This Week in the Mercury

Loyal Sinners of Rock and Roll

Music

Loyal Sinners of Rock and Roll

The Golden Bears' Home-Recorded Menagerie


Up & Coming

Music

Up & Coming

Highlights in Music the Week of February 2-8



Friday, February 3, 2012

Tonight in Music: Laura Gibson, Slabtown Bender, Superfresh & More

Posted by Ned Lannamann on Fri, Feb 3, 2012 at 2:18 PM


LAURA GIBSON, BREATHE OWL BREATHE, MIKE MIDLO
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) Read our article on Laura Gibson.


SLABTOWN BENDER: THE TRASHIES, TOP TEN, UNNATURAL HELPERS, STAN MCMAHON, DENIZENZ, TACOCAT, & MORE
(Slabtown, 1033 NW 16th) It's time to have the funnest blackout you'll never remember with the annual Slabtown Bender. Drink 'em up and dance 'em down at this weekend-long series of shows, tonight with the Trashies, TacocaT, and Unnatural Helpers. Plus Saturday and Sunday you can start out the festivities with free matinees. Hydrate, folks, hydrate—this is for the long haul. COURTNEY FERGUSON


SUPERFRESH: WAMPIRE, STRATEGY, TRUCKASAURUS, JONNYX AND THE GROADIES, LITANIC MASK, VICE DEVICE, LIGHT HOUSE, DJ MAXX BASS
(Branx, 320 SE 2nd) When people talk about Superfresh, Portland's best all-ages dance night ever, they talk a lot about, well, dancing. No surprise there. Portland's dance scene has historically been on the receiving end of a lot of hype, especially this year, and the lineup for these fests has been stacked with so much on-radar talent that it's obvious how Superfresh earned its reputation as such a banger. But what people don't always talk about is how left-field some of curator Manny Reyes' selections are. Acts like Light House, $kull$, Toning, Litanic Mask, Vice Device—all amazing experimental shit that you can probably get down to, but the kind of stuff you don't have to hit the dance floor to enjoy. And if you're anything like me, meaning you don't usually venture further into dancing than shaking your hair and occasionally tilting your knees, you're probably okay with that. But if there was ever a time to let your guard down and blow everyone away with your unfulfilled dance-floor potential, this would be it. Superfresh: for wallflowers and dancers alike. CC

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This Week's Mercury Music Section

Posted by Ned Lannamann on Fri, Feb 3, 2012 at 1:10 PM

Lost Lander

Another week, another Mercury music section. We ordinarily crack wise here, but it's an incredibly strong week for local releases and shows, with great new records from a bevy of Portland acts. So let's dive right in.

Lost Lander's debut DRRT comes with a fold-out planetarium. We fully expect that future releases from this great new Portland band will include a lodestone, a zoetrope, signal flares, a Swiss army knife, and an ocarina.
LISTEN:

Lost Lander - "Afraid of Summer"

We assume Laura Gibson wanted to name her excellent new album after a town that shares her initials. And the lucky winner in this selective process turned out to be La Grande, Oregon. (Better luck next time, Los Gangeles.)
LISTEN:

Laura Gibson - "La Grande"

The Golden Bears' second record, Write It Like You Find It, is just as good as their first (which was terrific). Recorded at home in their basement, it's a 12-song ode to domesticity and rock and roll—and it turns out those two flavors go together extraordinarily well.
LISTEN:

The Golden Bears - "Come to Be"

Neal Morgan is a singing drummer. But his intriguing new album In the Yard sounds nothing like "In the Air Tonight."
LISTEN:

Neal Morgan - "Fathers Day"

Welsh band Los Campesinos! have grown from precocious youngsters into a grownup band. Don't worry: Their diary-like songs are still as heart-on-the-sleeve as ever.
LISTEN:

Los Campesinos! - "Hello Sadness"

And a lapful of Up & Comings as well.

