WEDNESDAY 3/11

WARREN G, YOUNG EASTLIN
(Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside) See My, What a Busy Week!

NATASHA KMETO, GRANDPARENTS, SWAHILI
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) See My, What a Busy Week!

MACHINE HEAD
(Hawthorne Theatre, 1507 SE César E. Chávez) Twenty years removed from their crushing debut Burn My Eyes, Machine Head released an impressively throttling record in 2014. After a consistent run of well-executed melodic metal releases (and maybe a couple of ill-advised detours into nü metal), Machine Head wrapped all of their powers into one record with Bloodstone & Diamonds, etching their name in stone as one of the premier modern melodic thrash bands in the tradition of Metallica, Pantera, and Lamb of God. There's no shortage of underground metal these days, but sometimes the old bruisers are just what the doctor ordered. Machine Head have logged some miles, but they're still sprinting like it's 1994. MARK LORE

WOLF ALICE, DIVERS
(Bunk Bar, 1028 SE Water) Maybe the UK didn't get the memo about "Wolf" bands. And that's just fine—there's a splendid, Zeppelinesque Brit-folk/Wicker Man-metal band operating in London called Wolf People that's among the best things you can put in your ears right now. And look, here comes Wolf Alice, another London band with their calendar pages turned to decades in the past: They bravely brandish heavy radio rock as if that particular genre didn't lose its currency in 1997. (Maybe the UK didn't get that memo, either). The crunching, catchy songs on their SoundCloud page indicate that Wolf Alice is onto something good; lead singer Ellie Rowsell sweetens the group's voluminous, studio-polished sound with genuine heart, and the band's thunder bolsters the listener rather than overwhelms. With PDX rock 'n' roll heroes Divers sharing the bill, this has potential for a terrific, terrifically loud night. NED LANNAMANN

THURSDAY 3/12

URAL THOMAS AND THE PAIN
(Kennedy School, 5736 NE 33rd) See My, What a Busy Week!

FLAMIN' GROOVIES, THE PYNNACLES, CRIMINAL GUITARS, DJ REMA YOUNG
(Dante's, 350 W Burnside) Read our article on Flamin' Groovies.

THE JULIANA HATFIELD THREE, HOLIDAY FRIENDS
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) Juliana Hatfield's alterna-'90s rock-queen résumé is flawless. The songwriter had a hit on the Reality Bites soundtrack, played bass on the Lemonheads' classic It's a Shame About Ray (and was romantically linked with dreamboat frontman Evan Dando), and even guest-starred on a truly bizarre supernatural episode of My So-Called Life as a ghost teen angel. But beyond the I-wish-I-was-her list of cool points, Hatfield has been doing the same thing for the past three decades in many different musical projects: writing really, really good songs. Her whip-smart, insightful lyrics and sugary vocals are always on point; she's like if a singer/songwriter at a coffee shop were actually captivating. This performance will be extra-special—it marks the Juliana Hatfield Three's first tour (and new album) in 21 years, and they'll be playing their 1993 album Become What You Are in its entirety. It's the perfect soundtrack for getting over the Troy Dyers and Jordan Catalanos of the world once and for all. ROBIN EDWARDS

TOIM, UNDERLORDS TAKE ACID, REDNECK
(The Know, 2026 NE Alberta) Underlords Take Acid are the kind of band you don't want to miss twice, because who knows if or when there'll be a third opportunity. The local so-called "stupor group"—Jonnie Ray Monroe and Christian Carmine from Fist Fite, Josh Hughes from Rabbits, and Captain John from Diesto—played once last spring to commemorate their self-titled album on Eolian Empire, and Thursday brings a second show, this time at the Know. Assuming the album is a reliable guide, expect the evening to pulse with heavy psych freakouts, warped krautrock, sludgy space jams, and whatever other weirdo sounds float by. A vinyl release of Underlords Take Acid, announced last year, has yet to happen, so I guess I'll stop hoping for a box set of the entire 11-hour improv session at Type Foundry that birthed the seven-track album. Hey, we got another show from these folks. No need to be greedy! BEN SALMON

THE LONESOME BILLIES, MELVILLE, US LIGHTS
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) Like some wily hybrid of Johnny Cash and Johnny Thunders, Portland's Lonesome Billies have bottled their country-punk lightning a second time with the self-release of their sophomore EP, The Day I Lost My Life. Featuring the railway rhythms of the title track, references to Rasputin, and just a hint of the sardonic wit that's made the band a formidable staple live, the four-song EP is a hot commodity, with only 300 7-inch copies being sold during its three release parties—one of which is tonight at Mississippi Studios (the others are in Seattle and at SXSW in Austin). Whether or not the band will be granted the time or freedom to launch into their infamously rad second-string set of punk covers remains to be seen, but either way, the Billies are one of the better live presences in the entire city. RYAN J. PRADO

