WEDNESDAY 3/5

ANGEL OLSEN, CIAN NUGENT
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) Read our article on Angel Olsen.

SOLIDS, PUP, PHEASANT
(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) Read our article on Solids.

RUSSIAN CIRCLES, HELMS ALEE, KEN MODE
(Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell) In 2012, the Juno Award's first-ever Heavy Metal/Hard Music Album of the Year went to KEN Mode's Entrench. As something like the Canadian version of the Grammys, the Junos have already flexed infinitely more metal cred than the Academy. The Grammys famously gave Jethro Tull the first Best Metal Award over Metallica, but the last three winners have been Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, and Judas Priest, all great bands whose best work is more than 20 years old. With KEN Mode, we have a very good metallic hardcore band in the AmRep noise-rock mold who happen to be putting out very good albums right now. They're opening a bill for Russian Circles and Helms Alee, bands that likely need little introduction, each with worthwhile new albums—Memorial and Sleepwalking Sailors, respectively. MATTHEW W. SULLIVAN

GREYLAG, YOURS, LUZ ELENA MENDOZA AND NICK DELFFS
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) Portland-based Greylag sounds like the soundtrack to one of those indie film montage scenes where a gaggle of photogenic twentysomethings decide to take a weekend getaway. More specifically, Greylag has that earthy Northwest bluegrass sound that's full of down-homey-ness. It would appear they've only been around a few years, but their orchestration is surprisingly tight and developed. Greylag's vocals sound like a hybrid of many familiar singers, but are undeniably pure and unaffected, and I can understand what the fuck the singer's singing, unlike so many other indie singers that always sound like they're chewing Skoal. Expect very sweet songs that will make you want to head to the coast for the weekend. ROSE FINN

THURSDAY 3/6

LA LUZ, HEATWARMER, LLOYD AND MICHAEL
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) See My, What a Busy Week!

TACOCAT, LONNIE WINN, FINE PETS
(East End, 203 SE Grand) Read our article on Tacocat.

TOOL, YOB
(Moda Center, 1 Center Ct) There aren't many bands that can fill an entire arena even though they haven't released any new music in eight years. Add that the band in question plays prog-leaning art metal, and the odds are even slimmer. Tool engenders a particular kind of worship from its fans, though, thanks to the combined strength of the four albums they've released to date, and a live show that combines devilish showmanship (singer Maynard James Keenan has been known to arrive on stage in any number of costumes) and an arresting visual presence. Local metalheads will be pleased to know that Oregon doom-metal trio Yob were handpicked by Tool to provide support for the first few dates of this tour. ROBERT HAM

MOISTBOYZ, QUI
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) In the down season, Mickey Melchiondo—AKA Dean Ween—waits for migration patterns to return the striped bass to the Delaware River and send his fishing business (Mickey's Guide Service) back into full swing. So he's hitting the road with his rock band Moistboyz in support of their latest album Moistboyz V. Melchiondo moonlights as guitarist Mickey Moist when he joins forces with vocalist Dickey Moist (Guy Heller) in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, band the two formed back in 1992. Rounding out the Moistboyz touring unit is guitarist Stephen Haas and a rhythm section featuring bassist Nick Oliveri and drummer Hoss Wright of Mondo Generator. Moistboyz are known for their furious blend of metal and punk, and there's no shortage of that on the long-awaited new album. The Boyz also sneak a tinge of Southern twang into tracks like "Down on the Farm" and "My Time to Die," which is sure to keep their live show as spirited as ever. CHIPP TERWILLIGER

SCALE THE SUMMIT, THE OCEAN, THE ATLAS MOTH
(Branx, 320 SE 2nd) For a band that doles out crushing, 10-ton riffage, the Atlas Moth are surprisingly nimble when it comes to nuances. This makes the Chicago band a tough one to pigeonhole—which is probably the point. There's a stoner/doom metal base, but there's breathing room that lets plenty of psych-rock, prog, and post-rock influences find their way into the mix. Bits of black metal provide a caustic counterpoint whenever things threaten to get too tranquil. For this tour, the Atlas Moth is joined by Houston-based instrumental prog-metal shredders Scale the Summit and Germany's equally proggy but far more epically inclined metal outfit the Ocean. MWS

FRIDAY 3/7

THE MALT BALL: GENDERS, THANKS, GRANDHORSE, NIGHT MECHANIC
(Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell) Read about the Malt Ball!

