WEDNESDAY 9/9

JACKSON BOONE, WAMPIRE, CAT HOCH
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) Jackson Boone's sophomore full-length, Natural Changes, is not just another drop in the psych-rock bucket. Recorded at his grandfather's Oregon Coast beach house and produced by rising producer and Unknown Mortal Orchestra drummer Riley Geare, Natural Changes takes listeners on a dreamlike flight, sipping cocktails in a '60s-era Pan Am lounge, then floating through the cosmos on a cloud of lush guitars riffs, keyboard flourishes, percussion elements, and Boone's creamy vocals. Recalling artists like Pink Floyd and '90s-era Flaming Lips, Boone is informed by the past while setting a high standard for the genre moving forward—impressively so, as psych rock experiences a major revival, with seemingly every new band adding its own take on the style. Following breakout sets at Pickathon and an upcoming US tour, Boone's release show, featuring Portland favorite Wampire and fellow rising psych star Cat Hoch, will be nothing short of memorable. JENI WREN STOTTRUP Also see My, What a Busy Week!

WAVVES, SWMRS, TWIN PEAKS
(Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell) For a while in the late '00s, Wavves (San Diego's Nathan Williams) was making surf punk that actually contained sweet breaths of fresh air. Beneath the home-studio scuzz fizzed melodies of effortless catchiness that made even middle-aged grumps feel youthful and reckless. But 2010's King of the Beach began a tilt toward higher production values and a concomitant loss of charm, which continued on the major-label debut, Afraid of Heights. Maybe becoming more "pro-sounding" ain't all it's cracked up to be. Meanwhile, on Twin Peaks' 2013 album, Sunken, the Chicago band came off like chillwavers kicked out of wishy-washiness by a garage-rock urgency. It was a merging of unlikely elements that worked pretty well most of the time. But on their latest album, 2014's Wild Onion, songs zoom into sharper focus and burgeon into radio-friendly bravado, as if they immersed themselves in Tom Petty's Damn the Torpedoes and the Stones' Exile on Main Street, and added a light coating of schmaltz. Progress? DAVE SEGAL Also see All-Ages Action!

BIG SCARY, BABES
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) Big Scary is anything but what their name suggests. Made up of a couple of Australians (Tom Iansek and Joanna Syme), Big Scary's sound dances around electronic indie pop, with a subtle Radiohead influence and vocals that occasionally mimic the sweet angst of Fleet Foxes. The duo began making music in 2006, and has since put out a collection of season-themed EPs, as well as two full albums. Their lyrics, readily available on their website, depict considerable introspection and read more like poetry than pop. With a sound so soft and sweet, Big Scary's upbeat melodies could fit anywhere from soundtracking your trip to the coast to serenading you as you sort through a box of old love letters. ROSE FINN

THURSDAY 9/10

STEPHEN MALKMUS AND THE JICKS
(TBA's The Works, 831 SE Salmon) See My, What a Busy Week!

GOLDEN HOUR, ALL DOGS, UGLY LOVERS, BASTA BASTA, THE RAGSHAKERS
(Anarres Infoshop, 7101 N Lombard) There's a specific pleasure in wallowing in the depths of bummer feelings, and All Dogs take me to those lows triumphantly. The Ohio band creates beautifully earnest, poppy guitar rock that's comforting in its recognition that sometimes not everything is okay. Maryn Jones' emotive voice soars through catchy, desolate rock anthems of inner turmoil and self-sabotage—when she breaks into Fleetwood Mac's "Silver Springs" at the end of "Leading Me Back to You," it completely slays me in the best way. ROBIN EDWARDS Also read our article on Golden Hour.

GRANDPARENTS, MINDEN, TALKATIVE, IS/IS
(Star Theater, 13 NW 6th) Portland's Grandparents have emerged from their self-imposed exile in a big way this year. After cherry-picking live shows as they woodshedded their upcoming full-length (called Sincerely, Bagman), the six-piece psych-rock band got back to what they do best. Grandparents' experimental brew confounds easy categorization, pairing songs as unabashedly catchy as "Kids in the Alley" with tape-manipulated hallucinatory gems like "Pill Spectre." They gained an entirely new fanbase last month while performing at Pickathon, and they'll hit the road following tonight's tour kickoff. The band is also premiering a new video tonight, but it looks like you'll have to wait until October 23 to get your hands on Sincerely, Bagman, which was delayed at the vinyl-pressing plant. Wait with bated breath, grandbabies. It's a real good one. RYAN J. PRADO

