THURSDAY 9/16
RATATAT, DOM, BOBBY BIRDMAN
(Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside) See My, What a Busy Week!
RATATAT AFTERPARTY: RATATAT (DJ SET), RUDE DUDES
(Rotture, 315 SE 3rd) See My, What a Busy Week!
LES McCANN WITH THE JAVON JACKSON BAND
(Jimmy Mak's, 221 NW 10th) Even now, 41 years after it was recorded at the Montreux Jazz Festival, Les McCann and Eddie Harris' version of "Compared to What" sounds like it's exploding in your ears. With Harris' free-flowing horn, Donald Dean's snare drum cracks, and McCann's sandpaper-soul vocals—the moment where he exclaims "goddamn it!" still gives goose bumps—it's pretty much a perfect recording, the sound of lightning being captured onto magnetic tape. So it's little wonder it became a civil rights anthem, and its pioneering hybrid of jazz, funk, and soul have become McCann's lasting legacy. The prolific jazzman suffered a stroke in the '90s, but he thankfully bounced back, and for two nights he performs at this small Portland jazz club. McCann is the very definition of living legend. Don't miss it. NED LANNAMANN
MONARQUES, AND AND AND,
THE SHIVAS
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) Portland's very own Monarques are gracefully packaging the most familiar elements of classic pop, born back in creaky 1950s high school gymnasiums and spun at 45 revolutions per minute, and delivering them at a speed that our modern shoulders can sway to. It's true that typical Portland showgoers may be some of the most immobile in the country—our dancing feet are highly susceptible to waterlogging—but it's rare you'll catch a performance by this band that hasn't sent the better part of the crowd into some frenzied two-step, hands in the air, haphazardly clapping along. And while it's exciting to learn that the seven-piece has recently crammed into the studio to set their exuberant doo-wop to tape, it's difficult to imagine all of the other cities we'll have to share them with once their debut full-length is out in the world. Rave on, Monarques. RAQUEL NASSER
BREAKIN' SCREENING: HORNET LEG, SOFT PAWS, ORCA TEAM, THE GOLDEN HOURS
(Mission Theater, 1624 NW Glisan) Long before its sequel force fed the term "Electric Boogaloo" into the pop culture lexicon, Breakin' introduced breakdancing (plus cameos from a young Ice-T and Jean-Claude Van Damme) to the mainstream masses. Now you can watch Ozone and Turbo do their thing along with sets from a slew of local bands. While they are more beach blanket boogie than pop and lock, Orca Team offer an endlessly joyful take on stripped-bare '60s pop, while K Records' Hornet Leg reinterpret punk and blues through the nervous howl of frontman Chris Sutton. What do the bands have to do with a breakdancing flick from the '80s? Who cares? Just sit back, relax, and leave your cardboard at home, b-boy. EZRA ACE CARAEFF
FRIDAY 9/17
SUPERNATURE: COPY, TRUCKASAURAS, E*ROCK, DJ BJ
(Rotture, 315 SE 3rd) See My, What a Busy Week!
Y LA BAMBA, BROTHERS YOUNG, AH HOLLY FAM'LY
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) Read our article on Y La Bamba.
LES MCCANN WITH THE JAVON JACKSON BAND
(Jimmy Mak's, 221 NW 10th) See Thursday's listing.
WE MADE THESE SONGS RELEASE SHOW: THEE HEADLINERS, PALO VERDE, KUSIKIA, HEY LOVER, SWALLOWS, MAGIC JOHNSON
(Branx, 320 SE 2nd) In 2006, Swallows drummer Jon Miller put together the We Made This Portland festival, and tonight celebrates the release of the brand-new We Made These Songs compilation album. Exclusively pressed on vinyl, We Made These Songs is home to 10 new tunes from six Portland bands, including a couple great poppy trashbeats from Hey Lover, an extended sludge jam from Palo Verde, and a rockabilly-tinged boozer from Thee Headliners. All six bands on the comp perform tonight—most significantly, Miller's band Swallows, whose excellent three-song contribution is among the record's most subtle music. Tonight also marks Swallows' final gig, as the duo of Miller and singer/guitarist Em Brownlowe are going separate ways. Come tonight to celebrate the release of a stellar comp, and to say goodbye to a stellar band. NL
CLOUD CULT, MIMICKING BIRDS
(Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell) In 1997, Cloud Cult frontman Craig Minowa and his wife/bandmate, Connie, built Earthology Records on their organic farm in Minnesota—an environmentally friendly utopia made from recycled materials and powered by geothermal energy. Even their CD packaging is made with recycled paper. But Cloud Cult are more than hippie throwbacks playing folky songs with preachy lyrics about preserving our dear mother. Minowa is obsessed with death. Or life, as it were. Since the unexpected passing of their son in 2002, Minowa has written a string of songs dealing with the grief of loss, and the hopefulness of life. All the way through their latest release Light Chasers, Cloud Cult's music sounds like life—chaotic, soothing, joyous, meandering—filled with layers and never afraid of coming off as ridiculous. Does it leave any doubt that the best place to experience this band is in the live setting? MARK LORE
DANAVA, GET HUSTLE, RABBITS
(Someday Lounge, 125 NW 5th) Sometimes there is a band that pushes the boundaries of your body. You want to dance, bang your head, or scream, but none of those things could express the feeling you get from their music. Your pores seem to widen, your heart swells, and you get goose bumps. Danava is that band for me. Their songs are a bright, shining beacon for everything heavy rock once was, and still can be, and their proggy '70s throwback sensibilities never seem like rock revisionism. The acrobatic riffs of Gregory Meleney (guitar/vocals) and Zachariah Dellorto Blackwell (bass) fill every song, building each one into a soaring, orgasmic explosion of rock and roll ecstasy. Danava has been in hiding for a year seasoning their new members Matt Oliver (drums) and Andrew Forgash (rhythm guitar), and their return promises to unlock realms of musical pleasure the likes of which you've never experienced. Are you as horny as I am right now? ARIS WALES
DAVID DYAS, THEMES, YOU ARE PLURAL, GREAT OCEAN
(Ella Street Social Club, 714 SW 20th Pl) Unless you cut your teeth in the Minneapolis DIY scene, chances are the name Jacy McIntosh means nothing to you. But for Twin Cities alums, and the faithful few that witnessed McIntosh front the jittery post-rock of End Transmission, the man is a bit of a legend. With guerilla tours, self-released records, and about a billion other side projects, McIntosh is a lifer. Themes is his latest and most-grounded venture, a duo created in Santa Rosa, refined in Minneapolis, and now finally settled here in Portland. Along with co-vocalist Kelsey Crawford, Themes create wildly inventive, if not delightfully skewed, ballads for the heavy hearted. Even better is their recent "The Soldier Trade" 7-inch, featuring a B-side remix with rhymes courtesy of backpacking emcee P.O.S., which might be the perfect blend of moody indie rock and fractured hiphop flow. EAC
DRAGGING AN OX THROUGH WATER , HAMMER OF HATHOR
(The Woods, 6637 SE Milwaukie) Angular, repetitive loops of seemingly whatever instruments were on hand. EPs recorded on the fly and distributed via cassette tape. Hammer of Hathor is Luddite free-jazz that is decidedly hard to love. Mark Kaylor and Heather Vergotis must know that inaccessibility looks good on them because the couple—both veteran musicians—play with the assuredness of friends with an inside joke. Like their billmate, Brian Mumford (Dragging an Ox Through Water), Kaylor and Vergotis are agreeable and talented enough to make their strange musical world a nice place to visit—even if that inside joke might be on you. DAVE BOW
THE VIBRATORS, THE DETONATORS, SHOCK TROOPS, CELEBRITY GRAVES
(Ash Street Saloon, 225 SW Ash) "Mmm, you're so pretty/Not to talk to you would be a crime/Aah, let me put my arms around you/Just wanna use up a little of your time/And I go/Baby baby baby/Baby baby baby/Baby baby baby/Won't you be my girl." Any self-respecting rocker has heard "Baby Baby" probably, oh, what, 352 times? It's a classic, as are the Vibrators. Some people think the Sex Pistols invented punk, but a gentleman named Ian "Knox" Carnochan (after he cut his long hair) was right there alongside Rotten & Co. He was there at the 100 Club Punk Special in 1976. He was there, headlining the Roxy in '77. I'm not sure what the Vibrators have been doing for the past three decades, but missing "Baby Baby" live, well, it would be a crime. KELLY O
SATURDAY 9/18
BLOCKHEAD, SIGNALPATH, NOCANDO, DJ BIOSONIK, MR. WU
(Refuge, 116 SE Yamhill) See My, What a Busy Week!
CASIOTONE FOR THE PAINFULLY ALONE, OTOUTO, OZARKS, CONCERN
(The Artistery, 4315 SE Division) Read our article on Casiotone for the Painfully alone.
