WEDNESDAY 9/4

MUSICFESTNW: CHVRCHES, DEERHUNTER, JUSTIN TOWNES EARLE, & MORE
(Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside) Read our guide to MusicfestNW.

THURSDAY 9/5

MUSICFESTNW: TYPHOON, BONNIE "PRINCE" BILLY, BOB MOULD, & MORE
(The Old Church, 1422 SW 11th) Read our guide to MusicfestNW.

NW HIP HOP FEST
(Ash Street Saloon, 225 SW Ash; Kelly's Olympian, 426 SW Washington) It may seem counterintuitive to schedule a music festival the same week as MusicfestNW. Yet NW Hip Hop Fest, now in its third year, does exactly that. This year, the festival takes place at both Kelly's Olympian and the Ash Street Saloon over three nights, featuring densely packed bills of talent at both venues. While most performers are Portland-based, acts from Salem, Spokane, Seattle, and beyond are represented. Highlights include Thursday's Proper Knocks Showcase at the Ash Street featuring Big Bang, Lucas Dix, Soopah Eype, and more. Friday night's We Out Here showcase features Cassow, Load B, and Stewart Villain at Kelly's Olympian, prefaced by Hungry Hungry Hip-Hop standouts Theory Hazit, Zoo, and others. Saturday's closing night at Ash Street might be the highlight, with Portland favorites Chill Crew and the Resistance as a prelude to Northwest supergroup Oldominion. RYAN FEIGH

FRIDAY 9/6

MUSICFESTNW: SUPERCHUNK, ANIMAL COLLECTIVE, & MORE
(Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside) Read our guide to MusicfestNW.

ABBA—THE CONCERT: OREGON SYMPHONY, WATERLOO
(Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 SW Broadway) Read our preview of the Oregon Symphony's 2013-2014 season.

NW HIP HOP FEST
(Ash Street Saloon, 225 SW Ash; Kelly's Olympian, 426 SW Washington) See Thursday's listing.

HUCK NOTARI AND THE RIVER, JENN AND BASHO
(Alberta Street Pub, 1036 NE Alberta) Huck Notari's third album, Huck Notari and the River, cuts like a New England winter wind. Although it was recorded here in the Northwest (at Skyler Norwood's Miracle Lake Studios in Camas), the clean, careful country-folk contains echoes of Notari's childhood home in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Beautiful opening track "Old Dirt Road" ducks the expected clichés in writing about a lane Notari hopes never gets paved over; "In the Candlelight" is a sweet, supple twilight love song. At tonight's record release show, Notari will be joined by members of the presumed River: vocalist Karin Nystrom, guitarist Joel Shimmin, cellist Jessie Dettwiler, upright bassist Nadine Landry, and drummer Ned Folkerth. Jenn Rawling and Basho Parks will also be on hand with their new record, Tarantula Arms, a lithe collection of wine-red, gypsy-tinged folk. NED LANNAMANN

THE DOOBIE BROTHERS
(Oregon Zoo, 4001 SW Canyon) Whether it was you and your brother singing along to "What a Fool Believes" in the car, or hearing "Black Water" at your high school graduation, chances are, the Doobie Brothers are connected to your past. Since the '70s, the Doobs have added on seasoned musicians that have played with everybody from Steely of Dan to Tower of Power. Their most recent album, World Gone Crazy, recalls their classic rock/country roots, but with far more experimentation with salsa, folk, and varied instruments, all encompassed in well-written songs. You have almost certainly not heard it. Still, seeing the Doobs at the Zoo will offer a heaping helping of those sweet, sweet melodies that have been a part of your life, whether you wanted them to be or not. (Doobies Fun Fact™! Former guitarist Jeff "Skunk" Baxter is now a missile defense consultant.) ROSE FINN

SATURDAY 9/7

MUSICFESTNW: SONNY AND THE SUNSETS, CHARLES BRADLEY, & MORE
(Bunk Bar, 1028 SE Water) Read our guide to MusicfestNW.

NW HIP HOP FEST
(Ash Street Saloon, 225 SW Ash; Kelly's Olympian, 426 SW Washington) See Thursday's listing.