GOLDEN RETRIEVER, VISIBLE CLOAKS, MSHR, JASON URICK
(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) Tonight offers up a glimpse of Golden Retriever's past and future. Jonathan Sielaff and Matt Carlson are using tonight's performance in part to celebrate a vinyl reissue of their second, self-titled album together, but also to introduce a larger version of the experimental Portland group. The duo will be joined by Blue Cranes member Reed Wallsmith, percussionist Matt Hannafin, and oboist Catherine Lee, filling out their already rich compositions that meld Sielaff's bass clarinet and Carlson's modular synthesizer tones. The performance is also helping raise funds for a grander Golden Retriever project: a live recording happening at the Old Church in October that will feature an even bigger chamber ensemble. The mind reels with the possibilities of the new direction this duo is taking. ROBERT HAM

MALL WALK, THE WOOLEN MEN, PISS TEST, YOUNGER LOVERS
(The Know, 2026 NE Alberta) Younger Lovers was conceived as an outlet for the sweet, textured pop songs Brontez Purnell had in his back pocket that wouldn't fit his other band, the legendary Bay Area electro band Gravy Train!!!! Now, the Younger Lovers are a full-fledged live band featuring members of In Disgust and Try the Pie, bringing Purnell's Guided by Voices-by-way-of-Nobunny tracks to life. Local Kiwi-philes the Woolen Men will open up along with Piss Test, a trio of Portlanders who write dark, lurching songs of the utmost variety: punk about punk. Their latest 7-inch will leave you as shellshocked as Nick Cave staring at his overturned Jag (Google it). MAC POGUE

GARLIC MAN AND CHIKN, THE TOADS, DAISY DEATHS
(Kelly's Olympian, 426 SW Washington) Olympia has a long history of bizarre hip-hop. Groups that arise out of the town's outsider punk aesthetic share little in common with other hip-hop subgenres—nerdcore or abstract/experimental hip-hop, let's say—but tend toward a lo-fi grittiness that's unfamiliar to most hip-hop heads. Scream Club, Mac Dawg, Cooper's Glen, Hollywood Kill Krew, Nicky Click... music like this doesn't really originate anywhere else. Olympia's Garlic Man and Chikn is a smoother, more R&B-influenced iteration of this lineage, but it's just as strange. They write songs about being stinky, being sexy, and being stoned. The queer, sex-positive group puts on wild and weird shows that encourage a blurring of performer and audience. Come ready to get sweaty, or to find a spot in the back of the room from which to observe the madness. JOSHUA JAMES AMBERSON

FRIDAY 9/11

DIRTY REVIVAL, REDRAY FRAZIER, DJ WEATHER
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) Read our article on Dirty Revival.

JAILL, COLLEEN GREEN, SUMMER CANNIBALS, COMA SERFS
(The Know, 2026 NE Alberta) Summer Cannibals' guitarist/vocalist Jessica Boudreaux performs with an urgency that transforms her lyrics into defiant rallying cries. Her snarling shouts about being forced back to the start on "All It Takes" are something that anyone could relate to, but it seems especially in tune with the recent endeavors of Jaill frontman Vincent Kircher. After releasing their debut on Burger Records, Jaill followed it up with two excellent albums on Sub Pop that never quite generated the buzz the band was worthy of. Now the Milwaukee, Wisconsin garage-pop outfit have reformed with a new lineup to surround Kircher, along with a brand new album, Brain Cream, which marks their return to Burger Records. In spite of the setbacks, Jaill's latest might be their best yet. It's chock-full of polished jangle-pop ear candy that channels the band's hometown heroes the Violent Femmes just as much as it slots in perfectly with the current Burger Records roster. CHIPP TERWILLIGER Also see My, What a Busy Week!

