THURSDAY 11/17

THE WE SHARED MILK, YEAH GREAT FINE, CHARTS
(Beauty Bar, 111 SW Ash) Attention, studio rats: You don't need sterling, crystal-clear production to get your point across. For an example, look to Carole King's muffled, near-indecipherable but hauntingly lovely demo of "The Porpoise Song," which actually sounds like it was recorded underwater. For another example, look to SUH, the brand-new EP from the We Shared Milk, which, according to the band, was "self-recorded in two weeks in a Northeast Portland basement with shitty digital plug-ins and the wrong mics." Its limited production can't confine the excellent tunes and inventive arrangements of which the We Shared Milk hold full command. For yet another example, look to the latest recordings from Charts, now on a split tape from Eggy Records. Laid down on cassette four-track by Eggy's Raf Spielman, Charts' rough 'n' raw garage sing-alongs zip around with lots of electricity, and the lovely layer of tape hiss makes it all sound even better. Both Charts and the We Shared Milk offer up new tunes at tonight's show. NED LANNAMANN

APES TAPES SHOWCASE: ONUINU, ADVENTURES WITH MIGHT, VANIMAL, XDS, PEGASUS DREAM, PALMAS DJS
(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) Portland has a bizarre preoccupation with novelty and nostalgia; just look at us with our dick-shaped doughnuts, our perversely complicated methods of making coffee, and our home-renovation centers filled to the eaves with antique toilets. Perhaps this is why Apes Tapes—the all-cassette label started by Radiation City's Lizzy Ellison and Cameron Spies—makes perfect sense in the confines of this city. In its one measly year of existence, the imprint has released a laudable amount of local music at an extremely affordable price and all by way of their own grunt work, for the sake of the art. Not to mention that the music they're putting out is generally inventive and plain fun, this well-curated bill being no exception. Additionally, all bands playing this night have songs included on Apes Tapes' rousing and celebratory third compilation, Mixed Ape 3, which you'll be able to purchase at the show. RAQUEL NASSER

THE PERCEPTION OF MOVING TARGETS: GROUPER
(Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy) Local filmmaker Weston Currie's short films have included a number of videos for Grouper, so it's fitting that Grouper—the name under which Portland artist Liz Harris releases her musical work—collaborated with Currie on the score of his first feature film, The Perception of Moving Targets. A large part of the score takes Grouper's last release, the two-part A I A, as its launching pad, but tonight Harris will perform the score live for the film's Portland premiere. The Perception of Moving Targets appears to be a collection of striking, sometimes uncomfortable images, with any narrative connective tissue left up to the mind of the beholder. It's the perfect match for Grouper's work, which can initially seem diffident but ultimately captivates and unsettles the listener with ferocious and unforgiving beauty. NL

LUCINDA WILLIAMS, BLAKE MILLS
(Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside) Lucinda Williams has taken a somewhat unorthodox path to becoming one of the finest voices/storytellers in roots music. Williams didn't truly hit her stride until 1998, with the release of Car Wheels on a Gravel Road. The '00s saw Williams' output increase along with her appeal to both critics and peers, including the likes of Elvis Costello and Tom Petty. It's been a natural progression, one filled with lengthy gaps between albums, and open-diary storytelling that defines some of the best American country songs. Williams recently got married, which has skewed her yarns of lost love. Actually, hearing the new material alongside Williams' older songs might be the most therapeutic thing you do tonight. MARK LORE

FRIDAY 11/18

SALLIE FORD AND THE SOUND OUTSIDE, PICKWICK
(Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell) See My, What a Busy Week!

CALEB KLAUDER COUNTRY BAND, W.C. BECK AND THE VALIANT SWAINS
(The Secret Society, 116 NE Russell) You might have guessed from the title of his new album, Kansawyer, that songwriter W.C. Beck originally comes from Kansas, and although he lives in Portland now, Kansawyer doesn't fit into any single corner of the map. Rather, it's a rollicking record that covers the full American spectrum of country, twang, and folk balladry. Beck assembled a group of local pickers—including Lewi Longmire, Jesse Bates, Scott Hay, Morgan Geer, David Lipkind, and Matt Cadenelli—for a two-day marathon recording session at Type Foundry Studio back in April, dubbing the crew the Valiant Swains; they're premiering the album at tonight's show. With Beck's unmasked, clean baritone at the front, expect a night of two-stepping with a few tear-in-the-beer slow numbers for good measure. And with Caleb Klauder's country band on the bill—perhaps the best party band in town—this'll be a firecracker way to kick off the weekend. NL

SATURDAY 11/19

THE SATIN CHAPS, THE SUICIDE NOTES, CÉCILIA UND DIE SAUERKRAUTS
(Eagles Lodge, 4904 SE Hawthorne) See My, What a Busy Week!

CROOKED FINGERS, STRAND OF OAKS, SHELBY EARL
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) Read our article on Strand of Oaks.

