WEDNESDAY 6/13

JANELLE MONÁE, ST. BEAUTY
(Edgefield, 2126 SW Halsey, Troutdale) Janelle MonĂĄe is the pop-star America desperately needs, but probably doesn’t deserve. That’s proven on her new album  Dirty Computer, a collection of retro-futuristic R&B anthems with guest appearances from the likes of Grimes, ZoĂ« Kravitz, Pharrell, and 75-year-old Beach Boy Brian Wilson. From the bubbly electro-pop of “Pynk” to the Prince-esque closing track “Americans,” Dirty Computer is surely one of the best albums of 2018. CIARA DOLAN. Read our story on Janelle MonĂĄe.

MATT HANNAFIN, OTHERS
(Performance Works NW, 4625 SE 67th) It’s been a while since we’ve heard from Notice Recordings, the almost decade-old record label that specializes in experimental fare from around the world. The imprint has gone through some shifting dynamics, not least of which came when one of its co-founders, Evan Lindorff-Ellery, relocated from Portland to New York’s Hudson Valley. This year, Notice has slowly been coming back online and taking a bold step forward, specifically with the forthcoming release of a recording of four John Cage pieces, performed by local percussionist (and curator of the quarterly Extradition Series) Matt Hannafin. It’s a stunning realization of these modern classical works; challenging but generous interpretations replete with incident and moments of unsettling volume. Lindorff-Ellery will be back in Portland tonight to celebrate the release of this tape with performances of three Cage pieces and Christian Wolff’s sputtering “Play,” along with dance accompaniment. ROBERT HAM

THURSDAY 6/14

COLLATE, GOOD WOMAN, HUGO BERLIN
(Turn! Turn! Turn!, 8 NE Killingsworth) Collate knows that you know that they know exactly what they’re doing, and they aren’t shy about acknowledging it. The Portland trio’s 2017 cassette Material Inspection kicks off with a serrated statement of purpose called “RNA,” a nod to no wave pioneers DNA, with whom Collate shares plenty of genetic material. There is definitely some time travel happening here, but more often than not, Collate rides their phone booth to the early-2000s sweet spot when bands like Erase Errata, Black Eyes, Arab on Radar, and AIDS Wolf were raising unholy rackets that seemed to mirror and amplify Bush-era anxiety with stabbing guitars and piercing shrieks. And hey, what do you know: The American nightmare continues, and we are all still very nervous. Collate’s brand of post-punk, with its spooked incantations and skittish instruments, is an ideal companion for a reluctant march into an uncertain future. CHRIS STAMM

STARS, SHAMIR
(Aladdin Theater, 3017 SE Milwaukie) Arrive early to tonight’s Stars show to see Las Vegas-born, Philadelphia-based musician Shamir, whose 2017 album Revelations proves he’s one of the most versatile songwriters currently making music. Following the soulful electro-pop of his 2015 debut Ratchet, Revelations makes a tectonic shift to stripped-down indie rock ballads, like the anthemic standout “Straight Boy.” “They say I’m brave for being true,” he sings over grungy guitar riffs. “But act like it’s not something they can do/But they’re clinging to a false sense of pride.” Revelations makes more room for Shamir’s voice, delivering mini-epiphanies in every song. CD

FRIDAY 6/15

JUSTIN TOWNES EARLE, LYDIA LOVELESS 
(Aladdin Theater, 3017 SE Milwaukie) Justin Townes Earle has been awfully quiet lately. About a decade ago, the 36-year-old Nashville-born singer/songwriter was as famous for his struggles with addiction, fights with club owners, arrests, and all-around fucked-up-edness as he was for his music. Somehow, during all this tumult and repeated attempts at self-destruction, Earle managed to write some of the most beautiful and touching Americana songs of recent years, included on his back-to-back landmark albums, 2009’s Midnight at the Movies and 2010’s Americana Music Award-winning Harlem River Blues. Earle has since gotten sober, married, had a child, and slowed down considerably. He also moved to Portland last year, living a quiet, under-the-radar life with his new family. Earle’s recorded output, too, has mellowed, nearly to the point of stagnation. His most recent album, 2017’s Kids in the Street, while containing some exceptional moments, is virtually indistinguishable from previous efforts. Regardless, as a country and blues guitar player and storyteller, Earle remains one the best. Be sure to arrive early to tonight’s show—a rare and intimate solo performance—to catch the blistering country music of rising star Lydia Loveless. SANTI ELIJAH HOLLEY

SATURDAY 6/16

NORTHWEST DEAF ARTS FEST: SEAN FORBES, ANTOINE HUNTER, MYLES DE BASTION, RAYMOND LUCZAK
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) Revel in performances from the first-annual Northwest Deaf Arts Festival, an inclusive showcase centering Deaf artists and cultural diversity. The lineup includes nationally acclaimed acts Sean Forbes (hip-hop musician), Antoine Hunter (jazz dancer and visual storyteller), Myles de Bastion (multimedia artist), and Raymon Luczak (poet). EMILLY PRADO

THE LAVENDER FLU, SLEEPING BEAUTIES, NAVY GANGS
(Turn! Turn! Turn!, 8 NE Killingsworth) Tonight, the Lavender Flu celebrates the release of their new record Mow the Glass, the follow-up to their sprawling (and beloved) 2016 debut Heavy Air. Led by former Hunches guitarist Chris Gunn, the Portland rock band delivers more of what they’re best at across 13 tracks: spaced-out, lo-fi, Kinks-inspired pop hooks that are tethered to earth by plenty of heavy guitar riffs. CD Read our review of the Lavender Flu’s new record, Mow the Glass.

