If you're a wannabe Wampire then put on your Vampire Hands and plastic White or Red Fang(s)—better yet, quickly get yourself some Meth Teeth, which will actually help you become nocturnal too—and make sure to head out to see Twilight: New Moon tonight with hoards of screeching, gothed out tweenage girls, or maybe sometime this Vampire Weekend. To help get you even more vamped up, here's a video of a real life "vampire" (I suspect she's not actually undead, just super nerdy).

Well, that was much better than this song:

Colin Meloy - "Dracula's Daughter" (Live)

If you need any more convincing to head out to East End for tonight's impressivve lineup of Lovvers, Nice Boys and Meezcaz, then check out a few breezy tracks by openers, Orca Team. Even on an icy day like this, they'll manage to melt your heart with their '50's inspired love songs that sound like Elvis in Blue Hawaii. Get to East End early!

LISTEN:

Orca Team - "And She Knows"

Orca Team - "Ill at Ease"

Put some more sass in your sashay because today is Rupaul's birthday! Also celebrating their birthday today is guitar God Isaac Hanson (he's the eldest Hanson) and Lord Infamous from Three 6 Mafia. Below are some music videos of the birthday boys (sorry, Rupaul), and strangely enough if you play them all at the same time it sounds kind of like Brokencyde.

LISTEN:

Neon Indian - "Deadbeat Summer"

The Stranger ran an interesting piece on the short lifespan of the "chillwave" scene, which reflects how quickly the online music community chews up and spits out new genres nowadays. I actually think the supposed chillwave backlash demonstrates the inefficacy of genre-branding in general. (Does anyone else think the genre tags in iTunes are worthless, and change them to another identifier? My genre tags are all switched to the year, so I can browse that way.) But hey, the bagging and tagging of an emergent musical genre makes it easier to talk/write about music, I guess.

So: Neon Indian in Portland tonight! And—this is cool—they're playing a show in Salem tomorrow night at Willamette University. It's part of their Wulapalooza Fall Feastival (an autumnal counterpart to the University's spring fest) and the show is free (and all-ages, I'd reckon, or at least 18 and up). It takes place on campus at the Montag Den and "neon attire is encouraged." (Thanks to Cliff Batson for the tip!)

Neon Indian plays live tonight w/Guidance Counselor & Tigercity at Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi, 9 pm (DJ Remy the Restless starts at 8 pm), $10; and tomorrow (Wed Nov 18) w/Tigercity at Montag Den, Willamette University, 900 State St, Salem, 8 pm, FREE

If you’ve been feeling more crab-ish than usual or freaxxx-ish today, it’s not only because Black Monday is rapidly approaching, but because Of Mice and Men—who meet in some hideous place between Brokencyde and Attack Attack! (The Hot Topic in the Mall of America?)—are gracing the Hawthorne Theatre tonight. While their name is inspired by 7th grade required reading, their screamo covers are inspired by pop songs that dominated the radio all too recently to warrant any kind of nostalgia or tribute.

“Pokerface”

“I Kissed A Girl”

Of Mice and Men’s singer, Austin Carlile, was contributing vocoder vocals (Vocoderals?) to Attack Attack! (He’s an original member!) while they recorded this fine cover. I'm particularly fond of the way he sings “I hope my boyfriend don’t mind it.”

Oh, and John Steinbeck would never wear this. Also on the bill is Island Of The Blue Dolphins, The Call Of The Wild and Anne Of Green Gables.

Alright—it's tonight. Mean Jeans w/ White Fang & The Dirtnap 10th Anniversary Party @ Ground Kontrol. It's FREE. And now, a quote from this week's print version:

Christian: "I was a major league shredder. The Berklee School of Music, they gave me a major paycheck to go teach youngsters how to shred. And 'cause I knew how to shred I said, "All right—I'll shred it.'"

"Steve Don't Party No More"

For those of you headed to the Dirty Projectors/Little Wings show tonight at the Aladdin, beware: You might become part of the opening act! This is speculation based on what I've read, and heard from friends who know Kyle Field of Little Wings, but he may or may not be inviting folks from the audience up on stage with him this evening.

As a rather rampant artiste, Field views his music as "an ever-changing art project," thus prompting him to borrow other bands' equipment and use whoever might be around to enhance (or butcher) his sound. Perhaps he is right? Perhaps everything anyone could ever need is always right in front of us? These are not a terrible concepts in theory; I'm just not sure how it all works when it's put into practice.

Regardless, I've spent all afternoon practicing the harmony for this song, just in case.

LISTEN:

Little Wings- "What Wonder"

You'd be safe to bring a tambourine.

• Jack Oblivian is prepared for all weather situations.

As Lucero is currently being mauled by an evil snow creature—thus canceling their Portland show—the rest of the "Ramblin' Roadshow and Memphis Revue" has made it to Portland alive. Jack Oblivian & the Tennessee Tearjerkers and John Paul Keith & One Four Fives will both be at Slabtown tonight. It's $6, 21&over, and starts at 9pm.

Do it for Lucero.

Propagandhi @ Satyricon, tonight

For whatever reason, I vividly remember the day I discovered Propagandi. I was about 14 or 15, on a train with some friends to San Francisco and one produced Less Talk More Rock. I listened over and over and over, blown away by the politics that would quickly lead—or should I say guilt—me into an ill-fated stint at vegetarianism. When I hear them now I wonder if I've gone soft, politically speaking. How does the saying go?