BAD JAZZ, LOREN CHASSE, MATT HANNAFIN, BIRCH COOPER
(Xhurch, 4550 NE 20th) Something in the music of Bad Jazz, an improvisational trio from California, makes me think that John Cage would be proud of their efforts. Bryan Day, Tania Chen, and Ben Salomon utilize found objects, instruments of their own design (small bamboo pipe organs, electronic squawk boxes), and some traditional tools, to rattle and squeeze out an unholy racket that calls to mind some of Cage's more agitated compositions. Birch Cooper also creates many of his own sound sources, but his live performances—at least those with his ongoing art project MSHR—aim for sensory overload. His homemade electronics connect in with a vivid, colorful light show, with the music affecting the visuals in dazzling and sometimes blinding fashion. ROBERT HAM

APE MACHINE, WITCHBURN, PSEUDOBOSS
(Star Theater, 13 NW 6th) It's hard to tell what percentage of this classic metal resurgence is ironic, post-culture posturing. Let's just say there's a fine line between the Darkness and Red Fang. Refreshingly, there is nothing affected about Ape Machine (which is not to say the group is entirely humorless—there are admittedly a number of things inherently comedic about this sort of music). The band has produced some of Portland's most reliable, underrated classic-rock-tinged psych-metal since 2010, when they released their debut. This House Has Been Condemned was a record that shamelessly flaunted its influences (Sabbath, Deep Purple) without feeling merely anachronistic. The band's most recent album, Mangled by the Machine, is their most realized yet, showcasing a seamless artistic focus and songwriting prowess the majority of their peers lack. Tonight the group celebrates the release of a new live LP/DVD package, Live at Freak Valley. MORGAN TROPER

PARTICLE SON, HAPPY FANGS, FULL MOON RADIO
(Ash Street Saloon, 225 SW Ash) Olympia's Full Moon Radio would fit in perfectly on an early Sub Pop or C/Z Records compilation. That's not to suggest they're redoing the past or replicating other bands—just that they draw from a similar set of influences that spawned the assortment of bands that eventually got lumped together and labeled grunge. The palette of punk, power-pop, and hair metal that the bands of late-'80s/early-'90s Northwest rock drew from is what Full Moon Radio use and make their own. Their latest album, Best Mother, is full of solid, straight-ahead, weighted rock songs that showcase lead vocalist Ali Baker's ability to swing from a deep, rich Carrie Akre of Hammerbox to an angry Selene Vigil of 7 Year Bitch. JOSHUA JAMES AMBERSON

FRIDAY 3/13

THE DODOS, SPRINGTIME CARNIVORE
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) See My, What a Busy Week!

HELL'S BELLES, BITCH SCHOOL, TRIGGER ITCH
(Dante's, 350 W Burnside) See My, What a Busy Week!

CHARLEMAGNE PALESTINE
(Yale Union, 800 SE 10th) Read our article on Charlemagne Palestine.

TRASH TALK, RATKING, LEE BANNON
(Star Theater, 13 NW 6th) The increasingly mutualistic relationship between the comedy and independent rock worlds that's flourished in recent years has been a great thing to witness. I'll never forget the Corin Tucker Band's quick set at the end of comedian Jon Glaser's Delocated Variety Show at Bridgetown a few years back, where the band played while wearing the TV show's iconic ski masks and voice modulators. More recently, California hardcore punk stalwarts Trash Talk appeared on late-night talk-show parody The Eric Andre Show, attempting to perform while wearing volume-sensitive shock collars. The band's commitment to the performance is staggering, as they continue to play after clearly receiving some heavy zaps to the neck. It's an over-the-top bit for a band that needs no gimmicks to operate. Since forming in 2005, Trash Talk have released five full-length albums that helped shape the sound of modern-day hardcore music. CHIPP TERWILLIGER Also read our article on Ratking.

