WEDNESDAY 6/11

THE MOUNTAIN GOATS, LOAMLANDS
(Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell) See My, What a Busy Week!, and All-Ages Action!

DOUG GILLARD, CHARTS, MIRACLE FALLS
(Bunk Bar, 1028 SE Water) If you care about Ohio rock and pop music, you likely have records with Doug Gillard's fingerprints all over 'em. The guitarist/vocalist's lent his keen melodic sensibilities to many important combos from the Cleveland and Dayton areas, including Death of Samantha, Guided by Voices, Cobra Verde, and Gem. As his pedigree indicates, Gillard is a rock traditionalist whose power-pop-leaning songcraft's embellished by flashy glam and rueful punk gestures. His new album, Parade On, exudes Gillard's road-tested rock dynamics and nonchalant brilliance with a hook. Singing with a pleasant Midwestern flatness, he spins countless variations on familiar chord sequences and, against great odds, creates a fresh-sounding record on which every song's a potential single. DAVE SEGAL

NASHVILLE PUSSY, CATL, THE YAWPERS
(Dante's, 350 W Burnside) Sometimes, the name of a band can tell you everything you need to know about what they sound like. Atlanta's Nashville Pussy, a name taken from Ted Nugent's stage banter on Double Live Gonzo!, couldn't make it any clearer if they drew you a map and gave you a ride. The "Nashville" portion of their moniker sums up their straightforward, country-fried rock 'n' roll perfectly. Lead guitarist Ruyter Suys' simple, sneering licks and leads basically make her the Angus Young of Hot'lanta, and Blaine Cartwright's grumbling, drawling, filthy vocals couldn't be a better vehicle for the nasty things he sings. Which brings us to "Pussy," the eyebrow-raisingly blunt word tipping the listener off that themes like drugs, alcohol, sacrilege, trashy sex, and serious depravity are in store. Nashville Pussy's recent album Up the Dosage follows suit with a formula that hasn't failed them since 1996. ARIS WALES

TOMORROW'S TULIPS, GUANTANAMO BAYWATCH
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) Tomorrow's Tulips' junkie jams are max chillers. Cave rock kickers, major chord trundlers. I showed one of their videos to a stoner dude from the '70s and he was like, "They dig Iggy, huh?" "And Lou Reed," I said. They're a few fancy blond dandy fops from Costa Mesa, California, and are in every way a band of Burger Record's global teenage wave. The Tulips, like Burger, are planted in wistful garage rock, stoned to the bone. But their videos really shine, telling you everything you need to know, and "Flowers on the Wall" and "Mr. Sun" are marvelous, low-key romps, full of bright colors and sweet, smirking lackadaisicalia. ANDREW R TONRY

THURSDAY 6/12

JOSH ROUSE, DOUG PAISLEY
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) Read our article on Doug Paisley.

THE ROTTIES, POP CRIMES, SMOKE RINGS
(Kenton Club, 2025 N Kilpatrick) Portland rock quartet the Rotties have been tearing up the Northwest for just over two years. In that time, they've developed a fierce sound that's landed them spots on plenty of hardcore-punk-leaning bills. It's a good fit—the band's in-your-face intensity, driven by dueling vocals and headbang-inducing metal riffs, has the ability to topple just about any audience. What makes them stand out in this aggressive arena is the attitude with which they unleash all this energy. At the end of the day, the Rotties want to party with you, and they're willing to use every tool in the punk-rock playbook to get the job done. Tonight they're joined by Winnipeg-based four-piece Pop Crimes. The band's "Digital Dream"/"Radio Eye" single is a noisy, polished offering of Sonic Youth-influenced experimental post-punk that's well worth checking out. CHIPP TERWILLIGER

RAPHI GOTTESMAN, INEBRIATI, AWKWARD ENERGY
(Turn! Turn! Turn!, 8 NE Killingsworth) Another fascinating show arrives at the cozy confines of Turn! Turn! Turn! this week, headlined by a set from Raphi Gottesman. The Oaklander has already established himself as a fine support musician, backing up the Fresh and Onlys and Sonny and the Sunsets on drums, but on his own, his lovely guitar playing emphasizes dissolving chords and melodic drones. Sharing the bill is Awkward Energy, the understated and completely charming project of Jack Lewis that nods to fellow gawky pop should-be-stars like Jad Fair and Lewis' own brother Jeffrey, and Inebriati, a new venture from former Evolutionary Jass Band member Michael Henrickson. ROBERT HAM