THE MYNABIRDS, BAD BAD HATS
(Bunk Bar, 1028 SE Water) When Georgie James broke up in 2008, both members looked forward instead of backward. John Davis didn't return to his established Q and Not U project, instead forming Title Tracks; bandmate Laura Buhrenn similarly refused to retreat to her already established solo career. Instead, Buhrenn recorded a beautiful gospel-folk album called What We Lose in the Fire We Gain in the Flood in Oregon with producer Richard Swift, and released it under the name the Mynabirds. Swift returned for 2012's Generals, but some of the spark from that great first album got lost along the way (in the fire?). Following a stint in the Postal Service's reunion tour band, Burhenn made a third Mynabirds album, and Lovers Know—released earlier this year—is an excellent return to form, incorporating the heart-tarnished but hopeful songwriting of the first album and the omnivorously modern production of the second. It's one of the smartest, most succulent pop albums of the year. NED LANNAMANN

DARSOMBRA, HOT VICTORY, EIGHT BELLS, COLD BLUE MOUNTAIN
(High Water Mark, 6800 NE MLK) For those about to get twisted into a trippy, might-as-well-be-on-acid kind of evening, we salute you. Baltimore's Darsombra play the kind of droning ambient metal that lots of bands try really hard to perfect but rarely have the patience to get right. When they aren't doing that, Darsombra get super weird on other experimental aural planes. Guitarist/looper/sampler/vocalist Brian Daniloski takes the amalgam of psychotropic resonations and distills it into sparse, hypnotic mindfucks. This is all aided by filmmaker Ann Everton's otherworldly visuals. The band closes a night of pretty epically brutal metal and experimental music, which includes Chico's Cold Blue Mountain, who are still riding high on their Halo of Flies release Old Blood. Portland's Hot Victory have also been increasingly more rebellious and engaging of late, with a PDX Pop Now! performance that included vocalists and costumes. RJP

SATURDAY 9/12

LITTLE STAR, NIGHT MOM, TWELVE GARDENS
(Mother Foucault's Bookshop, 523 SE Morrison) See All-Ages Action!

ROD, PASS, CHUGGER, TAYLOR MALSEY
(Anarres Infoshop, 7101 N Lombard) See All-Ages Action!

THE NIGHTINGALES, SURPLUS 1980, COMM, SPIRIT HOST
(Panic Room, 3100 NE Sandy) Unknown to most people, English group the Nightingales put out two of the best albums of the '80s: 1982's Pigs on Purpose and 1983's Hysterics. Distinguished by singer Robert Lloyd's droll lyrics and endearingly bloke-ish vocals, the Nightingales' songs impressed the hell out of influential BBC DJ John Peel. Those two classic LPs abound with wonderfully fractured and awkward rhythms and barbed guitar angularity that tip a trout mask toward Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band. (Many mid-'80s UK underground rockers really dug Don Van Vliet's shambling, prickly aesthetic.) I lost touch with the Nightingales after 1986's solid, fiddle-augmented In the Good Old Country Way, but they've been soldiering on sporadically ever since, releasing Insult to Injury on Faust's Klangbad label. From what I've heard of their 2015 album, Mind Over Matter, the Nightingales sound like they've not lost much of their knack for ingenious hooks, astringent guitar tones, and acerbic lyrics. DS

HOPSIN, DIZZY WRIGHT, JARREN BENTON, DJ HOPPA
(Roseland, 8 NW 6th) When some think of LA hip-hop, they think of the classic motifs: cruising in lowriders, smoking blunts, trying not to get shot, and bangin' [insert derogatory term for women of your choice here]. Though Hopsin hails from LA, his brand of hip-hop is uniquely his own, delivering mindful, biting, socially conscious flows from behind his signature white-eye contact lenses. Indeed, Marcus Hopson is not your average rapper—he doesn't believe in drugs or alcohol, he was placed in special education classes as a teenager, and he started his career as an extra on Disney Channel shows such as That's So Raven. Hopson/Hopsin's humble performance beginnings show in his emotionally charged delivery, captivating his audience with brutally honest observations of the world. RF

NO FEST
(Various locations, St. Johns) For the past seven years, dozens of musicians and artists have descended upon the once-skeevy neighborhood of St. Johns to fill it for a day with sounds beautiful and bombastic. This year's installment includes performances by synth genius Pulse Emitter and experimental trio ALTO!, among others, in the town square. Meanwhile, the bars and restaurants in the area will be taken over by the many members of the Sonic Debris Multimedia collective, the unholy improvisational terror of Party Killer, and at Plew's Brews, everything from Plankton Wat's solo guitar majesty and MSHR member Birch Cooper's electronic squiggles and creaks. With zero apologies to any other event in our fair city, this is the must-see music festival of the year. RH

