WEDNESDAY 12/19

DEATH SONGS, BARNA HOWARD, DJ ERIK MENTEER
(Valentine's, 232 SW Ankeny) See My, What a Busy Week!

BOOM!, ADULT BOOKS, DRINKING FLOWERS, SUPERSUN
(The Know, 2026 NE Alberta) On November 29 at Club 21, Boom! played their first local show in a good while, and tonight is your chance for sloppy seconds. Not that they've been idle. The punk-garage trio dropped a whole bunch of terrific new songs in the past few months—the juicy new Boom! Singles compilation tape just came out on Slop Bop Records, and the A-side of their recent 7-inch on Hovercraft, "High You Can't Buy," could be Boom!'s finest moment yet. It's a melodic piece of sticky fuzz that sounds gigantic at full blast, which is the required listening volume. For the full Boom! experience, though, get to this show and put your trembling earholes as close as possible to the source. Tonight's pre-Christmas throwdown will be the equivalent of a Red Ryder BB gun: You'll probably shoot something out, but that's not gonna make you want it any less. NED LANNAMANN

FOLDING SPACE: PILLOWTALK, CENTRIKAL, METRONOME, MICAH MCNELLY
(Someday Lounge, 125 NW 5th) On a mission to defy all genres, PillowTalk (Sammy D, Ryan Williams, and Michael Tello) combines classic R&B, boogie, underground house, and techno. The trio is reminiscent of a soul band dancing on the edge of a tropical funk storm. Songs laced with 808 house beats and Sammy D's luscious doo-wop croon make for very easy listening. 2012 has been a big year for the band, with releases on Visionquest, Wolf + Lamb, and Life and Death, with more yet to come. Steering this holiday pleasure cruise is Centrikal (Patrick Anthony Frye). The techno producer and DJ has releases on several labels, including Portland's very own SubSensory Records and Nude Photo Music, all of which showcase an affinity for Midwestern techno and Chicago house music that any aficionado is sure to appreciate. CHRISTINA BROUSSARD

THURSDAY 12/20

SYNTHICIDE: DDDJJJ666, MAXX BASS, MUSIQUE PLASTIQUE
(The Lovecraft, 421 SE Grand) See My, What a Busy Week!

2 CHAINZ, CAP 1
(Roseland, 8 NW 6th) College Park, Georgia's 2Chainz has been rapping since 1997, but he did so under the questionable moniker Tity Boi until 2011. Since changing his name, he has become one of the most ubiquitous voices on the radio, featured on tracks Nicki Minaj, Rick Ross, Drake, Kanye West, Juicy J, and a host of other mainstream heavyweights. His signature name-call adlib and goofy lyrical demeanor have made him a fixture on hooks (see A$AP Rocky's new heater, "Fuckin' Problems"), and one of the only rappers today who can turn words like "She got a big booty/So I call her big booty" into anthemic club chants. That he also wishes, in the same song, to be buried inside the Gucci and/or Louis stores when he dies is a bit depressing—but as the last few years of rap have made extremely clear, not everything is meant to be taken at face value. MIKE RAMOS

FRIDAY 12/21

COOL NUTZ, ILLMACULATE, BEEJAN, DJ OG-1, DJ FATBOY
(Someday Lounge, 125 NW 5th) It's telling that, when Brother Ali came through town last October and tweeted a last-minute plea for an available studio to record a verse, it was Cool Nutz who stepped up to the plate and hooked the man up. Nutz is a double-decade veteran of the Portland music scene who has taken Illmaculate to Australia, E-40 to Europe, and tour managed East Oakland's Kreayshawn and Portland's own DJ Fatboy all the way to a national television appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live. In addition to all of his efforts to push West Coast hiphop to international audiences, Nutz finds time to promote local up-and-coming artists on his radio show, as well as hosting benefits like tonight's hyperbolic "Best Toy Drive Ever." Seriously, though, name a better toy drive. Take your time. You can't, can you? RYAN FEIGH Also see My, What a Busy Week!

PAUL DI'ANNO, LONERO
[***UPDATE: This show has been postponed until 2013.]
(Hawthorne Theatre, 1507 SE Cesar E. Chavez) For Iron Maiden's first two records, Paul Di'Anno's tough, punk-rock snarl and leather look was just what the band needed to help them stomp onto the heavy metal scene. Unfortunately, the powers that be soon determined that what they really needed was someone who could keep up with the Rob Halfords of the world. Enter Bruce Dickinson, and the rest is history. Despite the bummer for Di'Anno, no metal fan can deny his important role in creating the music they hold dear. So, has anybody told him that? 'Cause he may not know. His bands Gogmagog, Battlezone, and Killers never quite caught on like Maiden did, so now, 30 years later—and following a jail sentence in 2011 for claiming incapacity benefits while still earning income from live performances—Di'Anno's resorting to the "Remember This?" tour. While it might be an extremely pitiful display, it also might be amazing to see Iron Maiden sung in its entirety by the voice that originally helmed it. Throw the man one last bone. It's sad, but he earned it and he deserves it. ARIS WALES

SATURDAY 12/22

LOVESTONED: AUGHTS DANCE PARTY: DJ ZACK, SEX LIFE DJS, DJ ZAC ENO, DJ E*ROCK
(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) See My, What a Busy Week!

