WEDNESDAY 9/30
MY MORNING JACKET, STRAND OF OAKS
(Keller Auditorium, 222 SW Clay) See My, What a Busy Week!
AND AND AND, CÂLISSE, TIMES INFINITY
(Dante's, 350 W Burnside) Tonight, And And And turns six years old, which means it still can't drink, it still can't drive, and it probably shouldn't even babysit. You'd be forgiven for thinking Portland's most durable party band has been around longer than that, though, as they're not just a fixture of local music at this point—they're an institution. And And And came blazing onto the scene in 2009, dropping tapes of new songs at an incredible clip. When songwriter Tyler Keene left the group to record as Log Across the Washer, And And And's prolific pace slowed slightly, but newly full-time frontman Nathan Baumgartner picked up the slack, and And And And honed in on consistency and craft. For tonight's six-year anniversary show (bring something iron!), they're giving away a very limited-edition tape of stuff you can't find anywhere else. Only the first 40 people through the door will get one, so don't be late. NED LANNAMANN
RAMBLIN' JACK ELLIOTT, DENVER
(Alberta Rose Theatre, 3000 NE Alberta) Before Robert Zimmerman moved to New York, changed his name to Bob Dylan, and claimed to be a dyed-in-the-wool folk troubadour, another young Jewish man, born Elliot Charles Adnopoz, left his comfortable Brooklyn home and reinvented himself as the train-riding, horse-roping, cowboy singer Ramblin' Jack Elliott. The man is the direct link between Woody Guthrie and Dylan, and I'd argue that without him, Dylan would've found much more resistance from the Greenwich Village folk purists. Aside from playing with or influencing just about everyone who has ever picked up a guitar, Ramblin' Jack is a two-time Grammy winner, and in 1998 Bill Clinton presented him with the National Medal of Arts (something presidents have to give you if you live long enough). Ramblin' Jack is less a songwriter than a storyteller, and with 84 years and countless miles behind him, the man's got more than a few stories. Local ramshackle country band Denver opens the show, and I know those boys have a few stories of their own. SANTI ELIJAH HOLLEY
THURSDAY 10/1
JOE JACKSON
(Revolution Hall, 1300 SE Stark, #110) Read our article on Joe Jackson.
PAUL WELLER, VILLAGERS
(Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell) Punk rock in its nascence was as much reactive nostalgia for pre-Summer of Love rock 'n' roll as it was any sort of social or political affront. (This is by no means a revelation, but the Refuseds of the world make this fact worth repeating—punk remains a dish best served shamelessly dumb.) The Jam rank among the most timeless classic punk bands because of their lack of any kind of high-handed political agenda (how many people with Crass backpatches even know who Margaret Thatcher is?). They unapologetically aped the Beatles' bass lines, the Who's mod fashion sense, and the Kinks' categorical Englishness, and while Paul Weller might not be any sort of pioneer within the rock continuum—punk or otherwise—the group's first three albums are an overview of what made English guitar music so vital before the advent of acid and Eric Clapton. Aside from the Jam, Weller fronted the '80s blue-eyed-soul outfit the Style Council (which hasn't endured nearly as well) and has a bevy of solo albums to his name, the best being 1993's Wild Wood. Expect to hear all of the above. MORGAN TROPER Also see My, What a Busy Week!