SALLIE FORD, LUZ ELENA MENDOZA, REBECCA GATES, SWANSEA
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) Sallie Ford's somewhat abrupt announcement in late 2013 that she was dissolving her band the Sound Outside caught lots of people by surprise. The band's meteoric ascent was catapulted by their feminism-forward sophomore album, Untamed Beast, which ended up on many year-end best-of lists. The blow was quickly smoothed over when Ford formed a new all-girl quartet featuring Cristina Cano (Albatross), Anita Lee Elliott (Viva Voce), and Amanda Spring (Point Juncture, WA). The supergroup of sorts is already in the studio recording with the Decemberists' Chris Funk, and, per Ford, is keeping up the tradition of "all babe rockers: Blondie, Pat Benatar, Joan Jett, Exene Cervenka (of X), PJ Harvey, the Breeders, and Heart." Outside of a Lou Reed tribute night performance, this is the band's live unveiling, and the opening of a new chapter for one of Portland's best and feistiest artists. RYAN J. PRADO

CEREMONY OF SLUDGE: LAMPREY, SERIAL HAWK, TSEPESCH, BEARD OF BEES
(Club 21, 2035 NE Glisan) You know damn well what you're getting when a two-day fest bears a name like Ceremony of Sludge. This year kicks off with a peek at the Pacific Northwest's up-and-coming metallurgists (of which there's no shortage). Locals Lamprey do doom with a blast of '70s Camaro exhaust, and Tsepesch sounds like an awakened mythical beast laying waste to New York. Not much is known about Salem two-piece Beard of Bees—not to be confused with the Illinois band of the same name—but I'm hopeful they'll be sporting beards o' bees. Serial Hawk will make the trip from Seattle. Their stuff is slow and doomy, but also dexterous; at high volumes, they might make you lose control of your bowels. Dress accordingly. MARK LORE

THE MINUS 5, THE MY OH MYS, HOOK AND ANCHOR
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) You'd have thought it'd be easy to write off the Minus 5 as a mere novelty: Sole constant member (and amateur Ian Hunter impersonator) Scott McCaughey's concept for his Young Fresh Fellows follow-up was to enlist a different backing band for every record released by the project—with the exception of a few VIPs, including Peter Buck, and Ken Stringfellow of the Posies, who appear on several Minus 5 records. More than half of the time, though, McCaughey's premise has resulted in brilliant things: Wilco marvelously complement McCaughey's AM-pop predilections on 2003's Down with Wilco. "The Town That Lost Its Groove Supply" is a pitch-perfect Harry Nilsson pastiche, and "Dear Employer" is a beautiful, heartbreaking I-quit anthem for the bookish crowd that toes the line between optimistic and despondent. Even on the Minus 5's iffier releases—such as the Decemberists collaboration Killingsworth, which is a little too narrowly "clap-your-hands-and-stomp-your-feet"—McCaughey's writhing, resplendent melodic sense and impeccable turn of phrase manages to shine through brightly. MORGAN TROPER

SATURDAY 3/8

THE MALT BALL: RED FANG, THE WOOLEN MEN, HOT VICTORY, CAMPFIRES, SUMMER CANNIBALS, YOUR RIVAL, ST. EVEN, MELVILLE
(Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell) Read about the Malt Ball!

LESLIE AND THE LYS, DEANE AND THE DELILAHS, WORKOUT PALACE
(Branx, 320 SE 2nd) See My, What a Busy Week!

JEREMY WILSON, EYELIDS, PETE KREBS AND HIS PORTLAND PLAYBOYS
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) Read our article on Jeremy Wilson.

SUBTERRANEAN HOWL, BILLYGOAT, MUSÉE MÉCANIQUE
(Alberta Rose Theatre, 3000 NE Alberta) In October 2012, Subterranean Howl performed a live soundtrack to the 1928 Tod Browning silent flick West of Zanzibar. I've never seen that movie, but I've seen Browning's Freaks, so I'm sure it's plenty deranged. Subterranean Howl's new album—also titled West of Zanzibar, and based on work that stemmed from that initial live-soundtrack performance—certainly backs up that theory: It's the kind of album that could provide the soundtrack to quickly losing track of your remaining marbles. Eerie instrumental passages, howling graveyard folk, and Busby-Berkeley-does-Dante's-Inferno musical numbers make this a dense, unforgiving, and ultimately fascinating trip. Once you cut your way through the initial terror, what's most impressive is the thoroughly diverse array of musical settings the Portland five-piece is able to conjure, offering something that sounds both perfectly of Browning's time and entirely contemporary. NED LANNAMANN

