WEDNESDAY 6/29

RICE, BEANS, AND COLLARD GREENS: ALL-AGES PRIDE DANCE PARTY W/ DJ II TRILL, DJ CASUAL AZTEC
(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) Hopefully you didn’t put away your dancing shoes after last week’s Pride bonanza, because it’s time to celebrate LGBTQ folks of color at the all-ages dance party Rice, Beans, and Collard Greens. DJs Il Trill and Casual Aztec will be spinning hot tracks to get the party moving! COURTNEY FERGUSON

ESMÉ PATTERSON, FRANKIE LEE, OSCAR FANG AND THE GANG
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) This month, Portland’s Esmé Patterson released her third solo album, We Were Wild. On this new record Patterson sings folksy indie-pop that’s endlessly sweet and bright. Instead of hunting for silver linings, on songs like the opening track, “Feel Right,” she warmly embraces gloom, since “Without feeling wrong/How can we know what feels right?” CIARA DOLAN

THURSDAY 6/30

ANCIENT HEAT, FOG FATHER
(Bunk Bar, 1028 SE Water) Fare thee well, Ancient Heat. Portland’s most authentic and reliable retro-disco band has decided to take down the mirror ball and take off those platform shoes. (Disco tears.) But for one final night, they’re turning Bunk Bar into a dance party for the ages, so put on that medallion and shake your groove thing one last time. NED LANNAMANN

MIC CHECK: MIC CRENSHAW, MIC CAPES, JON BELZ, TROX, STARCHILE
(White Eagle, 836 N Russell) See Sneaker Wave.

A TWIN PEAKS DANCE PARTY
(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) David Lynch's cult TV series Twin Peaks was arguably the best thing that ever happened to television: The haunted mystique of the show's caricatural misty Pacific Northwest logging town proved to be the perfect setting for the velvety, poisonous allure of surrealist Lynchian noir. This pairing continues to intoxicate and inspire—just a few months ago experimental noise group Xiu Xiu released an album covering the show's ominous soundtrack. Tonight Black Lodge Burlesque will take over Holocene for a blowout party celebrating Twin Peaks' two-season run, with on-theme costume contests, miraculous cherry pie, music from DJ Dark Entries, drag by Anastasia Euthanasia, and burlesque by Baby Le'Strange, Eva D'Luscious, and Jolene. The series' long-awaited third season reboot won't be released until next year, but perhaps this moonlit visit to the Black Lodge can tide us over. CIARA DOLAN

BIRGER OLSEN, DENVER, KELE GOODWIN
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N. Mississippi) For the release of his solo debut, The Lights Just Buzz, Birger Olsen is stepping out from the shadows of his heralded country crew Denver. Inspired by the expanses of Eastern Oregon he visited as a child, Olsen's matter-of-fact lyrics are delivered in a molasses croon, borrowing a subdued cue from the likes of Bill Callahan on album opener "And the Telephone Dangles on the Line" and the peppy "Liza." Produced by Dolorean's Ben Nugent, The Lights Just Buzz sizzles like a campground wood fire on the feel-good "Slow Bone" and runs the melodic gamut on multi-instrumental gems like the title track, which Olsen manages to whip into a Randy Newman homage before velvety trumpets slice through the singer's workaday baritone. Released by Mama Bird Recording Co., the record is available for the first time tonight on 12-inch 45 RPM vinyl. RYAN J. PRADO

PLEATHER, FRINGE CLASS, DREAMS
(Killingsworth Dynasty, 832 N Killingsworth) Dreams makes me question what music is supposed to sound like. They take sparse electronic drumbeats and distorted keyboards—elements typically used in lush, modern hip-hop and R&B—and throw them into a swell of conflicting sounds and samples. Even the auto-tuned vocals destroy expectations, their off-kilter, unsettling tones unlike sweet and silky mainstream pop. Dreams is the home recording project of experimental musician Da Floretta Lamb, who has been playing shows in Portland since 2013. After taking a break from live sets in the fall of 2015, Dreams returns tonight with a newly added drummer for their first show of the year. Zero Wave, a vintage clothing pop-up run by Beth Ann Dear of local bands Mini Blinds and Appendixes, curated this special lineup. CAMERON CROWELL

FRIDAY 7/1

HOLY TRINITY: RIHANNA/NICKI/BEYONCÉ DANCE NIGHT W/DJ RONIN ROC
(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) Like the Avengers, pop superheroes Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, and Beyoncé are stronger together. When Rihanna’s hard edge meets Nicki’s subversion of the male gaze meets Beyoncé’s beautiful self-actualization, good things happen. Like dancing. Which is what you shall do tonight, at Holocene’s tribute to this oh-so-holy trifecta of unparalleled ladyswagger. MEGAN BURBANK

PITY SEX, PWR BTTM, PETAL
(Analog Café, 720 SE Hawthorne) Read our story on PWR BTTM.

DIANA ROSS, RHONDA ROSS
(Edgefield, 2126 SW Halsey, Troutdale) Read our story on Diana Ross.

