WEDNESDAY 7/1

RABBITS, GONE TO CROATOAN, DJ WROID WRAGE
(The Know, 2026 NE Alberta) See My, What a Busy Week!

BARNA HOWARD, DENVER, KELE GOODWIN
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) Read our article on Barna Howard.

ROBIN TROWER, AYRON JONES AND THE WAY
(Aladdin Theater, 3017 SE Milwaukie) One of the great British blues-rock guitarists, Robin Trower filigreed into international consciousness with Procol Harum, playing on that proto-prog group’s first five critically lauded albums. In 1973, he started putting out records under his own name, hitting big with 1974’s Bridge of Sighs. The title track is one of those ponderous, ominous songs that blot out the sun with a righteous despondency—a paragon of blues rock that’s far beyond the reach of the Black Keys and their ilk. (See also “It’s Only Money” from For Earth Below.) Trower’s snarling yet aerated tone and laid-back fluidity lend his tunes an expansiveness that elevates them above most in this genre. No less a legend than Robert Fripp counts Trower (now 70) as an inspiration and mentor. Don’t be surprised if Trower honors his own hero—Jimi Hendrix—tonight. DAVE SEGAL

TUXEDO, SUTRO
(Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell) Those who make love to Prince and dinner-party to Chromeo will cream their funky panties over Tuxedo. Comprised of neo-soul frontman Mayer Hawthorne and seasoned hip-hop producer Jake One, Tuxedo released its self-titled debut album in March. Both Grammy-nominated artists come from respective points of success: Hawthorne has enjoyed serious album sales with high praise from music pundits, and Jake One has produced heavyweights like Drake, Kendrick Lamar, and Rick Ross. Tuxedo has the great production you'd expect from established LA musicians, touched with '70s funk licks, '80s electro-pop beats, and a disco demi-glace that will keep you coming back for seconds and thirds. ROSE FINN

THURSDAY 7/2

SUNDOWN AT ECOTRUST: PORTLAND CELLO PROJECT
(Jean Vollum Natural Capital Center, 721 NW 9th) See My, What a Busy Week!

WATERFRONT BLUES FESTIVAL: GREGG ALLMAN BAND, JAIMOE’S JASSZ BAND, DEVON ALLMAN’S HONEY TRIBE & MORE
(Waterfront Park, 1020 SW Naito) See My, What a Busy Week!

CHRISTOPHER OWENS, OZARKS
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) There's no doubt that Christopher Owens is prolific. Since releasing the first Girls album in 2009, Owens has put out a full-length album every year, with only a one-year gap between disbanding Girls and recording under his own name. After the critical and financial disappointment of his last two solo albums, Owens decided to return to the stripped-down, catchy pop songs that made Girls so great. Chrissybaby Forever is touted as a return to form for Owens, but after so much shape-shifting and reinventing, it's difficult to know exactly what his true form is. As you would expect of an album jam-packed with 16 songs, some are excellent and contain moments of "Lust for Life" brilliance, while others sound like unfinished, throwaway demos. Owens clearly still has great music in him, but perhaps he would benefit from taking some real time off and regrouping. SANTI ELIJAH HOLLEY

TYLER THE CREATOR, TACO
(Roseland, 8 NW 6th) Maybe you remember Tyler, the Creator rapping about ultra-violence with his droogs in Odd Future as his character "Wolf Haley"—essentially the Alex DeLarge of hip-hop. Or maybe you remember Tyler's heavy bass vocals over simple distorted beats, rapping to a fictional therapist about his struggles with depression. Or perhaps you remember Tyler eating a cockroach in a music video, or his hatred of lettuce... Now that Odd Future has gone in separate directions with solo projects, Tyler's drastically deviated from his past with his latest release, Cherry Bomb. Instead of coming from a darkly surreal place, it puts positive lyrics with classic R&B and jazz influences, and collabs with Kanye and Lil Wayne. For those still hoping for the thrashy horrorcore jams, though, "Deathcamp" is some mosh-worthy material. CAMERON CROWELL