SPOOKIES, YOUR RIVAL
(Floating World Comics, 400 NW Couch) In celebration of MusicfestNW and the release of the Live from the Banana Stand Vol. 2 compilation CD, Floating World Comics are transforming their excellently curated comic and record store into an all-ages matinee pre-party. Wristband or not, stopping by this free show will earn you a copy of the aforementioned compilation of live takes from some of Portland's best, as well as a chance to catch two local pop powerhouses before the sun sets. Spookies play extremely catchy, lo-fi rock 'n' roll. Their recently released VCR EP is nearly perfect, with five tracks of pop-garage goodness that are instantly enjoyable and over way too soon. Luckily, Your Rival picks up right where Spookies leave off. Their melodic and vigorous pop-rock would have fit in perfectly alongside Superchunk at the Crystal Ballroom the night before. (Full disclosure/not-so-eerie coincidence: Your Rival's Morgan Troper wrote about Superchunk in this week's issue.) CHIPP TERWILLIGER

THE WIMPS, FINE PETS, THERAPISTS
(The Know, 2026 NE Alberta) All you need to know about the Wimps is that their upcoming EP is called Party at the Wrong Time and the cover features a skateboarding hot dog wearing sunglasses. With that release coming in October via Seattle upstart label Help Yourself records, the Wimps are increasingly staking their claim as the Northwest's premiere no-wave connoisseurs. A party band without ever adopting the whip-it parlance of notable local acts, their stage presence destroys all notions of rock pretense with raucous howls and grooving bass lines. Tonight promises to be a rowdy introduction to a crass yet genuine band who loves to move a crowd. WYATT SCHAFFNER

SHELTER RED, BEARCUBBIN', GLDWNG
(Rotture, 315 SE 3rd) Four years ago, Portland's very own Mike Byrne was selected as longtime drummer Jimmy Chamberlin's replacement in the Smashing Pumpkins, one of the best bands of the '90s and one of the worst bands of the '00s. Byrne's local reputation as precocious drummer extraordinaire actually precedes him joining the Pumpkins. For years now, Byrne has played in the math-rock band Bearcubbin', whose latest EP, 2011's Get Your Heavies Out, sounds approximately like New Found Glory aping Fragile-era Yes. Amazingly, he still finds time to foster the project, regularly playing shows with the group around town in spite of his busy schedule. It's the perfect vehicle for an incredible drummer who doesn't always have much room to show off in his other band. MORGAN TROPER

CLOSELY WATCHED TRAINS, JACOB MILLER AND THE BRIDGE CITY CROONERS, ALDER STREET ALLSTARS
(Tonic Lounge, 3100 NE Sandy) Fare thee well, Closely Watched Trains. The Portland honky-tonk outfit is playing their final show before shuffling off into the sweet by-and-by. They've got a brand-new 7-inch to mark the bittersweet occasion, too. Bundling together sheaves of country, gospel, bluegrass, old-time folk, Cajun music, and more, Closely Watched Trains' sound puts fun and frolic in front of just about everything else that songwriterly music tends to contain (we are looking at you, sad feelings about girls and/or boys). The result is a perfectly strummy, guilt-free soundtrack to downing a few boilermakers. Do it with them one last time, before Closely Watched Trains leaves the station for good. NL

SUNDAY 9/8

MUSICFESTNW: NEKO CASE
(Pioneer Courthouse Square, 701 SW 6th) Read our guide to MusicfestNW.

ADAM ANT, PRIMA DONNA
(Roseland, 8 NW 6th) Read our article on Adam Ant.

MONDAY 9/9

JIMMY CLIFF, ETHAN TUCKER
(Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell) That world-renowned, peaced-out pop superstar Jimmy Cliff arrives just after MusicfestNW is both a blessing and a curse. A blessing because the 65-year-old Jamaican will be afforded a full set unbridled by festival clocks. A curse because after a weekend of binging on live music, some folks might stay home. A blessing because the show won't be overrun by tourists or besieged by lines. A curse because someone who might've stumbled onto Cliff's magnanimous charm, lilting melodies, and genuine good vibrations might otherwise remain in the dark. Really though, regardless of circumstance, Cliff is all blessing. A legitimate legend with a trunk full of sunny, indelible hits as well as new, inspired, and poignant material, Cliff is still reaching. He's also a soothing, gracious, and stirring performer, and not one looking to cash in on past work. I saw Cliff at SXSW in 2012 and while singing he couldn't stop smiling. The feeling is as contagious as the hooks. ANDREW R TONRY Also see My, What a Busy Week!