SHAD, TOPE
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) TSOL, the third album from London, Ontario rapper Shad, famously beat Drake's Thank Me Later for the 2011 Rap Recording of the Year Juno Award—AKA the Canadian Grammy—which made me wonder if Drake attended the 2011 Junos. Turns out he not only attended, he hosted the show! Can you imagine the epic pouty face he made as Shad made his way to the stage? Or maybe he just nodded knowingly, because he knew TSOL efficiently embodies all that Shad does well: progressive beats with an old soul, sharp and socially conscious rhymes, and a sturdy flow. On his most recent album, last year's Flying Colours, Shad is more exploratory and extroverted, further expanding his beat aesthetic into global and pop realms and letting the boasts fly more than ever before. It's a solid album, but it lost to Drake's Nothing Was the Same at the 2014 Junos. It's the circle of life! (Or something like that.) BEN SALMON

FLIGHT: COAST2C, JOSE SOSA, MARIO MAROTO, DEMETRE BACA
(The Rose, 111 SW Ash) In the ever-expanding genre of house music, there are countless subgenres, each with its own flavor and focus (including Italo house, vocal and tribal house, and Balearic beat, to name a few). Latin house, a style that's been around for quite a while and has been highly influential on modern-day pop music, blends house and Latin American sounds from places like Mexico, Brazil, Cuba, Colombia, and Puerto Rico. The infusion of Latin American rhythms and instrumentation presents a real taste of those cultures' heart and soul, and this month, the Flight dance night takes us on a journey with knowledgeable selectors who are intimately familiar with the style's hidden gems. CHRISTINA BROUSSARD

METRONOMY, CLOUD CONTROL
(Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell) UK electro-pop act Metronomy craft satin-smooth, urbane little tunes whose stylistic polyamory finds them flirting with everything from vintage go-go to lite-kraut pulses. The production's squeaky-clean, to the point where it almost feels as if principal songwriter Joseph Mount's taken sandpaper to anything that could be considered a rough edge. And while normally that'd make for rather bland music, Metronomy are going for a very specific, cosmopolitan sheen, not down-and-dirty dance music. Think a slightly more rocking Hot Chip, or maybe a less cheeky Chromeo. Metronomy is music for deleting emails to, while sipping an Americano. KYLE FLECK

FRIDAY 6/13

THE BUILDERS AND THE BUTCHERS, BASH FACE, TURBO PERFECTO
(Bunk Bar, 1028 SE Water) Having just wrapped up a lengthy German tour, hometown buskers-turned-demonfolk-blitzers the Builders and the Butchers take over the intimate space at Bunk Bar. The real question is whether they'll be playing with amplification or without. The band initially began without anything plugged in during their performances, but as their audiences grew (and grew), mic'ing up lead singer Ryan Sollee and the band's acoustic instrumentation became a necessity. Tonight, however, is a chance to turn back the clock to a time when the band performed on street corners and outside venues, when their shows would habitually conclude with members of the audience grabbing various pieces of percussion and bashing along. NED LANNAMANN

MURS, ¡MAYDAY!, MYKE BOGAN
(Hawthorne Theatre, 1507 SE César E. Chávez) California emcee Murs has worked with a dope cast of hiphop artists throughout his career. A founding member of the Living Legends crew, Murs' 2003 album The End of the Beginning was released on revered indie label Definitive Jux, followed by collaborations with Rhymesayers head honcho Slug and a solo project with super producer 9th Wonder. In 2008, Murs entered the major label world with Murs For President. His most recent project finds him returning to his independent roots for a collaboration with Miami hiphop group ¡Mayday! that was sparked by their mutual love of classic acts such as Onyx and the Beastie Boys. Portland's own Myke Bogan, of the Soar Losers crew, is one of the rare local rappers whose national press outweighs his local mentions. Arrive early to see why he's being touted by some as most likely to blow up. RYAN FEIGH

SATURDAY 6/14

DOLLY PARTON HOOT NIGHT
(Alberta Rose Theatre, 3000 NE Alberta) See My, What a Busy Week!

CONTROL TOP: RYE RYE, BOMB ASS PUSSY, ROY G BIV, NARK, MR. SISTER, GOSSIP CAT, CHANTICLEER TRU
(White Owl Social Club, 1305 SE 8th) See My, What a Busy Week!

SHE SHREDS PRESENTS: PRIESTS, SPIDER AND THE WEBS, LOVE AND CARING
(Laughing Horse Books, 12 NE 10th) See All-Ages Action!

