WEDNESDAY 6/12

PARQUET COURTS, NAOMI PUNK, BLOOD BEACH
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) See My, What a Busy Week!

XRAY FEST: 31KNOTS, MADE FOR TV MOVIE, E*ROCK, DJ CHAMPAGNE JAM, DJ SAFI
(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) See My, What a Busy Week!

THE RIVERA, LESSER BANGS
(The Goodfoot, 2845 SE Stark) Tonight songwriter Josh Rivera debuts the new lineup of his band the Rivera, which has recently completed work on a new album, recorded onto tape at Jackpot! Studio with John Askew. The album won't be out until later this summer, but the preview single, "Midnight Choir," is enough to get me incredibly excited about what the Rivera have in store. A soulful, Springsteen-esque rocker ingrained with shiny strands of power-pop, "Midnight Choir" is a humming, buzzing, flat-out terrific anthem that's half desperation and half joy. It's guided by a missile-like lead guitar that basically solos through the entire thing, Thin Lizzy style, while the male/female backing vocals on the chorus (by Hunter Paye and Amelia Thornton) echo Brill Building auteurs Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich. Even though I've just been streaming it on Soundcloud, I bet "Midnight Choir" has already become one of my most played songs of 2013, and I only became aware of it two weeks ago. NED LANNAMANN

THURSDAY 6/13

THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS, MOON HOOCH
(Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside) See My, What a Busy Week!

XRAY FEST: KELLI SCHAEFER, THE BEAUTY, VIN BLANC, GHOST TO FALCO, NO MORE TRAIN GHOSTS, DJ BILL PORTLAND
(Union/Pine, 525 SE Pine) Read our article on Kelli Schaefer.

ELEANOR FRIEDBERGER, TEEN
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) An occupational hazard of being in a band with an exceptionally talented sibling—especially one as good as the Fiery Furnaces—is that folks will tend to perceive one of you as being the more gifted, the other as being the hanger-on. Matthew Friedberger has always been seen as the main Furnace, but Eleanor's solo career has proven that she is so much more than the lesser sibling in a buzz-worthy indie band. On 2011's Last Summer, and now with her just-released Personal Record, Friedberger's songwriting, instrumentation, and lyrics shine in new and unexpected ways. On this latest album, she collaborated with NPR darling John Wesley Harding, whose ironic worldview is perfectly tailored to Friedberger's self-aware subversion of singer/songwriter tropes. Meanwhile, Kristina Lieberson, formerly of Here We Go Magic, is responsible for the keyboard drones that serve as the backdrop for Teen's atmospheric vocals and complicated percussion. REBECCA WILSON

RICHMOND FONTAINE, IAN MOORE AND THE LOSSY COILS, THE GEODES
(Dante's, 350 W Burnside) Last month, Richmond Fontaine played a week's worth of stripped-down sets at Al's Den, but tonight they play their first full rock show in over a year and a half. Led by songwriter/author Willy Vlautin and with new bassist Freddy Trujillo in tow, Richmond Fontaine is nothing less than one of the greatest Portland bands of all time, and yes, I'm including the Wipers and Dead Moon. Traversing the wide, fascinating space between keening, melancholy country and shit-drunk bar rock, Richmond Fontaine hasn't turned in a dull record in more than 15 years of existence, and their last album, 2011's The High Country, was a fearlessly experimental radio play of sorts (don't let their laidback, drawling music fool you, it is one of the most ambitious records you'll hear). The possibility of hearing new Richmond Fontaine songs tonight is enough to get you in the door, but even if they don't play any, the old ones will do just fine. NL

AM AND SHAWN LEE, DON'T TALK TO THE COPS, ADVENTURE GALLEY
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) Shawn Lee is a phenomenal multi-instrumentalist who can play a zillion instruments in a zillion different styles. Check out his ever-expanding catalog for ample proof. Miles of Styles might be an opportune place to start; Tabla Rock—a clever track-by-track reinterpretation of the Incredible Bongo Band's breakbeat bonanza Bongo Rock—might be a fortuitous spot to end... but only temporarily, as more Lee-conceived music is surely coming. With guitarist/vocalist AM, Lee focuses his songwriting within a more accessible funk/pop framework, with occasional forays into reggae/dub (check the Sleng Teng riddim of "Two Times"). Their two albums together, Celestial Electric and La Musique Numérique, are slick, pro-studio-dude works that abound with big, honkin' hooks and in-the-pocket beats. The duo's sparkling, devotional cover of "Steppin' Out" surely will make Joe Jackson—and probably you—ecstatic. DAVE SEGAL

