It's actually better than I thought it would be... of course, I went into it with zero expectations. So there ya go. The song "Scumbag Blues" is pretty good—I love Homme's falsetto, Jones' basslines are Zeppelin-esque, and Grohl kindly gets his Bonham on.

So what's next? A tour, of course. The Vultures will swoop into the Roseland Theater on Sunday to indulge in the bluesy jams inspired by that one band Jones used to play.

LISTEN:

Them Crooked Vultures - "Scumbag Blues"

I've been feeling unsafe when I venture out at night lately and I'm chalking it up to the recent presence of Crunkcore and Christian metal in Portland. While scouring the internet for a good place to purchase personal defense weapons, I came across something infinitely more exciting than a Panther Stun Gun: Hayes Carll's two night stand at the Aladdin Theater on January 19th and 20th! Hooray! Let him lead us back to the shelter of our rowdy Americana roots.

Hayes Carll sort of sounds like electric Bob Dylan meets Garth Brooks, but more Texas. Ok, way more Texas. He's probably (almost) as obnoxious as Garth Brooks, drawling words out much longer than they need to be drawled. And like a young Dylan his music illustrates life as poetry in the starkest sense. The song "I Got a Gig" contains a stunning stanza about life in bars: "Four tin walls now there ain't much left/Lookin' like a homeless Cheers on Meth/Homer's in the corner, breaking up a fight/Lord, I hope I get paid tonight." I suddenly feel like I haven't slept for days and just ate a whole basket of bar snacks.

Unfortunately, Steve Earle is headlining the show. A Steve Earle show really shouldn't be unfortunate, but last summer, at the Newport Folk Festival, I watched him play several country songs over a canned hiphop drum beat. It was enough to drive someone to the next stage (where Damien Marley was rapping). Luckily, his son Justin Townes Earle (who will be making an appearance at the Doug Fir on Valentine's Day) has polished the tarnished Earle namesake and made two incredible records, and one incredible EP, in the past couple of years. Here's to hoping that big daddy Earle forgets the drum machine on this tour.

In the song below, listen to the tact with which Carll interprets religion.

LISTEN:

Hayes Carll - "She Left Me For Jesus"

• "shittiest" ghost costume is not meant to be taken literally... we think.

Today marks the official start of Halloween Weekend!

Even though derelicts have been walking up and down Hawthorne in costumes for weeks, it is now acceptable for you, the law-abiding citizen, to dress yourself in that deliciously clever "Goth Brooks" costume you have been planning since last Halloween. (Sorry, but no one will get it until you tell them.)

Or, you could head down to The Water Heater on N. Fremont and Albina in your "shittiest ghost costume" for live music, dead beer, and the kind of fun you can only have in Purgatory. (Not sure what that means? You're Jewish? Me too!)

The Water Heater is a 4800 square foot warehouse that intends to be "one of the most fully integrated and wide-ranging artist communities this side of the Mississippi." (Not sure if they mean the Mississippi river, the state, or the avenue with all the boutiques on it.) Anyway, they're planning to eventually host two stages, a production studio/live room, practice spaces, art studio spaces, workshop bungalows, and more. Plus, the warehouse is considered to be one of Portland's first "green" buildings, constructed entirely of scrap water heaters welded together during WWII. It's definitely worth checking out.

As for the party, it intends to rock your Halloween-themed socks off. They even brought in $5,000 worth of insulation and a space heater so you won't freeze should you choose to strip out of your shitty ghost costume and dance around. Check it out, bring your friends, and save Goth Brooks for tomorrow; no one is going to get it anyways.

Keenan is also making noises with his side project Puscifer, which he calls a way to tap into his creative subconscious... well, I'll let the man himself explain:

"I'm a Workaholic with a Napoleon Complex, a Wine Lover, a Musician, and all around Paranoid Conspiracy Theorist. So it should come as no surprise that all of these elements would continually try to seep out into some form of catch all "inside" project. And Puscifer is that project. The space where my Id, Ego, and Anima all come together to exchange cookie recipes. This is a space without any hard edges. It's a space with no clear or discernible goals. CHECK YOUR OVER INFLATED EXPECTATIONS AT THE DOOR. Cuz this is simply a playground for the various voices in my head. Come play with us."

