THURSDAY 9/13

HOT CHIP, YACHT
(Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside) See My, What a Busy Week!

ADVENTURE GALLEY, MINDEN, SHY GIRLS
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) Minden's record release show is headlined by Adventure Galley, whose lone EP, The Right Place to Be, is just as addictive today as when it was released two years ago. With inspiring synth hooks and '80s power chords behind a monolith of indie-rock vocals, they are poised to soundtrack a mid-'80s period piece about teenagers who find meaning by partaking in racy dancing. The unpolished vocals—at times halting, at times passionate—provide an alluring contrast with the lustrous production. Meanwhile, a new album is on the way, and advance track "Weekend Lovers" is on Soundcloud. Shy Girls is the project of Dan Vidmar, Ingmar Carlson, and Dan Sutherland, and it doesn't technically involve any girls, though it does sound quite a bit like a make-out fantasy involving En Vogue and Salt-n-Pepa. Laid-back and sexy, the thin production and unapologetically digital drums are the perfect setup for a long night of martini drinking and sex having. REBECCA WILSON Also, read our article on Minden.

THE FRESH AND ONLYS, GRASS WIDOW, TERRY MALTS
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) While San Francisco has no shortage of bands enmeshed in '60s pop in one form or another, the Fresh and Onlys continue to push it in sparkly new directions. That's to say the band's latest LP, Long Slow Dance, is a wonderfully lush earworm that has more in common with the Cure than, say, the Seeds. The record is unabashedly sweet and sentimental, brought home by Tim Cohen's echoed vocals and guitars that are less fuzzy and more reverb-drenched than ever. Don't let the slickness of the recording frighten you—you can't fault a band that wants to move out of their parents' garage and take a swan dive into the Paisley Underground. MARK LORE

FRIDAY 9/14

BRONCHO, BAD WEATHER CALIFORNIA, LOVELY BAD THINGS, JARET FERRATUSCO
(Bunk Bar, 1028 SE Water) See My, What a Busy Week!

GAYTHEIST, MINOTON, COUGAR
(Kenton Club, 2025 N Kilpatrick) Read our article on Gaytheist.

THE VIBRATORS, BOATS!, BLUE SKIES FOR BLACK HEARTS, THE CRY
(Ash Street Saloon, 225 SW Ash) We should all be very grateful that a classic, illustrious British punk band like the Vibrators would even bother playing in this city at a modest venue like Ash Street (in a perfect world, they'd be headlining the Rose Garden, but this world is clearly far from perfect). The group's 1977 debut, Pure Mania (which is consistently voted one of the best punk LPs of all time), is probably the best place to start: 15 immaculate pop hits in under 35 minutes—what an incredible value! But it's hardly where you should stop: the band's oft-eclipsed sophomore effort V2 is every bit as good. Just listen to the excellent "Fall In Love"—turns out Big Star wasn't the only band Paul Westerberg was stealing from. MORGAN TROPER

NUDE BEACH, DIVERS, DEFECT DEFECT, BI-MARKS, DJ KEN DIRTNAP
(Slabtown, 1033 NW 16th) Go ahead, Google "Nude Beach." I dare ya. If you're lucky—or if you throw the word "band" in your search phrase—you'll come across the fucking splendid New York trio, who just released their just-as-Google-proof album II on the new imprint of renowned Manhattan record emporium Other Music. (It's across the street from where Tower Records used to be, and they stocked all the cool shit Tower wouldn't—hence the name.) Originally hailing from Long Island, Nude Beach sounds like they were raised on WNEW and outdoor concerts at Jones Beach; their jangly fist-pumpers initially elicit comparisons to vintage Elvis Costello and early Tom Petty, but quickly assert themselves as their own individual entities. Roky Erickson is taking them on tour as his backing band later this year, but you don't need the godfather of American psychedelia's blessing—Nude Beach are making rock 'n' roll the way god intended: catchy, snappy, a little sloppy, and with sand in the crotch. NED LANNAMANN

BUCKETHEAD, BEN SAMPLES
(Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside) Even if you don't really give a shit about Buckethead—in which case, welcome to the club, we're nearing capacity—you have to admire how frighteningly prolific the guy (girl? animatron?) is. For the last 10 years, Bucky's been sticking to a four-LP-a-year average, while also touring—as a solo artist, briefly as a member of Colonel Claypool's Bucket of Bernie Brains, and (controversially) Guns N Roses. He is a diligent-ass dude. On the other hand, though, how hard can it be to pump a record out when you're a "virtuoso guitarist"? His latest, The Shores of Molokai, suggests it isn't very difficult at all, as the tracks all sound rather lazily assembled. Maybe this will be the show where he finally removes his disguise? MT

CHICAGO
(Oregon Zoo, 4001 SW Canyon) Before they turned into what was essentially a Peter Cetera solo vehicle (god forbid), Chicago was actually a neat little rock 'n' roll band, combining symphonic elements with solid pop songcraft while, almost inconceivably, managing to avoid prog-rock grandiosity. Chicago II, in particular, is a great record ripe for rediscovery ("Make Me Smile" and "25 or 6 to 4" are arguably the band's best known compositions from their early period, and for good reason). Anything beyond that, tread cautiously. MT

SATURDAY 9/15

MIKE COYKENDALL, OLD LIGHT, 1939 ENSEMBLE
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) Read our article on Mike Coykendall.