Slabtown Changes Hands as the Bender Kicks Off

Posted by Ned Lannamann on Fri, Feb 3, 2012 at 10:53 AM

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The Slabtown Bender kicks off today, and it was announced this morning that Doug Rogers has purchased Slabtown from Brinda Coleman and Sam Soule. Rogers will be taking over operations after this weekend; the bar will be temporarily closed as he makes some minor changes, including:
upgrading the sound system, changing the menu, putting in some altars to musicians who’ve passed away (and that I venerate for their contributions to the music scene). Slabtown will reopen on February 24th with DJs, free foods, live music from the Bloodtypes and others, and our own version of Kaiju Big Battel.
Rogers also has plans for an unusual coterie of events at the NW bar, as he states:
I’m extremely easily bored, and Slabtown is going to have to entertain me as much as anyone else. Record swaps and sock hops, Blazer games, spaghetti feeds and the Church of RocknRoll, May Day and Labor Day events where the proceeds go to the staff instead of management, celebrations for Joey Ramone Day and Happy Moo Year, and as much live music as I have time to book. Yes, I’ll be keeping the pinball machines.
Here's wishing the very best of luck to Rogers as he takes the reins.

The Slabtown Bender kicks off tonight, with Wreckless Eric, the Trashies, Kid Congo Powers, and tons more.

Alela Diane to Play Two Special Shows at Oaks Pioneer Church

Posted by Ned Lannamann on Fri, Feb 3, 2012 at 8:44 AM

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Alela Diane has announced that she'll perform two very special shows at the end of the month. She's performing solo and acoustic at the cozy and historic Oaks Pioneer Church in Sellwood. Diane initially announced a single show on Wednesday, February 29 (pffft, that isn't even a real date) but naturally, all 50 tickets promptly sold out so she has just added a second show on Tuesday, February 28. Ryan Francesconi opens the Wednesday show, while Evan Way of the Parson Red Heads will open the Tuesday show.

Diane is in the midst of working on her fourth album, and has already laid some tracks to tape. She'll be playing new songs at these shows; the new record is shaping up to be an intimate, acoustic solo record—as opposed to last year's band effort, Alela Diane & Wild Divine—so the setting for these two special shows is appropriate.

Peep the flyer for the Wednesday show—which affords a glimpse of the church's interior—after the jump.

Oaks Pioneer Church, 455 SE Spokane, Tues Feb 28 & Wed Feb 29, 8 pm, $12, tickets for the Tuesday show go on sale here at 9 am

Continue reading »

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Sasquatch Lineup Announced!

Posted by Ned Lannamann on Fri, Feb 3, 2012 at 7:59 AM

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The lineup for the annual Sasquatch! Music Festival was announced last night, which takes place May 25-28 (Memorial Day Weekend) at the scenic Gorge Amphitheater in Washington State. The lineup looks solid this year, with Jack White performing solo, Bon Iver, the cast of Portlandia, and something called John Reilly & Friends, which I can only imagine is the actor, right? Portland acts other than Portlandia include M. Ward, the Shins, Wild Flag, Blind Pilot, Blitzen Trapper, the Helio Sequence, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, and Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside. Tickets go on sale Saturday February 11 at 10 am here.

Peep the whole lineup:

Jack White, Beck, Bon Iver, Pretty Lights, Tenacious D, The Shins, Beirut, Girl Talk, The Roots, The Head & The Heart, Portlandia, Feist, Silversun Pickups, Metric, Explosions In The Sky, The Joy Formidable, Mogwai, Nero (DJ), M. Ward, John Reilly & Friends, Childish Gambino, St. Vincent, The Civil Wars, Jamey Johnson, Little Dragon, Tune-Yards, Wild Flag, Blind Pilot, Wolfgang Gartner, Beats Antique, Apparat, The Walkmen, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Mark Lanegan Band, Spiritualized, Blitzen Trapper, The Cave Singers, Shabazz Palaces, Fun., Grouplove, Tycho, Sbtrkt, Strfkr, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, Deer Tick, Imelda May, Alabama Shakes, Dum Dum Girls, The Helio Sequence, Kurt Vile, Cloud Cult, We Are Augustines, Ben Howard, Here We Go Magic, Zola Jesus, The War On Drugs, Shearwater, Cass McCombs, Active Child, Trampled By Turtles, Charles Bradley & His Extraordinaires, Araabmuzik, Star Slinger, L.A. Riots, Com Truise, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, I Break Horses, Walk The Moon, Dry The River, Allen Stone, Pickwick, Hey Marseilles, Gary Clark Jr., Purity Ring, Electric Guest, Yellow Ostrich, Nobody Beats The Drum, Coeur De Pirate, Lord Huron, Sallie Ford & The Sound Outside, Beat Connection, The Sheepdogs, Hey Rosetta!, Said The Whale, Howlin Rain, Gardens & Villa, Felix Cartal, Craft Spells, Vintage Trouble, Poor Moon, Black Whales, Gold Leaves, Greylag, Awesome Tapes From Africa, Thee Satisfaction, Dyme Def, Fresh Espresso, The Physics, Sol, Metal Chocolates, Grynch, Spac3man, Don’t Talk To The Cops, Scribes, Fatal Lucciauno, Fly Moon Royalty, Katie Kate
Comedy: Nick Kroll, John Mulaney, Todd Barry, Beardyman, Rob Delaney, Pete Holmes, Howard Kremer

Thursday, February 2, 2012

More on Tender Loving Empire's Priceless Music Project, and a Free Comp!

Posted by Ned Lannamann on Thu, Feb 2, 2012 at 5:52 PM

Music distribution has yet again become a hot topic, thanks to the recent shutting down of Megaupload and this week's D: Dive Into Media conference (in which Grandpa Granola Neil Young said fantastic, point-on things like piracy taking the place that radio used to occupy: a free, low-quality method of checking out music easily).

So it's a fine time to check back in with Tender Loving Empire, who announced their incredibly ambitious Priceless Music Project at the end of last year, and now have more details on how exactly it will work. The video above, narrated by TLE's Jared Mees, spells out the wide range of payment options that are going to be available to music consumers—starting with TLE's release of Y La Bamba's new album, Court the Storm, on February 28. You can pay nothing (cheapskate) or you can pay a lot (showoff), but the point is that the whole way we buy and receive music is different, so there's room for a completely different model, so why not start from the ground up? Tender Loving Empire is still raising funds to develop the project (go here to donate), and unfortunately they still have a long ways to go before reaching their goal.

I'm certain, though, that this is going to be good for both bands and fans. Because it's one of those ideas that's so audacious, it could actually work. The heart is in the right place, and all the ingredients are good—in fact, I'd say TLE's primary goal isn't to turn the industry upside down, or to maximize profits, or anything like that. It's to smush bands and their fans as close together as possible, allowing for the monetary part of those relationships to intrude as little as possible.

At any rate, if Tender Loving Empire is involved, the music is going to be good—which at the end of the day is the most important thing. And here's proof: TLE is offering a new, free, seven-song sampler of bands on their label to help pump up the Priceless Music Project. It's kind of staggering how good the comp is, with incredible new songs from Radiation City and Y La Bamba, as well as just-as-good older songs from Typhoon, Loch Lomond, and Jared Mees. You can download it right here.

Hutch Harris Sings to His Kitty

Posted by Courtney Ferguson on Thu, Feb 2, 2012 at 3:14 PM

The Thermals' Hutch Harris takes a minute to serenade his cat Cece for "Totally Low," a song for Hutch's Forbidden Friends solo project. I love how Cece's ears go back when it gets to the "woh-ohs." You can totally bet there's a couple pugs off screen playing all the instruments.

