WEDNESDAY 12/16

XRAY.FM HOLIDAY BENEFIT SHOW: HURRY UP, THE WOOLEN MEN, BLESST CHEST, RASHEED JAMAL
(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) See My, What a Busy Week!

J FERNANDEZ, US LIGHTS, ARLO INDIGO
(Bunk Bar1028 SE Water) Read our article on J Fernandez.

NICK LOWE, LOS STRAITJACKETS, THE CACTUS BLOSSOMS
(Aladdin Theater3017 SE Milwaukie) Read our article on Nick Lowe.

DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE, PURE BATHING CULTURE
(Crystal Ballroom 1332 W Burnside) Seattle's Death Cab for Cutie recently weathered the loss of longtime member Chris Walla, but without losing a step they plucked another versatile utility player from the Portland music scene in the form of Dave Depper. This makes them a Portland band now, right? Either way, this week's sold-out two-night stand at the Crystal—part of 94/7's December to Remember—feels like a year's-end homecoming of sorts for the group, whose 2015 album, Kintsugi, is among the most assured and energetic work they've done. Adding to the local margin in tonight's ledger are Pure Bathing Culture, whose glazed, gorgeous twilight pop becomes downright euphoric in the live setting. There'll be no shortage of holiday cheer in the room tonight or tomorrow. NED LANNAMANN

PATTERSON HOOD, THAYER SARRANO
(Doug Fir 830 E Burnside) It's no secret Patterson Hood has a serious love affair with Portland. He's played here so often, it seems like he's been given carte blanche to pop in and perform whenever the mood strikes him. Well, as it happens, Hood loves our city so much he decided to move his family here. The Drive-By Truckers frontman and highly influential songwriter has been living right here among us since the spring, proving that not all new transplants are evil. Tonight's early show is the second of his two-night musical residency at Doug Fir, but let's hope Hood continues his actual residency here in Portland for a long time to come. SANTI ELIJAH HOLLEY

THE DEARS, DEAR BOY
(Doug Fir 830 E Burnside) Dear the Dears and Dear Boy, did your bands choose to go on tour together because you both have "dear" in your names? Or is using that word in your band name just a sentimentality you both share? Either way, it's a fit that makes sense. The Dears, a Canadian band who've been around since 1995, create sweeping, melodramatic orchestral-pop songs with dramatic titles like "Here's to the Death of All the Romance" and "You and I Are a Gang of Losers" that recall, in sentiment and sound, a total Morrissey vibe, while Dear Boy conjure up some WB teen soundtrack indie-rock longing. These are songs for feeling sorry for yourself, but in kind of a fun, self-indulgent way. Oh, dear. ROBIN EDWARDS

THURSDAY 12/17

GRANDPARENTS, IS/IS, HELVETIA
(Holocene 1001 SE Morrison) See My, What a Busy Week!

DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE, PURE BATHING CULTURE
(Crystal Ballroom 1332 W Burnside) See Wednesday's preview.

FERNANDO, HARMED BROTHERS, JEFFREY MARTIN
(Mississippi Studios 3939 N Mississippi) Taking the stage tonight at Mississippi Studios are not one, not two, but three of the finest acts in Portland's fertile roots/country-rock/Americana family tree. The Harmed Brothers are built around songwriters Ray Vietti and Alex Salcido, whose rollicking indie-grass recalls the Avett Brothers, and whose whoa-oh-oh melodicism reveals some Mumford-esque potential. Fernando is the namesake band of longtime local legend Fernando Viciconte, whose recent album, Leave the Radio On, beautifully captures his ability to bounce from Tex-Mex music to psych-folk to garage-rock with ease. (It also features Viciconte's buddy, Peter Buck.) And then there's Jeffrey Martin, who uses sad songs and sparse arrangements to drill down deep into the core of the human condition. His album Dogs in the Daylight is one of the very best releases to come out of this town in 2015. BEN SALMON