MELT-BANANA, TORCHE, HOUSE OF LIGHTNING, NASALROD
(Dante's, 350 W Burnside) The world needs more bills like this, where you're treated to different sides of the many-sided musical die that is modern heavy rock. Headlining the show tonight is the deliriously unrelenting assault of Melt-Banana, the Japanese duo that massages some pop elements into otherwise spiky, high-energy blasts of hardcore punk, grindcore, and prog rock. Joining them on the bill is Torche, a Florida-based foursome that churn out equally weighty riffs, but with slower tempos and even more melodic tendencies that owe as much to British post-punk (there's a touch of Killing Joke in front man Steve Brooks' vocals) as heavy metal. ROBERT HAM

LUBEC, HAVANIA WHAAL, ALIEN BOY, SLEEVELESS
(The Know, 2026 NE Alberta) At the release show for their new concept album 13 A.D., Havania Whaal pulled out all the stops and enlisted a handful of friends to act the parts in a play they adapted from the record. It was a strange and unique display, and I can't think of a more fitting goodbye to the recently shuttered Habesha. Even without the elaborate stage show, Havania Whaal's live act is not to be missed. Paul Billy Sobiech's vocals have an alluring, off-beat twee-ness to them, although he and his bandmates have left their woolly sweaters at home in favor of fuzzed-out distortion and warped textures. Tonight the band pair up with fellow experimental noise-pop outfit Lubec before they kick off a joint East Coast tour. CHIPP TERWILLIGER

JUAN WAUTERS, ST. EVEN
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) I don't say this lightly: Juan Wauters is the heir apparent to Jonathan Richman. Like Richman, Wauters appears charmed from on high, able to make the best from the worst and the best even better. Wauters carries a similar message, too—of being present, inclusive and loving amid life's struggles. And he shares it in a similar way: on nylon-stringed guitar, in minimal arrangements reminiscent of '60s Greenwich Village folk, with language so deceptively simple it turns cliché to profundity. A one-time member of the Beets, Wauters has released two records on Captured Tracks in the last two years, and they're equally marvelous. Touring with a bongo player, another guitarist, and a homemade light show featuring pulsing bulbs housed in cardboard boxes, Wauters' performances are direct, joyous, and affirming. Originally from Uruguay and singing some of his songs in Spanish (again, like Richman), Wauters' profound, edifying philosophies will buoy the likes of anyone struggling to live a life in the arts. Now residing in New York, Wauters is the rare flower that somehow sprouts from a crack in the city sidewalk. ANDREW R TONRY

FRIDAY 7/3

SABONIS, SKINWALKER, PUPPPY, O-FACE, ROD
(Anarres Infoshop, 7101 N Lombard) See All-Ages Action!

WATERFRONT BLUES FESTIVAL: GALACTIC, MACY GRAY, ALLEN TOUSSAINT, CHARMAINE NEVILLE, CHUBBY CARRIER AND THE BAYOU SWAMP BAND, & MORE
(Waterfront Park, 1020 SW Naito) See My, What a Busy Week!

SONS OF BILL, FRONTIER RUCKUS, SARAH VITORT
(Doug Fir 830 E Burnside) The American South continues to reexamine its identity, legacy, values and history, but its homespun artistic culture has always been at risk, too, as Big Country homogenizes America's musical roots. Virginia trio Sons of Bill are perhaps an indirect reaction to the South's widely broadcast image, but they're proving to be an important cog in the reinvention of the Dixie wheel. The brothers are literary, poetic, accomplished musicians in the vein of Wilco and Whiskeytown, and their debut LP, Love and Logic, is full of pedal steel, dobro, crescendoing arrangements, and honest, lyrical songwriting. Plus, they have a song written for Big Star's Chris Bell called "Lost in the Cosmos." RYAN J. PRADO

LEATHER TOM AND THE DIRTY DUDES
(The Know, 2026 NE Alberta) If I were to recommend one type of show above any other, it would be the reunion show of a relatively unknown near-novelty local band with an over-the-top name. I think back on past reunions from the Dirty Robots, Super Excitable Baby Squirrels, Oogaboogaband, and Gumar and his Magical Midi Band, and recall how much more entertaining these were than the vast majority of other shows. Without the tiresome fanboy reverence of your run-of-the-mill reunion, the crowd can more easily reach an ecstatic fervor and express a level of enthusiasm that would be embarrassing in another setting. While a crowd largely made up of friends and glory-days house-show revelers might sound like the set-up for feeling like an outsider, these types of shows almost invariably welcome with open arms. And if you love off-kilter no-wave avant-glam, Leather Tom and the Dirty Dudes is just the reunion show for you. JOSHUA JAMES AMBERSON

