WEDNESDAY 10/29
DAD ROCK, ELECTRIC HYMN, LOCALS ONLY
(Slabtown, 1033 NW 16th) See All-Ages Action!
POND, DOCTOPUS, PETER BIBBY
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) To Portlanders, Pond may always be the local trio of Charlie Campbell, Chris Brady and David Triebwasser, who recorded a couple of albums for Sub Pop in the '90s and were one of our town's true buzz bands back when most of the buzz was happening three hours up I-5. But it's 2014, not 1993, and a different band named Pond consists of a shaggy bunch of Australians who make psychedelic pop-rock that's as pure and pretty as fellow Perth exports Tame Impala, with whom Pond shares a few members. Pond's last two albums—2012's Beard, Wives, Denim and 2013's Hobo Rocket—weren't anything you haven't heard before, but they were packed to the gills with fuzzy, soaring melodies. A new one, Man, It Feels Like Space Again, is due out in January. BEN SALMON
SAUL WILLIAMS, MIC CRENSHAW, UNICORN DOMINATION
(Star Theater, 13 NW 6th) Saul Williams has been producing experimental hiphop—alongside artists of his ilk, such as Blackalicious and KRS-One—since the late '90s. One part hiphop, one part poetry slam, one part dark, spoken performance art, Williams creates an intensely innovative sound unlike what we normally think of as hiphop. Where hiphop and rap often veer into self-congratulatory, flashy, or abrasive modes, Williams molds it into a self-reflective, poetic art form that transcends traditional ideas of word-against-beat. His musical backing and obtuse lyrics push boundaries, but do not lack passion or musical roots. Most hiphop artists do not have their master's in acting from NYU's Tisch School and are probably not vegans living in Paris, but most hiphop artists are not Saul Williams, one of the most intellectual and unique performers around. ROSE FINN
THURSDAY 10/30
EYELIDS, THE MINDERS, DENIM WEDDING
(The Secret Society, 116 NE Russell) See My, What a Busy Week!
SHRED OF THE DEAD FESTIVAL: TANGO ALPHA TANGO, THE GRIZZLED MIGHTY, FOX AND THE LAW, FOXY LEMON
(Dante's, 350 W Burnside) For three scintillating evenings, the inaugural Shred of the Dead Festival features an apropos cornucopia of disheveled Northwest artists. Spread across three venues on successive evenings, the organizers seem hell-bent on saturating Halloween weekend with one of the more diverse lineups of the season with a parasol bill that begins tonight at Dante's with a ghoulish lineup of rockers that includes the inimitable Tango Alpha Tango and the tart rock of Portland's own Foxy Lemon. Similarly monikered Fox and the Law come strapped with their heavy-hitting new LP, Stoned to Death, a kind of neo-grunge/classic-rock amalgamation that sounds like it will be the best thing on earth after 13 PBRs. Shred of the Dead continues on Friday at the Star, with funk-pop arbiters Minden and the psych meditations of Cambrian Explosion. It concludes Saturday at Bunk Bar with White Mystery and dirty rock rabble-rousers the Cry! RYAN J. PRADO
EYEHATEGOD, POWER TRIP, IRON REAGAN, WEHRMACHT, AT THE SEAMS, CHRONOLOGICAL INJUSTICE
(Bossanova Ballroom, 722 E Burnside) News flash: The world isn't entirely parties, puppies, and peaches. There are also class wars, government conspiracies, and just all-around bad shit that can't be ignored. Richmond's Iron Reagan, featuring members of Municipal Waste, Darkest Hour, and Mammoth Grinder, slams fists full of bangable riffs and pit-swirling mayhem into songs two minutes or shorter. Each is laden with messages of political injustice and societal ills. NOLA's champions of downer metal Eyehategod also have their gaze permanently locked onto the bleaker side of things. Their most recent self-titled full-length is seeping with dark crust and sludge that can only be found at the bottom of a hot spoon, or buried in the deepest, darkest depths of the human soul. ARIS WALES
