Super Pick
ALEXANDRA SAVIOR, MERŌ, EIREANN
(Sun July 29 at Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) Forget the fact that Alexandra Savior was tipped by Courtney Love as the next big thing while she was still in high school, or that she’s got a collaborative relationship with Alex Turner of the Arctic Monkeys. The proof of the Portland singer/songwriter’s creative cool is evident throughout her 2017 debut LP, Belladonna of Sadness. The record marinated for a long time thanks to the incubatory baby steps taken by her label (ahem, Columbia Records). Despite that stasis, the songs seem vibrant, new, and even a bit timeless, especially velvety crushers like opening track “Mirage,” which laments the plight of puppeteered pop-stars. “La-di-dah/I sing songs about/Whatever the fuck they want,” Savior quips in what sounds like a clap-back against the mainstream career she’s rumored to have been groomed for, as evidenced by the fact that an ex ecutive from another record label once asked if she’d prefer to be more like Katy Perry or P!nk. Thankfully (with respect to Perry and P!nk), Savior chose her own path, and sardonically barbecues the industry that attempted to nurture her. Her performances cast an enchanting shadow, and she tackles the bewitching songs from Belladonna of Sadness with dark humor that endears listeners to follow her rapturously through hypnotic wormholes of warbled pop, not unlike the similarly enigmatic artistic path of Fiona Apple. Shortcut comparisons aside, Savior is bound to convert even the most jaded within a song or two. RYAN J. PRADO
WEDNESDAY 7/25
BLIND PILOT, ANNA TIVEL
(The Old Church, 1422 SW 11th) Read our story on Blind Pilot.
THURSDAY 7/26
BLIND PILOT, HORSE FEATHERS
(Aladdin Theater, 3017 SE Milwaukie) Read our story on Blind Pilot.
DIG A PONY TURNS SEVEN: NATASHA KMETO, GOLD CASIO, BRYSON CONE, PONY STRUT DJs
(Dig a Pony, 736 SE Grand) Tonight Dig a Pony celebrates its seven-year anniversary with a free night of live and local music. Along with electro-soul music producer/singer Natasha Kmeto, there will also be psychedelic disco outfit Gold Casio, and eclectic synth-pop from Bryson Cone. Getchu some cake and a slushie and enjoy the semi-rare occurrence of free high-quality music. JENNI MOORE
FIN DE CINEMA FEATURING THE SHORT FILMS OF Jiří BARTA: WL, S.E.C.R.E.T.S., MAGISTERIAL, HASTE
(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) Jiří Barta carries on the unique tradition of ingenious, hallucinatory animation that comes from the Czech Republic (think Jan Švankmajer, Karel Zeman, and Gene Deitch-era Tom and Jerry), and tonight a clutch of Portland musicians—including WL, S.E.C.R.E.T.S., Magisterial, and Haste—perform live scores to Barta’s otherworldly visions. NED LANNAMANN
FRIDAY 7/27
BLIND PILOT, CATALDO
(Aladdin Theater, 3017 SE Milwaukie) Read our story on Blind Pilot.
