THURSDAY 6/23

CIBO MATTO, THE CHAIN GANG OF 1974
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) See our article on Cibo Matto.

CLOSER ELECTRONIC MUSIC FESTIVAL: OPENING PARTY
(Element Lounge, 1135 SW Morrison) Tonight is the pre-party for Closer, the first annual Portland-based electronic music festival. Spread out across six venues, Closer includes a laptop battle, a free daytime all-ages event at Colonel Summers Park, and plenty of DJ sets. While the lineup is mostly limited to local house and techno DJs, there will be appearances by Portland-based international techno celebs Bryan Zentz and Let's Go Outside, plus one of Seattle's biggest techno names, Jerry Abstract. The festival highlights the abundance of DJs and crews that reside in Portland, including members from Subsensory, Alga-Rhythms, Bassland, Flash/Nude Photo Music, and Click Track all in one weekend. Get started early by mingling with fellow festival-goers and picking up your pass while enjoying mellow tech house sounds from Sappho, Apolinario Ancheta, and Stephen Quirke at Element tonight. Go to closerpdx.com for the full schedule and lineup. AVA HEGEDUS

ANIMALS AND MEN, LIGHT BRIGADE, SAD HORSE, THE GUTTERS, FUTURE LESS VIVID, DJ ERIC ISAACSON
(Eagles Lodge, 4904 SE Hawthorne) You gotta hand it to Mississippi Records, which has been exposing conscientious music connoisseurs to an arsenal of great rare and unreleased 20th-century recordings for the last five years. When Mississippi released Never Bought Never Sold, a collection of singles and demos by the UK post-punk band Animals and Men, I was floored by the urgent rhythms, the arty new wave that peppered the punk strum and thud, and Susan Wells' persuasive demeanor and mechanically virtuous vocal inflections. They were in the throes of an evolving sound that bred and bled with new ideas, and they, along with other women of punk's wild west—like Essential Logic—created something that remains politically, socially, and sonically relevant nearly 30 years after their initial breakup. TRAVIS RITTER

CHEYENNE MARIE MIZE, VANDAVEER
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) A DC resident, Mark Charles Heidinger has been hovering below your radar these past few years, releasing recordings under the moniker Vandaveer. If you're expecting a weepy-eyed troubadour alone under the spotlight, you will be disappointed. On the just-released Dig Down Deep, Vandaveer's collaborative structure—with co-vocalist Rose Guerin always lingering close by—falls closer to the Head and the Heart than it does to an open-mic night for sad singer/songwriter dudes. Joining them on the bill, and onstage, is Cheyenne Marie Mize, whose ethereal folk music closely resembles the rural charm of Portland's very own Alela Diane. EZRA ACE CARAEFF

FRIDAY 6/24

NO.FEST
(Various locations in St. Johns) See My, What a Busy Week!

TWO GALLANTS, THE MUMLERS
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) The first time I ever crossed paths with Two Gallants, they were a fucking trainwreck. Actually, that statement is an insult to wrecked trains. The fresh-faced duo of Tyson Vogel and Adam Stephens was desperately flop-sweating through a set of ramblin' folk songs that were most definitely not yet ready to be shared with an audience beyond the four walls of their practice space. Yet within the course of a few years, the San Francisco pair was soon untouchable, a vibrant and occasionally caustic act that pummeled its way through the all-too-comfortable genre of folk music. The band was running on fumes by the end of the promotional cycle for 2007's self-titled LP, and the extended hiatus that ensued only heightened our pangs for new material. Two Gallants' two-year break is finally over, and if you need another reason to give thanks, word has it there is a new recording on the horizon. EAC