MONTHS, BLESST CHEST, WL
(Bunk Bar 1028 SE Water) Months' self-titled debut album is a noise party, with a buffet of moving parts and an indulgent bevy of layered guitars. With vocals that at times sound like a toned-down Adolescents and at others like Thurston Moore, Months' tone and style can vary greatly within the spectrum of rock 'n' roll. Sometimes they set the mood for a makeout party ("Aurora") and sometimes for a crust-punk rager ("Annihilation"). Blesst Chest makes bizarro, acid-washed, fuzzed-out, groovy tunes that sound like Ratatat's cool prog-rock parent, lacking the sophisticated production of today's young 'uns but wailing hard like it's 1977. CIARA DOLAN

R.ARIEL, POST MOVES, LITTLE STAR
(Valentine's 232 SW Ankeny) The city of Phoenix might be known for its dry, barren Sonoran Desert surroundings, but that didn't stop Arizona-hailing, psychedelic singer/songwriter R.Ariel, AKA Rachel Crocker, from becoming one of the most prolific DIY musicians of the year. Last year R.Ariel's album, Histories, along with a hypnotic live show, caught the ears of Brian Eno and Thris Tian, who tapped Crocker as the best new artist at Noise Fest UK. Not one for resting on her laurels, R.Ariel went on to release a pair of follow-up albums in 2015; the reverb-drenched, guitar-leaning Changer and the droning synth- and drum-machine-driven This World. Both albums envelop Crocker's delicate vocals within melodic and ever-shifting soundscapes, creating an atmospheric sound that's equal measures calming and evocative. Rounding out tonight's bill are Little Star and Post Moves, the pair of excellent acts that splintered off from the now-defunct Portland band, Eidolons. CHIPP TERWILLIGER

BEAT CONNECTION, PHANTOMS, COCO COLUMBIA
(Doug Fir 830 E Burnside) Fusing simple-yet-catchy guitar licks with intricate beats, Beat Connection creates a sound that you can listen to with your boyfriend and dance to with your girlfriends. With various sounds and the layering of horns, accordion, and bells, it's hard not to notice the influence of Paul Simon, U2, and even funky hints of the Dap-Kings, although the band is more likely to share bills with the likes of Toro Y Moi and Odesza. There's nothing downtrodden or droopy about Beat Connection; their twirling rhythms and harmonious melodies will have you popping right out of your Chuck Taylors. ROSE FINN

FRIDAY 12/18

TENDER LOVING EMPIRE WINTER FORMAL: CHANTI DARLING, THANKS, II TRILL
(The Secret Society 116 NE Russell) See My, What a Busy Week!

CREATIVE MUSIC GUILD BENEFIT: MODERN KIN, THE CRENSHAW, DRAGGING AN OX THROUGH WATER
(Bunk Bar 1028 SE Water) See My, What a Busy Week!

DISENCHANTER, YEAR OF THE COBRA, BROODING HERD, SWAMP DEVIL
(Ash Street Saloon 225 SW Ash) This is probably true with other musical genres, too, but I can personally confirm that Bandcamp in 2015 contains an endless supply of stoner rock, heavy psych, and doom metal. If it's riffs you seek—or album covers featuring wizards, swords, moons, skulls, and semi-naked women—Bandcamp is a like a house of mirrors packed to the rafters with buzzing amps and weed smoke. All of which is to say: It takes a lot to stand out in this world, and Disenchanter does just that. The Portland trio echo the '70s without sounding like a retro rip-off, and are devastatingly heavy without getting bogged down like so many doom bands. Plus, frontwoman Sabine Stangenberg is a powerful vocal force that few of Disenchanter's contemporaries can match. Put simply, Disenchanter rips. Check 'em out tonight at Ash Street or hear their new album Strange Creations on... Bandcamp. BS

SATURDAY 12/19

X, MIKE WATT
(Star Theater 13 NW 6th) To any of you patting Dave Grohl on the back for playing through a broken leg, the Foo Fighter ain't got nothing on Billy Zoom. The longtime guitarist for LA punk band X successfully won a battle against bladder cancer but is still going through chemotherapy to keep the disease from coming back. It's a long process—one month of treatments and then a two-month break—but one that allows him time to still play shows. And he has promised "to do as many as we can schedule." You can keep your longhaired goofball sitting in some cockamamie throne. My hero will be standing, legs akimbo, on the stage of Star Theater for two shows this weekend, ripping out one rockabilly-inspired riff after another. ROBERT HAM Also see My, What a Busy Week!, and Sunday's preview.