YES SIR! For those who have already checked those over-inflated expectations, you can join Keenan, along with his various voices, at Roseland Theater on November 14th. While it's unlikely I will go play with them, I would really like to try the man's 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon-Syrah blend, Sensei.

At this point, the Flaming Lips might as well just move to Portland.

Following the epic nudity of their video shoot on Mt. Tabor, Jackpot Records will be hosting a free, one time only multimedia screening in honor of the band's new album, Embryonic (out October 13th). The screening will include what they describe as a “cinematic feature,” set to their new album. It’s all goes down at the Bagdad Theater—sorry kids, 21 and over only—on the 12th of October, with the new album becoming available for purchase at the show starting exactly at midnight.

May God have mercy on your soul if you attempt to purchase the record at 11:59 pm.

One of my friends jokingly told me that the Flaming Lips spend $4000 alone on confetti for their shows. This may or may not be true—although my friend is a certified confetti accountant—but regardless, the Lips are know for producing some pretty stunning visuals to compliment their music. The screening is free so get there early to secure a spot.

I saw HEALTH a couple of years ago in a 100-capacity art space, and the L.A. four-piece proceeded to scare the shit out of everyone in attendance... in a good way... I also firmly believe their unhinged performance inspired several people in attendance to start a band.

HEALTH's new record Get Color is out today, and the band will perform as part of the Time-Based Art Festival on Friday, Sept. 11th with Pictureplane. I will say this—their new self-directed video for "Die Slow" gives a legitimate reason to be creeped out... unless, of course, you enjoy writhing around in plasma and erythrocytes.

Yessir. Growing anticipation for tomorrow's Kurt Vile/Woods/Dungen show at Berbati's, mostly on account of Vile (who will be performing solo on this tour before returning with a full band later this fall).

Since George Lucas has gone all Grand Moff Tarkin on the franchise (Remember? Tarkin was the Imperial commander played by the late Peter Cushing who had Princess Leia's home planet of Alderaan destroyed in Episode IV as a way of demonstrating the power of the fully operational Death Star) there has got to be another way to squeeze a few more hard-earned peggats from... we'll call them Star Wars Aficionados.

Star Wars: In Concert will bring John Williams' famous score to arenas across the galaxy... err, the country, including right here in Portland. The spectacle will not only include a live orchestra, but scenes from all six movies will be strung together on giant screens while Sir 3PO himself (he's our only hope) Anthony Daniels will narrate live. Sounds great, but I was hoping for something more along these lines.

The Force will be with the Rose Garden on October 14th—which means I'd better... I mean... those interested should get in line now.

In case you missed it the first time....

*fans self* Uh... so anyway the ostensible purpose of this blog post is to inform you that tomorrow night Portland Cello Project and special guests Brian Perez, John Brophy, and more will co-headline a free show with the Oregon Ballet Theatre at Washington Park Ampitheatre, 7 pm. They've promised to play a few of the hits from last week's dance party, including "One More Try" and "Take on Me." Bring a picnic and your best throwin' panties.

There's nary a mention of it in this week's paper, due to it not being screened for critics beforehand, but the documentary Until the Light Takes Us, playing one night only this Saturday night at the Hollywood Theater looks awesome. Chronicling the Norwegian black metal scene—burnt churches and self mutilation and all—Variety has this to say about it:

Producer-helmers Aaron Aites and Audrey Ewell have obvious, admirable goals — to make a film that reflects the self-consciously alienated/eerie black-metal scene in early '90s Oslo, and the nihilistic philosophy and devotion to paganism that launched a small war against Norwegian culture and religion. It's not a cuddly group they profile: The burning of the more than 900-year-old Fantoft Stave Church and the use of terms like "faggot" to refer to one black metallist's murder victim don't generate much empathy for the film's subjects. They wouldn't want it, anyway.

Honey Owens nudged me toward the trailer here, so if you like any combination of Valet, Rad Summer, or the Dunes of yore, you might want to take heed her tastes.