THE AVETT BROTHERS, THAO WITH THE GET DOWN STAY DOWN (Edgefield, 2126 SW Halsey, Troutdale) BLOOD BROTHERS—As Portlanders, we've had a front row seat as the Avett Brothers went from scrappy roots act to the rock 'n' roll big time. These North Carolinians return here—well, technically, to Troutdale—to serenade us with material from last year's I and Love and You. EAC

BASTILLE DAY BLOCK PARTY: NICE NICE, TYPHOON, JARED MEES AND THE GROWN CHILDREN, & MORE (Pix Ptisserie, 3901 N Williams) BASTILLE—Pix's fourth annual Bastille Day block party celebration of French history and Portland present is always a blast, with a 5K where you take wine breaks instead of water, live music (this year including AgesandAges and Nice Nice), a scavenger hunt, waiter racing, and much more! MS

THE DUTCHESS AND THE DUKE, MONARQUES, VIRGIN BLOOD, MEAT SLUTS (East End, 203 SE Grand) Last year's Sunrise/Sunset, the magnificent second album from Seattle "campfire punk" duo the Dutchess and the Duke, simply gets better and better with time. The group—whose lineup can swell to include percussion, bass, and organ, or sometimes performs as simply the duo of guitarist/singers Jesse Lortz and Kimberly Morrison—convincingly summons an unaffected 1960s sound, with octave-straddling 12-string guitars, folk-circle harmonies, and naturally flowing melodies. What makes the Dutchess and the Duke so tremendous is that the music never sounds affected—they effortlessly maintain a totally unlabored frankness that other bands work too hard to achieve. Lortz is simply a fantastic songwriter, and the Dutchess and the Duke remain a terrific band; the chance to see their intimate, personable live show in the tiny East End basement should not be missed. NL

Run On Sentence, Superfest 2 and the Big Busk after the jump!

As always, you can find our complete live music listings here.

RUN ON SENTENCE, SCRIMSHANDER (The Woods, 6637 SE Milwaukie) Dustin Hamman might look more at home downing trees with a swinging axe—or selling paper towels, if Brawny was seeking a new, bearded pitchman—than he does onstage. But it is under the Run on Sentence moniker that Hamman does his finest work. Tonight he releases You, the Darkness, and Me, a tender collection of seemingly compact folk offerings that gradually expand into massive songs, swollen with grand arrangements, Hamman's off-kilter voice, and lyrics that are more haunted backwoods than front-porch sing-alongs. Hamman is not the first musician, or Portlander for that matter, to sound like a disciple of Jeff Mangum, but his Neutral Milk Hotel influence is respectful, if not pleasantly restrained. The best moments of You, the Darkness, and Me come from the gradual build and tension of six-plus minute numbers like "I Am Blood" and "Wide Open Sky," songs that illustrate Hamman's gift for songwriting and patience as an artist. EZRA ACE CARAEFF

SUPERFEST 2: DEELAY CEELAY, STRENGTH, ATOLE, OPERATIVE, E*ROCK, PEGASUS DREAM, DJ LINOLEUM (Rotture, 315 SE 3rd) There is no better time than now to anoint the second annual Superfest gathering as the pinnacle of Portland's burgeoning live-band dance scene. For years E*Rock has been urging Portlanders to shake free their inhibitions, uncross their arms, and hit the dance floor. Unfortunately, it took about a decade before this actually caught on. But now the glittering neon rainbow of Deelay Ceelay's bouncy dance-pop is standard fare, no longer limited to fringe after-hour parties in someone's basement. While Superfest acts tend to lean a bit too heavy upon the great crutch of '80s synth revisionism, there is real life here, proof that Portlanders can do more dance moves than "the stand still," "the wall lean," and my personal favorite, "the Twitter update while holding a beer in the back of the room." I am the Fred Astaire of that move. EAC

THE BIG BUSK (Various locations, downtown Portland) At its very core, busking is a musical endeavor unsuited to a festival of any sort. How can you reign in and organize a performance style that thrives outside—literally—of the traditional musical settings? But tonight's Big Busk does a fine job of organizing, but not constraining, the various acts that will take to the streets of downtown Portland, instruments in hand and tip jars at the ready. Considering the sheer number of corporate dollars it takes to host any sort of musical festival, the second year of this totally independent event is worthy of your support. Plus the streets of Portland can be a scary place on a Saturday night—unless you look like you belong at the Dixie Tavern—so bring some spare change and support the artists of the Big Busk. EAC