MARK LANEGAN BAND, SEAN WHEELER AND ZANDER SCHLOSS, LYENN
(Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside) Mark Lanegan has one of the most recognizable and subtly versatile voices in the rock universe. He's comfortable belting out agitated proto-metal (he's a featured vocalist for Queens of the Stone Age), alluring Lee Hazlewood-meets-Nancy Sinatra moodscapes (the three albums he recorded with former Belle and Sebastian member Isobel Campbell), dreary/dreamy electro-pop (his collaboration with UK producers Soulsavers), and blues-inflected rock on his early solo efforts. And that's not even mentioning his years fronting psych-turned-grunge outfit Screaming Trees. His latest endeavor, Phantom Radio, recorded as the Mark Lanegan Band, strums the threads connecting all these sounds together. The album is a stunner, utilizing the modern noir production of Alain Johannes and the occasional appearance of singer Shelley Brien to surround his ragged voice with lush billows of multi-colored smoke and light. ROBERT HAM
FLATBUSH ZOMBIES, THE UNDERACHIEVERS
(Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell) These two new-school Brooklyn rap outfits are frequent collaborators and members of the "Beast Coast" collective—a handful of young New York groups attempting to make hiphop with modern aesthetics ("trap" drum kits, drugs, skateboards, bucket hats, etc.) without betraying their city's rich, traditional roots. And though they attempt to go beyond today's more tired "trill" tropes with plenty of psychedelic/"third eye" talk (this joint tour is literally being billed as "Clockwork Indigo: The Electric Koolade Experience"), it still comes off as sophomoric, quasi-philosophical trend-following. But aesthetic counts for a lot these days and both groups' live performances are supposedly strong and energetic, so yeah, give them your money. MIKE RAMOS
RAVEN, NIGHT DEMON, SPLINTERED THRONE, MANIAK, MAGNABOLT
(Tonic Lounge, 3100 NE Sandy) Raven's story is complicated. The British trio's first two records—1981's Rock Until You Drop and 1982's Wiped Out—are killer platters of heavy metal in all its epic brilliance and lyrical absurdness, and were integral pieces in the rise of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. That said, the band will never be mentioned in the same breath as, say, Iron Maiden. Anvil, maybe. It didn't help matters when the band signed with a major label in 1984 and proceeded to release a couple of cheesy, mid-tempo turds in Stay Hard and The Pack Is Back. So let's forget those (and the fact they dubbed themselves "athletic rock"), and get back to Wiped Out. If you like metal, it's a must-own. Period. MARK LORE
FRIDAY 10/31
FIREBALLS OF FREEDOM, FRED AND TOODY, FRUIT OF THE LEGION OF LOOM, THE RANSOM
(Ash Street Saloon, 225 SW Ash) See My, What a Busy Week!
FAT WHITE FAMILY, JEFFREY LEWIS
(Bunk Bar, 1028 SE Water) Read our article on Fat White Family.
WOLF EYES, SIR RICHARD BISHOP, EXPRESSWAY YO YO DIETING
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) Read our article on Wolf Eyes.
SHRED OF THE DEAD: MINDEN, ANIMAL EYES, THE LOWER 48, CAMBRIAN EXPLOSION, CHROME LAKES
(Star Theater, 13 NW 6th) See Thursday's listing.