ANDAZ 16th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION: DJ ANJALI AND THE INCREDIBLE KID
(The Liquor Store, 3341 SE Belmont) Tonight DJs Anjali and the Incredible Kid celebrate the 16th anniversary of Andaz, the longest-running bhangra and Bollywood dance party in the world (and one of the wildest opportunities to shake your bum in Portland). In May the beloved DJ duo decided to stop hosting their monthly events at the Analog Café Theater after the venue’s owner was accused of sexual harassment. They still haven’t found a permanent replacement home for Andaz, but will continue throwing pop-up shows throughout the summer, including this very special night in the basement of the Liquor Store. Known for fusing heart-quaking electronic with bhangra—a genre with roots in the traditional folk music of the northern Indian state of Punjab—and the soundtracks of Bollywood films, DJ Anjali and the Incredible Kid’s dance floor sites are sweaty, glorious chaos. CD
THE PSYCHEDELIC FURS, X
(Oregon Zoo, 4001 SW Canyon) We could all use a little escapism right about now. Tonight, your best bet is to sink into the soft, forgiving nostalgia of the Psychedelic Furs—“Love My Way” and “Pretty in Pink” remain evergreen post-punk gems of the ’80s—and see if you can forget the past two years ever happened. Plus, the legendary X opens the show, and their twisted punk take on American musical idioms is utterly timeless. NL
MIMICKING BIRDS, SUNBATHE, EVAN WAY
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) On Mimicking Birds’ latest album, Layers of Us, the Portland trio embraces the cosmic underbelly of their remarkably vibrant experimental pop. Despite having spent more than a decade together, it’s only the band’s third studio effort, and showcases singer Nate Lacy’s lilting voice more dramatically and with broader strokes than ever before. It could be due to the fact that my first exposure to the record was during a sneak preview at the OMSI planetarium (with a full star show) just prior to its release this past January, but the floating, deep-space constellations that Layers of Us evokes are too vivid and powerful to chalk up to pure circumstance. The band has, strangely, flown slightly under the radar, though the magic of this most recent LP ought to turn the tide for Mimicking Birds. RYAN J. PRADO
FOUNTAINE, POINT JUNCTURE WA
(Turn! Turn! Turn!, 8 NE Killingsworth) Anime-loving rapper/producer Fountaine is young but prolific; his Bandcamp profile overflows with material, like his most recent LP, 2017’s H.F.I.L. (Hell for Infinite Losers). Across 16 tracks, Fountaine sings and raps behind aqueous beats that’re sometimes dazed and unsettling (“Scorprio”) and sometimes reverberating with danceable, Prince-inspired funk (“Dressed to Kill”). He’ll be joined by beloved experimental indie rock band Point Juncture, WA, who released their long-awaited double album Me or the Party in 2016 after some quiet years. It’s totally worth getting lost in, especially softer tracks like “Whodunnit” and closer “Kings III.” CD
THE VOIDZ
(Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell) Once you’re able to get past the fact that they aren’t the Strokes, the Voidz are almost as interesting as the band that restarted rock in the early 2000s. Julian Casablancas’ current project is far more experimental, as the Voidz successfully meander between psych and electro-pop on their recently released sophomore album, Virtue. “Don’t overthink it, don’t overthink it,” Casablancas chants on lead single “Leave It in My Dreams,” which becomes a mantra for the whole record. Just when you think the Voidz are falling too far down the rabbit hole, standout tracks like the falsetto-studded “Pink Ocean” and the R&B-inspired “AlieNNatioN” bring clarity. And though “Wink” might seem like a diss track about a certain former band of Casablancas’, it’s probably best not to overthink it. ANNA KAPLAN
SATURDAY 7/28
SOUL AND FUNK REVUE: STRANGE BABES DJs
(Killingsworth Dynasty, 832 N Killingsworth) Much beloved radio disc jockeys Jen O, KM Fizzy, and Magic Beans crack open the deep music knowledge they bring to their XRAY.fm radio show and pour it all over the Killingsworth Dynasty dance floor. Stay strong, be positive, and shake it off with their soul and funk standards like Sister Nancy, Grace Jones, the Marvelettes, and probably a few weird ones too—they are the Strange Babes, after all. SUZETTE SMITH
MEDIA JEWELER, YOUNG JESUS, CYNTHIA NELSON’S DIGRESSIVE COMBINE
(Turn! Turn! Turn!, 8 NE Killingsworth) Turn! Turn! Turn! gets my vote for Portland’s best venue, and it’s wonderfully motley bills like this that make the place so special. Brace yourself: Moods will swing. Cynthia Nelson’s most recent album, Out of the Cave, is a bewitching collection of folk rock that evokes the peculiar pleasure of trekking through a forest and getting just lost enough to be just scared enough to notice how strange the world can be. Young Jesus is all about liminal wonder too, but the Los Angeles band’s emo-inflected epics live in the final hour of a sleepless night, that stretch when thoughts go sideways and dreams creep backwards to claw at consciousness. Santa Ana’s Media Jeweler, on the other hand, is an enemy of reverie. The band’s latest, 1-800-SUCCEED, is a herky-jerky dance of hyperactivity begging for hyphens—it might be something like post-punk math-rock, but I say we forget language for a minute and let our bodies find the band’s elastic wavelength. CHRIS STAMM
SUNDAY 7/29
ALEXANDRA SAVIOR, MER, EIREANN
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) Read our Alexandra Savior super pick.