ZEKE, HOOKERS, BLACK WIZARD, ALL BETS ON DEATH
(Dante's, 1 SW 3rd) Instead of going to my sophomore year homecoming dance, I went to La Luna and witnessed Zeke for the very first time. As a live band during that period, Zeke couldn't be beat, and their blazing speed rock and roll was somehow faster onstage than on their records. Blind Marky's neck veins bulged as his voice tried to keep up with his fretting fingers, Donnie Paycheck's middle finger pointed to the heavens as he bashed his minimal drum set, and the band's sets made a wall of sound that few bands could climb. Unfortunately, over the last five years Zeke doesn't seem to care anymore, and the band seems tired, grumpy, and uninspired. But I never stopped caring, Zeke. Please show me that you can still care about your timeless music more than you do your guarantee. ARIS WALES

THE WOODEN BIRDS, SHOESHINE BLUE, THE CABIN PROJECT
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) Austin's Wooden Birds are masters of restraint. Fronted by the American Analog Set's Andrew Kenny, the Wooden Birds have released a fine second album, Two Matchsticks, and like their first, it's full of easily strummed, lightly tapped-out tunes that sound a little like demos for what could have become lush productions. They aren't, though, and that's what makes the Birds' seemingly tossed-off numbers such rewarding listening: each of their breezy songs is brimming with tunefulness just under the surface, framed by percussive clicks and clacks instead of thwacking snare drums and crashing cymbals. Two Matchsticks doesn't emblazon its pleasures on its sleeve, but with just a bit of digging, the Wooden Birds' hushed delivery rewards patience and curiosity. NED LANNAMANN

SUPERNATURE: OCTANT, BRAIN CRASH, DJ E*ROCK, DJ COPY
(Rotture, 315 SE 3rd) Humans tend to dominate music with our flesh-draped limbs, beating hearts, and you know, souls. While the world of robotic bands is small—Captured by Robots, the Trons, Ke$ha (no way any human would make music like that)—it's growing, most notably with Brooklyn outfit Octant. Octant is the work of one man (Portlander Matthew Steinke) alongside a fully automated robotic backing band of sorts—it's more digital player piano than the flailing arms of the Lost in Space robot. Not entirely a gimmick, Steinke's hushed voice adds a distinctly emotional (read: human) feel, and his surrounding cast of movable parts makes him resemble a heartbroken scientist, playing to an audience of lonely robotic friends. EAC

GLITTER EXPRESS, BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS, FATHER FIGURE
(Ella Street Social Club, 714 SW 20th Place) Riding the trendy tides of electro-glam with a visceral edginess and decidedly underground feel is Glitter Express. Brought together by likeminded tastes and the majestic forces of Craigslist, the band makes its case for discotheque rock with funky guitar riffs, scintillating hi-hat action, and slinky, distorting synths. At the forefront is the crackling warble and screech of Noelle Magia, who as the veritable spokeswoman for Glitter Express is a vision in nylon, sequins, and other artifice. Songs like "Gay Car Wash" and "Je M'en Bat les Steaks" are fairly indecipherable but give you a general idea—Glitter Express are here to party. Throw on something flashy and join them. MARANDA BISH

SCORPIO
(Roseland, 8 NW 6th) The problem with being a Michael Jackson look-alike is how can you possibly visually mimic an artist whose very face transformed so drastically (and horrifically) over the course of his life? Scorpio, a Jackson impersonator who is seemingly going to play to an empty Roseland tonight and might not be aware that the real MJ was actually a Virgo, hones in on the Dangerous era of MJ's career, which is the equivalent of being a morbidly obese Marlon Brando impersonator—it works, but it's not exactly the visual nostalgia we were all hoping for. Although, I bet Scorpio can moonwalk like a motherfucker. EAC

SATURDAY 6/25

NO.FEST
(Various locations in St. Johns) See My, What a Busy Week!

GIRLS GOING SINGLE: A NIGHT OF GIRL GROUP 45s: DJ HG WALLS, DJ FUZZBOXX, BEYONDADOUBT
(East End, 203 SE Grand) See My, What a Busy Week!

