thursday 7/8

The Coup

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

Neil Hamburger, Girl Feelings, Jeff Breakfast

(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) See My, What a Busy Week!

Portland Cello Project, John Vecchiarelli, Shenandoah Davis

(The Old Church, 1422 SW 11th) In a few short years Portland Cello Project has generated quite the wake, dragging the once-stodgy cello into a world of pop covers and backing-band collaborations, in addition to introducing classical pieces to rock crowds. After orbiting toward the pull of pop music—most notably on their The Thao and Justin Power Sessions LP—PCP returns to their traditional roots with Thousand Words. The Rachel Blumberg-composed piece "Denmark" opens the album with a gentle ease, a foundation the ensemble builds upon with the gypsy stalk of "Take 5" and three-part song cycle "The Dream." Straddling two distinct worlds is a challenge few bands master, but it's what PCP does best. Look no further than tonight's traditional show among the pews of the Old Church, then tomorrow's dance party throwdown at the Doug Fir. EZRA ACE CARAEFF Also see My, What a Busy Week!

AAN, O Bruxo, Ylang Ylang, Shipwrecker Selectors

(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) You've probably heard quite a bit about Ylang Ylang, the new project from Panther's Charlie Salas-Humara, but unless you've actually checked out the band live you might not yet be sure what they sound like. They don't sound like Salas-Humara's prior bands, Panther or The Planet The. Nor do they sound like drummer Jake Morris' other band the Joggers, nor Patterns (the province of bassist Ricci Swift), nor Spooky Dance Band, one of violinist Caroline Buchalter's many previous projects. Instead Ylang Ylang sound like this: gently fuzzy, speedily tempoed, guitar-driven pop-rock, not a million miles away from Guided by Voices or Sonic Youth, or the scads of American garage bands from the mid-'60s who were making music when the drug of choice gave way from speed to acid. It's peppy, lightly trippy, vaguely sunshiny, and you'll be able to hear a full album's worth later this year when Jackpot Records releases Ylang Ylang's debut. Meanwhile, O Bruxo are taking the recent revival of African sounds in current white-guy indie rock to the next logical level: out from organized iTunes collections and crisply pressed gatefold vinyl sleeves, and back into the street—where parades can spontaneously start and stop, where garbage piles up in the gutter, where you start out one place and end up, intended or not, somewhere completely different. NED LANNAMANN

FRIDAY 7/9

PICA's 15th Birthday: Deelay Ceelay, Skeletron, DJ Beyonda

(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) See My, What a Busy Week!

Portland Cello Project Dance Party

(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) See Thursday's listing and My, What a Busy Week!

Day of Hel Fest: Brothers of the Sonic Cloth, SubArachnoid Space, Atriarch, Galdr

(Berbati's Pan, 10 SW 3rd) In Norse mythology, July 10 is traditionally set aside to observe the Goddess of the underworld, Hel, and what better way to pay homage than with a two-day music festival featuring sonically devastating, pagan-inspired metal bands? One of the highlights of Hel Fest is Seattle's Brothers of the Sonic Cloth, which features Tad Doyle, whose former band Tad is considered to be one of the first, and heaviest (in both sound and girth), grunge bands ever. With Brothers, Doyle has hung up his flannel in exchange for massive, emotional doom akin to Yob. Tonight's festivities also include Portland's Atriarch. Upon hearing Atriarch's crawling doom set, Hel herself might be interested in piping their music into the dark tunnels of her underworld. ARIS WALES

On the Stairs, Dave McGraw AND Crow Wing, Al James, Meridian

(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) Nate Clark, formerly of Les Flaneurs, has made a remarkable transition to his new ensemble On the Stairs, creating unforgettable folk-rock melodies that really are quite as wonderful as anything you'd care to compare them to: Damien Jurado, Califone, Paul Simon, the less fanciful moments of Lambchop, the darker corners of Calexico. He's heading an impressive bill that also features the great Al James, who gets my vote—split with Jon Neufeld, James' bandmate in Dolorean—for Best Sideman of the Year, after backing Bob Desper at his remarkable, life-affirming show at the Woods a few weeks back. Desper, returning to the stage after literally decades out of the limelight and after losing his ability to play guitar, led James and Neufeld through a set of new, never-heard songs, making for an absolutely unforgettable night of live music. James isn't playing with Desper tonight, but there's little doubt that James can hold an equal command—and transmit similar good vibrations—with his own tunes. NL