CANNIBAL OX, LIAM TRACY,
SERGE SEVERE, DEENA B
(Dante's, 350 W Burnside) The flipside of Afrofuturism—the conceptual aesthetic of African-descended people living in a utopian outer-space future—is that present-day life for people of color is like a dystopian science-fiction scenario. Cannibal Ox burst onto the underground hip-hop scene in 2001 with their classic The Cold Vein, an El-P-produced juggernaut of spacey beats, vicious rhyming, and the omnipresent specter of New York City. The duo—Vordul Mega and Vast Aire—lay dormant for the next 14 years, dodging alternating rumors of a breakup and a follow-up album's release. The record that finally broke the silence—2015's Blade of the Ronin—hasn't spurred the same sort of adoration as Vein, but the group have more classics under their belt than most groups make in their lifetime. MAC POGUE
HELENS, THE WILD LUNGS, LUBEC
(Kenton Club, 2025 N Kilpatrick) Hailing from the college town of Arcata, California, garage-rock trio the Wild Lungs earn their name on their recently released self-titled debut. The band combines luminescent, guitar-driven indie-rock and catchy jangle-pop tendencies, but it's the yowling vocals of lead singer Ellis Wallace that really bring these songs to life. One glance at their album's eye-catching cover art—which features an adorably frightening half-octopus, half-double cheeseburger monster that resembles the product of a character brainstorming session at McDonald's—might trigger connections to the Burger Records garage-rock empire, but the Wild Lungs have a distinguishing sound all their own. Tonight they're joined by a distinctively Northwest act in Helens, the Portland quartet previously known as King Mountain Petrol. The band's decision to rebrand themselves after the volcano to the north is fitting, given their ability to transform dormant and spacious shoegaze into heavy landslides of emotive noise rock. CHIPP TERWILLIGER
MOTHERTAPES, BEARCUBBIN', JUST LIONS
(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) It's been a long time coming, but experimental pop duo Mothertapes are finally seeing the fruits of their bizarre labors ripen. Their self-titled debut journeys through brilliantly lush terrain, building songs from the ground up with lots of live looping and synths, augmented by Pete Bosack and Tommy Franzen's locked-in guitar-drum tandem. "Do Make Say" is a swirling chillwave opus that echoes the stylistic crossroads where Bosack and Franzen have resided since their days in the spazzy math-pop band Wax Fingers. Through instrumental experimentation and an open ear for melodic pop, Mothertapes are likely to see their stock rise exponentially following the album's release. Homegrown shows as stacked as this remind us why we're all so lucky to be here. RYAN J. PRADO
THE THESIS: TOPE, DRE C, ZOO?
(Kelly's Olympian, 426 SW Washington) Tonight marks the return of Portland native Tope, who moved to Oakland last spring and is making a hometown stop on his current West Coast tour. While his last proper release was 2014's Broke Boy Syndrome, the current tour finds him traveling with his latest beat tape, Free Lemonade 2. Portland rapper Dre C is celebrating the release of his latest five-song EP, For the Art, which showcases his commanding flow over epic head-nod production. Don't let the unorthodox punctuation of emcee/musician Zoo? fool you, as the Renaissance Coalition member's talent should not be questioned. In addition to spitting wildly inventive baritone bars on the mic, recent shows around town have also found Zoo? exhibiting his expert musicianship on analog synthesizer. RYAN FEIGH
TOBIAS JESSO JR., WET
(Star Theater, 13 NW 6th) Thanks to technology's disruptive innovation, the grueling path to victory appears to have become more of a baby step, accompanied by the idea that anything can be learned overnight. In real life, that doesn't work at all, especially when it comes to artistic endeavors. However, there are exceptions, one being Tobias Jesso Jr. The 30-year-old Canadian has played music for many years, but took up tinkering around on the piano at 27, and within two years wrote one of the strongest piano pop albums in recent memory. I'm talking Harry Nilsson/Randy Newman pop, those easy-going piano rides that just make sense. Jesso's own "Without You" (the song title can't be a coincidence) makes you want to open your heart. He took a leap, and it worked. To be fair, he's really tall. ROBIN BACIOR
FRIDAY 10/2
LOSE YR MIND: THE BLANK TAPES,
TIJUANA PANTHERS, AAN,
GRANDPARENTS
(Audiocinema, 226 SE Madison) See My, What a Busy Week!
TITUS ANDRONICUS
(Music Millennium, 3158 E Burnside) See My, What a Busy Week!, and read our article on Titus Andronicus.
TITUS ANDRONICUS, SPIDER BAGS, BAKED
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) See My, What a Busy Week!, and read our article on Titus Andronicus.