SUMAC, THRONES
(White Owl Social Club, 1305 SE 8th) Five years after Isis broke up—much to the agony of fans of that band's Neurosis-inspired atmospheric heaviness—it now seems like the best move frontman Aaron Turner ever made. In addition to his other current projects, Mamiffer and Old Man Gloom (the latter recently played in town), Turner has found another outlet in Sumac, which he formed last year with Baptists drummer Nick Yacyshyn. (Brian Cook of Russian Circles plays bass.) Like OMG, Sumac explores the heavier side of Turner's tendencies (his scruffy howl remains), but with weirder time signatures and more dissonant textures. But Sumac's true power lies in Yacyshyn, who's as dynamic as he is explosive behind the kit, causing Dave Grohl to call him his favorite new drummer. Fans of heady metal, take note. KATHLEEN RICHARDS

THE GUTTERS, THE BUGS, WOODGE
(The Foggy Notion, 3416 N Lombard) Portland Anglophiles the Gutters have clanged and banged their way through a handful of 7-inches with enough sneer and piss to bring Nikki Sudden back from the dead (they released a 7-inch called Should We Make a 7-Inch?, for chrissakes). Jokes aside, the Gutters make serious racket in the spirit of Pink Flag-era Wire and the afore-hinted-at Swell Maps. As a two-piece they more than fill up the space, while occasionally tripping into uncharted territory. Sure, there are plenty of bands pulling from the same sources, but the Gutters do it with style and bite. ML

JOHN CRAIGIE
(Alberta Street Pub, 1036 NE Alberta) Portland-based folksinger John Craigie has released 10 albums since 2003, but his new one, Working on My Farewell, is the first to feature electric guitar, and his current tour is his first ever backed by a band. Don't be fooled, though: None of the above means the man's two-night stand at Alberta Street Pub will be a rollicking affair. Craigie has always spun magic using only an acoustic guitar, a well-worn voice, wonderful stories, and a sharp sense of humor, but on Farewell, he pairs downcast lyrics about love, loss, and life with the kind of moody reverberance you only get out of a guitar by plugging it in. The results are indeed not at all rollicking, but slow and sparse and sad. And beautiful. BS

SATURDAY 3/14

TWEEDY, THE MINUS 5
(Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside) See My, What a Busy Week!, andAll-Ages Action!

ANNALISA TORNFELT WITH THE SOUND OUTSIDE, MICHAEL HURLEY
(Alberta Rose Theatre, 3000 NE Alberta) Read our article on Annalisa Tornfelt.

DOG THIEVES, SIOUX FALLS, ROBOT BOY
(Winch Hall at Reed College, 3203 SE Woodstock) See All-Ages Action!

FRINGE CLASS, GOLD CASIO, DOUBLEPLUSGOOD
(S1, 4148 NE Hancock) See All-Ages Action!

CHARLEMAGNE PALESTINE
(Yale Union, 800 SE 10th) Read our article on Charlemagne Palestine.

THE GUTTERS, DEFECT DEFECT, SAD HORSE
(The Know, 2026 NE Alberta) See Friday's preview.

JOHN CRAIGIE
(Alberta Street Pub, 1036 NE Alberta) See Friday's preview.

DESTINATION ELEVATION: COAST2C, BREAK MODE, DANIELA KARINA, KITCHEN DJ, COLE BABY
(The Liquor Store, 3341 SE Belmont) Portland might finally have a dance music venue where the sound is really dialed in, giving people the chance to enjoy the music as it's meant to be heard. Thanks to their high-end Funktion One soundsystem, the newly renovated Liquor Store on SE Belmont is shaping up nicely. Performing this week is Mexico City transplant Coast2C (Sofía Acosta), who's been making waves with her signature style of Latin-inspired DJ selections. She also draws from the house and disco era of the '80s and '90s for a retro feel full of flair and attitude. This ability to mix dance music from past and present marks the sign of a DJ who really knows her stuff. CHRISTINA BROUSSARD

DOGHEART, THE HUGS, SHADOWHOUSE
(Bunk Bar, 1028 SE Water) Though the recording period for the tracks on Dogheart's debut album, What Burns the Best, covered a lot of ground, the songs are poised and polished garage-pop gems thanks to a ruthless vetting process. Tracking some 40 tunes while recording in summer 2014 with Portland engineer Jeff Bond, the trio trimmed down the fruits of their fledgling labor to a lean 10-song, 30-minute snapshot of slacker-y guitar-rock à la Pavement, peppier pop fare, and perfect summertime serenades, like the readymade radio track "Lose Me" and the infectious Malkmusian "Jawbone." Dogheart celebrates the official release of the record tonight at Bunk Bar. Bring cash and throw it at the band while they play, or pick up a copy of their great new record. Your choice. RJP

