Things to Do Music

WEDNESDAY 8/31

KYLE CRAFT, SURFS DRUGS, WEEZY FORD
(The Liquor Store, 3341 SE Belmont) Following the April release of his Sub Pop debut, Dolls of Highland, Portland-by-way-of-Austin transplant Kyle Craft released his newest song, “Before the Wall,” earlier this month. Craft channels a young Bob Dylan as he eviscerates the hate-mongering rhetoric of Donald Trump, “With [his] big mouth blowing up like the Fourth of July.” CIARA DOLAN

SEANCE CRASHER, JACKSON BOONE, WAVE ACTION, DJ ROCKY TINDER
(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) An evening of slacker pop and soul from Seance Crasher, the recording alias of Portland musician Kevin Rafn, who is playing a release show for his project’s debut full-length, Basement Behavior. Also read our review of Séance Crasher’s Basement Behavior.

RUSSIAN CIRCLES, CLOAKROOM
(Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell) A decade into their existence, Russian Circles have firmly established themselves as one of the very best—and most consistent—heavy bands on Earth. Since 2006, the Chicago trio has released six albums of pitch-perfect post-metal packed with quiet elegance, instrumental wizardry, and thunderous crescendos. The band’s new album, Guidance, only sharpens that focus. Recorded with metal super-producer Kurt Ballou, the seven songs on Guidance find guitarist Mike Sullivan unspooling wave after wave of sweeping, shimmering guitarscapes while drummer Dave Turncrantz and bassist Brian Cook build mountains of blackened, bone-rattling crunch. The result is truly emotional, exhausting, and awe-inspiring. Catch ’em tonight at the Doug Fir, and don’t miss opener Cloakroom, another Midwestern trio with a like-minded (though not instrumental) take on heavy rock ’n’ roll. BEN SALMON

THURSDAY 9/1

OREGON SYMPHONY WATERFRONT CONCERT
(Tom McCall Waterfront Park, 1020 SW Naito) The Oregon Symphony’s annual concert at the waterfront isn’t just some light classical music alfresco. It’s a daylong festival featuring some of the most prominent musicians in town, like mariachi singer Edna Vazquez, Irish fiddler Kevin Burke, and experimental new-music ensembles Third Angle and FearNoMusic. But it’s a showcase for the region’s young performers as well, including sets from Portland Youth Philharmonic, Metropolitan Youth Symphony, and Bravo Youth Orchestra. And that’s all before the Oregon Symphony takes the stage with conductor Carlos Kalmar and guest spots by Portland Opera and Oregon Ballet Theatre. This year’s program includes excerpts from Puccini’s La Boheme, Dvorak’s ravishing “New World” Symphony, and John Williams’ soaring score for E.T. And it all wraps up with a bang—literally—with a rendition of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture, performed with actual cannons courtesy of the Alpha Battery 218th Field Artillery. NED LANNAMANN

FATHER JOHN MISTY, STEPHEN MALKMUS AND THE JICKS
(Edgefield, 2126 SW Halsey, Troutdale) Read our Father John Misty fanfiction.

SNOOP DOGG, WIZ KHALIFA, KEVIN GATES, JHENE AIKO, CASEY VEGGIES, DJ DRAMA
(Sunlight Supply Amphitheater, 17200 NE Delfel, Ridgefield, WA) If you’re going to see Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa, do it right: On “The High Road Summer Tour,” outdoors, on a beautiful summer night that can only be improved with the laid-back rhymes of Snoop and the trippy jams of Khalifa. (Chances you will get high, whether intentionally so or not: 5,000 percent.) Fingers crossed for some Doggystyle tracks from Snoop, but if Wiz Khalifa does his sad song from Furious 7, mark my words: That whole amphitheater’s going to cry like a goddamn baby. ERIK HENRIKSEN. also read Sneaker Wave.

EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY, PREOCCUPATIONS
(Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside) The first time I saw Explosions in the Sky was at Sasquatch 2009. It was hot. I was ill-prepared, and after day one had only trail mix and water left to sustain me. I learned that I do not possess the stamina for festivals, and I also learned that sometimes the perfect set is enough to wash all of that away (at least temporarily, anyway). I watched a whole crowd sway and cry. I marveled as the sound seemed to fill up the seemingly endless space of the Gorge. Explosions in the Sky still excel at making huge, lush instrumental albums that often feel like entire wordless narratives unto themselves, and their latest is no exception. The Wilderness revisits familiarly emotional landscapes in the way they know best: without words. If you’re ready to go on the journey, just don’t forget your trail mix. JENNA FLETCHER

THE WILD BODY, DOWN GOWN, DEATHLIST
(Bunk Bar, 1028 SE Water) Portland’s Down Gown play with wiry poise, exuding unhinged, manic ferocity one minute, then shifting to melodies so mired in dissonant structures they almost seem surreal. Such is the story with the band’s forthcoming self-titled debut: “A Wish About You” explodes in the same sonic ooze as early ’90s crews like the Jesus Lizard, Unwound, and Chavez. Guitarist/vocalist Will Hattman adds confidence to the pocket-tight rhythm section of bassist Ben Munat and drummer Adam Draper on the Goo­-inspired “Fast Forward,” a prime example of the band’s ability to mutate into something more accessible, despite its obvious affinity for bizarre guitar interplay. Down Gown will come out sometime later this year via Portland’s Cavity Search Records, but tonight get pumped for a nice preview of the new album. RYAN J. PRADO

FRANCES QUINLAN, HALEY HEYNDERICKX
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) A decade before the release of her band’s breakout album, Painted Shut, Hop Along frontwoman Frances Quinlan could be found enamoring crowds in parks and basements around New York’s Hudson River Valley in support of her enchanting solo debut, Freshman Year—a lo-fi freak folk album released under Quinlan’s solo nom de plume, Hop Along, Queen Ansleis. It’s a sprawling acoustic affair rounded out by train whistles, kazoos, a range of percussive instruments, and some hootenanny-style group sing-alongs, showcasing Quinlan’s unparalleled vocal range and lyrical prowess in their rawest form. Equal parts heart-wrenching, eccentric, and triumphant, Freshman Year combines emotional bursts of angst and longing with an unbridled sense of childlike wonder, then wraps it all up in life-affirming DIY spirit. Tonight’s show poses the rare opportunity to revel in Quinlan’s one-of-a-kind songwriting through an intimate solo performance. CHIPP TERWILLIGER

FRIDAY 9/2

EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY, PREOCCUPATIONS
(Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside) See Thursday’s preview.

BLACK JOE LEWIS & THE HONEYBEARS, BLANK RANGE
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears hit the ground running in 2009 with their excellent major-label debut, Tell ’Em What Your Name Is! Lewis’s manic guitar playing, James Brown-like shrieks, and the unhinged energy of his live performances showed promise in the new artist. Since then, however, we haven’t heard a whole lot from the Austin, Texas native. He and his band released Scandalous in 2011, more or less repeating the same garage-soul and blues-rock formula of their debut. In 2013 they dropped “the Honeybears” from the band name and released Electric Slave, transitioning away from their earlier sound in favor of heavier, sludgier rock. Seeing as how three years have passed since Electric Slave, who knows what to expect next from Black Joe Lewis, or even what brings the band on the road now. But if their live show has remained any bit as maniacal as before, that’s ultimately all that matters. SANTI ELIJAH HOLLEY

SATURDAY 9/3

SUMMER CANNIBALS, THE SHONDES, CREATURE TO CREATURE, HUSKY BOYS
(The Know, 2026 NE Alberta) Alberta Street punk rock HQ the Know’s days are numbered, so you’ll want to spend plenty of time there between now and the last show in late November. Portland rockers Summer Cannibals—all hard-driving guitars and angsty lyrics and awesomeness—are an outstanding reason to pop in. DIRK VANDERHART

AGES AND AGES, CHRIS PUREKA
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) Consistently producing inspired records is one thing, but making sure they’ve got heart is another thing altogether. Portland’s Ages and Ages have honed purposeful pop throughout their tenure, but the band’s latest, Something to Ruin, goes a step further. Here they focus on the dramatic development of the city, juxtaposing the eyesore of greed with a desire to give up. Songs like “Kick Me Out” get right to the point, with vocalist/guitarist Tim Perry declaring, “All around me is changing I see/All the places I used to belong that I don’t wanna be.” The fact that the album is even remotely as triumphant-sounding as the band’s 2014 magnum opus Divisionary is astounding—with Something to Ruin, Ages and Ages again raises the bar through patient, meticulous songcraft that’s as buoyant as it is timeless. RJP

