WED MAY 28
Black Flag w/Cinema Cinema, the Loss, Clackamas Baby Killers; Hawthorne Theatre, 1507 SE César E. Chávez
Founding guitarist Greg Ginn—AKA the George Lucas of Punk—and classic-era singer Ron Reyes controversially resuscitated the Black Flag band/brand last year, and the results so far haven’t exactly been stellar. Actually, they’ve been movingly underwhelming: Band manager Mike Vallely replaced Reyes last November, effectively making this a reunion in nothing more than name—a name which Ginn is notoriously proprietary of, having taken pretty much all of his ex-bandmates to court at one point or another for alleged trademark infringement. Furthermore, the group’s latest record, What the…, occasionally sounds like a Weird Al parody of hardcore. Still, the enormous ego and totally un-punk obsession with legal semantics aside, Ginn is a living legend, and Black Flag is probably the best Black Flag tribute band you’ll ever see.
Monnone Alone w/Andrew Kaffer; Red and Black Café, 400 SE 12th
The Lucksmiths’ Mark Monnone’s solo project is gorgeous power pop from Australia. Monnone Alone’s latest LP, Together at Last, is a heavenly synthesis of the Smiths, Jens Lekman, and the Lemonheads.
THURS MAY 29 & FRI MAY 30
The Decemberists w/Laura Veirs (Thurs), Sallie Ford (Fri); Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside
Portland’s favorite folk-pop bards the Decemberists play two consecutive nights at the Crystal—Thursday with Laura Veirs and Friday with Sallie Ford—to benefit Victory Academy, a school for children with autism. The group will play its landmark record Castaways and Cutouts in its entirety.
TUES JUNE 3
Bane w/Turnstile, Take Offense, Young Turks; Alhambra Theatre, 4811 SE Hawthorne
Bane is a frighteningly earnest straightedge hardcore band from Worcester, Massachusetts, who just recently released its first album in nearly a decade, the cheekily titled Don’t Wait Up. The band has also announced that Don’t Wait Up will be their last record, although they purportedly intend to keep touring.