Tonight in Music: Heeb Remixed, Youthbitch, Zodiac Death Valley & Charts

Posted by Ned Lannamann on Thu, Feb 2, 2012 at 2:54 PM


HEEB REMIXED: WEINLAND, ST. EVEN, GIDEON FREUDMANN
(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) The Oregon Jewish Museum has enlisted Weinland's Adam Shearer and Aaron Pomerantz to put together Heeb Remixed, a night of local Jewish songwriters and musicians. Weinland will play, naturally, along with Gideon Freudmann of Portland Cello Project and St. Even (AKA Steve Hefter)—plus knishes and Manischewitz cocktails. L'chaim! NED LANNAMANN


YOUTHBITCH, DISKORDS, BOOM
(Star Bar, 639 SE Morrison) Punked-up greaser fetishists Youthbitch are readying their pomade and switchblades for a spazzed-out take on power-poppy Brit-punk À la the Buzzcocks and the Clash that's unlike anything Portland has seen since our beloved Exploding Hearts. Tonight the band is celebrating the official release of their future-classic album YouthbitchYouthbitchYouthbitchYouthbitchYouthbitch on cassette for local pot-punk playboys Gnar Tapes, and you better believe the boys are gonna be revved up to give you one hell of a show tonight. Sure, they're rakishly charming, and the songs stick in your ears for days, but expect the unexpected—there's a good-natured wild streak underpinning the tunes and personalities that make up Youthbitch, one that's bound to stir up the unpredictable, and the fun, wherever they go. CHRIS CANTINO


ZODIAC DEATH VALLEY, WHITE FANG, NOT RIGHT NOW
(Kenton Club, 2025 N Kilpatrick) "Jail," from Zodiac Death Valley's debut LP, is a dark and druggy blues number loaded with whacked-out guitars, throbbing organ, and vocals so full of swagger, you might think singer Nic Abodeely came from the loins of Jim Morrison. That is to say, this San Francisco five-piece is rock and roll. Or as they put it: "The loudest folk band in the world." The new record is certainly a mesmerizing listen (not at all folky), filled with strange twists and turns that lead you far from your comfort zone and toward that dark place you feared as a child but can't get enough of as a thinking adult. MARK LORE

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Laura Gibson Adds an Early Show at Mississippi Studios Tomorrow

Posted by Ned Lannamann on Thu, Feb 2, 2012 at 12:49 PM


Perhaps you read this week's music lead about Laura Gibson, and her excellent new record La Grande, which transplants the local chanteuse's parlor folk into a Wild West landscape filled with guns, gold, and ghosts. Unsurprisingly, Gibson's release show for La Grande tomorrow night at Mississippi Studios is super sold out. Super duper sold out. Super duper sold out with frosting and cherries. And those diced nuts.

But good news, music (and sundae) lovers! Mississippi Studios has just added an early show—so, if you didn't already have tickets to the late show, you'll still be able to see Gibson premiere the record for an eager hometown crowd. This pair of shows promises to be exceptional: Gibson and her band kicked off their US tour last week, and with this batch of La Grande tunes at their disposal, they'll be firing on all cylinders.

Get tickets to the early show (tomorrow night at 6:30) over at Mississippi Studios' site.

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Win Tickets to the Black Keys!

Posted by Ned Lannamann on Thu, Feb 2, 2012 at 8:29 AM

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What are you doing on Monday, May 7? How about checking out the Black Keys at the Rose Garden, along with opening band Arctic Monkeys? That sounds pretty good, doesn't it?

We've got two pairs of tickets to give away to two very lucky winners. If you want 'em, all you have to do is send an email to this address and include "Black Keys" in the subject line. In the body of the email, please include your name, and the answer to this question:

What actor/comedian played a used-car salesman in a promo video for the Black Keys' latest album, El Camino?
Easy, right? (That promo video has even been posted here on the site. Super easy.) Send in your answer, but do it by Monday at 5 pm, when we'll close this one down. Two lucky winners will be selected at random out of the correct answers, and they'll each get a pair of tickets to the show. (The seats, if you're wondering, are in section 116, so they ain't front row, but they ain't too shabby either.)

Oh! One more thing. You'll need to stop by our office to pick up your tickets sometime in the next couple weeks. If you're not able to make it downtown during business hours to grab 'em, there's no need for you to enter. (Sorry, out-of-towners.)

Good luck!

