WEDNESDAY 8/12

ROBIN BACIOR, SARA JACKSON-HOLMAN, JOHANNA WARREN
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) See My, What a Busy Week!

DAVID LIEBE HART, SWORD OF A BAD SPELLER, MR. PLOW, BLOOD MOUSE, MATT DANGER
(Panic Room, 3100 NE Sandy) Read our article on David Liebe Hart.

FIREWORKS, WEATHERBOX, DRY JACKET, OF CONFIDENCE
(Analog Café, 720 SE Hawthorne) See All-Ages Action!

THE ATLAS MOTH, VATTNET VISKAR, SOL, MURSA
(Ash Street Saloon, 225 SW Ash) While most metal bands are one-trick ponies with regard to the feeling they create (anger and aggression), the Atlas Moth have a much broader range. While they began in the sludgy Eyehategod vein, the Chicago band branched out on their second album, 2011's An Ache for the Distance, juxtaposing raspy, black-metalish screams and clean singing, swirling post-rock guitars and doomy riffs into proggy songs that were at times reflective, triumphant, mournful, and cathartic. On third album The Old Believer, released last year by Profound Lore, Atlas Moth are even moodier—combining the heaviness of Neurosis, the spacey atmospherics of Pink Floyd, the emotional weight of Deftones, and the hypnotic dreaminess of Slowdive. KATHLEEN RICHARDS Also, read our article on Vattnet Viskar.

INSTITUTE, ARCTIC FLOWERS, VEXX, THE OINTMENT
(Black Water Bar, 835 NE Broadway) Austin, Texas' Institute churn out a lowbrow, glue-sniffing (and Glue-bred) hybrid of hardcore and skeezeball garage, mood music for the terminally stupid. That the anarchic, transgressive foursome named themselves Institute seems to be a sly joke: The only guiding principle here is a lack of organization. They're joined by Vexx, a raging four-piece from Olympia led by the fist-clenched, cross-eyed cries of Mary Jane Dunphe. Her whirlwind sturm-und-drang oscillates between moments of taunting and inward strife, self-destruction and pure outward chaos. The theme of the night, if anything, is the reclamation of body and self through degradation. There's strength in the knowledge that you can hurt yourself more than any enemy. MAC POGUE

SYNESTHETICA: VINNIE DEWAYNE, WISHYUNU, RADIATION CITY DJS, DJ THUMPER
(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) Vinnie Dewayne's hip-hop is music made for a late-night car ride over the St. Johns Bridge, alone. His wordy, deeply introspective lyrics and the densely packed beats he raps over make it seem like Dewayne is in the backseat of your car, pouring out the depths of his insides in the form of gritty short stories about the St. Johns neighborhood and a Portland entirely different from SE Division and Burnside 26. His songs draw the line of emotional reality in that he depicts his everyday struggles of bearing witness to violence (from police and others), poverty, and relationships, while reminding you he's not just a documentarian but another person in the story struggling to understand his own role. Dewayne is coming off a triumphant PDX Pop Now! set and soft release of his latest mixtape, The St. Johns Scholar. CAMERON CROWELL

LIV WARFIELD
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) That Liv Warfield is playing a smaller venue like Doug Fir is a wonder. She and her band could, and have, commanded much larger stages, and her voice alone can fill arenas. A longtime Portland resident and alum of Prince's New Power Generation, Warfield has been making music in this city for nearly 10 years, but her most recent album, 2014's The Unexpected, might as well be her unofficial debut. With Prince as executive producer and the NPG horns backing her up, The Unexpected brings together R&B, funk, and rock 'n' roll in a way that few performers have pulled off since Tina Turner's reign. Warfield is doing us a hometown favor with this intimate show. Take advantage while she's still feeling generous. SANTI ELIJAH HOLLEY

THURSDAY 8/13

MÁSCARAS, HATS OFF, GALLONS
(Bunk Bar, 1028 SE Water) It's getting real: Papi Fimbres is actually leaving Portland. The drummer/multi-instrumentalist of a thousand local bands announced months ago that he'd be moving to Germany, but it was easy to think he'd stick around forever. Now with the departure date looming, Fimbres has done a remarkable job in booking multiple farewell shows for what seem like every last one of his countless musical projects, getting them in front of ears and asses for a few last times. Tonight's a triple-decker ta-ta-for-now, with Fimbres playing in all three bands, including zoom-psych trio Máscaras, who are also celebrating the vinyl release of their remarkable debut album. It's actually not Máscaras' last show before Fimbres ships out—nor is it Gallons'—but with all three projects set to be put on ice at summer's end, it's the perfect opportunity to say, "Later, homie." NED LANNAMANN

