THURSDAY 12/4

EXPLODE INTO COLORS, FIST FITE, DJ SPENCER D

(East End, 203 SE Grand) See listing.

BLITZEN TRAPPER, STARFUCKER, THE PARSON RED HEADS

(Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell) See review.

FRIDAY 12/5

PORTLAND CELLO PROJECT, MIRAH, JENNY CONLEE, RITCHIE YOUNG , MATT SHEEHY & MORE

(Aladdin Theater, 3017 SE Milwaukie) See listing.

THE THERMALS, PANTHER, CHAMPAGNE CHAMPAGNE, DJ MAGGIE VAIL

(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) See review, and listing.

CHRIS ROBLEY, TANGO ALPHA TANGO, JAMES LOW

(Someday Lounge, 125 NW 5th) See review.

WHITE FANG , MAD RAD, DEELAY CEELAY

(The Artistery, 4315 SE Division) See review.

LANGHORNE SLIM, FOGATRON,

(Bagdad Theater, 3702 SE Hawthorne) I am not sure if the anniversary of the 21st Amendment and the repeal of Prohibition counts as a holiday, but Dewar's seems to think so, and they're hosting a free party complete with flappers, hooch, and beatboxer extraordinaire Fogatron. But high-proof Dewar's doesn't have anything on the intoxicating bluegrass-soul of Langhorne Slim. His tunes provide the best parts of a liquor buzz, without the hangover. NED LANNAMANN

EARTHLESS, ANCIENT AGE, DJ HUGH HESHNER

(East End, 203 SE Grand) There's a lot of vintage psychedelia metal roaming the music halls of the West Coast nowadays, spouting double-digit track lengths, mind-fucking solos, and overtly jam-rocking progressions of retro bombast. Earthless aren't necessarily the foremost purveyors of this relatively new movement in throwback rehash; they're just one of the most well known. But you don't gain notoriety for being hacks, and Earthless is nothing if not a proud study in the art of vortexian noodling and, frankly, badass '70s-era hard rock. Drummer Mario Rubalcaba alone (Hot Snakes, Witch, and tons more) has enough spark to ignite the trio; add Isaiah Mitchell and Mike Eginton with a naughty dual axe assault and you've got nowhere to hide. RYAN J. PRADO

THE WEATHER MACHINES , STARKEYS, WE ARE TOM

(Backspace, 115 NW 5th) Local label Tigers Against Crime is celebrating a triple CD release tonight, and you can get free copies of each new disc just by showing up. I could tell you how the Weather Machines make some of the most exhilarating power pop around, and how the new Bones & Brains EP doesn't have a single weak moment. I could tell you that Starkeys is going to be a band to watch, with the excellent Dilmun EP containing spiraling, infectious pop that actually deserves to be mentioned in the same sentence as the Beatles. I could tell you that the moody avant-pop of We Are Tom generates a sense of delicate menace. I could even tell you that, apparently, a dancing tiger will be present. But there's not room. So I'll just say: Go. Free CDs. Great music. Possible dancing tiger. You'd be a fool to miss it. NL

SATURDAY 12/6

AKIMBO, ANCIENT AGE, RABBITS

(Slabtown, 1033 NW 16th) See listing.

THE THERMALS, CHAMPAGNE CHAMPAGNE, DJ MAGGIE VAIL

(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) See review, and listing

EAT SKULL, METH TEETH , WET HAIR, PEAKING LIGHTS

(East End, 203 SE Grand) If "Dawn in the Face," now streaming on Eat Skull's MySpace page, is any indication, forthcoming album Wild and Inside will show a softer side of the brain-smashing lo-fi pop wizards. Its strummy acoustic guitar and forlorn lyrics are an unexpected trip into folky ballad territory, but with bleeding lead guitar and a peculiar whirring synth puncturing the song's delicacy, it shows Eat Skull have not lost any sense of adventure, and the track's catchy singsong melody proves they're writing songs just as potent as ever. NL

THE PRIDS , THE ESTRANGED, SPIDER TEST

(The Know, 2026 NE Alberta) This year, the Estranged released their dynamite first album on Dirtnap Records, and it's a propulsive, lean 'n' mean assortment that recalls the minimalism and snarl of punk's first days. Coming from the same folks who brought us the death-crust metal of Remains of the Day, it's a surprise to hear them tackle a totally different genre with such purpose and confidence. The Prids, too, have had a significant year; after a harrowing van accident, they've bounced back to bring us their tense, tuneful new wave. NL

MONDAY 12/8

CHARLIE HUNTER TRIO

(Aladdin Theater, 3017 SE Milwaukie) See listing.

FRANZ FERDINAND, COLD WAR KIDS

(Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside) It's been years since Franz Ferdinand dropped "Take Me Out," one of the most unlikely but undeniably catchy alt-rock singles in quite some time. After setting the bar at such heroic heights, it's no wonder the Glaswegian band has yet to recreate their initial success. But for a mass marketed band, the Franz lads are infallibly likeable—especially frontman Alex Kapranos, who produced the splendid Men's Needs, Women's Needs, Whatever album from the Cribs—so if next year's Tonight: Franz Ferdinand returns them to the top of the pop music dogpile (sorry, Killers, no more room for you), then more power to them. EZRA ACE CARAEFF

TUESDAY 12/9

MT. ST. HELENS VIETNAM BAND, WILDBIRDS & PEACEDRUMS

(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) See listing.

WEDNESDAY 12/10

THAO WITH THE GET DOWN STAY DOWN, LAURA GIBSON, AMBER RUBARTH

(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) See listing.

18TH DYE, DEVON WILLIAMS, MOODRING

(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) In news that is sure to matter only to a select group of hardcore indie rock geeks, 18th Dye have reunited. For everyone else, a little back-story: 18th Dye were an overlooked mid-'90s alternative band who used a fuzzed-out, loud-quiet-loud formula reminiscent of the Wedding Present and Sonic Youth. And, even despite being championed by Yo La Tengo, the band never managed anything above a fervent cult status here in the States. Hopefully this little reunion tour will change all that. ROB SIMONSEN

THE GROUCH, ELIGH, G & E, SANDPEOPLE, THE BAYLIENS, PAUL DATEH, DJ FRESH

(Berbati's Pan, 10 SW 3rd) During the Living Legends' late-'90s heyday, the Grouch released what many fans consider one of the crew's defining albums, Making Perfect Sense. Among his brooding, Bay-bred ground-level musings is the sparse, steel-drum driven "Simple Man," perhaps the best catalog of his pragmatic B-boy belief system: "Hi-hats on eighth notes," "food with cheese in it," and "20 dollar pants to the end." Instead of the too-frequent anti-mainstream manifestos of the era, the Grouch just showed y'all how much truer it was—as my man Mike Watt would have it: "Jam Econo." LARRY MIZELL JR.