TOO SHORT, STEADY THE BOSS, DJ CHILL
(Roseland, 8 NW 6th) Three decades later and 19 full-length albums, Too $hort is still dropping rhymes about all of his favorite things... and if you don't know what those things are, stop reading now. Even if 45-year-old Todd Shaw never shook his pimpin' ways, he's still managed to maintain the respect of rappers past and present (Tupac, the Notorious B.I.G., Jay-Z). Plus he was $tylizing his name with dollar signs long before Ke$ha and Gene $immon$. Too $hort has his 20th album coming out later this month called No Trespassing that includes song titles like "Playa fo Life" and "Respect the Pimpin'." Yes, Too $hort is a legend. And tonight's show is definitely one to see. Let's just hope he leans heavily on songs from Life Is... Too $hort and Short Dog's in the House, which are all you need. MARK LORE

SMALL SOULS, BARRY BRUSSEAU
(The Waypost, 3120 N Williams) Brian Rozendal, who's performed around town with his namesake band, and Bryan Daste, of Scotland Barr and the Slow Drags, have joined forces to form Small Souls, and tonight their debut EP, You Can Feel the Devil's Heart, celebrates its release. It's a gentle, acoustic, pedal-steel-laden affair for the most part, but as its title indicates, there's a certain storminess underneath these placid surfaces. Opener "What It Means" refrains from using any drums until its final seconds, when the song bursts apart; meanwhile, closing track "Lines Are Breaking" moves at a relatively loping gait until its rhythm section disappears entirely, the song's lyrics asking, "Will you come back for me?" Small Souls are already well on their way to being masterfully dramatic within the limited spaces of their unassuming songs.
NED LANNAMANN

DRUNKEN PRAYER, THE UKELADIES,
MATT BROWN
Secret Society, 116 NE Russell) Portland has become quite the sucker for Americana, whether it's the rowdy rabblerousing kind or the lonesome waltzing kind (both of which, incidentally, happen to be the binge-drinking kind). Cresting along this local wave of simple-thinking, whiskey-drinking troubadours is Morgan Christopher Geer—the man behind Drunken Prayer and also Warren Zevon's medium, showing him the world from the great beyond. However, while Drunken Prayer's self-titled debut erred more on the side of traditional alt-country, the new Into the Missionfield sets our honest human woes to a deeper, bluesier strut. From the simple ballad "Brazil" to the sly smile of the album's title track—where Geer sings, "Smile, you're entering the missionfield"—there is more than enough here to set Drunken Prayer apart from the masses. RAQUEL NASSER

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THE PHARMACY, THE SHIVAS, GHOST MOM, MYTHOLOGICAL HORSES
(Ella Street Social Club, 714 SW 20th Pl) Read our article on the Pharmacy.

YACHT, LOVERS, JEFFREY JERUSALEM
(Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell) According to the Mayans, we have less than a year before the apocalypse, so now is as good a time as any to (A) start thinking about what comes next and (B) immerse ourselves in hedonistic orgies. With so little time left, it's a good thing YACHT's fifth album, Shangri-La, gives us the chance to kill two birds with one stone. YACHT's electronic funk is, as always, situated squarely on the dance floor, but the words that Claire Evans sings with so much cool are centered on far weightier topics: namely, the end of the world. Jona Bechtolt's laptop hooks may be consistently addictive, but the songs are a little confused about how the end-time scenario will play out. Are we supposed to actively engineer our paradise or go out dancing like hell while the earth burns around us? Or maybe they're one and the same. REBECCA WILSON

MILO GREENE, FAMILY OF THE YEAR

(Bunk Bar, 1028 SE Water) Hailing from Los Angeles, that mysterious place where drama is manufactured and sold to millions, Milo Greene makes incredibly aware cinematic pop music that seems to pause at all the right moments: the ones that paw at those taut heartstrings to elicit the correct emotions. Not to mention the appeal of the rousing gang vocal in a pop song—four out of the five band members are vocalists, swapping lead vocals and often singing together, with Marlana Sheetz, the lone female, adding warm, feminine tones to a small men's choir. It's a twee indulgence that is not so easy to deny. The band is still quite young—there is no full-length yet, though one is in the works. In the meantime, they've released the remarkably well-adjusted The Hello Sessions EP, and with it, a flare that signifies approaching success; it's unlikely they'll be coasting beneath the radar for long. RAQUEL NASSER