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Revival Turns Three, Luke Wyland and Others Perform Tonight

Posted by Ned Lannamann on Wed, Feb 1, 2012 at 3:47 PM

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According to Facebook, it's Revival Drum Shop's birthday today. And it's true that the Northeast Portland percussion emporium opened its doors in February 2009, and in three short years it's become a reliable, well-loved source for all things drum, specializing in custom and vintage items.

Tonight the Creative Music Guild hosts a show at the drum shop featuring a solo set from Luke Wyland—perhaps better known as one-half of AU. Wyland typically handles keyboard, pedal steel, and vocals for AU but tonight's improvised set will see him playing solo accordion and augmenting it with electronics. It should be quite unique. Also playing tonight are jazz drummer Tim DuRoche and saxophonist Eugene Lee, who will be playing an improvised set as well. Tonight's show is part of the ongoing Outset Series, a concert series that focuses on experimental, avant-garde, and improvised music.

Revival Drum Shop, 1465 NE Prescott, 8 pm, $5-15 sliding scale, all ages

Space Waves - "Turns"

Posted by Chris Cantino on Wed, Feb 1, 2012 at 12:55 PM

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Local dreamgaze sensations Space Waves are one of the busiest bands in Portland right now. On top of recording two new full-length albums in their newly minted Mindwave Studio, launching their label Mindwave, and booking a monthly shoegaze night (again, branded Mindwave) at Ash St. Saloon, Space Waves' core of Kelley and Sarah Bourland somehow found some space on their calendar to book a West coast tour with Chicagoan space rock classicists Grimble Grumble later this month.

Sure, when musicians stretch themselves like this, it often translates into lower-quality music, but that couldn't be further from the case here. In fact, if Space Waves' new single "Turns" is any indication, the band is clearly flourishing from all that hard work and immersion in a major way. There's a lot of love in this song, and it's peppy as hell—might even be their best yet. Listen closely for echoes of Frank Black, Spacemen 3, and untraceable kiwi rock, all channeled through Space Waves' dreamy, breezy aesthetics.

Catch Space Waves at Backspace on February 16th with Grimble Grumble, Souvenir Driver, and Sundaze.

Tonight in Music: 13 Months of Sunshine

Posted by Ned Lannamann on Wed, Feb 1, 2012 at 11:51 AM


13 MONTHS OF SUNSHINE: AFRICAN SOUNDS DANCE PARTY
(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) Bless the rains for staying outside as DJs Cuica, Spencer D, Jason Urick, and the guys in Brainstorm create 13 Months of Sunshine: Africa Sounds Dance Party, a night full of sunny, happy dance music. Why didn't someone think of this sooner? WILL ELDER

New Song and Video from M. Ward

Posted by Ned Lannamann on Wed, Feb 1, 2012 at 9:58 AM

Here's "The First Time I Ran Away," a new song (and video) from M. Ward from his forthcoming album A Wasteland Companion, which comes out April 10. The charming animated clip was directed by Joel Trussell, who was also responsible for the lovely video for "Chinese Translation," and indeed this song hearkens back to Post-War era M. Ward, offering flickering, watery production over a simple melody. This isn't the kind of tune that immediately hooks itself into your psyche, but its impressionistic melody feels like an idea that is quite comfortable rolling around inside your head for a while.

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Portland's Benoît Pioulard + Seattle's the Sight Below = Orcas

Posted by Ned Lannamann on Wed, Feb 1, 2012 at 9:42 AM

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Here's a peek at the new track from Orcas—the collaboration between Portland's Benoît Pioulard and Seattle's Rafael Anton Irisarri (who records as the Sight Below)—from their forthcoming self-titled album, due out on April 24 on German label Morr Music. It's a soothing, wisping song with the frame of a conventional melody, but the picture within depicts something far more elusive, more abstract. It's soothing, but filled with the notion of decay, which fits in well with the song title: "Carrion" is both rotten, rancid meat and sustenance to certain kinds of animals. The track ends quite suddenly, providing a jarring conclusion to a seemingly docile song.

LISTEN:

Orcas - "Carrion

According to Morr Music's Soundcloud page, Orcas takes its name from what's commonly called the killer whale, the "wolf of the seas"—and not the island in the San Juans, which was named after the Spanish explorer Horcasitas. You can also check out their tribute to late Broadcast singer Trish Keenan, which we posted last year.