PDX-MAS: HOSANNAS, JUST LIONS, OLD AGE, THE WORLD RADIANT
(Someday Lounge, 125 NW 5th) What better way to celebrate the holidays than to support your favorite free music festival, PDX Pop Now! (If it's not your favorite, you're either a Grinch or you've never been.) This will be basically like getting yourself a present so far in advance that you forget about it entirely, which will make it all the more surprising and rewarding when the July festival rolls around. For now, treat yourself with the delicate melodies of Hosannas, the soothing pop-rock of Just Lions, the lo-fi folk charm of Old Age, and, last but not least, the subtle, warm tunes of the World Radiant. This show is one of few chances you'll have to drink and dance your way into benefiting your future self and your city come summertime, so do us all a favor and keep your tab open. RACHEL MILBAUER

KELLI SCHAEFER, TOPE, SLANG
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) Representing Amigo/Amiga Recordings' diverse catalog of Portland artists is, well, all three of the acts currently on their roster, all performing for the label's annual holiday party tonight. Kelli Schaefer's ascent from meat-and-potatoes folk-pop songwriter to minimalist electronic canoodler has been one of the more engaging musical evolutions of the past few years. Similarly, hiphop wunderkind Tope's well-deserved exposure into the collective consciousness of the rap underground has been a beacon for backpack rhymers in the Rose City, and his remix of Schaefer's "Home" was one of the more successful crossover achievements of recent years. Rounding out the festivities is the amazeballs cover-song styling of Slang, also known as Janet Weiss (Wild Flag) and Drew Grow, minus his usual compadres in the Pastors' Wives. Get out of the cold, support local music and a great local label all at once. RYAN J. PRADO

EAST END'S FIVE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY: AUSTIN COOK, THE LOVESORES, TANYA, GUN PARTY, DEFECT DEFECT, DI DI MAU, YOUTHBITCH
(East End, 203 SE Grand) For five glorious years, underground Portland bands and music fans alike have found a loving home at the East End bar and music venue. The club carved its niche in embracing an aesthetic and sensibility that hearkened to London's hallowed "East End" scene at the height of its hipness, and has flourished due to excellent booking, staffing, and an atmosphere conducive to maximum rock 'n' roll. They're marking a half decade by recreating 1976's seminal 100 Club Punk Special festival: and Portland's own will cover legendary bands of yesteryear. It's the perfect way to celebrate what's been done and what's yet to come with a fitting lineup of local acts, including two that essentially embody the East End vibe—Di Di Mau (performing Damned songs) and Youthbitch (taking on the Buzzcocks). Both bands are equal parts performance and punk, alternately sullen, snarling, and vivacious, all descriptors that could also apply to a certain side of our city. MARANDA BISH

TANGO ALPHA TANGO, MINDEN
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) The 2012 EP from Tango Alpha Tango, Kill & Haight, is spiked with dirty, badass guitar riffs and twangy vocals by Nathan Trueb that punch with attitude. It would be too easy to compare this PDX trio to the Black Keys, but the two bands certainly draw inspiration from the same old-school, bluesy well. Tonight they celebrate the release of Live from the Banana Stand, recorded at the fabled Portland house venue. Catch them with Minden, a newer band to the Portland scene, and one that oozes with an effortless-seeming suaveness that makes them all the more desirable. Their recent LP, Exotic Cakes, offers dreamy songs that are fun and intriguing, and a welcome addition to the ever-expanding sphere of Portland pop. RM

SUNDAY 12/23

HUSTLE AND DRONE, D.S.R.
(Rontoms, 600 E Burnside) See My, What a Busy Week!

AMY RAY, LINDSAY FULLER, KAIA WATSON
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) No joke—Amy Ray's solo effort released earlier in the year, Lung of Love, very nearly infiltrated my top five albums of 2012 list. Although it didn't quite make the cut, it is a solid-as-hell pop record. I've always considered myself a bit of an Indigo Girls apologist, always coming to the band's defense whenever one of my unenlightened friends slags 'em (just the other day I heard somebody singing the chorus to "Closer to Fine" mockingly—needless to say, I dished it out). But Lung of Love might be better than anything Ray has been involved with to date; "Glow" sounds sort of like a misplaced Figure 8 gem (!), and the title track absolutely kills. If you're surprised... well, you shouldn't be. MORGAN TROPER

MONDAY 12/24

COOL BREEZE
(The Spare Room, 4830 NE 42nd) See My, What a Busy Week!

TUESDAY 12/25

A very happy birthday to country superstar Barbara Mandrell, as well as to Dido, Annie Lennox, Jimmy Buffett, Monsieur Rickey Henderson, and the lovely Sissy Spacek. Oh, and Shane MacGowan! (But not his teeth, they have a different birthday.) Oh yes, and it's Karl Rove's birthday, too. And Sir Isaac Newton! Let's see. Are we forgetting anyone?