PELICAN OSSMAN, MONTGOMERY WORD, DRAMADY
(The Know, 2026 NE Alberta) After a very long hiatus, Dan Currin and Virginia Currin of Pelican Ossman are back with Quarantine, their debut for local label Ewe of Now. The 10 tracks of anti-folk musings are tighter and less serious seeming than their songs from last decade. Pelican Ossman are unconcerned with folk rock that stands under a pristine and lush banner. Rather, they strive for lo-fi authenticity, a specific bedraggled mood that is totally lacking in preciousness. Frankly, it's a breath of fresh air. But with all its murky guitars and fuzzy samples, Quarantine doesn't eschew prettiness: "War" and "Come Along" are both surprisingly lovely. Ewe of Now labelmate Montgomery Word's druggy R&B pastiches will follow Amanda Mason Wiles and Zacery Quintin Stanley, the talented multi-instrumentalists in Dramady. Produced live, their layered pop songs are as much an exercise in impressive choreography (each person plays several instruments at once) as they are in songwriting. RW

FRIDAY 6/14

LOVERS, ATOLE, COINS
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) See our Pride Guide.

GATHERING OF THE GOOFPUNX
(Various locations) See My, What a Busy Week!

PDX POP NOW! COMPILATION RELEASE: SAPIENT, SEAN FLINN AND THE ROYAL WE, SUMMER CANNIBALS, WISHYUNU
(Backspace, 115 NW 5th) PDX Pop Now!'s annual compilation is the best barometer of local music around, and this year's double-disc set is no exception. Featuring a staggeringly diverse 43 tracks from all walks of the Portland music scene, there are local hits, obscurities from unknown bands, and exclusive premieres of new tracks from big names. The only thing these astonishingly diverse songs have in common is that they're all great, and tonight's release party features four of the participants. Sapient—riding high on the artistic triumph of his recent, groundbreaking Slump album—headlines, but be sure to get there in time for Sean Flinn and the Royal We's stately, sun-flared folk-rock, Summer Cannibals' knife-sharp post-punk, and Wishyunu's sexy synth slow jams. NL

SPACE WAVES, SPIRIT LAKE, THOMAS MUDRICK AND (((BOING)))
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) The ambitiously titled You Can Ride a Beam of Light Like a Musical Strum, the latest from workaholic dreamgazers Space Wave, offers chilled-out presence with an immediacy that's palpable when you're totally zoning out. That's most definitely a compliment. The band's coalescence has reached dizzying heights over the last year, having built their own studio, Mindwave, as well as minting their very own label, also called Mindwave. Whichever wave you want to apply to it is fine; You Can Ride... runs goopy, far-away guitars through the gauntlet of an eerie pre-dawn nightmare, scouring all the little essences of sonic mastery and head-down rock ambiance there may be available on earth to muster. RYAN J. PRADO

LIVE AND DIRECT: REV SHINES, SLIMKID3, DJ NATURE, STARCHILE
(Rotture, 315 SE 3rd) Those nostalgic for the days when tribes were called Qwest and clans were largely Wu-Tang can groove down to the smooth DJ stylings of the Pharcyde’s Slimkid3. Tre "Slimkid" Hardson, now on a solo mission and living in Portland, has been bringing us the monthly DJ remix set Live and Direct since 2009 along with conspirators Rev. Shines, DJ Nature, and Starchile, putting the “hip” back in hiphop. As they’ll be spinning everything from Kool and the Gang to the great MJ to Grandmaster Flash, one would be hard-pressed not to dance, or at the very least screech, “Oh my god, I love this song!” (This month features live painting by guest artist Keith Carter.) ROSE FINN

SATURDAY 6/15

SALUTE TO SUMMER: DJ COOKY PARKER, ELECTRIC ILL, ADVENTURE GALLEY
(Grand Central Bowl, 808 SE Morrison) See My, What a Busy Week!