HILARY HAHN, OREGON SYMPHONY
(Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 SW Broadway) While I'm not advocating the Oregon Symphony jacks up its ticket prices, the first half of tonight's program is worth the goddamned cost of admission all by itself. Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg gets the party going with the Suite No. 1 from Peer Gynt, which contains both of his biggest hits. I'm hoping my impulse control is strong enough to resist bitch-slapping fellow concertgoers who will inevitably hum along with these magnificently infectious tunes. After their visit to the Hall of the Mountain King, those in the supremely lucky Schnitzer crowd shall witness nothing less than the most influential classical violinist currently residing on our planet: Hilary Hahn. She's sitting in for three glorious days with Rip City's biggest unplugged band, to bring another Scandinavian composition to life: a fiddle concerto penned in 1911 by Denmark's favorite musical son, Carl Nielsen. The work's enigmatic emotional flare and sweet-ass solo turns will dazzle with fresh intensity in the hands of this thirtysomething virtuoso. Hahn's appeal is so universal her fucking violin case has amassed 25.4K followers on Twitter, so prepare to have your tiny, weed-encrusted minds blown when you catch the owner of this luggage in the flesh. You'll need an intermission to recover. ANGRY SYMPHONY GUY

CEREMONY OF SLUDGE: HOLY GROVE, SIOUX, BLACKWITCH PUDDING, DISENCHANTER
(Club 21, 2035 NE Glisan) A lot of analogies seem to get thrown at expansive doom bands these days: throbbing oceans, vast deserts, towering monoliths, tipped-over jars of molasses dripping in slow motion over the edges of the countertops of space and time. While some have become clichéd, these obvious comparisons are warranted when a band's music is this incomprehensively huge and thick. Portland's Sioux is most certainly one of these bands, producing music so gargantuan that it offers no easy description. Sioux's forthcoming release The One and the Many contains six tracks of slow and steady doom. All of the tracks clock in under the six-minute mark, so there's no time wasting or pompous atmosphere building—just an abundance of sludgy, two-ton riffs spiced up with some odd, tasty progressions. ARIS WALES

LARRY AND HIS FLASK, SCOTT H. BIRAM, WHISKEY SHIVERS
(Hawthorne Theatre, 1507 SE César E. Chávez) Maybe I've spent too much time watching and re-watching True Detective. Maybe so much time that everything is starting to look like True Detective. Maybe. But then there's the cover of Texan Scott H. Biram's latest, Nothin' But Blood, and it features Biram, up to his waist in a river of blood, shirt open, arms outstretched. The songs are full of sex, energy, booze, and the long shadow of Southern religion. You can almost see the closing credits roll against his cover of "Amazing Grace," as the shot pans out on a body at the edge of a river. Good and evil have rarely seemed more relative. (I've been watching too much True Detective.) Whiskey Shivers, also from Austin, open, and Central Oregon rowdies Larry and His Flask headline. RYAN WHITE

SUNDAY 3/9

EAR CANDY: LIKE A VILLAIN, EDNA VAZQUEZ
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) See My, What a Busy Week!

HILARY HAHN, OREGON SYMPHONY
(Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 SW Broadway) See Saturday's listing.

CHRISTIAN MISTRESS, LORD DYING, SONS OF HUNS, PARALYZER
(Tonic Lounge, 3100 NE Sandy) Olympia's Christian Mistress has been one of the more curious stories in metal in recent years. After their hometown indie label 20 Buck Spin put out their killer debut, the band moved to Relapse Records for 2012 album Possession, which received almost universally glowing reviews. ("Heavy metal in its purest form," gushed Invisible Oranges.) And after that... nothing. Or, at least, not much. Turns out Christian Mistress went on hiatus and worked out some lineup issues. Now they're back, and their first proper North American tour behind Possession stops at Tonic Lounge tonight, where you can expect 'em to pump out pitch-perfect traditional metal and hard rock, with plenty of twin-guitar action, rhythmic swagger, and frontwoman Christine Davis' jaw-dropping vocals, which recall—dare I say it?—Heart's Ann Wilson. If that isn't enough, check the rest of this stacked bill: local sludge-riff-hammers Lord Dying and Sons of Huns, plus Seattle heavies Paralyzer. Yowza! BEN SALMON

G-EAZY, ROCKIE FRESH, KYLE
(Roseland, 8 NW 6th) It's a testament to how much Oakland emcee/producer G-Eazy's star has been on the rise that this show was originally intended for the Wonder Ballroom. Once ticket demand proved too great, the show was moved to the larger Roseland. The slick-haired rapper comes by this success honestly, thanks to his low-down and dirty SoCal approach. His tracks are slow-burning burbles of Dre-style funk, his rhymes slipping and sliding over the top like an oil slick. He's joined on this tour by Chicago-based Rockie Fresh, an equally agile rapper whose 2013 mixtape Electric Highway is a marvel of artful beats and his low-swinging flow. RH

MONDAY 3/10

JD SAMSON AND MEN, LAVENDER MIRROR, GLITTERBANG
(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) See My, What a Busy Week!