BURNING PALMS, CAT HOCH,
CAMBRIAN EXPLOSION
(The Know, 2026 NE Alberta) Arizona may not be the first place people think of when it comes to lo-fi power-pop, but the state has quietly amassed a solid output of spaghetti-western-style punk in bands like Phoenix's Numb Bats and Tucson's Reasnars and Burning Palms, all of whom are linked to like-minded Los Angeles label Lolipop Records. Burning Palms is co-fronted by guitarist Simone Stopford and percussionist Julia DeConcini, and their deep piercing vocals on their self-titled debut emerge from sprawled-out fuzzy guitar twang like Doc Holliday and Wyatt Earp during the final shootout at the OK Corral. If your dream is that the Velvet Underground and Nico scored a Sergio Leone film, Burning Palms is the band for you. CAMERON CROWELL
THE SHEEPDOGS, RADIO MOSCOW
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) The Sheepdogs sound like they could've been the soundtrack to your dad's senior year of high school (provided your dad was a baby boomer). Falling somewhere under the umbrella of throwback rock, the Sheepdogs have the type of blues-rock flair you might expect from the Black Keys, sometimes with guitar riffs that are all too Zeppelin-esque. The Sheepdogs hail from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and are building a presence in the States after recording an album in Nashville with Black Keys drummer Patrick Carney and appearing on the cover of Rolling Stone in 2011. Though they're very reminiscent of a lot of classic '70s rock, the Sheepdogs take a nostalgic sound and make it zesty, with catchy riffs and well-played solos. ROSE FINN
NEGUR BUNGET, DYNFARI, GRIMEGOD, DRUDEN, UADA
(Panic Room, 3100 NE Sandy) Black-metal outfit Negur Bunget has been releasing records from remote Romania for 20 years. In that time, founding member Gabriel "Negru" Mafa has progressed his sound from raw aggression to something more refined. The band's more recent output includes layers of synthesizer as well as traditional Romanian folk instruments to create a unique style that reflects the band's heritage. Negur Bunget rarely tour, and according to Facebook updates by Mafa, it is unlikely that the band will get the opportunity to play the United States again for several years, if ever. Odds are, this will be your only chance to see true Transylvanian black metal live. JOSEPH SCHAFER
SATURDAY 10/3
LOSE YR MIND: NO AGE, WIMPS,
PSYCHOMAGIC, AH GOD
(Audiocinema, 226 SE Madison) See My, What a Busy Week!
THE PRIDS, DAYDREAM MACHINE,
DEAD LEAF ECHO
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) Read our article on the Prids.
CHILDBIRTH, THE GHOST EASE,
POISON BEACHES
(The Know, 2026 NE Alberta) The title of Childbirth's first album, It's a Girl, is not only a tweak on the group's vague maternity ward theme but a sly troll on the slack-jawed response of men seeing the band's three members onstage. The album's 10 tracks bite, punch, and laugh their way through a cavalcade of leering tech bros, cathartically throwaway sex, and obnoxiously patriarchal questions. Julia Shapiro cranks the distortion and demolishes any residual semblance of "chill" that might be left over from her other band, Chastity Belt. The three members of the Seattle band—which also includes Tacocat's Bree McKenna and Pony Time's Stacy Peck—don't need to chill. Everybody else needs to get with it, and stop asking "How Do Girls Even Do It?" MP
THE FRATELLIS, GRIZFOLK
(Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell) Even if you've never heard of the Fratellis, you've heard them before, courtesy of their 2006 earworm single "Chelsea Dagger," which has stayed in regular rotation on alternative radio and on the sound systems of sports arenas. Nothing the band's released since has reached that level of notoriety, but the Scottish trio has been cranking out some impressive tunes along the way. This is particularly true of their most recent album, Eyes Wide, Tongues Tied. It puts a stronger spotlight on both the group's American influences, like the gentle Laurel Canyon rock of "Imposters (Little by Little)" and "Desperate Guy," and some swinging British-style psychedelia that calls to mind another unjustly ignored UK outfit, Beady Eye. ROBERT HAM
WORSHIP, LYCUS, SHROUD OF THE
HERETIC, ATRIARCH, HAIL