NURSES, AAN, HOOKERS, DJ JD SAMSON
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) Portland freak-pop quartet Aan have turned heads regionally ever since vocalist/guitarist Bud Wilson began the then-solo project in his bedroom in 2006. Wilson's songs have absorbed melodic intricacies that are hard to pack into a band's catalog, let alone single songs. Vocal vitality notwithstanding, the spooky, effects-heavy husk of 2011 7-inch single "Somewhere's Sunshine" was only a litmus test for the band's upcoming full-length, Amor Ad Nauseum (incidentally, the band's original name before it was shortened to an acronym). "I Don't Need Love," a teaser track from the new album, explodes with keys, crafty guitar solos, and macabre lyrical railing. The group is likely to play some tracks from the new album tonight; get there early for Le Tigre's JD Samson on the wheels of steel, and stay late for Nurses! RYAN J. PRADO Also see My, What a Busy Week!

ANTHRAX, TESTAMENT, DEATH ANGEL
(Roseland, 8 NW 6th) Anthrax may always be considered the bottom rung of thrash metal's Big Four, which includes Slayer, Megadeth, and Metallica. A lot of that is of course based on record sales, rather than actual recorded output. Since their formation nearly three decades ago, Anthrax has—for better or worse—fused metal and hiphop with Public Enemy (one of the first metal bands to do so), and have taken themselves far less seriously than their brow-furrowed brothers in metal. After years of floundering in the proverbial mosh pit of life, Anthrax are again firing on all cylinders. OG vocalist Joey Belladonna has returned to the fold, and the band's 2011 album Worship Music might be their crowning achievement. It surely slays anything Metallica or Megadeth have done over the past two decades. ML

HEY LOVER, PATAHA HISS, THE BUGS
(Lion's Eye Tavern, 5919 SE 82nd) Hey Lover are going to Europe! Maybe! With your help! That's where this show comes into play: Tonight the married two-piece of Justin Varga and Terah Beth Baltzer Varga are raising money for their upcoming European tour the old-fashioned way: via adorable, energetic, drunk-huggy, punky pop. Their Tennessee was one of the most charming and downright fun local records released last year, and if you haven't heard it, you want to be at this show. If you have heard it, you want to be at this show, too. Hey Lover are taking over the back patio of their local bar, and have enlisted some of their Hovercraft Records labelmates to help out. Pataha Hiss and the Bugs are no strangers to super-fun rock scuzz either, so now you know where all the good times are tonight: Way the hell out on 82nd Avenue. The show's free with a suggested donation of five bucks, and when you consider that converts to, like, a Euro and a half, it's the least you can do. NL

XINR (Q&A), DANAVA, DJ DENNIS DREAD
(East End, 203 SE Grand) Calling every metal lover and metal musician in Portland! You've gotta know your roots, or if you can dig deep enough, your seeds! Any given music scene in any given city, whether it be metal, jazz, or indie-whatever-boringness, was sparked and evolved from the bands that originally birthed it. Every band after them, for years to come, owes them thanks for the initial inspiration. Enter—or rather re-enter—Xinr (pronounced ex-sinner). Formed in '83, recorded and played shows in '84, tragically destroyed in '85 by a motorcycle accident that killed vocalist Tony Saiz and guitarist Shaun Tramel, Xinr is arguably Portland's first and best heavy metal band. We're talking tough, taut, hard-strutting, no-fooling heavy metal—the real deal. In '84 the band recorded 11 songs, only one of which made it onto 1985's Pacific Metal Project compilation. Thanks to local label Unseen Forces, all 11 tracks are now pressed to vinyl. Tonight the long-lost Xinr album will be played in its entirety, and the surviving members will be there to answer questions—plus Danava will play some of their stuff and a few Xinr songs. ARIS WALES

BOORS, TURBO PERFECTO, TWO HANDS
(The Know, 2026 NE Alberta) A decent amount of attention is already being paid to the Builders and the Butchers side-project Albatross after only a few shows earlier this year. Not as well known for some reason is the Builders' bastard stepchild, prog/metal/punk trio Turbo Perfecto. The band released a 22-minute long track in summer 2011, dubbed appropriately "The Song," within which a nonstop deluge of switched gears and breakneck drumbeats ensue. Ranging from Sabbath-y guitar interludes to manic Maiden riffage, through dense walls of wah-wah and their bread-and-butter instrumental shredding, Turbo are basically freaks of nature. Bassist Harvey Tumbleson eschews the delicate stringplay of his Builders banjo/mandolin tandem for monstrous low-end distortion, while drummer Justin Baier and guitarist Joe Simon (both also of yesteryear psych rockers Dr. Helicopter) radiate equally ferocious runs of schizophrenic rock. RJP

SUNDAY 9/16

ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST 50TH ANNIVERSARY PARTY: 1939 ENSEMBLE
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) See My, What a Busy Week!.