SICKMARK, CONSTRAINT, CARRION SPRING, EMASCULATOR
(Black Water Bar, 835 NE Broadway) Germany's Sickmark make righteously misanthropic powerviolence (what do they have to be upset about, living in an industrial EU powerhouse?) in the vein of Iron Lung or Scapegoat. They're touring with Constraint, a crusty grindcore outfit from the exotic land of Philadephia, with whom they also released a split earlier this summer. Emasculator, a recent Portland upstart, starts off the night, showcasing their arty, noisy punk that addresses themes like exploring the confinement of gender binaries, surviving abuse, and male entitlement. Their tape opens up with a sample from the horrific Steve Reich piece "Come Out," in which the looped voice of a youth from Harlem bracingly describes making himself bleed in order to get the attention of careless police during the 1964 Harlem Riot. MP

THE CRIBS
(Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell) Being in a full-time rock band with both of my brothers sounds like an utter nightmare. Somehow, the Cribs have made such a situation work wonderfully, although it sounds like all three Jarman brothers—originally from Wakefield in West Yorkshire, live in different cities whenever they're not recording or touring together. Smart. (Gary Jarman has chosen Portland as his home for the past few years. Also smart.) That geographic separation isn't evident anywhere on For All My Sisters, the Cribs' sixth album (and second since interim member Johnny Marr left the group). Rather, it continues the thread of the band's well-established brotherly intuition and camaraderie. Produced by the Cars' Ric Ocasek, it finds a clangy medium between the brash, slag-off sounds of '90s Britpop and the structured but life-affirming songwriting of '70s power-pop. NL

SUNDAY 9/13

ZOLA JESUS (DJ SET), US HARD/CONTEMPORARY, COAST2C
(TBA's The Works, 831 SE Salmon) See My, What a Busy Week!

MARK KNOPFLER
(Keller Auditorium, 222 SW Clay) Mark Knopfler has lived many lives over his long career. Even in his best-known years with Dire Straits, you could say he lived a double life, from that band's early days as a low-key guitar-rock band to their later reign as MTV regulars. Knopfler has dabbled in every subgenre in rock—even country music—and composed the soundtrack to The Princess Bride. All of this hinges, of course, on his immaculate guitar playing. These days, Knopfler's playing songs from throughout his nearly 40-year career, including some classic Dire Straits fan favorites like "Romeo and Juliet" and "So Far Away." But he's also been known to lead his band on some extended jams—no doubt to keep himself entertained, but also to push the audience into unmarked territory. MARK LORE

DEAD BARS, BLOWOUT, PAGERIPPER
(The Know, 2026 NE Alberta) Since self-releasing their explosive five-song debut EP We All Float Down Here, Blowout have made big moves in 2015. The Portland band has evolved from a pop-punk trio to a dynamic dual-guitar twinkle-punk four-piece, and they've written and (mostly) recorded a full-length album set to come out on California label Lauren Records. Blowout have also started hosting awesome all-ages shows in their basement (a former flower shop), all the while playing shows nearly every week. A live version of Blowout's "Cents Money Money" was recently featured on the Sounds Like Good Cheer compilation, and it packs the immense talent of bassist/vocalist Laken Wright, who ranges from harsh yells ("Maybe I'll find a job someday/Maybe I'll find the words to say") to tender humming. The intricate thrash-pop guitar and melodic drumming makes some seriously emotionally uncomfortable pop. CAMERON CROWELL

SHANIA TWAIN
(Moda Center, 1 Center) Shania Twain's first concert tour in 11 years kicked off in Seattle in June. And for all the small bumps and little pyrotechnic misfires that went down on opening night, the two-hour show was still a sheer delight. Twain's time in Las Vegas has done her well as she and her black-clad backing band sought to connect with everyone from the front row to the nosebleed seats. They touched on everything in her career, including her stomping early country hits and her world-shaking pop singles like "Still the One" and "Up!" By the time it swings back around to Portland this Sunday, the Shania Twain machine will surely be firing on all cylinders, ready to turn the crowd at the Moda Center into a mass of hysterical rhinestoned joy. RH

MONDAY 9/14

FOO FIGHTERS, GARY CLARK JR.
(Moda Center, 1 Center Ct) Read our article on Foo Fighters.