SONS OF HUNS, OLD JUNIOR, HOOKER VOMIT
(The Know, 2026 NE Alberta) Old Growth is dead—long live Old Growth. Well, perhaps Old Growth is not entirely dead, but with bassist Luke Clements living in LA, the future for one of Portland's best, riffiest trios remains uncertain. What a blessing, then, that guitarist John Magnifico and drummer Ben Muha have found themselves another bass player in the form of Cory Decaire and started a sort-of new band: Old Junior. And what another blessing, then, that Old Junior's music isn't a pale shadow of the glorious guitar sludge that Old Growth expertly wielded. Rather, Old Junior is every equal of its predecessor—perhaps it's even more rocking, more Crazy-Horse-circa-Zuma, more magnificent in its awesome guitar mire. Old Junior release their four-song debut EP tonight, and it's outstanding in all respects, every bit as good as the numerous entries in Old Growth's underrated catalog. If Old Growth is dead, long live Old Junior. NL

THE DEVIL MAKES THREE, BROWN BIRD
(Roseland, 8 NW 6th) The Devil Makes Three have kept their busk-worthy and punky bluegrass alive for nearly a decade—impressive for a style of music that has built-in limitations. But these three kids from Santa Cruz aren't about breaking new ground. For the past nine years they've essentially provided the soundtrack to many a drunken party, where no one is left sitting down. It makes sense that the band just released its second live LP Stomp and Smash, as the Devils' studio albums are simply no match for what they do onstage: Fast music for fast people with neck tattoos and a proclivity for Dapper Dan. ML

NOAH AND THE WHALE, NIKKI LANE
(Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell) Like many British musicians, Noah and the Whale seem to be preoccupied with American roots rock. Otherwise, why would their third album, Last Night on Earth, sound exactly like Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers made it? This isn't a bad thing. Sure, they aren't the subtlest band in the world—their name, for instance, and the fact that the single is called "L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N." But on this album, Noah and the Whale have traded twee for high production value and self-consciousness for a gospel choir. Its name to the contrary, Last Night on Earth is surprisingly optimistic, featuring road-trip-friendly narratives and mind-sticking hooks. Fortunately, Charlie Fink's deadpan (Springsteenian?) vocals prevent even the happiest songs from sounding forced. REBECCA WILSON

CAVE, LOOSE VALUES, ETERNAL TAPESTRY, DJ WYLD CHYLD
(East End, 203 SE Grand) Few American bands have mastered krautrock's mesmerizing, motorik-groove science as spectacularly as Chicago quartet Cave. The best krautrock disciples know that robust rhythmic repetition and textural vibrancy are key to replicating that magical music's mantric power. On their superb new Drag City album, Neverendless, Cave lock into epic, hypnotic jams whose excitement and intensity burgeon with each passing minute. We can't witness peak-era Neu! and Can playing live anymore, but Cave might be the next best thing. DAVE SEGAL

SUNDAY 11/20

PORTLAND SYNTH MEET: GOLDEN RETRIEVER, ACID FARM
(The Cleaners at the Ace Hotel, 403 SW 10th) The idea of a "synth meet" initially gives me nightmarish images of balding, longhaired dudes gathered in a dark corner of Guitar Center, trading grotesquely cheesed-out electric piano patches and Chick Corea Elektric Band bootlegs. Rest assured that the Portland Synth Meet—a free, all-ages affair in the Cleaners event space of the Ace Hotel—won't be anything like that. Rather, gearheads, collectors, and musicians alike will have the opportunity to geek out over the innerworkings of old analog machines and newer technology: "Synths of all kinds will be represented including modular and desktop synths, drum machines, circuit bent instruments, and algorithmic one-liners." What's more, Golden Retriever and Acid Farm will perform live sets. It seemed the synthesizer, for a number of years there, was primarily used to replicate—and in most cases, bastardize—existing sounds in the instrumental and orchestral spectrum. Thankfully, that dead-end attitude has receded, and today's Synth Meet will be all about inventing new tones. NL

BÉISBOL, ADVENTURE GALLERY
(Rontoms, 600 E Burnside) Shortly after transplanting to Portland from Southern California and playing a few shows, brothers Jeff and Ryan Burian were forced to change their band name. They were originally known as Real Diamond, but either the rapper or the Neil Diamond tribute band had backed them into copyright infringement's time-out corner. Thus, they are now working under the name Béisbol, and while they are exceedingly difficult to find in a Google search—especially when distracted by all those photos of Cuban baseball players in tight pants—they should not be hard to find around town for much longer. Their driving, melodic pop music is the kind that can wring out this city in its wettest months, and though physical recordings are scant—they released a digital EP in October which they named Real Diamond in memoriam—the brothers are at work on their debut full-length, Lo-Fi Cocaine, which we'll hopefully see sometime early next year. RN