THE MILK CARTON KIDS, TOM BROSSEAU
(Aladdin Theater, 3017 SE Milwaukie) A theme as old as lovers forms the crux of Tom Brosseau's "Cradle Your Device": "You don't pay attention to me the way you used to, and damn the one that's caught your wandering eye." But it's not a romantic rival that has his partner's gaze; it's the glow of a smartphone, throwing a distinctly 21st-century wrench into the familiar formula—it would be funny if so many didn't recognize it as true (okay, it's still pretty funny). The song appears on Grass Punks, the excellent new album from the South Dakota-born, LA-based Brosseau, who's put together an uncommonly good and unabashedly earnest body of work over the past decade. Specializing in simple, unadorned arrangements, Brosseau's music places his unorthodox voice front and center. It's a nasally delivered throwback and an acquired taste for some, but ultimately helps set him apart from the hordes of guitar-playing singer/songwriters. JEREMY PETERSEN

CITY GIRL, BLOWOUT
(Red & Black Café, 400 SE 12th) Portland band Blowout could only come from the Northwest. Following a long tradition of bands whose take on punk comes with a weighted brooding that's particular to this part of the country, Blowout's music is celebratory and heartbreaking in equal measure. Channeling long-forgotten '90s greats like Seattle's Kill Sybil and Portland's Hazel, the group has an almost ethereal dreaminess lingering beneath its straightforward surface. The five songs on their debut EP, We All Float Down Here, are carried by the perfectly understated vocals of Laken Wright, and insist to be played on repeat. JOSHUA JAMES AMBERSON

JOLIE HOLLAND, JESS WILLIAMSON
(Star Theater, 13 NW 6th) Jolie Holland has been known to kick up her heels in Portland from time to time, but her new album, Wine Dark Sea, makes full use of New York's downtown experimental scene. Guitars drunkenly hum and squeal as drums either buzz subliminally or thump like a loud neighbor. It's a more direct, more dynamic sound for Holland, and it anchors her weightlessly jazzy vocal tendencies, which would sometimes threaten the calico backdrop of her previous, more folk-oriented work. If weirdo blues stomps like "Dark Days" scare off the gentler constituency of her fanbase, ripe country plums like "Route 30" and the shivering R&B in Holland's cover of Joe Tex's classic "The Love You Save"—one of the greatest songs of all time—will surely win them back. NL

SAGE FRANCIS, B. DOLAN, SLEEP
(Alhambra Theatre, 4811 SE Hawthorne) You might find the music of Paul "Sage" Francis at the intersection of a poetry slam and a hiphop show. Though his sound is sometimes frenzied and his beats aren't the most resonant, his words are poetry, creating rich visuals and evocative messages. His verses veer between intensely personal and political, wrapped in a dramatic delivery, transforming hiphop into his own personal genre. Much like his earlier work, Sage's new album Copper Gone is filled with songs that aren't always immediately accessible, with no obvious melody or hook, but his lyrics are so intelligent and complicated that you're compelled to keep listening. ROSE FINN

ARCTIC FLOWERS, CRIMINAL CODE, BELLICOSE MINDS
(The Know, 2026 NE Alberta) Tonight's show marks the vinyl release of local punk-rock four-piece Arctic Flower's excellent full-length, Weaver. While the album has been on the group's Bandcamp for a few months, tonight's the first chance to get a hold of a physical copy. Released by Canadian label Deranged Records, the music takes on a gothic post-punk sound, but refuses to get dragged down by any brooding as it keeps an up-tempo pace for much of the album. Stan Wright's guitar work and singer Alex Carroccio's vocals pull the space between your ears from one extreme to another while battling for supremacy at the forefront of the mix. Along with plenty of melody, the album also includes Carroccio's cutthroat delivery on "Anamnesis," bringing forth the band's aggressive side and serving notice that Arctic Flowers are unwilling to be cornered by any influence or style for long. CT

PORCH MUSIC: THIRD ANGLE
(Irvington neighborhood, starting at 3215 NE 16th) This curious but pleasant little venture serves a dual purpose: offering up a preview of the works that modern classical ensemble Third Angle will feature in their 2014-15 season and raising needed funds for the group. The troupe of players will visit various houses in the Irvington neighborhood, taking over gardens and porches, and performing small portions of each work—including a horn trio commissioned from Thai composer Narong Prangcharoen, Philip Glass' stirring String Quartet No. 3, and a selection of pieces by famed West Coast composers like Henry Cowell and John Luther Adams. RH