NOCHE LIBRE DEBUT DAY PARTY: DJs BLACK DARIA, BOMBÓN, LUCHA, MAMI MIAMI, SUAVECITO, TIA BRUJA, XOLOTL
(Chapel Hill, 4380 SE Hawthorne) Noche Libre DJs Black Daria, Bombón, Lucha, Suavecito, Tia Bruja, Xolotl, and Mami Miami (AKA Mercury contributor Emilly Prado) explore the music of Latin America, from cumbias to dancehall to boleros to Afrobeat to rancheras to reggaetón. The Latinx femme DJ collective makes its official debut with this day party at Chapel Hill, where they’ll also have tacos, mixtapes, and a Donald Trump piñata. CD
LUPE FIASCO, MICKEY FACTZ, HORIZUN
(Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside) The last time Lupe Fiasco played in the Rose City was at the 2017 Soul’d Out music festival; it was dope to see him rock songs like the 2011 rap-pop anthem “Show Goes On,” and his boom-bap-driven debut single “Kick, Push.” After departing from an unhappy relationship with Atlantic Records, Lupe Fiasco independently released his subversive and trap-heavy album DROGAS Light last year. Now the Chicago-born lyricist is bringing his tour to Portland, giving you a chance to see him perform his most coherent new material in years. JM
TENDER AGE, FLOATING ROOM
(Rontoms, 600 E Burnside) For both Tender Age and Floating Room, the process of writing and recording an album is as slow and methodical as the dreamy music they play. Though they’ve been around for a few years, Becoming Real Forever is the brand-new debut LP from Tender Age. The album—which was self-recorded on analog tape—trades surf sounds for primed ’90s shoegaze that exudes the somber beauty of the Oregon Coast, where it was recorded. Floating Room’s sophomore album False Baptism is just as emotionally forthright as their first; the gentle tones of Maya Stoner’s voice contemplate tough subjects through experimental noise-pop. Certain artists have the ability to summon sentiments buried deep within, and for anyone attending this show, it’ll probably be damn near impossible to leave without feeling something. CERVANTE POPE
MONDAY 7/30
KATE BUSH BIRTHDAY PARTY: TETON, PAT MOON, STÖLLER
(The Fixin’ To, 8218 N Lombard) Whether she’s pretending to be the ghost of Catherine Earnshaw pounding on Heathcliff’s windows or whispering “I don’t know why I’m crying” over a carnivalesque accordion melody, Kate Bush makes the strangest modes of artistic expression feel completely natural. She’s the reigning queen of art-pop and interpretive dance, and thusly deserves to have the day of her birth celebrated. Thankfully, Teton, Pat Moon, and Stöller are doing just that at the Fixin’ To tonight in honor of Bush, a weird and wonderful woman. CD
TUESDAY 7/31
WILLIE NELSON & FAMILY, ALISON KRAUSS
(Edgefield, 2126 SW Halsey, Troutdale) God bless Willie Nelson, the best goddamn thing that ever happened to this burning country. Willie’s shows on the Edgefield lawn have become one of the highlights of any Portland summer—there are few things better than relaxing outside with a beer (OR ANOTHER SUBSTANCE) and listing to one of country’s truest and most righteous legends. This time around, Willie’s joined by Alison Krauss, which will make the whole thing that much better. The show’s sold out, because of course it is, but I’m pretty sure Willie would approve of you begging, borrowing, or stealing to find your way in. ERIK HENRIKSEN