LEWI LONGMIRE BAND, GRAVEL
(The Woods, 6637 SE Milwaukie) One of the most ubiquitous and charismatic musicians around town, Lewi Longmire has played with nearly every able-bodied picker in Portland. Longmire's namesake band—a trio rounded out by Ned Folkerth on drums and Bill Rudolph on bass—have released their third album, Tales of the Left Coast Roasters, on vinyl (along with a digital download card, which is printed on seeded paper so you can plant it after you're done downloading the record). It's a platter of rustic Americana with some classic-rock electricity and a smattering of West Coast hippiedom for good measure. Free-wheelin' country-folk numbers sit beside peppy, Petty-esque rockers, and it all sounds great—probably even better after a joint or two. But Roasters' best parts are the guitar solos; when Longmire lets it rip on the six-string as Folkerth and Rudolph hold it down behind him, the band starts shedding sparks like a freshly lit firecracker. NL

MUDHONEY, UNNATURAL HELPERS, TOM PRICE DESERT CLASSIC, NON
(Dante's, 1 SW 3rd) Even after 23 years in the rock biz, Mudhoney are not even close to resting on their grunge-god laurels. The members may be in their 40s, but they continue to tear it up onstage like dudes half their age. Must be their vegan diets and prodigious wheatgrass juice consumption... With a back catalog loaded with fuzz-bombed, adrenaline-maximizing rockers, Mudhoney can easily give you two hours of vein-bulging showmanship, even at this late date. Unnatural Helpers, featuring singing drummer Dean Whitmore, deliver short, sharp garage-rock gems to which you can shout along instantly. At once tight and ramshackle, UH's songs sting memorably and exit way before you want them to. DAVE SEGAL

SUNDAY 6/26

ANIMALS AND MEN, PSYCHIC FELINE, CAT FANCY
(Tonic Lounge, 3100 NE Sandy) See Thursday's preview.

JOZEF VAN WISSEM, DEREK MONYPENY, DJ YETI
(Alice Coltrane Memorial Coliseum, 5135 NE 42nd) The oud is a lute-like stringed instrument found in Arabic and Northern African music, and recent Portland transplant Derek Monypeny has released a vinyl record full of solo oud compositions. Don't Bring Me Down, Bruce is tantalizingly strange, like a heretofore-undiscovered folk music that developed without setting any roots down, drifting instead over whole continents like a tumbleweed. Side One is filled with sparse plucks and simple runs, resulting in minimal, fragmented melodies that contain plenty of open space. On Side Two, Monypeny's oud is buried under a number of effects, resulting in two lengthy, mournful compositions of experimental and abstract sounds that evaporate like clouds of smoke. Monypeny shares the bill with Dutch composer and lutist Jozef Van Wissem. NL

THE RESERVATIONS, NIGHTMOVES, FOX AND THE LAW
(Rontoms, 600 E Burnside) If, like me, you missed the Reservations' release party last week and gave in to that dreadful tendency to "Sit at Home" (as chronicled in one of their excellent songs), do not despair. There is still time to become acquainted with the band's Gnar Tapes debut. A powerhouse of local talents—including Rex Marshall of Mattress, Chris Hoganson of Don Hellions, and "Leather" Tom Hoganson—the Reservations create mesmerizing, gutbucket music that combines rock and rhythm styles with a grimy sophistication. The eight-song self-titled recording thoroughly encapsulates their sound, from perfect lead track "Live Forever" to "Dogs in the Daytime," a modern man's lament marked by the pendulous swing in vocals from Marshall's deep baritone to Chris Hoganson's snarling chorus. MB

CHILDREN OF BODOM, DEVIN TOWNSEND, OBSCURA, SEPTICFLESH
(Roseland, 8 NW 6th) Death metal is kind of like the menu at an In-N-Out Burger. There are only a few options to choose from and they only vary slightly. Enter Obscura, the death metal band whose cornucopia of flavor choices is like a fully stocked Baskin-Robbins. With their new album Omnivium, Obscura hands out heaping tasting spoons of groove-based brutality, spacey melodic beauty, and slippery fretless bass. Every track is built on a criss-crossing waffle cone of blasting and jazzy polyrhythms. Since Obscura's music can somehow confound and enlighten, maybe they can help us all understand how anybody thought bubblegum and ice cream could go together. AW

MONDAY 6/27

BLONDE REDHEAD, NOSAJ THING
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) See My, What a Busy Week!