A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS, GROOMS
(Star Theater, 13 NW 6th) In Martin Scorsese's extravagantly violent Casino, the sun-blasted desert outside Las Vegas turns out to be a (fantastic) place to bury strangers. Add a few capital letters, and it's also the name of a famously loud Brooklyn trio (Oliver Ackermann, Dion Lunadon, and Robi Gonzalez) who take their Wall of Guitar cues from the Jesus and Mary Chain and My Bloody Valentine. Over the course of four full-lengths, including this year's Transfixiation, A Place to Bury Strangers haven't exactly reinvented the wheel, but the way they give their handiwork a darkwave twist rescues them from the ranks of the revival act. Their squall is so deep, rich, and all-encompassing, you could lose yourself in it for days. It's an acid trip without the paranoid side effects. KATHY FENNESSY Also see My, What a Busy Week!

THE COPY SCAMS, FELECIA AND THE DINOSAUR, QUACKHAMMER
The Know, 2026 NE Alberta) Attention, zine nerds and concept-band fans: The Copy Scams are a band for you. This all-zinester group make pop-punk anthems about the joys and woes of making zines—selectively trading at zine fests, taking longer on your new zine than you promised, and of course stealing copies from corporate copy shops. Led by Portland zinester Alex Wrekk (Brainscan, Stolen Sharpie Revolution), the Copy Scams includes international members, so this is rare opportunity to see them all together in one place, working their magic. JJA

OLD 97'S
(Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell) As the Old 97's embark on their third decade as a band, you could easily ask one of these two questions: (1) Why aren't these Texas rock 'n' drawlers bigger than they are? Or, (2) Why don't other bands have it this good? As it is, the Old 97's are in a pretty sweet spot. A ravenous fanbase has allowed these guys to flourish—and when I say flourish, I mean make the music they want, which is a nifty combination of outlaw country, punk rock, and British Invasion hooks. Over the course of 20 years, the Old 97's have hit on all the familiar rock 'n' roll tropes—major labels, rowdy behavior, flirtations with pop success, frontman doing solo work. They've also managed to avoid putting out a bad record. Not many bands can claim that. ML

TUESDAY 9/15

CHASTITY BELT, PINECONES, MOPE GROOVES
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) For the recording of their most recent album, Seattle post-punk quartet Chastity Belt took a trip to the small harbor town of Anacortes, Washington. There, the band hunkered down in the Unknown, a deconsecrated church-turned-recording studio, where they worked with José Díaz Rohena to record their first album for Hardly Art, Time to Go Home. It was a fitting location for a band like Chastity Belt, and with production from Wire guitarist Matthew Simms, the group took full advantage of the space. Guitarist/vocalist Julia Shapiro's voice carries through layers of reverb, allowing her to present her lyrics with the wry delivery and weight they demand. Chastity Belt employ similar feminist undertones as their peers and labelmates Tacocat (Tacocat bassist Bree McKenna plays with Shapiro in their punk-leaning supergroup, Childbirth), yet each act has become a separate and distinct beacon reflecting out across the Puget Sound. CT Also see My, What a Busy Week!

MAC McCAUGHAN AND THE NON-BELIEVERS, MIKE KROL, FLESH WOUNDS
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) At this point, we know what Mac McCaughan does. With Superchunk, he's got 25 years of sorta-punk/sorta-power-pop indie rock under his belt. In Portastatic, he indulges other interests, like folk, soundtrack work, and Brazilian music. And as co-founder of Merge Records, he helps release some of the planet's best and most popular sounds. But McCaughan's most recent album, Non-Believers, is his first under his own name, and it finds him exploring the moody, reverberant sounds of early-'80s post-punk and new wave. The record is undeniably McCaughan—his distinctive voice guarantees that—but dusky synths, slower tempos, mild drones, and a pervading heartsick vibe surround him. It's Downcast Mac, and it's terrific. Speaking of which, McCaughan's opener tonight, Mike Krol, has a new album called Turkey out on Merge and it's a real kick in the shaggy, lo-fi pop pants. Don't skip him. BEN SALMON

BEN FOLDS AND YMUSIC
(Roseland, 8 NW 6th) Despite making piano-driven power-pop for the better part of three decades, both as a solo artist and with the three-piece band Ben Folds Five, Ben Folds has effectively gone his entire career in the shadow of similar piano-punk artist Elvis Costello. Although Costello may cast as big a shadow as a rock 'n' roll artist can, the classically trained Folds has spent his time putting out a fantastic triple-threat catalog as a musician, composer, and producer. His sophomore album, Whatever and Ever Amen, could go down with Jerry Lee Lewis and the aforementioned Costello as one of the best piano-driven rock albums of all time. It is impossible to listen to "Kate" and not have a goofy smile on your face—seriously, go ahead and try. CC