BEASTIE BOYS TRIBUTE
(Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell) See My, What a Busy Week!

GATHERING OF THE GOOFPUNX: THE TAXPAYERS, ARTISTIC CRISIS, HI HO SILVER AWAY, DETACHDOLLS, DANGER DEATH RAY, LIVING RHEUM
(PSU's Food for Thought Café, 1825 SW Broadway) The annual Gathering of the Goofpunx festival taking place all weekend (go to gatheringofthegoofpunx.tumblr.com for all shows and locations) was organized by local punk rock mainstays the Taxpayers. It's a celebration of DIY spirit and the community's acceptance of anyone willing to bring a positive attitude and embrace weirdness. It's fitting that the Taxpayers' headlining slot tonight also happens to be a record release for their latest LP, Cold Hearted Town. The nine-track album is layered with sax, trumpet, and piano, hooking you in with its dark jazzy swing and not letting go until the brilliant yet bleak acoustic closer "Evil Men." The vocals find a balance someplace between the deranged bark of Les Savy Fav's Tim Harrington and John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats at his most urgent. It's well worth a listen, and the material should make a nice translation into the band's frantic and energized live set. CHIPP TERWILLIGER Also see My, What a Busy Week!

DESTRO, TH3RDZ, RAFAEL VIGILANTICS, BAD TENANTS, BAD HABITAT, DJ WICKED
(Ash Street Saloon, 225 SW Ash) Destro Destructo is a founding member of Northwest hiphop collectives Oldominion and Boom Bap Project. He also stays busy as a solo artist, and tonight marks the release of his newest solo record, Day of the Dead. The origins of the hefty 17-track album date back to 2010 when Destro was approached by producer Cash Flow from Zaragoza, Spain. They soon worked out tentative plans to work together, with Cash Flow supplying the beats while Destro began writing and recording songs. Sadly, Cash Flow's life was tragically cut short when he passed away from leukemia in March 2011. The resulting effort is impressive both in size and scope, featuring numerous guest spots including local emcees Luck-One, L Pro, and Serge Severe. Seattle supergroup Th3rdz, a trio featuring JFK, Candidt, and XP, are also releasing a new album of their own tonight, This, That, & Th3rdz. RYAN FEIGH

VALKYRIE RODEO, BIG BLACK CLOUD, FIST FITE
(Club 21, 2035 NE Glisan) Ready, Set, Ruin!, the third release by Portland grindcore cluckers Valkyrie Rodeo, plays like a maelstrom. Thick thunderclaps of low end dominate, anchoring vocalist/drummer Tuviya Edelhart's no-care howls and screechy verses. Loaded with lots of caterwauling, buzzy bass, and tinny drums, the record's obvious allegiances to punk forefathers NoMeansNo (as on "Big Gulp") are tempered by similarly homage-worthy shout-outs to contemporary scumfuck noise brethren like Rabbits. Regardless of where the tones turn, Valkyrie Rodeo's levels of aural destruction are only a string-strum away from shaking the shit out of your head, assuming your head isn't shaking already. RJP

MOUNT KIMBIE, HOLY OTHER, VINYL WILLIAMS
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) The album cover for Manchester producer Holy Other's latest release, Held, is a stark portrait of a lovers' bed left unmade—fittingly brooding without being melodramatic, just like the music it depicts. Within Held, minimal beats combine with chopped R&B vocals drenched in reverb, resulting in a very singular and cohesive album with a distinct down-tempo style. Dark-wave synths serve as the backdrop to the airy fore of emotion and unrequited promises in the sampled vocals, tinged with a warped romanticism and insatiable longing for human contact. With a rather maximal approach to a minimal production format of electronic music, Holy Other's excursions within the post-dubstep realm brings it closer to the genre-bending experimentalism of contemporary producers like Clams Casino or Balam Acab, rather than the lo-fi garage style of tonight's headliners, Mount Kimbie. WYATT SCHAFFNER

