THURSDAY 10/4

ELVIS TURNS 50
(Star Theater, 13 NW 6th) See My, What a Busy Week!

WOODEN INDIAN BURIAL GROUND, STILL CAVES, AU DUNES
(Barlow Tavern, 6008 N Greeley) Hot holy jeezums, Wooden Indian Burial Ground's new, self-titled record is it. The Portland four-piece hammers out jumping-bean psychedelic garage boogie that's jam-packed with yips, rips, trips, flips, and more unnecessary feedback than an employee evaluation card. Wooden Indian Burial Ground doesn't have a single dull moment on it, whether it be from the full-throttle shredfest of opener "Helicopter," the damaged military three-step of "Waltz for Eldritch," the blunted caravan roll of "Bryant St. Death Cult," or the wah-wah-strewn horror-movie theme of album closer "A Long Way from Cerrillos." With this record, Wooden Indian Burial Ground have squealed and moaned their way to the upper echelon of West Coast psych—a crowded and competitive field, to say the least. To raise money for a cross-country trip to CMJ, they're playing a record release show at Barlow Tavern, the revamped new spot (formerly the Corner Spot Tavern) brought to you by the good folks from Vendetta. NED LANNAMANN

GRIZZLY BEAR, LOWER DENS
(Keller Auditorium, 222 SW Clay) Brooklyn quartet Grizzly Bear have maintained their long-held status as indie-rock royalty the old-fashioned way—by releasing beautifully composed, arranged, and produced albums that reward repeat listens. Shields, their latest, takes a step back from the brighter, upbeat sound on 2009's celebrated Veckatimest, but offers the same kind of complex textures and song structures for listeners to get lost in. The band isn't all mixing/mastering tricks, and they have the instrumental and vocal chops to make their stuff sound even better live. The spacious Keller Auditorium offers an ideal setting to sit back and let the new album material, and probably some old favorites, soak in. MIKE RAMOS

THE PSYCHEDELIC FURS, THE CHEVIN
(Aladdin Theater, 3017 SE Milwaukie) The first two Psychedelic Furs albums—1980's The Psychedelic Furs and 1981's Talk Talk Talk—stand as towering monuments of British post-punk. This was rock shot through with world-weary cynicism, a haggard descendent of glam that had disgustedly thrown off the glitter, platform boots, and feather boas, accruing deep pathos in the process. The Furs' first LP rivals anything done by Echo and the Bunnymen or Joy Division for melodic grandeur and lyrical gravitas, but 1982's Forever Now marked a slow, increasingly sugary decline. Still, those earlier songs should form the nucleus of a strong set. And Richard Butler's cancerous croon remains one of rock's most distinctive sounds. DAVE SEGAL

LAETITIA SADIER, ORCA TEAM
(Bunk Bar, 1028 SE Water) "There Is a Price to Pay for Freedom (And It Isn't Security)," from Laetitia Sadier's second solo outing Silencio, is a mouthful of a song that brings futuristic lounge to good ol' politically divided 2012. While the former Stereolab frontwoman does get in a few political barbs here and there, she's also preoccupied with making pop music that is lush and dramatic. Stereolab did it for more than a decade, offering twee-minded folks a little lyrical sustenance so they didn't have to resort to Rage Against the Machine or Bad Religion. And while things don't always look so bright in her songs, Sadier will at least keep Stereolab hangers-on happy for the time being. MARK LORE

SIX ORGANS OF ADMITTANCE, LOW HUMS, COLOSSAL YES
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) Despite Ben Chasny's mercurial nerdiness, I've always liked Six Organs of Admittance. Emotionally, I ascribe this to the fact that the band came into existence at the same time I became an adult, and it's comforting to hear that somebody else also experiences frequent fluctuations in mood and identity. In reality though, SOOA may have faded from my consciousness were it not for Chasny's affiliation with Comets on Fire, the face-melting psychedelic band whose depressingly long hiatus effectively ended with this year's Ascent. In name, it's an SOOA album, but the huge sound, drawn-out solos, and sonic stoniness fill the aural gap where a long-awaited Comets on Fire album should be, and each band's lineup is coterminous with the other. Ascent also marks a meaningful—and by now expected—departure from SOOA's 2011 release, Asleep on the Floodplain, a gorgeously sparse album in which Chasny played every last instrument himself. REBECCA WILSON