ROTTIES, HAVANIA WHAAL, FEMMEROIDS
(Slim's 8635 N Lombard) I can only imagine the Portland noise-pop trio Havania Whaal was born into a non-traditional family made up of K Records founder Calvin Johnson, X vocalist Exene Cervenka (see above), and Devo. Growing up on cheap-beer-soaked Slip 'N Slides and Festivus celebrations, Havania Whaal avoided becoming Free People-wearing hippies, and instead arose playing their consistently weird art-punk. Their 2013 album Château de Chienne is scuzzy pop doused in feedback, a difficult but ultimately rewarding listen. And their 2015 follow-up, 13 A.D., shows the group maintaining their noisy weirdness, upping their ambition and melodies with a Wizard of Oz allegory. Between the metaphor and their screeching stoner-pop sound, the Portland band teeters between creepiness and silliness, and are well worth a listen. CAMERON CROWELL

SAINTS OF BASS: [A]PENDICS.SHUFFLE, MR. PROJECTILE
(The Liquor Store3341 SE Belmont) Mr. Projectile (Matt Arnold) has been steadily releasing some of the most interesting electronic music around. His latest release, Go Love Without the Help of Anything on Earth, remains faithful to what some refer to as IDM, but this time with a dubby flair. As his live performances are immersive experiences, catching one can produce an out-of-body experience. [A]pendics.Shuffle (Kenneth James Gibson) has been on the electronic music world's radar for quite some time via various monikers, and he's cataloged over 200 releases on different labels. His work runs the gamut from exquisite ambient instrumentals to dub techno masterpieces, and his live performances definitely tend to get dancers out of their seats. It's a night of quality curation for the Saints of Bass two-year celebration. CHRISTINA BROUSSARD

LORD MASTER, TSEPESCH, MOON DRAKE
(Kenton Club 2025 N Kilpatrick) Most bands pay homage to their musical heroes by... well, by trying to become them. The good bands synthesize their influences and turn them into something new. Portland's Lord Master brings together heavy metal, glam, power pop, and psychedelia to create their own wild, catchy style of rock 'n' roll. And they have a sense of humor that skirts cutesiness, even on songs like "He'll" ("If you take the apostrophe out of he'll you get hell"). These rock 'n' roll weirdos seemingly still operate on the fringes of Portland's music scene, always a great place to be—and it makes me like them even more. MARK LORE

OREGON SYMPHONY PERFORMS HOME ALONE
(Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall 1037 SW Broadway) I took a shower washing every body part with actual soap, including all my major crevices, including in between my toes and in my belly button, which I never did before but sort of enjoyed. I washed my hair with adult formula shampoo and used cream rinse for that just-washed shine. I can't seem to find my toothbrush, so I'll pick one up when I go out today. Other than that, I'm in good shape. KEVIN McCALLISTER

SUNDAY 12/20

ROCK FOR A REASON HOLIDAY TOY DRIVE: THE LONESOME BILLIES, DENVER, RYAN SOLLEE, IKE FONSECA
(Doug Fir 830 E Burnside) See My, What a Busy Week!

TYPHOON
(Revolution Hall 1300 SE Stark #110) See All-Ages Action!

PITY SEX, COLLEEN GREEN, ESKIMEAUX
(Analog Café) Read our article on Eskimeaux, and see All-Ages Action!