If you're not anti-establishment at the age of 20, you're lying. But if you haven't turned establishment by the age of 30, you're just plain foolish.

That's a horribly written version, but captures the idea and it begs the question, or the reflection on what it means once one's own rebelliousness mellows with age, no matter how rationalized it may appear (ie: we must play the game to win).

But aside from Propagandhi's bludgeoning politics—anti-sexist, anti-facist, anti-capitalist—the music was good, at least in the pop-punk sphere. The three Canadian metal-fans crunched, but subsisted on mostly major chords and crisp breaks and eschewed solos totally. A good heft of melody came from emo-leaning bassist John K Sampson, would would later leave to front the Weakerthans. When Sampson left, so did a lot of the pretty. He was replaced with a more hardcore screamer, and the group's balanced shifted further towards shred. And even though level-headed gender politics prevailed, the testosterone soared.

Now I—like so many of us—listened to some inexcusably horrible music in my teens. Not having yet had sex will do that to you. But all those CD's, records and tapes are long gone. Except Propagandhi. Maybe it was just a time and a place. Or maybe they really were better than the rest. I don't know and I don't care. Because tonight, when they crank up some of those early tunes, I'll be 14 again—a rebel with a cause.

JOE PUG, MBILLY
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) Joe Pug played in a barn at Pickathon. He also played in the woods, and on a proper stage as well, but any member of the crowd that was fortunate enough to be riveted by his barn performance knows that no other locale fits the Chicago singer better. He's Woody in a boxcar, Dylan in the East Village, or any other pure American folk image you can think of. Much like the Tallest Man on Earth, Pug (born Joe Pugliese) wields a barren-yet-soulful voice that immediately strikes a chord with anyone seeking a modern-day folk savior. You can believe in Joe Pug. EAC

It's true. Pug (that is just weird to type in reference to a creature that doesn't have a smashed face and curly tail) played a barn on a sweltering day during Picktathon and it felt absolutely perfect. Sort of like the above video, where Pug (again, weird) performs in the emptiness of a ghost town saloon. Granted, the Doug Fir is a little nicer than those places, but it won't stop me from ordering three fingers of whiskey and starting a fight.

In anticipating of tonight's Jesus Lizard performance at the Crystal, we've been hearing all sorts of tales from friends about previous shows from the legendary band. It seems that everyone has a Jesus Lizard story. While some of the tales are believable (the midget that was on David Yow's shoulders during a show), there are others that we are skeptical of (David Yow killed a bear with his bare hands while singing "Mouth Breather").

But of all the stories, this—from our sales guru, Rob Thompson—is easily our favorite:

I was at the show in Peoria that Rolling Stone wrote about. My friend Stan got naked and climbed on stage with the band. In their review, Rolling Stone called him a "pudgy adolescent."

Wow. See you at the show, I'll be the one reliving my (pudgy) adolescent years.

Tonight’s show at the Crystal Ballroom (Train) has been canceled. Refunds are available at point of purchase.

The excellent Two Beers Veirs ensemble performances—featuring Laura Veirs, the Decemberists' Chris Funk, and any able-bodied musician they pull off the street—is returning to the Laurelthirst Public House tonight. The shows are loose and a ton of fun, with plenty of old timey covers and lots of delicious beer to wet your parched whistle. You might end up drinking so much that you wake the next morning spooning a kitchen mop. Don't say we didn't warn you.

Two Beers Veirs runs from 6-8 pm and is free.

Bagdad Theater, 3702 SE Hawthorne, doors at 10, album listening plus film presentation starts at 11, FREE.

I'm thinking tonight's show will be a good excuse to drink heavily and let loose. And by drink heavily and let loose I mean trash your instruments, Mr. Keely, Mr. Reese.

LISTEN:

Future of the Left - "Chin Music"

Future of the Left opens for Trail of Dead tonight at Dante's, 9 p.m.

This-a-Way Records is a direct reaction to the changing infrastructure of the music industry. As traditional record labels continue to fail through an inability to adapt to digital music, TAW has found the way forward through embracing both vinyl and file-sharing, stripping away obsolete industry machinations and fully utilizing the DIY talents of its roster.

Essentially Keith has surrounded herself with a group of badass mother fuckers—musicians, bookers, producers, screen-printers, you name it—all of whom have come together to help one another get their music out. Portland's LookBook, for example. The trio will release The Look and Feel on This-a-Way Records tonight at the collective's big kick-off at Mississippi Studios along with collective-mates The Prids and Soft Tags. And don't let the Teddy bear with the shotgun frighten you... he just takes the term "DIY Or Die" very seriously.

Team Evil plays tonight with the Hand that Bleeds and Jana Osta at Backspace, 115 NW 5th, 9 pm, $6, all ages.

Warpaint - Tonight at Doug Fir w/ School Of Seven Bells

From an recent U&C:

Certain bands excel in particular spaces. For Warpaint, a breezy, tranquil, starry night at an intimate venue is ideal. There the group's ghostly vapors should float right on through the wispy curtains and off into the summertime sky. For the Los Angeles foursome—three girls and a boy—these grooves (as opposed to more shifting pop compositions...

That was a few months ago, but for tonight it remains true, and perhaps even better suited for the autumn months. The Doug Fir should be a fine, moody spot on this clear but chilly Thursday. See you there.