HILARY HAHN, OREGON SYMPHONY
(Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 SW Broadway) See Saturday's listing.

CAYUCAS, MINER
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) Is there a wintry equivalent to the dog days of summer? If not, there should be, because it's early March and the gray days, chilly temps, and biting wind have officially worn out their welcome. That said, perhaps there's no better time to duck into a bar and take in the sunny music of Cayucas, a fast-rising LA band fronted by cold-blooded pop savant Zach Yudin. Last year, Cayucas made a splash with its debut album, Bigfoot, a warm, sparkling synthesis of pastel pop-rock, sentimental lyrics, memorable melodies, and nostalgic haze. This is sugary stuff that will fit snugly in between the Shins and Vampire Weekend on your "beach day" playlist. Ultimately, Cayucas' music is not ideal for a night of deep thought or gritty self-reflection, but if it's a temporary escape from seasonal affective disorder you seek, here's your soundtrack. BS

BÉLA BARTÓK'S STRING QUARTET: QUATUOR ÉBÈNE
(PSU Lincoln Performance Hall, 1620 SW Park) Coming on the heels of the PDX Jazz Festival, March Music Moderne provides a wonderful modernist counterpoint to its more august cousin. The schedule for the fourth annual festival, organized by local musician and composer Bob Priest, looks to be a stunning one, including this rare Portland appearance by Quatuor Ébène. The French string quartet will perform a daring and somewhat brooding 1929 work from Bartók that was inspired by the folk music of the composer's native Hungary, and whose punchy stabs of melody influenced Bernard Herrmann's score for Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho. RH

TUESDAY 3/11

BÉLA BARTÓK'S STRING QUARTET: QUATUOR ÉBÈNE
(PSU Lincoln Performance Hall, 1620 SW Park) See Monday's listing.

THE WE SHARED MILK, PHANTOM SHIPS
(Bunk Bar, 1028 SE Water) "Lame Sunset," from Portland noise-pop trio the We Shared Milk's album of the same name, recalls the glory days of '90s alternative, as well as some of the best guitar rock of the past three decades. In other words, this is good stuff. I have to admit their name kept me at a distance for some time, but I was immediately sold after seeing footage of the band's Banana Stand performance. Vocalist/guitarist Boone Howard plays it loosey-goosey, but has an ear for intricate and melodious guitar lines. These guys can do it tight and punchy, or let fly a woozy and noisy space-jam. The We Shared Milk's fuck-all 'tude puts the perfect touch on some damn fine rock tunes. Tonight they celebrate the proper re-release of 2013's Lame Sunset, which initially came out perhaps too quickly on the heels of their ambitious 2012 album History of Voyager and Legend Tripping to earn the attention it deserved. ML

ELECTRIC SIX, YIP DECEIVER
(Dante's, 350 W Burnside) Davey Pierce and Nicolas Dobbratz's neo-soul R&B baby Yip Deceiver has transcended whatever moonlighting status it may have originally bore. Pierce and Dobbratz met as members of the ever-morphing art-house project Of Montreal, and there are elements of Kevin Barnes' more ambitious nouveau-funk underpinnings throughout Yip Deceiver's debut LP, Medallius. The band's contrasts of dark and light are perhaps most immediately prevalent in the video for the single "Lovers," wherein a trio of psychotic doctors conduct a sci-fi rampage, eating human organs while traipsing through a haunted hospital of elderly patients as Pierce groovily laments the shackles of love. Eerily good stuff. RJP

NERVOSAS, DEFECT DEFECT, OLD CITY, RECESSIONS
(The Know, 2026 NE Alberta) The aptly named Columbus, Ohio, punk band Nervosas first emerged from that city's active and diverse DIY scene back in 2011. Over the course of three full-length releases in as many years, the trio established a following by playing the kind of music guaranteed to make the ears of any Wipers fan perk up instantly. The anxious vocal delivery and frantic intensity in a song like "Uncanny," off of the band's fantastic second album, Descension, feels more like a legitimately forgotten relic from the late-'70s post-punk era than a simple homage or rehash of the sound they're channeling. Both Descension and the band's recently released self-titled album are the work of a group whose members are just as in tune with each other as they are with their influences—a characteristic that should make the chemistry of their live performance well worth witnessing. CT