M.O.D. CLUB PDX: RAF, THE COOL WHIPS, DJ HIPPIE JOE
(The Secret Society, 116 NE Russell) The Cool Whips don't just offer up retro sounds—their new album, Goodies, is a full-fledged, Farfisa-dipped immersion in nostalgia, from the Archies/Andy Kim-style bubblegum melodies to the decidedly childlike point-of-view in songs like "Tickle Me with a Featherduster" and "Pink Lemonade." In fact, "On the Seesaw" is, literally, a playground romp, including the telling lines, "I'm gonna make her mine as quickly as I can/But first I gotta grow up and turn into a man." Goodies evokes a bright, sunshiny day somewhere around the dawn of the 1970s, when youngsters were inheriting their older siblings' hand-me-down Monkees 45s as the big kids went off to smoke grass and listen to Sabbath. Tonight the Portland four-piece celebrates the release of the effervescent album, which was named "album of the week" by a Swedish internet radio show called Ice Cream Man Power Pop and More. And if there's anything the Swedes know, it's pop music. (Tonight's M.O.D. Club show serves as a makeup date for the Cool Whips' originally scheduled record-release show on January 9, which was postponed due to illness.) NED LANNAMANN

SUNDAY 3/15

GHOST TO FALCO, LIKE A VILLAIN
(Al's Den, 303 SW 12th) See My, What a Busy Week!

ANNALISA TORNFELT
(Music Millennium, 3158 E Burnside) Read our article on Annalisa Tornfelt.

CHARLEMAGNE PALESTINE
(Agnes Flanagan Chapel, Lewis & Clark College, 0615 SW Palatine Hill) Read our article on Charlemagne Palestine.

COPPICE, JODA CLEMENT AND MATHIEU RUHLMANN, SETH NEHIL AND KELLY RAUER, INGENTING KOLLEKTIVA
(Turn! Turn! Turn!, 8 NE Killingsworth) The duo known as Coppice is partly an academic exercise. The two men behind the project, Noé Cuéllar and Joseph Kramer, maintain an archive in Chicago of instruments both homemade and mass-produced, as well as some of their own invention. Via the study of these noisemakers and their possibilities, the pair crafts new compositions that can be meditative or turbulent, depending on the timbre and attack of whatever sound source they utilize. A similar aesthetic runs through the work of Canadians Joda Clement and Mathieu Ruhlmann, also on the bill tonight, but it has a more formless quality informed by their use of field recordings and billowing clouds of drone. RH

MONDAY 3/16

GHOST TO FALCO, AAN, WHALES WHAILING
(Al's Den, 303 SW 12th) See My, What a Busy Week!

TUESDAY 3/17

A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS, VEXX, DAYDREAM MACHINE
(Star Theater, 13 NW 6th) See My, What a Busy Week!

GHOST TO FALCO, JONATHAN SIELAFF, SPECTRUM CONTROL
(Al's Den, 303 SW 12th) See My, What a Busy Week!

BAYSIDE, SENSES FAIL, MAN OVERBOARD, SEAWAY
(Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell) See All-Ages Action!

HERMITAGE PIANO TRIO
(PSU Lincoln Performance Hall, 1620 SW Park) Want to avoid the green-beer-and-cabbage crowd this year? Lucky for you, the fine folks at Friends of Chamber Music continue their stellar season tonight by hosting the Hermitage Piano Trio for some straight-ahead 19th century classical goodness. Following an all-Russian program on Monday evening, violinist Misha Keylin, cellist Sergey Antonov, and pianist Ilya Kazantsev team up once again with a pair of hits from their fellow countrymen Rimsky-Korsakoff and Alyabiev—along with the powerhouse Piano Trio in D Minor composed by Felix Mendelssohn. Whether it's the contagious melody of the opening chapter, or the wonderfully tranquil slow movement, or the rhythmically breezy scherzo, or the technically demanding finale that eventually bursts forth in all its major key glory, Mendelssohn's benchmark chamber work possesses a distinct quality shared by just about everything else he composed: It's charming as fuck. Armed with nothing but a fiddle, cello, and 88 keys in the especially intimate confines of Lincoln Hall, don't be surprised if these lads of the Hermitage Piano Trio unexpectedly restore your faith in humanity. BRIAN HORAY

BOBBY PERU, CLARKE AND THE HIMSELFS, SHITTY WEEKEND, CULT CHOIR
(The Know, 2026 NE Alberta) The first time I heard Boise native Clarke Howell's one-man-band, Clarke and the Himselfs, it was at an outdoor Rontoms Sunday Session. Clarke was on the back patio covering Jay Reatard's "Hammer I Miss You," and through the walls I mistook it for the original recording of the song. You can imagine my surprise when I discovered that not only was it a live cover, but it was being played by a lone musician sitting behind a drum set and holding a guitar. The next time I caught him, Howell displayed a similar command when he tore through the Wipers' "Mystery" at the inaugural Lose Yr Mind festival. Don't mistake Clark and the Himselfs for being a one-man jukebox, though, as his original material is every bit as strong as his interpretations. Songs like "Asteroid" and "Toxic World" are infectious, fuzzed-out earworms that are sure to get trapped in your head for days. CT