(Panic Room, 3100 NE Sandy) The German/French funeral doom band Worship got its start in the late '90s, playing a distilled and unrelentingly miserable brand of slow and low metal. The duo made a name for itself in the underground with a series of difficult-to-find demo tapes and splits. In those dial-up days, even if you had heard of Worship, there was maybe a 50/50 chance you had actually heard Worship. All that's changed these days, with genre touchstones like Last Tape Before Doomsday now readily streamable on YouTube. The band reconfigured with a full lineup in 2004, forging ahead after the suicide of founding member Fucked Up Mad Max. MATTHEW W. SULLIVAN
RAFAEL TORAL, LOREN CHASSE,
BIRCH COOPER, DEBRIS FIELD
(Vagrant Eye Projection Museum, 53 SE 80th) It's a mystery why Rafael Toral isn't as well known as fellow avant-drone guitarists Christian Fennesz and Oren Ambarchi in underground music circles. Over the last 21 years, the Portuguese musician has built a strong discography with releases on revered labels like Ecstatic Peace!, Staubgold, Table of the Elements, and Touch. Toral's early works flutter and hover with ambiguous beauty, like a less grandiose, more diffuse Robert Fripp and Brian Eno circa Evening Star, and are also marked by a Cubistic pointillism. His '90s albums like Sound Mind Sound Body and Wave Field waver majestically into somber post-rock territory and the wombescent atmospheres of My Bloody Valentine. Toral's later Space Elements series finds him branching out into a sparse sort of jazz-improv zone in which he generates an odd hurly-burly of avian and insectoid sound events that'll frazzle and dazzle your third ear. DAVE SEGAL
TELEKINESIS, SAY HI, BED
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) Seattle pop savant Michael Benjamin Lerner has given the world a wealth of great power-pop, spread across three fine Telekinesis albums. Now there's a fourth, Ad Infinitum, but it documents a shift in attitude and approach, as Lerner favors moody synths and after-hours beats over Telekinesis' typically sunshine-y melodies. His switch to synth-stabbing electro-popster totally works, though, as he's in possession of enough melodic smarts to make Ad Infinitum a total pleasure. When the engine is as strong as Lerner's songwriting instincts, it's easy to follow Telekinesis anywhere. NL
NICK DIAMONDS, LYLA FOY
(Bunk Bar, 1028 SE Water) A mere couple of weeks after Nicholas Thorburn's Mister Heavenly collaborator Honus Honus stormed into Portland with his other band, Man Man, Thorburn himself is hitting town, performing under his stage name, Nick Diamonds. While the self-described "doom-wop" of Mister Heavenly garnered plenty of attention when the band hit the road with Michael Cera on bass, and Thorburn's eerie-yet-radiant score to the popular Serial podcast mainlined his pitch-perfect music into the ears of the masses, he seems forever destined to be associated with his breakout act, the Unicorns. Fans of that band should definitely check out City of Quartz, Thorburn's recently released solo album (as Nick Diamonds). While the album's synths and sample-based foundation forgo the live-band dynamics of the Unicorns, Thorburn's playful, childlike energy shines as bright as ever here, with tracks like "Bohemian Groove" and "Love is Strange" recalling the sun-soaked melancholia of Return to the Sea, the excellent debut album of one of Thorburn's other projects, Islands. CT
THE FRIGHTS, WETT NURSE, GOOD
ENGLISH, MISTER TANG, LADYWOLF
(Analog Café, 720 SE Hawthorne) Somewhere between The Sandlot soundtrack and assertively silly West Coast skate punk lies the dirty doo-wop sound of San Diego trio the Frights. They drift between drawn-out jangle-pop and sped-up grime-punk riffs, and frontman Mikey Carnevale twists his echoey yells as if Roy Orbison became a surf rat and used an empty metal trashcan as a microphone. The Frights are a band that values pure genuine fun over seriousness, be it in their wild live shows or low-budget music videos that feature the band demolishing a dozen or so cheeseburgers at a park with a baseball bat. Two weeks ago they announced their signing to Dangerbird Records with a video featuring Zac Carper of Fidlar, who spent the summer with the Frights recording their upcoming sophomore record—just about the most apt collaboration the Frights could have. CC
SUNDAY 10/4
ORQUESTA BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB
(Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 SW Broadway) See My, What a Busy Week!