NOPES, SABONIS, PASS
(The Know, 2026 NE Alberta) Arvydas Sabonis is far from being the only former Trail Blazer on the minds of Portlanders these days, but you can expect to hear the Lithuanian legend mentioned more frequently, thanks to the local pop-rock quintet sharing his name. It's rare that a band emerges sounding as fully formed as Sabonis does on its Good Cheer Records-issued self-titled cassette, and it's no surprise to learn that members of the group have been previously intertwined, playing in bands like Your Rival, Forest Park, the Bustling Townships, and Zoogirl. Sabonis' barbed take on nostalgia-dripping, emotionally charged pop music brings to mind the Kinsella brothers, if Cap'n Jazz had taken a foot off the gas and veered into dream-pop territory. "More Time" finds guitarist/vocalist Maya Stoner luring listeners in with a bittersweet vocal hook for the ages. And by the time the turbulent, fuzzed-out closer "Gone" brings things to a halt, you'll be left completely gutted. CHIPP TERWILLIGER

FRIDAY 8/14

URAL THOMAS AND THE PAIN, NICK WATERHOUSE, ORQUESTRA PACIFICO TROPICAL, REV SHINES
(Revolution Hall, 1300 SE Stark #110) See My, What a Busy Week!

JOHN VALUE, POST MOVES, FASHION CLUB
(Mother Foucault's, 523 SE Morrison) John Value describes his Ritual as having come together over the course of three different cities in the past three years. The album is a Big Star-indebted chronicle of his years before and after going to rehab for alcoholism, incisive yet exuberant in its self-examination. Like so many drinkers, Value found a ritual in opening a bottle and watching it slowly grow clear, but the ritual he lets listeners in on is a commune with himself, deconstructing his anxieties as he constructs the song. Mother Foucault's Bookshop is hosting the album release for Value, with the chorused Neil Young-isms of Post Moves and the nü-pop punk of Fashion Club rounding out the bill. MP Also see All-Ages Action!

WILD ONES, PEARLES
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) Since forming in the beginning of 2011, Wild Ones' batting average has been basically perfect: Debut EP You're a Winner evoked the ethereal innocence of the group's much-beloved spiritual antecedent Eskimo and Sons, while keeping one eye affixed firmly on the future (the future being synthesizers). Follow-up LP Keep It Safe delivered on all of You're a Winner's promises and then some, effortlessly marrying superb songwriting with a club-hopping, glowstick-wagging predication (see: this year's KPSU Kruise). In short—they should appeal to anyone who likes music even a little bit. Tonight, Wild Ones celebrate the release of new EP, Heatwave, and it's a predictably great collection of songs that manages to reaffirm their collective strengths without merely being an echo of past triumphs—in particular "Dim The Lights," a confessional, gritty slab of electropop par excellence that ranks among their very best (so far). MORGAN TROPER

CONSUMER, SAD HORSE, TIG BITTY, TYRANTS, DJ TURVEY
(Twilight Café and Bar, 1420 SE Powell) Matt Palenske is making up for lost time. His loop station got completely fried, and, financially unable to repair or replace it, he spent a long stretch of time unable to get out his twitchy, hip-hop-inspired art-pop improvisations. Back in action, the artist known as Consumer is gushing with new material, including Arc, a freshly dubbed cassette split with Brooklyn's Casas, and the Consumer side finds Palenske indulging in more ambient expressions alongside head-nodding beats and jagged shards of noise and incident. Joining Palenske to celebrate the release of the new tape is underground girl hip-hop group Tig Bitty and sultry guitar rockers Sad Horse. ROBERT HAM

JEFF THE BROTHERHOOD, BATTLEME, MIRACLE FALLS
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) Out of the two notable Middle American lo-fi rock 'n' roll duos that have regularly been releasing music for the past decade, one has stayed true to being a duo and the other is an ego-driven four-piece in disguise. While The Black Keys have drifted in the direction of anthemic "serious" rock absurdity, brothers Jake and Jamin Orral of Jeff the Brotherhood have kept close to their lighthearted, fuzzy garage-punk roots. The Orral brothers take pride in not taking themselves too seriously and recognize rock 'n' roll as catchy riff, high-energy fun rather than an assertion of fame and dominance. Essentially, Jeff the Brotherhood are the first The Decline of Western Civilization, while the Black Keys are the sad, attention-grabbing Part II: The Metal Years. CC

SATURDAY 8/15

FROTH, PSYCHOMAGIC, HOLLOW SIDEWALKS
(Bunk Bar, 1028 SE Water) Read our article on Froth.

