THURSDAY 6/28
THE NATIONAL, THE BROKEN WEST
(Berbati's Pan, 10 SW 3rd) See My, What a Busy Week!, pg. 15.
BLITZEN TRAPPER, THE SHAKY HANDS, PSEUDOSIX
(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) See Music, pg. 19.
TRAINWRECK, TITANS OF OBLIVION, PILLOWFIGHT
(Dante's, 1 SW 3rd) For the 364 days of the year that Jack Black ignores Kyle Glass' text messages (PCK OF DSTNY SQUL? :)PLZ?), the band Trainwreck exists to fill a void in lonely, sad Tenacious D fans. In fact, Trainwreck walks a very awkward line, as they find themselves stuck between being a "joke" band, which they aren't, and a "real" band, which they aren't really either. Much like Sacramento's Cake, Trainwreck is too wacky to be serious, but never funny enough to don a Poodle Hat with Weird Al. It's all setup, but no punch line, and it's frustrating to listen to. If only Black would pass on that script where he plays David Schwimmer's fat friend, or wacky neighbor, then Tenacious D could tour once again and Trainwreck would just be a forgotten memory. EZRA ACE CARAEFF
NOMO, NINO MOSCHELLA, THE BEAUTY, DJ SANTO
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) Typically speaking, NOMO is not a band that would ever cross my radar. However, when a band of jazzed-out funksters decides to cover harp-wielding chanteuse Joanna Newsom, well, then I pay attention. NOMO manages to turn the subtle playfulness of "Book of Right On" into a funk scorcher, and I've been hooked ever since. Fun enough for electronic kids, smart enough for jazz enthusiasts, and close enough to a Putumayo release for your Starbucks-loving mom, NOMO is definitely not to be missed. ROB SIMONSEN
FRIDAY 6/29
THE PRIDS, THE SUN THE SEA, GO FEVER
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) See My, What a Busy Week!, pg. 15.
NIGHTCLUBBING: GLASS CANDY, CHROMATICS, MIKE SIMONETTI, DJ LINGER, DJ QUIET
(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) See My, What a Busy Week!, pg. 15.
FALL OUT BOY, +44, THE ACADEMY IS..., PAUL WALL, COBRA STARSHIP
(Rose Garden, 1 Center Ct) See Music, pg. 17.
THE NEW BLOODS, FINALLY PUNK, SHEARING PINX, ROMANCING
(Dunes, 1905 NE MLK) You can tell Finally Punk are the real riot grrrl deal from the way their cover of Nirvana's "Negative Creep" matches the original's vitriol, rasp for rasp—surpasses it, even, since Cobain's refrain "Daddy's little girl ain't a girl no more" delivers twice the sting when sung by a woman. It seals the bargain that the Austin, Texas quartet flails about while performing, screams bloody murder, switches instruments after every song, and lists obscure-but-legendary feminist post-punk outfit Ludus as an influence alongside the Raincoats, Kleenex, and Lora Logic. Their best song, "Penguin," bounces and jitters to the spastic rhythms of a squeaking children's toy, and "Boyfriend Application" ("Do you wanna be my boyfriend? Fill out an application!") promises to get your toes tapping. Missing them live with the New Bloods would be a shame indeed. LIZZIE EHRENHALT
OH DARLING
(Berbati's Pan, 10 SW 3rd) If you ever wrote off Charmparticles as just another shoegazer band, it might be time to revisit the Portland band. Sure, they might clutch their copy of Loveless close to their hearts at all times (oh, come on, it's as close to a perfect record as you can possibly get), but this once-quartet has recently slimmed down to a trio, and in the process, they've developed a much fuller and more cohesive style. The evidence of this is their new record, Alive in the Hot Spell, whose release will be celebrated with tonight's show. DIYsters take note: The record looks and sounds like a million bucks, plus it was released by the band themselves, thus proving that these days you don't need a record label on your side. EAC
MC CHRIS, BOY EATS DRUM MACHINE, THE GREATER MIDWEST
(Dante's, 1 SW 3rd) I love Aqua Teen Hunger Force. Love it. I don't even need to be high and I'm laughing out loud; in fact, Adult Swim is humming along on the TV behind me right this very second. But goddammit, I do not get the whole MC Chris fascination. Little Brittle? Sir Loin? Nah brah. Those episodes with the rapping cow are the only unwatchable bits of an otherwise fine series. And yet dude has made a career out of it. MC Chris has been touring constantly over these last few years and it doesn't add up. I don't care how sick your gravity bong is—suck down all the stickiest grass in Arcata and this still blows. ANDREW R. TONRY
SATURDAY 6/30
WILLIE NELSON, 40 POINTS BAND
(Clark County Amphitheater, 17200 NE Delfel, Ridgefield, WA) See My, What a Busy Week!, pg. 15.
LIFESAVAS, LIBRETTO
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) See My, What a Busy Week!, pg. 15.
