PDX JAZZ FEST: ESPERANZA SPALDING

(Newmark Theatre, 1111 SW Broadway) Read our article about Esperanza Spalding.

THE BUILDERS AND THE BUTCHERS

(Everywhere in Portland) Today the Builders and the Butchers will become the Builders and the Buskers. In support of their excellent new album, Dead Reckoning, the band is about to play to every single soul in Portland, like it or not. The Butchers are hitting the streets for eight shows in as many hours. From the Rebuilding Center to Powell's—no location is safe from the Butchers today. Take a long lunch and catch them at the carts, or knock back a couple domestic beers and watch them at the Doug Fir patio. Or, if you see them all eight times, they'll probably let you join the band—I hope you can play the tambourine and really like touring. Here's a list of their performances: noon at Trade Up Music (1834 NE Alberta); 1 pm at the Rebuilding Center (3265 N Mississippi); 2 pm at Mississippi Marketplace Food Carts (4233 N Mississippi); 3 pm at Jackpot Records (3574 SE Hawthorne); 4 pm at Powell's City of Books (1005 W Burnside); 5 pm at Voodoo Doughnuts (22 SW 3rd); 6 pm at the Doug Fir Patio (830 E Burnside); 7:30 pm at Music Millennium (3158 E Burnside). EZRA ACE CARAEFF

MALAIKAT DAN SINGA, OZARKS, SHAPES, ANGELO SPENCER ET LES HAUTS SOMMETS, MEDIA THEM

(The Artistery, 4315 SE Division) Tonight marks the release of Portland band Ozarks' split 7-inch single with singer/songwriter Davis Hooker, out on local imprint Wil-Ru Records. Both sides are equally strong: Ozarks' "Pyramids of Love" is a woozy, winding post-psychedelic comedown, with a hushed vocal and staccato organ building to a carefully lush chorus. It's a song that gets progressively better with each listen. Meanwhile, Davis Hooker—formerly of A John Henry Memorial—might even be more subdued on his side of the 7-inch. A slow, folky number in three, "Amis" sounds like Hooker whispering right up against the speaker, were it not for the rowdy chorus of singers off in the distance. It's an excellent split single, with the promise of further releases to come on Wil-Ru. NED LANNAMANN

BOATS, WH WALKER, BLOODTYPES, MIDNIGHT CALLERS

(Plan B, 1305 SE 8th) It always seemed like the bubblegum pop-punksters in the Soda Pop Kids were just one recording away from breaking through to the masses, but sadly the band called it day back in 2007 (although their final show came in 2009). While the Pop Kids were dissolving, a pair of its members—Devin Clark and Alan Torres—were teaming up to form Welcome Home Walker (now known as WH Walker). While they might have been raised by punk rock, WH Walker's seven-song Suds! is Spector-obsessed and unafraid to dip into classic '50s pop. While the title track sounds like a detergent jingle—in a good way—the ragged garage pop of "Second Hand Store" could make any guitar romantic weak in the knees. EAC

A complete listing of this week's shows can be viewed here.

ASHIA GRZESIK, GREY ANNE

(The Secret Society, 116 NE Russell) I've never heard anything quite like Bison Rouge, the new solo EP from Portland Cello Project and Vagabond Opera cellist Ashia Grzesik. The captivating opening track "Country Will Do Her Well" sounds like lieder updated for the 21st century, and it's followed by the handsome two-step of "Rip Up Your Stitch," then "Broken Crowns," which sounds like a conservatory string quartet slumming with Appalachian folk before Grzesik meanders in with a vocal that sends the whole thing into outer space. I haven't even mentioned the song that she sings in Polish. The EP's instrumentation is almost exclusively strings and accordion, with plenty of pizzicatos alongside hints of gypsy and cabaret. Grzesik's music is a strange and beautiful thing to listen to, and tonight's release show—which will include belly dancers as well—should provide ample evidence of her talent and ambition. NL

VERSUS, CORIN TUCKER BAND, HUNGRY GHOST

(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) Indie pop bands came and went throughout the '90s, but few had the impact of New York's Versus. The quartet led by Richard Baluyut and Fontaine Toups struck a perfect balance between discordant guitar rock and a sweet yet oddly sinister coed pop sound. 1998's Two Cents Plus Tax—along with its processors The Stars Are Insane and Secret Swingers—belong in the LP library of any true indie connoisseur sporting a decade-old TeenBeat T-shirt (oh, don't act like you gave yours to Goodwill). Following nearly 10 years of indefinite hiatuses and side projects, Versus has returned with On the Ones and Threes, a comparable addition to their deep catalog. Openers the Corin Tucker Band are best known for their singer's brief cameo in an episode of Portlandia. EAC

BALKAN BEAT BOX, SOULICO, DJ ANJALI, THE INCREDIBLE KID

(Roseland, 8 NW 6th) The reason why this Balkan music craze didn't immediately burn out the way the Squirrel Nut Zippers-inspired swing revival of the '90s did is simple: Balkan music is still a living thing. Musicians like Beirut and, especially, Balkan Beat Box embrace the classical elements—the brass, the swirling beats—but they fold electronic elements into the songs seamlessly, making it something altogether new. Not every BBB experiment works (some of the rap interludes are painful, especially when the music is slowed down to put the vocals front and center), but a musical failure at least signifies that music is alive. Whether B3 are failing or succeeding, music doesn't get much more alive than this. PAUL CONSTANT

BRAINSTORM, KITTIN, SLOTHS, STAND BACK! IT'S REACHING CRITICAL MASS, COLOR CRASH

(Backspace, 115 NW 5th) Satyricon is dead. The Artistery will be soon as well. Underage patrons seeking local music are running out of options, but that's not stopping Portland's next generations of musicians from joining together for this much-needed Music in the School benefit. The non-profit MITS raises money for music education in the cash-strapped Portland school district, and tonight a few of the best high-school acts will battle it out for your enjoyment. Capping things off will be a set from the fresh-faced, but definitely not high-school-aged, duo Brainstorm. Your attendance tonight will support Portland music, local all-ages venues, and help get music education in our schools. Not bad for a Friday night. EAC

A complete listing of this week's shows can be viewed here.