THE PAUSES, THE SLIDELLS, JOSH AND MER
(Tonic Lounge, 3100 NE Sandy) Like 'N Sync, the Pauses are from Orlando, but let's not hold that against them. It's pretty clear this trio spent the boy-band years absorbing the entire Saddle Creek catalog. Their debut, A Cautionary Tale, is as poppily sincere as anything from Rilo Kiley, except that just when you begin to take a song for granted, they wrench the carpet out from under your feet. Take "Little Kids," a song that starts out as a sweetheart confessional, with a mid-tempo synth riff; after a few verses of navel gazing—and an instrumental breakdown midway through—Tierney Tough breaks into a full-on lyrical assault that completely belies the tenderness of just a few minutes ago. Opening are the Slidells, who play doo-wop that sounds exactly like something really awful is about to happen in a David Lynch movie. RW

MONDAY 9/17

THE JEALOUS SOUND, DAYTRADER
(Bunk Bar, 1028 SE Water) Forgive me, Jealous Sound, for not giving your latest album, A Gentle Reminder, a fair chance upon its release. It's just that it sounds so much like Kill Them with Kindness, your 2000 release that I love, love, LOVE, that I just decided to skip listening to the new songs altogether and go back to the old favorites. My bad. After I forced myself to give it one more listen—to prep for the show, to write this blurb—I discovered it's actually a pretty nice album on its own. I like the extra injection of synth throughout, and "Promise of the West" flirts with a Pinback vibe. My only gripe: "Perfect Timing" sounds a bit too much like Kings of Leon's "Use Somebody." Just make sure you visit Kill Them with Kindness on tonight's set list and we'll be cool, okay? Okay! MEGAN SELING Also see My, What a Busy Week!

TUESDAY 9/18

LOST LANDER, RAVENNA WOODS, ROYAL CANOE
(Bunk Bar, 1028 SE Water) See My, What a Busy Week!

MIKE COYKENDALL
(Music Millennium, 3158 E Burnside) Read our article on Mike Coykendall.

SAUL WILLIAMS
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) Saul Williams strikes that nebulous line between beat poetry and hiphop that only people with the utmost self-confidence and talent can sell without looking like (and I speak from experience here) an embarrassing 14-year-old at a talent show. His fifth album, Volcanic Sunlight, might better be called a mixtape, an album bound only by the listener' sense of, "What the fuck is coming next?" It plays like a karaoke set of all of Williams' favorite genres, except that he made up the lyrics. The title track is a freewheeling rant (the only one on the album) backed by a wall of drums and sinister horns. With a blithe disregard for generic convention, it's followed by the soulful "Patience," the post-industrial funk of "Explain My Heart," and the videogame synth of "Diagram." The single, "Dance," is the standout, largely because it's a duet with Janelle Monáe. RW

WEDNESDAY 9/19

BOB MOULD, THE THERMALS
(Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell) Read our article on Bob Mould.

SONDRE LERCHE, FANCY COLORS
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) Coffee-shop playlists and first dances following matrimony share an equally strong adoration of Sondre Lerche. Why? He's got this unassuming charm about the way he conducts himself—a nostalgic, boyish charm galvanized through simple-hearted lyrics that never approach maudlin, and an appreciation for the softer faces of folk and harmony. Bootlegs, his latest release, is a perfect soundtrack to prime any anticipated live experience of Lerche, given that, well, it's a live album, but also because it catalogs the songwriter at his highest peak of confidence. And with six full-lengths embedded in his career (his debut, Faces Down, was released in 2001 when he was 19), he's definitely earned himself the adjective most creatives seek: prolific. JONATHAN MAGDALENO

LABELMATES: PICTORIALS, UNKLE FUNKLE, DJ E*ROCK, DJ CUICA, DJ SAHELSOUNDS
(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) Holocene's yearly recurring Labelmates party returns, turning the idea of the record fair on its ear—this being Portland, it's more like a farmers market than a convention. A bevy of local labels, including High Scores and Records, Bladen County, Tender Loving Empire, Mama Bird Recording Co., and lots and lots of others, all set up tables in the same room. And if all that local bounty were not enough to generate intrigue, there are DJs, live music from Unkle Funkle and Pictorials (who have their own debut EP coming out October 1), video premieres, and a raffle. NL

THE SECRET DRUM BAND, DUBAI
(Revival Drum Shop, 1465 NE Prescott) The Creative Music Guild is probably one of Portland's least-known non-profits, but they're one of the key players in archiving evolutions of the city's deepest musical troves. Typically, local music ink here furthers genres documented in year-end "best of" lists, while bands of experimental and noise arrays commonly get the short end—but those musical pariahs (strictly referring to popularity) are usually the most accurate in expressing life in a city where it rains six months out of the year. Tonight, the CMG presents Secret Drum Band and Dubai in a continuation of the Outset Series, which hosts improvised sets by experimental groups at intimate locations free of charge. Your hearing might get fucked, but the alacrity these groups have for rhythmic collision is best experienced raw. JM