THE DEEP DARK WOODS
(Bunk Bar, 1028 SE Water) The Deep Dark Woods are one of the most aptly named bands around. Born originally from the expansive Canadian Prairie—Saskatoon, to be exact—their music is a dusky marriage of modern folk, traditional country, easygoing rock, gentle blues, old soul, elegant melodies, and spooky stories. Frontman Ryan Boldt is a nuanced vocalist and a writer of gloriously unhurried songs, as evidenced by the band’s most recent album, Yarrow, which came out last fall. Its nine songs shimmer and slither through an endless supply of references to the natural world—leaves, floods, birds, and winter—with Boldt’s macabre imagery never far from the surface. BEN SALMON

VIOLENT FEMMES, MARCIA MELLO
(Oregon Zoo, 4001 SW Canyon) Violent Femmes’ triumphant 2016 comeback album We Can Do Anything was both a reunion and a statement of intent. The longstanding folk-punk icons have had their share of ups and downs, culminating in some unsavory lawsuits and a contentious four-year breakup. That drama flies in the face of the band’s buoyant songcraft, helmed by the fantastic songwriting tandem of guitarist/vocalist Gordon Gano and bassist/vocalist Brian Ritchie. If you’ve ever been to a professional sports game, it’s impossible not to have heard their omnipresent opus “Blister in the Sun,” but the Femmes’ catalog runs deep. Now in their fourth decade of writing, recording, and touring, the band has hit an effortless stride that’s endearing, but also important in an increasingly murky cultural landscape. The band played the Oregon Zoo just last year with Echo and the Bunnymen, but you really shouldn’t ever miss a Violent Femmes show. RYAN J. PRADO

SUNDAY 6/17

VOID OMNIA, ISENORDAL, ADDAURA, BURIALS
(Tonic Lounge, 3100 NE Sandy) Void Omnia is one of the best heavy metal bands out there that you (probably) haven’t heard of yet. Comprised of current and former members of groups like Tombs, Mutilation Rites, Ulthar, and Ruine, the Oakland band plays atmospheric black metal at the breakneck pace of punk rock, and the results are thrilling. Check out their 2016 album Dying Light, where strangled howls, hellish growls, and nonstop blast beats collide with a guitar attack that’s somehow melodic, savage, and space-bound all at the same time. Tonight’s bill also includes Isenordal, a Seattle-based funeral-doom act that also rules. The two bands are touring to support their brand-new split release, out now on cassette and later this year on vinyl. BS

MONDAY 6/18

SUNFLOWER BEAN, THE PARANOYDS, DR. DANNY
(Lola’s Room at the Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside) Brooklyn’s Sunflower Bean released their sophomore album, Twentytwo in Blue, earlier this year, expanding on their already nebulous rock ’n’ roll. The scrappy trio skews grimy power-pop and witchy psychedelia into a new stew on tunes, like opening track “Burn It,” in which frontwoman Julia Cumming conjures specters of the Runaways. The band shapeshifts to deliver more easy-listening compositions like “I Was a Fool,” a jangly downer ballad that volleys vocals between Cumming and lead guitarist Nick Kivlen, giving wings to the band’s multifaceted nature. Twentytwo in Blue ought to be one of those records that accompanies both your highs and lows this year and beyond, and tonight is your opportunity to check in on one of the more buzz-worthy bands of the late ’10s. RJP

TUESDAY 6/19

BROWN CALCULUS, BRYSON CONE, JEAN NADA
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) Cosmic soul duo Brown Calculus is one of Portland’s most captivating acts. “Self-Care,” the lead single off their Live at the Map Room EP, is fantastic, and their shows are known for providing intimate, improvisational vibes, and guarantee a cathartic night out. Falling on Juneteenth, this wonderfully air-conditioned show will also celebrate both band members’ June birthdays. JENNI MOORE

REPTALIENS, OKEY DOKEY, SHY BOYS, MINDEN
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) Inspired by the transhumanist philosopher of the same name, Cole and Bambi Browning’s psychedelic 2017 debut as Reptaliens, FM-2030, is an album of disarmingly pleasant sunbeam-pop melodies that disguise the darker themes lurking underneath its caramelly guitar riffs and shimmering synth. Even the record’s bubbliest moments feel a little off—love songs like “29 Palms” verge on obsession, while standout track “666Bus” finds Bambi contemplating the idea that “Maybe I’ll get hit by a bus/While I was dreaming of falling in love/Or maybe I’ll fall in love and die of a broken heart.” FM-2030 feels like a purgatory between woozy daydream and nightmare, with constant references to Satan, mortality, and apocalyptic sci-fi, but that’s what elevates its songs to creepy pop perfection. CD