SUN ANGLE, SUMMER CANNIBALS, BLESST CHEST
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) Goodbyes don't have to be sad occasions. Tonight marks the final show of local favorite Sun Angle and the tour kick-off for growing national buzz band Summer Cannibals. In 2013, Sun Angle, known for their enthusiastic punk-psych cumbia, released their debut album Diamond Junk shortly after taking an unexpected break. While the band members kept more than busy with side projects such as Máscaras and XRAY.fm's Heavy Breather radio show, they returned strong with a string of shows in recent months. Both Sun Angle and Summer Cannibals are known for their fiery, intense shows, so expect the unexpected. Rounded out by prog-rock favorites Blesst Chest, this will be a night of thrash intensity at its finest, a send-off worthy of a band ending before its time and a proper launch for a band worth celebrating. JENI WREN STOTTRUP Also see My, What a Busy Week!

ANCIENT HEAT, GUDA, DJ POCKET ROCKET
(Star Theater, 13 NW 6th) Portland's most dedicated discoteers, Ancient Heat, have become fixtures on the local live music circuit over the past few years, but up 'til now they haven't released a full-length album. That's remedied with the brand-new Ancient Heat, a 45-minute funkstravaganza that follows the groove carved by the group's earlier EPs with wah-wah guitars, booty-shaking bottom end, and open hi-hat on nearly every off-beat. If cocaine and lewd sex were the drugs of choice during disco's late-'70s heyday, Ancient Heat seem interested in more mind-expanding, less frantic means of blowing off steam, injecting a vibe of new-age crystal mysticism into their modern-day take on bow-chicka-wow. It's a dance record that takes as much from our recent, rich EDM history as it does from Studio 54. NL

VALKYRIE RODEO, BULLETS OR BALLOONS, BIG BLACK CLOUD
(Kenton Club, 2025 N Kilpatrick) Saturday night might be all right for fighting, but you won't feel like doing much tonight other than marveling at this show's total aural devastation. The three-band bill should be enough to stir your noise-rock juices, with Portland's excellently grimy Big Black Cloud emerging from an eight-month hiatus, and Bullets or Balloons making one of their routine pilgrimages down from Spokane, D. Boon-pocked funk-punk experimentations in tow. Tonight is also the official tape release for Valkyrie Rodeo's new effort, Taco Supreme, to be released via Cluster Duck Records. If the duo's 2013 Ready, Set, Ruin! EP is any indication, then Taco Supreme is primed to be one spicy, crispy bite of crusty metal mayhem. Support local music, and buy a tape deck again if you have to. RYAN J. PRADO

MAC SABBATH, COOKIE MONGOLOID
(Dante's, 350 W Burnside) The words "parody band" and "Black Sabbath" don't belong in the same sentence. You can't make light of the progenitors of all things heavy. Unless you're like Mac Sabbath and create something that is so bizarre, you can't turn your back on it. Made up of anonymous musicians from Los Angeles dressed like acid-trip versions of your favorite McDonald's characters, Mac Sabbath plays faithful Sabbath covers but change the words to skewer the fast-food industry. Punny song titles include: "Sweet Beef," "Lord of the Swirl," and "Cherries Are Fruit." Judging from all the YouTube videos I ingested, Mac Sabbath puts on a show that rivals Gwar. There are big foam costumes, props a-plenty, and lead singer Ronald Osbourne emulates Ozzy's live persona perfectly. That is, aside from the nightmarish Ronald McDonald get-up. This show is gonna be odd, and you wanna be there. ARIS WALES

WOODEN INDIAN BURIAL GROUND, CLARKE AND THE HIMSELFS, JUNIOR ROCKET SCIENTIST
(The Know, 2026 NE Alberta) In March 2013, local psych-rock outfit Wooden Indian Burial Ground lit up the stage while opening for Ty Segall's metal-tinged side project, Fuzz. As WIBG frontman Justin Fowler & Co. ripped through a batch of songs off the band's soon-to-be-released self-titled album, a packed house danced and moved within the band's creepy funhouse of noise. Wooden Indian Burial Ground had already proven itself one of the city's most energetic live acts, and suddenly they had the audience on their level. Since then, the group has gone on to pack rooms and incite beer-soaked mosh pits all over town. Outside of a Fourth of July romp at Dig a Pony, tonight is the band's first Portland show since March, and with them coming off a string of dates in support of Built to Spill's last national tour, you can be sure that they'll be firing on all cylinders. CT

SUNDAY 8/16

JENNY LEWIS, SPRINGTIME CARNIVORE
(Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside) See My, What a Busy Week!

SABONIS
(Music Millennium, 3158 E Burnside) See Thursday's preview.