X, MIKE WATT
(Star Theater) Mike Watt's work as bassist for seminal weirdo-punk bands Firehose, Dos, and especially the Minutemen eclipses his solo material, though unfairly so. Watt's 1995 solo foray, Ball-Hog or Tugboat?, is a true marvel of the era in particular, featuring a constantly rotating, make-believe band of alt-rock luminaries including (and this is barely scratching the surface): Henry Rollins, J Mascis, Evan Dando, Nels Cline, the Beastie Boys, and the first recorded appearance of the surviving two-thirds of Nirvana following Kurt Cobain's death. Watt's last solo album, Hyphenated Man, was released in 2011 and is—in true Wattian fashion—an extremely esoteric spazz-punk tribute to 15th-century painter Hieronymus Bosch. What a mouthful. MORGAN TROPER Also see My, What a Busy Week!

BOX SET DUO TRIO
(Mississippi Studios 3939 N Mississippi) What's in a name? The folk/comedy duo of Jim Brunberg and Jeff Pehrson have played together for years as Box Set Duo, but after a hiatus and a reunion, they've added multi-instrumentalist Ben Landsverk, upping their ranks to a trio. The outfit's brand-new live disc, One Night Live, is therefore credited to Box Set Duo Trio, and if that weren't complicated enough, they've also got a new holiday EP called Three Wise Guys (credited to simply "Box Set"), and an actual box set, which is not called Box Set at all. (It is instead called Assembled.) The box includes both of the new releases along with some older stuff, but all you really need to know for tonight's show—at Brunberg's own venue, Mississippi Studios; he says, "I had to pull some serious strings to get the gig"—is to expect the duo/trio to play personable, harmony-driven folk songs with tons of wit and charisma. NL

WOLVHAMMER, ATRIARCH, DISPIRIT, USNEA
(Panic Room 3100 NE Sandy) John Gossard is best known for his contributions in the landmark American black metal band Weakling and the funeral doom of Asunder. His current band, the Oakland-based Dispirit, takes Weakling's slower parts and melds them to the somber melodicism of Asunder. Dispirit shares the stage with local doomsayers Atriarch, who struck gold on last year's An Unending Pathway. That album conjured deathrock, doom metal, goth, post-punk, and noise, while somehow never sounding scattered. A couple of bands on the sludgier side of things round out the bill: Portland's own Usnea craft plodding doom-metal marathons, while the geographically scattered Wolvhammer churn out crusty blackened punk. MATTHEW W. SULLIVAN

MIMICKING BIRDS, BOONE HOWARD
(Rontoms 600 E Burnside) As great as his former band the We Shared Milk were, Boone Howard's focus on his more soulful side with his newer, autonomous project seems closer to the songwriter's heart. Backed by a conglomerate of ex-We Shared Milkers, the brilliant pop tandem of Mike Finn and Leo London of the Domestics, and whoever else happens to be around, Boone's croon cuts through thick keys and melodic guitars. A song like "Staring at the Sun" is cathartic, life-affirming stuff, with Howard's possessed vocals and a smart, slightly off-kilter arrangement. For proof, see the live video of the tune filmed during this summer's Homiefest, where the band (herein dubbed the Weirdos) is rounded out by Ryan Neighbors of Hustle and Drone and Casey Burge of Minden. It's an all-star kind of ensemble that will be an explosive opener for the fantastic Mimicking Birds. RYAN J. PRADO

A GREENER CHRISTMAS HIP-HOP TOY DRIVE: DEVIN THE DUDE, POTLUCK, CHILLEST ILLEST, STEVO THE WEIRDO, PRINCE HYPH
(Peter's Room at the Roseland 10 NW 6th) There are many ways to be charitable this holiday season—from donating clothes and canned food, to delivering meals to homebound senior citizens—but if your idea of charity is more along the lines of rolling a Sweet and getting mellow to spaced-out hip-hop, well, there's an event for you, too. Houston emcee and preeminent stoner Devin the Dude contributes his ultra-laidback flow to a good cause, in this case a toy drive, where they'll be collecting donations for children at the door. I'm not exactly sure what use children will have for a six-foot bong or a used Seahawks vape pen, but I'm sure they'll find something. The Dude is for the kids. SEH