ONE CHORD WONDERS, SHOCK TROOPS, BLACK BOYS ON THE CORNER, BUZZCUNTS
(The Know, 2026 NE Alberta) Whatever the pagan roots of Halloween may be, and however loosely defined its tenets of mocking death as disguise for sugary alcohol imbibing are, most people just want an excuse to be someone else for one miserable goddamn day. It's with this spirit that the Know's three-night Punx Cover Band Madness fest resides. Temporary tribute projects pay homage to punk rock, and on tonight's bill—the third and final night—members of local bands such as Lunch, Divers, and Denizenz perform under guises like One Chord Wonders (in homage to the Adverts), Shock Troops (Cocksparrer), Black Boys on the Corner (Thin Lizzy... can't wait to see that Phil Lynott costume) and Buzzcunts (the Buzzcocks). Luckily, the Know is perhaps the only venue in town steeped in punk authenticity; it requires no costume to provide the perfect environment for such devilry. RJP
THE BLACK KEYS, JAKE BUGG
(Moda Center, 1 Center Ct) The Black Keys epitomize the most insidious breed of pop pretense: spineless, banal, Fisher-Price-radio swill masquerading as edgy and significant. Just look at their band name—arguably one of the most humorless, faux-gritty names for an arena-caliber band since the Eagles. The only thing more reprehensible than someone exhibiting a casual affinity for the Keys is the self-identified music expert who apologizes for their early material or swears that they at one point possessed artistic integrity—you know, "before they were big." At their best, the Black Keys were the least vital garage-rock revival band, an early-'00s lite-movement that in retrospect seems totally unnecessary and superficial to begin with. At their worst, they're the latest in a continuum of boring white dudes recycling embarrassingly hackneyed blues clichés and manipulating a considerable portion of the music-buying public into believing they're purveyors of something remotely worth consideration. Well, there's no fooling me. MORGAN TROPER
SATURDAY 11/1
YG, COOL NUTZ, MACK AND DUB AND THE SMOKING SECTION, EASY MCCOY
(Roseland, 8 NW 6th) See My, What a Busy Week!
COURTNEY BARNETT, SAN FERMIN, MIKHAEL PASKALEV
(Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell) Read our article on Courtney Barnett.
DAY OF THE DEAD COVER SHOW: SMALL ARMS, ROTTIES, LOVE AND CARING, & MORE
(Slabtown, 1033 NW 16th) See All-Ages Action!
MR. BONES, PANORAMA, NEW SOCIAL OUTCASTS, RARREY MANOUGH
(Smart Colletive, 6923 SE Foster) See All-Ages Action!
SHRED OF THE DEAD: WHITE MYSTERY, THE CRY, MISTER TANG, DJ LOOMIS
(Bunk Bar, 1028 SE Water) The first time that I witnessed the brother-sister duo of Chicago's White Mystery, the band was sandwiched in the middle of a stacked show in the basement of East End. When guitarist Miss Alex White and drummer Francis Scott Key White took the stage between sets from the Men and Shannon and the Clams, I found myself packed into the back of the venue, standing on my toes to get a glimpse of the force behind the soulful barrage of garage rock being unleashed on the stage. All I could see over the sea of bodies were the White's trademark massive hairdos. The flaming red curls bounced in unison with the constant headbanging, making the performance a spectacle despite my limited vantage. There's an infectious, playful energy that flows from the pair's lifelong bond, and a tight chemistry honed over the years becomes palpable when witnessed in the flesh. CHIPP TERWILLIGER Also see Thursday's listing.