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Radio Moscow: Who's the Asshole Here?

Posted by Ned Lannamann on Tue, Jan 31, 2012 at 2:08 PM


Here's a clip of heavy-psych band Radio Moscow show, from their January 7 show in Ames, Iowa. The band kind of broke up after this, and you'll see why. Here's the short version, distilled from Radio Moscow's PR people: "DRUMMER HURLS FRONTMAN PARKER GRIGGS' OWN GUITAR INTO GRIGGS' HEAD—SENDING HIM TO THE EMERGENCY WARD TO RECEIVE 14 STITCHES TO THE FOREHEAD."

But as you'll see from the video, it looks like Griggs might have started the whole incident by throwing his guitar at the drummer to begin with. As least that's how it looks to me.

The press release also includes a photo of Griggs with stitches in his forehead, which I'll include for ya after the jump. It goes on to say that Griggs quickly assembled a new backing band—and the newly constituted lineup of Radio Moscow plays in Portland tonight, opening for Graveyard at the Doug Fir.

So I ask you, readers, after watching this video—

Continue reading »

Tonight in Music: Ghost/Blood Ceremony, Graveyard

Posted by Ned Lannamann on Tue, Jan 31, 2012 at 12:43 PM


GHOST, BLOOD CEREMONY, ANCIENT VVISDOM
(Hawthorne Theatre, 1507 SE 39th) I have heard exactly one heavy music fan claim they did not care for Blood Ceremony's self-titled 2008 debut. Are you fucking kidding me? Unabashed Iommi-worshipping guitar, sinister organ, and lyrics birthed from the Necronomicon swirl from netherworldly depths to otherworldly heights—and that's just the first song. Once vocalist/organist Alia O'Brien puts her lips to the mouthpiece and conjures that first flute (yes, flute) solo, the trip really begins. This dark sorceress leads a druggy, unholy dance at the altar of the RIFF, her minions banging their heads approvingly as she lights the pyre beneath you. Yes, this album is a stone classic and that person I mentioned earlier obviously has shit for brains. The Toronto band makes their long overdue Portland debut tonight. Don't miss out. ETHAN JAYNE Also read our article on Ghost.


GRAVEYARD, RADIO MOSCOW
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) Graveyard is a pack of Swedish ghouls that have robbed the crypt of rock and roll for all its forgotten trinkets and jewels. Unlike most modern retro-rock outfits who've picked at the dry bones of Pentagram's boogieman blues, Graveyard opted to crack open a few different coffins. On their latest slab, Hisingen Blues, they display some of the treasures they found with their necromantic pursuits. They push some hard-charging, hand-clapping MC5 blues and lace it with some darkened Uriah Heep and Jefferson Airplane psychedelia. To keep from seeming too fiendish, they occasionally stop and breathe with a slow and soulful Free groove. Consequently, by digging up the past, Graveyard may have given new life to the stale corpse of rock and roll. ARIS WALES

White Hinterland Gets Their Day On Daytrotter

Posted by Charlie Swanson on Tue, Jan 31, 2012 at 8:37 AM

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Another week, another Portland group unveiling a beautiful set at the Daytrotter Sessions. This time, it's White Hinterland, stripped down and sonorous in their simplicity. While the duo is usually known for more produced and programmed sounds, here they step away from the electronics in favor of a single piano and singer Casey Dienel's richly alluring voice. Like all Daytrotter Sessions, this one showcases the band in a new light, intimate and humble, yet White Hinterland's stunning turn here more than just a change of pace, it's a revelation. You can hear the first track of the session, "Icarus," right now before heading over to grab the rest of it, which is absolutely something you're going to want to do.

