WEDNESDAY 12/25

XMAS COVER PARTY: LARRY YES, OSAMA SINATRA, DUBAIS
(East End, 203 SE Grand) Sometimes you gotta get out on Christmas. Maybe your family stinks. Maybe you have no family at all. Maybe you're Jewish. Regardless of reason, the options are often slim. Tonight, however, Larry Yes offers hope. While it's hard to say what exactly Yes & Co. have planned, or what "Xmas Covers" means, history deserves the benefit of the doubt. Yes has been hacking it out, playing and producing for the sake of it since the days of the X-Ray Café, the burgeoning seed of Portland's now-flourishing community. And as Yes' work with groups like Art of Flying and the North Pole Records crew suggests, he's into the tactile, the warm and connective. Or, just what might make Christmas. ANDREW R TONRY

PSYCHOPOMP—BLACK MASS: SEEK THE LIGHT, CASCADIAN WINTER, SCARD, CHAD CARVER, GUL BABA, SUNFALLS, NOYOUYESME, AARDVLCAK
(Lovecraft Bar, 421 SE Grand) If you find yourself in need of a trip to the dark side on the night of Christmas, look no further than this event which features an array of artists performing noise, drone, ambient, and experimental electronic music in the decadently gothic Lovecraft Bar. SunFalls (Uxepi Ipexu) will guide you toward an alien realm of metallic sound structures that fracture into a world of kaleidoscopic colors. A recent free release on his Bandcamp page will give you a taste of what's in store. Noyouyesme (Jason Cesarz) continues down this path of psychedelic electronica, offering fascination in the form of intricate rhythms and melodies that coil in upon themselves with curious and enticing abandon. CHRISTINA BROUSSARD

THURSDAY 12/26

BACHXING DAY: CLASSICAL REVOLUTION PDX
(Alberta Rose Theatre, 3000 NE Alberta) See My, What a Busy Week!

YEAR END HIPHOP SHOWCASE: STEWART VILLAIN, DONTE THOMAS, MARKI$ APOLLO, CASSOW, PACKARD BROWNE, NO LEADER, CARMINE, SLICK DEVIOUS, PYETTI, MAXI, MATO
(Hawthorne Theatre, 1507 SE César E. Chávez) If, like me, you've decided to spend the next little while digging into our city's vibrant hiphop scene, there's no better place to dive in with both feet than this exhibition of rhymers and beatmakers. In the space that we have, we can only call out a few of the 11 acts on this bill, but keep your eyes and ears peeled for the soulful production work and laidback delivery of duo Slick Devious, the verbal rabbit punches of Fresh Select artist Cassow, the young striver and ladykiller Donte Thomas, and Stewart Villain, an up-and-comer who has produced tracks for notables like Danny Brown, Keak Da Sneak, and Nipsey Hussle. ROBERT HAM

FRIDAY 12/27

RAW NERVES, BROKEN WATER, RECESSIONS
(The Know, 2026 NE Alberta) I'm listening to Portland hardcore punk band Raw Nerves' Futile Efforts right now and am filled with inexplicable embarrassment for myself. On one hand, I really don't feel like this is me; I'm not cool enough to be listening to (or enjoying) this. I'm no beefcake, and abstrusely political lyrics may very well be my least favorite hardcore trope. But Raw Nerves are, musically, simply one of the best active punk bands in Portland right now. The band constantly toes the line between cheesy, half-ironic barbecue metal (the pick-slides; pretty much every performance from vocalist Mike Dubose) and underplayed sophistication and sensitivity ("Feudal Efforts," "Armageddon"). Like most purveyors of the genre, Raw Nerves are even more compelling live. So go see them. They rock! MORGAN TROPER

JERRY JOSEPH AND THE JACKMORMONS, I CAN LICK ANY SONOFABITCH IN THE HOUSE
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) I Can Lick Any Sonofabitch in the House's Michael Dean Damron recently turned 50, celebrating with a raucous perform- ance at the band's adopted headquarters, Dante's. Aside from that personal milestone for Damron—a guy whose imposing physical stature and pissed-off oeuvre belies his sentimentality as a songwriter—ICLASOB reached what was probably the pinnacle of their country-punk output with their most recent release, Mayberry. Whether reminiscing about nostalgic television shows or railing against Fred Phelps, the government, shitty people, and anything else that crosses his mind, Damron's affinity for the periphery of pop culture makes the band's songs some of the more earnest you're likely to hear. RYAN J. PRADO

LUCK AND LANA, GRAPE GOD, ANECHOIC, NORTHERN DRAW
(Slabtown, 1033 NW 16th) If you know your strains of weed (and if you're a Mercury reader, I have to assume that you do), you'll recognize the name Grape God as a particularly THC-heavy strain of smoke. That should give you some small insight into the sound of Gabriel Owsley's same-named hiphop project. His latest release 444 is a throat-stinging montage of molasses-thick beats and Owsley's trudging enunciation. He'll provide a nice slow smolder that will be quickly turned into a raging bonfire by Luck & Lana, an LA-based duo that finds MC Luckyiam from the vaunted Living Legends crew and chanteuse Lana Shea fighting for vocal supremacy over a spray of electro beats and dubstep wobble. RH

RED FANG, BISON, DRUNK DAD
(Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell) After you spend Thursday returning the shitty gifts you got on Wednesday, throw that extra scratch down on the bar for an irresponsible number of PBRs at the Wonder Ballroom tonight. You earned it. (Tecate is also acceptable.) And since Red Fang's playing, you'll probably see just as many cans onstage. The hometown sludge-metal heroes recently unveiled their latest music video, featuring Portlandia/Saturday Night Live star Fred Armisen and a city rife with zombies who've forsaken flesh for the sweet taste of PBRs (and Tecate). The video is for the hook-heavy and badass "Blood Like Cream," which isn't even close to being the best song from this year's tremendous-sounding Whales and Leeches. MATTHEW W. SULLIVAN

SATURDAY 12/28

SOUL CLAP AND DANCE OFF: JONATHAN TOUBIN, DJ BEYONDADOUBT
(Dante's, 350 W Burnside) See My, What a Busy Week!