Monotonix, Signals, Astrology

(East End, 203 SE Grand) I'll admit it: I drank the Monotonix Kool-Aid. Their sloppy punk/garage rock fails to move me via compact disc, but have you seen them live? They light their drum set on fire! They strip down to metallic neon skivvies and prance around in all their hairy-chested, gold-chained glory. And they almost always take shows out of the venue and onto the street, luring the dancing, dropped-jaw audience members behind them like pied pipers. But after seeing it a few times, it's obvious that it isn't spontaneous at all. Show after show, there the singer goes, climbing on top of the floor tom to be carried around the room. Oh look, someone just dumped a trashcan over someone else's head in the middle of a song. Again. Now that we've all seen their schtick, Monotonix need to either start writing songs that can stand up on their own or graduate to the next level of textbook shock treatments: feces, blood, animal sacrifice. MEGAN SELING

Kasey Anderson, Quiet Life, American Aquarium

(Ella Street Social Club, 714 SW 20th Pl) I'm guessing Raleigh, North Carolina's American Aquarium takes their name from "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart" from Wilco's experimental masterpiece Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. This American Aquarium plays it a little more straight, lobbing revved-up honky-tonk tunes that sound like they were peeled from some long-lost Bloodshot Records comp. These are fast songs about fast women and hard living, and "Ain't Going to the Bar Tonight" and "Clark Avenue" rival anything the Drive-By Truckers have done in the post-Isbell years. And if you think these songs are fun on wax, I can only imagine what this band will do to a crowded bar. Don't forget to wear your drinking shoes. MARK LORE

There Goes the Neighborhood: Carcrashlander, The Twistellettes, Lee Corey Oswald, A Season of Tanagers, FATHERS & SONS

(Alberta Rose Theatre, 3000 NE Alberta) If you haven't been to the newly re-opened Alberta Rose Theatre, tonight would be a good night to check it out. Open to the public for the first time in over two decades, the venue will present intimate seated shows from touring acts as well as bands from the neighborhood, including the local strains of thoughtful rockers Carcrashlander. Leading man Cory Gray, who recently returned from a tour of Europe backing Laura Gibson, promises a new album is almost ready, and gives us the lovely preview track—"Point Arena," a dreamy waltz of swirling organs and brass, where Gray's near-whispered vocals beautifully entangle with those of local singer/songwriter Shelley Short—to hold us off until then. MARANDA BISH

SATURDAY 7/10

Mirah, THAO WITH THE GET DOWN STAY DOWN, Y la Bamba

(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) See My, What a Busy Week!

Fol Chen, Grand Hallway

(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) See Music.

DAY OF HEL FEST: FAUNA, ALTAR OF PLAGUES, VELNIAS, SUBROSA

(Berbati's Pan, 10 SW 3rd) See Friday's listing.

Meta, Colony Collapse, The Contestants, Honey Wars

(The Knife Shop at Kelly's Olympian, 426 SW Washington) The Contestants know their role and excel at it. Their brand new full-length, Can Die in a Fire, glistens with a power-pop sound fitting of comparisons to Velvet Crush, the Posies, and the always underappreciated the Wrens. Here, harmonies rule the roost, as the quintet's tempered delivery and pace show a band with a deep respect for their chosen genre. While the Contestants aren't much for range on Can Die in a Fire, they let loose some in the bouncy "Strangers," which sounds like it was unearthed from the Argybargy recording session. I suppose when you do something as well as the Contestants do here, there's really no point to forcing a change. EAC

SUNDAY 7/11

Pancake Breakfast, Adam Shearer

(BarBar at Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) It's the very first afternoon Summer Session, played outdoors on the sunlight-strewn patio of BarBar, the new bar opening July 10 in the space next door to Mississippi Studios. A similar thing has been happening previous summers down at the Doug Fir, but we're not going to pick favorites. In fact, it's damn near impossible to pick one over the other: From now 'til the end of summer there are some very difficult decisions as to where to spend your Sunday afternoon, since both venues boast an impressive—if oddly similar—lineup for their series of shows. Tonight the Mississippi/BarBar series kicks off with sets from good-time folk-choir Pancake Breakfast, plus Adam Shearer, who, if this whole music thing ever falls apart, could still make a handy living as an emcee, a tour guide, a storyteller, a standup comic, a motivational speaker, a beard model, or an auctioneer. It's unlikely that Shearer will need to fall back on his capable loquaciousness (or his esteemed whiskers), though, since his musicmaking—whether it be solo, with his band Weinland, or with his all-star supergroup the Alialujah Choir—is just as stirring as his speechifying. NL

MONDAY 7/12

Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti, Puro Instinct, Magic Kids

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

Lamb of God, Hatebreed, 3 Inches of Blood

(Roseland, 8 NW 6th) The career of Vancouver, BC's 3 Inches of Blood has been fraught with turmoil. Since their inception in 1999, the band has gone through massive lineup changes due to personal differences, throat damage, a physical altercation with England's legendary Saxon, and even death. Consequently, the band's 2009 release Here Waits Thy Doom features the band as a four-piece, two fewer musicians than usual, and none of them are original members. But that's not to say that 3IoB have strayed from their foundation sound and style. The band still contains frontman Cam Pipes, whose harsh falsetto vocals are part of the band's signature sound. Doom is also full of as much blood-drenched, battlefield-inspired heavy metal as the albums preceding it. Fans should expect their live show to sound a little stripped down, but no less epic. AW

TUESDAY 7/13

BLUE GIANT

(Music Millennium, 3158 E Burnside) See Music.