LISTEN:

White Hinterland - "Icarus" (Daytrotter Session)

Monday, January 30, 2012

Deer Tick Gives Portland a Valentine

Posted by Ned Lannamann on Mon, Jan 30, 2012 at 1:36 PM

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Here's one that might have slipped your notice:

Portland's getting a very special Valentine from none other than Deer Tick. The Providence, Rhode Island, group plays everything from roots to rock—as long as it's raw, rowdy, and rambunctious—and they'll be puckering up their lips and lining up their candy hearts for a cozy show at Bunk Bar on Tuesday, February 14. It's a venue Deer Tick could have played three or four years ago, but they generally fill bigger rooms these days. It's also a special one-off show for Deer Tick, who kick off a European tour in March, but otherwise have a pretty quiet tour schedule until then.

So bring a sweetie, or maybe you'll find one at the show—Deer Tick shows are never tidy, sober affairs, so anything could happen. Get tickets here.

Deer Tick at Bunk Bar, Tues Feb 14, 9 pm, $15

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Tonight in Music: Wolves in the Throne Room

Posted by Ned Lannamann on Mon, Jan 30, 2012 at 12:33 PM


WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM, TRAGEDY, DRUDEN
(Branx, 320 SE 2nd) The sky is dark, and the floodgates of Northwest rain have opened, creating the perfect environment to summon forth Wolves in the Throne Room. From a fabled farm compound, the Olympia band channels the energy around us into a rampage of black metal that might stop you from caring whether the sun ever returns. MARJORIE SKINNER

Win Cloud Nothings Tickets and a Rubik's Cube!

Posted by Ned Lannamann on Mon, Jan 30, 2012 at 10:29 AM

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Cleveland band Cloud Nothings just released their sophomore full-length, Attack on Memory, last week. It was recorded in Chicago with the one and only Steve Albini, and affords a brutally close look at the young band's powerful sound, without any artifice or production trickery. The band is embarking on a tour as well, and comes through Holocene on Monday, March 5—and we're giving away not only a pair of tickets to see the show, but a specially made Cloud Nothings Rubik's Cube (pictured above). A free show and hours of puzzlement and frustration? You can't beat it!

In order to win, send an email to this address with "Cloud Nothings" in the subject line. Please include your first and last name. We'll choose a winner at random, who'll get to check out the show and get a sweet Rubik's Cube in the mail. Not sure if you want in? You want in. Take a listen to Cloud Nothings below, and good luck! (This contest will remain open until Thursday, February 2 at 5 pm.)

LISTEN:

Cloud Nothings - "Stay Useless"

Deerhoof And David Bazan Join Forces

Posted by Charlie Swanson on Mon, Jan 30, 2012 at 8:28 AM

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The latest in what may become my new favorite series, indie noise band Deerhoof and songwriter David Bazan (Pedro the Lion, Headphones) have just released a collaborative 7" featuring Bazan's somber vocals and newly written lyrics over a re-worked Deerhoof track. Affectionately known as DeerBazan, the release's A-Side, "No One Asked Bazan to Dance," is available to listen to right now.

Taken from 2011's Deerhoof vs. Evil, the track "No One Asked to Dance" originally sounded light and airy, and it still retains Deerhoof's fluttery guitars and rhythms here; but with Bazan at the mic, the new version strays down darker paths. Listen to the track and pick up the 7" to hear the B-Side, a reworking of Bazan's own "Gas and Matches," over at Polyvinyl Records. If that's not enough, Deerhoof just announced they're playing the Crystal Ballroom on March 23rd, supporting labelmates Of Montreal. Get tickets to that show here.

LISTEN:

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Tonight in Music: Parson Red Heads/Tommy Keene, U Sco

Posted by Ned Lannamann on Sun, Jan 29, 2012 at 12:24 PM


THE PARSON RED HEADS, TOMMY KEENE
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) In his introduction to the power-pop progenitor's ferocious performance on Late Night in '94, Conan O'Brien declared Tommy Keene "one of the best pop songwriters in the business." A single spin of his 1986 benchmark album, Places That Are Gone, will tell you that's no exaggeration. Anybody with a penchant for pop is guaranteed to be fairly keen on, well, virtually everything Keene has released. His output is remarkably consistent, and unlike conspecifics Chris Stamey or hell, R.E.M., Keene hasn't chilled out with the passing of years. In fact, his latest record, entitled Behind the Parade, might be his grittiest to date. MORGAN TROPER Also see My, What a Busy Week!