BULLETS OR BALLOONS, OUTER SPACE HEATERS, IN PUBLIC VIEW
(Tonic Lounge, 3100 NE Sandy) Olympia trio Bullets or Balloons reside in the sort of free-for-all punk-rock mish-mash first explored by the Minutemen, and later fIREHOSE—all three bands basking in temporal time-signature noodling and noose-tight riffs. Not surprisingly, the band recently opened for Mike Watt and his Missingmen in Spokane. But while the resemblance between the two bands is an easy distinction, Bullets or Balloons is also clearly a conglomeration of varying influences. Their self-titled debut carries bold musical choices, like the instrumental, bass-led track "Number 2," which is followed by the speak-sung political prog-punk tune "GNR," barked in homage to readymade tuneless vocalists like Spencer Moody. With this kind of open-book experimentalism, there are some downright strange avenues explored, too ("Relapsecore"), but the vast majority of the material coming from the trio so far is extremely provocative, and a promising bastion for Northwest punk. RYAN J. PRADO

FRIDAY 10/5

STREETCAR MOBILE MUSIC FEST
(Various locations) See My, What a Busy Week!

FALL INTO DARKNESS: WORM OUROBOROS, SUBROSA, WILD HUNT, ARANYA
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) The music of ethereal doom unit Worm Ouroboros moves at a glacial pace; and even though it won't necessarily level listeners with merciless riffs or vocals that sound like they come from the bowels of Hades, there's still something dark and eerie about the Bay Area trio's second LP, Come the Thaw. A lot of that has to do with core members Jessica Way and Lorraine Rath, whose vocals float over guitars that are more often spartan and elegant than caked in sludge. The band helps kick off the three-night Fall into Darkness fest, which assembles heavies from all over the country. Also playing tonight's free show are locals Aranya (featuring Witch Mountain vocalist Uta Plotkin), Salt Lake doomsters SubRosa, and Wild Hunt from the East Bay. Bone-crushing—minus the broken bones. ML Also see My, What a Busy Week!

CALOBO, LEWI LONGMIRE BAND
(Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside) Do you remember Calobo? Through the '90s, the roots-rock band toured up and down the West Coast and sold 100,000 records without the help of an outside label. They broke up in 2001, but they're reuniting for three Northwest shows, including one at their old Portland stomping ground, the Crystal Ballroom. It's worth mentioning the reunion for its own merits, but if you don't remember Calobo, perhaps you know some of the famous Portland bands that descended from it: Bassist Nate Query and keyboardist Jenny Conlee went on to join the Decemberists and Black Prairie, and guitarist/mandolinist/vocalist Caleb Klauder is a lynchpin of Foghorn Stringband and the Caleb Klauder Country Band. Calobo—rounded out by guitarist/vocalist David Andrews, drummer Brian Bucolo, guitarist Kenneth Erlick, and vocalist Michelle Van Kleef—has an immaculate pedigree, and tonight's a not-to-be-repeated-anytime-soon opportunity for bereft fans to revisit one of the most important Oregon bands of the '90s. Chances are, Calobo will earn some new fans as well. NL