THE COUP, LUCK-ONE, CLOUDY OCTOBER
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) Though some may have only just heard of the Coup from their latest video (featuring Patton Oswalt), the Coup has been slaying tracks since the golden age of hiphop. Their latest album, Sorry to Bother You, is a concept album, containing politically charged tracks that vary in sound from Daft Punk-y dance jams to psychedelic funk-rock. The Coup provides a beautiful blend of soulful, percussive music, with furious poetry that could keep anybody on their toes. Where the usual hiphop acts can get tiring after you've seen one too many rappers uttering gibberish against the usual squigidy-squigidy sounds from the DJ, the Coup's live band and dystopian Mod Squad look promise a compelling performance. ROSE FINN

SUNDAY 6/16

PRIDE NORTHWEST: ANDY BELL, THE CLIKS, GOD-DES AND SHE, AIDEN JAMES
(Waterfront Park) See our Pride Guide.

GATHERING OF THE GOOFPUNX
(Various locations) See My, What a Busy Week!

MARISA ANDERSON, DRAGGING AN OX THROUGH WATER
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) Read our article on Marisa Anderson.

RADAR BROS., OLA PODRIDA
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) LA-based Radar Bros. released their eighth album, Eight, at the beginning of this year. It is Jim Putnam's most psychedelic—and most sinister—work of country-shoegaze to date. The songs hint at a deep, dark emotional underbelly, but generally, layers of noisy good-naturedness outweigh the menacing flourishes. That's what makes the album better than good: It's a fun album on the first listen, but a profound one on the 10th. Also on the bill: Ola Podrida has seen a lot of personnel changes in between David Wingo's peripatetic ramblings between Austin and Brooklyn. But because his day job is as a film composer (Take Shelter is a recent standout), it's no surprise that the band has maintained a cinematic quality. Old Podrida's third album, Ghosts Go Blind, has a big robust sound, the product of a new (Austin-based) lineup. The shift may surprise longtime Ola Podrida fans, but the tiny profound moments remain. RW

XANDER HARRIS, STRATEGY, DESTINATION ELEVATION DJ CREW
(East End, 203 SE Grand) What better way to spend the evening of Dad's Day than by bathing yourself in the analog bubble bath of Xander Harris' (Justin Sweatt) electronic escapades. Like the beloved soundtrack to a long-lost sci-fi cult film, his music sets the mood for a dystopian dream reminiscent of the warbly VHS gems of our childhood. An amalgam of driving rhythms and arpeggiated synth lines under sweeping melodies lay the foundation for an homage to science fiction in all its forms. Prepare for glory by checking out Sweatt's massive catalog of releases so you'll be fully primed for the live experience in technicolor reality. CHRISTINA BROUSSARD

FOOD WARS 6
(Bossanova Ballroom, 722 E Burnside) Local community organizer Jessie Sponberg is a busy man. You may know him as the host of Fight Church Television, an internet variety show that combines local activism and education with music and comedy. He also organizes coat drives for the homeless in the winter and collects chalupa coupons for the homeless after Blazers games. One of his longest running projects is Food Wars, now in its sixth straight year, an event that combines local hiphop with a canned food drive aimed at children with food insecurities. With an event this size, 20 different acts performing 15-minute sets each, the quality of performances is bound to ebb and flow. But since the night has grown to become one of Portland's most diverse charity events, that seems a small price to pay for the cause. RYAN FEIGH

OLD JUNIOR, SLEEPTALKER, TERMINAL FUZZ TERROR, TINY LADY
(Langano Lounge, 1435 SE Hawthorne) Old Junior's drummer Ben Muha moved to Seattle earlier this year, which makes tonight's show a very special thing indeed. Rounded out by bassist Cory Decaire—who is recovering well from the serious injury he suffered at the Oregon Coast when a sneaker wave crushed a log into his leg—and the crunching guitar of Johnny Magnifico, Old Junior is a fuzzing, towering monolith of redwood-sized rock. It's the perfect accompaniment to beer or whiskey or bongloads of green, whatever your pleasure happens to be. The band—an offshoot of Old Growth, the just-as-great Portland band with Muha, Magnifico, and bassist Luke Clements—has delivered two excellent, fist-pumping EPs of distortion-pedal rock of the best kind, and while they're not all in the same city anymore, give thanks at the holy altar of Crazy Horse (the band) that we still get to see them play from time to time. NL