94/7 BIRTHDAY PARTY: OF MONSTERS AND MEN, CAKE, MATT AND KIM, ROBERT DeLONG, GLASS ANIMALS, CHET FAKER, JOYWAVE, SAINT MOTEL
(OMSI, 1945 SE Water) To celebrate its 20th year on the airwaves, 94.7 (KNRK) has booked itself a birthday bash with a roster of bands bound to delight (or at least not outwardly offend) listeners more than twice as old as the radio station itself. Iceland's Of Monsters and Men haven't relented with their irksomely popular grocery-store folk, featuring gentle strummy harmonies that just scream 2011. (Also, did you pick up some frozen peas?) Cake's fedora alt-funk is even more desiccated, but don't worry—they hate the fact that they have to play "The Distance" every single night even more than you do. And Matt and Kim continue to spread those last thin butter-pats of goodwill they earned from that naked video by following the paycheck. It's precisely the sort of mini-festival you'd expect from a radio station that claims to play "alternative" music in the year 2015. But there's little use in me grumping about it: Tickets for this afternoon's show, which takes place outside of OMSI on the east bank of the Willamette, sold out long ago. Hooray for terrestrial media! NL

CHET FAKER
(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) Nick Murphy—AKA Chet Faker—released his official debut album in 2014, and has already won various music awards, continuing to rise in global popularity. Raised in Melbourne, Faker currently resides in Brooklyn, where he records electronic music that he sings over, and also produces remixes, sometimes collaborating with similar artists such as Flume. Faker's name is an homage to jazz musician Chet Baker, who heavily influenced his winding yet melodic songs, and Faker's ambient electronic sound is just passionate and rhythmic enough to bring into the bedroom. Though he probably won't be performing his own material at this DJ set—he's playing earlier in the day at 94/7's Birthday Party—his jazz and Motown influences should prove to be fruitful for an unusual dance night. ROSE FINN

AAN, REGULAR MUSIC, BITCH'N
(Rontoms, 600 E Burnside) What happens when you combine the female forces behind projects such as Duover, Orquestra Pacifico Tropical, Point Juncture WA, Ioa, Great Wilderness, and Sallie Ford? This is where Bitch'n brews. The fresh, all-woman punk-meets-pop five-piece came together in spring 2015, recording epic free jams that they later wrote lyrics over. Including Rebecca Rasmussen, Amanda Spring, Emily Overstreet, Nefertiti Porter, and Shana Lindbeck, Bitch'n is equal parts Fugazi and Tom Tom Club, with the playfulness of Dirty Projectors and Hot Chip, keeping it bumpin' with catchy songs accented by dark bass, psych-pop guitars and keys, driving drum beats, and all five women's voices singing and sometimes shouting in unison. Experimental in nature, Bitch'n expertly weave a tapestry through their songs, keeping the project from falling into a single box, while simultaneously following a cohesive thread. With Lindbeck leaving for Germany soon, catch them in their full glory while you still can. JWS

MONDAY 8/17

MOKA ONLY, NIC BAM, DURAZZO, NORTHERN DRAW
(The Know, 2026 NE Alberta) Moka Only has been dropping an unbelievable number of albums since the mid-'90s, has won three Juno Awards, worked with J Dilla and Awol One, and is a frequent collaborator with (and former member of) Canadian underground hip-hop legends Swollen Members. 2015 saw Moka start his own label, Beautiful Records, as a subscription-based service, with the featured release being the hot-off-the-presses Magickal Weirdness LP, a 32-track exposition of warmly sampled, well, weirdness. It's also a sort of time machine to the seminal days of hip-hop when anything went, choruses were for poseurs, and even the super positive emcees seemed dangerous and irreverent. That the pioneering rapper/producer is playing a space as intimate as the Know is a fucking miracle of the power of small-venue ingenuity, and you're gonna need to see this. RJP

TUESDAY 8/18

PRIMITIVE MAN, NORTHLESS, TRANSIENT, SORROWER
(Panic Room, 3100 NE Sandy) Primitive Man makes feral, bludgeoning metal that oozes with disdain for its fellow Modern Man. The Denver band traffics in sludgey doom that, while resin-coated, is more discordant and unhinged than your typical stoner metal, and album titles like Scorn and Home Is Where the Hatred Is are there just in case you didn't glean where the trio is coming from. Their tourmates Northless offer a similarly nihilistic worldview, but they allow more color to seep into their heavy dirges, with shades of Mastodon and Neurosis adding some fluidity to what's otherwise a pound-your-head-into-the-ground type of assault. MATTHEW W. SULLIVAN

CFCF, PULSE EMITTER, C++, JASON URICK
(S1 Gallery, 4148 NE Hancock) CFCF is the electronic pop project of Montreal-based musician and vocalist Michael Silver. He produces silky-smooth, top-quality jams from another world, making quite a name for himself at a relatively young age. Silver cites several refreshing influences, most notably Peter Gabriel, with whom he shares a sort of epic brilliance. His music is complex yet inviting, and a similar vibe holds true for the rest of the evening as well. The event will be held at the art/music space S1, which has been gaining a reputation for hosting artists that are more experimental and perhaps not as visible but still a vital part of the thriving underground electronic scene in the US and beyond. CHRISTINA BROUSSARD