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VILLAGE FREE SCHOOL BENEFIT: HURRY UP, ADVENTURE GALLEY, FATHER FIGURE
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) Since supporting education is vitally important right now, don't miss tonight's Benefit for the Village Free School (a cool nonprofit private school that focuses on freedom, responsibility, and community involvement), featuring the Thermals-infused super band Hurry Up! as well as bouncy sets from Adventure Galley and Father Figure. Go on—have some fun for the kids! WM. STEVEN HUMPHREY

EVENT 2: CLAUDIA MEZA, SHANNON STEELE, RICHARD LAWS, CHRIS CANTINO, DORIAN DUVALL, BOOTH WILSON,
DJ SNAKKS
(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) The first Event, curated by Devin Gallagher of High Scores and Records and Typhoon, was a mysterious evening of adventurous music, spontaneous collaboration, and decidedly un-jammy improvisation. Expect the same from Gallagher's second installment of Event, which features six talented and idiosyncratic local musicians pairing off with another to make unrehearsed sounds. There'll be moments of weirdness, moments of wonder, and moments of decided discomfort—but that's a happy price to pay for the thrill of hunting down the spark of creativity, which will also be in full evidence throughout the evening. NED LANNAMANN

WILCO, WHITE DENIM
(Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 SW Broadway) Jeff Tweedy's ability to write a song that so perfectly captures the bajllion kinds of sadness one person can feel in a lifetime is both rare and annoying. Have a depressingly unrequited crush on someone? "We're Just Friends." In love with a fucked-up person who's carrying a lot of baggage? "Reservations." Have baggage of your own? "Please Be Patient with Me." Wilco's sad songs are so great at being sad songs, in fact, it causes me to completely disregard what they're even better at, which is writing sunny, Americana-laced pop songs like "Heavy Metal Drummer" and "I'm the Man Who Loves You." They're really good songs! I want to listen to them over and over again! But if Wilco's bummer ballads make it feel so good to be sad, why would you ever want to cheer up? MEGAN SELING

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Latest tracks by goldenBEARS

THE GOLDEN BEARS, 1939 ENSEMBLE
(Bunk Bar, 1028 SE Water) Read our article on the Golden Bears.

LOS CAMPESINOS!, PARENTHETICAL GIRLS
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) Read our article on Los Campesinos!

ELEANOR FRIEDBERGER, DOMINANT LEGS
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) It's been almost nine years since the Fiery Furnaces made their debut with Gallowsbird's Bark. It was like nothing I'd ever heard before, but Eleanor Friedberger's vocal antics necessitated a certain being-in-the-mood. On her first solo album, Last Summer, released, er, last summer, Friedberger has made a graceful transition from tastemaker to tasteful. Now that she doesn't have anything to prove, her vocal style has become warm and inviting, striking an emotional chord that the Furnaces, with their arm's-length stylistics, never did. Will the songwriting blow your mind? Nope—but Friedberger's voice and lyrics probably will. The songs sound wise and familiar, not forced, and keep the attention focused on her rich alto voice and the important stories that she's trying to tell us, albeit in an impressionistic code. REBECCA WILSON

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PERFECT PICKLE: DJ ANJALI AND THE INCREDIBLE KID, CÉCILIA UND DIE SAUERKRAUTS, DENVER, PETE KREBS
(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) In its second year running, the Dill Pickle Club's Perfect Pickle combines more than a few of your favorite things: a pickle tasting/competition featuring submissions from the likes of Biwa and Olympic Provisions, among others, live music from bands like Denver, celeb judges like Dave "Killer Bread" Dahl, and more! MARJORIE SKINNER

STILL CAVES, ZODIAC DEATH VALLEY, BATH PARTY
(Ella Street Social Club, 714 SW 20th Pl) Still Caves' sound is defined by memorable melodies that shine through walls of reverb-drenched vocals and fuzzed-out guitars. The almost inaudible vocals are tastefully pulled back in the mix to add to the ethereal psychedelic effect of the band's music. Driving drums and bass lay out the perfect backdrop for the wall of sound that they provide in their live shows and recordings. Still Caves are a definite up-and-coming band to keep an eye on for all fans of experimental garage rock and psych-pop. ARIAN JALALI

TWIN SISTER, AVA LUNA, PURE BATHING CULTURE
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) Whether you happen to be reclining in a lounge chair with a white wine spritzer or swaggering across a dance floor in your best spandex, Twin Sister have you covered. It's surprising that this chilled-out quintet is from Long Island, sounding as it does like British dream popsters who secretly yearn for disco. On last year's In Heaven, their one and only LP, the vibe centers on layers of shimmery guitars overlaying laidback drums, both real and synth. But the key here is vocalist Andrea Estella, who couldn't sound less like a Long Islander. In general, she heroically avoids the temptation to ape the aching fragility of trip-hop chanteuses like Beth Gibbons, which would be a natural fit for Twin Sister's music. Instead, she consistently delivers vocal confidence, even when singing about the vulnerability of twentysomethings making their way in the world. REBECCA WILSON

NEAL MORGAN, WHITE HINTERLAND, MARISA ANDERSON, PWRHAUS, SEAN PECKNOLD
(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) Read our article on Neal Morgan.