SHINYRIBS
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) Shinyribs has increasingly become less of a side project for the Gourds' Kevin Russell, and more of a full-on, full-time gig. The Texas band's debut Gulf Coast Museum continues Russell's proclivity for country and R&B music, twisting it into his own family recipe for blue-eyed soul. But it's Russell's storytelling that takes center stage throughout, road-trippin' down I-10 in Texas and taking in the sights and sounds and the humidity. Shinyribs made quite an impression at this year's Pickathon, and no matter where they play you'll feel like you're kicking it on a porch in Texas. Of course, you may want to wash it all down with an ice-cold beer to get the full experience. MARK LORE

TUESDAY 9/10

BARRA BROWN, VIKESH KAPOOR
(Secret Society, 116 NE Russell) There are seemingly infinite amounts of up-and-coming musicians in Portland, but it's very rare to find a universally talented musician with such promise. Barra Brown and his quintet stand more of a chance for longevity than the average indie rocker or electronic artist that we're seeing pop up with increasing frequency. It's also highly unusual to find new jazz artists, let alone ones producing a truly unique sound. Brown has a contemporary flair, with finely tuned improvised jazz skills, and a tight set that will surely captivate a growing audience. "Songs for a Young Heart" includes Cake-style rocking trumpet parts, with diverse tempos and tight instrumentation. There aren't many drummers/composers/flautists flooding the music scene right now, and this one you certainly shouldn't miss. RF

SOUVENIR DRIVER, PSYCHOMAGIC
(Bunk Bar, 1028 SE Water) Souvenir Driver's 2012 release, Lifts the Curse, was the first album recorded by the now four-piece band that evolved out of frontman Nate Wey's solo project of the same name. Over the course of 10 tracks, far-off vocals get drenched, but never lost, in a dreamy haze. The band allows their audience to drift along with amazing ease. It's the kind of music that feels so familiar on the first listen that you could spend hours trying to pin down what is so haunting about tracks like "Futures" or "More." I've given up on trying to connect the dots. Clear and emotive lyrics cascade and resonate with repetition, as they draw the listener into a self-contained comfort zone on each track. "Feel the Flood," a new song off the band's upcoming album, Living Water, takes a similar approach, and adds a thick layer of driving synth to the mix. CT

HERE COME DOTS, BOOKS ON FATE, QUIET COUNTRIES
(Alhambra Theatre, 4811 SE Hawthorne) Earlier this year, Here Come Dots released A House in the Country, the full-length follow-up to their 2011 EP Dusk. And House is aces, an overlooked but worthy rock record with smart songwriting and involving production. Opening track "It's a Curse" barrels out of the gate with stratospheric guitar chimes and a tornado-like melody. Meanwhile, "The Plans" steadily builds up a massive sound with a few simple ingredients. Here Comes Dots all came from Southern Oregon, although I don't know if that's the reason their sound has a broader scope than typical Portland guitar-based bands. Still, they fit right in with other great Pacific Northwest rock bands, a region that's downright lousy with them. Make no mistake, though; Here Comes Dots is one worth getting acquainted with. NL

ANDREW W.K., SONS OF HUNS, BLACK SNAKE
(Hawthorne Theatre, 1507 SE César E. Chávez) Party party party party party party party party party party party party party party party party party party party party party party party party party party party party party party party party party party party party party party party party party party party party party party party party party party party party party party party party party party party party party party party party party party party party party party party.

HURRY UP, HORNET LEG, BLESST CHEST
(East End, 203 SE Grand) I've said it before, but Hornet Leg is one of the best and prickliest pop bands in Portland, whether they're tripping through the garage, making arty noise, or working with sleek dance grooves. On the band's latest long-player, Wrecking Ball, Chris Sutton (also of Dub Narcotic Sound System) leads us through another dark pop journey filled with loads of hooky twists and turns. One listen, and I'm ready to call it my favorite of 2013 (hear the proof in "Summer's Eve" and "Slave Ship"). Hornet Leg remains a sort of enigma, creeping out for select performances, which always add an extra layer of grit and stench to Sutton's fantastic pop songs. Creepy, sexy, cool. ML