SHE SHREDS RELEASE: HOUNDSTOOTH, BED, SAVILA
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) If you're not familiar with She Shreds, stop what you're doing and acquaint yourself, pronto. Founded by Fabi Reyna (former member of the Ghost Ease... no? Again, stop), She Shreds is a beautifully laid out magazine devoted to championing influential women who know their way around a fretboard. Not just some "chicks with licks" fluff, it contains thought-out interviews that give a look into the world of extraordinary women like Kim Gordon and Bibi McGill. There's insight about their gear of choice, their general disposition on feminism within the current industry, and sometimes simply how the hell they got from here to there. For their new issue, the magazine's putting together a She Shreds pre-Fourth of July bash, a variety show with country-influenced grit from Houndstooth, that '90s Breeders punchy feel from Bed, and Savila, a new group made up of La Luz members and Reyna. The uniting thread? Women acquainting themselves with you. ROBIN BACIOR

KING LIL G
(Analog Café, 720 SE Hawthorne) King Lil G has a story that mimics so many rappers before him: gang involvement, selling drugs, prison time, and struggling not to fall through the cracks. Unlike his peers who became victims of the system, or his hip-hop predecessors who'd rather collect checks to rap about big booties or star in Are We There Yet?, King Lil G has a purpose—to provide a voice and hope to those who have none. 90s Kid speaks of his troubled past with stories from the rough LA streets, but also quietly contemplates the meaning behind the chaos to which he became so accustomed. Lil G has a smooth, spotless flow, and his music and beats are more sophisticated than those of your average up-and-coming emcee. King Lil G falls under the category of underrated rappers, but with his new tasty album, not for long. RF

DON'T SHRED ON ME: THANKS, MÁSCARAS, DJ MAXX BASS
(Dig a Pony, 736 SE Grand) However shameful or embarrassing America can be—and it can be shameful and embarrassing quite often—there are still a few reasons you can be proud to be an American. Marriage equality! Health care! Magic Mike XXL! In celebration of our not-so-embarrassing qualities, Dig a Pony is throwing a two-night party, with a lineup as diverse as America itself (not including Portland). Gothic-soul band Thanks and instrumental psych-out trio Máscaras kick off the first night, with a DJ set by Maxx Bass. The second night pairs psychedelic surf rockers Wooden Indian Burial Ground with the classic country sounds of Jenny Don't and the Spurs, and the dark, brooding Roselit Bone, with a DJ set by DJ Maxamillion. Oh, and there will be Jell-O shots and boozy slushies. Because America. SEH

HORSE CULT, DIE GEISTER BESCHWOREN, ERIN JANE LOROUE
(Mothership Music, 3611 NE MLK) Led by Oryan Peterson-Jones, the musical collective known as Die Geister Beschwören (translated as: Call Up the Ghosts) has been exploring facets of world folk music while keeping true to the calling of psychedelia. Recent recordings like Music Feeds Stars and The Great Defenestration—both available on the group's Bandcamp page—are bewitching affairs that fold in elements of droning Indian ragas, thudding gothic pop, and shimmering pop songs that evoke the spirits of Syd Barrett and the Bevis Frond. Tonight's performance, which also features the enchanting vocal harmonies of dark folk group Horse Cult, is also a chance to say "bon voyage" to Die Geister Beschwören as they embark on a European tour. RH

SATURDAY 7/4

BUNK BEACH FOURTH OF JULY STREET FESTIVAL: WALTER TV, PSYCHOMAGIC, CAT HOCH, CAMBRIAN EXPLOSION, TALKATIVE, CHARTS
(Bunk Bar, 1028 SE Water) See My, What a Busy Week!

WATERFRONT BLUES FESTIVAL: PHIL AND DAVE ALVIN, THE PALADINS, CON BRIO, JESSICA HERNANDEZ AND THE DELTAS, & MORE
(Waterfront Park, 1020 SW Naito) See My, What a Busy Week!

NERVOSAS, THE STOPS
(Green Noise Records, 5857 SE Foster) See All-Ages Action!

DON'T SHRED ON ME: WOODEN INDIAN BURIAL GROUND, JENNY DON'T AND THE SPURS, ROSELIT BONE, DJ MAXAMILLION
(Dig a Pony, 736 SE Grand) See Friday's preview.

