ALEXIS GIDEON

(Disjecta, 8371 N Interstate) Read our article on Alexis Gideon.

PAVEMENT, QUASI

(Edgefield, 2126 SW Halsey, Troutdale) Ever since news of the Pavement reunion broke, we've been drooling for a Portland show: It's Stephen Malkmus' hometown, and the reunion rehearsals took place in SE Portland's AudioCinema. Well, the day of a local Pavement show has finally arrived, and you can bet we'll be front and center. NED LANNAMANN Also, read our article on Pavement.

STRENGTH, FAKE DRUGS, DJ COPY, DJ PATRICIA FURPURSE

(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) Sweet justice! Strength have a new album, Mind-Reader, that is as sexy and dancey and silly as 2006's Going Strong, but this time around the guys have come even further into their own with fuller, slicker sounding tracks. Singer Bailey Winters exudes more confidence than ever with his sultry one-track-mind persona. John Ziegler has mastered his Casio, turning out richer synth melodies that feel both '80s and modern, but not in that annoying sardonic hipster kind of way. Patrick Morris continues to pluck out irresistible disco guitar hooks, providing the underlying funk that gets bodies gyrating. While you can clearly hear the band's progress on the new album, you really haven't experienced Strength until you've seen them live. The three are so at ease with their seductive, playful characters that you can't help but indulge in some arm waving and hip thrusting alongside them on the dance floor. AVA HEGEDUS

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, The Budos Band, Cobalt Cranes and Lynyrd Fuckin' Skynyrd after the jump!

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

EDWARD SHARPE AND THE MAGNETIC ZEROS, LULACRUZA

(Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell) Having shot to fame a year ago with the release of their debut album Up from Below, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros return to Portland for two nights, with a complex sound that's a little psychedelic '60s, a little boho-rock '70s. CAMILLE PANDIAN>

THE BUDOS BAND, THE UNIVERSAL DJ SECT

(Dante's, 1 SW 3rd) The Budos Band makes deep, bottom-heavy funk circa 1973, with groaning baritone sax, wah-wah-chink guitar, and percussion up the wazoo. The Staten Island band's newest, The Budos Band III, is the latest installment on their uniformly excellent discography on Daptone Records, and their live shows are sweaty masses of writhing funk-forms. But really, the best way to listen to the Budos Band is behind the wheel. As the pulse kicks in and the bass starts rumbling, you'll find your speedometer slowing to a crawl. The windows'll roll down, and you'll start eyeballing every street corner like you're a cop on the take or a hood out for vengeance. Before you know it, you're starring in your own gritty exploitation flick, and the Budos Band is there to soundtrack every minute of it.
NL

COBALT CRANES, THE WOOLEN MEN, NUCULAR AMINALS

(Plan B, 1305 SE 8th) As they cruised into Oregon on their first West Coast tour, Cobalt Cranes immediately Twittered, "What is the deal with the gas stations here?" Let's forgive the band's pompousness at the pump in order to enjoy their musical offerings. A foursome with a distinctly Los Angeles-tinged take on the fuzzy garage rock so prevalent these days, Cobalt Cranes' tracks sound slick despite stylized distortion and clashing cymbals. The Sonic Youth-esque male/female vocal split between drawling Tim Foley and honeyed Kate Betuel anchors their songs among the crunchy guitar of Mateo Leonardo and steady drumming from Danny Rossi. With recordings limited to tape compilations and a 7-inch released by French label Frantic City, Cobalt Cranes plan to self-release their upcoming EP in the Portland DIY style. That's how we do it up here. Just not when it comes to gas. MARANDA BISH

LYNYRD SKYNYRD

(Oregon State Fair, 2330 17th NE, Salem) Oh, Gary Rossington, why won't you just fucking die already? The last founding member of Lynyrd Skynyrd to take part in their current shameless right-wing incarnation is just a failed ticker away from finally closing the door on this (once great) band for good. But not even a Convair jet falling from the sky can stop Rossington, so the embarrassing scraps of Skynyrd get to wave the stars 'n' bars once more with a new record (Gods and Guns—take a guess what it's about), horrific new single ("That Ain't My America"—take a guess what it's about), and appearances at the Sean Hannity Freedom Concert (take a guess... oh, never mind). May zombie Ronnie Van Zant emerge from the soft soil of his Jacksonville grave and put an end to this nonsense forever. EZRA ACE CARAEFF