LUBEC, RADLER, DOWAGER, HARD SULKS
(Black Water Bar, 835 NE Broadway) Lubec has been nothing short of a stalwart in the Portland indie-rock scene, adding a dash of shoegaze-infused bliss most often in the form of three-minute pop songs. The dueling lead vocals of pianist Caroline Jackson and guitarist Eddie Charlton are beautifully complementary, melding Jackson's controlled, piercing pitch and Charlton's sultry tone. Their latest EP, Concentration, is the first release for the band as a trio—they were a four-piece on their 2014 sophomore LP, The Thrall, and a five-piece on their 2013 debut LP, Wilderness Days—yet they still sound just as big and layered. The brief EP's three tracks may be their most tightly packed and refined work yet (particularly the chilling opener, "Late Bloomer"), which has me excited for where the band can go with a longer effort. CC

STERILE MIND, PRESSING ON, MACHO BOYS, PINK BANDANA
(The Know, 2026 NE Alberta) There are few things more satisfying than a no-horseshit hardcore punk band bent on whipping crowds into blurs. Portland's Macho Boys are just such a crew, having amassed little more than a demo and a handful of sweaty shows. With former members of Piss Test and Low Culture, the band hasn't exactly materialized from nowhere. Potent tracks like "Stop the Hate" call to mind the satiating, four-on-the-floor hiss of Minor Threat or any number of '80s DC hardcore forefathers. The longest song on the Macho Boys demo tape­—the contemplative thrasher "Stone Cold," ostensibly a tribute to WWE legend Stone Cold Steve Austin—clocks in at a lithe 1:55, providing even more low-bullshit fodder for your discerning punk-rock earholes. RJP

SATURDAY 7/2

LOVE BALL: A BENEFIT FOR ORLANDO VICTIMS
(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) Solidarity is important. Mourning is necessary. But here’s another way you can stand with the victims of the Pulse nightclub massacre: Head out to the Love Ball at Holocene tonight. This year’s rendition of the massive queer dance party is sending all proceeds to families of the victims in Orlando, and it’ll be a blast. DIRK VANDERHART

CASE/LANG/VEIRS, ANDY SHAUF
(Oregon Zoo, 4001 SW Canyon) Read our story on case/lang/veirs.

BOSTON, DENNIS DeYOUNG
(Moda Center, 1 Center Court) In the late '70s, the debut album of a mysterious group called Boston began to grow like a pervasive fungus, materializing in people's record collections and on radio playlists with no precedent or explanation. The story behind the recording of 1976's Boston is actually pretty remarkable—guitarist/mastermind Tom Scholz was paid to replicate his demos at an expensive LA studio, but he actually just re-recorded them in his Massachusetts basement and the record company was none the wiser. It's ironic, then, that the homespun origins of songs like "More Than a Feeling" and "Foreplay/Long Time" went on to inspire a very slick, studio-made variety of major-label rock music, rich in overdubs, guitarmonies, and hilariously doofy shrieking male vocals. Boston's cultural footprint, at one point, was huge, spawning hair metal in the '80s and the nouveau buttrock of Weezer and Smashing Pumpkins in the '90s. Nowadays, in addition to the occasional rock block, Boston's music can be heard on the soundtrack of Adam Sandler movies. Tonight, Scholz and some other people stop through Portland to celebrate the 40th anniversary of that basement-recorded blockbuster. Parking is $15. NED LANNAMANN

C AVERAGE, QUAYDE LAHÜE, PUSHY
(The Know, 2026 NE Alberta) Megalomaniacal minimalists C Average have spoken criminally little since their Olympia halcyon days in the late '90s, but luckily there are two releases on Kill Rock Stars that memorialize the band's highly technical rock 'n' roll filtered through a prism of fantasy, sci-fi, and progressive metal. Guitarist/vocalist Jon Merithew and double-bass-drum wizard Brad Balsley are masters of squeezing time and space into hard-edged mini rock operas filled with intense bombast. As a two-piece fireball they perform seemingly as a single brain, freely shredding into melodic hyperspace one moment and then stopping quick on razor-sharp dimes at the next. With bassist John Boyce joining in as a third member, C Average's sonic spectrum of fireworks expands ever wider, turning a show that was already an impressive display of precision into an all-out sensual barrage. CHRIS SUTTON

KASEY ANDERSON, PETER AMES CARLIN
(Skyline Tavern, 8031 NW Skyline) In July 2014, Northwest musician Kasey Anderson was sentenced to four years in prison after pleading guilty to federal fraud charges. The fraud? Anderson faked a benefit concert and album for the West Memphis Three and bilked potential investors out of hundreds of thousands of dollars, falsifying bank records, impersonating high-profile music industry types, and promising contributions from artists like Bruce Springsteen and Pearl Jam along the way. But before he went to jail, Anderson was one of the most promising roots-rock musicians in the Northwest, a charismatic performer with a perfectly raspy voice and a knack for a killer tune. Anyway, it appears Anderson is now out of prison and again playing live. An online event page for tonight's gig at Skyline Tavern is headlined "Knocking the Rust Off," and Anderson writes: "I'll be playing some tunes for the first time in a while." Joining him is Peter Ames Carlin, the Portland journalist who has penned biographies of Brian Wilson, Paul McCartney, and, most recently, Springsteen. BEN SALMON

