IT’S AUGUST. It’s hot. The summertime festivals have let
up, making way for the lazy dog days of summer. Last year, Jon
Barron—who instigated the notorious Slabtown Bender—teamed
up with booker Zach King to bring the first SMMR BMMR to SE Powell, a
full day of rock, punk, and garage that began in the afternoon at BC’s
American Saloon and ended in the wee hours down the street at the
Twilight Café. Barron and King hosted DMMR BMMR, a winter
version of the fest, at East End this past January, and now the SMMR
BMMR returns over a triumphant three days, with free afternoon matinee
shows at BC’s and $12 evening shows at Rotture (or a $28 weekend pass;
see smmrbmmr.com for full
schedule).
Some of the country’s finest garage acts are coming to Portland to
play the BMMR, including San Francisco’s Thee Oh Sees (who, by many
accounts, stole the show from Jay Reatard at Dante’s in June), and
Omaha’s Box Elders, whose excellent debut album, Alice and
Friends, was just released by Goner Records. The BMMR also
showcases hometown favorites like the legendary Pierced Arrows, along
with relative newcomers like Meth Teeth, whose catchy, twin-guitar
nuggets grace their long-awaited debut full-length, Everything Went
Wrong, the release of which is being celebrated at their BMMR show.
Here are some of our additional picks for the weekend.
Personal and the Pizzas
Personal and the Pizzas are a joyfully sleazy Jersey trio that bash
out raw garage pop and punk—yet not necessarily
pop-punk—with a similar goofy flair to our very own the Mean
Jeans. Their finest song, “Tearjerker,” sounds like Joey Ramone had his
wish for a teenage lobotomy come true; a mumbled yet catchy number that
would do the finest band from Forest Hills, Queens, proud. Forget DDT;
Personal and the Pizzas will keep you happy tonight. (Rotture, Sun
Aug 23, 10:40 pm)
Sic Alps
Although they’ve spent time on a pair of “It”
labels—Siltbreeze, Slumberland—Sic Alps went with another
noble suitor, Drag City, for the re-release of their double LP A
Long Way Around to a Shortcut (out this week). Long Way captures the California duo’s lower-than-lo-fi sound masterfully, while
tossing in a few covers of some obvious influences (Strapping
Fieldhands) and some less than obvious ones as well (Throbbing
Gristle). With Sic Alps you’ll hear the stoned strut of Royal Trux, the
fuzzy pop flair of early GBV, plus some mild psychedelic leanings, but
beneath all that are some wonderfully crafted songs that are uniquely
their own. (Rotture, Fri Aug 21, 9:20 pm)
Fergus and Geronimo
Arguably one the finest gems in the SMMR BMMR goldmine, Denton,
Texas’ Fergus & Geronimo do not create “faux soul indie faggotry”
(despite what their MySpace description proclaims). Instead they are a
lively lot of pop enthusiasts that borrow just enough from bubbly twee
and vintage garage rock. Steeped in wondrous harmonies and a subtle
Motown influence—hence the “soul” mention in their
self-deprecating tag—their Harder Than it’s Ever Been 7-inch is definitely worth a monetary exchange at the merch table.
Also, their Andrew Savage does time in Teenage Cool Kids, who are
playing earlier in the day. Someone buy that man a drink for pulling
double duty. (Rotture, Sat Aug 22, 10:40 pm)