WEDNESDAY 8/7

BAND OF HORSES, SERA CAHOONE, S
(Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside) See My, What a Busy Week!

GOGOL BORDELLO, A TRIBE CALLED RED
(Roseland, 8 NW 6th) See My, What a Busy Week!

ARCTIC FLOWERS, SMOKE RINGS, DJ CHAZZ MADRIGAL, DJ DUNGEONMASTER
(Tube, 18 NW 3rd) Tube is offering up a double dose of dark and brooding local acts tonight. There is reason to celebrate, too. If online music calendar PC-PDX is correct, then Arctic Flowers have been playing shows for exactly four years to the day. They bring a blend of UK anarcho-punk and goth rock, full of sharp guitar and urgent yet melodic vocals to the bill. The band recently announced they've begun work on a new album for Canadian label Deranged Records. Smoke Rings combine dancey drum beats and synth-punk with cutting guitar. The band formed this past winter from the ashes of a handful of projects, including dance-punk party patrol Glitter Express. Noelle Magia's vocals echo and bounce off the walls, as she hurls herself through the audience in a tireless effort to lure unexpecting showgoers into the band's trance. They just self-released their first EP on cassette last month. CHIPP TERWILLIGER

THURSDAY 8/8

FITZ AND THE TANTRUMS, HUNTER HUNTED, THE COLOURIST
(Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell) See My, What a Busy Week!

BALMORHEA, BENOIT PIOULARD
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) Balmorhea's recent album Stranger might confuse its listeners into thinking that Broken Social Scene got lost somewhere in Texas, lost their voices, and accidentally put out an album. Heavy with loops, fades, and drama, Balmorhea leaves that distant, bittersweet aftertaste in your mouth that so defines this meandering, instrumental journey genre. With six members, ranging from banjo to cello to violin, Balmorhea's unique instrumentation and melodies sustain attention-captivating songs without the need for vocals. Their performance won't inspire any mosh pits, but will certainly get you excited about music again. ROSE FINN

ALEX BLEEKER AND THE FREAKS, THE MEMORIES
(Bunk Bar, 1028 SE Water) In 2011, the New Jersey band Real Estate released Days, an album of gentle jangle-pop that was impeccably crafted: terrific songs, superb performances, steady vibe. Now, Real Estate bassist Alex Bleeker is touring behind How Far Away, his second album with his other band, the Freaks, and it is the bizarro Days. Don't misunderstand: Bleeker's sophomore effort isn't bad. It's cozy and charming and hummable. But it's a short, shambling sketchbook of songs that meander from punchy indie-pop to spacey synth jams to lo-fi, navel-gazing twang. Sonic adventures aside, Bleeker is so lovelorn here that he doesn't bother hiding behind clever lyrics: "I hope I never feel that you don't love me too/But lately you don't say that you do," he sings on "All My Songs." And in case that's not clear enough, here's the chorus: "I know it's obvious my songs are all for you/Every song I've written, babe, it's true." In the end, How Far Away stays so sweetly and resolutely on message, it's impossible not to like its protagonist. BEN SALMON

FRIDAY 8/9

THE GREAT IDEA: THE BUILDERS AND THE BUTCHERS, SONS OF HUNS, RLLRBLL, THRONES, AND AND AND, & MORE
(Enchanted Forest , 8462 Enchanted Way SE, Turner, OR) See My, What a Busy Week!

HAUSU, WILD MOTH, LUNCH, INDUSTRIAL PARK
(Slabtown, 1033 NW 16th) See My, What a Busy Week!

NORTHWESTERN BLACK CIRCLE FEST: POISON IDEA, INSANITY, COVEN, RUM REBELLION, HAMMERED GRUNTS, SPUN IN DARKNESS, DEAD CONSPIRACY, BLOODLUST
(Branx, 320 SE 2nd) Read our article on Poison Idea.

MODERN KIN, KELLI SCHAEFER
(Bunk Bar, 1028 SE Water) Drew Grow and the Pastors' Wives are no more. Minus a member, the band has regrouped under the moniker Modern Kin, a much less cumbersome name and one that gives equal weight to all members. Drew Grow, however, is still very much out front, leading the songs with a voice ready to shake the walls of Jericho. Bassist Kris Doty and drummer Jeremiah Hayden provide passionate backing, and judging by the tracks that have appeared online, Modern Kin is working with a darker, more shambolic sound than the Pastors' Wives ever did. An album is due out in October, and tonight will be a combination of new songs and old Pastors' Wives material reworked for Modern Kin's unvarnished new aesthetic. NED LANNAMANN

SHARKS FROM MARS, FASTERS, THE SELLWOODS
(Kelly's Olympian, 426 SW Washington) Portland trio Sharks from Mars play burly, stop-for-nothing punk rock—in other words, the kind of tunes that sound perfect blaring out of a small, rotating 45. Fortunately, Sharks from Mars are releasing one of those very things this evening: the "Friday Night" 7-inch includes three of the band's new songs, and if it's anything like their earlier single "Streetwise Cannibal," it will be fast, dumb, and yelly. After tonight's hometown show, Sharks from Mars make a quick trip down the West Coast, spreading their noxious good times far and wide. NL

THE WOOLEN MEN, SPOOKIES, NICK DELFFS
(The Know, 2026 NE Alberta) This is as good as bills get. From top to bottom it's stacked with the very best local music that exists. Following the release of their self-titled album on Woodsist earlier this year, the Woolen Men are receiving long-due recognition as one of Portland's most interesting and reliable bands—not to mention one of its most prolific. If the Woodsist record was your introduction, there's lots more where that came from, including the excellent Dog Years, a compilation cherry-picked from four years' worth of songs released on various tapes, and a recent run of tour EPs featuring brand-new material. The bill is rounded out by Spookies, the glorious, Fab Four-ish power-pop band with the Shaky Hands' Mayhaw Hoons on vocals and guitar; Hoons' Shaky Hands bandmate Nick Delffs opens the bill with soulful, dirty folk. NL

SATURDAY 8/10

NO.FEST
(St. Johns, various locations) See My, What a Busy Week!