THE TUBES, CELLAR DOOR
(Aladdin Theater, 3017 SE Milwaukie) Legendary San Francisco theatrical ensemble the Tubes are still bringing their bizarre live performance around, as the band celebrates their 35th year in business. That is one hell of a run, especially seeing as the band's rocky history has found them bouncing from obscurity to Top 40 hits to major label drama, "White Punks on Dope," a character named Quay Laud, and frontman Fee Waybill's work with Bryan Adams and Richard Marx. While some of the Tubes' references might seem dated to younger fans (who under the age of 30 has ever taken, or even seen, a Quaalude?), their importance should not be overlooked, as the band paved the way for numerous other creative oddballs who aim to mix the pop with the absurd. EAC
ALBINO!
(Goodfoot, 2845 SE Stark) Twenty years sweltering in obscurity, and suddenly Afrobeat madness strikes the new millennium. While Michigan's NOMO—who were in town on Thursday—evolve the form to an electro-Afro instrumental affair, San Francisco's Albino! hew closer to Fela's original blueprint. The 12-member collective are undeniably rythmocentric, layering clave on top of conga on top of shaker on top of drum kit, stabbing at a pair of kinky guitars like percussion instruments. Their four-piece horn section provides most of the melodic lift, with Fela-esque vocal chants—politicized, insistent—spiking heavy, extended, hard-funk workouts. The band is touring on their just-released album, Rhino, produced by Fog City Records' Dan Prothero (Galactic, Mofro), and featuring a slew of guest musicians. Afrobeat, in any of its recent incarnations, doesn't get much heavier. JONATHAN ZWICKEL
WESTERN AERIAL, SUPERNAUT, CASTELLA
(Dante's, 1 SW 3rd) Bands throw CD release parties all the time. There's nothing remarkable about it. Bands also break up all the time. Rock 'n' roll is rarely meant to last. But seldom do bands release a new CD and break up all in the same night. That's exactly what the appropriately named Supernaut plans to do at Dante's. Having delivered no-rocket-scientist-needed, drop-downed pop rock to PDX since '04, Supernaut is calling it quits and releasing Burning Through the Motions on In Music We Trust. I first read about Supernaut in this very paper. "Real boring and generic to your average young, artistically searching folk," read the preview. It was probably accurate, but fuck that. Let the others search for art. I'm content getting shit-faced and rocking without pretension with Supernaut. MATT DRISCOLL
THE TALL BIRDS, PURE COUNTRY GOLD, THE EEGOS
(Slabtown, 1033 NW 16th) Long after all the world's unusable iPods (a piece of digital machinery so cheap that it will stop working if looked at wrong) litter landfills the world over, vinyl records will still be around. The vinyl/digital divide is the last battlefield between true music fans and those who favor convenience, poorly compressed MP3 digital files, and white ear-bud headphones. Proving their badassery, and love for music, local duo Pure Country Gold are releasing a brand-new slab of 7-inch vinyl on local label Shake Appeal Records. Side A, "Setting Sun," is a sweet slice of raw garage noise where singer Petey sounds as if he chopped down the Elvis Costello family tree, taking the best elements of the bespeckled singer's unique voice and adding some PDX basement charm along the way. EAC
E-40
(Roseland, 8 NW 6th) Love him or hate him, you have to admit that E-40 is incredibly smart, if not talented. He's had the West Coast scene down on lock for over a decade now, using Madonna-like transfigurations to help remain viable in an ever-changing market. From his early days of gangsta rapping to helping usher in the hyphy movement with his last album, My Ghetto Report Card, E-40 is an artist who is continually on the brink of mainstream success, but never quite reaches it. It's fine, though; the man seems more than content being the captain of the B-team. RS
CURIOUS HANDS, LES FLANEURS, LAST AMERICAN BUFFALO, THE PROCESSION, IMAFUCKINGGYMNIST
(Rotture, 315 SE 3rd) The kids in San Fernando Valley punk trio Imafuckinggymnist look barely old enough to drive a tour van; their parents probably went to early Black Flag shows. Or maybe they were just pumping Damaged into their wombs. Whatever the case, Imafuckinggymnist have developed into an impressively adrenal adolescent punk trio. Frontwoman Maritza Zelada rants and hollers over Luis Castillo and Jordan Espino's breakneck drumming and guttural bass. There's a reason it's not called gym-nice-tics. ERIC GRANDY
NORAH JONES, M. WARD
(Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 SW Broadway) Liking Norah Jones is not a crime. Granted, your mom loves her far more than she loves you, but that is no reason to hate on No Jo. Her quiet jazz-folk is enjoyable, if overly safe, and it's nice to see someone of top of the charts in place of, you know, Nickelback or something. Plus, the woman has done something no one else in this town could manage—brought back once-local folker M. Ward, albeit for one night only as her opening act. Also, while not touring on new record Not Too Late, Jones doubles as a wig- and fishnet-wearing rocker in El Madmo, a New York rock/punk duo that would make Mom think twice about taking you out of her will in favor of Norah. Pissing off your mom: It's really why we all listen to music in the first place. EAC