SLABTOWN BENDER: KID CONGO POWERS AND THE PINK MONKEY BIRDS, DON'T, PROBLEMS, CYCLOPS, BLOOD BEACH, & MORE

(Slabtown, 1033 NW 16th) Brian Tristan, AKA Kid Congo Powers, came up in the LA punk scene during the late '70s and '80s. Though he started small, running a fan club for the Ramones and a zine for the Screamers, he ended up playing in seminal bands like the Gun Club, the Cramps, and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Now with his own band the Pink Monkey Birds, Kid Congo Powers blends his West Coast punk roots with doses of grooving '60s Chicano rock and garage psychedelia to superb effect. Both 2009's Dracula Boots and last year's Gorilla Rose show that the Kid has aged gracefully, still capable of kicking out the kind of jams that should have plenty of feet moving at the grand finale of this year's Slabtown Bender. MIKE RAMOS

LOST LANDER, YOURS, HOUNDSTOOTH
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) Read our article on Lost Lander.

THAT'S MY JAM!: DJ BEYONDA, ILL CAMINO
(Bossanova Ballroom, 722 E Burnside) It's finally here: the booty-shakingest event of the winter, That's My Jam dance party and contest! Limber up for some high-velocity dance pop jams spun by DJ Beyonda and Ill Camino, as well as a dance crew contest with cash prizes! Don't miss out—get your advance ticket now at portlandmercury.com! WM. STEVEN HUMPHREY

THEE SILVER MT. ZION MEMORIAL ORCHESTRA, TOTAL LIFE
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) Led by Godspeed You! Black Emperor's Efrim Menuck, Montreal's Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra (SMZ, henceforth) make grandiose rock that's as long-winded as their name. Unlike the mostly instrumental GY!BE, SMZ feature Menuck's ungainly singing voice; like GY!BE, SMZ launch epic chamber-rock compositions that drift, swell, and sometimes explode—all very methodically. This is music for people with long attention spans and appreciation for subtle emotional gradients—especially those in the key of somber. The tension between "ponderousness" and "dramatic" is ever present, if you like that kind of thing. DAVE SEGAL

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LAURA GIBSON, BREATHE OWL BREATHE, MIKE MIDLO
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) Read our article on Laura Gibson.

SLABTOWN BENDER: THE TRASHIES, TOP TEN, UNNATURAL HELPERS, STAN MCMAHON, DENIZENZ, TACOCAT, & MORE
(Slabtown, 1033 NW 16th) It's time to have the funnest blackout you'll never remember with the annual Slabtown Bender. Drink 'em up and dance 'em down at this weekend-long series of shows, tonight with the Trashies, TacocaT, and Unnatural Helpers. Plus Saturday and Sunday you can start out the festivities with free matinees. Hydrate, folks, hydrate—this is for the long haul. COURTNEY FERGUSON

SUPERFRESH: WAMPIRE, STRATEGY, TRUCKASAURUS, JONNYX AND THE GROADIES, LITANIC MASK, VICE DEVICE, LIGHT HOUSE, DJ MAXX BASS
(Branx, 320 SE 2nd) When people talk about Superfresh, Portland's best all-ages dance night ever, they talk a lot about, well, dancing. No surprise there. Portland's dance scene has historically been on the receiving end of a lot of hype, especially this year, and the lineup for these fests has been stacked with so much on-radar talent that it's obvious how Superfresh earned its reputation as such a banger. But what people don't always talk about is how left-field some of curator Manny Reyes' selections are. Acts like Light House, $kull$, Toning, Litanic Mask, Vice Device—all amazing experimental shit that you can probably get down to, but the kind of stuff you don't have to hit the dance floor to enjoy. And if you're anything like me, meaning you don't usually venture further into dancing than shaking your hair and occasionally tilting your knees, you're probably okay with that. But if there was ever a time to let your guard down and blow everyone away with your unfulfilled dance-floor potential, this would be it. Superfresh: for wallflowers and dancers alike. CC

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