THE GUTTERS, HORNET LEG, ROCKOON
(The Know, 2026 NE Alberta) The auditory maelstrom from PDX duo the Gutters is like taking a time machine to London in the late '70s, where every tinny punk had a band and everything was snarling and snotty. But the Gutters' tongue-in-cheek playfulness cuts those spiky allusions with fun vignettes, as found on their recent release "Should We Make a 7-Inch?" 7-inch. Other hilariously punk entitlements, such as beginning the song "Born in the Gutter" with "one, two, fuck you!" hint more at the duo's willingness to parade their love affair with the old guard than attempt to build upon it. This is all a-okay; the band's sewer serenades are a breath of fresh air, and at bite-sized intervals of roughly one to two minutes apiece, the Gutters are an easily digestible, fist-pumping hoot. RJP

GILBY CLARKE, BITCH SCHOOL, RUFF HAÜSEN
(Tonic Lounge, 3100 NE Sandy) Gilby Clarke was but a blip on the screen in Guns N' Roses, spending three years on the Use Your Illusion tour (and sticking with his boy Slash through the Snakepit years), but the dude's been slinging the axe for the better part of three decades. In addition to playing with Nancy Sinatra (yes, that Nancy Sinatra), and the band Rock Star Supernova, Clarke has released a fair amount of solo material that drips with whiskey-soaked hooks and Final Net. If you wanna escape the cold, gray weather for some sweaty Sunset Strip-inspired rock, then tonight's the night to pretend it's 1988 again. Just remember to wear a raincoat. MARK LORE

SUNDAY 12/29

REIGNWOLF, BATTLEME
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) When Jordan Cook swaggered out of machine-made fog a couple years ago, he was already Reignwolf, a seemingly fully formed blues-rock hero for the 21st century. His look is like if Bob Dylan and the Wolfman had a baby, and that baby joined a biker gang. His sound is classic, thunderous electric blues, all serrated guitar licks and scorched-earth howls. His show started out as a solo spectacle with Cook playing, singing, and stomping on a kick drum at the same time. (He has a band now, though his sets still feature some of the old one-man-band thing.) Also, he calls himself Reignwolf. Reignwolf! Like a wolf that reigns over all of the blues-rock landscape! Cook is the natural heir to the Led Zeppelin/Jack White throne, or maybe more; as a commenter at Rolling Stone's website says: "Jordan Cook is 100 percent this generation's Jimi Hendrix. Only dirtier, filthier, fuzzier, and way more badass." BEN SALMON

BUILT TO SPILL, SLAM DUNK, THE APOSTROPHES
(Mission Theater, 1624 NW Glisan) See My, What a Busy Week!

TxE, NU ERA
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) If Portland were a rap group, it would be TxE. Thoughtful words, sweet, nostalgic samples, and smooth beats define this rainy-day rap group. Tope, Epp, and G_Force create a soulful delivery that can't easily be defined or mirrored; they implement the usual funky beats and rap rhetoric, but have a more accessible sound than many other alternative rap groups of their ilk. They sample and pay homage to classic rap like A Tribe Called Qwest and Biggie, but slow down the beats, reflecting on their relationships with the world, metaphorically as well as geographically. On their new one, TxE vs. Prtland, they turn their gaze homeward, sampling Portland's crop of indie pop in an expression of ardent appreciation for their hometown and what keeps them moving. ROSE FINN Also See My, What a Busy Week!

MONDAY 12/30

BUILT TO SPILL, SLAM DUNK, THE APOSTROPHES
(Mission Theater, 1624 NW Glisan) See My, What a Busy Week!

TUESDAY 12/31

BUILT TO SPILL, SLAM DUNK, THE APOSTROPHES
(Mission Theater, 1624 NW Glisan) See our NYE feature, and My, What a Busy Week!

THE CALEB KLAUDER COUNTRY BAND, COPPER AND COAL
(The Spare Room, 4830 NE 42nd) See our NYE feature, and My, What a Busy Week!

MORE NEW YEAR'S EVE CELEBRATIONS
See our NYE feature.

FLIGHT: GUSTAVO LANZAS, JACK COLEMAN, MODAL-NODES, EASY COMPANY, ANDREW BOIE, SIMON HOWLETT, URKEL
(The Spare Room, 111 SW Ash) Five house and techno duos tag-team on the decks to give you some serious reasons to dance this New Year's Eve. The swinging grooves and deep basslines of Modal-Nodes (Chris Demetras and David Gross) knit together complex soundscapes that twist and turn with a flirtatious kind of funk. No doubt they will be dropping sultry selections from their forthcoming Undercurrent EP. Local techno heroes and label owners Gustavo Lanzas and Jack Coleman will go back to back, showcasing their discriminating musical tastes built up from years of dedication—a testament that's the perfect way to ring in the new year. CB