THANKS, MOON BY YOU, RUGBY
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) Thanks recently embarked on a month-long tour of Germany, returning home to Portland just in time to celebrate the release of their second full-length, No Mercy in the Mountain. Coming two years after their debut, this follow-up is the work of a band that has put in a lot of time in the studio and on the road developing and tightening their sound. With heavy, post-punk guitar riffs and haunting synth that seems to come all the way from '80s London clubs, No Mercy in the Mountain expands upon and sharpens the dark-soul sound for which they've made a name for themselves. Singer Jimi Hendrix—Siouxsie to her band of Banshees—provides blistering vocals and lyrics that cut like a razor, especially on "Bad Tattoos," in which she paraphrases Charles Bukowski before dropping the skewering hook: "Your love is just a waste of words." Thanks just dropped the first great Portland album of the summer. We're welcome. SANTI ELIJAH HOLLEY

SUNDAY 7/3

WATERFRONT BLUES FEST
(Tom McCall Waterfront Park, 1020 SW Naito) The Waterfront Blues Festival extends for four days over the holiday weekend, but since you’ve got other shit to do, it’s a good thing most of the best acts are clustered on Sunday afternoon, including the legendary Dr. John and his gris-gris swamp funk, homegrown Prince protégée Liv Warfield, and terrific local gospel-pop singer Liz Vice. NL

DON'T SHRED ON ME: MONARQUES, RIO GRANDS, AFTERLIFE REVIVAL, DJ BOOM
(Dig a Pony, 736 SE Grand) Don't Shred on Me is back! With all of America's pride and prestige, Dig a Pony will yet again celebrate Fourth of July over the course of two days. With booze, food, and music aplenty, both days of the free event offer much grandeur in the way of entertainment. Old-school Portland favorites Monarques will make one of their rare appearances, while Rio Grands and No Lala will bring a jazzy feel to each night. Things get a little down-home with Afterlife Revival, and Candace and Máscaras promise to bring a trippy daze. With Ballin the Jack and DJ Boom keeping your ears entertained between the live music and a front-row view of the holiday fireworks, why would you go anywhere else? CERVANTE POPE

SAD DAY: DUBAIS, POPPET, DJ BUCKMASTER
(The Lovecraft, 421 SE Grand) Olympia's Poppet is self-described "post-apocalyptic pop" musician Molly Raney. With medieval-sounding operatic vocals and playfully glitchy production, Raney's like a hi-fi Joanna Newsom. But instead of harps and massive string sections, she composes her mini-orchestras with drum machines, looping pedals, and synths. Last summer Raney released Desolation Lovesongs, four tracks that jolt woodsy folk with glittery electro-charged wildness, especially on her howling cover of the traditional ballad "Silver Dagger." While the ideal venue for Poppet's layered baroque-pop would probably be the cavernous, cathedral-like Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, tonight's show takes place at the Lovecraft in conjunction with DJ Buckmaster's monthly Sad Day dance party. This month's is a special Fourth of July-themed night, complete with a "Satan Bless America" drag show and discounted covers for those who dress in their saddest patriotic duds. CD

MONDAY 7/4

DON'T SHRED ON ME: MÁSCARAS, CANDACE, NO LALA, BALLIN THE JACK DJs
(Dig a Pony, 736 SE Grand) Dig a Pony’s patriotic shindig, Don’t Shred on Me, returns as your two-day, one-stop shop for Fourth of July festivities. Boozy slushies and cookout chow will pair perfectly with No Lala’s smooth summery grooves and Candace’s stormy dream-pop, giving you time to digest before Máscaras’ blistering psychedelia tears the roof off the bar to reveal a night sky full of fireworks. CHIPP TERWILLIGER

TUESDAY 7/5

MARISSA NADLER, MUSCLE AND MARROW, WREKMEISTER HARMONIES
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) Marissa Nadler's journey though music is as compelling as her songs. Her earliest records showed her talent as a true balladeer, delivering tragic songs that were stripped down so her lush vocals became the centerpiece. Since then Nadler's records have become even more ambitious and layered. And 2016's Strangers might be her most accessible, although it still lurks in the shadows. This doesn't even include her contributions to albums from ambient doom band Wrekmeister Harmonies and black metal artist Xasthur. Nadler continues to do just fine on her own, and remains one of the most intriguing, intelligent, and strong singer/songwriters of the past decade. This is only the beginning. MARK LORE

HEALTH, PHANTOMS, EASTGHOST
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) Full-blown and maxed out noise-rock outfit Health creates textured electronic sounds fit for a bloodbath. For the better part of a decade the LA band has gained recognition for their carefully crafted drumming and vocal patterns. 2015 marked the release of their third album, Death Magic, their first since 2009. During that six-year drought Health worked on video game soundtracks (Max Payne 3, Grand Theft Auto) and remix albums. Death Magic pairs indiscernible lyrics with synths and instruments like the Zoothorn (a guitar pedal/microphone hybrid) to manufacture an asymmetrical sound. Health takes you to the extreme edges of the emotional spectrum, going from huge cacophonies to quiet moments in just seconds. EMILY VANKOUGHNETT