HORNET LEG, THE FUNS, SAD HORSE
(The Know, 2026 NE Alberta) I've written more than once about Portland's Hornet Leg, effectively the solo project of touring multi-instrumentalist Christopher Sutton, and I'll gladly do it again. The band has quietly built up a catalog of inventive, post-Gories garage rippers (which makes sense, given Sutton's tenure as bassist in ex-Gories maximalist Detroit worship project the Dirtbombs) and continues to turn in live appearances on the order of, oh, here and there, every now and then. Hornet Leg's relaxed work pace doesn't reflect its music; at turns scrappy, triumphant, and always tuneful, the project is a quality outlier in Portland's music scene. MP
MONDAY 10/5
PEACHES, US GIRLS, KIZMET
(Roseland, 8 NW 6th) See My, What a Busy Week!
ULTIMATE PAINTING
(Bunk Bar, 1028 SE Water) Read our article on Ultimate Painting.
MILK CARTON KIDS
(Newmark Theatre, 1111 SW Broadway) Despite their twee name and boyish faces, Los Angeles' Milk Carton Kids write staggeringly tender and poignant songs, performed with a flawless proficiency. Kenneth Pattengale and Joey Ryan gave their first two albums away for free online, before signing with Anti- Records, earning a Grammy nomination for 2013's Ash and the Clay, and winning the 2014 award for Best Duo/Group from the Americana Music Association. The Milk Carton Kids have perfected the close harmony, Simon and Garfunkel-style singing, and Pattengale flatpicks with all the ease and delicacy of Dave Rawlings. Their latest album, Monterey, was recorded alone on various stages throughout the country during their last tour, well before the audience had arrived, and that level of privacy is crucial for songs as intimate as these. Pattengale and Ryan often joke around and goad each other between songs, which helps to relieve the seriousness of their music. The Milk Carton Kids will make you laugh right before they break your heart. SEH
CASPIAN, CIRCLE TAKES THE SQUARE
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) There was a time when the kind of instrumental post-rock that Caspian plays was revered as the Next Big Thing. Would that it were true, because bands with as much sensitivity to sweeping orchestrations are rare. Just as in heavy metal's '80s heyday, when Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven were unwitting forefathers to technical arrangement, the late '90s/early '00s class of instru-metal bands became attuned to a more classical approach. Caspian are able to do a lot of things by singing absolutely nothing, and that's a pretty amazing thing to be able to do. Their new LP, Dust and Disquiet, was recorded and produced by Matt Bayles, and is just as inspiring and engaging as anything else they've released. RJP
TOVE LO, ERIK HASSLE
(Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside) Whether you're a 15-year-old cheerleader or a 45-year-old mailman, Swedish pop queen Tove Lo will win your heart. She writes her own music in addition to writing for other pop princesses such as Hillary Duff and Ellie Goulding. Unlike Goulding or Duff, though, Lo's sound is darker and more offbeat, enhanced with her smoky, unaffected voice and sophisticated lyrics. In 2006, Lo started her music career with an experimental math rock band, later getting picked up by Warner/Chappell Music in 2011. Her most flavorful track, "Habits (Stay High)," hit number three, and though not all of her songs are as catchy as that, Lo still sets a new bar for pop by being a talented musician who writes her own music. ROSE FINN
TUESDAY 10/6
ANGEL OLSEN, ALEX CAMERON
(Revolution Hall, 1300 SE Stark #110) See My, What a Busy Week!
LERA LYNN, BRIAN WHELAN
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) See My, What a Busy Week!
DUKE DUMONT
(Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell) Duke Dumont (AKA Adam George Dyment) is unapologetically nostalgic for the early days of Chicago house. Both his original music and his DJ sets are a pure reflection of that. The UK producer's work, like his Grammy-winning single "Need U (100%)," has a decidedly soulful edge to it, emphasizing disco diva vocals as much as the 4/4 pulse that feels like your heartbeat amplified to ground-shaking levels. When Dumont's spinning, it's a steady mix of classic cuts, some of his own remix work, and a lot less reliance on the build-and-bassdrop bullshit that most other DJs lean on these days. You may scream less during his sets, but you'll feel just as good after you've been dancing nonstop for a few hours. RH