WARPED TOUR
(Portland Expo Center, 2060 N Marine) This is the year that summer festivals are finally getting called out on the pathetically low percentage of female-to-male performers (with Sasquatch/Bonnaroo/Coachella estimated to be 16 percent female.) Of course, in the case of Warped Tour's ultimate gathering of all the young dude-bro punks, the numbers are even worse—female artists appear in the festival at a shockingly low six percent! It often appears as though festival organizers view women in bands more as a footnote or subgenre, dismissively allowing an insignificant quota of "girl bands" to be filled in the same manner that they fill a quota of '90s third-wave ska relics (Reel Big Fish are headlining!). Yes, Gwen Stefani, at least according to the Warped Tour, you ARE just a girl. BREE MCKENNA

MONDAY 6/17

CAYUCAS, JBM
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) Read our article on Cayucas.

TUESDAY 6/18

THE WOOLEN MEN, SAUNA, THE MEMORIES
(Record Room, 8 NE Killingsworth) See My, What a Busy Week!

FALL OUT BOY
(Roseland, 8 NW 6th) Read our article on Fall Out Boy.

THE FRONT BOTTOMS, WEATHERBOX, LEE COREY OSWALD
(Backspace, 115 NW 5th) The Mountain Goats are great, but unfortunately, most bands influenced by the Mountain Goats are considerably less so. There's more than a pinch of Mountain Goats frontman John Darnielle in the Front Bottoms' vocalist/songwriter Brian Sella, but not enough to qualify as desperate emulation. As a matter of fact, Sella might be one of the only blatant Mountain Goats enthusiasts whose own talent manages to shine through his most derivative moments: "Lone Star," off the group's new record Talon of the Hawk, is the first song in approximately three months to legitimately give me chills (and I was getting worried!); "The Feud" sounds vaguely like a lost Weakerthans track; and "Skeleton" is undeniably stupid, but it's also a contender for the catchiest thing I've heard this year. Rounding out the bill are Californian indie rockers Weatherbox and Lee Corey Oswald, whose side of a new 12-inch split with Scranton-based Three Man Cannon is a beautiful, heart-wrenching eulogy to '90s (post-)power pop bands like Knapsack and the Smoking Popes. MORGAN TROPER

RACHAEL YAMAGATA, SANDERS BOHLKE
(Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell) Over the past decade, singer/songwriter Rachael Yamagata has been Rachael Yama-go-to, her vocals appearing on records from an impressive list of artists including Rhett Miller, Ryan Adams, Ray LaMontagne, and Bright Eyes. Yamagata's voice always brings depth to whatever she sings on. The unfortunate byproduct of contributing to high-profile records is that it tends to overshadow her own output. Yamagata has released a handful of her own records, and there's a good chance one of her songs has appeared on a television show you've watched. There's a good reason she's sought after. Take away the big names, and you're left with Yamagata's stunning voice, which is really where the focus should be. MARK LORE

WL, FAKE NAILS
(Bunk Bar, 1028 SE Water) My relationship with local shoegazing three-piece WL (pronounced Well) could play out through a series of missed connections: "Sorry I wasn't able to catch you perform your original live score for René Laloux's Gandahar the other night, maybe you can do it again sometime?" or "Got to the Metz show a bit late, I'm sure that your loud and dreamy opening set would have been lovely to see. Hang out soon?" Bandcamp and Facebook stalking has deepened the intimacy. The band's 7-inch on Death Party Records surrounds you with noise. On "Impermanent," gorgeous vocals and a wall of guitar swirl together over a drumbeat that somehow manages to keep it grounded. The band is putting the finishing touches on an upcoming record, so this headlining show should be just the opportunity I need to take my affair to the next level. CT