SUNDAY 7/1
WITH A BULLET, YAKIMA NATION
(Ash Street Saloon, 225 SW Ash) If you haven't had the need for an entire bushel of apples or a large quantity of uncut yayo from the Chicanos Por Vida lately, you probably don't know squat about Yakima, WA. It's a place of broken dreams and pent-up rage; a high-plains community between Seattle and Spokane where the only things to do are rock or die. With a Bullet impressively mash Olympia-style wait-and-explode dynamics with palpable Amphetamine Reptile disdain, while their brethren Yakima Nation squeeze out howling post-hardcore squalls of refusal. With so many Yakima, WA escapees in one room for such a short stint, almost anything can happen—keep your hand on your wallet and your eyes on the door. LANCE CHESS
THE PORTLAND CELLO PROJECT, GIDEON FREUDMANN, NICK JAINA, MUSEE MECANIQUE, JOHN WEINLAND
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) More and more, musicians are looking for reasons, even excuses, to bring their classical music leanings to their indierock lives. From soundtracking movies to events like the Wordless Music Series, more and more artists are proving that despite our high tolerance for bad beer and bad tattoos, some of us do care about quality and craftsmanship when it comes to what we put in our ears. Is it pretentious? Sometimes. A reaction to the mindlessness of popular music? Oftentimes. Downright amazing when smartly arranged and expertly executed? Absolutely. Tonight, the Portland Cello Project will feature Vivaldi's Double Concerto, as well as their own arrangement of Bon Jovi's "Wanted Dead or Alive." With four other artists on the bill, including the beautiful, lilting Musee Mecanique, this promises to be (among other things) as artful as it is epic. HANNAH CARLEN
HORSE FEATHERS, WHIP, THE BUILDERS & THE BUTCHERS
(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) The Builders and the Butchers' shit-kicking darkness kicks off the night with songs about the gallows, trips to hell, and concrete boots. Their call-and-response vocals and ensemble vibe kind of freak me out, but damn would I like to throw a party and let them go crazy in my living room. Whip ups the drama quotient with unsettling images of buckets of mud, "secret stains, and hidden gains." They even play a bone-chilling cover of "White Wedding" that actually redeems the original. And if you still haven't heard Horse Feathers in all of their drop-the-music-and-break-into-gorgeous-four-part-harmony glory, now's your chance. JIM WITHINGTON
MONDAY 7/2
LES CLAYPOOL, TWO GALLANTS
(Roseland, 8 NW 6th) See Music, pg. 17.
ILL EASE, ARGUMENTIX, KITTY MIDWIFE, DEVON WILLIAMS
(Towne Lounge, 714 SW 20th Pl) Ill Ease (AKA Elizabeth Sharp) hails from Brooklyn, and carts her one-woman show around the country in an SUV. With the price of gas doubling in the last few years, solo acts who can avoid the abysmal mileage of the dreaded cargo van will soon be the only touring artists left; which is fortunate for Sharp and those of us who get to see her. A typical Ill Ease show is sweaty and intimate and loud. Sharp gets a couple of guitar loops set on the fly, then pounces onto her minimal drum set to lay down heavy dance beats and sing her ass off. Since she was in seminal '90s act New Radiant Storm King, Sharp has the experience of a professional, but the sense to not waste a lot of time on polish. NATHAN CARSON
TUESDAY 7/3
BAND OF HORSES, A DECENT ANIMAL, STARDEATH & WHITE DWARVES
(Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside) See My, What a Busy Week!, pg. 15.
BATTLES, PONYTAIL
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) See Music, pg. 19.
WEDNESDAY 7/4
MELT BANANA, DJ KENOY, DJ BARRETT PAUL, MR. MUMU
(Dante's, 1 SW 3rd) See My, What a Busy Week!, pg. 15.
JONNYX & THE GROADIES, THRONES, PANTHER, SHOW ME THE PINK
(Satyricon, 125 NW 6th) It's never ceased to amaze me that a band can wear Spandex, blast fog machines, shoot laser lights at the crowd, and not actually be trying to impress anyone. JonnyX and the gang have been leveling basements and short-lived all-ages venues for 11 years now, and they bring a cast of iconoclastic friends to their anniversary party this Independence Day. Thrones are a one-man doom-rock machine. Panther has recently added a drummer and is dropping the dance schtick. None of these folks give a fuck if you like them. But they're all really hard not to like. Portland is truly a place to celebrate unbiased artistry. Every July 4 is a reminder that the Groadies refuse to die. They also refuse to play venues where kids under 21 are not allowed. They remain one of the city's best-kept secrets. Their secret is safe with me. NC