SEX LIFE, AROHAN, DJ GENEVIEVE D, NATHAN DETROIT
(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) Tonight's the farewell party for Anna Lockwood, who bids Portland adieu as she returns to her native Australia. You've seen (or heard) Lockwood as she's worked the soundboard at Holocene; she's also toured with the Thermals, Starfucker, and plenty of other bands around the world. Basically, she's a dope sound technician—and musician as well, performing under the name Period Romance. Not to mention she's just an all-around fantastic person; the fact that she's leaving us truly, truly sucks. Say goodbye to Anna with a party in her honor (it's also doubling as her birthday bash) with plenty of electro dance jams from Sex Life and Arohan. And do your best to keep from crying over Anna's departure, even though Portland's live sound won't ever sound quite so good without her. NL

AUSLAND SCHLÄGE: MOTËM, LAZERCROTCH, MICHAEL BRUCE, JON AD, GULLS
(Valentine's, 232 SW Ankeny) As it stands right now, there are just a few artists in existence releasing skweee, a young genre of electronic music born a few years ago in Scandinavia and consisting of extremely minimal R&B/funk bass lines topped with synthesizer sounds from intentionally low-frills analog machines. Portland is an early outpost of this new sound, hosting the one-and-only skweee monthly party in the United States with support from a couple of local record labels on the very short list of imprints currently dealing in skweee worldwide. Tonight's show features Canadian skweee artist Motëm, whose stripped-down tracks feature lo-fi loops and silly vocals that typify the sound. The simplicity is reminiscent of early hiphop, when folks used cheap tools and their own creativity to produce groundbreaking music. It will be interesting to see if skweee, with its similar principles of DIY and sparseness, can hold up in a completely different technological era. AVA HEGEDUS Also see My, What a Busy Week!

MONDAY 11/21

TUNE-YARDS, PAT JORDACHE, MALAIKAT DAN SINGA
(Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell) See My, What a Busy Week!

KYUSS LIVES!, THE SWORD, YOB, BLACK COBRA
(Roseland, 8 NW 6th) Read our article on Kyuss.

MARKÉTA IRGLOVÁ, SEAN ROWE
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) As half of the Swell Season, Markéta Irglová's adult life has been dedicated to making pretty songs that people listen to while breaking up. But 23 is awfully young to be hemmed in by the sad-sack market, and her first solo album, Anar, could have gone in any number of directions. It is different than any Swell Season album, in that any inkling of folk music—guitars, irony—has been expunged. What's left are Irglová's classically trained piano and voice on an LP's worth of earnest torch songs. Soon they will be in movies, during scenes where people run through the rain with tears streaming down their faces. The songs are undeniably beautiful, especially if your heart has just been put through the wringer. RW

TUESDAY 11/22

MY AUTUMN'S DONE COME, HONEY WARS
(Bunk Bar, 1028 SE Water) Honey Wars' first full-length record, I'd Be Amazed—which follows their 2008 EP, The City Made Me Do It—is a solid collection of good-time rock (in fact, there's even a song called "Good Times"). Their biggest, hookiest numbers display a spry guitar interplay that evokes the Knack and the Cars, while I'd Be Amazed also finds room for a couple easy-breezy ballads and some back-porch stomp. Meanwhile, My Autumn's Done Come named three songs on their brand-new record Paper Flowers (also celebrating its release tonight) after bridges in Portland. Like the varied engineering and architectural styles that characterize all the different bridge-spans of the city, My Autumn's Done Come utilize a wide array of styles, from up-tempo, jangling rock to more meandering, soul-flecked mood pieces, but each song bears their affinity for vocal harmonies and pliant, nimble arrangements. A download of Paper Flowers is available on My Autumn's Done Come's website, while I'd Be Amazed is at Honey Wars' Bandcamp page. NL

WEDNESDAY 11/23

BLIND PILOT, POINT JUNCTURE WA
(Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside) See My, What a Busy Week!

PLAID, NATASHA KMETO, TYLER TASTEMAKER
(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) Read our article on Plaid.

RACHAEL YAMAGATA, MIKE VIOLA
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) Read our article on Rachael Yamagata.

MAYHEM, KEEP OF KALESSIN, HATE, ABIGAIL WILLIAMS, CEREMONIAL CASTINGS
(Hawthorne Theatre, 1507 SE 39th) Nothing sells records and concert tickets better then infamy, and no band understands that better than Norway's Mayhem. They could release an album of Christmas carols and their minions would still eat it up. That's not to say that their most recent effort (recent being 2007) Ordo Ad Chao is not worthy of mention. It provides just as much intense, creepy black metal as their 1993 classic De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas, but who really cares about their music anymore? It's all about their past exploits. Mayhem is the band that took it the furthest. In the early '90s it was arson, murder, suicide, and necrophagia, right? What will they do next?! Gotta go to that show and buy that record to find out! It's too bad drummer Hellhammer is such a violent homophobic scumbag, 'cause otherwise they might be worthy of some support. ARIS WALES