Maps AND Atlases, Drink up Buttercup, The Globes

(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) See Music.

Bryan Minus AND The Disconnect, Gabby Holt AND The Hedges, Demon Squirrel

(Ash Street Saloon, 225 SW Ash) Following their debut EP Forage, very new ensemble Bryan Minus and the Disconnect are set to drop their first 7-inch, "Lust," on white vinyl, and it's a glam-tinged bit of radio rock that probably won't raise too many eyebrows. The good news, though, is that "Lust" is a clear progression from the EP, which was recorded before the band was fully formed. But now the Disconnect lineup is firmly in place, with Jason Lanning on guitar and Tasia Poirier on bass, plus brand-new drummer Brad Mangold, who played his first show with the band barely a week ago. With a steady live show gaining steam, and a clear progression from EP to the new 7-inch, it's more than likely that when Bryan Minus and the Disconnect go into the studio later this year to record their debut full-length, they'll come out with something even better. NL

Sugar Sugar Sugar, Lana Rebel, The Ex-Girlfriends Club

(Slabtown, 1033 NW 16th) Before I even heard them, this Bellingham trio drew my ire with their excessively repetitive moniker. But once I checked out their music, almost all was forgiven. Sugar Sugar Sugar rock conventionally, but do so with a swaggering panache, lots of wicked guitar tones, and a sweet sweet sweet knack for sing-along hooks. Their music shamelessly flings one back to the glam-rock-intensive '70s, when debauchery was par for the rock-and-roll course and bands wore their STDs with pride, and made it a priority to write songs to which people could fuck with abandon. Sugar Sugar Sugar succeed on that last score, at least—even if their name does stick in my craw. DAVE SEGAL 

WEDNESDAY 7/14

Justin Bieber, SEAN KINGSTON, JESSICA JARCELL, IYAZ

(Roseland, 8 NW 6th) See My, What a Busy Week!

Miss Thing: BjÖrk vs. Cher

(Fez Ballroom, 316 SW 11th) See My, What a Busy Week!

BLUE GIANT

(Jackpot Records, 203 SW 9th) See Music.

Shabazz Palaces, Tope, Graintable

(Rotture, 315 SE 3rd) See Music.

Quintron AND Miss Pussycat, Cyclotron, Litanic Mask, FRANK FURTER & THE HOTDOGS

(East End, 203 SE Grand) Quintron and Miss Pussycat are just your average schizophrenic swamp boogie duo, complete with hand puppets and a customized combo organ that resembles a muscle car with working headlights. Yawn. There are certainly more than a few "What the fuck did I just see?" moments to every show from this now-legendary duo, as they twist the basement punk ethos to include influences as foreign as drum machine beats, dirty Southern blues, and a felt alligator puppet. None of these things even begin to accurately capture what Quintron and Miss Pussycat are doing, but it's a start, and hopefully enough to lure you underground to the East End stage. After that, we'll let the music and puppets take it from there. EAC

Lords of Acid, My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult, Blownload, DJ Deathwish

(Dante's, 1 SW 3rd) Even the Lords of Acid's shrunken legion of apologists will find the current group lineup hard to defend. Now headed by a woman best known for pretending to be attracted to Bret Michaels on VH1's Rock of Love, the once-influential merchants of grinding electro-trash classics like "I Sit on Acid" and "Crablouse" have long lost the charms those songs possessed. The brand of sing-song sleaze that the Lords and their billmates My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult push is not necessarily past its expiration date, but no one has been able to duplicate the empty-calorie highs the Lords hit 20 years ago—including themselves. DAVE BOW

And And And, Burning Yellows, Dash Jacket, Tan Dollar, Weed Diamond

(Ella Street Social Club, 714 SW 20th Place) Let's try to do some counting for just a second: For just five bucks, tonight Ella Street will give you five bands, one continuous sound ringing in your two ears, one million guitar pedals, and a chance to get better acquainted with your two shoes. Built by melodic dream-poppers both imported (Denver's Weed Diamond, California's Dash Jacket and Tan Dollar) and local (the reverb- and sun-soaked Burning Yellows), the lush, nostalgic, shoegazey walls of sound on display tonight should perfectly set the tone for a night of hazy summer fun. I'd keep my eyes off the floor during And And And's set, since you're liable to get smacked in the head by a shirtless dude swinging a floor tom around. ETHAN JAYNE