, EDDY JOE COTTON (Doug Fir Lounge, 830 E Burnside) Big-tent, traveling circuses are flailing, but the notion of circus itself is more popular than ever--it's just gone underground. Led by longtime train-hopper Eddy Joe Cotton (author of the memoir Hobo), the Yard Dogs Road Show is allegedly "proof that pockets of society still exist where the gypsy life is held in high esteem." Said proof manifests in "Hellvis," a fire-eating Elvis; Cotton himself, billed as "King of the Hobos" and performing "rambling gospel"; a collection of oddities dubbed the "Electric Side Show"; and more jug music than you can shake a salvaged washtub bass at. JWS

TUESDAY 8/9

HOCKEY NIGHT, DEL REY, TAPES N TAPES (Berbati's Pan, 10 SW 3rd) See Music, pg 21

TELEPATHE, GHOST TO FALCO, COUNTERFEIT MONSTERS (Food Hole, 20 NW 3rd) All the way from Brooklyn, the moodyand psychedelic girlsof Telepathe spark intense, surprising soundscapes that bring new tastes to post apocalyptic music. Their ghostly echoes also work to represent the war-torn universe we're involved in today--sort of like a sexy butoh, if butoh made a sound. Plus, the newish lineup of Ghost To Falco is totally all-star. Hide in the deep cavern of Food Hole--and don't run away when the lights shine. AMY VECCHIONE

THE THIEVES (Sabala's Mt Tabor, 4811 SE Hawthorne) Although they possess a slick, arena-ready sound, Oxford's the Thieves are heading to the slightly smaller confines of Sabala's tonight. Which just means the unbridled rock enthusiasm of their set of Who-meets-Oasis with a kick will be ultimately more tangible in a place where drinks are cheaper than stadium prices and anyone can grab errant guitar picks. JENNIFER MAERZ

HANK WILLIAMS III, JB BEVERLY & THE WAYWARD DRIFTERS (Dante's, 1 SW 3rd) It seemed like a given that by now, Hank III would be a full-blown country superstar phenomenon, but it's to his credit that he hasn't been sucked into the CMT morass. He's still working hard, playing straight-down-the-middle cow-punk that rocks super hard. And unlike certain other C&W legend offspring (no names, please), he's neither sucking up to the establishment nor plowing the hipster furrow. He's just keeping his head down and kicking ass. That's outlaw. SEAN NELSON

WEDNESDAY 8/10

KUFO ROCKFEST FEATURING DISTURBED, MUDVAYNE, TRIVIUM, SHADOWS FALL, IN FLAMES (Columbia Meadows, Hwy 30 to St. Helens) Whatever bands are playing, Rockfest is actually a good time. Of course it seems to have stumbled recently because the year I went there were like three stages, tons of bands, and Slipknot, Slayer, and Stone Temple Pilots were all on the bill. I know, not the MOST impressive lineup ever, but better than the aggro-but-sensitive bands Disturbed, Mudvayne, and El Nino. Anyway, headliner Disturbed's biggest claim to fame is that song where the singer barks like a wild animal, and Mudvayne does rock some fairly dope chugging guitar, but their lyrics are pretty sappy. I might just save myself the drive and the dough, fill up my kiddie pool, and sit in the backyard wearing cutoffs and listening to Appetite for Destruction. KS

THE PONYS, THE OCCASION, MISS ALEX WHITE (Doug Fir Lounge, 830 E Burnside) See Music, pg 23

ROLLERBALL, SIX FOOT SLOTH, REMORA, BILL HORIST (Berbati's Pan, 10 SW 3rd) See Friday's listing.

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (Rose Garden, 1 Winning Way) See It's Who You Know, pg 33

WHITE STRIPES, THE GREENHORNES (Keller Auditorium, SW 3rd & Clay) See Music, pg 21