JOEL MAGID, MINDEN, THE DOMESTICS
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) It's only been a little over a year since Joel Magid released his fine album Hyenas, but the Portland-based basement wizard is already back with a follow-up. It's called Pyramids, and it continues Magid's recent exploration of out-there sounds from the mid-20th century: shadowy psych, drowsy garage-rock, oddball blues, and beyond. Magid's strength is his ability to craft melodies that are sneakily sticky—they hang around longer than you expect 'em to. But not far behind is his sense for pacing. Too many bands that play psychedelic garage-pop push the pedal to the metal and end up with what sounds like sloppy punk rock. Pyramids, on the other hand, finds Magid hanging back, playing it cool and letting his songs' little charms unfold languorously. That's harder than it sounds, and Magid gets it. BEN SALMON

SUNDAY 7/5

TOE, STARRO
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) See My, What a Busy Week!

WATERFRONT BLUES FESTIVAL: BUDDY GUY, QUINN SULLIVAN, TURKUAZ, STONE FOXES, & MORE
(Waterfront Park, 1020 SW Naito) See My, What a Busy Week!

GOOD CHEER RECORDS COMP RELEASE: OUR FIRST BRAINS, LITTLE STAR, MR. BONES, ROD
(Velo Cult, 1969 NE 42nd) Read our article on Good Cheer Records.

KAYO DOT, MOTH DUST, HANG THE OLD YEAR, U SCO
(Panic Room, 3100 NE Sandy) Kayo Dot may wear the aesthetic tapestries of doom and black metal, but the heart of their work resembles the avant-pop forays of Chicago post-rock groups like Tortoise and Gastr del Sol. Coffins on Io, the latest by Toby Driver's long-running project, injects a love of Berlin-era Bowie and Eno, both sonically and melodically, into the fold, resulting in bizarro longform pop. Kayo Dot are joined by U Sco, an experimental trio whose math- and noise-informed rock sounds like a composer reassembling sheet music after it's gone through the paper shredder, then handing it to the orchestra to fill in the gaps. MAC POGUE

TRANS AM, HOT VICTORY, SPECTRUM CONTROL
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) It's been nearly two decades since post-rock chameleons Trans Am released their self-titled debut (the trio has been around even longer), and they continue to make noise of all stripes, flipping the middle finger to trends and making a racket as they see fit. Trans Am still adheres to their strong krautrock influences (there's plenty of Kraftwerk and Neu! to be heard on their latest LP, Volume X), but they also continue to dip into metal, punk, and other forms of electronic music. It's been a blessing and a curse. Trans Am should be applauded for their adventurous spirits, but that daring (or maniacal) attitude has also left them with something of an uneven catalog. It's best to follow the band's attitude and just dive in. MARK LORE

AYE NAKO, FLEABITE, LABRYSE
(Foggy Notion, 3416 N Lombard) Sonically, Brooklyn-hailing punk outfit Aye Nako align themselves with the catchy, fuzzed-out stylings of fellow Northeast pop-punk acts like Swearin' and Potty Mouth. Just one listen to their incredibly heartfelt and underrated debut, Unleash Yourself, should be more than enough for the album's sharp hooks to dig in. Aye Nako have claimed the self-described genres "homo-pop" and "queercore" to describe their sound, and Unleash Yourself expertly utilizes the familiar pop-punk genre to provide a lifeline to young listeners who might be struggling with issues of gender identity. On "White Noise," the new single off the band's upcoming EP, The Blackest Eye, Aye Nako have turned their attention to the pressing issue of race and its skewed depiction in the media. It's easy to draw surface-level comparisons to '90s guitar-rock acts, but Aye Nako's ability to tackle crucial subject matters head-on makes them a vital and relevant force in contemporary underground music. CT

BIG BUSINESS, NORSKA
(Dante's, 350 W Burnside) It's probably beyond debate now that Big Business is one of underground metal's most respected acts. Following an amicable split from the titanic (now-defunct) metal label Hydra Head after 2009's Mind the Drift, Coady Willis and Jared Warren started their own label (Gold Metal Records), began doing their own public relations (press inquiries are handled by guitarist Scott Martin), and took responsibility for booking their own tours. Battlefields Forever, their third release on Gold Metal, is an absolutely seismic collection, charging from the get-go with driving, battle-ready drumbeats and the symbiosis of Warren's ferociously crunchy low-end rounded out by Martin's sludgy accompaniment. That the band isn't one of the more recognized in the world is understandable, even after they were brought on by the Melvins to round out that band some years ago. They're no strangers to Portland, though; the band was just here on the hugely received Mastadon/Clutch tour in April at Roseland. Big Business is better than both of those bands. RJP

MONDAY 7/6

PORCELAIN RAFT, GRAND LAKE ISLANDS
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) See My, What a Busy Week!