THE SHAKY HANDS, KYLE MORTON, ILLMACULATE & G_FORCE,POINT JUNCTURE WA & MORE
(Backspace, 115 NW 5th & Someday Lounge, 125 NW 5th) Something pretty exciting happens when two people who have dedicated themselves to cultivating the Portland music scene decide to throw a party. Arya Imig (booker, writer, band manager) is having a birthday and Casey Jarman is gracefully stepping down from his meaningful and influential post at the music editor desk at the other Portland weekly. As they get all sappy celebrating another year of change and things to come, I will be reaping the benefits of their accumulated knowledge and effort, in the form of tonight's really rad, two-venue show. Illmaculate & G_Force and Point Juncture, WA will each play their fan-favorite albums, The Green Tape and Heart to Elk, from start to finish, and the Shaky Hands play a reunion show! A must-see event for anyone who wants a recap of what's been happening in local music over the last few years. ROCHELLE HUNTER

LLOYD ALLEN SR.
(Blue Diamond, 2016 NE Sandy) Blue Diamond typically hosts free live music on their cramped corner stage Friday nights. Rarely, however, is it as engaging as when the legendary Lloyd Allen Sr. and his revolving-cast backing band sets up. Veterans of Portland's Waterfront Blues Festival are no doubt in the know regarding Allen Sr., a charming, smartly dressed blues practitioner with over six decades of performance time logged in and around Portland. He began his performance career at age 13 with the Vibratones in the '50s at yesteryear hotspots like Paul's Paradise, then later as one-quarter of '00s blues foursome the Cannonballs. Allen's guitar and vocal chops have yielded opening slots for the likes of B.B. King, Dinah Washington, and more. You can find out why for free this Friday; don't be surprised if you get a tableside visit by Allen Sr. himself. RJP

THE MALDIVES, CELILO, SARA JACKSON-HOLMAN
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) I first heard the Maldives in Brooklyn, at a time when my heart ached for the Pacific Northwest. It was just a few weeks short of three years ago, and they were buried in the middle of a CMJ showcase, not a situation that facilitates being noticed. But I found that the Maldives sounded like my homesickness (and not at all like an atoll in the Indian Ocean). They reminded me of the Band—I thought that frontman Jason Dodson even looked like young Levon Helm—and I was impressed by the sound and energy of their many members. Steeped in the banjo-driven melancholy of the Northwest, the Maldives nevertheless totally rock, especially live. Muscle for the Wing, out this month, showcases their skill as tellers of big, sad tales, as well as the maturity and timelessness of their variety of roots rock. RW

ZOOBOMBS, NOSTALGIA, SUPER ROCKS
(East End, 203 SE Grand) Hey, listen up! Zoobombs—who've been around since 1994—are coming all the way from Tokyo to play for you at ye olde East End. Their bluesy experimental punk is heavily influenced by Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, and also by vintage Sonic Youth. They've opened for Jon Spencer, in fact, and the Flaming Lips, too. Zoobombs don't use setlists, and bring an energetic, unpredictable chaos to their live sets. They know what to do, and now they just need you. KELLY O

SATURDAY 10/6

FALL INTO DARKNESS: SAINT VITUS, WEEDEATER, SOURVEIN, EPHEMEROS
(Branx, 320 SE 2nd) Another of the countless reasons why metal is the greatest form of musical expression on earth is that there is no need for a changing of the guard. Old bands are always relevant, even if what they are presently producing could slip anywhere into their discography. Lillie: F-65, the most recent slab from Saint Vitus, has the same crawling, stripped-down doom fans have been hearing since 1984. Dave Chandler's licks, tone, and depraved lyrics are spot on, and Scott "Wino" Weinrich's voice hasn't aged a smidge. The fact that Vitus hasn't changed or evolved much in their time doesn't make Lillie bad or boring, and it doesn't mean that bands like Weedeater, Sourvein, and Ephemeros don't still owe them a debt of gratitude, it just means Vitus has still got it. They may have been born some time ago, but thankfully they are still here standing proud with future generations of doom. ARIS WALES Also see My, What a Busy Week!

SUNDAY 10/7

FALL INTO DARKNESS: WOLVSERPENT, VHOL, BELL WITCH, EIGHT BELLS
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) See My, What a Busy Week!

