NEON INDIAN, PREFUSE 73, MINIATURE TIGERS

(Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell) See My, What a Busy Week!, pg. 17.

DIRTY PROJECTORS, DOMINIQUE YOUNG UNIQUE

(Aladdin Theater, 3017 SE Milwaukie) There is still no deft group of words that exists to pin the exact sound of Brooklyn's Dirty Projectors. We all know that David Longstreth and company have a penchant for the experimental deconstruction and subsequent remodeling of the music we're used to, but that description doesn't do them enough justice. So for now, we'll just casually mention that in the midst of constant touring, the band recently collaborated with Björk to make a conceptual EP (Mount Wittenberg Orca) in which each member sings the part of a whale family swimming together near San Francisco. Naturally, Björk is the mother whale. And though your ears may have a good time panning in and out, from left to right, while trying to hear the musical mechanisms of each song on 2009's acclaimed Bitte Orca, the live show is by far the best way to experience this well-oiled machine at work. RAQUEL NASSER Also see My, What a Busy Week!, pg. 17.

HAYES CARLL, QUIET LIFE, BONNIE WHITMORE

(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) In a perfect world the Texas-tinged, husky voice of Hayes Carll would be omnipresent: Ford truck commercials, voiceovers (I wager he's cheaper to hire than James Earl Jones), and of course on turntables and jukeboxes the world over. Carll and his rambunctious backing band could just as easily hold their own behind chicken wire at a jukejoint, or steal the show (as they did) at a roots festival like Pickathon. On 2008's Trouble in Mind Carll takes us back to the days of Steve Earle's Guitar Town (way back before Earle's looks and thin frame escaped him), a place where country and rock and roll fit so nicely together. Granted, Carll doesn't show a whole lotta range, but he doesn't need to. His hard-luck tales of bad breaks, bad women, and liver-bruising booze are all any man needs, and in the end, it all comes together like the pearl snaps of your granddad's old H-Bar-C shirt. EAC

You can look at our complete show listings here!

DAD FAG, BLOOD BEACH, HOT FACE
(Valentine's, 232 SW Ankeny) Named in honor of an early '80s splatter B-movie ("Blood Beach, it's an okay place to visit, but I wouldn't want to die there") of the same name, Portland's Blood Beach (which features Mercury freelancer Ethan Jayne) are more content blowing out speakers than they are making the tide run red. On their boastfully lo-fi debut EP, vocals are submerged deep into the mix, as the band eschews punk rock's tempo for a surprisingly reserved pace and plenty of unexpected instrumentation—most notably the howling theremin on "Soft Serve" and "I Cannot Live in Your Pyramid." Oh and Dad Fag, if you are not a tribute act to '90s brit-rockers Gay Dad I'm going to be deeply disappointed. EZRA ACE CARAEFF

JESSE MALIN AND THE ST. MARKS SOCIAL, MONEYBROTHER, YOURS

(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) It's a bit too easy to tease Jesse Malin about his days fronting glam-punkers D Generation, his hair product addiction, or a couple solo recordings that attempted a bit too earnestly to cling to the denim coattails of Ryan Adams. But truth is, the New York singer/songwriter can write a song like no one's business. While he has yet to make a recording that lives up to his potential—his Heartbreaker, if you will—the just-released Love it to Life comes pretty close. Also don't miss the quirky song stylings of Sweden's Anders Wendin (that's Moneybrother to you). On Real Control Wendin sounds like Joe Strummer, had the punk icon given up on the Clash and chosen a musical direction paved by reggae, soul, and a bit of American rock and roll thrown in for good measure. Sound crazy? It sure as hell does, but with Moneybrother it works oh so well. EZRA ACE CARAEFF

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

SCHOOL OF ROCK PERFORMS DETHKLOK

(Hawthorne Theatre, 1507 SE 39th)The only line of description for the show posted on Paul Green's School of Rock website: "Bring a neck brace." Dethklok, the virtual death metal band from the Adult Swim cartoon show Metalocalypse plans to crush Portland's spinal column as School of Rock students perform acts of brutality for a noontime crowd. There's no better way to spend a Saturday afternoon than watching a bunch of child prodigies chug their way through "Hatredcopter." KEVIN OTZENBERGER

PANCAKE BREAKFAST, ON THE STAIRS, TRIP THE DARK FANTASTIC

(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) The best breakfasts have a lot more variety than just a quick slice of burnt toast or some soggy cereal. And no one knows this better than local hootenanny horde Pancake Breakfast, whose loveably goofy music doesn't fit neatly into a single category. The band's newly released, self-titled debut full-length album features guitar crunch ("Jakebrake"), oom-pah waltzes ("Balloon in the Sky"), creeping-vine lounge ("Trouble"), and unspeakably silly sing-alongs ("¿Who Is Wearing Pants?"). The nine-member outfit is led by Mike Midlo, who sings like a charming, slightly dotty schoolteacher, and all members sing together for a crunchy-granola, barnyard ball. The band is planning to film music videos for every tune on Pancake Breakfast, and the first one for "Pedro Infante" features Midlo mournfully singing, "I'm the saddest man in town." Don't believe him for a second. NED LANNAMANN

DEAKIN, PRINCE RAMA, ETERNAL TAPESTRY

(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) How can you lose when you record your album in Kurt Vonnegut's grandson's cabin and a 135-year-old haunted church, with Animal Collective's Avey Tare, Deakin, and the Present's Rusty Santos at the controls? We don't even need to mention the Hare Krishna commune upbringing, do we? No. Prince Rama sound like a zeitgeisty culmination of the new American underground's fascination with mysticism—portentous chants, wailing in tongues, and all—come to blazing, bizarre fruition. A ritualistic seriousness, thunderous drums, and cavernous reverb color Prince Rama's Shadow Temple, their new album on AC's Paw Tracks imprint. If while this is playing you don't feel like you're tripping nads in a Far East Asian house of worship, you should have your psychedelic bona fides revoked. DAVE SEGAL

Local Natives, Clubroot and the Bay City Rollers after the jump!

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

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