FAREWELL TO IAN KARMEL: RED FANG, AUDIOS AMIGOS
(Dante's, 350 W Burnside) See My, What a Busy Week!

COCK BLOCK: MERCEDES, THE PERFECT CYN, MISS VIXEN, SAPPHO
(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) Read our article on Cock Block.

SINGLEY/FIMBRES ORCHESTRA
(The Old Church, 1422 SW 11th) Both Papi Fimbres and Alan Singley have been fixtures of this music scene for years: Fimbres has made a name for himself performing with a nearly overwhelming variety of bands, including O Bruxo, Paper/Upper/Cuts and most recently Sun Angle. Singley—who's back after a recent stint in Florida—is known for his work as an immensely gifted arranger-for-hire and principal songwriter in his Burt Bacha-rock band Pants Machine. It's only fitting that the two would collaborate, and it's similarly unsurprising that the new vehicle for the two musicians, dubbed simply Singley/Fimbres Orchestra, defies convention. While the midi-based demos on the group's Soundcloud likely don't do the compositions justice, one can nonetheless deduce loads of glorious weirdness just from a cursory listen, not to mention a dense melodicism, and a definitively tropical bent that both artists are so obviously fond of as individuals. Fimbres and Singley intend to play only one show and then call it a day—so don't miss this. MORGAN TROPER

LOAD B, CHILL CREW, STEWART VILLAIN
(Rotture, 315 SE 3rd) Stewart Villain is one of Portland's best-kept secrets considering his prodigious output of work. The 23-year-old has produced tracks for many national acts such as Danny Brown, Kurupt, and Guilty Simpson as well as countless local acts including TxE, Mic Capes, and Cassow. His latest single, "Smoking/Trippy", finds him turning the tables and adding rapper to his résumé, while handing over production duties to R&B/pop-inspired indie project Magic Fades. Tonight celebrates the release of Dublé Ve, the latest from local duo Chill Crew, who deftly spit over Villain's production. Load B, the proudly debaucherous duo of Brill and Milc, round out the bill with their unique brand of charming hooliganism. Half the proceeds of the show go to the Oregon Food Bank, giving you a rare chance to get turnt up for a good cause. RYAN FEIGH

SUNDAY 8/11

THE GHOST EASE, PALO VERDE, BUTT 2 BUTT, DJ HERO WORSHIP
(Record Room, 8 NE Killingsworth) Read our article on the Ghost Ease.

PSYCHIC RITES, EXOTIC CLUB, SCORPION WARRIOR
(Rotture, 315 SE 3rd) Read our article on Psychic Rites.

THE COLLISION SERIES: NATE QUERY, JAMES FIELDER, REBECCA GATES, JAMES BEATON, KYLEEN KING
(Disjecta, 8371 N Interstate) Read our preview of The Collision Series.

ARTHUR RELEASE PARTY: MICHAEL HURLEY
(The Waypost, 3120 N Williams) Floating World Comics helped resurrect the legendary Arthur Magazine, which tonight debuts a new issue with a release party featuring a live performance from Michael Hurley.

NORTHWESTERN BLACK CIRCLE FEST: VON, TOXIC HOLOCAUST, CEREMONIAL CASTINGS, PANZERGOD, USNEA, INFERNUS
(Branx, 320 SE 2nd) Before even talking about the music of Bay Area black metal band Von, you have to look at the fact they're the first band of its kind to spring up in the States. Von formed in 1987... and then broke up a few years later after releasing a couple of crude demos. Conveniently, Von re-formed in 2010, riding their cult status into the new millennium when practitioners of black metal were practically growing on trees. The new version of the band features original member Venien, and that's it. So, you may not really be seeing an old relic back from the dead intact, but it doesn't make Von any less important. MARK LORE

MONDAY 8/12

MS MR, GREAT WILDERNESS
(Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside) When New York duo MS MR came through Portland in June, they had a bunch of gear stolen out of their van at the Best Western out by the airport. They're returning, undaunted, less than two months later, stopping up for a quick Portland show as part of 94/7's I Saw Them When series after playing San Francisco's Outside Lands festival. Tickets are already sold out, assuring a much less shitty welcome for the band this time around. Their thunderous, high-drama pop is gorgeous, if grimly serious, like an unsmiling fashion model photographed amid stunning, exotic surroundings. Local opening band Great Wilderness were victims of a recent instrument theft as well. There was a happy ending, though: Drummer Josh Kennedy found his stolen drums on Craigslist and set up a successful sting operation to get them back. NL

TUESDAY 8/13

BEST COAST, LOVELY BAD THINGS, CHARTS
(Hawthorne Theatre, 1507 SE César E. Chávez) See My, What a Busy Week!

STEELY DAN, DEEP BLUE ORGAN TRIO
(Edgefield, 2126 SW Halsey) For a band that spent much of their original existence avoiding live shows, the smooth operators in Steely Dan have shown a knack for naming tours in recent years. In 2006, they hit the road on the Steelyard "Sugartooth" McDan and the Fab-Originees.com Tour. Next came the Left Bank Holiday and Rent Party '09 tours. Tuesday's show at Edgefield is part of Mood Swings: 8 Miles to Pancake Day, because of course it is. And while Pancake Day is more like seven months away, any major dude will tell you to go ahead and reel in the years when the Yacht Rock exemplars cautiously cut loose. MATTHEW W. SULLIVAN