HUSH ARBORS, DOMMENGANG, ILYAS AHMED, WL
(Bunk Bar 1028 SE Water) The "toured with" section of Keith Wood's résumé is like a who's-who of experimental/outsider guitar music over the past 15 years. The singer, songwriter, guitarist, and Virginia native has spent time on the road with Thurston Moore, Six Organs of Admittance, Sunburned Hand of the Man, Current 93, Wooden Wand, and Jack Rose (R.I.P.). Impressive! But Wood is hardly just a sideman. Under the name Hush Arbors, he's released a dozen or so albums of beautiful music that ranges from sparse acoustic fingerpicking to fuzzy psych-pop and beyond. Tonight, Bunk Bar presents an intimate opportunity to see a vital artist at work. As a bonus, you get sets by Portland-based ambient-folk adventurer Ilyas Ahmed (whose 2015 album I Am All Your Own is dusky and delightful), plus New York experimenters Dommengang and locals WL. BS

MONDAY 12/21

ROCK 'N' ROLL FLEA MARKET: THE REVERBERATIONS
(Doug Fir 830 E Burnside) See My, What a Busy Week!

JESSIKA SMITH
(Jimmy Mak's 221 NW 10th) 2015 has seen the Portland jazz community really step up its game, with a flock of amazing album releases from all corners of the scene. One of the finest LPs to come out of this incursion belongs to Jessika Smith. The young composer, originally from Spokane, works with the palette of a big band, calling upon a cohort of her teachers and students to fill out the sound on Tricks of Light (just released on PJCE Records). The brass-heavy album balances the history of this approach with blissfully Ellingtonian moments and forays into Latin jazz, sitting cozily aside bop-inspired crawls and stray stabs of atonality. RH

TUESDAY 12/22

SNOOP DOGG, KOKANE
(Crystal Ballroom 1332 W Burnside) During high school, I worked summers at a lumberyard in Inglewood, California, owned by my grandpa. It was mostly just a standard industrial zone next to an airport with a rental car storage facility and a jet mechanics trade school on either side. However, one summer a rumor started brewing that Snoop Doggy Dogg finally got a jobby-job, starting his YouTube channel WestFestTV, and his new studio would the formerly abandoned warehouse next door. Every day at work I peeked over the wall hoping to catch a glimpse of Snoop (or at the very least Ray J), but I never saw him or anybody else. All I ever saw was a collection of vintage cars and a giant purple bus for Snoop's kids' peewee football team. Just like a cloud of that indo, Snoop Dogg is a ghost, disappearing. CC Also see My, What a Busy Week!

GHOST MOM, THE SHIVAS
(The Know 2026 NE Alberta) The semi-defunct Portland group Ghost Mom is returning from beyond the grave (again...) to play a one-night reunion show with the Shivas. 2013's Lou Weed was their third and unfortunately final release, a four-track album with traces of flowery '50s doo-wop reinterpreted through punk à la Shannon and the Clams. It's ever-so-slightly creepier on songs like "The Haunting," which sounds as if it's echoing through the speakers of the Peacock family's Cadillac in that infamous X-Files episode "Home." The Shivas also play doo-wop punk but with upbeat, twangy surf guitar riffs that leak in like rays of sunshine. They released a killer album last year called You Know What to Do, which features the aching "You Make Me Wanna Die" and the nostalgic, desert-psych track "Ride On." CD

MONIKER, LUBEC, THE CENTURY
(The Liquor Store 3341 SE Belmont) If you missed out when local rock outfit the Century played a release show for their brand-new EP, Losers, you're in luck, as the band is making a final appearance for 2015. With the rest of the city winding down for the holiday, this is a pretty tough bill to beat, especially if you find yourself still in need of a merch-table stocking stuffer for the power-pop lover in your life. Losers picks up where the Century's 2014 debut, Oddfellows, left off, and it finds the band delivering another healthy dose of pulsing, appealing guitar rock that swells and soars in all the right places. The Century are joined here by two great local acts, including Monica Metzler's folk-tinged soundscape project, Moniker, as well as Lubec, who just announced plans to return to the studio in March to record the follow-up to their 2014 full-length, The Thrall. CT