TRAVIS LAPLANTE, TREVOR DUNN, THICKET, U SCO
(Laughing Horse Books, 12 NE 10th) Whoever thought prog and punk would be so suited for each other? Certainly the possibility of a compromise occurred to Robert Fripp (look no further than Red-era King Crimson for an example of early prog-punk-rock, which was one of his better ideas). Ryan Miller, guitarist in the Portland-based progressive, experimental, post-whatever band U Sco, has also combined the two almost contradictory styles with ambiguous and riveting results. It's essentially aggressive progressive rock, but stripped of (most) of the unpleasant excesses and regurgitated medieval allusions associated with the genre. In other words, it's restless and exciting as hell, while still containing elements that will stimulate your classically trained friend's virginal ears. Besides, Travis LaPlante (of Little Women) and Trevor Dunn (of Mr. Bungle) are worth the price of admission alone. It's all a reminder that some of the most abrasive, aberrant sounds in the city are emanating from modest all-ages spaces. MT

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Tonight in Music: Alabama Shakes, Beat Connection, The Black Swans & More

Posted by Ned Lannamann on Sat, Jan 28, 2012 at 12:23 PM


ALABAMA SHAKES, QUIET LIFE
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) Read our article on Alabama Shakes.


BEAT CONNECTION, WAMPIRE, DJ JEFFREY JERUSALEM, SEX LIFE
(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) Saturday night is a great night for sweatin' it out to dancey electropop, and you'll be thrilled by the synth-tastic stylings of Seattle's Beat Connection (voted Seattle Weekly's Best New Band of 2011). Dreamy, ass-shaking grooves will be the order of the night, with the also awesome Wampire, Jeffrey Jerusalem, and Sex Life DJs rounding out the bill. WM. STEVEN HUMPHREY


THE BLACK SWANS, FLASH FLOOD AND THE DIKES, FISHERMEN 3, SIR RICHARD BISHOP
(Kenton Club, 2025 N Kilpatrick) On Yesterday's Wine, Willie Nelson talks to God—literally. And the interesting part is that God talks back. The 1971 album begins with spoken-word dialogue that infuses the rest of the record with a gothic piousness. The Black Swans employed a similar tactic on their 2011 album Don't Blame the Stars, although singer Jerry DeCicca introduces each song by talking not to God but to you, resulting in a record that plays not so much like an album as a nighttime radio show transmitted from somewhere long gone in America's dusty, spooky past. The musical portion collects weather-beaten folk and funereal gospel, haunted by the ghost of violinist Noel Sayre, who died in a swimming accident shortly following the initial recording sessions. The Ohio band plays a surprising but welcome (and free) show at the Kenton Club, opened by former Sun City Girls guitar mage Sir Richard Bishop. NED LANNAMANN

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Friday, January 27, 2012

Alabama Shakes This Weekend

Posted by Ned Lannamann on Fri, Jan 27, 2012 at 3:48 PM

An email from Andrew R Tonry, who's down in California and wrote about Alabama Shakes this week:

dude, i hope you're going to alabama shakes.

i had to go to the show in solana beach, about an hour and a half south, near san diego because the troubadour was well sold-out and i was on the publicist's "guest waiting list," which i figured was a nice way of saying "no."

the trip was worth it. even down there the place, bigger than the troubadour, was fucking packed. and damn, they were hotter than i expected—keep in mind i knew they would be good. but they're polished good, not punk rock good.

feel like they're so bound to get huge that there's almost no ceiling. could be adele big. brittany has a ridiculously incredible voice. with it, she could be the next aretha franklin.

could also be co-opted and scrubbed for massive mall rock, corporate franchises, the house of blues and applebees 40-somethings whose other CD's include josh groban. but i think, based on my conversation with brittany, that they're purer than that. here's hoping.

either way, you'll never see 'em in a venue that size again.

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