SUNDAY 9/4

WILCO, JOAN SHELLEY
(Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 SW Broadway) For some, Wilco has become the punchline of a lame joke about music made for settling into 21st century fatherhood. It’s true that the veteran Chicago rock band has a few khaki-Dockers albums in its discography, but 2015’s Star Wars found Jeff Tweedy and company embracing a “less is more” aesthetic: It felt buzzy and squirmy and eccentric and tossed off, in a good way. And Tweedy’s masterful two-night stand at Pickathon was a good reminder that few (if any) humans have written more great songs in the past three decades. Most importantly, Wilco has always been an absolute beast of a live band, no matter how their records sounded. So snicker if you want, but miss tonight’s show at the Schnitz at your own peril. Also, don’t be late: Opener Joan Shelley is a brilliant folk singer whose Over and Even was one of 2015’s best albums. BEN SALMON

BEY DAY: A CELEBRATION FOR THE QUEEN: DJ RONIN ROC, HOLLA N OATES
(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) For the third year in a row, Holocene is hosting what’s arguably the best birthday celebration in town for the one and only true queen, Beyoncé. The dance party will honor Queen B with a night full of the popular classics, remixes, and collaborations courtesy of DJs Ronin Roc and Holla N Oates, along with Bey-themed video art to set the mood. For those interested, there will also be a dance-off and a costume contest, so come ready to channel your inner goddess. GUADALUPE TRIANA

COUNTING CROWS, ROB THOMAS
(Sunlight Supply Amphitheater, 17200 NE Delfel, Ridgefield, WA) “Sha-la-la-la-la-la-la. Mm. Uh huh,” Counting Crows frontman Adam Duritz whines before describing a night out at the New Amsterdam with a gentleman he calls Mr. Jones. If they’re close enough to hit the bars together, why doesn’t Duritz address Mr. Jones by his first name? That’s merely the first in a series of unanswerable questions this song raises. Duritz creepily stares at a “yellow-haired girl” (that’s WOMAN to you, guy) while Mr. Jones talks to a flamenco dancer. The fact that they know she’s a flamenco dancer suggests that she is working and they are bothering her. Apparently Mr. Jones’ dad is there, too: “She dances while his father plays guitar.” (Confirmed, she is working.) Does this mean there are multiple Mr. Joneses in the picture? Duritz asks Mr. Jones to pass him a bottle and to believe in him, or to help him believe in anything—perhaps one of the Mr. Joneses acts as a paternal figure for Duritz? He goes on to explain that he and Mr. Jones “tell each other fairytales,” “look at the beautiful women,” and later, “look into the future.” Is he intimating that together, they’re capable of time travel? Duritz makes a brief foray into listing his favorite colors (blue, red, black, and gray), and ultimately decides that gray is his favorite. He wishes he had a gray guitar, but concedes that, since he does not know the late painter Pablo Picasso, he can never possess such an artifact. Luckily, Duritz realizes he can buy himself a gray guitar, since Picasso is not the only painter capable of painting a guitar gray. He wishes he were a lion, then later wishes he were Bob Dylan—but for the record, Mr. Jones wishes he were “someone a little more funky.” CIARA DOLAN

MONDAY 9/5

ANDERSON .PAAK AND THE FREE NATIONALS, POMO, DUCKWRTH
(Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside) If you needed any more reason to go to the Anderson .Paak show (you don’t), opener DUCKWRTH is a compelling draw. The singer/rapper/graphic designer reps and credits the Bay Area for his artistic influences, and is regarded as a creative visionary for his progressive hip-hop and vibrant, expressive style—just watch his recently released visual for “Get Uugly” and you’ll see why. Last summer he collaborated with the Kickdrums to put out the super dope EP Nowhere, which features experimental R&B and rock-infused tracks like “Naruto,” “Unagi,” “Lambo,” and “Skank.” He recently dropped “Rare Panther+Beach House,” a leading track off his upcoming EP I’m Uugly, which is set to release next month. JENNI MOORE Also read our story on Anderson .Paak.

TUESDAY 9/6

BATHS, FINE ANIMAL, OLD WAVE
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) Los Angeles electronic composer Will Wiesenfeld makes some of the most subtly intense dance music out there. Baths’ 2014 EP Ocean Death, the follow-up to Wiesenfeld’s breakout record Obsidian, starts with the sound of crashing waves before fading to dark soundscapes reminiscent of the Drive soundtrack. The EP’s title track compounds anxious energy that bursts before returning to the lush recording of waves. It’s a song that combines Baths’ best qualities: the brooding anxiety of Ian Cohen-approved emo and simple, ambient techno that can leave a listener in an engaged stupor if they’re not already dancing. CAMERON CROWELL