Giants in the Trees, Lenore
The first thing you’ll probably hear about Giants in the Trees is that the band’s bassist/accordionist is none other than Krist Novoselic of Nirvana. But musically, Giants in the Trees shares little (if anything) with Novoselic’s famous past—after meeting at their local Grange in Skamokawa, Washington, late last year the four-piece released their swamp-rocky self-titled debut and has since been playing shows around the Pacific Northwest. The band’s true star is singer/guitarist Jillian Raye, whose enchanting, Stevie Nicks-esque vocals and sultry runs buoy songs like “Sasquatch” and “The In-Between.” Giants in the Trees strays into quirky realms on the zydeco-influenced “Ode to Pacific Anarchism,” but pop explorations like “Paper Life” cut the occasionally strange tracks with magically melodic rock. (8:30 pm, Mississippi Studios, $17) RYAN J. PRADO
Collate, Casual Burn, Ex-Kids
Collate’s brand of post-punk, with its spooked incantations and skittish instruments, is an ideal companion for a reluctant march into an uncertain future. (8 pm, The Fixin’ To, $5)
Jurassic Park
Come on. It’s fucking Jurassic Park. It is always wonderful, best on the big screen, and you don’t have to beg for an advance on your allowance to see it this time. (7 pm, Clinton Street Theater, $5) ELINOR JONES
The Beths, Mere Mention, Olivia Awbrey
Don’t worry about placing the Beths within a larger trajectory of New Zealand music. Sure, the Auckland four-piece has a few things in common with the influential “Dunedin sound” and the reservoir of remarkable bands that made up the roster of Flying Nun Records, but the Beths’ sterling debut album Future Me Hates Me is closer to power-pop than jingle-jangle. From the opening track, “Great No One,” this band delivers smorgasbord after smorgasbord of hooks, with fuzzy guitars, soaring choruses, and irresistible melodies stacked high on top of each other. There’s also a magnanimous sense of congeniality, courtesy of singer/guitarist Elizabeth Stokes, whose self-deprecating lyrics and unaffected delivery make her sound like a close, fast friend whose understanding and humor help you make sense of the world. Future Me Hates Me’s title track doesn’t contain a single wasted second, with enough melodic twists and turns to fill an entire album. “Little Death,” meanwhile, is peppy without being frantic, impassioned without being overwrought. And “Happy Unhappy” is pure vitamin D, a ray of sunshine beaming directly into your ears. The musicians that make up the Beths were all jazz students, but there’s little evidence of their education apart from an assured competence on their instruments. Future Me Hates Me exists in a warm, cozily seductive place that’s not quite twee, not really punk, not exactly pop, and not too rock—it’s a place that can only be described as the Beths, and it stands a pretty good chance of being your favorite new place to hang out this year. (9 pm, Doug Fir, $10) NED LANNAMANN
Brahms’ Fourth Symphony
With selections from four different centuries, tonight’s program promises to be a delicious auditory buffet. The fourth and final symphony of Brahms serves as the main course, but it might be a world premiere from composer Katherine Balch stealing the show. Or perhaps Copland’s 1926 piano concerto will hit the spot with its unique design, anguished beginning, and jazz-infected finale. Personally, I’m preparing to have my soul satisfied by Franz Joseph Haydn’s brilliant Symphony No. 83, where Portland’s finest string sections will burn brightly with snap precision and wry emotion in one of the most goddamn delightful works the composer ever concocted. (7:30 pm, Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, $25-125, all ages) BRIAN HORAY
Elvis’ 56th Birthday Party
John “Elvis” Schroder is turning 56, and Dante’s is celebrating in style with a birthday blowout featuring live music from the English Language, Mink Shoals, and Johnny Credit & the Cash Machine, along with cake, VooDoo Doughnuts, and special appearances by the Unipiper and Gen Genocide of The Viles. Hosted by Miss Jen Lane. (6 pm, Dante’s, $5)
Don’t forget to check out our Things To Do calendar for even more things to do!