NUGGETS NIGHT
(Slabtown, 1033 NW 16th) Originally scheduled for February but postponed due to snow, the now-annual tradition of Nuggets Night brings together Portland bands to cover the trash rock, proto punk, grungy garage, and psychedelic psychosis of the influential Nuggets compilation albums, which captured the seamier side of '60s rock 'n' roll. The shadow of those indelible tunes grows larger year by year, and tonight, 14 local faves like Blue Skies for Black Hearts, the Zags, the Pynnacles, and many more will rev up the way-back machine. Expect to hear classics by the Chocolate Watchband, the 13th Floor Elevators, the Kingsmen, and loads of others. NL

SUNDAY 6/15

CHAD VANGAALEN, COUSINS, BIG HAUNT
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) Read our article on Chad VanGaalen.

USNEA, AUGURS, PLEASURE CROSS, TOM HANX
(Tonic Lounge, 3100 NE Sandy) Augurs play a relentless mix of black metal and crust punk, and they do it slow and sludgy, then fast and shredding. The East Bay four-piece's debut EP—the less-than-heavily titled 2012 Demo—steamrolled its way into being out of print. But they recently followed up with the Old Ways EP, and will crank out a split later this year. No one is safe. Also playing is Portland four-piece Usnea, one of the finest bands to doom this side of the country—it's no wonder Relapse recently snatched them up. Expect a new record later this year. And expect the sound of the world ending tonight. MARK LORE

YANN TIERSEN, NO
(Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell) Were you one of the millions whose trousers were charmed off while watching the 2001 film Amélie? Then you likely recall the score by one Yann Tiersen, the French composer whose festive, lilting themes on accordion, harpsichord, toy piano, and other non-rock instruments soundtracked the title character's whimsical adventures (most of the pieces were collated from earlier Tiersen recordings). That huge exposure made Tiersen a global star, and he's gone on to cut four more albums, including this year's ∞ (Infinity, if you're nasty). It's a rich, orchestral collection that has a patina of high European culture spread lightly over everything. ∞ is a bit more elevated, delicate, and precious than 2011's Skyline, which soared in the same slate-gray skies as Coldplay and lesser, later Sigur Rós works. Whatever the case, the Wonder should sell some damn croissants at this show. DS

MONDAY 6/16

LAURA GIBSON
(Radar Restaurant, 3951 N Mississippi) See My, What a Busy Week!

HANG THE OLD YEAR, BARROWS, THE SKY ABOVE AND EARTH BELOW
(The Know, 2026 NE Alberta) Screamo project the Sky Above and Earth Below was formed in late 2009 by Miller Reda, formerly of a great, local ramshackle post-hardcore band with an even more ostentatious name: A Ghost's Face Two Inches from Your Own Face. That was a band worth checking out in its own right: AGFTIFYOF somehow played PDX Pop Now! in 2008 and made a lot of Blind Pilot fans very uncomfortable (their lead vocalist Nick Vicario is also the current guitarist in Wild Ones). In 2010, Sky Above released its Zelda-inspired debut EP, Quest's Timescape, which featured Reda on every instrument. It wasn't until 2012 that the project expanded into a full band and started performing live. The group's 2013 LP Parting Ways swaps the homespun charm and profoundly nerdy subject matter of its predecessor for a blistering musicality (the drums!) and genuinely affecting narrative, and establishes Sky Above as one of Portland's best and most theatrical punk bands. MORGAN TROPER

TUESDAY 6/17

JESSICA LEA MAYFIELD, ISRAEL NASH
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) See My, What a Busy Week!

PELICAN, TOMBS, MOTH DUST
(Branx, 320 SE 2nd) Read our article on Tombs.

MEWITHOUTYOU, THE WORLD IS A BEAUTIFUL PLACE AND I AM NO LONGER AFRAID TO DIE, DARK ROOMS
(Hawthorne Theatre, 1507 SE César E. Chávez) Of all the bands swept up in the Great Emo Revival of 2013 (don't snicker, that was a real thing), the World Is a Beautiful Place and I Am No Longer Afraid To Die is, without question, the one with the most ridiculous name. They're also one of the best. Sprung from the Northeast, 10-member-strong TWIABP employs many of emo's hallmarks on its 2013 album Whenever, If Ever—strained vocals, ultra-inclusive ethos, guitars for days—but does it with a sense of adventure: in sudden dynamic shifts, in synth and string sections, in arpeggiated chords that recall a dynamic post-rock band. They'll make a fine opener for MewithoutYou, the Philly group that will play its fan-fave 2004 album Catch for Us the Foxes in its entirety. BS