NAP EYES, MONOMYTH
(Bunk Bar, 1028 SE Water) Modern Lovers. The Verlaines. Early Pavement. Parquet Courts. If you know these bands, you know the vibe. If you don't, think jangling guitars, sub-punk pace, and just enough vocal melody to make a sneer seem sweet. Nap Eyes has this vibe. On its 2014 album Whine of the Mystic, the quartet sets singer/songwriter Nigel Chapman's overcast warble and brainy lyrics (he's a biochemist by day) against a jumble of rumbling drums and guitars that chug and chime. But where the aforementioned bands were always ready with some standoffish snarl, Nap Eyes tend to follow a path that's more pastoral, perhaps reflective of their roots in the relatively isolated music scene of Halifax, Nova Scotia. Whine was originally released in a very limited run that barely made it outside Eastern Canada. Now, the wonderful Paradise of Bachelors record label is re-releasing it across America. That's good. It deserves to be heard. BS

SCALPED, APOCALYPSE NOW, MPK
(The Know, 2026 NE Alberta) The debate over East Coast vs. West Coast punk is as old as Methuselah, and anyone who doesn't agree that West Coast punk is better obviously sucks and is probably a parent. Scalped hail from the 415 area code (that's San Francisco for anyone who hasn't gotten a cool phone call) and carry on the grand tradition of celebrating the twin joie-de-vivres of metal and punk, at the same time, really fast and really loud. Featuring members of now-defunct, extremely upset dude band Yadokai, Scalped are touring on the riff-arched back of their second 7-inch, out on Video Disease Records. You either go to this show and die a punk, or live long enough to become a poseur. MP

TUESDAY 7/7

VAN HALEN, KENNY WAYNE SHEPHERD
(Amphitheater Northwest, 17200 NE Delfel, Ridgefield, WA) See My, What a Busy Week!, and Debate Club.

THE SINGLEY/FIMBRES ORCHESTRA, BOONE HOWARD
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) Once can think of few musicians in Portland more restlessly creative than Alan Singley and Papi Fimbres. The prolific duo have been the source of a dizzying number of projects over the years—Singley fronting his pop band Pants Machine and composing orchestral works, Fimbres ring-leading Orquestra Pacifico Tropical, Paper/Upper/Cuts, and currently blowing up as one-third of white-hot trio Máscaras. That list is undoubtedly incomplete. Conceived on a Portland rooftop one night in 2003, the Singley-Fimbres Orkestar released a recording, Looking on the Level, a decade later (get it for free on Bandcamp). Tonight's show reconvenes the original players from those sessions—a 10-piece orkestar of notable names—for what Singley says is the first chance the band's had to perform the compositions (and work out the kinks) since they debuted. The We Shared Milk's Boone Howard opens, boasting his own dream team made up of members of Minden, Hustle and Drone, and the Domestics, among others. JEREMY PETERSEN

RED BULL SOUND SELECT: TR/ST, DOUBLEPLUSGOOD, NOVOSTI
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) Canadian dance goth duo Tr/St (formerly Trust—pick a stylization and go with it, people) wish so hard you wouldn’t compare them to Crystal Castles. So you won’t, but suffice to say their go-to blend of pixilated synthesizers, pouty singing, clattering drum machines, and monochromatic aesthetic may bring back memories of another pair of malcontents from the North. When done well, on tracks like “Capitol,” Tr/St vamp up the melodic melodrama to stratospheric heights; when done poorly, the songs wither in a gray gruel of half-hearted hooks and lead-footed drum programming. For the most part they nail it, though, skewing darker and colder than their Canuck contemporaries, with an emphasis on foggy ambience and bleak, bellowing vocals that sound genuinely desperate, as opposed to just disaffected. Somebody call the helpline operator. KYLE FLECK