TUESDAY 6/28

MY MORNING JACKET, EVEREST
(Edgefield, 2126 SW Halsey, Troutdale) See My, What a Busy Week!

BRITNEY SPEARS, NICKI MINAJ, JESSIE AND THE TOY BOYS, NERVO
(Rose Garden, 1 Center Ct) See My, What a Busy Week!

HUNX AND HIS PUNX, SHANNON AND THE CLAMS, GUANTANAMO BAYWATCH
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) See our article on Hunx and His Punx.

NUCULAR AMINALS, THE HOODED HAGS, THE SHIVAS
(The Know, 2026 NE Alberta) Nucular Aminals' new self-titled full-length out on K Records—not to be confused with their 2008 self-titled release on Aphonia Recordings—is a collection of quick flavor bursts, with sunshine-y pop hidden under prickly passages and pleasantly indecisive arrangements. The junky, two-minute tunes jog along at that unusual pace where frantic meets drowsy, as remnants of aggressive energy fight for turf with body-consuming yawns. The result is that Nucular Aminals hits the ear at unconventional and surprising angles, with melodies shifting their shapes and disappearing before they can be registered and catalogued in the brain. I have yet to determine a standout track among the record's languidly off-kilter jangle pop, and while that might sound like faint praise, it should be mentioned that I'm interested enough to keep listening for one. NL

NINJASONIK, GRAY MATTERS, SERIOUS BUSINESS, BREAKFAST MOUNTAIN, ELEVATED [CANCELED]
(Branx, 320 SE 2nd) [UPDATE: This show has been canceled.] Ninjasonik is the Brooklyn-based group comprised of Reverend McFly, Telli Gramz, and DJ Teenwolf. If their stage names weren't indication enough, song titles such as "Art School Girls," "Mosh Pit," and "Somebody Gonna Get Pregnant" clearly indicate this trio is not your average hiphop group. Their warped sense of humor, combined with musical forays into dance-punk territory, makes them a group with an aesthetic more in tune with Vice Magazine than XXL. Your threshold for art-damaged joke rap is key: If it's low, I'd suggest arriving early for the psychedelic party jams of Breakfast Mountain and the murky boom-bap of local hiphop outfit Gray Matters before ducking out for the headliner. On the other end of the spectrum, fans of Das Racist and Childish Gambino will likely have a blast until the party stops. RYAN FEIGH

WEDNESDAY 6/29

GOOD NIGHT BILLYGOAT, USELESS KEYS
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) See My, What a Busy Week!

THE DONKEYS, AND AND AND, DINOSAUR FEATHERS
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) See our article on The Donkeys.

POINT JUNCTURE WA, WHAT HEARTS, SUN ANGLE, DJ GIGANTE
(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) It's all too easy to take Point Juncture WA for granted. As recognizable fixtures in Portland music—you already know them as producers, musicians, or just those people standing next to you at any given show—the quartet has an omnipresent nature to them, one of those bands whose name you might recognize but whose actual music might still be foreign to you. Well, no more. Get acquainted with PJWA's wondrous music tonight, as the band continues to make the rounds in support of their excellent new LP Handsome Orders. Built upon a close-knit, if not communal, relationship that has evolved over the course of the band's eight-year run, Handsome Orders is the cumulative effort of a band who has mastered their sound, even if it doesn't stray far from the predictable indie-rock structure. You need more Point Juncture WA in your life. EAC