M.A.S.S.: GROUPER, WHITE GOURD, TYLER BREWINGTON, vVv STARDUST
(Alberta Abbey, 126 NE Alberta) Existing somewhere between singer/songwriter and experimental composer, Portland's Liz Harris—better known to the world as Grouper—makes some of the most gorgeous, hauntingly lonely music around. Her new album, Ruins, just out on Kranky, is not the wash of ambient tones and tape hiss that define much of her previous work, but is almost entirely sparse piano ballads. Up until the album's closing 12-minute epic, there's barely a cassette-tape sample or drone tone to be found. With any other artist, this might feel like a sharp change of course, but Harris' style and approach to composition is so distinct that it just feels like she's acquired a new sound source with which to work her magic. Tonight, instead of sitting at the piano and celebrating her new album, she promises a noisier-than-normal set with visuals by filmmaker Paul Clipson. JOSHUA JAMES AMBERSON
MANNY MONDAY, RASHEED JAMAL, BIGMO, VERBS
(The Rose, 111 SW Ash) Green Luck Media Group's mission statement is to promote art of all forms, but you'd be hard-pressed to find another entity in town that consistently showcases Portland hiphop in a live setting as well as they do. Tonight they celebrate Manny Monday's latest, Workaholix, which dropped last May and is gaining new ears due to the increased attention being paid to his Soar Losers collective. Rasheed Jamal's highly anticipated Sankofa is still weeks away from being released, but he's already leaked three tracks from the upcoming 13-track project. The most recent, "Mt. Olympus," features Mic Capes and Glenn Waco of the Resistance, and Jamal has hinted that the next will be accompanied by a music video. Hellfyre Club member VerBS deviates from the local artist theme, bringing his inventive style up from California. RYAN FEIGH
LILITH VELKOR, YOUNG DAD, THIN COAT
(The Know, 2026 NE Alberta) Brooklyn trio Lilith Velkor just released its new album, Lone, and one of its songs, "Aggro-Culture," is a glorious blast of slurred post-punk that should kick-start the heart of anyone who spent some formative years reveling in the raw, lo-fi side of pre-Nevermind Nirvana. Indeed, the "Influences" section of Lilith Velkor's Facebook looks like it could've been ghostwritten (literally) by Kurt Cobain: Black Flag, Sonic Youth, Pixies, Meat Puppets, Fugazi, and so on. Certainly lots of lousy bands have turned similar inspiration into muddy junk, but Lilith Velkor ably channels the spirit of primordial Nirvana, not only on "Aggro-Culture" (which sounds like a more developed version of "Tourette's" from In Utero) but also on 2010's Shame, a wobbly sludgehammer of an album that could damn near pass as the demo for a mythical Nirvana record between Bleach and Nevermind. And yes, that is a very high compliment. BS
SUNDAY 11/2
DIA DE LOS MUERTOS: ORQUESTRA PACIFICO TROPICAL, NEW MOVE, & MORE
(Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside) See My, What a Busy Week!
DENVER, HOUNDSTOOTH, BARNA HOWARD
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) See My, What a Busy Week!
BATTLE TRANCE, WALLSMITH/CUNNINGHAM/WYLAND/JOHNEDIS
(Habesha, 801 NE Broadway) Battle Trance is a tenor saxophone quartet whose members have also played in Tune-Yards, Little Women, and with jazz luminaries like Tim Berne, Gerald Cleaver, and John Hollenbeck, but their debut LP Palace of Wind is a different beast entirely. In the record's three parts, the saxophones swarm with tightly woven melodies one minute, then stack onto one another for thick drones the next. All the while, the four players throw their entire bodies into their instruments, using circular breathing to create hypnotic repetitions, while splintered multiphonics roughen the edges. The end result is a little bit free jazz, a little bit ambient, and very worth your time. MATTHEW W. SULLIVAN
PISSED JEANS, STICKERS, VEXX
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) It's hard to believe that it's been more than five years since Allentown, Pennsylvania, noise-rock outfit Pissed Jeans made a Portland appearance. King of Jeans, the group's excellent third album, was still a month out from being released, and the quartet stormed the stage of the legendary Satyricon nightclub, a perfect fit for a band named after urine-soaked denim. Pissed Jeans have not remained idle while they've been away. The band issued their fourth album, Honeys, last year on Sub Pop. It's a massive record that expands the band's slowly built but irrefutable catalog of fiery and uncompromising hardcore punk. The comparisons to bands like Flipper and the Jesus Lizard are easy to make, but frontman Matt Korvette and the rest of the lunatics in Pissed Jeans have spent the last decade building a sound far too authentic and relevant to be considered a mere throwback. CT
MONDAY 11/3
CRYING: ZAC PENNINGTON, NOW ENSEMBLE
(Alberta Rose Theatre, 3000 NE Alberta) See My, What a Busy Week!
TUESDAY 11/4
BOOKER T. JONES, URAL THOMAS AND THE PAIN
(Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside) See My, What a Busy Week!
LA HELL GANG, GRANDPARENTS, ANCIENT FOREST
(Bunk Bar, 1028 SE Water) Read our article on La Hell Gang.