THE XX, JOHN TALABOT
(Roseland, 8 NW 6th) Read our article on the xx.

MECCA NORMAL, AMENTA ABIOTO, REBECCA GATES
(Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center, 5340 N Interstate) I'm not merely indulging sentimentality here when I write that the all-ages music scene in Portland sure isn't what it used to be. By "used to be," I'm referring to a mere couple of years ago—in hindsight, venues like the defunct Chaos Café, Satyricon, and the Artistery seemed almost too good to be true, and the number of houses receptive to hosting shows has ostensibly decreased significantly since then as well, leaving very little options for those under 21. So this is great news: all-ages shows are now being held at the Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center building through the stalwart Rock 'n' Roll Camp for Girls, and the kickoff show—which is also curated by the camp—features progenitorial indie rock duo Mecca Normal as headliner. See you there! MORGAN TROPER

ALANIS MORISSETTE
(Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside) I want you to know, that I'm hap-py for you. I wish nothing but. The best. For. You both. An older version of me, is she perverted like me? Would she go down on you in a theater? Does she speak eloquently, and would she have your ba-by? I'm sure she'd make a really excellent mother. Gjjedebu bedbede jjje je de deaux jeded debejedeba ba pa open wide. No! Nenebettie ma deepene neh da deh deh debejedebe bedebey until you died! 'Til you died! And you're still alive! DAVE COULIER

RANDOM, MR MIRANDA, DJ DN3, MOUSE POWELL, CLOUDY OCTOBER, DESTRO
(Ted's, 231 SW Ankeny) Arizona via Philadelphia emcee Random first gained national attention with his 2007 release Mega Ran, a musical nod to the Mega Man videogame series. The album was so successful in the nerdcore community that it landed him a licensing agreement with a videogame company as well as exposure in mainstream national press. Random still uses the alias Mega Ran to this day, despite the fact that his lyrics are too stylistically diverse to be defined as strictly nerdcore. Case in point: "I came to fix the game like Dick Bavetta." A former teacher, Random is just as likely to reference Kafka or spit a bar about Simon & Schuster and Random House as he is videogames. He's certainly the only rapper I know with the commendable distinction of having a percentage of sales from his latest release, River City Random, benefiting an anti-bullying organization. RYAN FEIGH

MONDAY 10/8

THEE OH SEES, SIC ALPS
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) See My, What a Busy Week! and read our article on Sic Alps.

JUSTIN BIEBER, CARLY RAE JEPSEN
(Rose Garden, 1 Center Ct) Some people might be furious they couldn't score tickets to tonight's sold-out Justin Bieber/Carly Rae Jepsen concert. NOT... ME. While my extended case of "Bieber Fever" has been well documented (along with many unfair accusations of pedophilia), I am OVER "Das Biebs." Why? Because he was a talented underdog who achieved glory without any help from Ryan Seacrest—and now? He's like, super popular and 18 years old. BLECHH!! (Did you hear he recently puked onstage? He was throwing up his remaining innocence.) Now I'm obsessed with his bill-mate Carly Rae Jepson, whose number-one summer jam "Call Me Maybe" is the most awesome... wait. This just in: I don't like her anymore either. She's popular and old. Next piece of meat, please! WM. STEVEN HUMPHREY

TUESDAY 10/9

THEE OH SEES, SIC ALPS
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) See My, What a Busy Week! and read our article on Sic Alps.

WEDNESDAY 10/10

DOLOREAN
(LaurelThirst Public House, 2958 NE Glisan) See My, What a Busy Week!

TIN HOUSE RELEASE: GOLDEN RETRIEVER, CLOAKS
(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) See My, What a Busy Week!

GOSSIP, MAGIC MOUTH, BONNIE MONTGOMERY
(Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside) Read our article on Gossip.

THEESATISFACTION, KINGDOM CRUMBS
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) Read our article on THEESatisfaction.