EFTERKLANG, BUKE AND GASS
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) Can we consider Efterklang a local band? I suppose not, except on a technicality: Among the auxiliary musicians who augment the Danish quartet in the live format are former (and future?) Portlanders—and siblings—Peter Broderick and Heather Woods Broderick. It's a testament to how incredible Efterklang's music is that the Brodericks dedicate their time to it: They're both in-demand session musicians with remarkable solo careers of their own—Heather Woods Broderick's album From the Ground, in particular, is among the most exquisite local releases in recent memory. But now Efterklang's got 'em in their wily Danish clutches, and it makes perfect sense: The band is dynamite, with both complicated and gorgeously simple musical passages finding common ground between high art and pop. Meanwhile, Brooklyn duo Buke and Gass are exactly what their name says: the "buke" is a modified baritone ukulele, played by singer Arone Dyer, and the "gass" is a guitar-bass combo played by Aron Sanchez while he's doing double duty on the bass drum. Expect plenty of low-strung strings, heavy foot stomping, and intricate, near-mathy passages. NL
EZRA CAREY, THE ASCETIC JUNKIES, RAVISHERS
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) Sad songs just sound better... at least, they do when sung by local troubadour Ezra Carey. As part of the Timber Carnival Records showcase, Carey will be debuting material from his latest, a digital EP entitled Death Psalms. Seemingly unrelated to the (remade) vampire film of the same title, "Let Me In" is a soulful and boozy ballad that quickly takes a dark turn, which is fitting since all the songs on the EP center around something Carey refers to as the "death process." All in attendance will be given a download card for Death Psalms, but before handing them out it might be good to file down the edges some: After hearing these songs, you'll want to avoid all sharp edges for a while. EAC
WILLIE NELSON, RYAN BINGHAM AND THE DEAD HORSES,
(Edgefield, 2126 SW Halsey, Troutdale) With the exception of the IRS, who could possibly not like Willie Nelson? The Red-Headed Stranger is on his career victory lap right now, and to merely glance over the amount of living this man has crammed into his 77 years on Earth is an awe-inspiring experience. There's his early songwriting days, his outlaw country stint, his flirtation with contemporary pop, his penchant for smoking more weed than Cheech, Chong, Snoop, and Spicoli combined... the list goes on and on. While contemporary country divides, Nelson unites, and has joined Merle Haggard as the lone living country icon adored by both peaceniks and rednecks alike. Gingers too. He's like a freakin' god to those people. EAC
SUNDAY 9/19
THE DO-OVER
(Produce Row, 204 SE Oak) See My, What a Busy Week!
CASIOTONE FOR THE PAINFULLY ALONE, OTOUTO, KEY LOSERS
(The Wail, 5135 NE 42nd) Read our article on Casiotone for the Painfully alone
THE DØ
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) Finnish-French duo the Dø (sounds like "dough") have finally seen the Stateside release of their two-plus-years-old debut A Mouthful, which hit number one in France, joining the esteemed company of rapping baby Jordy. Its high points are pretty damn terrific, with singles "At Last!" and "On My Shoulders" providing just the perfect blend of chirpy and mopey. There's also some oddball stuff—playground chants, ukulele plucking, even some rap (don't worry, it's better than Jordy)—that makes the record a bit of a hodgepodge. Still, the duo has harnessed some really great sounds and I kind of have no idea what to expect from them in the live setting. They're going to need an army to replicate this music in front of an audience. NL
JOAN SEBASTIAN
(Memorial Coliseum, 300 Winning Way) Mexican troubadour Joan Sebastian (he's a he, despite the name) might very well be the greatest entertainer that ever lived. Not because his music is any good—it's typical ranchera Latin pop fluff—but because he sings his songs on horseback. That's right, he performs from atop a horse as it trots around the arena. Suck on that, Lady Gaga. NL
MONDAY 9/20
PANTHA DU PRINCE, THE SIGHT BELOW, GULLS
(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) See My, What a Busy Week!, and Read our article on Pantha du Prince.
TUESDAY 9/21
NAUTICAL ALMANAC, DANIEL HIGGS, MONOPOLY CHILD STAR SEARCHERS, DIAMOND CATALOG
(The Artistery, 4315 SE Division) You may know Daniel Higgs from his incantatory songifying with beloved mantra-rock band Lungfish, the crown jewel of Dischord Records. Higgs established himself as a poet of romance ("Love Will Ruin Your Mind" is the truth) and mysticism over 11 albums with that band and then embarked on a solo career that veered down stranger paths. On albums for the Holy Mountain and Thrill Jockey labels (Metempsychotic Melodies on the former gets the highest recommendation), Higgs stakes out a severe, intense, itinerant-loner brand of folk troubadourism and cracked-preacher testifying that carry a mesmerizing authority. Even when he goes on (and on) about God (see the new banjo- and harmonium-heavy Say God), Higgs is riveting. Plus, he can play a mean Jew's harp—and draw a wicked tattoo, should the occasion arise. DAVE SEGAL
SWEET ROCK PARTY, LITTLE VOLCANO
(Ella Street Social Club, 714 SW 20th Pl) It would be easy to typecast the ladies of Little Volcano for their all-female presence in the often über-masculine world of rock and roll and embrace them as little more than a novelty act. But that would sell short this quartet of musicians, who, since forming at the beginning of this year (their inception is described as "love at first note"), have shown Portland their talent via their debut EP Precious Beast. The four-song EP is anchored by the soulful-voiced Elizabeth Hendrix alongside the crunchy guitar work of Melanie Hindman, and acts as a nice halfway point between raw garage rock and soulful punk-influenced blues. MARANDA BISH
WEDNESDAY 9/22
LABELMATES: PARENTHETICAL GIRLS, SELECTOR DUB NARCOTIC, COMMUNITY LIBRARY DJS, DJ MAGIC BEANS, DJ HOT AIR BALLOON, DJ GIGANTE
(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) See My, What a Busy Week!
HANSON, A ROCKET TO THE MOON
(Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell) Read our article on Hansen.
